WVU Libraries News » 2006

WVU Plays Key Role in Marshall Film

momaxwell@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 20:39:23 +0000

West Virginia University played a key role in helping Marshall University rebuild its football program after a plane crash took the lives of 75 football players, coaches and community members in 1970. WVU again played an important role in the retelling of the saga in the upcoming movie We Are Marshall.

Charged with the task of training a team composed mostly of new players, MU coaches Jack Lengyel and Red Dawson turned to then WVU Football Coach Bobby Bowden for guidance.The pair made a trip to Morgantown to learn the veer offense from Bowden. Lengyel and Dawson sat in an office at the old Mountaineer Stadium and watched black and white game films to study the plays.

When the encounter replays on the big screen, audiences will be viewing a clip of actual game footage of the Mountaineers. The footage was provided by the WVU Libraries, who have archived more than 400 game films from about 1940-1970. To secure a few minutes of vintage Mountaineer action, film producers worked with John Cuthbert, Curator of the West Virginia and Regional History Collection; Randy Jenkins, Library Media Supervisor; and Shea Browning, Assistant General Council for WVU. Rodney Adlington and Cheryl Clark, both from the Library Systems Department, performed the technical work.

Cuthbert worked directly with Lengyel to find a portion of film showing the veer offense, while Browning and others read over a three-page section of script to make sure WVU is depicted accurately. That part of the script earned the University’s approval.

“WVU looks good in the movie. Basically, it shows us as the big guys helping out the little guys,” Browning said.

Bill Bissett, Director of Public Relations for Marshall University, has already seen the movie twice and expects WVU fans to be touched by the camaraderie the sequence creates.

“The coaches and players of WVU helped Marshall in its darkest hour in rebuilding this football program,” Bissett said. “It definitely portrays Bobby Bowden and West Virginia University in an excellent light.”

Overall, Bissett believes the movie has unifying theme that everyone in the Mountain State will appreciate.

“In this film, you really see West Virginians helping West Virginians,” Bissett said.

We Are Marshall is the second major motion picture that the WVU Libraries have contributed to in about a three-year span.

New Electronic Journals in Criminology

ppugh@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 16:17:20 +0000

The Libraries recently added the Sage Criminology Collection, 23 e-journals covering the subjects of criminal justice, juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice, correctons, penology, policing, forensic psychology, and family and domestic violence. Some of the journals have content back 23 years.

A sample of the titles include: Child Maltreatment, Feminist Criminology, Homicide Studies, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and Youth Justice.

A complete list of titles and access to the journals is available on the Library Electronic Journals page at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/ejournals.

Upgrade Shuts Down Library Computer Access Tuesday Morning

momaxwell@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 21:28:20 +0000

There will be no access to the WVU Libraries Web site or to Library computers Tuesday morning because of work to upgrade the WVU Libraries’ network switches.

The Libraries will remain open during the upgrade, however users will not be able to log on to library computers. Also, there will be no remote access. Frances O’Brien, Dean of Libraries, expects the work to be finished by early afternoon.

Wise Library History Available Online as E-Book

momaxwell@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 20:36:40 +0000

Readers who want to peruse the newly published history of the WVU Libraries can now flip through the pages online.

The WVU Libraries’ Web Team has created an E-Book version of The Charles C. Wise Library: A Retrospective by WVU Law student Luke Boso. The digital book is available through Mountainlynx or at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/history/wise.pdf.

The book, published in 2006, presents the fascinating story of the “tremendous setting for learning” and contains beautiful photographs documenting the Library’s growth from 1931 to 2006. The author, a Morgantown native, earned a degree in English at WVU.

In this reverent tribute, Boso compiles information from 53 sources, ranging from the Daily Athenaeum articles published in 1930 to interviews in 2004 with librarians and Provost Gerald Lang after the latest renovation was completed. The book features interesting facts, such as the cost of the historic library buildings and their capacities. For example, the original library in Stewart Hall cost $116,000 and was built to house 20,000 volumes and 150 readers.

