UCLA Litbrarian

It’s that time of year again.  The Los Angeles Archives Bazaar is coming up in about a month.  In the past two years, the bazaar took place at the Huntington Library. This year it is moving to USC.  See the announcement below for details. I really recommend this event to Southern California history and literature scholars. 

Southern California history comes alive in exhibits by 65 historical collections and archives on Saturday, October 25 at the USC -Davidson Conference Center.  Browse rare collections, consult with experts, learn about family genealogy, preserving your own history, and numerous other topics.  Presented by L.A. as Subject, a research collective hosted by the USC Libraries, the Bazaar offers a wealth of resources for exploring Los Angeles history, including educational programs, panels and book signing by authors, and documentary films about the hidden stories of Los Angeles neighborhoods will be shown throughout the day.

FREE Admission.

Archives Bazaar visitors receive FREE admission to Exposition Park museums, including the California African American Museum, the California Science Center, and reduced admission to the Natural History Museum (NHM).  The NHM provides Teachers, Active Military and USC students FREE admission with photo ID, courtesy of NHM.

For more information visit http://www.usc.edu/arc/lasubject

Location: USC -Davidson Conference Center, 3415 S. Figueroa St. (at Jefferson Blvd), Los Angeles, CA 90089.  Suggested Parking is Parking Structure D, immediately east of Davidson Center. http://web-app.usc.edu/maps/?id=8

Date: Saturday, October 25, 2008

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Admission: FREE

I am pleased to announce that UCLA now has Literature Criticism Online (if this link doesn’t work, it is probably because you need a UCLA IP address to access it). This database provides electronic access to most of the print content available in reference sources such as Contemporary Literary Criticism, Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism, Literature Criticism from 1400-1800, Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Drama Criticism, Children’s Literature Review, and Shakespearean Criticism–all of which we currently own in our print reference collections at UCLA.  These print runs take up approximately 150 linear feet of space in our reference collections but do not see much use. We will be moving these print volumes out of the reference reading rooms and into SRLF.

Why are we going for the online version if we have already paid for the print?  A few reasons: 1. These very expensive print sets don’t see much use anymore, even though there is a wealth of very useful information in them. This may be our fault as librarians for not promoting the print materials vigorously enough, but it seems that many scholars are–increasingly, and for a variety of reasons–erring on the side of convenience (full-text, online) rather than comprehensiveness (hunting down every single useful resource they can find). 2. Space is always an issue in our libraries and these sets take up a great deal of space. If they are not seeing much use, it is preferable to relocate them and use that space for reference materials that are not available in electronic form. 3. There are significant cost-savings involved in the long term by going to one digital resource rather than having duplicate sets of the print in multiple libraries on campus.

If you would like me to conduct a training session for this resource, individually or for a group, please let me know.

We have access to a great resource for 19th-century research–C19: The Nineteenth Century Index.  This is very good news as it enables us to more effectively access some materials we already had in print reference volumes but also some information for which we had no subscriptions.

C19: The Nineteenth Century Index (University of California systemwide access)

“The most comprehensive and dynamic source for discovering nineteenth-century books, periodicals, official documents, newspapers and archives. The C19 Index draws on the strength of established indexes such as the Nineteenth Century Short Title Catalogue, The Wellesley Index, Poole’s Index and Periodicals Index Online to create integrated bibliographic coverage of over 1.5 million books and official publications, 71,000 archival collections and 16.3 million articles published in over 2,500 journals, magazines and newspapers. C19 Index now provides integrated access to 12 bibliographic indexes, including almost a million records from the ongoing digitization of British Periodicals Collections I and II.” 

If you would like me to show you around this new resource, do contact me for an appointment or stop by the Reference Desk in Young Research Library or the College Library (Powell).

This may be of interest to history of the book scholars as well as new media scholars.  Charles W. Bailey, Jr., of digital-scholarship.org, has pulled together a bibliography of materials examining a range of issues relating to Google Book Search. 

Here is Bailey’s announcement:

The Google Book Search Bibliography, Version 2 is now available from Digital Scholarship.  This bibliography presents selected English-language articles and other works that are useful in understanding Google Book Search. It primarily focuses on the evolution of Google Book Search and the legal, library, and social issues associated with it. Where possible, links are provided to works that are freely available on the Internet, including e-prints in disciplinary archives and institutional repositories. Note that e-prints and published articles may not be  identical.  

For a discussion of the numerous changes in my digital publications since my resignation from the University of Houston Libraries, see Digital Scholarship Publications Overview.

