Life at the Library

September 2009

September 28th, 2009

UTPA Library in Second Life!

by Carl Nelson

The UTPA Library in conjunction with the Center for Online Learning, Teaching and Technology recently finished adding a virtual library on UTPA’s Second Life campus. Second Life, though not available to the whole student body yet, offers a new 3D computer generated fully interactive learning environment for students and educators. Created by Lidden Labs in 2003 it is host to millions of users, including hundreds of educational institutions. UTPA has been conducting trial classes in this innovative environment and has a large area in the virtual world dedicated to class instruction.

Available only in Second Life the new virtual UTPA Library is a close representation of the real life facility having nearly the same physical layout. Students using one will have no problem locating materials or services in the other. Also like its physical counterpart the new Second Life Library offers access to media resources. Student avatars at the Second Life UTPA campus will now be able to use the library’s websites, databases, and online catalog. It represents a new and innovative way to facilitate learning as well as offer outreach to our patrons. Future plans for the virtual library include creating interactive database tutorials and having a librarian on duty to answer questions.

Kika de la Garza Archives

by Diane Tyink

This past July, the Library began conducting oral history interviews with former Congressman Kika de la Garza. In addition to serving in the Texas Legislature (1952-1964), de la Garza served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1964 to 1996. The series of interviews will be completed by November 2009 and it is anticipated that they will be available to the UTPA community by the Fall 2010 semester.

In addition to the oral history interviews, Congressman de la Garza’s Congressional Papers are currently housed in the UTPA Archives. In January of this year, work began to process these Papers in order to make them available for research. While the Papers are still in the initial stages of processing, finding aids for the material will be produced and it is expected that some of the material may be available to the UTPA community by January 2011.

by Virginia Haynie Gause

Authority Record Load Completed
This summer Library Systems staff completed loading Library of Congress Authority Records into the UTPA online catalog. This project brought greater uniformity to the online catalog by fixing split subject headings that had occurred as cataloging rules had changed through the years. It also standardized authors’ names for uniformity. As a result it is now easier to find like subjects and authors in one main place instead of under multiple headings!

LDAP Connectivity Almost Completed
The LDAP Connectivity feature has been operational since September 23. This feature allows students, faculty and staff to log into their personal library accounts to renew books and look at holds on their library records in the UTPA Library’s Online Catalog using their UTPA username and password rather than having to key in a cumbersome barcode number.

GIS/Media Lab Upgrades
Five new inkjet printers were recently installed in the GIS Media Lab on 4th floor as well as five new scanners. A new color laser printer will be installed shortly.

Software upgrades include Rocio Creator 2009, Adobe CS4, Pinnacle 12 and Final Cut Pro 7.0 for the Power Macs.

Faculty Lounge on Third Floor

by J.D. Salinas

The faculty lounge in the University Library offers a quiet and comfortable place for faculty to collaborate, do research, or to simply get away from their offices and relax. Located on the southeast side of third floor, the faculty lounge offers a coffee maker along with everything to make that perfect cup of coffee, a water cooler and a television with a VCR for those wanting to screen a video from our extensive media collection before showing it in class.

The lounge is open all the hours the Library is open. We hope to see many faculty come by and enjoy these amenities this school year. For additional information, please contact the 3rd floor service desk at 956-381-2763.

Library’s Off-Site Storage Marks First Year Anniversary

by Peter Cortez

The UTPA Library is marking its first year of a new feature which makes it easier it to retain older copies of journals and periodicals while freeing up much needed space within the main library building. Known commonly as the Library’s off-site storage facility, the site is part of the old Haggar Building which is owned by UTPA and located at 1407 East Freddy Gonzalez. The service and facility have been fully functional since September of 2008 and have seen a steady stream of activity. During that time, over one hundred requests for the material have been submitted and successfully processed. Throughout the 2007-08 academic year, 41,000 individual items were relocated to the facility.

