UST Libraries News

The UST Libraries request your feedback on the following research database trials:

C19: The 19th Century – Trial ends March 14

The Nineteenth Century Index, a finding tool for 19th-century materials in multiple formats, enables faster, more comprehensive research of one of the most studied centuries. Discover 19th-century books, periodicals, official documents, newspapers and archives.

The C19 Index draws on the strength of established indexes such as the 19th Century Short Title Catalogue, The Wellesley Index, Poole's Index and Periodicals Index Online to create integrated bibliographic coverage of more than 1.5 million books and official publications, 71,000 archival collections and 18.9 million articles published in more than 2,500 journals, magazines and newspapers.

The 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, plus the new Dictionary of 19th-Century Journalism.

Call the O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center reference desk, (651) 962-5001, for the password. Send comments to Talia Nadir. (trnadir@stthomas.edu)

Global Issues in Context – Trial ends March 19.

Global Issues in Context provides a portal-like link to country information. Information can be gathered several ways: searching – small search box; clicking on the boxes that give entry to health, business and economics, conflict and diplomacy, science and technology, the environment, society, government and politics, and women and children information.

Send comments to Linda Hulbert (lahulbert@stthomas.edu)

Global Market Briefings – Trial ends March 18.

GMB Research provides country-level data on business conditions in different countries, including cultural, legal and regulatory information.

Send comments to Marianne Hageman (mdhageman@stthomas.edu)

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Posted by Julie Kimlinger at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Link To: Selection of holy cards left in Ireland Library books. Enjoy!

Since time immemorial – well, at least since the invention of the codex/book – library patrons have been leaving things that belong to them in books that do not.

Visit our online exhibit of a selection of these cards from the 18th to the 20th century: Holy Cards as Objets Trouves.

For many decades staff here at Ireland Library have set aside hundreds of holy cards (tossed into a box of course).

Some are beautiful (handmade paper lace cards, art nouveau, art deco, Italian and German chromolithographs), some have local associations (ordinations, funerals, anniversaries), some are rather odd, many are touching. All have a wonderful immediacy, embodying popular piety in the very best sense of the word.

Something of a handicap is that photo sharing web sites do not support a “two up” view of the card, the recto is often an illustration and the verso often a prayer, petition, or occasion notice. In our web exhibit, the two sides of the same card display as two side by side items. If the card has content on the back side, the front is labelled Recto and the back Verso.

Posted by Jan Malcheski at 04:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A nonprofit community organization(Conceive Believe Achieve) and the Office of Institutional Diversity presents The African American History photo table top display as part of a Black History Month exhibit. We invite you to visit this exhibit in the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library through March 6. The Black History exhibit allows the UST community to experience important African American historical sites around the country. The photographs and display were created by Dennis Behling and Nathan Thomas. The goal of this exhibit is to provide teachers and organizations with the tools for teaching and embracing diversity through history.

Please stop by and see the posters. They are in the reference room on the main floor. And there are a LOT of posters so you might wish to stop by over several breaks, or a lunch time or two, to see them all. There is a guide book at the reference desk if you would like more information about some of the posters.

There is also a questionnaire available if you would like to test your reading skills or historical knowledge. Copies of the questions will be near the posters and at the reference desk.
View additional image 1 | View additional image 2 | View additional image 3

Posted by Julie Kimlinger at 02:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In 1959 the Chicago Cubs were only in year 51 of their now 101 year odyssey to experience firsthand what it is like to never win a World Series championship. Things were going better for Ernie “Mr. Cub” Banks that year having won the National League Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive year. On a much less prestigious, but way more hilarious note Ernie Banks was involved in one of the craziest plays in baseball history that year at Wrigley Field. Can you tell me what happened? More importantly can you explain it to me without getting really complicated because the situation is funny but the details will make my eyes glaze over. If you can do all of these things please let me know. As always the only prizes for correct answers are bragging rights.

Speaking of bragging rights last week I wanted to know which pioneering film director who passed in 1959 was name checked in one of the most memorable movie lines of all time. The line ‘All right Mr. Demille 'm ready for my close-up’ is spoken by Gloria Swanson at the end of Sunset Boulevard.

Join me while I listen to Marianne Hageman and Peter Keenen brag about getting the question correct.

Thanks as always to everyone who played.

Posted by Andrea Hudson at 07:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kudos to Marianne having things filed away to access at a moment’s notice
posted by Earl
And kudos to Janice, who put this information on the wiki!
posted by Marianne

Posted by Diane Knights at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two pieces bringing some causes of the recession into focus.

