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New map feature shows you where that book is shelved

by Gerald Dierkes

You’ve looked up a  book in the library catalog, but where in the Library is it located? Each book’s catalog record now includes a helpful “Find on map” link, as shown for the Concordance to the Greek Testament.

The link connects you to a map of the library floor on which your book is shelved. The section of shelves that holds your book is also highlighted. Below you can see that your book is shelved in the Falvey West stacks.

The interactive map itself also shows the locations of various rooms and departments within the Library, as well as those of library staff. David Uspal, a member of the Library’s own Technology Development team, designed this interactive map and established its links in catalog records.

As construction continues on our building, and resources and personnel move around, we’ll be sure to keep the interactive map updated so you’ll always have the latest locations at your fingertips.

Also contributing: Laura Hutelmyer


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New Sage Journals – Criminal Justice

Falvey Memorial Library recently subscribed to a large package of social science journals from Sage Journals Online.  These titles are now available in full text online through library resources.

The My Tools feature of Sage Journals Online allows users to establish email alerts, saved searches, marked citations, and favorite journals through personal accounts.  If you need assistance setting up a personal account or taking advantage of these tools, please contact Kristyna.

Here are some highlights from the newly acquired titles in the Criminal Justice Collection.  Check back with this blog for more highlights from other disciplines!

Child Maltreatment
Holdings: 1999 – present
Child Maltreatment (CM), published quarterly, is the official journal of APSAC, the nation’s largest interdisciplinary child maltreatment professional organization. The object of CM is to foster professional excellence in the field of child abuse and neglect by reporting current and at-issue scientific information and technical innovations in a form immediately useful to practitioners and researchers from mental health, child protection, law, law enforcement, medicine, nursing, and allied disciplines.

Feminist Criminology
Holdings: 2006 – present
Feminist Criminology (FC), published quarterly, is an innovative journal dedicated to research related to women, girls, and crime within the context of a feminist critique of criminology. The official journal of the Division on Women and Crime of the American Society of Criminology, this international publication focuses on research and theory that highlights the gendered nature of crime.

Theoretical Criminology
Holdings: 1999 – present
Theoretical Criminology is a major interdisciplinary, international, peer reviewed journal for the advancement of the theoretical aspects of criminological knowledge. Theoretical Criminology is concerned with theories, concepts, narratives and myths of crime, criminal behaviour, social deviance, criminal law, morality, justice, social regulation and governance. The journal is committed to renewing general theoretical debate, exploring the interrelation of theory and data in empirical research and advancing the links between criminological analysis and general social, political and cultural theory.

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice
Holdings: 2003 – present
Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice (YVJJ), peer-reviewed and published quarterly, serves a diverse audience of academics and practitioners in juvenile justice and related fields with a resource for publishing current empirical research, discussing theoretical issues, and reviewing promising interventions and programs in the areas of youth violence, juvenile justice, and school safety. Articles address the fields of juvenile justice and youth and school violence prevention.


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A lost piece of Theater History

 

One of the most satisfying aspects of working in a digital library is the opportunity to expose people to a life or a story they may not have realized existed. A week ago I was presented with an archival box full of pieces of a puzzle. The pieces belonged to a man named Howard Merrill Shelley and the puzzle I am working on is how to put together the events that make up the life of this man. I have begun scanning in images and other assorted items from the box, and his story is slowly coming to light, possibly for the first time in fifty years.

Howard Shelley (1879-1956) was known primarily as a Philadelphia theater and opera personality. However, before I go into that, I would like to delve into his ancestors, an interesting topic of its own. Howard Merrill’s lineage plays like a who’s who of American history. Howard’s mother, Sophia Rittenhouse Shelley, is directly descended from the famous scientist and astronomer, David Rittenhouse. Howard’s grandmother, Amanda McClellan is related by marriage to none other than Benjamin Franklin and is directly related to the Civil War general, George B. McClellan.

 

 

George himself was the grandson of General Samuel McClellan of the Revolutionary War. Samuel married Rachel Abbe, a direct descendant of Governor William Bradford of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

 

 

Howard also had a famous second cousin named Kate Shelley. While not a household name today, in her own time she was a famous poet and folk hero. As a young girl she risked her own life to save hundreds of lives by averting a potential train accident.

Not surprisingly, Howard Shelley thought his own family history quite interesting and wrote a successful play about it in 1914 called The Family Tree. At the time in Philadelphia, as well as other major cities, there was a craze to document and brag about one’s own family history in order to secure social prestige and Howard took advantage of this subject to write his satirical comedy. Prior to The Family Tree Howard co-wrote a popular musical called The Beauty Doctor in 1904. An article in the Geneva Daily Times described this production as a piece “based on the beauty culture craze, which is handled in a broadly humorous way and is said to afford ample opportunity for hearty fun”.

