Paul Robeson Library

You might be wondering why there is so much empty shelving on the main floor.  Where did the books go? No, we are not going the way of Cushing Academy (removing all books..going totally digital). This is all just part of the compact shelving project.

Call Numbers HM - HX, J, K, L, and M have been moved to compact shelving, you may ask at reference or circulation for access to these books…and maybe get a preview of the new movable shelves.

The N’s are currently unavailable, along with PS-Z. You can request these items from other Rutgers Libraries or via EZ-Borrow. Please see a service desk for assistance.

Starting today, you can now instant message a reference librarian from 2-6pm Monday-Thursday (previously ended at 5) and 7-10pm Sunday-Thursday.

Looking forward to chatting with you!

Our presentation on Banned Book Week 2009 was enjoyed by many…for those of you who could not make it, you can watch a bit here on the Rutgers Camden YouTube Channel.  Speaking of YouTube Channels, did you know the library has one too?  Click here to watch videos on plagiarism, Wikipedia and other important library topics.

Looking for quick information on a topic?  There is a reference book for that.

Want to browse a comprehensive list in a topic? There is a reference book for that.

Reference books are available in the libraries and virtually. If we do not have the reference book  in Camden, you can request to have it sent here for In-Library Use Only. Ask a librarian for assistance.

Here are the latest additions to our reference collection:

Archaeology in America : an encyclopedia / Francis P. McManamon, general editor ; Linda S. Cordell, Kent G. Lightfoot, and George R. Milner, editorial board. This is a four volume set, divided by region. Essays include references to additional information, more detailed articles, books and reports on important North American archaeological sites. Includes maps and glossary of terms. Brings me back to my undergraduate days of digging in the hot mid-western sun at Cahokia Mounds, IL.   E159.5.A68 2009.

The dictionary of homophobia : a global history of gay & lesbian experience / edited by Louis-Georges Tin ; translated by Marek Redburn, with Alice Michaud and Kyle Mathers. This is an English translation and update of the groundbreaking Dictionnaire de l’homophobie. This book seeks to address the issue of homophobia by “clarifying the debate and opening opportunities for advancement, by simply revealing the stakes at issue”. As it was originally a French text, there is a stronger representation of  French individuals and events. HQ76.4.D5313 2008

Encyclopedia of Blacks in European history and culture / edited by Eric Martone. This is a 2 volume set that focuses “on the depictions and contributions of blacks in European history, literature, and popular culture”. It is meant “primarily for use with foreign language, literature, and social sciences courses. This encyclopedia is alphabetically by entries but also includes a topical list with groupings by country or sub-region. Random entry: Ozwald, Boateng (1967-) a “renowned Black British fashion designer and Savile Row tailor” whose wardrobe designs have been featured in several blockbuster films. He was the youngest tailor and the first black Briton to open a store on Savile Row. D212.2.B53E53 2009

The Greenwood encyclopedia of Asian American literature / edited by Guiyou Huang. This is a three volume set organized by list of entries with a guide to related topics.  The encyclopedia is “designed to fill a reference gap to support and advance the study of teaching of Asian American literature at all levels”. Random sample entry: Frank Chin (1940- )A Chinese American playwright, actor, novelist, literary critic, literary historian and activist. He is the first Asian American to have work presented on a mainstream New York stage with his plays appearing at the American Place Theatre. PS153.A84G74 2009

Historical dictionary of United States-Africa relations / Robert Anthony Waters Jr.  This is no. 9 of Historical Dictionaries of U.S. Diplomacy. The volume includes a guide to acronyms and abbreviations as well as maps and a chronology. This work “presents U.S.-Africa relations over the long term, via a dictionary section, with numberous entries on significant people, events, legislation, organizations and more importantly countries.” Randomly opening the book brought me to the entry for Stephen Biko (1946-1977) which of course means that Peter Garbriel’s “Biko” is now running through my head.  DT38.W385 2009

Leadership at the crossroads / Joanne B. Ciulla, set editor.  Three volumes make up this set on leadership.  Volumes include: Leadership and Psychology, Leadership and Politics and Leadership and the Humanities. Short essays address a variety of leadership topics within these fields. HM1261.L422 2008

The Longman companion to Victorian fiction / John Sutherland.   This volume contains entries on approximately 900 Victorian novelists, 560 Victorian novels and  47  Victorian magazines and periodicals.  This companion is meant as guide to assist readers of  Victorian literature, it does not intend to be a comprehensive encyclopaedia of Victorian fiction. The editor points out in his introduction that  the Guinness Book of Records speed reading holder would have to read for 40 hours a week (he has a reading speed of 25,000 words per minute) for 5 years in order to read all Victorian novels. PR871.S86 2009

The compact shelving project is moving forward. The area has been painted, the rails have been installed and the shelves are starting to appear. We are hoping to begin moving the PS-Z call numbers back to the shelves within the month.

Can’t wait to show everyone the finished project…what a change!

You can check out some recent photos of the project here.

Saturday kicks off Banned Books Week. This week is dedicated to promoting the freedom to read, and making everyone aware of challenged and banned books. We have many of these challenged and banned books available at the library…check out the list and then check out and read a banned book! We will also be offering a reading of last years most challenged book:

The Paul Robeson Library
Presents a Reading of the Most Challenged Book of 2008: And Tango Makes Three

Tuesday September 29, 2009
12:10 to 1:20 pm in the first floor lounge area
Refreshments will be served

And Tango Makes Three was challenged in school districts all over the United States. Parents claimed that it was unsuitable for young readers, promoted an anti-family point of view, and was thematically of a highly sexual nature.

