Libraries, Collections, and Archives
Civil War Maps from the Army Corps of Engineers Now Digitized
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Voting Member, Blog Post, September 21, 2021
Civil War era and related maps from the Army Corps of Engineers have been digitized and are available to view and download from the National Archives Catalog. The records are part of the Civil Works Map File series from Record Group 77, Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers. The records make up the Z file unit.
The records in the Civil Works Map File comprised the main map collection for the Corps of Engineers during the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. They include manuscript maps forwarded to headquarters by Corps of Topographic Engineers and Army Engineer surveyors and cartographers in the field, and published editions of selected maps. The maps pertain to numerous subjects, including surveys of the Mississippi River, Great Lakes, and other bodies of water; construction or improvement of harbors, canals, roads, railroads and other internal improvements; exploration of the West and surveying of western terrain; location of posts and fortifications, Indian tribes, and settlements in western territories; military roads and routes between Army posts; campaigns and battlefields of the Revolutionary War, the Seminole War in Florida, Indian Wars in the West, the Mexican War, and the Civil War (including both Union Army maps and Confederate Army maps acquired by Union forces); surveys of boundaries between States and Territories; and numerous foreign areas. Architectural and engineering drawings in this series relate to canals, bridges, dams, piers, and jetties as built along the coasts and inland waterways. Also included are plans of dredge boats used in improving rivers and harbors.
Police union websites preserved by library archive
Cornell University Library, L.S.A. Member, News Announcement, September 7, 2021
Amid ongoing national conversations about reform sparked by police killings of Black Americans last year, a new Cornell University Library archive promises to help researchers track and analyze the views of police unions and associations, as reflected by their websites.
Spearheaded by the library’s Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives in Catherwood Library, in the ILR School, the Police Unions and Associations archive features a curated collection of 165 public safety organizations’ websites, from the Alliance of Hispanic Law Enforcement to the Vulcan Society, a fraternal organization of Black New York City firefighters. Each represents one of four constituencies: labor unions, professional associations, minority law enforcement organizations and police accountability organizations.
Renovated Hayden Library and courtyard open to the MIT community
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Libraries, L.S.A. Member, News Announcement, September 7, 2021
The newly renovated Hayden Library and Building 14 courtyard opened to the MIT community Aug. 23. The spaces were re-envisioned to provide areas for collaborative work, exploring collections, a teaching and event space, a new cafe, and areas to unwind, surrounded by greenery and natural light.
“Libraries have a unique role to play at an institution like MIT, especially the physical spaces of the Libraries,” says MIT Libraries Director Chris Bourg. “It was critical that the new Hayden Library and courtyard meet some core needs for the MIT community, including a place for working hands-on with collections, spaces for collaborative group work and community building, and accessible, welcoming spots for working or relaxing in beautiful surroundings.”
Open Access, Open Science
What UM is doing to support open educational resource uptake
University of Manitoba, L.S.A. Consortia Member, News Announcement, September 15, 2021
Open educational resources—free materials known as OERs—are an important tool in reducing the cost of course materials for students, improving access to post-secondary education, and enabling innovative forms of teaching that are participatory and locally relevant.
“OERs help to make post-secondary education affordable. UM has been working on initiatives to support and increase open educational resource uptake across our campuses,” says Vice-Provost (Libraries) and University Librarian Lisa O’Hara.
Iowa State publishes more articles Open Access than Closed for the sixth consecutive year
Iowa State University, L.S.A. Member, News Announcement, September 8, 2021
For the sixth consecutive year, the majority of scholarly outputs coming from Iowa State University have been published Open Access (OA), making these works freely available for anyone in the world with an internet connection. This rise in researchers making their work open is in accordance with Iowa State University’s land-grant mission to create, share, and apply knowledge to make Iowa and the world a better place. Further, it reflects the growing support available for OA at Iowa State University.
Library of Congress Releases Data for Free Download and Discovery
Library of Congress, Voting Member, News Announcement, September 1, 2021
The Library of Congress announced today its third release of records in its online catalog for free bulk download for research and discovery. The release supports the Library’s effort to continuously expand open access to its vast collections.
This MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging Records) release surpasses previous releases and adds more than 200,000 new records to the existing 25 million record database.