After writing two successful satires for the stage, Howard went on to become a theatrical press agent. He wrote an early form of gossip column about society under the name Barclay Beekman for the New York Daily Mirror and was also employed by stars of the stage, including Lillian Russell, an actress and singer, and Luisa Tetrazzini, an Italian opera soprano.

 

Digitizing the Howard Shelley Collection has been like working on a miniature time capsule of Philadelphia genealogy and theater history. I have only completed about a third of the collection and am eager to discover how the other pieces of the puzzle come together. What I find remarkable is that despite having two hit shows and an active life in theater and opera, Howard Shelley and his productions have managed to escape history’s grasp. It causes one to realize that the majority of popular culture today may not survive a hundred years, for better or worse. For my part, I am glad to have the opportunity to once again put Howard Shelley in the spotlight.

Posted for Karla Irwin, Fall 2011 Digital Library Intern.


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Rare Civil War books, photos, artifacts and political cartoons

by Alice Bampton

This year marks the sesquicentennial of the beginning of the American Civil War. It began April 12, 1861, when Confederate troops led by Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard fired on a Union garrison stationed at Fort Sumter, Charleston, S.C. Thus began America’s deadliest war, one which still resonates today.

In addition to numerous books about the Civil War, which one would expect to find in a library, Falvey Memorial Library’s collection includes some unexpected treasures related to that war. One of the most surprising, housed in Special Collections, is a frock coat which belonged to General William Tecumseh Sherman. Although Special Collections is temporarily closed due to renovation, photographs and a story written by Michael Foight, Special Collections and Digital Library coordinator, fully describe this important part of the Sherman Thackara Collection.

Special Collections also features the Humbert Collection and the Nagy Collection, both of which relate to the American Civil War.

To examine actual artifacts, take a look at the exhibit, “Remembering the U.S. Civil War” on the library first floor, near the elevator. Laura Bang, Digital and Special Collections curatorial assistant, curated the exhibit.

For a decidedly different and British view of our Civil War, go to the Tenniel Civil War Cartoon Collection housed in ARTstor, a database of images to which Falvey subscribes. John Tenneil (1820-1914), probably better known for his illustrations for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, also worked as an illustrator for the English periodical, Punch.

Tenniel created over 50 political cartoons about the Civil War. These cartoons provide a wealth of information: caricatures of  Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, British views of the war and slavery, and even illustrations of fashions of the time. To access ARTstor the first time, you must be on campus. If you have a problem accessing ARTstor, please seek assistance from one of Falvey’s librarians.

Also contributing: Gerald Dierkes and Judy Olsen


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New Sage Journal Titles – Communication

Falvey Memorial Library recently subscribed to a large package of social science journals from Sage Journals Online.  These titles are now available in full text online through library resources.

The My Tools feature of Sage Journals Online allows users to establish email alerts, saved searches, marked citations, and favorite journals through personal accounts.  If you need assistance setting up a personal account or taking advantage of these tools, please contact Kristyna.

Here are some highlights from the newly acquired titles in the Communication Collection.  Check back with this blog for more highlights from other disciplines!

Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies
Holdings: 1999 – present
Convergence is a quarterly, peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes leading research addressing the creative, social, political and pedagogical issues raised by the advent of new media technologies. It provides an international, interdisciplinary forum for research exploring the reception, consumption and impact of new media technologies in domestic, public and educational contexts. It is edited by Julia Knight and Alexis Weedon.

Discourse Studies
Holdings: 1999 – present
Discourse Studies is an international peer-reviewed journal for the study of text and talk. Publishing outstanding work on the structures and strategies of written and spoken discourse, special attention is given to cross-disciplinary studies of text and talk in linguistics, anthropology, ethnomethodology, cognitive and social psychology, communication studies and law. It is edited by Teun A. van Dijk.

Global Media and Communication
Holdings: 2005 – present
Global Media and Communication is an international, peer-reviewed journal that provides a platform for research and debate on the continuously changing global media and communication environement. Its scope includes communication and media studies, anthropology, sociology, telecommunications, public policy, migration and diasporic studies, transnational security and international relations.

Science Communication
Holdings: 1999 – present
Science Communication (SC), published quarterly, is an international, interdisciplinary social science journal that examines the nature of expertise, the diffusion of knowledge, and the communication of science and technology among professionals and to the public. SC addresses theoretical and pragmatic questions central to some of today’s most vigorous political and social debates. This discourse crosses national, cultural, and economic boundaries on issues such as health care policy, educational reform, international development, and environmental risk.


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Joanne Quinn Promoted to Design Specialist

Joanne Quinn has been promoted to the newly created position of design specialist.

In her new position Quinn is the primary graphic designer for library publications, web graphics and marketing materials. She will continue to design and mount cultural and collection- oriented library displays and provide the daily whiteboard art at the circulation desk.

Her whiteboard art will soon be photographed and archived in the Digital Library. Quinn is also a member of the Falvey social media task force.

She now reports to Judith Olsen, Communication and Publications team leader, and Darren Poley, Events and Outreach team leader, and also works with Digital Library/Special Collections projects.

