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Inside this issue
- Steamboats Have Landed
- New Head of Access Services
- New Faces at Murphy Library
- New & Notable in Reference
- Smart Boards/Smart Spaces
- QR Code Hunt
- New Resources: Newspapers and Films
- New Historical Resources
- Student Bloggers
- Leisure Reading Collection
- Librarian Superheroes
Support Opportunities
Library Hours
Telephone Directory
Past Issues
The Fine Print is published fall and spring terms for UW-La Crosse faculty, staff, students, and friends of Murphy Library.
Stefan Smith, Editor
John Jax, Department Chair
Anita Evans, Library Director
Murphy Library University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
1631 Pine Street La Crosse, WI 54601
The Steamboats Have Landed!
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how many words would it take to describe 24,257 photographs? This is the impressive number of steamboat and river-related images from the UW-La Crosse Historic Steamboat Photograph Collection that have been digitized so far by Murphy Library and the University of Wisconsin Digitization Center (UWDCC). This joint project began in the fall of 2007 with the goal to digitize the majority of the extensive collection of images of North American, inland-river steamboats held in Special Collections. It was anticipated that due to sheer number of images and the complexity of the project that it would be a multi-year project. Sure enough, four years later, we are pleased to report that this project is nearing its conclusion.
There were numerous steps in managing this process and multiple personnel were involved at both institutions. Here at Murphy Library, procedures had to be created to manage the intellectual content of the images. Subject headings, thesauri terms, and metadata fields were created and defined. Procedures and safeguards were established for the physical transfer of negatives and prints within Murphy Library and then for shipment to the University of Wisconsin Digitization Center (UWDCC).
To begin the process, librarians in
Special Collections went through the entire 40,000 plus images
in the Historic Steamboat Photograph Collection to select which
images to digitize. A huge side benefit of this process was the
opportunity to correct misfilings, eliminate duplicates, and
make corrections in the identification of steamboats. Once
selected for digitization, the images, in the form of 4 x 5 inch
negatives or photographic prints, were sent to Murphy Library
catalogers for metadata input. The metadata included such
information as physical characteristics of the image, the
subject(s) in the photo, the date of the photo, and the
photographer, if known. Next, the images were sent back to
Special Collections for a quality control check. The images were
then packed up and sent to the UWDCC in Madison, Wisconsin to be
digitized. After digitization, the images were sent back to
Special Collections, where they were checked back in and refiled.
What can you expect to see and find in the Historic Steamboat Photograph Collection? Here is the blurb from the "About the Collection" section at the website:
The UW-La Crosse Historic Steamboat Collection consists of photographic images of steamboats on the inland waterways of the United States, primarily the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri rivers and their tributaries. The photos depict steamboats in every phase of their life span - from construction to destruction - and every aspect of their daily operations from the 1850s to the present. The photos show steamboats in all sort of settings - on the water; going through a lock, at a city's waterfront or levee, tied up at shore - as they went about their everyday business of hauling freight and passengers and towing barges and rafts. For some steamboats, especially the bigger excursion boats, there may be over a hundred photographs to view; for other boats, there might be only a single photo to document its existence. Besides steamboats, other types of images in the collection include steamboat captains, engineers, pilots, passengers and crews; city and town waterfronts; levees; locks and dams; and river-related activities such as fishing, swimming and clamming.
The collection has seen steady use. Since going live with first batch in 2008, the UWDCC has registered over 73,000 searches on the Historic Steamboat Images website as of Oct 2011.
Have we "wetted" your appetite to take a look yourself? To access or cite the collection, go to:
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/LaCrosseSteamboat
If you have any questions about the collection or the digitization project, please contact Special Collections, Murphy Library at 608-785-8511 or specoll@uwlax.edu.
New Head of Access Services (AKA Circulation Department)
Hello, I’m Heather Jett, and I came to Murphy Library
as access services librarian on July 1, 2011. I moved to La Crosse from
North Carolina in 2006 when my spouse accepted a position in the UW-L
English department. In addition to the master's in library science, I hold a
master of arts in English and have
taught writing and literature courses at the college level in three states.
