Library News
New library acquisitions for October
Posted on November 18th, 2024
Booth Library’s collections are continually growing to meet the research and information needs of the EIU community. During October 2024, Booth Library acquired and cataloged 570 physical items (books, DVDs, government documents, archival resources, and more) and 4630 electronic resources (including ebooks, ejournals, digital audiobooks, and streaming videos). Individual issues of current periodicals are excluded. All items are discoverable through the library’s online catalog.
New acquisitions include items selected for purchase by Booth’s subject librarians, donations, re-cataloged library items, freely available government publications, and consortium-wide purchases.
Please contact your subject librarian with any questions.
Access over 2,700 ebooks through MIT Press Direct to Open
Posted on November 6th, 2024
Booth Library has signed on with MIT Press’s Direct to Open (D2O) initiative, joining over 300 libraries in helping fund the Open Access publication of a wide selection of new books from the MIT Press for 2025. Through the D2O program, 80-90 ebooks each year are made available online, free to read by everyone. Open Access is a set of principles and practices to support making access to scholarly materials more inclusive and equitable.
Thanks to Booth’s participation in D2O, our campus now has access to an archive of over 2,700 MIT Press ebooks that would otherwise be paywalled. This new collection covers topics across the social sciences, sciences, and humanities. Check out the new collection online to download and read the ebooks (look for the green Open Access or Available icons). The ebooks are also discoverable through Booth’s online catalog.
Please contact your subject librarian or Sarah Johnson, Head of Collection Management (sljohnson2@eiu.edu), with any questions.
Introducing the new EBSCOhost
Posted on September 4th, 2024
Introducing the new EBSCOhost
As of this fall, our EBSCOhost databases were upgraded to a new user experience designed to be more accessible, functional, and mobile-friendly. Booth Library subscribes to over 50 databases affected by the upgrade. Check it out here!
New features include:
- A clean and simplified search interface
- New search limiters and filters
- Expanded sharing options
- An improved eBook viewer
- Personalized user dashboard (“My EBSCO”) for saving articles, viewing your search history, reviewing ebook checkouts, organizing your projects, and more
Join a librarian to learn about the latest updates, explore the new features, and get tips on how to make the most of this essential research tool. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance your research skills and get a head start on your academic journey!
Workshops are offered weekly in September and October in person and online!
Full schedule here
See also EBSCO’s Quick Start Guide for commonly asked questions.
6 Essential Booth Library Updates for Fall 2024
Posted on August 19th, 2024
Booth Library supports students and faculty by providing access to resources, research assistance, teaching support, technology, and spaces for learning, collaboration, and
community. These supports are evolving and ever changing with lots of exciting
developments for the coming year!
“Celestial Bodies” Library Exhibition: Bridging Art and Science
Posted on August 9th, 2024
Booth Library proudly hosted the “Celestial Bodies” art show this spring, a unique opportunity for student artists to showcase their work in a collaborative venture with the Departments of Art + Design and Physics. Inspired by the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse, the event showcased the creative interpretations of these talented individuals, blending the worlds of art and science. The collaborative art show was a result of efforts from Steve Daniels, Chair of Physics; Kirstin Duffin, Librarian; and Professor Jenny Chi, who organized the event. Duffin emphasized the importance of this collaboration, stating, “In service of a liberal arts education, Booth Library values uniting the breadth of scholarly endeavors—from the arts to the sciences.”
For the student artists, the exhibition represented not only a chance to display their work, but also professional and creative growth. Tasked with adapting their pieces to fit the dimensions of the library’s exhibit cases, these diligent individuals embraced challenges and experimented with new mediums, techniques, and scales. Duffin shares more about the students’ experiences, “The student artists working on this project were thrilled to be exhibiting in Booth Library. They viewed the library as a central place on campus, and they felt honored to be able to show their art in this venue. I take my hat off to these industrious students as they worked through challenges specific to this project and location.”
Professor Chi shared insights into the selection process, detailing an “unofficial” competition amongst 16 students who submitted sketches and ideas for the “Celestial Bodies” art show. A senior art student, Molly Dawson’s project evolved from the phases of the moon to the phases of the eclipse, guided by consultations with Duffin and Daniels. Chi explained the unique aspects of the show, including the students’ biweekly updates to the exhibit cases. Traditionally, artists do not share their process, only finished artwork, but she felt this was fitting for an academic environment. This was an independent project and that students were responsible for the execution from start to finish, including securing their own models. Chloe Flanigan, a senior, described her experience of adapting her project to fit her model’s availability, highlighting the challenges she faced and the satisfaction she felt upon completion. Originally, she had chosen her father to be the model for her project; however, due to time constraints of the project and distance, he wasn’t able to sit for the entire process. Chloe found a fellow student on campus to sit in for the body portion of her drawing, and she used her father’s face. Although there were challenges, Chloe felt proud of the final piece displayed. On March 25th, the students hosted an art show for 50 guests including family, friends, and community members. Leading an engaging walking tour, each student presented their artwork and shared their creative process with the audience.
