Stream Into Fall 2020

Posted on July 20, 2020 Written by

The Ross Pendergraft Library is preparing for the fall by finding more online resources for whatever the future brings.  In anticipation for a potential online environment for some classes, we have added a new collection of streaming films from Swank Digital Campus.

A row of film movie posters such as 3:10 to Yuma, Amelie, the Big Sick, Blade Runner

An initial collection of fifty Hollywood films have been added to the platform and reflect films slated to be taught and discussed for the fall 2020 curriculum.  These include international films, class films, and critically acclaimed films from a variety of genres.  Search for individual films in the search box or browse by genre for comedies, horror, crime films, drama, and more.

To access the films, go to the library’s homepage and select A-to-Z Databases.  From there, navigate to Swank by browsing our alphabetical list of databases or searching for Swank in the search box.

If you are off-campus, you may be first prompted to login with your Tech Username and Password.

If this is your first-time accessing Swank, you may be asked whether to enter as a student or login as a faculty member.  If you select “Student”, it takes you right to the main browse page.  If you select “Faculty,” you will be asked to create a separate account that enables you to request new movies for your class.  However, as a faculty member, you can always contact your librarian liaison to request new streaming films.

If you select a film, you can watch it immediately in the browser window, copy a permanent link, or copy an LMS link that you can use to embed directly into Blackboard:

A film description for "Do the Right Thing" highlighting the copy direct link and copy lms link

Each film includes the ability to display or hide subtitles.  If you want to watch on a mobile device like a phone or tablet, download the Swank Media Player from your app store.  Then navigate to the library’s Swank website on your device.

Swank Media Player app information, including logo that looks like a film reel.

If you need a bigger selection than Swank, the library has three other streaming video platforms from which to choose films and documentaries:

  • Academic Video Online – A large collection of over 13,000 films, documentaries, news reels, tutorials, interviews, and archive footage on a variety of subjects. Search for individual films or browse by channels.  Most of the content will be educational or documentary films.
  • Kanopy – A small collection of individual films requested by faculty for specific courses, for a limited duration.
  • Digital Theatre Plus – A specialized collection of full-length films of Shakespeare plays, modern dramas, and musicals. There are behind the scenes clips from theatre makers and study guides to help students understand plot, character, language, etc. Audio plays from the LA Theatre Works have now been added.

We also have an extensive collection of physical DVDs to check out whenever the library is open.  All are searchable via our online database, Find It.

During the break, we hope you stay safe, stay socially distant, and stay entertained with Swank Digital Campus.  The library is still open, and the librarians are still available to help you with research as well as our preferred ranking of all James Bond films.  Just reach out and Ask Us!

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Understanding and Action

Posted on June 2, 2020 Written by

As the United States grapples with waves of protests after the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of a police officer, many are reflecting on our collective history of racism, civil unrest, police violence, and civic action.  It can be hard to understand how we got here and where we go from here.

To help us, great writers, thinkers, and educators have given us books, videos, and resources that are available right now at your library.  If you are struggling right now to make sense of it all, here are some recommendations that might provide you with some perspective, some understanding, and some healing.

Cover of Ta-Nehisi Coates book, Between the World and MeBetween the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Winner of the National Book Award and hailed by Toni Morrison as “essential reading”, this letter from a father to his son describes his revelations growing up and moving through U.S. history as a black man.  He takes readers along on his journey through America’s history of race and his series of personal awakenings — moments when he discovered some new truth about our long, tangled history of race, whether through his myth-busting professors at Howard University, a trip to a Civil War battlefield with a rogue historian, a journey to Chicago’s South Side to visit aging survivors of 20th century America’s ‘long war on black people,’ or a visit with the mother of a beloved friend who was shot down by the police.

Cover of Colson Whitehead's Book, The Underground RailroadThe Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted. Their first stop is South Carolina, in a city that initially seems like a haven. But the city’s placid surface masks an insidious scheme designed for its black denizens. And even worse: Ridgeway, the relentless slave catcher, is close on their heels. Forced to flee again, Cora embarks on a harrowing flight, state by state, seeking true freedom.  Winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

Cover of John Lewis's book, MarchMarch by Congressman John Lewis, Nate Powell, Andrew Aydin, and others

Winner of the National Book Award, this graphic novel trilogy depicts the story of the Civil Rights Movement from the perspective of the man who lived it.  In 1965, John Lewis and was savagely beaten by police as he marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. across the Selma bridge on what came to be known as “Bloody Sunday.”  The novels not only depict this incident, but they tell the story of other pivotal events in the movement including the Freedom Riders, the Birmingham Church bombing, and the activities of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Cover of Angie Thomas's book, The Hate U GiveThe Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

This young adult novel, now a film (also available at the library), gives us a first-person account of 16-year old black woman who watches her friend, also black, killed by a police officer right in front of her eyes.  The death becomes national news, and she struggles to find her path through personal and abstract problems like systemic racism.  It won numerous awards for young adult fiction and was long-listed for the National Book Award.

