A-Z of UWTSD Libraries...

Image courtesy of: Josh Filhol / Library A-Z

Time to move on with our A-Z of the highlights of UWTSD libraries - today we’ve reached the letter H…

H is for:

·    Home – You don’t need to come into the library to access our fantastic resources, our online library is accessible from home 24/7. All you need is your university login and password and you’ll be able to access E-books, E-journals, E-newspapers and more without even stepping outside your own front door! Plus our library catalogue is available on our website and expert help from your subject librarian is only a phone call away if needed…so why not let us bring the library to you?!

·  Helpdesk (IT) – If you’re having problems with your university login/password, accessing Moodle, or any other IT related problems feel free to contact the IT Helpdesk for assistance. They can be reached by emailing Helpdesk@uwtsd.ac.uk or by calling (01792) 481134. 

·       Health, History, Heritage & Hospitality! – You’ll find information on a whole host of academic subjects at UWTSD libraries, these are just a few beginning with H!! Don’t forget the databases in our online library too, such as – Hospitality & Tourism Complete or Humanities Source.

·     Happy to Help – Remember, you can always ask a member of the library staff if you have any information related problems or queries…we’re happy to help!

Stories from the Past

I've always been interested in genealogy and during this process have stumbled upon quite a lot of information relating to my family's contribution to the First World War. This got me thinking about how many other untold family stories there must be, unsung heroes that have long been forgotten and deserve to be remembered now, in the WW1 centenary year.

 

I decided to ask my colleagues here at UWTSD libraries if they knew anything of their WW1 ancestry...and was amazed by the response! There were some incredible stories to be told and many people had photographs and memorabilia that they were keen to share (somebody even came forward with an original WW1 shrapnel shell - long since deactivated of course!). This soon gave me the idea to hold an exhibition of our collective First World War story, a chance for us to mark the centenary in our own unique way.

 

After many months of collecting all the photographs and information together, the exhibition is now up and running! It is currently on display at our Swansea Business Campus Library and will be touring all the other campus libraries over the next month, spending a week at each location.

 

We'd love you to come and take a look and maybe be inspired to research your own family's contribution to the Great War.

Library WWI exhibition

Happy 4th July!

Photo by Denise Krebs (mrsdkrebs),
available from Flickr under Creative Commons licence

Yes, it’s the 4^th July, also known as American Independence Day. Take a look at our database Oxford Reference Online to find out more about the history of the day and to see how it’s celebrated in the USA today picnics and fireworks!). You could also brush up on your American history by browsing the shelves in Townhill Library at shelf mark 973. For a more British perspective, try looking at some of our books on George III, who was monarch when America won its independence. George III, of course, is famous as the ‘mad’ king in Alan Bennett’s play The Madness of George III and the later film The Madness of King George. You can find the play script in Townhill Library at 822.914/BEN (not much mention of America, to be honest, but it is a good play!).

If novels are more your thing, you’ll find all sorts of classic American fiction at Townhill. The Great Gatsby had its show-stopping release in cinemas this year, but the original novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald takes some beating. If you’re more interested in 1950s and 1960s counter-culture, try Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and The Big Sur. For the ultimate American novel, though, perhaps we need look no further the Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, full to the brim with adventure, friendship and freedom.

If all this gives you a taste for travel and exploration, pop in to Swansea Business School Library to take a look at their travel guides. You’ll find a whole host of countries covered, including the USA, so you’ll have no trouble planning a trip to rival Kerouac’s!

If that’s a bit beyond your budget, or your planning expertise, you could always watch other people living, and struggling with, the American dream. Griffith Library at Dynevor has a whole host of American movies on DVD: Once Upon a Time in the West, Thelma and Louise, American Beauty, Malcolm X, Bowling for Columbine, The Social Network and loads more are available to borrow for free! Remember, we’re into the summer loan period now, so even two-day loans will be issued out until the 4^th October.

A right royal read!

