The library wants to display your work. The Student Art in the Library contest awards a First Prize of $300 and a Second Prize of $150. Submission deadline for the Fall 2012 contest is September 21. If you create any particularly inspired works this summer, keep in the mind the Student Art in the Library contest. The library is looking for two-dimensional works to be displayed in our exhibit area in 135 Hodges Library throughout the fall semester. More info at library.utk.edu/artinlibrary.
Category Archives: Announcements
Life of the Mind
Freshmen arriving on the UT campus confront their first intellectual challenge on the day before classes begin. Each year, the Life of the Mind freshman reading program selects a book to be read and discussed by all incoming freshmen.
The common reading selection for the Class of 2016 is Eric Liu’s The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker, a thematic memoir that challenges readers to consider identity as something both accidental (coming from family and other peoples’ expectations) and intentional (created and/or adopted by one’s own choosing). On August 21, the day before classes begin, students will attend a lecture by Eric Liu then gather for small group discussions of the book’s themes. The Life of the Mind experience will continue throughout the year through exhibits, lectures, movies, and class assignments that incorporate the book’s topic and themes.
To further explore those themes of race, language, and global politics, students can visit the Culture Corner on the first floor of Hodges Library. Each semester, the Culture Corner showcases books on a different diversity topic. The Culture Corner is a project of the UT Libraries’ Diversity Committee.
Libraries Undergoing Renovations
The UT, Knoxville campus is dotted with signs featuring Smokey in a hard hat and warnings of “Renovations Ahead!” There’s so much construction underway, that UTK has become a “cone zone.”
The library is no exception. Renovations are underway to the John C. Hodges Main Library and to the Music Library’s temporary home in the Humanities building. Summer visitors to the library will encounter changes to the following areas.
Commons Renovation. The popular Commons in the Hodges Library will undergo major renovations this summer. Virtually the entire 2nd floor will be under construction. Renovations begin May 10 and will be done in stages for the least disruption. Visit commons.utk.edu for temporary locations of 2nd floor services.
Hodges Room 120. Special Collections (121 Hodges Library) is expanding into the former quiet study area in 120 Hodges Library. Students are encouraged to seek out the library’s other designated quiet study areas, which include the remainder of the 1st floor and the entire 4th and 5th floors.
Music Library. The Music Library will vacate its temporary home in G62-65 Humanities and Social Sciences Building from May 25 until approximately August 16. During the summer closure, Music Library materials will only be available via a paging service. Music Library staff will still be available by phone, email or appointment. Visit the Music Library web site (www.lib.utk.edu/music) for more information.
Christopher Hebert to be Writer-in-Residence at UT Libraries
Christopher Hebert will be Jack E. Reese Writer-in-Residence at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Libraries for the 2012-2013 academic year.
As Writer-in-Residence, Hebert will organize the Writers in the Library series, sponsored by the UT Libraries and the UT Department of English. Writers in the Libraries brings local, regional, and nationally-known authors to the John C. Hodges Library to read from their works.
Hebert teaches in UT’s Creative Writing Program. His first novel, The Boiling Season, was published by HarperCollins in 2012.
Hebert graduated from Antioch College, where he also worked at the Antioch Review. He earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan, and was awarded its prestigious Hopwood Award for fiction. He has worked as an editor at the University of Michigan Press and as a research assistant to the author Susan Cheever.
As Writer-in-Residence, Hebert will have access to the resources of the UT Libraries and a quiet retreat in the Hodges Library to work on his next novel. His appointment begins August 1, 2012.
The position of Writer in Residence was established in 1998 and in 2005 was named in honor of the late Jack Reese, a former chancellor of the university, longtime UT English professor, and avid support of the UT Libraries and the local writing community.
For further information contact JoAnne Deeken, head of research and grants at the UT Libraries, at 865-974-4702 or jdeeken@utk.edu.