At Murphy Library, I am the general supervisor for approximately thirty staff and student workers who maintain your library records, help you locate and use resources in the library, and keep items moving through the library system. My favorite place in the library is the reference desk.
My research interests include equity of access for underserved populations and activism in public libraries. I have an affinity for old houses and historic preservation and restoration, the craft of pottery, and woodblock prints. Although I most often read contemporary fiction, I am particularly fascinated by collections of letters.
If you stop by my office, you will probably find me—somewhere else! But you can contact me at hjett@uwlax.edu or 785-8943.
What’s new in Access Services?
For starters, the name “Access Services” might be new to you. That’s the new moniker of the “Circulation Department,” a name we hope conveys our desire to provide access to the library and its resources to the largest possible number of the UW-L community. We are going way beyond books! These days, you can check out laptops, Flip video cameras, I-pads, headphones, and all sorts of things that will help provide access to the resources available at Murphy Library and help people succeed at UW-L. In addition to new resources, we also have a couple of new staff members: Heather Jett, access services librarian, and Kevin Dinsmore, early morning supervisor (LSA-A). Along with new permanent staff, we have a fantastic group of new and returning student workers who are waiting to help you get what you need from Murphy Library. Come see us!
New Faces at Murphy Library
Sloan Kommisarov
Sloan Komissarov,
periodicals staff, started work at Murphy Library in April, 2011.
Where are you from? Suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio.
What is your favorite part of the job? I enjoy the colleagues I
get to work with on a daily basis and the campus environment at UW-L.
What do you do when not at work? Running marathons, horseback
riding, bike touring, swimming, camping, salsa dancing - sometimes all in the
same day!
What have you read/viewed/listened to, etc. recently? Straight
Man, Richard Russo - a must-read for anyone who has worked in academia.
What might surprise us about you? I have a twin sister who
lives in New York City. We are very different from each other, but we have a lot
of fun when we are around each other.
Kevin Dinsmore
Kevin Dinsmore,
circulation, interlibrary loan and public services staff, started work at Murphy
Library in August, 2011
Where are you from? I was born in St. Paul, MN.
What is your favorite part of the job? Working in an environment dedicated to learning.
What do you do when not at work? Cook, listen to music, read, take long strolls, eat jellied eels and think distant thoughts.
What have you read/viewed/listened to, etc. recently? Read: Platform by Houellebecq, Books in my Life by Miller Viewed: Currently making my way through the Fellini filmography Listened: Cosmic Surgery by Neat Beats (just bought the vinyl), Louvin Brothers-Various Albums, traditional Greek music, and as always the Smiths.
What might surprise us about you? Precious little, I suppose.
Recent Transitions at Murphy Library
The last couple of years have seen many personnel changes at Murphy Library, mainly due to retirements. Approximately 1/3 of all library positions have been affected.
Recent retirements/resignations include:
- Randy Hoelzen, reference librarian retired
- Michele Strange, access services librarian retired
- Cris Prucha, information literacy librarian retired
- Galadriel Chilton, electronic resources resigned
- Bonnie Daines, periodicals staff retired
- Mary Baldwin, interlibrary loan and government documents staff retired
- Ellen Parker, cataloging staff retired
- Jan Ruesch, cataloging staff retired
Recent and ongoing hires include:
- The six newly-hired faculty and staff featured in this issue of the Fine Print
- Rachel Slough, teaching and learning librarian, hired 2 years ago
- Kate Russell, systems and emerging technologies librarian, hired one year ago
- Digital collections/university repository librarian search is underway
- Academic engagement & curriculum librarian search is underway
Mike Olson
Mike Olson,
cataloging staff, started work at Murphy Library in August, 2011. Where are you from? Cresco, Iowa.
What is your favorite part of the job? Break treats. Actually, it's co-workers that make working here enjoyable.
What do you do when not at work? Hike, bike, play guitar, putter.
What have you read/viewed/listened to, etc. recently? From Dogpatch to Slobbovia: The gasp!! world of Li'l Abner.
What might surprise us about you? I played drums for a blues band in Chicago for a short time.
