Holiday Books for Holiday Breaks

Posted on December 16, 2013 by CN

Did you happen to notice all the snow on the ground? Of course you did. We can no longer deny that it is winter. Our noses and toes may be frozen, and our socks may be soggy, but let’s take the freezing temperatures and huge white drifts as a cheerful sign that soon, the semester will be over, and the winter break will be upon us. Before you jet off to distant lands – or, if you’re staying in town for the break, before you get too cozy on your couch – why not pick up a little something from the library to help you pass the time?

If you’re looking for a holiday-themed read, the UGL’s Holiday Reads Pinterest board should be your first stop. You can find Christmas classics there, such as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas; books about Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and other winter celebrations; and holiday-themed romance and mystery. If you find a book you like on one of our Pinterest boards, clicking on the pin should take you straight to the catalog where you can request it and check it out. Give it a shot!

Those on the hunt for a seasonally appropriate movie can also check out our holiday viewer’s advisory blog post from this time last year – it’s got a lot of snowy favorites for you to watch while you’re all snuggled up with your warm beverage of choice.

Those should give you plenty to work from, but just in case you need more, here are a few more winter break options for you to choose from.

The History of the Snowman: From the Ice Age to Flea Market by Bob Eckstein

The Twelve Clues of Christmas: a Royal Spyness Mystery by Rhys Bowen

A Gift From Tiffany’s by Melissa Hill

Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat by Jen (of “People I Want to Punch in the Throat”)

When Elves Attack: a Joyous Christmas Greeting from the Criminal Nutbars of the Sunshine State by Tim Dorsey

The Book of (Holiday) Awesome by Neil Pasricha

These should get you started. You can find more in the library catalog by searching for whatever aspect of the holiday season is your favorite! For instance, try doing a subject search for “Christmas – Humor” if you want to have a Christmas-themed laugh.

We hope you have a great finals week and a great break – stay tuned for updates about library hours over the break, and stay warm!

Know Your Tech: Camera Round-Up

Posted on December 5, 2013 by CN

Flip video cameras and Sony Bloggies – they’re the most popular cameras in the UGL’s loanable technology collection, so you’ve probably used them at least once. Our Lumix digital cameras also get a lot of love. If you’re really adventurous, or in need of slightly more profesh video work, you may have even checked out one of our camcorders. But have you truly, fully explored the UGL’s camera offerings? Here’s a roundup of our more specialized cameras that you may not be aware of.

The tiny webcam sees all.

Microsoft LifeCam Studio 1080p HD Webcam

Sure, a lot of laptops come with their own webcams these days. The UGL’s Chromebooks certainly do. They’re not always of the greatest quality, however. When you Skype with your family, do they complain that you look pixelated? Do they have trouble distinguishing your hair from your wall? This webcam might be able to fix that for you. It’s got high-quality video as well as high-fidelity sound, and adjusts for low light situations, such as your dorm room late at night. The fact that it’s not built into your computer means you have more flexibility in the way you use it – why not try these alternative webcam uses? You can keep an eye on your pets from wherever you are!

It wants to know if you’re going somewhere exciting!

GoPro Hero 3 Video Camera

Other cameras are fine for home or classroom use, but what if you’re an adventurer? What if you want to have a pet cam, but your pet likes to go rock climbing? The GoPro Hero is here for you. It’s very small – and therefore portable! – and comes with a rugged plastic case that will protect it from all the hard knocks of travel. It’s also waterproof, and has wind-cancelling filters on its audio, and you can attach it to stuff. Seriously, you can take it anywhere. Grab a GPS unit as well, go somewhere crazy, and record all of it.

Who’s the boss? This camera is the shiny, red boss.

Nikon D5200 Digital Camera (DSLR)

Here it is. The big one. The fanciest camera we have. A digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera gives you the convenience and in-camera editing capabilities of a digital camera, with all the manual control of focus, shutter speed, and other photography concerns that you’d get from a film camera. It does video as well! It’s also without a doubt the shiniest camera we have. If you’re just starting out on the DSLR path, the library has plenty of books to help you figure out fancy digital photography.

With all this wonderful equipment at your fingertips, what are YOU going to capture?

Famous Alumni of UIUC

Posted on November 11, 2013 by QLB

School spirit: this campus has got it. We love our friends, our campus, and our school. Let’s be honest, we sometimes like to brag about the famous alumni who have walked these halls. There are the usual suspects, like Hugh Hefner (yes, that one), Betsy Brandt (who played Marie on Breaking Bad), Alan Ruck (from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), and Scott Altman (NASA Astronaut). You might be pleased to know about some other famous alumni – here’s a short list, with library resources to help you learn more.