16th Century Bibles at UT Libraries
A collection of rare pre-King James Bibles now resides at the UT, Knoxville Libraries. The rare Bibles once belonged to a noted Shakespeare scholar.
A little over a year ago, the UT Libraries was fortunate to acquire a collection of more than 300 early printed Bibles and other rare books from the collection of the late Naseeb Shaheen, professor of English at the University of Memphis for forty years. Shaheen was an internationally known authority on biblical allusions in Shakespeare’s plays. He assembled his collection of early printed Bibles to assure that he was working from the exact texts available to the Bard.
The centerpiece of the Shaheen Antiquarian Bible Collection is a group of about 100 English Bibles dating from the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century when the Christian scriptures were first translated into the vernacular languages of Europe. These early printed Bibles, along with psalters, prayer books and homilies; Greek and Latin Bibles; and early editions of literary works dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, form the core of the collection used by Shaheen in his studies of the Bible in literature.
Shaheen’s collection of pre-King James Bibles was one of the largest in the world. The Shaheen Antiquarian Bible Collection includes more than 60 examples of the Geneva Bible, the Scripture most often referenced in Shakespeare, as well as early printings of the so-called Great Bible, Bishops’ Bible, Matthew’s Bible, the Douay-Rheims Version, and the King James Bible.
These extraordinary artifacts are now available in UT’s Special Collections for reference by scholars of Shakespeare, the Bible, and Renaissance literature.
UT Library Helps Students “De-Stress” During Finals
It’s almost time for final exams, and students are under a lot of stress. The UT libraries are trying to help students relax and recharge.
During final exams this Spring Semester, library-sponsored “De-Stress for Success” events will allow students to slow down, take a break from studying, and enjoy some free and fun activities.
A room stocked with games, sketch pads, and comics will provide a welcome diversion for students cramming for exams at the John C. Hodges Library. Those students who wish to express their angst in writing will be able to record their thoughts on the “graffiti walk,” a long sheet of butcher paper running the entire length of the library’s main hallway.
Massage therapists and therapy dogs will also be on hand at Hodges Library to help soothe frazzled nerves. The UT Libraries, the UT Office of Alumni Affairs, and the Graduate Student Senate are sponsoring these visits from the Knoxville Massage Therapy Center and HABIT (Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee).
Students spend many hours in the library, so the UT Libraries has a unique opportunity to help students engage with campus life and forge the personal connections that are as essential to academic success as books and computers.
The finals week “De-Stress” events are sponsored by the UT Libraries, Office of Alumni Affairs, Graduate Student Senate, UT Parents Association, the School of Information Sciences, and Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee. An Ice Cream Social sponsored by SAIS (UT’s Student Assessment of Instruction System) will kick off the “De-Stress” events on Study Day.
If you would like to help sponsor the libraries’ “De-Stress for Success” events, contact Library Development at libraryfriends@utk.edu or 865-974-0055.
IN THE 2nd FLOOR GALLERIA:
Ice Cream Social: Noon – 2 PM • Monday, April 30
Chair massages: 1-4 PM • Mon. April 30 – Fri. May 4 AND Mon. May 7
HABIT dogs: 5-7 PM, May 1, 3, 4, 7, & 8 • also 10 AM – Noon, May 3 & 7
WATCH FOR: Graffiti Walk • Break room with games, comics, sketch pads
Hodges Library “Commons” to Undergo Major Renovation
The popular Commons at the John C. Hodges Library will soon undergo a major renovation. The Commons, which encompasses the second floor of the library, features the latest technology, group study areas, an inviting setting, and round-the-clock hours that make it one of the most intensely used study spaces on campus.
Renovations will begin immediately following final exams for Spring Semester 2012 and continue for several months.
This major construction project on the busiest floor of the campus’s main library will inevitably entail some noise, dust, and temporary relocation of services. However, renovations will be done in stages for the least disruption.