 

Movie poster for 3 1/3 minutes depicting black and white photo of black teenager with an american flag tshirt.3 ½ Minutes and 10 Bullets

On Black Friday 2012, four African American teenagers stopped at a gas station to buy gum and cigarettes. One of them, Jordan Davis, argued with Michael Dunn, a white man parked beside them, over the volume of music playing in their car. The altercation turned to tragedy when Dunn fired 10 bullets at the unarmed boys, killing Davis almost instantly. This streaming documentary film explores the danger and subjectivity of Florida’s Stand Your Ground self – defense laws by weaving Dunn’s trial with a chorus of citizen and pundit opinions, alongside the wrenching experiences of Jordan Davis’ parents.  It was short-listed for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Movie poster of three toy police soldiers standing in front of the CapitolDo Not Resist

This streaming documentary explores the rapid militarization of the police in the United States. Starting on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, as the community grapples with the death of Michael Brown, this film offers a stunning look at the current state of policing in America and a glimpse into the future. This Tribeca Film Festival winner for Best Documentary puts viewers in the center of the action, from a ride-along with a South Carolina SWAT team to inside a police training seminar that teaches the importance of “righteous violence.”

Movie poster depicting an black and white american flag bleeding into a black figure wearing prison strips in shackles13th

This documentary, freely available on Youtube, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and a Primetime Emmy.  Named for the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery, it features interviews with scholars, activists and politicians analyzing the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom.

 

Banner featuring database search box in Opposing Viewpoints

Opposing Viewpoints

If you are looking for up-to-date, reputable sources of information, facts, statistics, academic journal articles, video, audio, primary sources, and opinions about current events, this database is your one-stop shop.  It is searchable by keyword, but you can browse all 478+ topic pages on current events like Police Brutality, Black Lives Matter, Hate Groups, Civil Rights, Social Justice, Community Policing, Racial Profiling, Riots in the US, and more.

cover page of Final reportFinal Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing

This government-produced document from 2015 provides the recommendations of a federally appointed task force created to strengthen community policing and trust among law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.  Assembled by then President Barack Obama, its members included law enforcement, community activists, educators, and policy experts.  It includes six pillars of action including building trust with community, protecting the safety of officers, providing effective training, policy and oversight, effectively using technology, and community policing.

Shame: How America’s Past Sins Have Polarized the Country by Shelby Steel

In this conservative take on race-relations, author Shelby Steele asserts that the greatest barrier to racial equality today is not overt racism, but white liberals. Under the guise of benevolence, liberals today maintain their position of power over blacks by continuing to cast them as victims in need of saving. This ideology underlies liberal social policies from affirmative action to welfare, which actually exacerbate racial inequality rather than mitigating it. Drawing on empirical data as well as his own personal experience, Steele argues that these policies have not only failed, but have made it impossible to address the problems that plague the modern black community, and have ensured that black Americans will never be truly equal to their white countrymen, in their own minds or in practice.  Shelby Steele is a Robert J. and Marion E. Oster Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, and his earlier book, Content of Our Character, won the National Book Critics Circle Award.

If you have found yourself wondering else you can do to help change the world, the library has another option: voter registration.  There are voter registration forms located at the Circulation Desk and at the Reference Desk.  They are free for anyone.  Once you fill out your registration form, you can either turn it in to the County Clerk’s office or mail it in.  To participate in local, state, and federal elections, you must have your voter registration form turned at least 30 days prior to those elections.  For more information about voting in Arkansas, visit the Secretary of State’s website.  You can also sign up for election reminders at Vote.org.

Remember your library is open this summer with social distancing guidelines in place. Stay safe, stay informed, and stay connected to us—virtually—via chat, text, phone, social media (Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter), or email.