Twice a week, members of the Library’s Interlibrary Loan Department will travel to the Haggar Building to obtain copies of articles in journals that are housed at the facility. Once there, the staff will typically scan copies of the article and email them to the library patron. This particular service is managed by the ILL Department and is available to members of the faculty, staff or student body. The service has been well received by library users says Ruben Coronado, Interlibrary Loan Supervisor. “The level of requests for articles available at the Haggar Building mirrors the level of requests that are processed for books and other items that we borrow from other libraries,” says Coronado noting that the peak months for the service tend to be the first three months of both the fall and spring semesters. “We do the best we can and make sure we provide the best service possible to our patrons. Other than occasional glitches with the scanner or software, the overall process has been very smooth,” he added.

Anyone interested in using or obtaining materials that are housed in the off-site storage facility needs to make their request online through the UTPA Library’s web site. From the home page, users will need to click on “ILL Request Form” to submit their order. For more information, contact Ruben Coronado at (956) 381-2762.

Open Classes

by Jane Goodman

The library is pleased to announce that “Open Classes” will continue this semester. In most instances, professors contact the library and tell us they would like to schedule a Library Orientation Research Class for their own particular class(es). However, in the past, we had several students express concern that none of their professors had asked for these classes and that they, too, would like to participate. Because of this popular demand, the Library’s Instructional Department began experimenting with several of these “open” classes. We started by highlighting one database for each class. The classes were held from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm, in our library classrooms, first floor, as we felt this timeframe would give more people the opportunity to attend.

Admittedly, things were somewhat slow at first, but as the spring semester went along the attendance rose. Student comments have been quite positive regarding these, so that we plan to conduct these again this fall semester. On November 4 and November 11 we will conduct classes in the new MLA Citation Style during the fall semester. In the meantime, if you need help with the new MLA Citation Style, there are copies of the new MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh Edition, available for checkout (Call Number LB 2369 .G53 2009), or you may stop by the Reference Desk, Second Floor, and the librarians will be glad to help you.

Keep checking our Web site, as we will be announcing the dates for these classes shortly! We would love to see you there! The most important thing — check with your instructor and see if you might get some extra credit! That really makes it worth your attending! We are always looking for new topics for these classes, so please let us know if you have any ideas! If you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to contact us at the Second Floor Reference Desk, or call me, Jane Goodman, Head of Reference/Instructional Services, at 956-381-3331.

Soul of a People Update

by Virginia Haynie Gause

Librarians throughout the nation have been talking about the Soul of a People documentary for over a year. It was with great anticipation that it aired on Smithsonian Channel HD (Channel 897 on local Time Warner Cable) on Sunday, September 6 at 7 pm CST. For more information go to www.smithsonianchannel.com/site/smithsonian/show_soul_people.do or www.smithsonianchannel.com.

The documentary reveals the fascinating story of the writers and photographers across America who during the 1930s attempted to capture the soul of a people and create the first guides to each of our states. With rarely seen footage, photographs, and fascinating interviews, the film centers on the struggle between conflicting visions of America.

Soul Of A People is about nothing less than the creation of America’s first ever self-portrait.

Two of its most well known alumni, Studs Terkel (in one of his last interviews before his death) and Stetson Kennedy, are interviewed. Also featured are interviews with a diverse group of leading authors, poets, and historians, including Douglas Brinkley and David Bradley, who provide witty and heartbreaking insights into the Project. The video was directed by Andrea Kalin. Award-winning actress Patricia Clarkson narrates. It was produced by Spark Media in Washington, D.C.

The second of five Soul of A People presentations was held September 17 at 7 pm in the UTPA Student Union Theater. Dr. Don Graham, J. Frank Dobie Regents Professor of American and English Literature at UT-Austin and a literary critic for Texas Monthly spoke on “Texas Writers from the Great Depression: Their Careers and Legacies”.

