Monthly Archives

April 2018

Art, Libraries, Music, News & Events, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library, Political Science

May 1 noonartsound: Vietnam

Please plan to attend the May 1 noonartsound in the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library, Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at noon. All are welcome and, of course, refreshments will be provided.

Andy Scheiber and Bernie Brady are this month’s featured noonartsound presenters, sharing their perspectives on the music and art of the Vienam era, featuring street art, protest music, and photojournalism.

Dr. Scheiber will sing a few Vietnam-related songs — mostly “protest” songs from people like Pete Seeger, Country Joe McDonald, and Tom Paxton. He may add some reminiscences of his own. (He was subject to the military draft, and was within weeks of being called when they suspended military conscription in the early 1970’s.)

April 26, 2018 by

Higher Education, Services

Reduce Course Materials Costs: We’ll Help

Textbook prices have been increasing at a greater rate than the Consumer Price Index for the last three decades, but the rate of increase has itself taken a dramatic upturn in the new century as shown in this graph based on Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census data:

Comparison of textbook costs to the Consumer Price Index over time

This dramatic increase is leading to students deciding not to purchase course materials, which negatively impacts student learning. According to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) study, Fixing the Broken Textbook Market:

The average student spends $1,200 on textbooks per year.
65% of students said that they had decided against buying a textbook/coursepack because it was too expensive.
82% of students felt they would do significantly better in a course if the textbook/coursepack was available free online and buying a hard copy was optional.

The future doesn’t have to be bleak. There are a couple of options to reduce or even potentially eliminate course costs for students for a course:

Open Educational Resources (OER) – There are a wide variety of freely available textbooks and other open courseware that can be customized, repurposed, or used as-is for a course. The library suggests places to find these on the Textbook Alternatives Research Guide.
Resource Lists Canvas Add-on – Since January, the University Libraries and STELAR have worked together to offer a Canvas add-on that allows instructors to create, manage, and deliver lists of course materials in Canvas. This system can be utilized to make course materials more affordable because the Resource Lists system filters the readings through existing library holdings which have already be licensed or purchased by the library. Learn more about Resource Lists, see the how-to documentation, or contact Greg Argo at gargo@stthomas.edu if you’re interested in using it for an upcoming course.

April 25, 2018 by Greg Argo

Archbishop Ireland Library, Charles J. Keffer Library, Libraries, Media/Music Collections, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library

“Birth of a Family” in National Film Board of Canada

The current National Film Board of Canada subjects featured include World War II, hockey, vignettes, cultural diversity, land claims and rights, and endangered species. These are just some examples of the many forms of media and subject matter found on the NFB website, with topics relevant globally.

Three sisters and a brother, adopted as infants into separate families across North America, meet together for the first time in this deeply moving documentary by director Tasha Hubbard.

Removed from their young mother’s care as part of Canada’s infamous “Sixties Scoop”, Betty Ann, Esther, Rosalie and Ben were four of the 20,000 Indigenous children taken from their families between 1955 and 1985, to be either adopted into white families or to live in foster care. As the four siblings piece together their shared history, their connection deepens, bringing laughter with it, and their family begins to take shape.

Why I Loved It: This feel-good film pulls at your heartstrings in all the right ways. A group of siblings who had been separated for over 50 years had the opportunity to reconnect and begin to build their family. One moment that was particularly touching was when all four siblings gathered around a portrait of their mother who passed away, but in the words of Betty Ann, “she’s here with us, and she’s just so happy,” or their laughter as they tried to fit everyone into a selfie. This film draws you into the siblings’ lives and reunion, making me reflect on my family relationships with increased gratitude.

By Sophia Wolf

April 24, 2018 by

CLICsearch

CLICsearch Certificate Expiration Notice – RESOLVED

UPDATE 4/20/2018 @ 11:08am CST: The issue has been resolved

Browsers started flagging CLICsearch.stthomas.edu as insecure on April 18 around 7:00pm when the site’s security certificate expired.

We are currently working on replacing the certificate with a new one and apologize for the inconvenience.

For now most major browsers will allow you to click on an Advanced button to proceed to the insecure site.

As with any browser security warning it is important to evaluate the risks before proceeding. In this case since the certificate recently expired (within the last 24 hours) then proceeding to the site is low risk. Web traffic is still secured and encrypted and there are no vulnerabilities being exploited in your browser. Nothing changed in the security or authenticity of the certificate, it just expired, like a driver’s license, and needs to be renewed. When a driver’s license expires you don’t lose your identity, you just need to get a new one.

We hope to get the new certificate in place quickly on April 19 and while we don’t advocate for ignoring browser security warnings we believe such warnings should be a chance to reflect and evaluate if it was a simple mishap of letting a renewal pass or a more sinister plot.

