Academic

19th Century Nitty-Gritty: Out of Savagery into Civilization

By Melissa Rayner

Native American rights have been in the news quite a bit lately, especially as they relate to the Redskins controversy. That got me thinking:  How were things back in our favorite century?

And what I found broke my heart, much in the same way reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison breaks my heart every single time (yes, normally, these blog posts are kind of hilarious, and I promise to return to hilarity next week).

My search turned up an autobiography by Joseph K. Griffis (formerly Tahan), Out of Savagery into Civilization, in which he recounts–and even dumbs down–his many adventures as a wild man of the plains and how he eventually found his place among learned, civilized society. Here, the introduction lays out his many experiences:

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Winds of Change

By Cindy M.  I was a non traditional student returning to school for a master’s degree. I was confronted at every turn with the integration of technology into the education system. (High school math for me meant slide rules not calculators). One of my neighbors happened to be the head of the library at the … Read more

More Than Shelves!

By Esther B. 

My college library, the Iwasaki Library at Emerson College, was invaluable both on the physical and digital planes.

Not only was it a place with shelves of books, it was a place to come to study. Yes, you can have quiet study rooms for students. However, they’re much more valuable when you can just reach up and grab a new source. Also, while hunting for one book, or magazine, or article, even just glimpsing the titles of the texts I was passing made me want to stop and grab one and open it–and, when I had more than five minutes, I did.

The library was where we came to do group projects, a place to congregate among the information we needed to complete the assignment. Just being in an atmosphere obviously devoted to thought made us more focused, and maybe even more innovative in our ideas.

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Computing in the Library

By Erin D. I have fond memories of using (even eventually managing) the library computer lab at Notre Dame University, where I was a student in the early ’90s. The lab was one of many services that the Hesburgh Library provided. In those days I used the library to find books I needed for papers; … Read more

Library Research Forever Changed My Son’s Life

By Dana G. 

Last May, my 18-year-old son had a motorcycle accident and severely fractured his left clavicle. After two visits to local specialists and surgeons, I was disappointed by their prognosis…one said do nothing even though my son’s bones were bayoneted, almost poking through his skin; and the other said he should have surgery with a hip graft and 5” metal plate with six screws. This would leave a huge scar, his one arm would be shortened and he would most likely have back pain in his forties. …as a medical librarian, I said to myself, “I wonder what InfoTrac could tell me?

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In Other News: Scotland

A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL.

By Michelle Eickmeyer

Long live the Queen! Or at least, long live the Kingdom. The Scottish people have spoken and they, and their country, will maintain their place as part of the United Kingdom. Why did they decide to join in the first place? What are some of the motivators for separation now? What does it mean to me, or you, or a student coming through your library door?

Here are five titles that look at Scotland from different perspectives:

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19th Century Nitty-Gritty: The Indian Exhibition

By Melissa Rayner

The previous posts in this series have explored Western life through a Western lens. This week, I’d like to mix it up a little. Let’s take a look at the East for a change, and let’s look at it through… a Western lens–well, you can’t change everything at once, can you?

The World’s Fair, what would you give to be able to travel back in time and attend it for yourself? If you just lend me a few moments of your time, I can take you to this marvelous, majestic, mysterious, and otherwise m-ridden land. Close your eyes…

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Partner Interview: Elsevier

Through December 31st, Gale is offering exclusive discounts on Elsevier titles on GVRL. Contact your Gale Sales Representative to take advantage of these great offers:

– Receive 30% off 25-50 titles with promo code 30FELS14.

– Receive 35% off 50-69 titles with promo code 35FELS14.

– Receive 42% off 70 or more titles with promo code 42FELS14.

In this post, Cory Polonetsky, Marketing Director with Elsevier Science and Technology Books, provides some background about Elsevier, their publishing strategy, and why Elsevier titles on GVRL are valuable to your library.

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