UTPA Library is the only Texas library among thirty in the nation to be awarded the Soul of a People grant sponsored by the American Library Association Public Programs Office and supported by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): great ideas brought to life. Virginia Haynie Gause, Web and Marketing Librarian. The purpose of the grant is to present five different library outreach programs in connection with the aforementioned Soul of a People documentary about the Federal Writers’ Project.

For more information on the Soul of a People project contact Virginia Haynie Gause at 956-381-2303 or vgause@utpa.edu.

Database Gem: Academic Search Complete

by: Carl Nelson

Academic Search Complete is a perfect electronic resource to start your research for articles. It is the most user-friendly and expansive database that the UTPA Library offers to students and faculty. The database has 11,180 journals & magazines indexed and abstracted. Of these 9,736 are actually peer-reviewed. Of the publications available in Academic Search Complete over 7000 are available in full text. Covering topics from anthropology to zoology it is possible with this platform to find articles from many different topics. Articles are included from books, magazines, and newspapers as well as peer reviewed journals.

Despite the vast amount of information the database is well designed and offers an easy way to locate scholarly articles. It uses simple search procedures to produce quick results. The database also has one click access to full text as well as peer-reviewed materials. Its interface is capable of understanding combined terms and informal language making this electronic resource a good research tool for first time users. Academic Search Complete is a great first database to start research since it offers a large selection of articles and so easy to use.

Staff Changes

New Hires
• Corrie Marsh – Copyright Librarian (effective September 14)
• Rose Flores – Circulation Library Assistant I

Transfers
• Kimberly Casarez (from Circulation Library Assistant I to Reference Library Assistant I)
• Rosana Salinas (from Reference Librarian to Serials Librarian)

Retirees
• Carol Kory – Serials Librarian (effective August 31)

Acquired Degrees
• Rick Peralez – Assistant Library Director – received M.L.S. (May 2009)
• Jose “JT” Tamez – Library Assistant I in Media/GIS Lab – received M.L.S. (August 2009)
• Candice Galindo – Direct Wage in Adminstration – received M.L.S. (August 2009)

“Gather & Gab” Coming in November

by Melissa Place

Do you need some magic in your life? Do you need a break from school work? Then come join us at the Library Schilling Room (LIBR 210) November 11, 2009 at 12-1 pm for a discussion of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Copies of the books are available for checkout at the 3rd floor at the Reserves desk. All are welcome and coffee will be provided.

Chicana Writer Lucha Corpi Coming to UTPA on Book Tour

by Virginia Haynie Gause

Lucha Corpi who has been a leading Chicana writer since the early 1970s is scheduled to speak in the Student Union Theater on November 5, 2009 at 7 pm.

Lucha lives in Oakland, CA but will be touring with her new book, Death at Solstice, to be published by Arte Publico Press in late September. Austin and Houston are also stops on her tour. Death at Solstice is the latest installment of her mystery series featuring the first Chicana detective in U.S. literature. UTPA Bookstore has already ordered the book and will be selling them one hour before her talk so they can be signed by the author following her presentation.

Hear the author speak about her early days as a Chicana activist in this interview with Eric Ladau from KUHF radio:
app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-arte_publico.php.

Book Review: Good Dog. Stay

by: Jane Goodman

Good Dog. Stay by Anna Quindlen. New York: Random House, c2007

UTPA Call Number: PS3567.U336 Z46 2007 Located in Best-Sellers, First Floor

“Yeah, right,” you are thinking. Another sappy story about love of a dog that dies! That part is true, but the author, Anna Quindlen has placed her own unique style on this true story so that the reader comes away feeling good about life in general, rather than sadness over a deceased, beloved pet. Quindlen is able to see all aspects of living and dying by her keen observation of her constant companion, Beau. She takes the reader through the process of letting go and gives an understanding as to why that is how it must be. Beau is the one who teaches her these things. As stated in the book itself, “Sometimes an old dog can teach us new tricks.”