Browsing Category

News & Events

Art, Just for Fun, Libraries, Music, News & Events

noonartsound: Art & Music as Contemplative Experiences

All are invited to attend the March 5th noonartsound presentation, featuring Drs. Craig Eliason (Art History) and Vanessa Cornett (Music), speaking about Art and Music as Contemplative Experiences, at noon in the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library, Room 108.

“How do human beings experience the arts? Specifically, how do we direct our attention when perceiving a piece of art or music? Can a more contemplative encounter with an artistic or musical work enlighten our intellectual understanding of it? Join us as we explore the distinct processes of analyzing the arts (by assessing, scrutinizing, contextualizing) and simply experiencing them with an attitude of open mindfulness (without judgment, in the present moment).” – Dr. Vanessa Cornett

About the presenters:

Dr. Craig Eliason

Dr. Craig Eliason is a professor in the Art History department and teaches courses on modern art and design. He researches the history of the design of printing types, and is a practicing type designer as well.

Dr. Vanessa Cornett

Dr. Vanessa Cornett teaches piano performance and other courses in the Music department. An advisor for the UST Project for Mindfulness and Contemplation, she enjoys exploring the applications of mindfulness in the performing arts, and contempative practices in higher education.

About noonartsound:

Chris Kachian, Music department professor, started moderating noonartsound 8 years ago with Shelly Nordtorp-Madson. It began as a demo-lecture series of music performance and talks by art historians, and has morphed into everything from politics and propaganda, leadership and motivation, music and monuments, etc. Hosted by the Library in the O’Shaughnessy Room at noon six times throughout the academic year, all are welcome to bring lunch and enjoy a light dessert.

As Dr. Kachian says, “It’s way cool. Just to give you an idea about how diverse this has all become, Bernie Armada (the UST linguistics prof and a standup improv comedian) and I are talking about “improvisation as an apocalyptic life skill” later this spring semester.”

Please plan to join us! Bring your lunch if you wish – light dessert will be provided.

February 25, 2019 by

News & Events

Technical Difficulties: ProQuest Databases

We are currently experiencing some difficulties accessing our ProQuest databases. You may find that when you attempt to link to a database on the ProQuest platform that the page won’t load. To correct this problem, please choose another non-ProQuest database first and get logged in. Then, without closing your browser, proceed back to your link to the ProQuest database and it should load for you. We are very sorry for this inconvenience, and we are actively working on a solution to this issue.

February 14, 2019 by Kari Petryszyn

Libraries, Media/Music Collections, News & Events

Welcome Back! Music & Media Collections

Have you stopped into UST’s Music and Media Collections? If you haven’t already, now is the best time whether you’re preparing for a class or just taking a break from the chilly temps! We’re located to the far right of main circulation desk at O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library.

There are so many ways to utilize the Music & Media collection. If your professor assigns films or documentaries, come in to Music and Media and you can watch the course reserve title at a viewing station. Are you working on a group project and need to watch the same film? You can request a viewing room for a group of two or more people. Need to watch a DVD on your computer? You can borrow DVD drives from us! They connect right to your computer from a USB port.
Whether you’re looking for a theology documentary, a television mystery series, an opera film, or a foreign classic, there’s something here for you! Another great feature of Music and Media is our music collection. We have classical and world music as well as jazz and soundtracks to popular musicals. It’s a great place to find tracks to listen to while you’re studying!

In addition to our collection of over 15,000 DVDs and CDs, we have many streaming options available. Check out current feature films on Swank, a huge selection of foreign films on World Cinema, and exciting documentaries from Films on Demand to name a few! You can also search films by country or by popularity. Visit our Films Page for the full list of streaming links! We always have new additions to our collection, so drop in and check them out! All are welcome to stop by and browse! Follow UST libraries on Twitter and Instagram for additional updates!

By Sarah Pavey

February 8, 2019 by

Charles J. Keffer Library, News & Events

2019 Children’s and YA Book Award Winners

Image courtesy of the American Library Association

The American Library Association’s Midwinter Conference is usually full of committee meetings and is not necessarily the most exciting conference to attend… That is, until Monday morning when the Youth Media Awards (YMAs) are announced! The YMAs feature the selections of some of the biggest awards in children’s and Young Adult (YA) literature and non-fiction.

