St. Thomas Libraries Blog - News, Events and Musings from the UST Libraries

Streaming Films from Swank

Among the many notable media streaming platforms offered by the Music and Media Collections, Swank is one that stands out from the rest. The streaming platform Swank offers a diverse collection of films to watch all online. With the pandemic still prevalent, many people prefer to stay at home opposed to running the risk of contracting the virus by being in public spaces. Swank provides easy online access to films so those who would prefer to stay home safe away from the virus can still enjoy quality films through the Music and Media Collection’s online streaming platform. Through Swank, the Music and Media Collections has selected many incredible films to watch which would include the following:

BlacKkKlansman recaptures the events of the true story of an African American police officer named Ron Stallworth who successfully manages to infiltrate a local Ku Klux Klan branch. With the help of his Jewish proxy, Stallworth works to undermine the organization from within in this comedic, yet suspenseful, Spike Lee film.

A Star is Born is the story of a seasoned musician named Jackson Maine who discovers a struggling artist named Ally. Their relationship blossoms as they begin to for one another while Ally’s music career begins to take off. However, their relationship begins to wane as Maine continues to struggle with his internal demons.

1917 is a retelling of the real-life story of a WW1 soldier assigned to carry out a mission which leads him on a perilous journey across war-torn France. The film is shot to look as if it was done in a single take which enhances the suspense and draws the audience further into the dangerous mission taken on by Lance Corporal Schofield.

12 Angry Men follows the closing arguments of a murder trial where all 12 jurors must come to the unanimous decision to sentence an inner-city teen to death. However, throughout the deliberation, one juror in particular sheds some doubt on elements of the case which inevitably leads to considerable and escalating debates amongst all the other jurors.

By Sean Neeser

August 4, 2021 by

Services

New Interface for Interlibrary Loan Requests

Beginning July 7, the interface for interlibrary loan (ILL) requests will switch from ILLiad to LibrarySearch (previously known as CLICsearch) as part of the migration to our new consortium MnPALS. Existing ILL loans will still be visible through the legacy ILLiad interface; This view-only access to your ILLiad account will be phased out at the end of the year.

Integrating the ILL functionality into the catalog allows:

One library account: All your requests going forward will be consolidated and visible in LibrarySearch
Easier requesting: find the citation in our large search index and place requests without entering data manually
Faster fulfillment: Joining MnPALS means more direct connections to more libraries on a shared courier, including CLIC Libraries, University of Minnesota, Minnesota State University Mankato, and more.

The interlibrary loan form will be available on items in the catalog which we don’t own, as a blank form at the top of the catalog, and in its current location on the library Website under Quicklinks.

Requests can be managed in LibrarySearch under your library account under the Requests tab. You can limit the view by Request Type, or view all your different types of requests (holds on St. Thomas items, digitization requests on St. Thomas physical materials, and interlibrary loan requests).

Library Account showing where to find ILL requests you have placed

More improvements will be implemented later this year, including the addition of an extended index which will include physical materials for libraries beyond our consortium, 24-hour turnaround time for article and book requests on weekdays, and transparency in requesting terms (how many days you can have the material and how long will it take to receive) and fulfillment steps that mirror familiar e-commerce features.

July 7, 2021 by Greg Argo

CLICsearch, Libraries

CLICsearch to be renamed LibrarySearch

Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean there aren’t big changes coming down the pike. Over the course of the summer of 2021, the St. Thomas libraries are migrating from the CLIC library consortium to the MnPALS library consortium. MnPALS is a larger consortium with nearly sixty libraries across the state, including the State University system, community colleges, government agency libraries, private colleges, and special libraries.

What will this mean for the St. Thomas community? Since the MnPALS libraries are using the same library system that we currently use, there will be little change for St. Thomas users following our move. But one noticeable difference will be the library search, currently called “CLICSearch,” will be renamed “LibrarySearch” on July 7th.

LibrarySearch will look and function the same as CLICsearch; in fact, you might not even notice the change. But as you search you will find content from a larger group of libraries represented in your search results, making it easier to find and request materials from other libraries.

If you have any questions, please be sure to contact your library staff.

June 25, 2021 by

Charles J. Keffer Library, News & Events, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library

Libraries’ Summer Reading List Published

The Dust Bowl in the 1930’s. Twin sister runaways from a small southern black community exploring their racial identities. An impending catastrophe in the 1950’s: can it be thwarted by a woman astronaut? The making of a classic movie. A murder mystery in Cádiz intertwined with the Peninsular War between the French and Spanish in 1811. Cookie recipes. A memoir of a lifelong fight against racism in housing and gentrification. A novel about passion, desire, grief, determination, and finding one’s way.