The bunting has come down (until the Olympics!), the Union Jack-inspired party food has been eaten and we’ve all raised a glass to the Queen in her 60^th year on the throne (or at least enjoyed the extra day’s holiday she’s given us!). Whether you’re a royalist, a republican or something in between, there’s no denying the history behind the royal family. If the Jubilee celebrations have got you thinking about the long line of kings and queens that came before Elizabeth II, why not come in and find out a bit more?

A quick glance at the history section in Townhill Library reveals The Jubilee Years 1887-1897, looking at the period between Queen Victoria’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees, at 942.081 HOW (plenty of other books about Victoria and the Victorians at this number too!), Elizabeth I at 942.055 NEA, William the Conqueror at 942.021 DOM and Alfred the Great at 942.02 BEC. Further afield, our old favourites, National Archives, have launched an online exhibition looking back at Queen Victoria’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees. It features 60 congratulatory messages from all over the world and links to other Diamond Jubilee resources.

Step back in time with the National Archives

Are you a history teacher, history student or history buff? If so, you might be interested in the National Archives website, and especially in the Education section. It’s filled to the brim with lessons, topics, podcasts, film clips and resources for video conferences and virtual classroom sessions. There are primary and secondary resources for historical periods from 1066 until the present day and there is lesson material appropriate for key stages 1 to 5. You’re bound to find something useful no matter which age group you’re teaching or what topic you’re covering.

The National Archives website is well worth a look even if you’re not in the business of history education. It’s full of interesting stories and fascinating resources! At the moment, for instance, the Education section is featuring ‘Cats, mice and votes for women’, which uses newspaper reports and other contemporary documents to look at the tactics used by the suffragettes and the police during the suffrage movement.

The National Archives homepage is a gateway to all sorts of information, from family history to newly released documents that shed light on the workings of government and the secret service. Go on, have a look!

Olympic torch date for your diary!

The route the Olympic torch will take on its destination to London next summer has been announced, and Swansea has been revealed as one of the locations it will stop at overnight! Saturday 26th May 2012 is the scheduled date, and more details about the route will be announced later on in the year.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Olympic Games, whether it's the history of the event, the environmental impact, or you just fancy watching 'Chariots of Fire' take a look at our library catalogue for a comprehensive range of titles. We also have e-resources on the subject, for example both journal and newspaper articles are available through the databases JSTOR & Newsbank, and images through the Bridgeman Art Library Digital Image Database.

If you won't be in Swansea next May, you can view the other UK destinations where the torch is heading via the BBC news website - in total it's estimated that it will travel 8,000 miles before reaching London on 27th July, 2012!

Titanic Anniversary

Image: Willy Stöwer / Wikimedia Commons

On this day 99 years ago the RMS Titanic sank off the New Foundland coast with the loss of more than 1,500 lives. Billed as the world's first and only unsinkable ship, she met a tragic end when she struck an iceberg during her maiden voyage on April 15th 1912 and sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. As one of the most luxurious and infamous liners in history her final resting place became the subject of much debate, and was finally discovered in 1985 by American oceanographer and underwater archaeologist Dr Robert Ballard. Many subsequent expeditions to the wreck of the Titanic have yielded numerous treasures, some of which can now be viewed at the Titanic Exhibition, touring worldwide and currently located at London's O2 Arena. I was lucky enough to go this exhibition last weekend and it didn't disappoint! Amongst the artefacts on display were; the crow's nest bell, jewellery, crockery, even perfume and champagne bottles with their contents still intact!

If you can't make it to the exhibition in London why not borrow a copy of James Cameron's film version of Titanic from Dynevor Library (791.4372/TIT), or borrow one of the many books we have on the subject, such as, Titanic: End of a dream (Townhill Library 910.91634/TIT) or Titanic Legacy: Disaster as media event and myth (Owen Library 363.34/HEY). You can even view old newsreels relating to the Titanic on our Newsfilm Online database. Why not bring some history to life with the help of your SMU libraries!

