Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Open Access week in review
For a look at what other universities did to commemorate the occasion, here's Heather Joseph and Jennifer McClennan's letter reposted from their blog on Open Access:
http://www.openaccessweek.org/profiles/blogs/the-conclusion-of-open-access
<<
The largest, most successful International Open Access Week yet has just come to a close. With just under 900 participants in 94 countries, this year’s event was no less than three times larger than it was just a year ago. Hundreds of videos, photos, blog posts, and more were released to promote and highlight the benefits of Open Access to research and take the conversation even more deeply into the research community – and they absolutely did.
We could celebrate the week as a success in numbers like these alone, but the numbers really only tell part of the story.
The increase in diversity of participants is even more telling. Started as a student-driven event in 2007 with support from SPARC and the library community, Open Access Day was at first a library-centric affair. Having grown in recognition and participation every year since, in 2010 we truly began to make deep inroads into the academy.
The student stake in the conversation on access continues to grow more firm, but this year participants from the academy – including humanists, climate change scientists, provosts, research funders, Nobelists, and lawyers – really took advantage of the occasion to share their insights on how Open Access has had an impact on their work and lives.
Nobel prize-winning scientist and director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute Dr. Harold Varmus participated in the official OA Week kick-off event, saying, with respect to where open-access publishing has reached and what’s now possible: “All of these adventures are tremendously exciting because they markedly enrich the experience of being a scientist, of reading the work of others, and of exchanging views with others in the scientific community.” Dr. Varmus’s comments are online at http://vimeo.com/15881200.
In his video, Dr. Nico Sommerdijk, associate professor of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at the Dutch Eindhoven University of Technology, expresses a need for moving beyond traditional publishing approaches to share data. He made his research data openly available so that now, “Everybody can access [the data set] directly with one click of your computer mouse. People may use the same data set for things that we were not looking for and so generate new science with the same scientific data set.” (http://www.openaccessweek.org/video/open-access-of-data-generates)
The stories that were shared are inspiring, but so was the creativity of the delivery.
In Portugal, the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém held a portion of their Open Access Week program in Second Life. (http://www.openaccessweek.org/xn/detail/5385115:Event:9662?xg_source=activity)
Students at Boston University made a video to illustrate that studying without access to the resources you need is like having half a sock to wear, half a hotdog to eat, or half a book to read (http://www.openaccessweek.org/video/open-access).
And, in Open Families (http://www.arl.org/sparc/openaccess/openfamilies), scientists relate in personal and compelling terms how Open Access to the research and data they produce, as well as that produced by others, is not just a professional cause for them but a family affair.
All these contributions to the conversation – in writing, photo, and video – are a fantastic resource that will help us all to continue the conversation over the course of the year and beyond, and are a sure sign of the growing momentum behind Open Access Week. Of course, the growing size and power of the global network also continues to impress.
Open Access Week 2010 was also a great reminder to us of the work and opportunities that lie ahead. We’ve isolated a need to dig deeper into the academy and find ways to meet faculty on their own terms – to find ways to bring Open Access Week, so to speak, to campus every day of the year. While we’ve made crucial advances, we’ve only just started to make the inroads needed to engage the community of scholars and researchers.
We’ve made fantastic progress, with awareness-raising around Week and with advancing Open Access as a new norm in scholarship. Congratulations to every single person who worked so hard to ensure the success of the event – locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. And, thank you.
SPARC also extends special thanks to the members of the 2010 Open Access Week program advisers (http://www.openaccessweek.org/group/programadvisers), SPARC members (http://www.arl.org/sparc/member), and everyone we’ve had the pleasure in working with this year. Thank you.
Naturally, there’s more to come. Watch for more OA Week round-up materials from SPARC, including more videos, throughout the week. And, course, there’s Open Access Week 2011 to look forward to! We'll look forward to seeing you at www.openaccessweek.org then.
Warm wishes,
Heather Joseph, Executive Director
Jennifer McLennan, Program Director for Open Access Week
>>
Monday, October 25, 2010
Database tip - advanced searching in EbscoHost databases

Did you know you can use advanced search commands in the library's EbscoHost databases, including Business Source Elite, ATLA, and Education Research Complete?
Each type of search (author, title, subject headings, company name, etc.) has a two letter "search tag" that allows you to search the database through that particular type of access. To run a search, type the search tag in ALL CAPS, followed by the equals sign and your search phrase in quotations.
Each database offers a slightly different set of search tags. They are listed in that database's help file and in the drop down menu in Advanced Search (see picture above). For example, the tag to search by author in Business Source Elite is AU, by title is TI, by subject is SU, etc.
The search tags could be useful when you want to use Boolean searching (AND, OR, NOT) to narrow or expand your result set.
For example, suppose you are looking at the impact of technology on outsourcing from a managerial perspective, and have identified several search terms relevant to your topic. To find articles at the intersection of these subject headings, you could try:
SU="business process outsourcing" AND SU="information technology" AND SU="management"
To run a search for articles on the Pepsi or Coca-Cola soft drink companies published in the Wall Street Journal, you could try:
(CO="Pepsico Inc" OR CO="COCA-Cola Enterprises Inc.") AND SO="Wall Street Journal"
The parentheses here are important - they ensure that the AND operator is applied to both Coke and Pepsi, instead of just to Coke.
