10.29.2014

Need A Little Quiet?

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You now have options. How about a checking out a set of Earmuffs at the Circulation Desk? Check out a set of earmuffs, use them in the library until you are finished.

Or, maybe pick up a set of disposable ear plugs at the Circulation Desk. Earmuffs or ear plugs not your thing? How about trying some white noise apps or ambient music? Here are a few app suggestions to try on an iPad:
  • White Noise Box
  • White Noise Lite
  • Rain Sounds for Sleep and Relaxation Free
There is also Pandora. You could  try out some ambient music or a white noise station. Plus check out the variety of  white noise stations on YouTube.

Audrey Williams,
Access Services

10.27.2014

Surviving Cold and Flu Season


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Photo by Edgar Antonio Villaseñor González
via Flickr CC (http://bit.ly/1wvM0O2)

Although we’ve been inundated with news about the ebola virus lately, the influenza virus is much more likely to be an issue for those of us in Idaho. TV station KXLF reported the first flu-related death in Idaho more than two weeks ago http://www.kxly.com/news/north-idaho-news/idaho-reports-first-flu-related-death-of-season/29025292 so if you haven’t gotten your flu vaccination, now is the time to do so.

Boise State University’s Health Services has a number of resources including free vaccinations:
http://healthservices.boisestate.edu/resources/coldandflu/

Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare offers detailed information about signs of the flu and what to do:
http://www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/Health/DiseasesConditions/Influenza/SeasonalInfluenza(Flu)/tabid/327/Default.aspx

And the CDC also has some pretty good, basic information about protecting yourself and others during flu season:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/stopgerms.htm

For more scholarly articles on influenza check out the databases collected on the Health Services library guide
http://guides.boisestate.edu/health_sciences.

Above all, take care!
Michelle Armstrong and Elizabeth Ramsey



10.23.2014

The Golden Anniversary Celebration Continues for Albertsons Library



Boise State Library, c1964/65

Once, the Boise State library was so small that it was part of the Administration Building. Then, in 1963, construction on a new library building began. The new library building had its first open house in 1964, and we’re continuing to celebrate the library building’s 50th anniversary with a series of events. Here’s what’s cooking:

Friday, October 31st: A costume contest sponsored by the library’s Social Committee! Post a pic in your best 1960’s era best to Twitter with the hashtag #BoiseStLibraryat50 by 5pm on Halloween Day. The winner will receive a Starbucks gift card.

Thursday, November 6th: Cake! Cake! Cake! There have been more than one million downloads of Boise State research from our institutional repository, ScholarWorks. Celebrate this astounding success with cake and more, in the library lobby from noon-2pm.

Thursday, November 13th: Take a walk back in time! Boise State’s university archivist, Julia Stringfellow, will present a brownbag lecture on the history of the library at noon in LIB201C.

Each attendee will also be automatically entered in our giveaway for a nifty portable power pack, useful for recharging your phone or other device on the go.


Elizabeth Ramsey
Assistant Professor, Reference & Instruction Librarian








This blog post is the sixth in a series, produced in coordination with the
celebration of Albertsons Library’s 50th Anniversary. #BoiseStLibraryat50






10.20.2014

50 Years of The Beatles

By United Press International, photographer unknown
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Is there a certain song that instantly transports you back in time? The melody accompanying a road trip where you watched the familiar melt away, and the new surround you. The song that filled a room full of spinning lights and laughter at a school dance. The tune a family member used to hum while they completed a mundane task. The entire album of the first band you fell in love with that you sang at the top of your lungs, windows rolled down. Memories that can not be separated from their soundtrack.

The Beatles are who I remember playing in the background while we sang and danced along. They were playing while we cleaned the house, while we had a lazy morning, and while we drove down the road to new adventures. Sure, there were plenty of other bands and songs playing in the background, but The Beatles have stuck with me my whole life. Their songs still make me smile, make me tap my fingers on the steering wheel, and make me want to dance. They were one of the few bands that as technology changed, I replaced their albums with the latest format, from vinyl, to tape, to CD, to MP3. The movies they made also represent an evolution in technology, from black and white, to color, to cartoon!