The pay-off for some temporary inconvenience will be an updated facility that integrates the Studio and provides more group study spaces, more natural light, and new mediascape furniture (technology-enabled collaborative workspaces). Services will be better organized, grouping academic consulting in one area and all equipment checkout at a single service point. The Libraries’ Research Assistance desk will relocate to a highly visible spot just inside the main entrance to the library.
Watch for updates on the Commons construction project at conezone.utk.edu.
New Associate Dean of Libraries Supports Online Scholarship
Holly Mercer joins the UT Knoxville Libraries on January 17 as Associate Dean for Scholarly Communication and Research Services. She will oversee the Libraries’ research services, library technology, and digital services.
Mercer comes to UT from Texas A&M University, where she served as head of Digital Services and Scholarly Communication.
Dean of Libraries Steve Smith looks forward to working with the Libraries’ new associate dean to provide new services to UT scholars. “Holly is a committed advocate for digital scholarship and open access. She is a great collaborator and is nationally recognized for her expertise in emerging models for online research and publication. Holly will be a great advocate for the UT research community.”
At TAMU, Mercer established a digital services center and promoted the effective use of new forms of scholarship.
“In the changing landscape of scholarship, libraries will need to be involved in new modes of research from creation to preservation,” said Mercer. “The validity of online scholarship in the promotion and tenure process rests, in part, on the ability of libraries to provide reliable, long-term access to datasets, blogs, or whatever new forms of scholarly communication emerge.”
Mercer holds a master’s in library and information science from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor’s degree in classical studies from Duke University. She has served on a number of national committees including the Open Repositories Steering Committee and the American Library Association’s Office for Information Technology Policy advisory committee.
Historic Tennessee football programs: online!
Volunteer football programs from past years are now online. The Tennessee Football Programs are among the digital collections available on the UT Knoxville Libraries website at www.lib.utk.edu/digitalcollections.
The collection includes programs and guides for home games and postseason games. Visitors to the website can browse by Year, Coach, Guides, or Postseason.
The Tennessee Volunteers have one of the most storied histories in college football and some of the most colorful traditions to match. Over the years, Volunteer football has been host to thrilling victories, crushing defeats, influential coaches, dedicated players, and enthusiastic fans.
The football programs are packed with stories and facts. In the October 25, 2008 program, for instance, fans can read about the Tennessee vs. Alabama rivalry, retired Volunteer jerseys, and Smokey’s lineage and adventures (Smokey II survived both a dognapping and a confrontation with the Baylor Bear).
The University Archives at the UT Knoxville Libraries holds a nearly complete collection of Volunteer football programs going back to 1930, as well as a smattering of programs dating from 1904 to 1929. The library is scanning and uploading the programs in reverse order. To date, 246 programs (some 32,000 pages) going back to 1975 are available online.
If you have an old football program among your personal mementoes that fills a gap in the Libraries’ collection, the University Archives would love to borrow and scan your treasure. (Contact University Archivist Alesha Shumar, ashumar@utk.edu, 865-974-9427.)
The UT Knoxville Libraries digitizes unique local resources and makes them openly available on the web. University Archives collections documenting campus life that are accessible online include Volunteer yearbooks, Tennessee Alumnus magazine, programs from UT Commencements, and The Phoenix literary arts magazine. Visit www.lib.utk.edu/digitalcollections to view the Libraries’ growing catalog of digital collections.
Library Announces New Administrative Positions
Two library faculty have assumed new positions within the University of Tennessee Libraries. Dean of Libraries Steven Escar Smith announces the following reorganization of the library’s administrative suite.
Rita Smith is now Executive Associate Dean of Libraries. Her new portfolio includes responsibility for the dean’s office staff, communications, human resources, the business office, library facilities, integrated user services (including the Commons), assessment, research and grants.
Sandra Leach is the new Associate Dean for Collections. She heads technical services, collections, resource sharing and document delivery – and continues to oversee the branch libraries.