Intrigued? These titles and more are described in the 2021 edition of the Libraries’ summer reading list. This is (at least) the 15th edition of the library staff’s annual list. We hope you find it enjoyable and that it helps inspire your vacation reading interests. Remember also the Leisure Reading collections, browsable in person at the OSF and Keffer Libraries.

May 18, 2021 by

CLICsearch, News & Events

Requesting and Account Services in CLICsearch Unavailable From June 7 to July 7

CLICsearch_pos

The libraries are moving to a new consortium (MnPALS) and a new library system this summer. This means that from June 7 – July 7 some of the online library functions will be unavailable. You will not be able to check your account (starting June 14th) or place requests online through CLICsearch (starting June 7th), however books can still be checked out and electronic resources like eBooks and streaming media can still be found and accessed. Starting July 7, CLICsearch will become “LibrarySearch” and you will be able to access your library account and request items online.

Specific changes are below:

Can I check out physical items from the library during this time?
Yes! You will be able to find and check out books from the library.
What if I have books that are due during this time?
Due dates will be extended during this period. If you want to renew your items, this service will be available again after July 7.
Can I place a hold on library materials?
Yes, you can place a hold on St. Thomas Libraries materials, but you will need to call the Circulation Desk to do this.
Can I check my account online during this time to see what I have checked out and when it’s due?
No.
Can I request items from other schools?
Yes, you will need to use ILLiad to do this.
What about access to electronic materials during this time?
Yes, access should continue during this period. On July 7, CLICsearch will become LibrarySearch and there will be a period of around one week during which search results for electronic materials will be incomplete.

Questions? Contact Greg Argo at gargo@stthomas.edu.

May 10, 2021 by Greg Argo

Media/Music Collections

TV Series to Binge this Spring

Come on down to the Music & Media Collections to check out our newest display. This month we are highlighting some of the exciting TV series we have on DVD. All of these series are available to check out, and if you don’t have a DVD-driver, don’t worry. You can check one of those out too. Just remember to bring your student ID when you visit.

Sandra Oh stars in Killing Eve (seasons 1-3) as a British intelligence investigator who is tracking down a female assassin. But as the chase heats up, the two women fall into obsession.

The Sinner (season 1-3) follows a police detective as he investigates unlikely crimes and their culprits. Each season explores a different crime with a new cast of characters.

Check out HBO’s Game of Thrones (the complete series) and dive into the political strife of Westeros.

Succession (seasons 1-2) is all about the Roy family and what will happen when their aging patriarch dies. It all comes down to one question: Who will inherit the company?

Political intrigue abounds in House of Cards (the complete series) as Congressman Frank Underwood vies for power.

The Handmaid’s Tale (seasons 1-3) serializes Margaret Atwood’s famous dystopian novel.

When Walter White is diagnosed with stage three lung cancer, his financial troubles lead him to start producing meth. Breaking Bad (the complete series) is lauded as one of the greatest of all time.

La Casa de Papel (the complete series) is a Spanish TV show—but don’t let that scare you—which follows a group of criminals as they enact a heist in real time.

The Music and Media Collections is located in OSF 104A, and our hours are listed on the Library Hours and Location page.

By Jayde Hoppe

May 4, 2021 by

News & Events

Virtual Author Reading – Hear Tim Lewis, PhD talk about his book – Biology of Dogs – May 4 at Noon

You are cordially invited to spend a delightful, virtual visit with Tim Lewis PhD on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 from Noon to 1pm! In addition to being University of St. Thomas Associate Vice President for Global Learning and Strategy and Biology Professor, Dr. Lewis has written a witty, informational, scientific, and loving book all about dogs.

Associate Vice Provost, Director of Libraries and author reading host Dan Gjelten has this to say about Tim’s work:

“His book, Biology of Dogs is written for laypeople and is in Tim’s voice, full of both expertise and humor (hinted at by the book’s subtitle: “From Gonads Through Guts to Ganglia” – you may not have heard the word “gonads” since you were a thirteen year old.) Tim’s presentations are always engaging, making him a popular speaker, and will leave attendees thinking more like a scientist and understanding their pets a bit better. Also, Tim actually loves dogs, and probably turtles, too.”

Here’s the Zoom Link – We hope you will join the conversation!

April 22, 2021 by

Libraries, Media/Music Collections

What is Cinematography?