Robert L. Johnson
A graduate from the class of 1964 with a degree in history, Johnson went on to become a businessman, philanthropist, and founder of Black Entertainment Television. Johnson also founded The RLJ Companies, which includes hotel real estate investments, financial services, and other financial deals. If you want to learn more about Mr. Johnson, the library has a book available here!

Robert L. Johnson (on the left), sitting next to former President George W. Bush

Suze Orman
Does the name sound familiar? You might know Ms. Orman from her television appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Ms. Orman is an alum from the class of 1976. Having graduated with a degree in social work, Ms. Orman went on to form the Suze Orman Financial Group in California. Known as a “financial guru”, Ms. Orman is the author of several finance-related books. Curious to see what she has written? The library catalog has some of her books available here!

Suze Orman Attribution: Photo courtesy of David Shankbone

Ed Boon
This famous alumnus graduated with a degree in math and computer science in 1986. For the gamers in the UGL, you might know who he is. For those who are not familiar, he is the co-creator of the video game Mortal Kombat. Lucky for you, the UGL has the game available for checkout!

Ed Boon. Photo Courtesy of VideoGameVisionary.com

Tatyana McFadden

A recent winner of this year’s New York City Marathon women’s wheelchair race – but wait, that’s not all! Ms. McFadden has also won titles in Boston, London, and Chicago. Although not an alum just yet, Ms. McFadden is currently a senior here at UIUC. She is also a member of the U.S Paralympic Track & Field Team. With medals and victories in various parts of the country, Ms. McFadden continues to make us proud to call ourselves students of the University of Illinois. You can find out Ms. McFadden’s stats and more info here.

Tatyana McFadden. Photo courtesy of Team USA

Kelvin Hayden
A former member of the Fighting Illini football team, Mr. Hayden is currently the cornerback for the Chicago Bears. A member of the class of 2004, he led the Fighting Illini as a cornerback. To find out more about Mr. Hayden’s time with the Fighting Illini, visit this page for statistics and career highs!

Kelvin Hayden. Photo courtesy of Julio Cortez

Rafael Correa

Mr. Correa has two degrees from this fine institution. In 1999, he earned a Master’s in Economics, and in 2001, a Ph.D. in the same field. Originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador, Mr. Correa became the President of Ecuador in December of 2006. Since then, he has been appointed for a third term. He was recently in the news in connection with the Edward Snowden controversy; Mr. Correa first offered Mr. Snowden a temporary travel document, but later said it had been “a mistake” to have offered it in the first place. To learn more about Ecuador, click here for materials about the country and its culture.

President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa. Photo courtesy of Agência Brasil

Erika Harold
Born right here in Urbana, Ms. Harold is a former Ms. America from 2003. A graduate of University High School, she also attended UIUC and graduated with a degree in Political Science in 2001. Ms. Harold has been active in the community for the past couple of years and has spent time working with various organizations in regards to bullying prevention efforts and other issues. Ms. Harold works for a law firm in Champaign. Here’s a news piece about her Ms. America win.

Erika Harold. Photo Courtesy of Sean Powers/WILL

Now you have seven more names to add to your list of famous alumni! Interested in finding more? The Office of Admissions has a list of celebrity UIUC graduates for you to peruse. If there are other alumni you’re proud to share your alma mater with, tell us about them in the comments!

Spotlight on…Gale Virtual Reference Library

Posted on October 24, 2013 by HJL

Long gone are the days when you have to sift through a heavy encyclopedia to find background information (not to mention figuring out which one is best for your topic). Using the Gale Virtual Reference Library, you can find information about almost any topic, searching multiple resources at once, all from the comfort of your own computer.

Home page of Gale Virtual reference library with a search box at the top, subjects listed down the left column, and images of resources in the center

Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) is like librarian-approved Wikipedia. It has encyclopedias and other online reference books that cover a wide variety of subject areas, all in one place, so you can do one-stop-searching. You can also select to search in a specific subject area, choosing from subjects like art, biography, history, law, science, and many more.

To get there, start from the UGL’s homepage. In the dark blue bar that goes across the top of your screen, there will be a link for “Find.” Clicking on that link will take you to a page with tips and resources for finding all types of information. To get to GVRL, you’ll need to select “Background Information,” which will take you to the Library’s Online Reference Collection. You should see GVRL listed under the heading for “Starting Points” on this page.

Once you’re in GVRL, you’ll be able to see how many resources are available in this one place. (Hint: lots). To do a simple search, all you have to do is type your keyword(s) into the search box at the top of the screen. This will search all the resources available to you in GVRL.

image of easy search box on the top of the home page

Find this box at the top of your screen. It’s your gateway to thousands of resources!