At this point, you may be wondering, how did I know what terms to search for in quotes? In part two of this post, I'll share some tips on how to use a database to identify the "authoritative" term to use when searching for a company, subject heading, person, etc.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Open Access week continues...
Thursday, October 21
Naslund Study Lounge, inside Jones Computing Center
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Librarians: Bill Kennedy and Melissa Cardenas-Dow
Take a look at our slideshow on Openaccessweek.org:
Find more photos like this on Open Access Week
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Open access resources at the University of Redlands
Open access is commonly considered to have two "roads" for you to take as a researcher looking for a way to access the literature.
The "green road" of institutional repositories contains texts and other resources that scholars post themselves, often on a website or in an institutional repository.
The "gold road" of open access journals mimics the for-profit journals that Armacost Library subscribes to, often including rigorous peer review. Funding mechanisms vary, including - but NOT limited to - fees paid by authors or their home campus.
With that in mind, here are the tools:
The Directory of Open Access Journals (http://www.doaj.org/) lists over 5,000 open access journals. You can browse the journals across 17 subject areas to find a journal covering the field you are studying, or search the articles by keyword. This resource is useful when you are looking for open access journals to publish in, or to browse through, and you don't know the journal by name already.
DOAJ is also part of the library's Index List of Full Text Journals, available from the right side of the library home page. If you search for a journal by title and it happens to be an open access journal, chances are that access will be listed through the Directory of Open Access Journals or Freely Available Journals collections.
The Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (BASE) will soon make its appearance in our list of databases by title. This resource is hosted by a European research library and allows you to search at the item level through over 1700 content providers, including open access journals as well as institutional repositories and digital collections. Several content providers index non-textual materials as well. Preliminary testing shows it is even useful at retrieving those elusive theses and dissertations hosted in campus repositories. Give it a try and let us know what you think!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Open Access Week at University of Redlands
Access to scholarly journals and articles is a major focus of Open Access Week, and rightly so. But Open Access, and the innovation it makes possible, has broader implications for our society beyond the halls of academia, as the events we've scheduled this week make clear.
At tonight's keynote lecture, DJ, activist, Students for Free Culture board member and USC Annenberg School graduate student Kevin Driscoll spoke to the UoR community in the Casa Loma Room about intersections between the Free Culture movement and Open Access. We'll post more information about the event here for those who had to miss it.
SPARC, a Washington-based international library alliance, has put together a short video introduction to Open Access Week and the Open Access (OA) movement, featuring several renowned scientists including Dr. Harold Varmus. Take a look!
Open Access Week 2010 from SPARC on Vimeo.
Are you curious about the OA movement now? Want to know how you can put the power of Open Access to work in your own research, scholarship or everyday information-seeking? Stop by the Open Access Week booth during lunch hour and talk with our librarians.
Wondering how open source software fits in with all of this? Attend the Ubuntu 10.10 Launch Party hosted by Mark Holmquist in CLS 99, Jones Computing Center this Thursday, October 21 from 12-6 pm to find out.
Keep watching this blog for more information on the Open Access movement throughout the week!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Omnifile access restored
We discovered a problem with our Wilson Omnifile database preventing access from off campus. The link from the library lists of databases by subject and title (http://80-hwwilsonweb.com.library.uor.edu/) took a long time to resolve. Finally, it returned a "Bad Gateway" error message.
We're sorry for any inconvenience this caused you.
Thanks,
Sanjeet Mann
Electronic Resources Librarian
Armacost Library
Monday, October 11, 2010
UoR Open Sound 2010: Votes Are In!
A big “thank you” to all those who participated! We will now burn the selections made onto CDs that we will be distributing during Open Access Week, starting Monday, October 18th. Look for them at Armacost Library’s circulation desk, the Fletcher Jones Foundation Computer Center main lab, the Campus Diversity and Inclusion main offices, and the information tables Armacost Library will have around Hunsaker Plaza during Open Access Week. CDs will be available only while supplies last, of course.
And...on Monday, October 18th, 7-9 p.m. at the Casa Loma Room, CDI, Armacost Library and ITS will be hosting a talk by Kevin Driscoll. Kevin is a board member of Students For Free Culture. He will speak about Open Access, Free Culture and why these issues matter to us all, especially undergrads. We hope to see you there!
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
So…where did they go?
1) Creative Commons, Free Culture and Open Access are newer concepts of understanding ownership and authorship, so can be difficult to grasp.
2) Free Culture and Open Access is all about creators having control over their creations. Not someone else.
Armacost Library realizes and honors both of these points.
And chief among the rights artists and creators should retain, we believe, is the right to decide what they want to happen with their work. Overeasy made the brave and honorable decision to take the time necessary to understand Creative Commons copyright before committing them to Open Access.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
California Library Snapshot Day 2010

Thursday, September 30, 2010
New University website includes library tweaks

The University of Redlands unveiled a new website this morning. While the library URL is unchanged (http://www.redlands.edu/library), the library website does benefit from a new visual style. You can now navigate through the site using the left hand navigation bar and "breadcrumb" trail at the top of each page. Tables and text are more readable, and pages have been resized to fit modern monitors.