The Wise Library, originally costing $450,000, was rededicated in October 2003 after the extensive renovation project. Renovations included restoration of 1930’s wood furniture but with a twist – data ports enabling students to connect to the Internet are hidden in the tops of antique wooden reading tables in the Milano and Robinson Reading Rooms.

In the digital format, the 32-page book is easy to click through in the Adobe Acrobat Reader and has beautiful black and white and color photos on 8” x 8” pages.

Libraries Extend Hours for Exam Week

ppugh@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 14:55:00 +0000

This weekend, the WVU Libraries will remain open on Friday and Saturday evenings and will open early on Sunday.

On Friday, December 8, and Saturday, December 9, most Libraries will be open until 11 PM. They will reopen at 9 AM on Sunday and remain open until 2 AM Monday morning.

You can find a complete list of Libraries and hours at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/hours.

Best wishes from the Library faculty and staff for a successful exam week and a great semester break!

Libraries Host Changing the Face of Medicine Program

momaxwell@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 21:35:18 +0000

West Virginia University Libraries recently hosted a day of activities in conjunction with the Changing the Face of Medicine exhibit currently on display in the lobby of the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center.

The day began with a tour of the exhibit by its curator, Manon Parry of the National Library of Medicine. After the tour, Terry Ottosen of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine presented a talk titled “Resources for Consumer Health” in the Erickson Alumni Center.

Exhibit Curator Manon Parry leads the audience through the traveling display.

The Changing the Face of Medicine exhibit, on display through December 8, was created by the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health and the American Library Association. The exhibit introduces visitors to women, from the mid-1800s to today, who faced daunting barriers to practice medicine and who made great advancements in their field.WVU is one of 60 stops on the exhibit’s five-year tour.

Additionally, five other related exhibits are on display at the West Virginia and Regional History Collection, located in Wise Library; the Wise Library lobby; the Health Sciences Library; Evansdale Library; and the Morgantown Public Library.

The exhibit launched October 23 with a keynote address from Dr. Antonio Novello, who served as the nation’s the first Hispanic surgeon general. Novello now serves as state health commissioner for New York.

WVU Alumna to Hold Book Reading Nov. 30 at Wise Library

ppugh@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 19:24:16 +0000

A West Virginia University alumna will return to her alma mater for a book reading as part of the Helen Coast Hayes Lecture Series.

Dr. Dixee Bartholomew-Feis will speak at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, in the Robinson Reading Room of the Wise Library on WVU’s Downtown Campus. She will read an excerpt from her new book, “The OSS and Ho Chi Minh: Unexpected Allies in War Against Japan.” The event is free and open to the public. The reading will be followed by a short question-and-answer session and a book signing opportunity.

Dr. Bartholomew-Feis is a native of Monongalia County and a graduate of Clay-Battelle High School. She is currently an associate professor of history at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa.

She is a 1987 summa cum laude graduate of WVU’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences with a bachelor of arts degree in history, international relations (Asian emphasis) and French. She was also Phi Beta Kappa at WVU. She earned a master of arts degree in secondary education from The College of William and Mary in 1989. She graduated from The Ohio State University in 2001, with a Ph.D in history. Her major field of study was Asian history, and her minors included military and modern Middle Eastern history.

Her book, “The OSS and Ho Chi Minh: Unexpected Allies in the War Against Japan” was published in 2006 by the University Press of Kansas. It explores the once-cooperative relationship between the United States and Vietnam War enemy Ho Chi Minh.

“It is a special delight to welcome Dixee back to campus where she began as an outstanding undergraduate student and now returns as a important young scholar with a distinguished first book,” said Jack Hammersmith, a professor of history who taught Bartholomew-Feis as undergraduate at WVU.

The Helen Coast Hayes Lecture Series was established in 1998 by an endowment that provides permanent support for annual lectures on peace studies. The series explores a variety of topics in the humanities that affect peace, including the literature, history, sociology, psychology and philosophy of peace.

For more information, please contact Dr. Jack Hammersmith at Jack.Hammersmith@mail.wvu.edu or at 304-293-2421, ext. 5235.