You also have the option to search in a specific subject area. All you have to do is select the subject you want from the menu on the left on the homepage. You’ll be taken to a screen that lists the resources available in that subject area. There will be a box near the right-hand corner where you can search across all the sources for your chosen subject area.

image of the history subject page, highlighting the box to search within history in the right-hand corner

Once you’ve searched for your topic, whether you did a simple search or chose a specific subject area, you’ll see a screen listing the different resources you can access. If your search found too many resources, you can narrow what you’re seeing by using the options on the left on your results screen. You can choose a subject area, a type of resource (like a biography or topic overview), or a specific encyclopedia.

image of a search results screen, highlighting the options to limit results available in the left column

Don’t need 1800 results about yoga? Narrow it down using the options on your left.

GVRL is a great place to get started if your topic is related to multiple subject areas. With hundreds of encyclopedias at your fingertips, we’ll be surprised if you can’t find what you’re looking for. If that happens, though, you can always try another resource in the Online Reference Collection, or Ask a Librarian for help. That’s why we’re here.

Need ideas for other great library resources? Find more in our Spotlight on… series here.

Spotlight on…Pop Culture Universe

Posted on September 30, 2013 by HJL

Can you believe we’re already six weeks into the semester? It’s almost time for midterms, and with those come papers and projects that require research. You know the UGL is here for all your research needs. And if you need research pop culture, we’ve got just the thing for you: Pop Culture Universe.

Many different aspects and eras of pop culture are covered.

More than you ever wanted to know about Madonna (and other pop culture icons!)

Pop Culture Universe is a database containing articles about fads and trends in pop culture throughout history. Starting largely with the 1900s, it allows you to find articles and resources in a variety of ways. To get to Pop Culture Universe, start at the UGL homepage, and click on that handy “Find Articles” link under the Easy Search box. Once you’re on our Find Articles guide, you’ll find Pop Culture Universe under “Starting Points,” with other general subject databases recommended for your research.

You can get started searching using the Quick Search function, located in the top right corner of the database’s homepage. Just type in your keyword or phrase, click the search icon, and you’re well on your way delving into the depths of popular culture.

The database also has ways you can browse for information. One of those is to see major trends by decade. You can see a basic introduction of each decade from the 1900s to the 2000s, as well as articles that highlight popular movements, like baseball in the 1920s or MTV in the 1980s.

Find quick, easy resources to learn about the Roaring 20s or the dotcom era.

Another way to find information in Pop Culture Universe is to use the “Idea Exchange” where the database poses a question, and offers articles featuring divergent opinions and responses. This is great for understanding how pop culture fits into the larger context of history.

Articles are presented as possible resources for answering common questions.

See multiple perspectives on a topic, all in one convenient place.

One final way Pop Culture Universe makes it way too easy to expand your knowledge is to use their Advanced Search option, which allows you input multiple pieces of information in one search. Selecting the Advance Search option lets you input keywords, select a decade, and narrow to a particular topic area, all at the same time. For example, a search for “grunge” in the decade of the 1990s, and the topic area of “fashion” nets article relating to how grunge music influenced fashions in the 90s.

See? We want to make it easy for you to find everything you need. If you have problems using Pop Culture Universe (or any library resource!) come visit us during Office Hours @ the UGL or chat us up online. We’re waiting.

Find other posts in the Spotlight On… series here.

Exercise your FREADom!

Posted on September 26, 2013 by CN

This year’s Banned Books Week is almost over – but there’s still time to learn about it, and to get your hands on a dangerous book. Here’s the low-down on what the week is all about, where you can find more information, and what you can do to get involved.

Artwork courtesy of American Library Association.

Banned Books Week is a 7-day event organized every year by the American Library Association to promote wider awareness of censorship and intellectual freedom. Basically, you have the right to read books of all kinds, and librarians, teachers, journalists, and other folks across the country want you to have access to those books. When schools, communities, or individuals attempt to restrict access to books by banning or censoring them, that makes us very unhappy. You might think book banning is a thing of the past, or something that only happens in dystopian novels, but people attempt to take books off shelves even now. For instance, just this month a school board in Ohio tried to remove Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye from curriculums, claiming that its content was pornographic and unsuitable for school-aged children. According to the ALA, between the years 2000 and 2009, there were a reported 5,099 challenges to books in the United States. Banning books is a very real phenomenon.