Deb Alexander-Friet
Deb Alexander-Friet, cataloging staff, began working at Murphy Library in August, 2011.
Where are you from? I am originally from the Kickapoo Valley area in Vernon County.
What is your favorite part of the job? I appreciate the challenge of creating cataloging records; almost every resource is different and unique. It is also fun to see the new items coming into the library.
What do you do when not at work? I have a ten year old…skateboarding lessons/competition every Saturday, two traveling basketball teams throughout the winter, traveling baseball team in the summer, choir, guitar, hunting, fishing, camping…
What have you read/viewed/listened to, etc. recently? Pat Brown The Profiler: My Life Hunting Serial Killers and Psychopaths; Erle Stanley Gardner's The case of the lucky legs.
What might surprise us about you? I have a salt & pepper shaker collection that consists of about 500 sets (give or take).
Dana Wallace
Dana Wallace, interim reference and instruction, began
working in fall of 2011.Where are you from? Grew up in Northeast Iowa, but have lived in parts of the Western and the Eastern U.S., and aspire to experience life in the Deep South someday.
What is your favorite part of the job? Helping the students - I love to see their eyes light up with a look of "Ah Ha!" when they find something they were searching for.
What do you do when not at work? I have an hour commute each way, so besides traveling in the car, I spend my time enjoying my tiny cabin on the bluff, the peacefulness and the views. My favorite things - bird watching and nature walks. This past weekend I spotted a grouse and a sapsucker. Next weekend I will be hiding from the deer hunters and wearing lots of orange!
What have you read/viewed/listened to, etc. recently? I listened to the book on CD -"Stories I Only Tell My Friends' by Rob Lowe - brought back the good old days - Does anyone remember the movie - The Outsiders? Classic!
What might surprise us about you? I write poetry, make large collages, and love anchovies on my pizza. Also, I drove in two Powder Puff demolition derbies at our county fair - lost both times but got some good hits in. And I went to the same high school as Marlon Brando:) but not at the same time.
The following are several of the more substantial works added to the Murphy
Library reference collections in recent months.
Encyclopedia of Modern China / David Pong, editor in
chief
Charles Scribner’s Sons/Gale, Cengage Learning, c2009. Ref DS755 .E53
2009 (4 volumes)
This important work provides a comprehensive collection of nearly 1,000
authoritative articles on facets of the world’s most populous country.
Already a popular title in the reference area!
The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology [electronic
resource] / edited by Irving B. Weiner, W. Edward Craighead
4th ed. John Wiley, c2010. 4 online volumes.
The latest edition of this core psychology resource offers over 1,500
articles covering the full spectrum of the latest knowledge and
understanding in the discipline.
Book Review Index [electronic resource]
Gale, 1965 to present
Long a staple print index at Murphy Library, we are very pleased to offer
this title as an online database. With listings of more than 5.6
million reviews on more than 2.5 million titles, there is simply no more
comprehensive and authoritative source available for identifying reviews of
books.
ProQuest Congressional Hearings Digital Collection
[electronic resource]
ProQuest, 1824 to present
This treasure-trove of United States history (complementing our
recently-added U.S. Serial Set Digital Collection) is the only one of its
kind, because it includes not only all Congressional hearings published by
the U.S. government, but also all those otherwise unpublished hearings that
were only published by the private Congressional Information Service.
Historians rejoice!
OECD iLibrary [electronic resource]
Contains all the publications and datasets released by OECD (Organisation
for Economic Cooperation and Development), International Energy Agency
(IEA), Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), OECD Development Centre, PISA (Programme
for International Student Assessment), and International Transport Forum
(ITF) since 1998.
Also, we have transitioned several more major, traditional reference
directories, long held at Murphy Library, to an online format as part of the
Gale Directory Library reference database. Titles include: Statistics
Sources, Encyclopedia of Business Information Sources, Brands and
Their Companies, and Gale Directory of Publications and
Broadcast Media. The new format requires some adjustment, but
feedback has been positive overall!