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Russellville During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic

Posted on April 7, 2020 Written by

Cartoon of a man next to sailors with caption: "Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases as dangerous as poison gas shells.Like most libraries, the Ross Pendergraft Library is committed to keeping the memory of a community preserved and accessible to all.  In the middle of our current crisis, we decided to take a trip back in time to the 1918 influenza pandemic in Russellville, Arkansas, as reported by the local newspaper, known then as the Courier Democrat (Weekly).

Using the microfilmed newspaper collection on the first floor, we scanned through issues of the local newspaper during the height of the 1918 pandemic to find out how our local area and its residents fared under similar circumstances.

The Epidemic In Russellville

Text of a headline reading, "Schools Closed by Spanish Flu"

Then as now, schools closed and public gatherings were prohibited during the height of epidemic in October of 1918.  Arkansas Tech, then known as the Second District Agricultural School, also closed. By October 10th, 1918, the influenza was reported in every county with “hundreds” of cases being reported in Russellville.

By October 17th, the newspaper reported that, “Nothing like the present epidemic of influenza has ever before been experienced in Russellville.”  At least 17 funerals were performed on a single Friday due to the “Spanish influenza.”

Obituary notices list entire families, along with numerous children, who are simply named “Baby” along with the family surname.

Text: a list of obituraries for children which are identified as "Baby Cullum, Baby Sullivan, Baby Brixey, Baby Jones."

Another reflection of these astonishing and cruel times, African-Americans in our community who died during the pandemic were segregated to separate obituary sections:Text: "Colored People" and followed by a description of an obituary for an African American man named Albert Jackson who was buried along with his familyBy October 24th, even the newspaper reporting on the influenza pandemic began to feel the impact, and the lone reporter working on that issue noted, “With only ‘our-self’ left on the job, we feel that no apology is necessary for the small paper we are publishing this week.”

This date seems to be when deaths reached its apex in Russellville.  Twenty-seven deaths were reported in one week, with most burials taking place at Oakland Cemetery.

The “Spanish” Flu

Text: "Many deaths from Spanish Influenza. Epidemic still raging in town and country, though perhaps in milder form. 27 deaths during past week. In 1918, the virus was called the “Spanish Influenza” because Spain was one of the first countries to openly report on it, due to the fact that it was not under the same media censorship as other countries fighting World War I.  It was reported in the Courier-Democrat on October 17, 1918, that the Spanish authorities repudiated the myth that it originated in Spain and instead sent a dire warning: “If the people of this country do not take care, the epidemic will become so widespread throughout the United States that soon we shall hear the disease called the ‘American’ influenza.”  Despite this, the local newspaper refers to the disease consistently as the “Spanish influenza.”

Daily Life for Individuals

In other sections of the paper, a listing of daily notices and updates were the town’s primary way of spreading news at the local family level.  These little dispatches from each community provided a quick round-up of who felt better, who was still sick, who had a birth, or who was fixing up their farm.   From “Prairie Grove, Russellville” is the simple sentence, “Everyone is still sick.”  On Colony Mountain in Lamar, the correspondent reported, “There are a few cases, but none serious.”

Text: "There is so much talk of the flu a fellow is afraid to stick his head out for fear some one will sneeze in his face."

From East Point, Russellville, a report about the rigid enforcement of the vaccination law is met by an early anti-vaccination comment: “If this is the free country we have all been fighting for, the people should have a say-so about such as that.”

Precautions and “Cures”

Text: "Spanish Influenza rapidly spreading. Persons weak and run-down easy victims--fortify yourself against it by taking tanlac."The newspaper urged the same cautions one would take to avoid the cold, including advice like, “Avoid crowds, especially indoor gatherings where ventilation is poor.”

Before stricter regulation of pharmaceuticals, many ‘tonics’ were touted as cures and promised to relieve cold and flu symptoms.  One tonic  called “Tanlac,” was featured in an advertisement disguised as a legitimate news article, providing facts about the virus before urging readers to take Tanlac, which claimed to give you “… the fighting strength to ward off the influenza germ.”   Another advertised medicine to treat influenza included “Calotab”—a laxative which promised to leave your system, “purified and refreshed.”

The Lifting of Quarantine

By October 31st of 1918, the county health officer, J.R. Linzy, lifted the quarantine for Pope county and announced it was safe for schools to resume by Monday, November 4th.  Churches could open by Saturday, November 2nd, though the health official cautioned, “We request that no one attend any of the above places when there are cases of influenza in your home.”   Many deaths were still occurring, however, with the obituary section reporting twenty deaths for that week, with space limited to just names and dates.

