Archive for January 2009

Archivist Erik Nordberg published an article, “Frost on the Spuds: Potato Farming in Houghton County During the Great Depression,” in Michigan History, Vol. 93, No. 1, January/February 2009.

As part of the Library’s strategic planning, Dr. Mullins was invited to campus to consult with library staff and Michigan Tech administration, and invited to deliver a talk on e-Science last week. The recording of his talk is ready online.

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Library adds three new service centers for Michigan Tech students, faculty, and staff.
The J. R. Van Pelt and Opie Library held an open house for the Michigan Tech academic community on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

As part of the library’s transformation, three new service centers have been added to the second floor of the library: the Center for Teaching, Learning and Faculty Development (Room 219); the Blackboard/WebCT Help Center (Room 207); and the Digital Studio (Room 243). Check out more Library  Open House photos by clicking the image above.

Recording Available

Learn more about the key role copyright plays in academic publishing and the new options available through Creative Commons licensing at a presentation by Molly Kleinman, copyright specialist and special projects librarian at the University of Michigan, “The Beauty of Some Rights Reserved: An Introduction to Copyright, Publishing and Creative Commons,” to be held Friday, Jan. 23, at 11 a.m. in Rekhi G05.

Are you concerned about protecting your rights to the “information property” you create? The legal use of information is an increasingly complex issue for universities to address in the digital age. As the internet unlocks doors to information, publishers and other content creators worry about protecting their information property from abuse by users. Initiatives such as Creative Commons hold promise for content creators and users to create and distribute content more easily and in a way that is consistent with copyright law.

Kleinman provides copyright support for the University of Michigan Library’s digital publishing initiatives, coordinates copyright education and outreach for faculty, staff and students, and redesigned and manages the U-M copyright website.

The Library is now exhibiting renowned wildlife artist Robert Bateman’s “New Territory-Black Wolf,” a gift to Michigan Tech by Isle Royale National Park in honor of 50 years of wolf-moose research on Isle Royale. This limited edition print is graciously on loan from the President’s Office.The exhibit will be on display through Winter Carnival. Please stop in and enjoy it.

Bateman’s art reflects his commitment to ecology and preservation. Since the early 1960s, he has been an active member of naturalist clubs and other conservation organizations. He has become a spokesman for many environmental and preservation issues and has used his artwork and limited edition prints in fundraising efforts that have provided millions of dollars to these worthy causes. Bateman says, “I can’t conceive of anything being more varied and rich and handsome than the planet Earth. And its crowning beauty is the natural world. I want to soak it up, to understand it as well as I can, and to absorb it. And then I’d like to put it together and express it in my painting. This is the way I want to dedicate my work.”

Posters recounting the wolf-moose research project by wildlife ecologists Rolf Petersen and John Vucetich (SFRES) accompany the exhibit.

Watch the Inauguration activities on the Information Wall in the lobby of the J. R. Van Pelt and Opie Library. The Information Wall will stream the CNN broadcast with closed captioning all day. Sound will be turned on for the official ceremony. See history in the making.

The J. R. Van Pelt and Opie Library will host James L. Mullins, director of libraries and professor of library science at Purdue University, on Tuesday, Jan. 20. His visit supports the library’s strategic planning process and will include a public presentation, “Enabling Access to Scientific and Technical Datasets in e-Science: The Role of Library and Archival Sciences,” scheduled for 11 a.m. in Rekhi G05.

Mullins’ recent research and publications place him in a small group of library leaders whose staff are actively addressing issues of information usage in science and engineering schools. His career has included positions at MIT, Villanova and the Indiana University library system, and his professional service includes work with the National Science Foundation, the Association of Research Libraries, the American Library Association, and the International Federation of Library Associations. He currently serves on the board of International Association of Technological University Libraries.

Under Mullins’ leadership, Purdue has developed an innovative “e-Scholar” initiative ( http://e-scholar.lib.purdue.edu ), which collects and shares traditional library and archival information alongside their institution’s scholarly publications and research data collections. The program is assisting Purdue in addressing new federal guidelines for the retention and management of scientific data gathered using public grants.

The presentation will be followed by light refreshments and an opportunity to interact with Mullins.

Looking for a good book? Wondering what others are reading?

TechReads is a new feature on the Van Pelt Library website and information wall that showcases influential books recommended by members of the Tech community. The book could be one they are currently reading or one that made a significant impression on them.

Professor Randall Freisinger (Humanities), 2008 Distinguished Teaching Award recipient, kicks off the series with reflections on “The Essential Rumi.” A copy of the book will be on display in the new-book area of the library and will be available to check out beginning Jan. 26.

We hope this feature inspires you to read something new and stop by to browse the library’s new books. You are invited to recommend a good book; email TechReads@mtu.edu for more information.

On January 5th, 2009 the Library catalog will be unavailable due to a necessary system upgrade. Please contact our Reference Librarians if you need assistance. The upgrade is in preparation for the new catalog interface which will be released later in January. More details soon!