Finally, we are offering some new ways to keep up with the latest additions to the reference collection. You can visit our new online guide, “Reference: New Resources” at http://libguides.uwlax.edu/reference-new-sources. When there, take note that you can take advantage of the “RSS Updates” link to be notified of all the latest additions in reference via your favorite RSS reader!
Group study rooms are high-demand spaces in Murphy Library. Many weekday evenings, when it is common to see 350-500 people in the library, all available rooms are full of students engaged in group projects. These spaces have become even more popular destinations as technology has been added in recent years, including wall-mounted and mobile LCD monitors.
This summer,
Marcie Wycoff-Horn, interim director, School of Education [SOE], approached
the library about setting up a SMART Board in the library, and a large group
study room was converted for that purpose with the assistance of Information
Technology Services [ITS]. Murphy Library librarians and staff from Access
Services and from Systems and Emerging Technologies departments were involved in developing a
scheduling system and policies, and the room was set up to accommodate 20
students.
Murphy Library room 25 is now available for SOE and other faculty trained in SMART Board use, who can schedule the room during weekdays until 6:00 p.m. for specific class sessions requiring a SMART Board. In the evenings and on the weekends, students familiar with SMART Board can use the room without a reservation. The SMART Board tool packet and laptops with SMART software are available for checkout at the library reserve desk. A reservation request form for faculty, a calendar showing when the room is scheduled and more information can be found here:
More information can be found on the Library Facilities FAQs page under Smartboard and Tools.
If you have questions about use of the room, you may also call Kevin Dinsmore at 5-8637. ITS also has developed a SMART Board resource page.
The standard
library tour has been refreshed! Now students can use their cell phones to
learn more about the library. Kate Russell and Rachel Slough developed a
tour using QR codes and mobile devices for UWL 100. The self guided tour
takes students around the library to learn about various areas, resources
and services. Students are prompted to complete an objective at each
location before moving on to the next QR code. Objectives include finding a
book, taking a photo
of a favorite magazine and looking for a photo in
Special Collections.
A general tour is also available for anyone interested in learning more about the library. Look for the pale yellow QR codes located at high interest points in the library.
New Resources: Newspapers and Films
Historical Wall Street Journal
The campus community now has access to The Historical Wall Street Journal, a true digital archive of the entire newspaper, with coverage from July 8, 1889 – December 31, 1993. The library and the entire campus community thank UW-L students, who recognized the value of this archival collection and funded it through UW-L's academic initiatives program.
The Historical Wall Street Journal provides a true digital reproduction of each page and each article that originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal. It provides page maps in PDF format while also threading together into one image stories that originally spanned multiple pages. In addition to the printed stories, the database provides charts, stock tables, graphics, and illustrations.
Users of The Historical Wall Street Journal will be able to:
- Search for information by keyword, more than 20 article types (front page, stock quote, editorial article, letter to the editor, etc.), dates and date ranges, author, and more.
- Browse complete issues, cover to cover.
- Print, download, and share articles and images in PDF format.
- Cross-search topics and compare coverage and perspectives across with The Historical The New York Times, which was also funded by students through UW-L’s Academic Initiatives program last year.
Find The Historical Wall Street Journal in the library’s list of all databases by title and in relevant Murphy Library Subject Guides.
Films on Demand
The campus community now has access to Films On Demand, a web-based digital video delivery service that provides access to over 8,000 educational videos and over 95,000 video clips. The over 4,800 hours of video may be projected in classrooms or watched on computers, iPads and smartphones.
Murphy Library’s subscription to Films on Demand is intended for the academic market and includes a wide array of topics including health, medicine, science, mathematics, business, economics, humanities, social sciences, and archival films and newsreels. Films are produced by companies such as Nova, BBC, the History Channel, Arts & Entertainment, PBS, Cambridge Educational, and many more.
Special features allow users the ability to search and browse, organize and bookmark clips, share playlists, personalize folders, and generate citations in APA and MLA styles. The license allows unlimited, simultaneous access to all videos both in and out of the classroom, and from off campus. Faculty and staff may also embed HTML code directly into content management systems such as D2L to allow authenticated direct access to specific videos.