The University of California (UC) Libraries have launched a pilot version of a replacement for the current Melvyl Catalog, which contains records for holdings at all ten UC campuses.  Users are encouraged to test the pilot, called Next-Generation Melvyl, and offer feedback on how well it meets their needs.  The UCLA version is available at http://ucla.worldcat.org.  

The pilot features a single interface that searches holdings in all UC Libraries, those of libraries around the world, and UC books digitized by Google. It also searches for article references in education (from journals indexed in ERIC), medicine and health (from journals indexed in Medline), U.S. government publications (from journals indexed in GPO), and general topics (from journals indexed in ArticleFirst).  UC-eLinks can then be used to access the full text or print-copy information for journals to which there is a UC subscription. 

Because the process of loading records into the pilot database is extremely complex, most but not all Melvyl records will be available during this testing phase.  Throughout the pilot, the current Melvyl Catalog (http://melvyl.cdlib.org) and all its functionality will be maintained and available as usual.  

Search results are displayed with local records first, then UC records, then records from other libraries worldwide.  From the individual records, users can check circulation status, place holds on items at their home campuses, and request items held elsewhere, both within the UC system and beyond.  

Other features include the ability to easily refine searches, build and share lists of library resources, view personal ratings and reviews of items, cite items in various styles, export citations in multiple formats, and search the catalog using several languages.    

The pilot, which begins today, will last at least six months. Following its completion, a decision will be made about whether to move forward with it or to pursue other options.  

Next-Generation Melvyl has been created in collaboration with the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC).  This partnership enables the UC libraries to integrate their collection resources – whether purchased, locally digitized, or digitized by third parties – with collections around the world in ways that meet the needs of students and faculty.  

OCLC is a nonprofit library membership and research organization that provides computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, preservation, and electronic content services to 57,000 libraries in 112 countries and territories. OCLC and its member libraries worldwide also have created and maintain WorldCat (http://worldcat.org), the world’s richest online resource for finding library materials.�

Since this blog’s inception, I have planned all along to announce significant new additions to our literature and related collections here in UCLA’s Charles E. Young Research Library (YRL).  Here I am, nearly at the end of Spring Quarter, finally able to start such announcements with more regularity.  Better late than never, I hope.

 Just received at YRL is a 3-volume set of The Collected Letters of Rosina Bulwer Lytton, edited by Marie Mulvey-Roberts and published by Pickering and Chatto.  Here is a blurb from the publisher’s announcement:

“Rosina Bulwer Lytton is remembered as the ‘mad wife’ of the eminent Victorian politician and novelist, Edward Bulwer Lytton. In fact, she was a clever and successful writer who published thirteen novels, a memoir, and several pamphlets and broadsheets. She was also a witty and prolific correspondent and used her pen to wage a life-long vendetta against her estranged husband. Over 800 of Rosina’s letters survive. This unique record reveals the innermost workings of the Victorian literary and political establishments. To date, only a fraction has been published; most remain in private collections.”

This set will nicely complement our existing Rosina Bulwer Lytton holdings in the Michael Sadleir Collection of 19th-Century British Fiction, located in the YRL Special Collections Department.

You can find The Collected Letters of Rosina Bulwer Lytton in the Library Catalog under call number PR4959.L5 Z48 2008.

MLA has just announced the release of the third edition of its longstanding style manual, the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing.  According to an announcement by MLA President Rosemary Feal, “This new edition of the MLA Style Manual introduces revisions and refinements of MLA documentation style, and this updated style will be used in MLA publications starting in January 2009. Authors of articles, books, theses, dissertations, and other scholarly works in MLA style should use the guidelines in this volume.”

You can expect this new edition to hit UCLA Library reference collections in the near future.

Graduate Student Library Workshops – Spring 2008

The Library and the Graduate Writing Center both offer graduate students helpful workshops on a variety of research- and writing-related topics. Listed here and online are the ones offered by the Library in various locations. The Graduate Writing Center’s workshop schedule is also available online. The workshops are open; some sessions request an RSVP. Please see details in the workshop description.

Access to Chinese Electronic Resources
Hands-on seminar series covers important Chinese electronic resources, with emphasis on remote access to various online databases related to East Asian studies.  For registration and questions, contact Hong Cheng at chengh at library dot ucla dot edu or 310.206.9606.
Research Library East Electronic Classroom, YRL 21536  (2 hours)
Friday, April 11: 1:30 p.m.

Endnote
This session offers a basic overview of the purpose, uses, and features of EndNote, a program that helps researchers manage references and produce bibliographies for projects large and small.
Research Library East Electronic Classroom, YRL 21536  (90 minutes)
Monday, April 14: 2 p.m.