If the idea of being denied the right to choose what you read riles you up, what can you do about it? For starters, you can read our blog post from last year on the subject, or visit the official Banned Books Week website to get broader information about book challenges in the United States. If you want to know whether there have ever been book burnings at UIUC – your friendly neighborhood QB has the answer to that. You can find an event to attend, or stage your own virtual read-out where you record yourself reading aloud from a challenged book.

Possibly the most enjoyable way to celebrate Banned Books Week is to check out a banned book from the library and be happy that in most cases, attempts to remove books from shelves are unsuccessful. The ALA released a list of the 10 most challenged books of 2012 – and wouldn’t you know, all of them are available to you from your own UIUC library. Click on a link below to be taken to a book’s page in the catalog, where you can request it and then take it home with you.

The Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
50 Shades of Grey by E. L. James
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Beloved by Toni Morrison

If those top 10 books don’t float your boat (or if you’ve read them all already!), you can also peruse the UGL’s banned book suggested reading list or our banned book Pinterest board. Have a favorite banned book that you don’t see on any of these lists? Mention it in the comments so others can share in the enjoyment of the free exchanged of ideas.

Celebrating Inclusive Illinois: Latin America and the Caribbean

Posted on September 19, 2013 by CN

Next Wednesday may be Inclusive Illinois Day (which you can read more about here), but no matter what day it is, it’s always enriching to learn about people, especially all the different cultures and histories that they can represent. If you’ve been wanting to learn more about Latin American and Caribbean cultures, you’re in luck – there are tons of events and resources available from the library and elsewhere in the CU that can expose you to new knowledge.

If you’ve never been to Champaign’s Art Theater Co-op, you’re missing out. They show great movies, and you can get a student discount for most movies if you show your I-Card. Starting this Friday, in collaboration with the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, they’re holding the annual Latin American Film Festival. There are seven different Latin American documentaries and films to choose from, playing over the entire weekend – or you can go see them all! Check out the trailers on the Art’s website.

You can also tune in on the small screen (a television, if you have access to one) to watch ‘Latino Americans,’ PBS’s original miniseries celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs September 15th through October 15th. A new segment airs every Tuesday night.

Too busy with homework to go see a movie or watch TV? If you’re studying in the library, you can always take a short study break to check out the Unity in Diversity exhibit on the first floor of the main library, curated by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies Library. It features just a few of the wide-ranging resources that the library contains on Latin American studies. Or, if you have an afternoon free, mosey over to the Spurlock Museum to check out their Folk Art of Latin America exhibit.

And if you still can’t get enough, you can grab one of these movies or books by and about Latin American or Caribbean people on your way home from the library. Opportunities abound!

A Tree Within by Octavio Paz (translated by Eliot Weinberger)

Fruit of the Lemon by Andrea Levy

At the Bottom of the River by Jamaica Kincaid

Viva para Contarla (Living to Tell the Tale) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Country Under My Skin: A Memoir of Love and War by Gioconda Belli

Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges (translated by Andrew Hurley)

La Sirga directed by William Vega

The Devil’s Backbone directed by Guillermo del Toro

Extra, Extra!: News Sources

Posted on September 9, 2013 by CN

Are you in need of information about current events? Or are you searching for news reports and newspaper articles about things that happened in the past? Well, have we got news for you. There are plenty of ways to find out what’s going on in the world and what led up to it, all using resources on the library website.

If you’re looking for information about current events, your first stop should be the UGL’s very own How Do I…? page. Look for the link in the top right-hand corner of the UGL’s main page, in the main menu bar. Once you’re on the How Do I…? page, you’ll find a lot of links for how to find and evaluate various sources.. If you scroll down to the section labeled “Find Other Types of Sources,” you should see a link for “Current News/Events Information.”

The page also helps you find books, reserves, and articles, if you need those.

This link will take you directly to our guide for keeping up with news sources. It includes library resources, links to several major news sites, and tips for keeping up with the news cycle and getting the information you need.

This page also has news site and a few print materials listed.

If you’d like to watch your news but had to cancel the cable service, you can head over to the Communications Library News Lounge to keep up with international news from 8 different regions.

To find news sources for historical events, find your way to the webpage of the History, Philosophy and Newspaper Library (which you can do by using the “Find a Library” link on the main library page). On the left-hand menu of the HPNL page, there’s a link that says “Newspapers.” Clicking on that will take you to the UIUC Library Newspaper Database. This database keeps track of all the newspapers that we currently have at the library, whether in print, microform, or online.