"Tomorrow is the first--and there is no quarantine against bill collectors. Greet them cheerfully.

On November 14th, Liberty Hill’s correspondent reported, “The flu has just about gone.  School has opened and the children are glad.”  Most of the local news at this time report a mix of flu recoveries and deaths, but they also include the usual announcements about births, visitors, crop harvests, and Sunday school meetings.  Many people are hosting parties at this time, and life seems to begin to return to normal.

Text: "No charge for delivery anywhere in the city. Everything to everybody will be cash at store or on deliver. My prices are too close to go to extra expense of bookkeeper and collector."

As we endure another week of social distancing and social isolation, it can be comforting to have the perspective of the past—to learn from our common circumstances and to be hopeful of a future end to this pandemic.  For another glimpse back at the 1918 pandemic, you can find similar primary sources online from our New York Times Digital Archive, with full-text, digitized coverage from 1853-2013, or the American Periodical Series, a premier collection of American periodicals published between 1740 and 1940.

Stay safe and stay connected to us—virtually—via chat, text, phone, social media (Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter), or email.  We’ll be happy to answer research questions, help you find reference resources, or share our favorite and wildest claims from 1918 health tonics.

Text: "The writer is about run down, trying to wait on the sick folks here, so you needn't expect much news from us."

 

 

Filed Under: Library

New Online Resources During Coronavirus Pandemic

Posted on March 25, 2020 Written by

During this unprecedented time where availability of online resources for teaching and learning is more critical than ever, the Ross Pendergraft Library has taken advantage of database trials and free offers to expand our collections, even if temporarily.

In the last month, we’ve brought online several databases–too many to feature here.  You can find an updated listing of new resources, updated resources, and database trials at our resource guide here: https://libguides.atu.edu/spring2020databasetrials.  A deeper dive into a few of those resources below.  Keep in mind, many of these resources are being offered until the semester is completed.

Kanopy

This is a streaming video platform available at the library through our A-to-Z list. Recently, this platform has been updated significantly and now features new videos such as The Great Courses and 16 other films and documentaries.  This newer content will be available for the next four weeks, but other videos are part of a licensed collection.  If faculty wish to order a film, they contact their departmental liaison or fill out the request form available on Kanopy via search.


Screenshot of Kanopy, featuring the Great Courses

JSTOR

The Ross Pendergraft Library now enjoys full access to all available JSTOR collections from now until June 30th.  JSTOR is a multi-disciplinary database featuring current and archived articles, primary sources, and ebooks.  Previously, we were limited to just a few of their collections like Arts and Sciences and Life Sciences.  But now, our access has expanded to articles in business, ecology, and a variety of disciplines.  We now also have access to primary source collections such as “Global Plants” and “19th Century British Plants.”  There are also several thematic collections on topics like Sustainability, Security Studies, and Lives of Literature.

Screenshot of JSTOR, a multi-disciplinary database

Social Explorer

Social Explorer is an online research tool which provides quick and easy access to historical census data and demographic information. It creates maps and reports to help users visually analyze and understand demography and social change throughout history.  The database will be on trial for the rest of the semester.

Screenshot from Social Explorer database showing that 21% of Pope County persons 18 years or older are smokers

Colonial State Papers

The Colonial State Papers offers access to over 7,000 hand-written documents and more than 40,000 bibliographic records with this incredible resource on Colonial History. In addition to Britain’s colonial relations with the Americas and other European rivals for power, this collection also covers the Caribbean and Atlantic world. It is an invaluable resource for scholars of early American history, British colonial history, Caribbean history, maritime history, Atlantic trade, plantations, and slavery.  This database is currently on trial until April 27th.

Screenshot from a result in Colonial Papers detailing an exchange regarding Salem witch trials from Governor Sir William Phips to the Earl of Nottingham

At this time, many other new resources and database trials are currently being negotiated, and we will continue to update this page as more resources come online.  Check back with us or stay tuned by following us on social media: Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

In the meantime, stay safe, keep calm, and research on!

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Coronavirus (Covid-19) News and Updates – Library Edition

Posted on March 16, 2020 Written by

signs on the computer: Please do not use this computer social distancing

April 1st, 2020

Here is the latest information, as of April 1st, concerning library policies, access, hours, and collections during the current pandemic of Covid-19.  Please note that this is a rapidly updating situation, and as we make changes to our policies, we will continue to update this page.  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter as well for more updates.