This highly controversial story of forbidden love behind bars will be read by Paul Robeson Reference Librarian, Vibiana Bowman Cvetkovic. An in-depth discussion and analysis will be led by Mary Krebs Flaherty, M.A., English (Rutgers Camden),  &  Senior Administrative Assistant in the Camden FMS Department.

Parents nationwide demanded that this book be removed from library shelves. Are some books simply too shocking to allow children to read? Come hear the story and decide for yourself.

Please join us during the free period for this reading and discussion.  No RSVP required.

A month ago, Wikipedia passed the 3 million article mark.  Shortly after this milestone, Wikipedia announced that it will launch page controls. These page controls would require an editor to review changes to entries on individuals before they appear to the public, eliminating instances of untrue and often slanderous “facts” being added to these pages. There is also the development of something called “WikiTrust” which will color code the information in the entry according to the author’s credibility.

So what does this mean for you and your research?  It is good that Wikipedia is working to eliminate bad information and provide better tools in which to determine an entries accuracy, however this is not the place to go for serious scholarly research.

Check out the librarie’s tutorial on Wikipedia for more details (and a catchy tune).

http://library.camden.rutgers.edu/swf_files/wikipedia/

As always…we are here to answer your questions and help you find the right sources for your research!

I always look forward to flipping through the new reference items that have been added to the collection. These latest books sit behind the reference desk for the librarians to review before they are added to the reference collection. Be sure to ask at the reference desk if you are unable to locate an item of interest.

Encyclopedia of adventure fiction / Don D’Ammassa.   If only they had called them “Adventure Fiction” instead of “Required Summer Reading”. The list of entries in this encyclopedia includes many of the “classics” read in high schools and colleges. The encyclopedia includes entries on the books as well as their creators. The editor hopes “that readers derive a little bit of adventure just by reading about these works, and a great deal more by sampling some of them”.  PR830.A38D36 2009

Encyclopedia of alternative investments / edited by Greg N. Gregoriou. As described by the editor, the “main objective of this encyclopedia is to be the most authoritative source on alternative investments for academics, students, professionals, and practitioners.”  HG4513.E53 2009

The literary 100 : a ranking of the most influential novelists, playwrights, and poets of all time / Daniel S. Burt.  The perfect item to back you up for those late night arguments with your roommate as to who was a more influential poet, Walt Whitman (39) or  Emily Dickinson (52). The editor has “tried to distill the essence of each writer’s career and charachter to help prompt the reader’s consideration of literary merit and relationships.”  PN451.B87 2009

The Praeger handbook of religion and education in the United States / edited by James C. Carper and Thomas C. Hunt. This is a two volume set was developed “as a resource for parents, journalists, policy makers, educators, religious leaders, and citizens as well as scholars….” Includes many summations of U.S. Supreme Court Decisions regarding religious liberty.   LC111.P78 2009.

Waste management : a reference handbook / Jacqueline Vaughn. The editor states that the goal of the book is “to provide readers with background information and an overview of waste that has not been available in a single volume….using an interdisciplinary approach combining history, political science, environmental science, engineering, sociology, and public health”. Chapter 4 provides a straight chronology of waste management to 2008, beginning in 1757 with Benjamin Franklin’s introduction of a street-cleaning service in Philadelphia .  TD791.V38 2009

You may have noticed that the library smells a bit like paint and that there are many large orange crates of books taking up valuable study space. We apologize for this inconvenience. This is all part of the renovation going on that will end with brand new compact shelving on the lower floor. Improvements are also being made to the lighting, heating and air conditioning in this area.

As we work on this project, some of our collection will be  temporarily stored and unavailable.  Call numbers PS (American Literature), Q (sciences), R (nursing and medicine), T (technology, U and V (military) and Z (bibliography)  will not appear in IRIS, the catalog. You may request items from another library using the DELIVER/RECALL button in IRIS, or  EZ-BORROW.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Reference Desk at 856-225-6034 if you need assistance with requesting an item.

The following databases are new to Rutgers Libraries. Click on the link for further descriptions and to connect. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding these or any other databases.

Art Index Retrospective: Contains the so-called ‘back file’ of the print Art Index from the first volume,1929, through 1984.

C19: The Nineteenth Century Index : 1800-1900. A multi-disciplinary database providing bibliographic access-more than 20,000,000 records-to books, periodical and newspaper articles, government publications, and archival collections.

Counseling and Therapy in Video: provides a rich online collection of video for the study of social work, psychotherapy, psychology, and psychiatric counseling.

Everyday Life of Women in America, c.1800-1920: c.1800-1920. Includes fully searchable images (alongside transcriptions) of monographs, pamphlets, periodicals and broadsides focused on 19th and early 20th century political, social and gender issues, religion, race, education, employment, marriage, sexuality, home and family life, health, and pastimes

InfoSci-Books: a fully searchable database of electronic books. It provides access to chapters from books and reference works that were published by IGI Global from 2000 through 2009.

The Jazz Discography: is the most comprehensive, general jazz discography extant.  It includes information on over 183,000 jazz recording sessions from 1896 to the present.

LexisNexis Congressional Publications: Hearings, 1824-1979: The collection includes legislative, oversight, investigative, and confirmation hearings, and complements the House and Senate Reports and Documents available in our U.S. Congressional Serial Set digital collection.

Library Literature & Information Science Retrospective: indexes a wide range of important journals dating as far back as 1905.  Coverage also includes full text content from 69 years of the Wilson Library Bulletin.

Readers’ Guide Retrospective:1890-1982. Containis comprehensive indexing of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States and reflects the history of 20th century America

Social Sciences Index Retrospective: 1907-1984 provides citations to articles covering a wide-range of social sciences and interdisciplinary fields.

Washington Post (ProQuest Historical Newspapers): provides PDF images of essentially all the content published in the Washington Post from its first issue in 1877 through 1993.