Releases of MARC data uniquely exhibit the Library’s mission. They enable researchers to engage with the unparalleled and rich source metadata at the Library, inspire discovery of Library collections and provide resources to inform future discovery within the Library and data communities.
Grants and Awards
NEH Grant Awarded to Publish Works of Dickinson
University of Delaware, Voting Member, News Announcement, September 24, 2021
The University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press, in partnership with the John Dickinson Writings Project (JDP), has been awarded a Scholarly Editions and Translations grant of $300,000 with a $149,998 match from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for 2021-24. The project brings to life the writings of John Dickinson, an American founder with strong ties to Delaware who is known today as the “Penman of the Revolution.” Trevor A. Dawes, vice provost for libraries and museums and May Morris University Librarian, and Jane E. Calvert, director/chief editor for the JDP, serve as co-project directors. Learn more about this NEH-funded project.
HuMetricsHSS Initiative Receives $650,000 Mellon Grant
University of Michigan, L.S.A. Member, News Announcement, September 16, 2021
Michigan State University has received a $650,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to continue the work being done by the Humane Metrics for the Humanities and Social Sciences (HuMetricsHSS) initiative, an international partnership committed to establishing more humane indicators of excellence in academia with a particular focus on the humanities and social sciences.
The goal of the HuMetricsHSS initiative is to empower people at all levels of academic institutions by identifying core values and aligning reward mechanisms in every area — from grades and funding to promotion and tenure — with those values.
Product Innovation
Ex Libris Library App now live at the University of Amsterdam
Ex Libris, Inc., Voting Member, Press Release, September 16, 2021
Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce that the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is now live with the Ex Libris Library Mobile™ app, just in time for the new academic year.
The Ex Libris Library Mobile app, powered by Ex Libris campusM, will help librarians provide their customers with the seamless user experience that they have come to expect from the retail, banking, and leisure applications that they use daily. The UvA Library will use the app to increase the visibility of library services such as account information, library hours, and study spaces. With useful information at hand, students can easily connect to the library and carry out library-related tasks on the go.
Partnerships & Collaborations
Silverchair Partners American Medical Association and Rockefeller University Press Join GetFTR
Silverchair, Voting Member, Press Release, September 15, 2021
The American Medical Association and Rockefeller University Press have today announced their partnership with Get Full Text Research (GetFTR), a free-to-use solution for Discovery Services, Reference Managers, and other integrators that supports researchers by streamlining how they discover and access content on and off campus. Both publishers host their journal content on the Silverchair Platform, which joined GetFTR recently.
Over the last 18 months, GetFTR has expanded its service to best support streamlined access to global research content through affiliated discovery tools and scholarly platforms. With over 20 publishers and integrators now benefiting from using the tool, the service supports streamlined access to over 40,000,000 global research articles. The addition of the American Medical Association’s JAMA Network and Rockefeller University Press marks the next step in GetFTR’s development and the integrated approach with the research and publishing community to better streamline access to content.
IEEE and Edge Announce Partnership to Enhance Research Data Management and Collaboration with IEEE DataPort
IEEE, Voting Member, Press Release, September 2, 2021
Edge, a nonprofit research and education network and technology partner, has announced a partnership with IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity. The two organizations will collaborate to offer increased awareness of institutional subscriptions to IEEE DataPort -- a web-based, cloud services platform supporting the data-related needs of the global technical community -- making it available to academic, government, and not-for-profit institutions across the United States.
IEEE DataPort provides a unified data and collaboration platform which researchers can leverage to efficiently store, share, access, and manage research data, accelerating institutional research efforts. Researchers at subscribing institutions will gain access to the more than 2,500 research datasets available on the platform and the ability to collaborate with more than 1.25 million IEEE DataPort users worldwide. The platform also enables institutions to meet funding agency requirements for the use of and sharing of data.
Leadership Announcements
HighWire sharpens product leadership focus with new appointments
HighWire Press, Voting Member, News Announcement, September 1, 2021
HighWire signals a new era of product leadership through recent announcements regarding the organization’s mission, leadership, and branding. Tangible examples of these commitments include new appointments made to the team by its leader Tony Alves, SVP of Product Management.
Oliver “Olly” Rickard is now the Director of Product Management for hosting platforms Scolaris and JCore. Olly has been with the organization since 2016, when he joined as a Business Analyst. He has been active in the research technology space as a product manager and software developer for over 20 years.