Find Films On Demand, in the library’s list of all databases by title and in relevant Murphy Library Subject Guides.
Early American Newspapers Series 1 – 7, 1690-1922 (Newsbank)
America’s Historical Newspapers, including Early American Newspapers Series
1 – 7, 1690-1922, allows users to search more than 1,000 U.S. historical
newspapers published between 1690 and 1922, including titles from all 50
states. America’s Historical Newspapers enables researchers to explore
virtually every aspect of America during the 18th, 19th and early 20th
centuries.
African American Newspapers, 1827-1998 (Newsbank)
Provides access to approximately 270 U.S. newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the African American experience. This collection features papers from more than 35 states—including many rare and historically significant 19th century titles.
African American Periodicals, 1825-1995 (Newsbank)
Features more than 170 wide-ranging periodicals by and about African Americans. Published in 26 states, the publications include academic and political journals, commercial magazines, institutional newsletters, organizations’ bulletins, annual reports and other genres. These diverse periodicals—which have shaped, and in turn been shaped by, African American culture—will enable new discoveries on lives of African Americans as individuals, as an ethnic group and as Americans.
European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750 (EBSCOhost)
An index to European works that relate to the Americas created by EBSCO Publishing, in cooperation with the John Carter Brown Library, from “European Americana: A Chronological Guide to Works Printed In Europe Relating to The Americas, 1493-1750,” an authoritative bibliography. The database contains more than 32,000 entries and is a comprehensive guide to printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750.
Murphy Library Student Bloggers
Are you interested in student perspectives of Murphy Library? If so, visit some of the Murphy Library student blogs, where students share their thoughts on exploring, using, and even working at the library.
The library maintains a permanent link to the blogs on the left sidebar of most library web pages. The direct link to library blogs is: http://www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/socialmedia/index.html
Student blogs include:
Books, Brains, and Brawn by
UW-L student and library worker Kyle Vara.
Kim's Library Blog by Viterbo student and Murphy Library intern, Kim Wrobleski.
The Murphy Explorer by UW-L student Carly Frerichs.
Not So Stern Librarian former UW-L student Brianna Marshall
Recent blogs include information about favorite study spaces; some book reviews; profiles of "hall librarians;" the library's voting resources pages; a photographic glimpse of "behind the inner workings of Murphy Library;" using a library iPad to take a physical and virtual tour of the library; finding a great cookbook in the library; and understanding "Type-A library student syndrome."
The library invites everyone to read and comment on these student blogs.
Change Comes to the Periodicals Department: New Staff, New Responsibilities, New Offices
2011 has been a year of great change for the staff of the Periodicals Department. Bonnie Daines retired after 37 years in January. We hired Sloan Komissarov in April. Sloan has a strong library background and comes to us with an MLS as well as a second masters degree in Art History. It is never easy to replace someone who has been in a position for a long period of time, but Sloan has transitioned well and has helped us to review our workflow and make positive changes.
Our next big change is that in addition to my role as
periodicals librarian, I have now taken over managing e-resources as well. For
many years now, the workflow of managing periodicals (the vast majority of
which are now electronic) have resembled the workflow for managing other e-resources,
especially article databases. When Galadriel Chilton left Murphy Library
this past July, it seemed like a logical jump for periodicals staff to take
over the management of the library’s other electronic resources. I am
excited to take on this exciting new challenge and am thrilled to have two
full-time staff members, Ginny Kreyer and Sloan Komissarov, to help in this
new endeavor.
And finally, perhaps the biggest change is that the Periodicals Department
has moved from its familiar home on the south side of the library to its new
home in the middle of the technical services area. The changing
nature of periodicals means that we no longer have a large physical
collection on the first floor, we need fewer students to help us with the
check-in and binding of print periodicals, and have little need for the vast
space available in the periodicals department offices. Our new location
offers many advantages, including proximity to our colleagues in both
collection development and cataloging, and an opportunity to share student
help with other departments.
We welcome visitors to our new offices and retain our open-door policy.