Library Hours and Restrictions

The Ross Pendergraft Library will be reducing regular hours effective March 27th :

  • Monday through Thursday, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
  • Friday through Saturday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
  • Sunday, 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Library Computer Labs

sign for wipes and a can of lysol wipes for wiping down stuffThe Library computer labs and printing are still available, but please observe the following restrictions:

  1. Computer labs and library services at this time are only available to students, faculty, and staff.
  2. In order to comply the Arkansas Governor’s orders, only 10 people are allowed on each floor. If the 10th person is already on the floor, you may be asked to go to another floor.
  3. Do not hold meetings or sit next to each other.  Do not congregate in groups.
  4. Use hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes to wipe down keyboards and surfaces between each use.  HELP US PREVENT VIRAL SPREAD BY WIPING DOWN YOUR KEYBOARD AND MOUSE BEFORE AND AFTER EACH USE.
  5. If you are experiencing symptoms of Covid-19, including fever or cough, stay at home or in your dorm room at this time.  Do not come to the library!  

Library Physical Collections

We are still making our collections available for check-out.  All materials currently checked out, with the exception of reserve items, headphones, and calculators, are not due back to the library until August 4th.   We have an outdoor drop-box at the north entrance, if you do not wish to come inside the library.  Additionally, all college universities in other parts of the state, including the Ozark campus, can facilitate the return of our books if you wish to return them there.   Short loan items like textbooks and headphones are still under normal circulation policies, and should be returned promptly for use by other students.

Library Services and Staffing

Most services are still available.  Interlibrary Loan is currently limited to online articles, only.  The circulation desk will be staffed, but Reference will be available via chat or telephone.  By using chat, the librarians can share their screen for more enhanced instruction.  This is available via our “Ask Us” page.  This site also features our phone numbers:

Online Resources

All databases, streaming videos, and ebooks are still available via our website at Find It or via the A-Z Databases page.  The library is currently in the process of expanding our streaming video to accommodate current faculty requests, but our main streaming collections at this time include:

Additionally, we have partnered with multiple vendors for expanded coverage of existing databases and trials of new collections.  Please read our New Online Resources During Coronavirus Pandemic news update for a full list.

Library Instruction Videos

The librarians are currently working on a series of videos for how to access our basic collection and services online.  Here are some instructional videos currently available:

We will continue to update our video offerings as we move through this time.  Check back here for updates

Online Library Research Guides

screenshot of the research guides link on the homepageFor students working on research papers, we have built a staggering number of customized guides for topics and classes.   Each guide contains suggested resources for articles, tips for citations, and links to other instructional videos, websites, and more to help them complete their assignments.

We currently have a guide specific for faculty that addresses distance education, streaming media, ebook collections, and more: http://libguides.atu.edu/facultyresources

 

Information sources for COVID-19

For campus specific information, visit the ATU Coronavirus (Covid-19) Information page. The latest information for the public health will be freely available at federal and state government agency websites, like the CDC and the Arkansas Department of Health.   If need paywalled articles from Washington Post or articles from Lancet, and other academic or medical journals that you can access from home, here are some library-provided resources:

  1. Newspaper Source: Current access to New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other newspapers around the country and world.
  2. News (Gale OneFile):Current access to Washington Post & New York Times, and other newspapers around the country and world.
  3. Chronicle of Higher Education: This is the full digital version.
  4. UpToDate: This is the point-of-care critical resource used by nurses and clinicians.  It requires a personal login, in addition to your tech login, but information is organized as a clinical aid in diagnosing, treating, and understanding disease and medical problems.  A great source to translate “doctor” speak and to find a quick summary of current academic literature.
  5. MedLine: This is the most comprehensive database for medical, academic literature.  Indexing JAMA, Lancet, and other top medical journals, this is a great source for locating the most academic studies on COVID-19, coronaviruses, and other peer-reviewed medical studies.

We will continue to update you as we get information and the situation changes.  But we are here to help you, however we can, for as long as we can.

Good luck out there and stay safe!

image of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

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The Fifth Annual International Film Festival, March 4th – 19th

Posted on February 27, 2020 Written by

The Ross Pendergraft Library invites the campus and the community to our International Film Festival.  The festivities kick off March 4th with a screening of “Yojimbo”, a Japanese samurai film directed by Akira Kurosawa, at 7:00 PM at the Doc Bryan Lecture Hall.