Out of this world

Today is the fiftieth anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's historic first flight into space. Gagarin became the first man in space when he orbited the Earth in Vostok 1 on the 12th April 1961. You can find out more about the Russian cosmonaut and the history of space exploration through Oxford Reference Online, a comprehensive collection of reference material that's accessible from one database.

Gagarin's flight paved the way for human space travel, but how did people feel about it at the time? We've got a database that can help with that question! You can step back in time to see contemporary news footage of Yuri's 1961 visit to the UK on NewsFilm Online. For an up-to-date perspective on the mission, try Newsbank, which lets you search and read hundreds of archived and current newspaper issues from all over the UK.

If you'd like to know more about any of these resources, please ask a librarian.

Happy Saint David's Day! / Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant!

Image: Graeme Weatherston / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As we celebrate all things Welsh on Saint David's Day this Tuesday why not call in at one of your SMU libraries and learn a little bit more about the culture and history of this fantastic country!

We have Wales: The Rough Guide (shelfmark 914.29 WAL) if you fancy doing some travelling and seeing the sights. Maybe you're feeling adventurous and fancy learning the language too... why not borrow our multimedia course for beginners Cwrs Mynediad (491.6682421 MEE). If it's history that interests you take a look at History of Wales by John Davies (942.9 DAV), or if you're an aspiring poet why not immerse yourself in the Selected Poems of Dylan Thomas (821.912 THO). Finally, for those of you who prefer to surf the net, you could check out the fabulous website for welsh heritage and culture Gathering the Jewels ( http://www.gtj.org.uk/ ).

If that little lot doesn't get you feeling all patriotic on March 1st then call into the Owen Library on Mount Pleasant Campus and pick up a pin-on daffodil in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. Wear your daffodil with pride!

I'm a Celebrity Librarian...Get Me Out of Here!

When we think of librarians most of us have a stereotypical image in our minds of what they look like...so for your collective amusement I’ve compiled a little selection of some of the most famous real life and fictional examples!

FACT:
· Giacomo Casanova – More famous as a lothario than a librarian, Casanova spent the last 13 years of his life working as a librarian for the Count of Waldstein at his chateau.
· Benjamin Franklin – One of America’s founding fathers. He also founded the first American library where he served as a librarian for a brief period of time.
· Jacob Grimm – Famously of the Brothers Grimm, he worked as a librarian in Kasel after graduating with a law degree.
· Lewis Carroll – This famous author worked briefly as a sub-librarian at Christ Church, Oxford.
· Laura Bush – Former First Lady of the USA...also happens to have a Masters degree in Library Science.

FICTION:
· Batgirl – Her alter-ego Barbara Gordon was the Head Librarian of Gotham City Library.
· Rupert Giles – School librarian of Sunnydale High in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
· Evelyn ‘Evy’ Carnahan – Rachel Weisz famously played this ditzy librarian in The Mummy.
· Flynn Carsen – Noah Wyle played the part of the adventurer librarian in a series of TV movies.
· Mary Bailey – In the film It’s a Wonderful Life, George’s wife Mary was almost condemned to a life as a spinster librarian, poor girl!

If you were surprised by this list, why not pop into one of the SMU libraries today and meet our friendly subject librarians in person...we may not have super powers like Batgirl, but we’re ready and willing to help!

New website celebrates Welsh culture and history

Have you ever wondered why there are so many Joneses in Wales? You can find out using the People’s Collection Wales (http://www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/), a new, bilingual website with access to an archive of reminiscences, photographs, videos and audio clips on the subject of Wales and the Welsh. The website has been launched by the Welsh Assembly Government and it is hoped that it will be a useful tool for the tourism industry and a learning resource for schools and colleges.

If you’re still wondering about all those Joneses, you can find out here: http://www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/Story/267-why-are-there-so-many-joneses-in-wales