October – 2014 – St. Thomas Libraries Blog
Monthly Archives

October 2014

Libraries, News & Events, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library

Spend your noon hour surrounded by all things Irish – O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library – Nov 4 noonartsound

ireland scene 2It’s an Irish noonartsound this time  . . . and we’ll be treated to readings by Jim Rogers along with insights into the art, the music, and the people of Ireland.  Be sure to join us if you can!

In describing the upcoming November 4th  noonartsound, our presenters Chris and Shelly tell us:  “We all have ideas of what the ancient Celtic lands were like.  We have seen real, ancient objects, such as the Book of Kells and half-pagan, half-Christian jewelry — but how much of this is filtered through the numerous revivals that have occurred over the years?   See how it all fits together.   Irish music, perhaps more than most, adheres to tradition in the form of jigs, reels and waltzes.  And then there’s the Pogues…”

Please plan to join us Tuesday, November 4th at noon in the O’Shaughnessy Room of the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library.   Our noonartsound presentations are always free and all are welcome!   Bring your lunch if you wish – light dessert will be provided.  Any questions?   Please don’t hesitate to call Julie at 651-962-5014.

Database Highlights & Trials

Time Travel

From time to time I look to see what is being searched in Summon. And I’m always delighted and surprised at the breadth of topics being researched here at UST.  So yesterday someone (or several people) were looking for time travel in philosophy. Hmm, interesting. I’m going to use this example to show you a shortcut in Summon for searching within a topic.  Summon retrieved a number of interesting and useful results when time travel in philosophy was searched. Most were totally relevant, some were misses (i.e. a review for the film Primer with the title “Time travel, philosophy and geek chic” which describes the film).

Here’s are a few tips to move you along in Summon a little faster.  When searching a topic within a discipline (in this case the topic is time travel and the discipline is philosophy), just search the topic and then limit by the discipline:

discipline2

Limiting by discipline helps narrow your results.  This also works well with another search I saw, transformational learning in social work. Search transformational learning and then limit to discipline social work.

And always, if you’re looking for academic articles, limit to Scholarly Research or Peer-Review. My favorite limiter has to be Reference. Using Reference as a limiter for content type finds your topic in encyclopedias and dictionaries. We have thousands of online reference materials and sometimes they end up writing your whole paper for you. Now when I say encyclopedias, I don’t mean a 2 paragraph article reminiscent of the World Book. I’m talking about a 4 page article on the Causal Approaches to the Direction of Time in the Encyclopedia of Philosophy, complete with an extensive bibliography.  Or the Companion to the Philosophy of Time, which starts out, “The philosophy of time has been a central area of concern for philosophers for thousands of years. It remains one of the most active areas of academic philosophy, but the study of time has never been more dynamic and interdisciplinary than now.” I imagine this book could get you pretty far in your paper.

Libraries, News & Events, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library

Help us improve by taking the 2014 LibQUAL survey

Dan Gjelten

Dan Gjelten

On Monday, October 27, students, faculty and staff will receive a link to a library satisfaction survey (known as LibQUAL)  via UST email.  Please help us out by taking a few minutes to complete the survey.  Those who respond will be eligible for a drawing for several Amazon gift certificates.

In 2008, the UST Libraries conducted the LibQUAL survey for the first time.  LibQUAL has been conducted by over 1,200 libraries at institutions all over the world and helps libraries understand user perceptions of collections and services.  The feedback from LibQUAL helps us develop a culture of excellent service and collections, improve programs and innovate, compare our library to peer institutions and, generally, to better communicate with our users.  We are conducting the survey again this fall and the data we obtain will be compared against the 2008 benchmark so that we’ll be able to see the areas of the library enterprise that have changed.  (More on what we learned in 2008.)

LibQualThere are three major areas of the library enterprise that will be covered by the survey: “information control” which measures the extent to which users can find the information they need; “affect of service” which measures the quality of service and interactions with library staff; and “library as place” which concerns the physical library environment.  The survey also gives users a chance to comment in their own language on the library.

This year, as the university and the Libraries engage in strategic planning, we again want to learn more about our users’ expectations and experience with the libraries at St. Thomas. Conducting this highly regarded survey again will allow us to benchmark ourselves against the 2008 findings as well as UST’s comparable institutions.

When you receive the email link to the survey, we ask that you please take the time (10 – 15 minutes) to let us know about your experiences with the UST Libraries. Your responses will influence the direction of the libraries in the near future. Visit the LibQUAL web site if you would like more information about the survey.

Libraries, News & Events, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library

Therapy Pets are Coming on October 21st!

Dogs, rabbits, and a Guinea pig will be at the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library on

Tuesday, October 21st from 6-8 pm

to visit St. Thomas students and friends. The animals are certified therapy animals who also visit schools, hospitals, and care facilities with their owners.  At St. Thomas, they provide stress relief for students who might be anxious about papers or exams at midsemester.

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Hundreds of students turn out for the popular events, and some arrive early to help with set-up or just because they are so excited to see the animals come through the doors.  The event is free and everyone is welcome!

Would you like to get more involved?!

This time, library circulation supervisor Karen Batdorf is looking for a few students who are willing to be “bunny escorts,” that is, to help the volunteers from Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society carry bunnies to and from the library to  volunteers’ vehicles.   Email her at k9batdorf@stthomas.edu if you would be willing to help or have questions about the event.

Here are some of the therapy pets who will be here on Tuesday: Buster, Buddy, Sophie, and Remi!