Have you ever wondered how filmmakers create amazing imagery? The art of making films—of getting the perfect framing of the action—is called cinematography, and it’s an essential part of the visuals that make up a good movie.
Great cinematography comes in many forms, whether it be the back-and-forth shots of an intense conversation or long shots where the camera follows actors through an entire scene. Other important aspects of cinematography include the composition (how much space a given element takes in the frame), the focus (what is clear and crisp), and the color.

Not sure where to start?
Some amazing examples of great cinematography available in the Music & Media Collections or through our streaming services include:

Citizen Kane (also available on streaming) is a breakthrough film—it established many essentials of cinematography still in use today, such as the use of angles and shadows.

Wondrous combinations of bright colors saturate The Fall, where the story delves into surreal imagery as reality and fantasy blur.

The lack of color is just as impactful as its presence, and Roma’s beautiful black and white cinematography lingers in the long shot.

Fast-paced martial arts meet sweeping views of the Chinese landscape in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Pan’s Labyrinth (also available on streaming), a historical-fantasy film set during the Spanish Civil War, plays with light and shadow as the main character escapes into a fantasy world.

By Jayde Hoppe

April 19, 2021 by

Libraries, News & Events, Special Collections and Archives

Discover Video and Audio Recordings from the University Archives

A film of the St. Thomas campus from 1924. An audio recording of a commencement address given by Hubert Humphrey. Footage of early television episodes produced by St. Thomas. These are just a few of the many audio-visual treasures saved as a part of the University Archives’ audio and visual collections.

Audio–visual materials present unique challenges to archivists to preserve and make available over time. The devices required for playback for some recordings become obsolete (for example: reel-to-reel audiotape players and VCRs). Additionally, the chemical composition of the physical media on which they are stored (motion picture film, audio and video tape) may deteriorate resulting in loss of the recording. The conversion to and maintenance of digital format is the only way to ensure that these recordings can be preserved over time. The University Archives has undertaken several projects to reformat some of our most at risk materials to a digital format. But up to now, visitors and researchers have still been required to come to our physical reading room to view/listen to these recordings stored on DVDs and hard drives.

In 2019, the Libraries began the search to find a solution to make our audio-visual collection more readily available to users and to help ensure their preservation for the future. Our investigation led us to the Elevator media asset management software (developed by the University of Minnesota). In addition to making the collections viewable to users via the web, the software automatically allows for the conversion from a digital file’s original format to the most current standard.

In the Spring of 2020, a pilot project to describe and ingest a collection of previously reformatted and born-digital recordings into Elevator was initiated. The results of this project can now be seen in the University Archives Audio Visual Collection ( https://elevator.stthomas.edu/ ). This collection contains over 150 films, speeches and musical recordings from our holdings.

Currently, we are working on new projects relating to the Archives holdings from the Athletics Department. We hope to partner with other departments on campus to bring their media files to a larger audience in the future. Check back soon to view what is new!

April 15, 2021 by Ann Kenne

Health and Well Being, Just for Fun, Libraries, Library Week, Media/Music Collections, News & Events

Celebrate National Library Week at St. Thomas – April 6-9, 2021

You’re invited to celebrate with us! It’s National Library Week and we hope you’ll enjoy the activities and featured services – the ever-popular Online Trivia Contest; Online Bingo, Coloring Pages, and Jigsaw Puzzles; Music and Media offerings; learn about our new Peer Research Assistants; and a special noon hour session with CAPS doctoral interns on Wednesday, April 7 on the Power of Sleep – REGISTER HERE to receive the Zoom link.

Look for our purple library tent during the week (Tuesday, April 6 through Friday, April 9) and stop by to pick up a goodie bag and ask anything you’d like! We’re here to help and want you to have a great end-of-semester — and a fun Library Week!

For more information about the April 7 Power of Sleep conversation with the interns, please read here!

About National Library Week:

The American Library Association in conjunction with the National Book Committee sponsored the first National Library Week in 1958 as a response to a 1957 survey that found that only 17% of Americans were currently reading a book. National Library Week continues as an annual event that promotes libraries of all types across the United States.

Libraries continue to grow beyond their original perception as repositories of books and computer banks to their current position as recognized community and cultural centers that promote learning and social connection. Libraries are often seen as the heart of their community, whether it’s a small town, a city, or a university campus.

During the pandemic, library workers adapted resources and services to meet their users’ needs during these challenging times. Whether people visit in person or virtually, libraries offer endless opportunities to transform lives through education and lifelong learning.

March 30, 2021 by

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