One difference involves the home page links to the library catalog and electronic journals. These links have moved to the right side of the page, and are joined by the links to Course and Subject Guides and the login page to our new ILLIAD interlibrary loan system.
While the structure of library's web pages has not changed, this is a good opportunity to look over the site and make sure you know how to get to the resources you use regularly. If you have questions about the design, ideas for improvements, or just want to find out how to do something, contact our reference desk at (909) 748-8878 or reference@redlands.edu and one of our reference librarians will gladly work with you.
Monday, September 27, 2010
What is that thing anyway?

It’s a QR Code. QR stands for “Quick Response” and the image is, really, a two-dimensional bar code. You might have seen these already in other contexts, such as postage you’ve received or sent from the Post Office or products you’ve purchased from stores.
Some mobile phones have QR readers that decipher the embedded information. To download a free QR reader to your phone, go to http://reader.kaywa.com/.
Scan the image above using your mobile phone and you’ll be taken to the UoR Open Sound 2010 poll on Armacost Library’s blog. Snap, click, vote!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Vote in UoR Open Sound 2010!
The entire university community is encouraged to participate! UoR students, faculty, staff, alumni, family and friends are welcome. Vote as many times as you want, for as many tracks as you want. Music tracks that receive at least 50 votes will be included in the compilation CD. We'll also include some bonus tracks from the artists whose music tracks make the 50-vote cut.
UoR Open Sound 2010 CDs will be distributed at various locations during Open Access Week, starting Monday, October 18th till Sunday, October 24th. Look for them at Armacost Library’s circulation desk, the Fletcher Jones Foundation Computer Center main lab, the Campus Diversity and Inclusion main offices, and the information tables Armacost Library will have around Hunsaker Plaza during Open Access Week.
Voting will close on Sunday, October 10th at 11:59 p.m. Cast your vote below.
Sample each music track by clicking on the big orange Play button that each track has. If you like what you hear or think a track should be part of UoR Open Sound 2010, click on the little box at the left of the track title to select it. Select as many as you deem worthy. One vote can have many selections. When you are finished making your selections, click the Vote! button at the bottom of the poll. Doing this will submit your vote to us.
We want to know what you think. Post a comment to this blog post. Post a comment using Polldaddy, our poll site. Email or call us. Come visit us at Armacost Library. Leave a post on our Facebook wall. We want to hear from you!
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
To E-Book or Not E-Book?
- Casual readers probably shouldn't bother.
- The books aren't as cheap as they should be.
- Savvy readers read the classics anyway.
- Be aware of the potential costs of buying a Kindle.
- Be aware of the costs of the rivals.
- And if you're thinking of buying a book reader–wait!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tutorials: PsycINFO changes
What used to look like something like this:

Now looks like this: (advanced search)

To familiarize yourself with a few of the enhancements, check out these PsycINFO video tutorials.
Free Textbooks
You may also want to check out the blog's listing of free online courses, free language lessons, and more.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Mobile Apps
- MedlinePlus--downloads an app
- PubMed--mobile web
- U.S. Gov't mobile apps & websites--18 mobile tools to help you with travel, the environment, government information, and more.
- Library of Congress tour--app for the iPhone
- Museum of Modern Art in NY for the iPhone for the iPhone
- The Man Booker Prize for Fiction for the iPhone
Friday, August 13, 2010
Interruption in Service: EconLit, Alternative Press Index, ATLA Religion Databases
Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience.
Questions can be directed to Sanjeet Mann, Electronic Resources Librarian and our other librarians.
Friday, August 06, 2010
Library catalog and circulation system downtime on Monday, August 9
New LexisNexis interface debuts tomorrow!
The new LexisNexis interface makes it easier to pick particular sources and search for data on businesses, individuals, legal cases, and much more. Try the new interface out by visiting http://0-www.lexisnexis.com.library.uor.edu/hottopics/lnacademic!
Thursday, August 05, 2010
New Wiley Online Library debuts this weekend
On Saturday, you will be unable to access Wiley journals from the "Wiley Interscience" links on our lists of databases by title and subject, the Index List of Full Text Journals, Citation Finder, or Article Linker. Once the upgrade is completed Sunday morning, you should have normal access to all Wiley journals.
For more information about the upgrade, visit http://info.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/view/0/index.html.
Friday, July 23, 2010
World Bank data now freely available
Visit http://data.worldbank.org/ to view the wealth of World Bank-gathered statistics for countries around the world. Topics covered include agriculture, debt service, public- and private-sector economic data, scientific and technological capacity, health and education indicators, energy and environmental impact, and much more.
Data can be downloaded in Excel or CSV format and visualized through "Change Indicator" maps. World Bank statistics are a valuable resource for anyone researching economic or social issues of international scope, or simply curious to find hard data to better understand the international news we read in newspapers or online everyday. Check them out!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Why The Next Big Pop-Culture Wave After Cupcakes Might Be Libraries
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Government Statistics
Find your way around government statistics with this pathfinder created by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.