Libraries, News & Events, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library

Arpeggione Duo to present guitar and cello 10th anniversary concert Nov. 19 at the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library

Thomas Schönberg and Chris Kachian

Thomas Schönberg and Chris Kachian

The Arpeggione Duo of guitarist Dr. Christopher Kachian and cellist Dr. Thomas Schönberg will perform a 7 p.m. concert Wednesday, Nov. 19, in the Great Hall on the second floor of O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library.

Program features the French Suite in G major by J.S. Bach, another French suite by Gabriel Faure and Maurice Ravel, and Hello Cello by Claude Gagnon. The duo also will premier several new works they have commissioned: Campfire Songs by Michael Karmon, Fantasy by Bryan Johanson, and Frozen Columns by Ron Pear.  The evening’s program is the same one the duo will perform on their November concert tour throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota.

Schönberg and Kachian, who are educators as well as performers, formed the Arpeggione Duo after meeting at the Guitar Festival of Sollentuna, Sweden, in 2004. Since that time, they have toured annually and have recorded four albums.

Schönberg is a native of Sweden and was accepted to the Royal Music Academy of Stockholm at age 13. He received his doctorate at the University of Hartford, Conn., and is dean of the Lidingo School of Music in Sweden. He performs throughout Europe, Asia and the United States on a cello made by Guarneri filius ca 1715.

Kachian, whose doctorate is from the University of Minnesota, heads the Guitar Studies Program at St. Thomas and in 2011 was inducted into the renowned Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity. A champion of new music, he has commissioned and premiered more than 40 works for guitar. He has given more than 500 performances in Japan, China, Africa, Cuba, Costa Rica, Peru and throughout Europe and North America.  Kachian is a founding member of the Society for the Affectation of Baroque Music and also plays the blues harmonica.

The duo’s name reflects the musicians’ blend of guitar and cello. Invented in 1823 by Viennese guitar maker Johann Stauffer, the arpeggione has six strings and frets like a guitar, but it is similar in size to a cello and played with a bow. Only one major work was written for the instrument, the Sonata in A Minor for Arpeggione and Piano by Franz Schubert.

The Duo Arpeggione’s 10th anniversary concert is free and open to the public —  refreshments will be provided.   For more information please call Julie Kimlinger at (651) 962-5014.

Database Highlights & Trials

Education Research Complete from Ebsco

Education Research Complete Logo

ERIC, the major education database, published by the US government,  has decided to limit its indexing and full-text to scholarly journals and reports.  This means they will no longer include trade journals, newsletters or magazines that include articles that simply describe the authors’ experiences in classrooms or are news items (Education Week, The Chronicle of Higher Education.) We are considering adding Education Research Complete to make up for those losses. Do you feel this additional resource will be useful in your classes or for your students? (We will NOT stop our subscription to ERIC. This would serve to enhance, not replace, ERIC.)

Please contact Merrie Davidson with your comments.

Database Highlights & Trials, Libraries, News & Events, Science

Getting Set Up in SciFinder

SciFinder_logo1_Tagline

Hey Chemistry Researchers!

Have you been procrastinating about getting your SciFinder account set up?  Maybe the initial log-in procedure was a bit intimidating, or you just plain weren’t sure how to do it?

Well, be confused no more!

To make sure we’re all getting our research taken care of so we can relax and take full advantage of Mole Day celebrations, I just made a quick tutorial video on setting up your account.  Learn how to register for an account*, and then access SciFinder via the UST Libraries website for all your amazing Chemistry needs.  (You’re also more than welcome to contact me if you need or want any help figuring out how best to go about getting to the best references for your serach).

Have a great weekend!

*Note: SciFinder is for the exclusive use of UST faculty, staff and students.  An UST email address must be used during registration to authenticate your account.

Libraries, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library, Special Collections and Archives

Homecoming – Throwback Thursday

Did you know that the first Homecoming at St. Thomas happened on May 21, 1918?  Instead of a parade, a football game and a dance, the day included lunch, a baseball game against Macalester plus dinner and a reception.

Over the past 96 years, several Homecoming traditions have been lost or changed.  For example, during the 1950s, student groups erected displays on the lower quad to show their school spirit.  Creative slogans devised by the groups were one of the main criteria the judges used in evaluating the displays.  The best displays won big prizes of $15, $10 and $5 to be used for future activities of the organizations.

Homecoming Display "Tilt the Kilts" 

“Tilt the Kilts” built by Alph Kappa Psi outside O’Shaughnessy Hall, 1958.

Another bygone tradition is the  bonfire that was traditionally held the night before the football game.  From the 1920s through the early 1960s, college freshman under the supervision of the Tiger Club would spend up to two weeks gathering branches and other materials to add to the pile.   During the bonfire, the students would throw their freshman beanies to the blaze as a sign that they had become “True Tommies.”  Fire codes, unfortunately, prevent this event from happening today.

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Crowd of students watch the Homecoming bonfire, 1938.

To see more photographs from Homecomings of the past, search the online University Archives Photograph Collection.

Database Highlights & Trials

Core Curriculum – Science

How many of you are struggling with chemistry or botany?  We got you strugglers covered. If you’d like a little extra instruction in the sciences, try watching the  CORE series from Ambrose Video. Ambrose is a streaming video resource, and covers

In addition to the videos to help you better understand the topic, there are educators’ guides, timelines, and quizzes.