Because of the independent nature of the project, it was extremely important to Professor Chi to choose students who were not only talented, but also disciplined enough to implement the concept and work through the challenges.
Chloe shares about her accomplishment: “This was a huge achievement for me. It’s a place people pass through every day, and sharing a new update every week was a way to get people involved in our artwork for those who don’t understand the process. It was also a great opportunity to meet people from other departments.”
The art exhibition “Celestial Bodies” at Booth Library not only connected art and science, but also showcased the powerful impact of interdisciplinary collaboration. This exhibition inspired creators and viewers, showing the value of combining different academic disciplines to create something unique and captivating.
Congrats Class of 2024
Posted on August 2nd, 2024
We are delighted to share some of the social media posts by 2024 graduates that featured Booth Library. We are honored to have been a part of their academic journey, and excited to share their reflections on the library’s impact.
EIU’s Hidden Time Machine
Posted on May 15th, 2024
EIU’s Hidden Time Machine
By Raymond Cummins
There are few places in the world as transportive as a library. They contain the knowledge of thousands of minds; across all the subjects we can think of. The beauty of it is that we can travel all over the world, to any time or place, from the relative comfort of a chair. But our ability to time travel is not limited to the shelves of Booth Library. There is a secret place within it, a smaller, more focused place, containing the history of EIU, a time machine within the time machine called the University Archives.
I have had great fun helping to organize the digital database of slide images for the archives this semester. Most of the things collected within are physical items; letters written by deans and presidents, newspaper clippings, yearbooks, collections of faculty publications, sports team memorabilia, and the list goes on. The slide image collection is just what the name implies, a collection of photos on plastic slides meant to be viewed through a projector.
For me the fascinating thing about these photos is the momentary glimpse of people and places they provide us. Some of them instantly reveal their secrets. We recognize the face of a well-known figure. Clothes and hairstyles tell us the time frame. We remember reading about or can recall our experience of the event that has been captured. But some images, without the context of the time in which they were taken, make little sense to us. Why did they photograph that chair? What significance does the 85th picture of Booth Library in the winter of 1979 reveal to us beyond our natural fascination with architecture?
But it is through these combinations of images that we can see our story. A story that is worth viewing and participating in, and one that I hope many people will take the opportunity to experience at the University Archives.
Raymond Cummins is an English Major who completed an internship in the University Archives in the Spring 2024 semester.
*****
Here are some of my favorite images from the slide collection at the archives. It was difficult to narrow it down, but I think these best encapsulate the idea of the archives as a time machine. If you would like to look at these in greater detail visit this link University Archives to request access.
Section 1.1 – 1.6:
These images are from the early years of EIU, likely occurring pre-1930. There are many more available for viewing at the archives.
Section 2.1 – 2.4:
These are from the 1988 presidential campaign of Bush/Quayle. Quayle, an Indiana native visited EIU, and was met with mixed reception.
Section 3.1:
A 1953 image of Booth Library from across a field of lovely springtime flowers.
Booth Library Now Offers Free Online Access to the New York Times
Posted on December 11th, 2023
EIU students, faculty, and staff now have free online access to the New York Times through Booth Library! We are thrilled to offer this new service to better serve our students and the EIU Community as a whole.
The complimentary subscription is available to anyone with an eiu.edu email address- including retired employees and emeritus members!
Online access to the New York Times through EIU Library includes:
- 24/7 Breaking News
- Archives (dating back to 1851) timesmachine.nytimes.com/browser
- Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality – found in the App; NYT stories told through enhanced technology
- Daily 360 content – two dimensional, 360° views (with mobile device or using a mouse)
- Podcasts (including The “Daily” podcast)
- All multimedia, including video, photography, VR features, and new multimedia to come.
- Newsletters (there are a variety of topics that you may subscribe to)
- Spanish and Mandarin Chinese versions of NYTimes.com.
Activate your access to The New York Times, compliments of Booth Library here.