Monday, July 05, 2010
Google Scholar: Make it work better for you
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
University of California v. Nature Publishing Group
Monday, April 19, 2010
2nd Annual Armacost Library Undergraduate Research Award Reception
ALURA Finalists:
Jaclyn Cooperrider, “Role of Progesterone Receptor on Ripening of the Cervix and Parturition.”
Kelly Lecko, “Wildlife Sanctuaries as Potential Migratory Routes and Dispersal Areas in the Tsavo-Amboseli Ecosystem.”
Ruby Secrist, “Local Foreign Policy in the 1930s: FDR the Eternal Pragmatist.”
Laura Tolle, “Manifestations of Male Depression: Theories of (Under)Diagnosis.”
Fiona Wilhelm, “Reading John the Baptist as Messiah.”
Caitlin Wolf, “To Be or Not to Be: What is a Screwball Comedy?”
ALURA Recipient:
Sommer DiSante, "From Hell, With Love: An Analysis of the Literary Biographical Tradition of Delogs in Tantric Buddhism."
Professor Bryce Ryan (Biology) introduced the advanced research his student Jaclyn Cooperrider, a finalist for the Armacost Library Undergraduate Research Award, performed for her paper.
Student finalist Jaclyn Cooperrider listening to praise from her professor, Professor Bryce Ryan.
Students, staff, and faculty listen to Professor Kathleen Feeley (History) introduce one of her two students recognized as finalists for the Armacost Library Undergraduate Research Award.
Ruby Secrist (standing) and Caitlin Wolf (sitting), both honored for their research papers, and both History majors mentored by Professor Kathleen Feeley.
Fiona Wilhelm, another ALURA finalist, mentored by Professor Lillian Larsen (Religious Studies) and introduced at the reception by Professor Bill Huntley (Religious Studies).
Sommer DiSante, the 2nd Annual Armacost Library Undergraduate Research Award recipient, and her faculty mentor Professor Karen Derris (Religious Studies).
Sommer DiSante posing with Interim Library Director Les Canterbury and Instructional Services Librarian Shana Higgins.
Laura Tolle, a student finalist mentored by Professors Celine Ko and Fred Rabinowitz (Psychology), chatting with ALURA selection committee member Amy Wilms (Assistant Dean, Student Life).
Former Armacost Library intern, Janelle Julagay and Technical Services Librarian, Melissa Cardenas-Dow.
Students and friends of finalists.
Stella Rivera (Religious Studies) chats with Denise Cline (Library).
Professors Kathleen Feeley (History) and Bill Huntley (Religious Studies).
Electronic Services Librarian, Sanjeet Mann talks with Professor Pete Sherman (Environmental Studies).
Monday, April 05, 2010
National Library Week 2010 (April 11-17)
Friday, January 22, 2010
Want $500? Submit for the Undergraduate Research Award!
February 8, 2010 is the deadline for submitting your work for consideration for the Armacost Library Undergraduate Summer Research Award.
If you have a research paper from Spring, May or Fall 2009 you're proud of, consider applying for the award. You could win $500 and be honored at a reception in the library in March!
All you need to do is get a letter/email of support from your instructor, write a short 500-750 word essay describing how you approached your library research, and submit the final version of your paper.
For complete details, including information on how the faculty selection committee will evaluate your work, see http://libguides.redlands.edu/ALURA.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
January: National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month
To learn more about still existing modern forms of slavery and human trafficking, take a look at some of these resources.
Siddharth, Kara. Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009.
HQ281 .K37 2009 (3rd Floor)
Bales, Kevin. Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999.
HT867 .B35 1999 (3rd Floor)
Cameron, Sally and Edward Newman, eds. Trafficking in Humans: Social, Cultural and Political Dimensions. New York: United Nations University Press, 2008.
HQ281 .T717 2008
U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/
UN.GIFT: Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking
http://www.ungift.org/
Human Trafficking Awareness / Video PSA by Emma Thompson, rosaryfilms @ YouTube
Monday, January 11, 2010
Welcome Back!
You can look up course reserves for your classes through the library catalog:
http://library.uor.edu/screens/course.html
Need help finding an book? An article? Maps of the Jewish diaspora? Ask a librarian:
http://www.redlands.edu/x31116.asp
Not sure which database is best for your research question? Try our course and subject research guides:
http://libguides.redlands.edu/index.php
Let us know what you think. Talk to us in the library, or leave a comment here:
http://library.uor.edu/suggest
Good luck with your semester!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Skeleton man

With the coffee gone and his last final turned in, Mr. Bones finally has time to relax with his favorite book...
Stop by the library booksale before you leave for break and see if there's anything you like!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Coffee break in Armacost Library
Gerry Collins, Marisa Aguilar and Sanjeet Mann of Armacost Library enjoy free coffee courtesy of Stell Coffee in Redlands.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Late Night Library Hours during Finals Week
The reference desk will also be open from 9 AM to 2 AM as well, with a reference librarian on duty to help you with any questions you have. Good luck preparing for finals, and best wishes from your friends at Armacost Library!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Serials Solutions outage this Saturday
This means that the Citation Linker and Index List to Full Text Journals may be unavailable between midnight and 6 AM on Saturday, October 24. Also the Article Linker service that automatically links you to articles in our databases may be nonfunctional.