Eight films in four languages are included in this year’s festival.  Each screening is considered an On Track event for Global Focus.

All screenings are free and open to the public.  Each film begins at 7:00 PM at Doc Bryan Lecture Hall.

Here’s a listing of dates and films:

Poster for YojimboWednesday, March 4 @ 7:00 PM: Yojimbo

Japanese with English subtitles, 1961. A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.  Directed by Akira Kurosawa, the film was later remade in the United States as A Fistful of Dollars.

Poster of the film Amour, featuring an older womanThursday, March 5 @ 7:00 PM: Amour

French with English subtitles, 2012. Georges and Anne are an octogenarian couple. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, also a musician, lives in Britain with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple’s bond of love is severely tested.

Poster for the movie Ran featuring fire and Japanese scriptTuesday, March 10 @ 7:00 PM: Ran

Japanese with English subtitles, 1985. In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other…and him.  Akira Kurosawa’s adaptation of King Lear.

Movie poster of Die WelleWednesday, March 11 @ 7:00 PM: Die welle (The Wave) 

German with English subtitles, 2008. A high school teacher’s experiment to demonstrate to his students what life is like under a dictatorship spins horribly out of control when he forms a social unit with a life of its own.

Movie posterThursday, March 12 @ 7:00 PM: La reina de España (The Queen of Spain)

Spanish with English subtitles, 2016.  Nearly twenty years after the events of “The Girl of Your Dreams”, in the 1950s, Macarena Granada, who has become a Hollywood star, returns to Spain to film a blockbuster about Queen Isabella I of Castile.

Movie poster featuring a woman on a bikeTuesday, March 17 @ 7:00 PM: Barbara

CANCELLED

German with English subtitles, 2012.  A doctor working in 1980s East Germany finds herself banished to a small country hospital.

 

Movie poster featuring attractive couple in thoughtful posesWednesday, March 18 @ 7:00 PM: El secreto de sus ojos (The secret in their eyes)

CANCELLED

Spanish with English subtitles, 2009.   A retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior.

Movie poster featuring cartoon bear and mouseThursday, March 19 @  7:00 PM: Ernest et Célestine

CANCELLED

French with English subtitles, 2012.  The story of an unlikely friendship between a bear, Ernest, and a young mouse named Célestine.  Animated film.

 

The festival, now in its fifth year, is organized by ATU faculty members Dr. Nelson Ramìrez, professor of Spanish; Dr. Lowell Lybarger, associate librarian; and Philippe Van Houtte, associate librarian and visiting lecturer of French.

For more information about the festival, including posters, ratings, summaries, and film trailers, visit the International Film Festival website.  Or follow the library on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more events and programs.

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Explore Abandoned Arkansas on Monday, February 10th

Posted on February 5, 2020 Written by

Poster for the Abandoned Arkansas announcing times and locaitonJoin the Ross Pendergraft Library on Monday, Feb. 10th at 7:00 P.M. in RPL 300A as we take a trip through the state’s forgotten places with authors Ginger Beck and Michael Schwarz who will discuss their book, Abandoned Arkansas: An Echo From the Past. As part of the Library’s Second Monday Author series, we are featuring two local authors who will share their adventures and photographs of once popular destinations which now lie in ruins throughout the state.

Book cover for featured book, Abandoned ArkansasExplore the forgotten history of the Natural State, from the Majestic Hotel in Hot Springs to Dogpatch near Jasper in Newton County. Abandoned Arkansas weaves historical background and photographs from the past alongside their heartbreaking pictures of ruin from the present.  Through historic documentation, these photographers hope to immortalize the stories of the places they visit beyond the building’s finite lifespan, and to preserve an echo from the past.

For more information on their work, as well as photographs of more than 150 locations they have visited, see their website, Abandoned Arkansas, at https://abandonedar.com/

For more information about this event or the Second Monday Author series, contact Luke Heffley at (479) 964-0546 or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to stay in the loop on all Library events.

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Be Discovered With the Online Research Commons @ ATU

Posted on January 6, 2020 Written by

Tired of your research not getting noticed?  Worried that your work will not be valued, shared, or read by the rest of the world?  The Ross Pendergraft Library has created Tech’s very own institutional repository designed to showcase ATU faculty and student scholarly research at the Online Research Commons.

homepage of the Online Research Commons @ ATU featuring photo of Patrick Hagge

The Online Research Commons (ORC) is Tech’s repository of scholarly publications, presentations, theses, dissertations, digital collections, and institutional archives.  It seeks to bring together all of a university’s research under one umbrella with an aim to preserve and provide access to that research.  Documents uploaded to the Online Research Commons are indexed in Google and GoogleScholar—making them discover-able and available to other scholars around the world.