Again, sorry for the inconvenience.

April 18, 2018 by Chad Kluck

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

Poetry on the Patio – April 24 at Noon

You are all cordially invited to the 20th annual Poetry on the Patio on Tuesday, April 24 at Noon! We’ll be outside on the O’Shaughnessy-Frey terrace in weather that has been predicted to be beautiful and in the 70’s! Stop by and hear co-workers and colleagues from across campus read their favorite poems. It is always fun to hear the poems they choose to share and each year we try to bring you new readers.

This year’s program includes poems by Langston Hughes, Richard Wilbur, Seamus Heaney, Philip Levine, William Butler Yeats, Wislawa Szymborska, Ted Kooser, Robert Frost, Margaret Atwood, Michael Hartnett, D. H. Lawrence, and Sarah Kay.

Our readers include Annmarie Thomas, Lon Otto, Tony Curtis, Kerry Kraemer, Peter Gregg, Christina Balsley, Paola Ehrmanntraut, Michael Degnan, Jordan Osterman, Ann Zawistoski, Hayley Graffunder, Marty Warren, Mary Reichardt, Artika Tyner, and host Dan Gjelten.

We hope you will join us! Poetry on the Patio is free and open to all; refreshments will be provided!

April 18, 2018 by

Libraries, Media/Music Collections, News & Events, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library

Animated Shorts on National Film Board of Canada

Meltdown
In this whimsical yet poignant short animation, a polar bear must try his luck finding a job in the big city when the last of his Arctic ice environment disappears.
Me and My Moulton
With a bright palette and witty dialogue, the film tells the charming story of a seven-year-old girl and her sisters, who ask for a bicycle knowing full well that their loving yet unconventional parents will likely disappoint them.

Special Delivery
In this hilariously dark Oscar®-winning animated short, Ralph’s day gets off to a bad start when he dismisses his wife’s orders to clear the snow from the front walk. When he comes home and finds the mailman dead on his front stairs, Ralph attempts a massive cover-up with disastrous results.

By Sophia Wolf

April 17, 2018 by

News & Events

1st International Film Festival on Campus

All are cordially invited to attend a first of its kind on the St. Thomas campus International Film Festival 2018. This collaborative effort represents five departments (Modern & Classical Languages, St.Thomas Libraries, Office of Student Affairs, Student Diversity & Inclusion Services, and Film Studies) who have chosen the theme Cultural Placements and Displacements: Perceptions and Self Perceptions of a Cultural Identity.

The opening film, “Faces Places” was nominated for an Oscar this year in the Best Documentary – Feature category.

Schedule of Events – all films will be shown in the OEC Auditorium beginning at 6:30 pm
Thursday, April 12 “Shun Li and the Poet” from Italy
Thursday, April 19 “North Face” from Germany (Closing Reception follows)

Discussion sessions will be held after most films.

The St. Thomas International Film Festival 2018 is free and open to all. The entire university community and the general public are welcome and encouraged to attend. Please plan to join us!

OEC Auditorium Building # 5 https://www.stthomas.edu/_media-library/_documents/main/st-paul-campus-map-by-building-name.pdf

The O’Shaughnessy Educational Center (OEC) Auditorium is on the University of St. Thomas campus at 2115 Summit Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota. The nearest cross street is Cleveland and Portland.

Parking: Morrison Ramp #19 https://www.stthomas.edu/_media-library/_documents/main/st-paul-campus-map-by-building-name.pdf

April 10, 2018 by Andrea Koeppe

Media/Music Collections, News & Events, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library

Interactive Media on National Film Board of Canada

National Film Board of Canada features many different interactive games and learning tools that are a great way to help better understand a lesson or concept. This type of interactive media engages students and can be an impactful way for a lesson to stick around long after the final quiz is turned in.

Here are a few examples of innovative and engaging interactive learning tools available from NFB:

Bias – test your bias via this quick word association exercise; this tool can be used to test one’s potential bias against varying groups of people or test your bias against sexist or racist stereotypes.

By Sophia Wolf

April 10, 2018 by

Archbishop Ireland Library, Charles J. Keffer Library, Libraries, Media/Music Collections, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library, Science

Docuseek2 Streaming Video

As winter in Minnesota drags on, many of us are hoping for warmth and sun. If you’re looking to explore exotic lands without leaving the comfort of your dorm, the video streaming service Docuseek2 is a great place to start. Travel the world and the see people and cultures from around the globe through documentaries on art & architecture, anthropology & archaeology, cultural & ethnic studies, environment, geography, social studies, and world regions. Ranging from quick informational videos that are only a few minutes long to feature-length documentary films, Docuseek2 has a great variety of documentary and social issues films.

By Sophia Wolf

April 4, 2018 by