Serials Solutions has planned the outage to cause as little inconvenience as possible and estimates that all services will be up and running again by 6 AM. Nevertheless, those of you who are late night researchers may want to make other plans Friday night.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Information Wants to be Free!
Open Access (OA) is a movement toward more freely available information for users, largely made possible by the use of online platforms. The goal is for scholars to access the research and writing resources you need without having to pay inflated publishing costs. Publishing or archiving in online OA journals and disciplinary repositories removes the need for expensive print publication, and is within the reach of anyone with web access.
Please check out the LibGuides created for students and faculty on this topic.
Friday, October 02, 2009
October 2009 Information Literacy Awareness Month
"Though we may know how to find the information we need, we must also know how to evaluate it. Over the past decade, we have seen a crisis of authenticity emerge...The ability to seek, find, and decipher information can be applied to countless life decisions, whether financial, medical, educational, or technical."
Read the entire proclamation by following the link above.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Open Access Week 2009: October 19-23

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Scholarly Journals drop-in workshop
Come to Jones Center room 116 this Thursday, October 1 from 11:00 AM to noon for a drop-in workshop on journals and scholarly communication led by Armacost librarian Sanjeet Mann.
No reservations required - just bring your curiosity and interest in learning!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Sparky Awards
The Sparky Awards, a contest to promote the open exchange of information, is calling for entries.
The Sparky Awards are organized by SPARC, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, who promote the universal benefits of sharing ideas of all kinds. SPARC
Friday, September 18, 2009
Jimi Hendrix
"His final concerts were largely frustrating, as the aims of the artist and the expectations of his audience grew increasingly separate. His final UK appearance, at the Isle of Wight festival, encapsulated this dilemma, yet still drew an enthralling performance. The guitarist returned to London following a short European tour. On 18 September 1970, his girlfriend, Monika Danneman, became alarmed when she was unable to rouse him from sleep. An ambulance was called, but Hendrix was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital. The inquest recorded an open verdict, with death caused by suffocation [...] Eric Burdon claimed at the time to possess a suicide note, but this has never been confirmed."
Source: "Hendrix, Jimi" in Encyclopedia of Popular Music, ed. Colin Larkin (London: Muze, 1998), 3:2489-2491.
New York Times, "Jimi Hendrix, Rock Star, is Dead in London at 27," September 19, 1970.
Armacost Library holds old New York Times articles on microfilm. If you already know what year you are looking for, just ask for it at the periodicals desk. If you're not sure what date your article was printed, try looking up the name of the person or topic you are researching in the New York Times Print Index, shelved on the study carrels by the reference desk.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Mexican Independence Day
Source: Langer, William E. The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of World History, vol. 2. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1972:792.
For more information about the struggle for Mexican independence try subject searches in the catalog for Mexico -- history or Latin America -- history.
Friday, September 11, 2009
National Day of Service and Remembrance
"Let us renew the true spirit of that day. Not the human capacity for evil, but the human capacity for good. Not the desire to destroy, but the impulse to save, and to serve, and to build. On this first National Day of Service and Remembrance, we can summon once more that ordinary goodness of America -- to serve our communities, to strengthen our country, and to better our world."
Proclamations are preserved as official Presidential documents. You can find transcripts of these statements for 1945-present in print in the Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States.
You can also find Presidential documents for the years 1991-present available online via GPO Access.
Older Presidential proclamations can be found in a variety of sources. Our librarians will gladly help you find anything you need!
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
The Old Man and the Sea
Two years later, Hemingway accepted the Nobel prize for literature with the following words: "For a true writer each book should be a new beginning where he tries again for something that is beyond attainment. He should always try for something that has never been done or that others have tried and failed. Then, sometimes, with great luck, he will succeed."
Sources: Kurt J. Krueger. "Ernest Hemingway." Encyclopedia of the Novel, Ed. Paul Schneider. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1998. 535-537.
World Almanac and Book of Facts. New York: World Almanac Books, 2008.
Monday, September 07, 2009
Calling all Students, Faculty, and Staff with an interest in Open Access publishing.
Open Access is the basic assumption that all research should be freely accessible online, immediately after publication (See About the OA Movement @ http://www.openaccessweek.org/about-the-oa-movement/). According to the Budapest Open Access Initiative, “[r]emoving access barriers to this literature will accelerate research, enrich education, share the learning of the rich with the poor and the poor with the rich, make this literature as useful as it can be, and lay the foundation for uniting humanity in a common intellectual conversation and quest for knowledge” (http://www.soros.org/openaccess/read.shtml).
Interested in participating in Open Access Week, October 19-23, 2009? The Armacost Library wants you! Please contact one of your friendly librarians if you are an author that publishes in open access journals, that serves as a reviewer or editor for an open access journal, or uses Creative Commons licensing for your creative/scholarly input. Please also contact us if you simply have a passion for the Open Access movement or have a related project you would like to share.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks,
The Armacost Library
Celebrating Labor Day
Source: Robert E. Weir, "Labor Day." Historical Encyclopedia of American Labor, v.1. Westport: Greenwood, 2004: 267-268.
