My name is Laura and I am the new Special & Digital Collections Curatorial Assistant here at Falvey Memorial Library. I’ve just finished my third week and I have enjoyed every day so far.

My Special Collections duties include cataloguing, taking inventory, and assisting researchers. For the Digital Library, I help with scanning, entering metadata, and creating and editing transcriptions of scanned materials.

Besides these day-to-day activities, I also have long-term projects. I am currently planning an exhibit for the fall semester about Irish travel literature, to be displayed in the library as well as online. I am also organizing a project to photograph and catalogue the trees on the Villanova campus, which used to be an arboretum. I love trees and I love photography, so I am very excited about this! Along with the trees, I will also be documenting the outdoor sculptures around campus.

Tree branch by the main entrance to the library.

I am very happy to be here and I look forward to sharing more interesting things in the future!

A recent publication from the Oxford University Press is the Encyclopedia of African American History: 1896 to the Present (2009), edited by Paul Finkelman. This five-volume set follows the 3-volume Encyclopedia of African American History: 1619 to 1895 (published in 2006) and covers the “Age of Segregation to the Twenty-First Century,” including the 2008 presidential election. This set contains over 1,250 signed entries, with nearly equal division between biographies and topical entries.

The Encyclopedia of Race and Racism (2008, Macmillan/Gale), edited by John Hartwell Moore, contains nearly 400 articles in three volumes, with content contributed by experts on race, ethnicity, sociology, and other social sciences. The articles focus mainly on biographies and historical events. U.S. topics dominate the set, but there is also a good variety of global topics covered. Additional materials include an annotated filmography, excerpts from significant court cases, and the full text of influential civil rights speeches and other relevant material.

Other noteworthy reference titles in Falvey’s collection include:
African-American Years: Chronologies of American History and Experience (2003, Scribner, print and online)
Encyclopedia of African American Culture & History, 2nd edition (2006, Macmillan, 5 vols., online)
Encyclopedia of African American History (2010, ABC-Clio, 3 vols., print)
Encyclopedia of African American Society (2007, Sage, online)
Encyclopedia of Black Studies (2005, Sage, online)
Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture (2008, ABC-Clio, 3 vols., online)
Oxford African American Studies Center: Falvey’s gateway to the African American National Biography

All titles are all available through the Library catalog. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments that you may have.
Contributed by Laura Bang.

Six Villanova students presented their senior projects during the eighth annual Falvey Scholars awards ceremony in Falvey Memorial Library on April 23 at 1:00 p.m. This annual program, established by the Library, recognizes outstanding undergraduate research. The collaborative efforts of the Library, the Honors Program and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships make this program possible.

This year’s recipients represent all of the University’s undergraduate colleges, and each winner’s presentation highlighted the value of utilizing library resources and staff.

Arts– Brittany Parisi (Political Science), “Evolving the Third Sector: The Convergence of Local and International Civil Society in India.” (Satya Pattnayak, Ph.D., faculty mentor)


Business – Christopher McKay (Economics), “Equity vs. Efficiency: When is Lending a Helping Hand Being Too Helpful?” (Mary Kelly, Ph.D., faculty mentor)


Engineering – Susan Mischinski (Engineering), “The Effect of Bone Microstructure on Crack Initiation and Propagation In Human Cortical Bone.” (Ani Ural, Ph.D., faculty mentor)


Nursing – Ashley Thompson and Kelly Moran (Nursing), “Social Ecological Model to Address Hookah Smoking of Villanova Students.” (Ruth McDermott-Levy, Ph.D., RN, faculty mentor)


Sciences – Shreya Trivedi (Biology), “Analysis of the role of inflammatory pathways on estrogen-induced uterine tissue remodeling in the ovariectomized immature rat.” (Louise Russo, Ph.D., faculty mentor).


“This program is exciting and rewarding for the Library; it allows us to experience the intellectual work of our outstanding students,” said Joe Lucia, director of Falvey Memorial Library.