Beatlemania hit the United States in 1964, the same year the Albertsons Library opened. The Beatles performance on the Ed Sullivan Show was undoubtedly the turning point for many of their fans. According to this documentary, not only did the crime rate drop that day, but 40% of the TOTAL U.S. population watched their performance. Go back and read that again, let it sink in. Forty percent! 

One thing about Beatlemania I’ll never understand is, why did all those people buy tickets to hear a band play, but spend the whole time screaming so loud they probably didn’t hear a single song? 

Dig the Beatles? Check ‘em out from the Albertsons Library!

Yellow submarine record, http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/42531861
Help! record, http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/4331454
We're Going to See the Beatles!" ebook  http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/870597460
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band CD http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/15860942
The Beatles Anthology DVD, http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/51961909

Deana Brown,
Reference Librarian

 


















This blog post is the fifth in a series, produced in coordination with the celebration of Albertsons Library’s 50th Anniversary. #BoiseStLibraryat50

10.15.2014

Maker Mixer at Albertsons Library


Mingle with makers at Albertsons Library’s Maker Mixer! This is an opportunity to:
  • Connect with interdisciplinary maker faculty and staff
  • Take a sneak peek at the library’s new 3D printer
  • Learn about the maker technologies at the library
  • Enjoy beverages and snacks
If you have an interest in emerging technologies: video creation, design thinking, mobile and web development, eBook creation, but especially 3D printing. Whether you already know about these technologies, or have a desire to learn more, we want you to join us!

Albertsons Library Maker Mixer, Friday, October 17, 2014, 9:30 - 11am, Collaboration Lab (room 109C), first floor of Albertsons Library. We look forward to seeing you there!

#MakerMixer #BoiseState @BSULibrary

Mary Aagard,
Access Services

10.13.2014

Boise State's Centennial Amphitheatre

 The Centennial Amphitheatre, located on the Greenbelt east of the Friendship Bridge between Albertsons Library and the Communication building, is a popular outdoor venue for concerts and other events organized by university and community groups. Its location is intentional. It was placed on an undeveloped corner of campus, and it is easily accessible both from Julia Davis Park and the Greenbelt. 

The project to construct the amphitheatre was approved by the State Board of Education in June 1989. The structure was envisioned as more than an outdoor facility for university performances, lectures, and casual gatherings. It was also an enhancement to the Greenbelt and a welcome addition to the Boise arts community. The "Elizabethan Fair" design of the structure looked similar to the Global Theater. It was meant to serve as the culmination of the university's goal of enhancing its indoor performance facilities with an exceptional outdoor theater for special cultural events. The amphitheatre was not envisioned as a "commercial facility, but a cultural bridge to city and region."

Two local businessmen donated the amphitheatre. One was Jim Nelson of Nelson Sand and Gravel who was the Prime Contractor for the project, and the other was Ron Yanke of Yanke Machine Shop. Art Albanese of Zabala-Giltzow-Albanese also donated architectural services for the 16-foot-tall semi-circular structure that could seat 600 people. The amphitheatre was valued at more than $250,000 when it was completed. The landscaping around the structure was created to shield it from surrounding buildings and maximize the natural setting.     

The amphitheatre was completed by the summer of 1990. It was officially dedicated on July 3, 1990. Entertainment for the ceremony was provided by Boise Junior College graduate Gib Hochstrasser and his BSU Alumni Band called the "Little Big Band." The contributions of Jim Nelson, Ron Yanke, and Art Albanese were recognized at the ceremony. The amphitheatre was termed "Centennial" in honor of the centennial of Idaho that was signed into statehood by President Benjamin Harrison as the 43rd state on July 3, 1890. The dedication ceremony was one of the special events held that year to celebrate the state's birthday.

When the amphitheatre opened, it was intended for all agencies on a rental basis, whether it was for academic use, student use, or use by an outside agency. The structure was used annually for SummerFest, a popular festival held along the Boise River in the 1990s. The amphitheatre is currently a frequent host of university and community events.