It’s All About the Numbers - Using Data and Statistics for Research
Join us for a workshop on how to find and use data and statistics effectively in research papers and coursework.
Research Library East Electronic Classroom, YRL 21536  (1 hour)
Wednesday, April 16, 1 p.m.

Copyright and Permissions Issues: What You Need to Know to File
This workshop will explain permissions and copyright issues related to filing theses and dissertations. It will cover how to use work that you have already published, when to obtain permissions for using works published by others, and whether using visuals requires permissions. The workshop will also offer practical advice on how to request permissions and copyright your own thesis. Please bring your questions!
Research Library East Electronic Classroom, YRL 21536  (90 minutes)
Thursday, April 17, 4 p.m.

Access to Japanese Electronic Resources
Hands-on seminar series covers important Japanese electronic resources, with emphasis on remote access to various online databases related to East Asian studies. For registration and questions, contact Hong Cheng at chengh at library dot ucla dot edu or 310.206.9606.
Research Library East Electronic Classroom, YRL 21536  (2 hours)
Friday, April 18, 2 p.m.

Access to Korean Electronic Resources
Hands-on seminar series covers important Korean electronic resources, with emphasis on remote access to various online databases related to East Asian studies. For registration and questions, contact Hong Cheng at chengh at library dot ucla dot edu or 310.206.9606.
Research Library East Electronic Classroom, YRL 21536  (90 minutes)
Friday, April 25, 1:30 p.m. 

Access to East Asian Studies non-CJK Electronic Resources
This hands-on workshop will focus primarily on English-language electronic resources for East Asian Studies.
Research Library East Electronic Classroom, YRL 21536  (60 minutes)
Friday, May 2, 11 a.m.

Citation and Academic Integrity Issues for Graduate Students
Common research and writing situations often present complex questions related to citation and paraphrasing.  In support of maintaining academic integrity, this workshop will offer practical guidance for citing sources and using information ethically.
Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (90 minutes)
Tuesday, May 6, 4 p.m.

ARTstor Basics
ARTstor is a digital image library with a set of tools to view, present, and manage images for research and pedagogical purposes. This workshop, geared for researchers engaged with the visual arts, architecture, humanities and social sciences, will introduce the basic features of ARTstor: searching, browsing, sorting, and displaying images, creating image groups and shared folders, and exporting images and citations.  (2 hours)
Research Library East Electronic Classroom, YRL 21536
Monday, May 12, 2 p.m. 

Research Appointments
Graduate students are welcome to contact the Library’s subject specialists any time for further assistance with research, library resources, and subject databases. See the library website for a list of subject specialists.

UCLA Library is pleased to announce that it has just licensed the digital version of the 17th and 18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers, thanks to the collective efforts of the Research Library, the Center for 17th- and 18th-Century Studies/Clark Library, as well as our good friends in the History and English departments. Here’s the description from the vendor’s website:

The newspapers, pamphlets, and books gathered by the Reverend Charles Burney (1757-1817) represent the largest and most comprehensive collection of early English news media. The present digital collection, that helps chart the development of the concept of ‘news’ and ‘newspapers’ and the “free press”, totals almost 1 million pages and contains approximately 1,270 titles. Many of the Burney newspapers are well known, but many pamphlets and broadsides also included have remained largely hidden. Newly digitized, all Burney treasures are now fully text-searchable in Gale Digital Collection.

The easiest way to access Burney is to go to the Library’s home page (www.library.ucla.edu) and follow these steps:

1. mouse over Search and find
2. scroll down to E-Resources and click
3. Type “burney” in the search box (as a keyword)
4. Click on the *long* Burney url

Keep in mind that access is limited to UCLA IP addresses.  Let me know what you think of this new resource!

In a previous post, I announced the launch of Open Humanities Press, an open access initiative to publish rigorously peer-reviewed contemporary critical and cultural theory.  If you happen to be in Irvine tomorrow (4/3/08) or in Santa Barbara on Friday (4/4/08), drop in to one of the following OHP talks:

Sigi Jottkandt, “Open Humanities Press: Free Libre Scholarship”
Gary Hall, “Liquid Theory (thanks to open access and the humanities, what could take place tomorrow)”

University of California, Irvine
HumaniTech
Thursday, April 3, 2008 from 3:00-4:30 PM in 135 Humanities Instructional Building

University of California, Santa Barbara
Friday April 4, 2008 from 4:30PM in South Hall 2709 (the Transcriptions Studio)