On Monday, January 28, the excitement ensued in Seattle as notable awards like the Coretta Scott King, Caldecott, Newbery, and Printz were announced. There were also several diverse awards given, such as: the Batchelder Award for the best children’s book from a different country translated into English; the Schneider Family Book Awards that celebrate the best “artistic expression of the disability experience for children and adolescents”; and, the Stonewall Book Awards for “works of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience”.

These awards represent some of the best books published for children or teens in the last year. They also help Trent Brager, St. Thomas’ Education and Social Sciences Librarian, select quality books for the Hubbs Children’s Literature Collection at the Keffer Library. This collection, found on the Minneapolis campus, is used most often by Education majors who learn to use children’s books for literacy instruction in K-12 classrooms. Stop by the Keffer Library to read some childhood favorites or to check out some of the new award winners!

Photo of presenters holding several of the YMA award winning books

Image courtesy of American Libraries magazine

Winners of selected book awards

John Newbery Medal: Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Randolph Caldecott Medal: Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

Michael L. Printz Award: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award: Fox the Tiger by Corey R. Tabor

Coretta Scott King Book Award – Author: A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 by Claire Hartfield

Coretta Scott King Book Award – Illustrator: The Stuff of Stars illus. by Ekua Holmes

Pura Belpré Award – Author: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Pura Belpré Award – Illustrator: Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

A complete list of 2019 Youth Media Awards winners and honors, as well as a recording of the Award selections is available at the American Library Association’s website.

February 6, 2019 by

Outline of a person standing in the Great Room of the O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library among students studying

News & Events, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library

Students wanted for photo shoot in O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library January 7th

We will be conducting a photo shoot all over O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library next Monday, January 7th and are looking to recruit students to fill the library as extras!

All students are invited and may bring their bags, books, laptops, phones, homework, group projects, and friends to study and hang out as St. Thomas photographers make their rounds. Laptops open, papers to spread out, ideas drawn on the white boards, books to fall asleep with—we want the scenes to be real and show library life! Appropriate dress: casual is fine, but no PJs or clothing that wouldn’t be appropriate for university photos.

Starting at 1pm students may come to the library and check-in at Stacks Café (coffee shop on the first floor)
Stacks Café will be open until 3pm and additional food and refreshments will be catered throughout the shoot (just like the pros!)
We’ll take volunteers for video shots starting at 1pm
Photographs will take place around the library between 2 and 5pm
Look for an appearance by Tommie!

Students don’t need to sign up ahead of time, but it is preferred so we have an accurate head count for catering.

If you have contact with any students and/or clubs please pass this information along. We have been posting this announcement on social media so feel free to copy the images or repost on your own timelines:

Be sure to pass the word! We want as many faces around the library as possible!

(This post was updated January 3, 2019 to reflect additional information regarding the schedule)

December 19, 2018 by Chad Kluck

News & Events

O’Shaughnessy Frey Library adds new stained glass window medallion

For only the second time since the original library was completed in 1959, we have added a new stained glass “medallion” window. This year, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the UST English department and UST Libraries collaborated on the design and production of a window celebrating the classic novel. (The first new window, added in 2009, was dedicated to Zora Neale Hurston, author of “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”) Both windows were designed and created by the Conrad Pickel studio in Vero Beach, FL, the same glassmakers who created the original windows (all of which can be seen here.)

A Go Fund Me campaign raised the money needed to produce the Frankenstein window, and a celebration was held on December 4th, 2018, at which students, faculty and staff met to read portions of the novel. The newest medallions (hanging in windows on the first floor, west side of the O’Shaughnessy Frey Library, overlooking the quad) are intended to honor authors of color and women – more windows will be forthcoming.

December 19, 2018 by

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

Tales from the Archives — The Cigar Bowl

Did you know that a St. Thomas football team once played in a New Year’s Day bowl game? With Frank Deig as their coach, the 1948 football team finished their season with a 7-1-1 record, winning the MIAC championship. The team’s stellar record led to their selection to compete against Missouri Valley Teacher’s College in the Cigar Bowl in Tampa, Florida on New Years Day, 1949.