Call number: REF HD 8066.H57 2004
Library subject heading: Labor -- United States -- History -- Encyclopedias
While most federal and state offices are closed to observe Labor Day, Armacost Library is open today from 8 am to 5 pm. Stop by and take a moment to learn more about the history of the American labor movement!
Friday, September 04, 2009
Welcome back!
For those of you who are new to campus, we encourage you to take a moment to stop by the library, say hello, and ask any questions you have. We offer a full range of services, including remote access to electronic journals and databases, interlibrary loans, and print and electronic course reserves. Our helpful librarians can be found at the reference desk by the second-floor library entrance, online via IM and Facebook, and even visiting your class to provide instruction specific to your course. This semester we're offering new drop-in workshops to make it easier than ever to get help when you need it. And keep checking this blog for more information about library events, cool research tools and helpful tips to learn more about events on campus and in the news.
This semester our regular hours will be:
Monday-Thursday 8 am - midnight
Friday 8 am - 9 pm
Saturday 10 am - 9 pm
Sunday 1 pm - midnight
Good luck with the start of the semester. We look forward to seeing you around the library!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Meet the New Librarians
Their self-penned introductions, below, will help you get to know them a bit better.
Melissa Cardenas-Dow
Melissa came to Armacost Library in January 2009 as a
Visiting Assistant Librarian. During that time, she participated in
selecting library materials, staffing the reference desk, visiting
classes during library instruction sessions, developing course guides
and investigating access issues to library electronic resources. Over
the summer, Melissa transitioned into the Technical Services Librarian
position. She will continue the roles and tasks she had assumed while
still a Visiting Librarian and will assume new ones that primarily deal
with how library materials get acquired, processed, stored and shelved,
and into patrons' hands.
Fun Facts: Melissa grew up in the Philippines. She nurses gamer's guilt
and strives to juggle time spent in World of Warcraft's Azeroth with her
real-life responsibilities.
Sanjeet Mann
After a whirlwind year in which he graduated from library school, moved
twice, was baptized, got married and made plans to buy a house, Sanjeet was delighted to plant his feet at the University of Redlands,
where he began work as Electronic Resources/Reference Librarian in July
2009. His responsibilities include managing electronic journals and
databases, coordinating development of the library website, and serving
students and faculty through reference, instruction, and collection
development for the English, Music and French departments. In his free
time Sanjeet enjoys playing piano and composing.
Fun fact: One of Sanjeet's favorite composers, Erik Satie, not only
shares Sanjeet's middle name (Eric) but also gained notoriety through
his eccentric compositions (one supposedly short piece requires the
performer to repeat it 840 times in succession), eclectic wardrobe
(featuring seven identical gray velvet suits) and unconventional
housekeeping habits (after his death, friends found his tiny one-room
apartment filled with papers and two pianos, one atop the other, the top
one apparently functioning as a mail sorter). Sanjeet assures us he is
not that strange... yet.
Paige Mann
Paige is a Visiting Librarian and passionate about equipping and empowering people to live life to the fullest. She finds life more rewarding when approached as a learner and has taken opportunities to work as an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer, live in foreign countries, study serial killers, lead an online symposium, and play with (and harass) children during story time. Curious by nature, she learns by traveling, socializing, reading, observing, etc. and finds the library perfect for inquiring minds. In her spare time she is spoiled by her husband, antagonized by her mom, and blessed by God.
Fun Fact: She and her husband are easing into a car-lite lifestyle by relocating within walking distance of work, the gym, and other essentials. They aim to be a one-car family in the future.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Farewells
Eugene Owens started his tenure at Armacost Library in November 2008, ready to make a lasting impression on the University of Redlands community. Eugene led the Library's move to Meebo for our IM Reference services and took on responsibility for updating the Library's web pages. Eugene is an enthusiastic reference librarian, and has enjoyed evaluating and making recommendations on our reference and religious studies collections, amongst others.
Please join us in wishing the best of luck to Allison and Eugene in their future endeavors.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Library Plastic
You may have noticed that many of our bookstacks are wrapped in plastic. This is due to sprinklers being installed throughout the library. If you need any books, library staff will be very happy to assist you in retrieving them. This work began on April 20th and will continue for 6-8 weeks. There will be intermittent noisy drilling. Thank you for your patience and your continued support during our "transition period."
~Eugene Owens
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Sierra Powell, first recipient of the Armacost Library Undergraduate Research Award
She received the Armacost Library Undergraduate Research Award for her paper, "A Depth Study of Buck v. Bell, 274. U.S. 200," in which she traces a case from its origins in Virginia to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1927. The decision of the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Virginia statute that provided for the eugenic sterilization for people considered genetically unfit, leading the way for other states to enact similar laws.In the process of researching and writing her paper, Sierra had to develop an understanding of complex legal concepts related to due process, cruel and unusual punishment, and equal protection.

The selection committee for the Armacost Library Undergraduate Research Award included (from left to right): Shana Higgins, Reference/Instructional Services Librarian; Jen Ostermiller, Director of Academic Support & Disabled Student Services; Anne Shea, Associate Professor of English and Director of Writing Across the Curriculum; and Lua Gregory, Reference/Off-Campus Services Librarian.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Extended Library Hours for Finals Week
Back by popular demand will be late night coffee provided by Stell Coffee & Tea, locally roasted and brewed in Redlands.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Authors' Reception 2009
The Authors' Reception also honors our faculty's publications of 2008. The main floor, directly in front of the Circulation Desk (the former main entrance) will be host to an Authors Exhibit.