Libraries Honored for Wellness Activities

ppugh@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 19:25:11 +0000

Dee Dee Strimel, the regional PEIA Pathways to Wellness coordinator, announced today that the WVU Libraries is the November Worksite of the Month. She lauded the Libraries’ wellness program for coordinating activities and being responsive in the administration of programs. She also praised the Libraries’ employees for their extensive participation. Recent programs include a nutrition activity called “5 a Day;” a stress reduction series called “Stress Less, Be Your Best;” and a walking program called “Walk 100 Miles in 100 Days.” Each activity is coordinated by a Wellness Committee member: Sherry Steadman, Barbara Lagodna, Susanne Rasmussen, Carroll Wilkinson, Kristi Truban, and Linda Blake. The Libraries’ staff benefit from these health and wellness activities thanks to the support of Myra Lowe, Associate Dean of Libraries, and Frances O’Brien, Dean of Libraries.

Submitted by Linda Blake

New Geoscience E-Journals

ppugh@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 22:02:40 +0000

The Libraries recently added GeoScienceWorld to electronic collections. GeoScienceWorld, a resource for research and communication in the geosciences, consists of 30 peer-reviewed journals indexed, linked, and inter-operable with the database Geo-Ref. The journals are society publications, published from the year 2000 through the present.

The professional societies represented are: American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), American Geological Institute (AGI), Geological Society of America (GSA), The Geological Society of London (GSL), Mineralogical Society of American (MSA), Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM), and Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG).

To search GeoScienceWorld, use GeoRef on the WVU Libraries database page at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/databases/. To access journals in GeoScienceWorld directly, use the link under collections on the WVU Libraries e-journals page at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/ejournals/.

submitted by Linda Blake

Electronic Journals Coordinator/Science Librarian

WVU, Marshall Libraries Host Author Lunch Oct. 27

momaxwell@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 16:12:07 +0000

WVU Intranet, October 16, 2006

West Virginia University and Marshall meet again this fall. However, this time there won’t be a football.

Instead, the excitement is all part of the third author’s luncheon for supporters of the libraries at WVU and Marshall. The event kicks off at noon, Friday, Oct. 27 at the Embassy Suites in Charleston.

“We are truly grateful for all of our wonderful supporters, and this luncheon is our way of showing them our appreciation,” WVU Libraries Dean Frances O’Brien said.

“We expect that everyone will have a great time. Past luncheons show us that people enjoy meeting writers and hearing them talk about their craft.”

This time guests will get acquainted with Gwyn Rubio, author of the New York Times bestseller “Icy Sparks.”

A review in The New York Times called Rubio “a writer of uncommonly warm and tender vision, often comic, brimming with love and hope.” Oprah Winfrey selected the title for her book club, and the Discover Great New Writers program included the book for its list “The Next Wave of Great Literary Voices.”

Her latest novel, “The Woodman’s Daughter,” was a Book Club Pick of the Week on the Barnes & Noble web site and received stellar reviews in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Denver Post, and Booklist – the review journal of the American Library Association.

The Georgia native lives in Versailles, Ky., with her husband, Angel.

Lunch will be served at noon, and then Rubio will take to the podium to share how she develops her plots and characters and offer some personal reflections on her work. Following her presentation, Rubio will be available to answer questions and sign books.

“People will like Gwyn because of the human element of her work, and because of her ‘quirky’ publishing experience,” said Barbara Winters, dean of the Marshall University Libraries. “She’s also a very entertaining speaker.”

For some, though, the most intriguing part of the story is the partnership between WVU and Marshall.

The two academic libraries began collaborating on initiatives shortly after O’Brien and Winters became deans at their respective universities. Since then, both play active roles in the West Virginia Library Association and visit the state Legislature each year to advocate for funding for libraries around the state.

That connection led to the first joint luncheon in spring 2003. The luncheons are sponsored by the Friends of the WVU Libraries and the Marshall University Library Associates.

“We chose this particular avenue to express our gratitude to alums and friends in the Kanawha Valley for their good support of our efforts to enhance our collections and resources,” Winters said.

For more information about the luncheon, contact Monte Maxwell, WVU Libraries Development Representative, 304-293-4040, ext. 4004.