Aquin, December 17, 1948

The team boarded a train for Florida at St. Paul’s Union Depot the day after Christmas. Hundreds of Tommie supporters followed the team to Tampa, most making the 35 hour, 1600 mile trip by car or train. But a group of 21 students who were members of the Air National Guard took a special military flight Florida and were housed at the McDill Army Air Force base before the game.

Missouri Valley was a heavy favorite to win the contest having lost only one game in their previous 42 games. That prediction seemed to be coming true with the Tommies heading to the halftime locker room trailing 13 – 0. But, the team rallied in the second half to end the game in in 13 – 13 tie. You can view film clips of the game and hear stories from some of the players in this video.

Frank Deig and Jack Salscheider with the Cigar Bowl trophy, 1949.

Several players from the Cigar Bowl team went on to play professional football in the NFL. Jack Salscheider played for the New York Giants; Jim “Popcorn” Brandt played with the Pittsburgh Steelers; quarterback Ed Krowka signed with the Detroit Lions; Don Simonson played for the Los Angeles Rams. Jim White turned down an offer from the New York Giants to attend medical school.

To read more about the 1948 football team and their trip to the Cigar Bowl, search the Historic University Publications database.

December 12, 2018 by Ann Kenne

News & Events

Study Night – Monday Dec 3, 2018 – 7-10pm

It’s Study Night in the Library!!

Tommies are invited to spend a productive evening of study together in the Great Hall of the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library – bring along that assignment that has been hanging over your head – meet with consultants from the Writing Center, MaRC math tutors, enjoy some healthy snacks, take away some fun and helpful library swag, sign up for a free five-minute chair massage, meet with Karen, our motivational coach and get some help with homework planning, ask the librarians about getting those citations done correctly, find proper resources for your papers . . . and more!!

We hope you will join us – procrastinators especially welcome! You can do this!

Monday, December 3, 2018 7-10pm!

November 30, 2018 by

News & Events

Winter Lights December event

We had a wonderful kick off to our Winter Lights events in early November when we heard about some of the stressors that come with wintertime and heard about coping strategies, and crowdsourced some ideas for local places to visit and things to do. We’ve collected all the ideas into one great library guide to surviving winter! We then decorated light jars so that we could all bring a little light back to our living space.

We hope you’ll join us at our next event on Tuesday, December 4. We’ll discuss ways to cope with holiday stresses and find joy this season. You’ll also get to make your own water light to take home.

“Winter Lights” is a four part series for students, faculty and staff to help you survive and thrive in the cold dark days of winter. Each session has a different theme includes a speaker, a hands-on activity, and a chance to brainstorm and share ideas to find light and joy in the winter. Those ideas are collected and shared on the library winter survival guide as the series progresses.

All are welcome at these events, whether you can make it to only one event or to all four, we hope to see you there! All events are held in the O’Shaughnessy-Frey library in the Leather room (108) from 3:30 – 4:30 pm. Future event dates are:

Dec. 4: Brighten your holidays
Jan. 8: Moving into a new year
Feb. 12: Growing into spring

November 30, 2018 by

Archbishop Ireland Library, Charles J. Keffer Library, Database Highlights & Trials, Libraries, News & Events, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library, Theology

Ireland Library offers new database free to alumni.

The Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library offers the University of St. Thomas and The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity alumni free access to the ATLASerials for ALUM Database.

ATLASerials for ALUM is an ecumenical database that provides access to key articles, book reviews, and essays found in more than 450 theological journals representing the varied fields within the discipline of religious studies and includes a significant amount of scholarship related to Roman Catholicism. It comprises content from over 30 countries and in 16 languages.

ATLASerials for ALUM contains merged and new content previously contained in the Catholic Periodical and Literature Index for Alums and the ATLA Religion Database for Alums. Alumni who used the former databases must request the most recent web address in order to access the new combined database. New users also need to request access to this service.

Please contact Betsy Polakowski for more information: ejpolakowski@stthomas.edu.

November 19, 2018 by

Older Posts

Newer Posts