Julia Stringfellow
Archivist/Librarian

Special Collections and Archives

10.10.2014

“A is for Arab” Exhibit

Photo credit CC by Tribes of the World, via flickr

A is for Arab: Archiving Stereotypes in U.S. Popular Culture features photographs of objects and materials from the Jack G. Shaheen Archive at Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, and documents U.S. popular culture representations of Arabs and Muslims. Powerful, accessible and compelling, the A is for Arab traveling exhibition reveals and critiques the stereotypical portrayals of Arabs and Muslims from the early-20th century to the present.

The exhibit provides historical context about these images, which range from film stills to comic books to editorial cartoons. Check this link to view portions of the exhibit: http://neareaststudies.as.nyu.edu/object/kc.media.jackshaheen.aisforarab

Exhibit Dates and Location: Opening October 6, 2014, Closing October 31, 2014 in the SUB Transit Center.

Documentary Showing: Reel Bad Arabs: 50 minute documentary on how Hollywood vilifies the Arab race will be shown in the library, room 201C, on Tuesday, October 14th from noon-1pm.

Additional Resources for this event include:
  1. Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (book by Dr. Jack Shaheen) on display at the library
  2. Guilty: Hollywood’s Verdict on Arabs After 9/11 (book by Dr. Jack Shaheen) on display at the library
  3. The Nation magazine, “Islamophobia: An Anatomy of An American Panic” July 2-9, 2012, available electronically through the library http://goo.gl/lYKvnP [my.BoiseState login may be required]
  4. Dr. Jack Shaheen interview clips (available on loan from NYU)
Elizabeth Ramsey,
Reference Librarian

10.09.2014

Have you found KP2?

KP2 in stacks.jpg
Find me somewhere in the library!
Though he has survived being attacked by his mother, surfing with children, flown out of his native Hawaii and placed in a research facility, KP2 has never met a human he did not like. Now KP2 is in Albertsons Library, waiting to make new friends.

In past years Albertsons Library has participated in Campus Read events and outreach efforts by hiding a plush animal in the book stacks for students to find (2012-2013, 2013-2014). 

We continue on with this tradition with our cute KP2; he’s visited Walden Pond and the Scottish coast, panned for gold, and has read about different mariners throughout time. 

Students may find KP2 anywhere in the library where he is curiously reading up on different topics and people. 

They can also read more about KP2 the seal in this year’s Campus Read, The Odyssey of KP2: An Orphan Seal and a Marine Biologist’s Fight to Save a Species by Terrie M. Williams, which can be checked out from the library.

People who find KP2 should bring him to the Circulation Desk, where they will be awarded with a prize. Then KP2 will travel again to another part of the library to be found by another friend.

If you find KP2, share with us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, #FriendofKP2 #CampusRead @BSULibrary.

Mary Aagard,
Access Services

10.08.2014

In Memory of an Idaho Rock and Roll Star

Photo from Flicker, C Thomas
Paul Revere: January 7, 1938 - October 4, 2014
Paul Revere was a unique, charismatic entertainer who started his music career in Caldwell and Boise, Idaho, and went on to become an icon of rock and roll. He passed away at his home in Garden Valley, Idaho, on October 4th.

Paul Revere and the Raiders always put on a show that was energetic and fun, ensuring that the audience had a memorable time. Paul Revere and the Raiders were Idaho’s answer to the ‘British invasion’ of rock bands at the time, such as the Beatles and Rolling Stones. The revolutionary costumes they wore were their trademark throughout their career.

Paul Revere worked closely with the likes of Dick Clark and appeared regularly on Where the Action Is. The band were guests on shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show. Paul Revere supported Ride to the Wall, a group in support of veterans, with two CD’s. Hits from his time with Paul Revere and the Raiders include Kicks, Indian Reservation. Louie Louie, Hungry. Check out some of the band’s music through Alexander Street Press.

You can also watch videos of the band’s performances and find more details about them on the Paul Revere & the Raiders website http://www.paulrevereandtheraiders.com/index.html

Audrey Williams & Shelly Doty