Refreshments will be served. Please join us!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
What book would you keep forever? What book would you censor?
What is The Big Read?
"An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to restore reading to the center of American culture."* The University of Redlands and the A. K. Smiley Public Library have been selected as grantees. From March 15 to April 25, 2009, events will be held within the community to highlight the importance of reading and books.
What are we reading?
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury in which books are burned to ashes by firemen, media and drugs foster indifference in the general public, and learning is suppressed by the government.
How else can I participate?
Check the calendar detailing Redlands events at http://www.neabigread.org/events.php. You will need to refine your search with the various pull down menus. First, select "Fahrenheit 451", then "California" and finally "CA - University of Redlands".
Where can I get a copy of the book?
You can pick up a free copy of Fahrenheit 451 at Armacost Library, the Multicultural Center, or A. K. Smiley Public library while supplies last!
What else does Armacost Library have that I might be interested in?
At the Circulation Desk, we have a DVD and CD of an interview with Ray Bradbury! Just ask the front desk if you may check out the items listed under "Big Read".
If you want more information and fun, visit The Big Read - Redlands blog or The Big Read Redlands Facebook page.
*Arts Midwest. (2009). About the Big Read. Retrieved March 24, 2009, from http://www.neabigread.org/about.php.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Survey: Extended Library Hours During Finals Week
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=shy5lpbb8htk5aXFJEzkuw_3d_3d
Friday, February 20, 2009
Library Closed for the Weekend
We will be open during Spring Break:
Monday-Thursday, February 23-26: 8 a.m. -6 p.m.
Friday, February 27: 8 a.m. -5 p.m.
Saturday, February 28: 10 a.m. -5 p.m.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Open Access Movement Takes a Step (for Mankind)
OAKLAND -- The University of California libraries and Springer Science+Business Media (Springer) have concluded a groundbreaking experimental agreement to support open access publishing by UC authors. The arrangement is part of the journals license negotiated by the California Digital Library on behalf of the 10 campuses of the University of California.
Under the terms of the agreement, articles by UC-affiliated authors accepted for publication in a Springer journal beginning in 2009 will be published using Springer Open Choice with full and immediate open access. There will be no separate per-article charges, since costs have been factored into the overall license. Articles will be released under a license compatible with the Creative Commons (by-nc: Attribution, Non-commercial) license. In addition to access via the Springer platform, final published articles will also be deposited in the California Digital Library's eScholarship Repository.
The University of California-Springer agreement is the first large-scale open access experiment of its type undertaken with a major commercial publisher in North America.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Armacost Library Undergraduate Research Award
The proliferation of electronic information has made research a much more complex process than in the past. At the University of Redlands, students have available to them sources in paper and microfilm, electronically available through subscription databases and journals, as well as freely available on the open Web. Because so much information is available, evaluating sources of information takes increasingly more time and effort. This award was established to reward those students who demonstrate thoughtfulness and creativity in their approach to research and whose work exhibits excellence in critical thinking.
Eligibility
@Be a current University of Redlands undergraduate student (in any class or discipline).
@Eligible projects must have been completed for a University of Redlands credit course during the prior calendar year (e.g. for the 2009 award, eligible projects are those completed during Spring term 2008, May term 2008, or Fall term 2008).
@Projects must be accompanied by a letter of support from the faculty member who taught the course for which the paper/project was produced.
@All application materials will remain the property of the Library. Winning papers/projects will become a part of the Library collection.
Application Requirements and Procedure
Application will consist of:
@Application cover sheet
@Letter/email of support from supervising instructor.
@Research strategy essay (500-750 words) describing research process (including changes in the way student approached searching for information, new tools and resources discovered, interaction with reference librarians, use of interlibrary loan, and how sources were evaluated for credibility and relevance).
@Final version of research paper/project, including bibliography/reference list/ works cited.
Evaluation Criteria
@Make substantial and creative use of library resources in any format.
@Demonstrate effective application of information literacy principles:
@Determining information needs
@Evaluating and analyzing information
@Managing, organizing, and synthesizing information
@Applying information in the context of the research project
@Making responsible use of information by providing appropriate and accurate citations.
@Show evidence of significant personal growth in the methods of research and inquiry.
Award and Deadlines
@A monetary prize of $500.00 will awarded to the most outstanding undergraduate research project.
@Complete application packets must be received by 5:00pm, Friday, March 6.
@Mail or deliver complete application package to:
Armacost Library Undergraduate Research Award Committee
c/o Shana Higgins
1249 E. Colton Ave.
Redlands, CA 92374
@The winner will be notified no later than April 10, 2009. Award recipient and faculty will be honored at a reception near the end of the Spring term.
For forms and guidelines, go to: http://libguides.redlands.edu/UndergradAward.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Welcome Back and a Welcome!