1. From This American Life, an award-winning show putting Keynesian theory and subprime mortgages into equal focus. The hour-long show itself is available to listen to here. A transcript is here. This show first aired in May of 2008 and has since led to a daily blog on NPR.org, Planet Money, with details of the financial crisis.

2. From a New Yorker issue earlier this month, this article by George Packer, "The Ponzi State." In it he describes the overheated Floridian real estate culture of the last few years, and how everyone was speculating. Some earning $30K a year had a million dollars in homes that they were waiting to flip. Not as comprehensive or explicit as the This American Life piece, but it's one of the best on-the-ground reporting pieces I've read about the mortgage crisis.

Posted by Ryan Carter at 01:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Which pioneering film director who died in 1959 was immortalized in front of the camera in one of the most famous lines in movie history?

If you can let me know.

Last week I wanted to know the name of a very catchy song about a very unsavory character that won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1959. Who could that be? Could that someone be Mack the Knife? It could be and it is. Who could the singer of this particular version of the song be? Could that someone be Ella Fitzgerald or Louis Armstrong or Frank Sinatra or Michael Buble or Robbie Williams? It could be since they all did versions of this song - but Bobby Darin's version is the one that got the Grammy and it became one of his signature songs.

Please help me congratulate those in the know -

Ann Hale
Marianne Hageman
Ann Kenne

Thanks to everyone who played!

Posted by Andrea Hudson at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Many thanks to my cohorts in CMS. I'm not sure I would have survived my first year without their advise and guidance. Special thanks to Lisa R. for all her help with book ordering this winter. What a great group of people to work with!
Posted by Deb J.

Posted by Diane Knights at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An outside patron needing to make photocopies was in the library having difficulty. Shriomi spent about 5 minutes helping him out and explaining the differences between the copiers on first level. He was very appreciative of the quality help he recieved from someone knowledgeable and patient; someone who is in place to provide the necessary answer right away.
Posted anonymously

Posted by Diane Knights at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In 1732 an English playwright John Gay wrote ‘The Beggar’s Opera’ which introduced a notorious highwayman simply named Macheath. Gay’s ballad opera was then adopted with music by famed dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill into The Three Penny Opera which debuted in Berlin in 1928.

I know what you are thinking…this is all very fine and good but what does this have to do with the year 1959?

Well, the main character of MacHeath was transformed by Brecht and Weil into the more sinister anti-hero Mackie Messer.

And……

A song from this musical detailing Mackie Messer’s crimes and cruelties was a huge hit in 1959.

Can you name the song and the singer who would eventually become most associated with this song? If you can send me a message.

Last week I wanted to know the one place Nikita Khrushchev and his family were not permitted to visit on their North American tour in 1959. This site has nothing to do with national security or James Bond levels of spy activity, in fact it is the happiest place on earth. That’s right, due to insufficient security against Mickey and Donald, Nikita Khrushchev was not allowed to visit Disneyland.

The campus Mouseketeers who knew this are Carolyn DeLuca and Marianne Hageman

Thanks to everyone who played!

Posted by Andrea Hudson at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We invite you to visit the main floor of the O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center during February and spend some time with the research posters prepared by students in History 116: African American History in Global Perspective. Posters will change throughout Black History Month to highlight these themes: civil rights, music, and athletics.

Posted by Julie Kimlinger at 05:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There were many events that put 1959 on the map – everything from a continuing cold war with the Soviet Union, a band of revolutionaries overthrowing the government of a small Caribbean country, and the grand debut of a doll named ‘Barbie’. A little closer to home the St. Lawrence Seaway opened which made Duluth accessible to the Atlantic Ocean; and even closer still to home in 1959 the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center was completed. The UST libraries are hosting events throughout this year to commemorate this 50th anniversary and to go along with these events there will be weekly trivia questions revolving around events from 1959. Do you know much about the Cold War? The Space Race? Beatniks? Elvis Presley? Maime Van Doren? You will after this year!

Unfortunately there will be no prizes for correct answers – only recognition on this blog that you are one cool cat/dolly.

With all that said and done – here is this week’s question.

In September 1959 Nikita Khrushchev toured the United States, but he was denied permission to visit one particular place which according to a New York Times article at the time was especially disappointing for his family. The official explanation had to do with not being able to provide adequate security for the Soviet leader and not because of that whole ‘We will bury you!’ thing at the UN a few years earlier.

Can you name this place? If you can send me a message.

If you can’t then visit this site next Monday for the answer and another question.

Posted by Andrea Hudson at 03:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by Diane Knights at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)