This year’s winners were chosen from a group of candidates-either an individual Villanova University senior or a group of seniors- working together with the faculty adviser for their senior thesis or capstone project. The candidates were then selected by the Falvey Scholars Selection Committee, comprised of representatives from each of the collaborating departments.

Digital copies of the winning papers are maintained in the Villanova Digital Library.

Compiled by Akua K. Adoo, Publications and Communication intern; photographs by Alice Bampton, Laura Hutelmyer and Natalie Tomasco

Falvey recently acquired the online edition of the Encyclopedia of U.S. Indian Policy and Law. Edited by Paul Finkelman and Tim Garrison and published in 2009 by CQ Press, this encyclopedia examines the history and impact of U.S. relations with Native Americans. Entries cover many topics relating to U.S./Native American relations, from history, politics, and sociology to civil rights and culture. The first volume includes eight overview chapters over U.S. Indian policy starting with the Indian policy of the Continental Congress. Entries cover a wide variety of topics from The Census to Environment and Environmental Protection. All entries are signed and include recommended readings and cross-references. Maps, statistics and documents such as the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act from 1990 can be found in the appendices. The Quick Search feature can be used to locate keywords anywhere in the full text of the online encyclopedia.

Related online reference materials in the Falvey collection:
American Indian Culture: A survey Native American history from ancient times to the twentieth century edited by Carole Barrett and published by Salem Press in 2003. (2 vols.)
American Indian History: Edited by Carole Barrett and Harvey Markovitz and published in 2004 by Salem Press. (3 vols.)
American Indian Tribes: Edited by R. Rasmussen and published by Salem Press in 1995. (2 vols.)

Related print titles:
Chronology of Native North American History
Tiller’s Guide to Indian Country
Atlas of the North American Indian
Native America in the Twentieth Century
Biographical Dictionary of American Indian History to 1900

All of these titles can be found with the help of the Library’s catalog. Online titles are also listed on the e-reference history page and on the history subject guide.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments that you may have.

Faculty and students in modern languages, history, and global studies occasionally need to watch DVDs coded for different regions and systems. While the Library has always endeavored to buy the requested films in a format that can be played on its public viewing stations, many of the titles are not produced for the mass market and not available for Region 1, the U.S.A. and Canada only. (Please click here for more information on DVD formats and region codes.)

Since faculty requested multi-region, multi-system DVD players for use in the Library in the recent faculty library survey, the Library recently outfitted one of its public viewing stations with such a DVD player.

Drop in and enjoy your movies. Headsets will be provided but popcorn is strictly B.Y.O.P. The viewing stations are located on the first floor.

The Library’s liaison librarians are ready to assist you with the purchase of foreign films for your classroom needs.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments that you may have.

By Gerald Dierkes

“Poetry’s energy connects us to one another.” So began the English department and Falvey Memorial Library’s fifth annual Open Mic Poetry Reading on April 8. Judy Olsen, this year’s master of ceremonies, welcomed students, faculty, staff and guests to the event, held in the Library’s first floor lounge. Ms. Olsen, the librarian liaison to the English and theatre departments, and also the Publications and Communication librarian, introduced senior class member Christine Simmons.

Christine Simmons

Christine Simmons (pictured at left) presented the just-released 2010 issue of Arthology, Villanova University’s student literary-art magazine. Christine, editor-in-chief of Arthology, made copies of the current issue available for the first time.

Cayce Lista, a senior, kicked off the poetry reading with two of her poems, “Kingussie Bound” and “Peninsular.” “Traveler,” which is featured in Arthology, was written and read by Christine Simmons. Next, Gerald Dierkes, a library staff member, read two works by poet Dessa Crawford: “Choices” and “Clone.”

Mathematics professor Timothy Feeman, Ph.D., shared his poem about the rhythms and hums different road surfaces produce while he’s riding his bicycle, and the different songs of which those sounds remind him. (more…)