You’ll see four tabs at the top of the screen – these will help you find the newspapers you’re looking for. The first will let you search for the title of any newspaper to see if we own it. The second will let you browse a list of historical newspapers that are available, while the third will give you a browseable list of current newspapers.

screencap: tabs for navigating different newspaper collections along top of page

This is the main search page for newspapers. The tabs lead to more specific lists and searches.

These three tabs are for finding the newspaper themselves, not articles – once you’ve selected a newspaper to search, then you can put in your keywords for your topic. For example, if you wanted to find out if there have been any flag burnings on the UIUC campus, you could select the Daily Illini from the list of historical newspapers, and then on the following screen search for “flag burning.”

This post is just to get you started on the road to finding news sources – so if you still have questions, check out the fourth tab on the newspaper database screen, which contains research guides created by the History, Philosophy and Newspaper librarians to give you more in-depth help. If you’re still stumped even after perusing the guide to finding newspapers, don’t worry – you can always ask a librarian for help. Good luck, newsies!

Old school gaming

Posted on September 2, 2013 by HJL

If you’ve visited the Gaming Center of the UGL since returning for the fall semester, you may have noticed a new display and some new decor. (And if you haven’t, you should drop by and check it out, along with all the other summer updates). You may already be aware that the UGL has a pretty extensive collection of games and equipment you can check out and take home or play in the library. But you may not know that we also have a large collection of vintage games and consoles, from Atari to Sega.

Mario was originally meant to be a carpenter, not a plumber. Now, before you get too excited, you can’t actually check out any of the vintage consoles or games. Some of them are simply too old or fragile, and too much use could cause them to degrade and become unusable. It’s important for us that the games kept in the best condition possible, as not many libraries have these types of collections. Faculty and researchers doing research into vintage games are able to examine and use the games and consoles, though they will not be available for general use. Don’t worry, though, we’ve got the inside scoop on the collection and you can reminisce with us about those long-lost childhood days. The collection includes games for the Atari, Nintendo, SNES, Sega Genesis, and many more. (Mario! Zelda! Sonic! Donkey Kong! We’ve got them all.) In order to preserve these games for as long as possible, the UGL staff has been hard at work this summer archiving the games and transferring them to storage. This can be a long process, as each game has to have a storage box built around it in order to ensure the best fit and, consequently, the best protection for the cartridge.

A game box opened all the way…

…and a game box closed up tight to protect the cartridge from light and dust.

Once all the games are boxed and stored, the next phase of the project begins, which includes digitizing the games and eventually, adding them to the library’s catalog so people (like you!) can see what we have. If this has got you itching to play some of your old favorites, you may consider stopping by the UGL to check out updates to the classics, like Mariokart Wii, The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, or Final Fantasy. You need a break from all that studying, anyway.

Quick-change Acts

Posted on August 29, 2013 by CN

Have you popped in for a visit to the UGL since the semester started? If you have, you’ve probably noticed that things are a lil’ different around here. Don’t get disoriented! We’ve still got all the cool stuff you know and love, and even some new stuff. We just did some shuffling over the summer. Here’s a quick guide to some of the major changes.

Behold: your new chill spot.

First off, the new books and magazines – which used to be on the northern side of the upper level – are now on the shelves on the southern side, near the collaboration rooms. You may notice that this is the same spot where the reference books and career cluster used to be. If you still have need of the style guides or test prep materials that used to be there, fear not! We still have them – we just moved them with the rest of the books downstairs. Ask a librarian to help you find them.

Enter and be enter-tained (cue audience groan)

Speaking of downstairs, we also rearranged our media enclosure, so your favorite movies and audiobooks should be easier to find. The audiobooks are now against the left wall, and the VHS tapes are all huddled together like friends. It’s a much better arrangement, but if you still need a bit of help finding something, ask the nice person in the vest who should be sitting at the table pictured above.

Come to the gaming space to feel the cosmos.

In other entertainment news, the gaming space has also been getting revamped over the summer. Why don’t you come in to check it out? We’ll still be adding things as the fall semester progresses – come see our new stuff as we get it!

The place to go to find (print) release.

Printing, printing, gotta get that printing done. Printing from our public computers still works the same way it did last year – we’ve just moved the printers to new locations, so don’t panic when you don’t see them right away. Did you know that we also now offer laptop printing? Tada! You’re welcome.

While we’re on the subject of laptops, say hello to the Chromebook:

Why hello there.

The Macbooks and HP laptops that you’ve all gotten so much use out of have outgrown their warranties, and gone off to a happy retirement. These sleek new Chromebooks are now your new best friends. Check one out at the loanable tech desk!

That’s it for now. There have also been some changes to the electronic reserves system for your classes – check back next week so you can read our explanation of those. Good luck and happy studying!

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