The Karin Sandvik Leisure Reading Collection was created in the spring of 2001. The collection’s purpose is to provide timely materials for enjoyment/recreational reading and to promote the culture of the book. Award winning and bestselling authors delve into various areas of knowledge and interest, including but not limited to, inspirational, mystery, romance, science fiction, horror, westerns, historical novels, travel literature, general fiction, classic fiction, biographies, and popular foreign titles. This separate collection, located on the second floor of the library (near the clerestory), makes it easy for all to take a break from class assignments or the rigors of teaching and quickly become transported away to a different locale. Over the past decade, the collection has grown slightly in size, been weeded several times, and still remains heavily used. Many of the books have recorded double-digit use. The two tables (one from 2001-02 and one for the entire decade) reveal titles that are popular reads to campus users.
July, 2001 -- March, 2002
Quick Facts:
- 636 total items
- 41% of items circulated
- 57 items have been checked out 3 or more times
High Use Items
- Lord of the Rings / J.R.R Tolkien
- Into Thin Air: a Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster / John Krakauer
- Hearts of Atlantis / Stephen King
- Holes / Louis Sachar
- Summer Sisters / Judy Blume
- Walk to Remember / Nicholas Sparks
- Bag of Bones / Stephen King
- Paradise / Toni Morrison
- Jemima J: a Novel About Ugly Ducklings and Swans / Jane Green
- Skipping Christmas / John Grisham
- Notebook / Nicholas Sparks
- Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook / Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban / J.K. Rowling
- Rescue / Nicholas Sparks
- Lost Boy: a Foster Child’s Search for the Love of a Family / Dave Pelzer
April 2002 -- November, 2011
Quick Facts
- 905 total items
- Every item has circulated
- 10, 873 total circulations129 items used 10 or more times
High Use Items
- Angels & Demons / Dan Brown
- Da Vinci Code: a Novel / Dan Brown
- Bridget Jones's Diary: a Novel / Helen Fielding
- Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings / J.R.R. Tolkien
- Notebook / Nicholas Sparks
- Time Traveler's Wife: a Novel / by Audrey Niffenegger
- Walk to Remember / Nicholas Sparks
- Tuesdays with Morrie: an Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson / Mitch Albom
- Choke: a Novel / Chuck Palahniuk
- Memoirs of a Geisha: a Novel / Arthur Golden
- Five People You Meet in Heaven / Mitch Albom
- Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive / Dave Pelzer
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire / J.K. Rowling
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: a Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream / Hunter S. Thompson
- Nanny Diaries: a Novel / Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Librarian Superheroes
As part of the library's outreach to residence halls, in which each residence hall gets its own personal librarian, participating librarians have adopted superhero personas. Click on the super hero flyers below to see a larger image.
Support Murphy Library
La Crosse in Light and Shadow
Edited by Ed Hill and Douglas Connell
Available for $40.00 plus $3.00 shipping and handling.
Proceeds for the book go to the Murphy Library Endowment Fund.
For more information and purchase instructions, visit Murphy Library Special Collections
August Moon by Michael Blaser
This magnificent oil painting, commissioned for Murphy Library, hangs in the library’s Special Collections area. Limited edition prints are available for sale.
More information is available through Murphy Library, (608)785-8511, and at the library's August Moon Website
Support Murphy Library
Make a Difference! Support the Murphy Library Endowment Fund and Honor with Books Program.
Maintaining the level of excellence expected in our academic community creates challenges for today's university libraries.
In 1989, Murphy Library at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse established an endowment fund to support and enhance the special needs of the Library.
Help make a difference in the 21st century! One way to make that difference is honoring someone with a book plate in a newly purchased book. For more information and donation instructions visit the
Honor with Books Program website.
For general information on other options for giving to the Endowment Fund, please visit the library
Endowment Fund website
Fredricks Memorial Endowment Fund in Oral History
The Fredricks Memorial Endowment Fund was established in 1994 in honor of history professor and oral historian Howard Fredericks. The fund supports the university's oral history program, which is an active and useful primary resource for the region.
Contributions are greatly appreciated and may be sent to:
UW-L Foundation-Fredricks Fund
Murphy Library Resource Center
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
1631 Pine Street
La Crosse, WI 54601-3792