GoogleScholar result for an article from Dr. David Blanks on Edward O. Wilson

Under “Faculty Research and Publications”, you can browse the research being produced and published by faculty at Arkansas Tech University, organized by department or discipline.   Users can also browse by Authors or search the repository by keyword.

Since the ORC launched a few months ago, only a few academic departments like Emergency Management, Physical Sciences, and History & Political Science have been populated with publications.  But as the ORC grows, it will contain citations, links to library-subscribed content, or direct PDFs to all faculty work including articles, working papers, conference proceedings, books, book chapters, technical reports, sound files, data sets, images, videos, and more from all areas at Arkansas Tech.

Authors who submit their work to the repository receive monthly reports regarding usage and downloads.  A map summary of downloads for all documents in the repository is freely available on the ORC homepage:

Map of the world detailing locations of users downloading documents from the Online Research Commons

Also included in the ORC are the full-text of all Arkansas Tech student dissertations and theses published since 2016.   It also currently includes selected issues of the digitized Arkansas Tech yearbook, Agricola.

A list of three digitized Agricolas, the official yearbook of Arkansas Tech.If you want your work to be showcased and included in the Online Research Commons, simply send a CV or list of publications to orc@atu.edu.  For more information on the submission process, including what versions of publications can be included, be sure to review the Submission Guide to Online Research Commons @ ATU.  Adding to our repository is free, easy, and can be an excellent vehicle for working papers, presentations, and conference papers not published elsewhere.  So, get noticed, get discovered, and get your legacy preserved at Arkansas Tech’s Online Research Commons.

Submit Your CV

 

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The Finals Countdown

Posted on November 26, 2019 Written by

We’re nearly there!  The final exams for Fall 2019 are on their way, and the Ross Pendergraft Library is here for you with 24-hour service, starting 7:00 AM on Wednesday, Dec. 4th, until 6:00 PM Friday, Dec. 6th.

Gif of hair bad singing finals countdown

Come by in the late, late hours for free coffee and moderately-priced printing.    We also have all the friendly services you’ve come to know and love:

You can also stay up and on top of all the news in the library by following us on Twitter (#ATUFinals)/ Facebook / Instagram.

Don’t forget, we are closed this Thursday, Nov. 28th through Saturday, Nov. 30th for the Thanksgiving holidays.  We will open again on Sunday at 1:00 PM.  The full schedule is below:

full schedule of special hours for Fall 2019

Good Luck on Finals!

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POSTPONED UNTIL NOV. 18 – Hipbillies: Deep Revolution in the Arkansas Ozarks

Posted on November 4, 2019 Written by

Join us on Monday, November 18th, at 7:00 pm in RPL 300A as we welcome Dr. Jared M. Phillips, professor at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, who will discuss his recent book, Hipbillies: Deep Revolution in the Arkansas Ozarks. 

book cover of Hipbillies, featuring an embroidered sunsetCounterculture flourished nationwide in the 1960s and 1970s, and while the hippies of Haight–Ashbury occupied the public eye, a faction of back to the landers were quietly creating their own haven off the beaten path in the Arkansas Ozarks.  Hipbillies combines oral histories and archival resources to weave the story of the Ozarks and its population of country beatniks into the national narrative, showing how the back to the landers engaged in “deep revolution” by sharing their ideas on rural development, small farm economy, and education with the locals—and how they became a fascinating part of a traditional region’s coming to terms with the modern world in the process.

If you have an interest in hippies, hillbillies, environmental activism, solar energy, farmer’s markets, or the history of the Ozarks, you don’t want to miss this talk.  Read more about Hipbillies in this article from the Arkansas Times or check out a copy from the Ross Pendergraft Library.

Photo of Jared PhillipsJared Phillips is an assistant professor of international studies at the University of Arkansas and specializes in the history of U.S. foreign policy and U.S.-Sino relations in the late twentieth century.  He lives and works on a small farm outside of Prairie Grove.

This event is part of the Second Monday Author Series, featuring local authors from the university, region, or state. Copies of Hipbillies will be available for purchase.

For more information (479) 964-0546 or http://library.atu.edu. This event is free and accessible to the public.

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