We also welcome a new face to the library, Melissa Cardenas-Dow, a Visiting Reference Librarian. You will see Melissa at the reference desk and visiting your classes, eager to help students in the research process. Melissa has a bachelor's degree in anthropology from San Francisco State University, graduate studies at Claremont in cultural studies, and an MLIS from San Jose State University. She has particular interests in Asian diasporas, cultural anthropology, sociology, games in libraries, web/library 2.0, and the study of popular culture. Melissa is fluent in Tagalog, the native dialect of the Philippines, where she was raised until arriving in the U.S. as a teenager. Some of Melissa's guilty pleasures include World of Warcraft (she is a level 77 female night elf hunter named Linnar in the Sen’Jin realm), Hayao Miyazaki films, William Gibson's cyberpunk Neuromancer trilogy, and Sanrio characters. Come in and ask her some questions!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Extended Library Hours During Finals Week

Our extended hours are the following:
Tuesday, December 9, 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM
Wednesday, December 10, 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM
Thursday, December 11, 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM
Friday, December 12, 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM
Saturday, December 13, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Coffee and refreshments will be served at midnight, to get you through the long night.
*Image by solja, found on Flickr.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Library Photography and Digital Art Contest is Up!
Congratulations to all participants in the Library Photography and Digital Art Contest!
The results for the contest are as follows:
1st place: Embrace It by Michelle Deyden
2nd place: Light Dance by Chelsea Crowl and Untitled by Laura Conner
Please come by the Library to view the creative work of our artistic community!
Image credit: Chapel Against the Hills by Kevin Keller
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Welcome Eugene Owens to the Armacost Library
Having just flown in from Boston, he is still getting used to the sun, wearing shorts in November and all the cars. Eugene enjoys seeing loud music in small venues, such as The Mars Volta and Deerhoof. He is looking forward to seeing the Melvins over the Thanksgiving break at the Troubadour. Moreover Eugene wants to be part of the intelligentsia someday, but is afraid he reads too much trashy fiction.
Monday, November 03, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Election 2008
With the November 4th election fast approaching, how do you sift through the "truthiness" of claims and accusations made during the debates, in political advertisements, in campaign phone calls received, and those of your friends and classmates? Here are a few Internet sites that will help you make decisions about all those claims and more.
Project Vote Smart
The organization defines themselves as "thousands of citizens (conservative and liberal alike) working together, spending endless hours researching the backgrounds and records of thousands of political candidates and elected officials to discover their voting records, campaign contributions, public statements, biographical data (including their work history) and evaluations of them generated by over 100 competing special interest groups." Compare what candidates say to their actual voting records, compare candidate positions on issues, and keep track of what candidates have said in public statements.
You Choose '08--YouTube
YouTube has created a centralized hub of candidate-created Channels that feature campaign videos, speeches, informal chats, behind-the-scenes footage and more.
SourceWatch
SourceWatch is a collaborative project of the Center for Media and Democracy to produce a directory of the people, organizations and issues shaping the public agenda. In the spirit of Wikipedia, this wiki can be edited by anyone of us with an interest seeing through deceptive information. However, unlike some other wikis, SourceWatch has a policy of strict referencing ("This means that every piece of information in an article should be accompanied by a link to an authoritative source for that information."), and is overseen by a paid editor.
Election 2008 Government Information from the Jean & Alexander Heard Library at Vanderbilt University
A portal to various Internet resources related to Election 2008, from general election information to campaign finance to Statistics and Polls to voter participation sites.
Be an informed citizen when you vote on Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Voting America: United States Politics, 1840-2008

The Digital Scholarship Lab at the University of Richmond has developed a series of "cinematic maps" that visualize "American voting patterns as they moved across the landscape of the United States": Voting America. The maps combine political data with GIS cartography in order to create animated maps of "how Americans voted in presidential elections at the county level for the past 164 years." As you study the current presidential election with your students, these interactive maps visualize voting patterns in relation to voter turnout, population, popular votes versus electoral votes, party strength, etc.
The site also includes several video expert analysis and commentary on the maps, including Dr. Jennifer Erkulwater's "Shifting Party Coalitions and Social Welfare Policy, 1932-2008."
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Treasures from the American Film Archives
The National Film Preservation Foundation has produced several DVD collections of early American film, all three of which the Armacost Library owns. Consider using these historical visual collections in U.S. history courses, as well as race & ethnic studies, women's studies, and business history courses. Included in the three collections are early political ads, product advertising, news reels, avant garde films, training films, social issue films, and much more. You might want to view footage from Zora Neale Hurston's fieldwork in a literature course, watch the "racial tolerance epic" Redskin (1929) in a U.S. history course, or view Lois Weber's anti-abortion, pro-birth control classic, Where Are My Children? (1916), in a women's history course. Take a look at these treasures!
Treasures from American Film Archives: 50 Preserved Films
PN1993.5.U6 T74 2005
More Treasures from American Film Archives, 1894-1931: 50 Films
PN1993.5.U6 M67 2004
Treasures III: Social Issues in American Film, 1900-1934
PN1995.9.S62 T73 2007
Friday, August 01, 2008
Farewell, Verletta!
Verletta leaves us to take a position at the Music Library at University of Washington Libraries in Seattle. Our best wishes travel with her.