Quinn had begun doing graphic design work for Falvey Memorial Library while working as an interlibrary loan specialist on the Access Services team.

Quinn, a Villanova University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in communication, is currently enrolled in the graduate program in Communication. As an undergraduate she was an editorial cartoonist for the Villanovan and is looking forward to seeing her work in the Digital Library’s digitization project.

Her husband, Jeff, is a Villanova University graduate and their two daughters are currently enrolled at Villanova as well; her son attends high school.

Quinn’s hobbies are music, traveling and haunting her public library for reading material. She is a dedicated Phillies fan.

Contributed by Alice Bampton and Gerald Dierkes


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Chronicle of Higher Ed

Another useful resource for job postings is http://chronicle.com/section/Jobs/61/


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Phil Job Posting Page

A lot of philosophy jobs will be posted on http://phylo.info/jobs in addition to or as an alternative to the APA jobs page. Make sure you check regularly!


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"A rather dark perspective on empire": Dr. Elizabeth Kolsky speaks on colonial India

By Alexandra Edwards

For Elizabeth Kolsky, PhD, colonial India may be a thing of the past, but understanding its history is still a timely endeavor. “In the post-9/11 era,” she says, “American politicians have debated whether the US is or should be an empire modeled on the British. I think this stems from an inaccurate and romanticized understanding of what colonialism is all about.”

Her recently published book, Colonial Justice in British India: White Violence and the Rule of Law, works to counter this romanticized view. “My book presents a rather dark perspective on empire that seeks to correct the historical record by bringing to light what I call an open secret: namely, the intrinsic violence of empire.”

Dr. Kolsky, an associate professor of History, is set to kick off this year’s Scholarship@Villanova lecture series, speaking about her book on Monday, Sept. 26, 2011, at 1:30 p.m. in the library first floor lounge.

“My interest in India was my destiny,” she says, and it stems from two sources. The first was a study abroad experience in the country, during her junior year as an undergraduate at Columbia University.

The second, she explains, dates back to the day she was born, though she didn’t discover it until many years later, while already pursuing a PhD in South Asian history.  “Perusing my parents’ books, I found a small book that my mother had given my father on the date of my birth titled Indian Love Poems. The book was inscribed by her, ‘To My Dearest Husband, Now we have someone to share our love with.’ So although I did not know it when I first went to India, I was destined from birth to love India – and I still do.”

Dr. Kolsky also credits her time at Columbia University, “during the rise of postcolonial studies when theoretical luminaries such as Edward Said and Gayatri Spivak trailblazed whole new areas of research in the study of formerly colonized societies,” as inspiring her specific interest in the colonial period in India.

Colonial Justice in British India (Cambridge University Press) is her first book, and she calls the time she spent writing it “long, laborious and wonderful.”  It involved14 years of work, “numerous trips to the Indian subcontinent and to London for archival research,” in addition to presentations “at conferences, workshops and seminars around the world and sharing my written and unwritten thoughts with mentors, colleagues and friends.”

“In the process of writing a book,” Dr. Kolsky says, “I learned how to write a book and I very much look forward to producing my next one.”

This event is free and open to the public, and is approved for Augustine and Culture Seminar (ACS) co-curricular event credit.  A book sale and signing will follow the talk.


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New Sage Journal Titles – Research Methods

Falvey Memorial Library recently subscribed to a large package of social science journals from Sage Journals Online.  These titles are now available in full text online through library resources.

The My Tools feature of Sage Journals Online allows users to establish email alerts, saved searches, marked citations, and favorite journals through personal accounts.  If you need assistance setting up a personal account or taking advantage of these tools, please contact Kristyna.

Here are some highlights from the newly acquired titles from the Research Methods & Evaluation Collection.  Check back with this blog for more highlights from other disciplines!

Action Research
Holdings: 2003 – present
Action Research is an new international, interdisciplinary, peer reviewed, quarterly published refereed journal which is a forum for the development of the theory and practice of action research. The journal publishes quality articles on accounts of action research projects, explorations in the philosophy and methodology of action research, and considerations of the nature of quality in action research practice.

Qualitative Inquiry
Holdings: 1997 – present
Qualitative Inquiry (QIX) provides an interdisciplinary forum for qualitative methodology and related issues in the human sciences. The journal publishes refereed research articles that experiment with manuscript form and content, and focus on methodological issues raised by qualitative research rather than the content or results of the research. QI also addresses advances in specific methodological strategies or techniques.

Statistical Modelling
Holdings: 2001- present
Statistical Modelling’s primary aim is to publish original and high-quality articles that recognize statistical modelling as the general framework for the application of statistical ideas. Submissions must reflect important developments, extensions, and applications in statistical modelling. The journal also encourages submissions that describe scientifically interesting, complex or novel statistical modelling aspects from a wide diversity of disciplines, and submissions that embrace the diversity of applied statistical modelling.


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Last Modified: September 22, 2011

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