‘The Idea of Nature’ Collection and Lecture Series

Boise State will present the third annual public lecture series titled “Interdisciplinary Explorations – The Idea of Nature.” This series is inspired by the theme that big questions need interdisciplinary answers. The goal of the series is to foster the public humanities by bringing distinguished lecturers to Boise.

This year’s speakers include:

• Feb. 12 – Jedediah Purdy, “After Nature: Living in the Anthropocene”
• March 13 – Richard Brantley, “Emily Dickinson and Science”
• April 24 – Susan Oliver, “Getting to the Roots of the Matter: Trees in 19th Century Literature”

Past presentations can be viewed by visiting the “Interdisciplinary Explorations – The Idea of Nature” collection in ScholarWorks.

The lectures are free, open to the public and no tickets are required. The lectures will be held from 6-7 p.m. in the Student Union Simplot Ballroom. Each lecture will be followed by a reception with a no-host bar and appetizers. To reserve a spot at a reception, or for more information about free parking and the series, send an e-mail to samanthaharvey@boisestate.edu or visit scholarworks.boisestate.edu/ideaofnature.

Welcome to Spring Semester!

It may not look like spring much, but we're excited to have you back on campus and the library! We strive to make your research and study spaces as comfortable and useful as possible. Here's how we can help:

• Access thousands of articles from journals and magazines, many which are mobile-friendly
• Hundreds of computers running Microsoft Office, Mac and PC laptops for checkout, scanners, and multiple BroncoPrint stations, including wireless printing from your laptop
• Streaming video databases on a wide range of subjects--watch online or on your portable device
• Check out iPads, MacBooks, and netbooks from the Circulation desk on the first floor
• The whole building is Wi-Fi enabled
• Printing stations on 1st and 2nd floors, and color printing on the 1st floor
• The library catalog sports a large & growing collection of eBooks--read books online or download it to your portable device
• A collaboration room (L109C) with scanners & computers
• Extensive subject guides in fields such as Public Administration, Radiologic Sciences, Kinesiology, Educational Technology and many more, via the library's subject guides
• Did we mention a Starbucks in the building? First floor, next to the library's entrance
• Have questions about research, campus, or anything at all? We’re available to help you via our Help page, on Facebook, and on Twitter. We're well represented on Pinterest and Instagram too. Or you can text us your questions at (208) 546-9982

 We hope you have a fantastic Spring semester!

Library Closed Monday, 1/20/14

The Albertsons Library will be closed Monday, January 20th for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr./Idaho Human Rights Day. We'll resume regular hours on Tuesday, January 21st for the start of the Spring semester. See our library hours at http://library.boisestate.edu/about/hours.php

Public Domain Day is January 1st!

Top Row (left to right): George Washington Carver; Sergei Rachmaninoff; Shaul Tchernichovsky
Middle Row (left to right): Sophie Taeuber-Arp; Nikola Tesla; Kostis Palamas; Max Wertheimer
Bottom Row (left to right): Simone Weil; Chaim Soutine; Fats Waller; Beatrix Potter

January 1st, 2014 was Public Domain Day. A day that serves as an important reminder that there are great benefits to being able to share and build on the creative works of others without having to seek permission or pay licensing fees.

Public domain is essential to the creation of new ideas and works. Although it’s important for an author or artist to control what happens to their work initially, the U.S. copyright law was designed to place limits on those rights in order to encourage new creative endeavors. 

Works are considered in the public domain in three instances: creators can choose to place their works in the public domain, releasing all rights and control over their creations. Some works are not eligible for copyright protection, such as government documents or common collections of data like a phone book. Finally, all works will pass into the public domain after their limited copyrights have expired. Once a work is in the public domain, we are free to copy, share, and enjoy those works. 

Why celebrate Public Domain Day on January 1st? It marks the day when the duration of copyrights for certain works have expired and are now in the public domain. So what has passed into the public domain in recent years? How about these gems:

• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
• Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
• Ulyssess by James Joyce
• The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats

So what’s passing into the public domain this year? Unfortunately, nothing. The Center for the Study of Public Domain explains,

“When the first copyright law was written in the United States, copyright lasted 14 years, renewable for another 14 years if the author wished. Jefferson or Madison could look at the books written by their contemporaries and confidently expect them to be in the public domain within a decade or two. Now? In the United States, as in much of the world, copyright lasts for the author’s lifetime, plus another 70 years. You might think, therefore, that works whose authors died in 1943 would be freely available on January 1, 2014. Sadly, no. When Congress changed the law, it applied the term extension retrospectively to existing works, and gave all in-copyright works published between 1923 and 1977 a term of 95 years. The result? None of those works will enter the public domain until 2019 and works from 1957, whose arrival we might otherwise be expecting January 1, 2014, will not enter the public domain until 2053.”

The Center goes on to further explain that as a result of these legislative changes, works like Atlas Shrugged, The Three Faces of Eve, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas will not pass into the public domain this year. 

Want to learn more about copyright, public domain, and alternatives to sharing your work?  Try some of these resources:

• The Illustrated Story of Copyright (also available in the Reference area: ref KF 2994 .S26 2000) 
• Center for the Study of the Public Domain 
• Creative Commons

Michelle Armstrong,
Scholarly Communications and Data Management Librarian

Library Winter Intersession Hours

Photo by Joe Buckingham, Flickr

The library and the rest of the Boise State campus will be closed during the Winter Break. The library will be open limited hours during Winter Intersession:

Friday, December 20: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (Commencement!)
Saturday, December 21 through Sunday, December 29: Closed
Monday, December 30: 7:00 am to 7:00 pm
Tuesday, December 31:  7:00 am to 5:00 pm
Wednesday, January 1, 2014: Closed
Thursday, January 2: 7:00am to 7:00 pm
Friday, January 3: 7:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday, January 4: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
See our calendar page for our complete list of operating hours.

Congratulations to all our graduates, and Happy Holidays to our extended Boise State family!
 

Workshop: Data Management Plans

 

All researchers can benefit from developing a data management plan. They save crucial time, preserve data integrity, facilitate long-term preservation, and help increase the visibility of the research. Representatives from the Office of Information Technology, Office of Sponsored Programs and Albertsons Library will help researchers learn about the basics of data management plans and the tools and resources available to help  develop one. 

The last 45 minutes of the session will be set aside to answer questions and to discuss specific data management needs. Researchers are welcome to attend all or part of the session.

When: Noon-1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10
Where: Student Union Bishop Barnwell Room

Michelle Armstrong,

Scholarly Communications and Data Management Librarian

Ask a Librarian 24/7

Check out our "Ask a Librarian 24/7" widget on the library's homepage:

 



What does it do, you ask? Well, if you're doing homework in the wee hours when the library is not open and you need quick on-the-spot online access to a librarian, this widget will connect you to one in seconds, 24/7. It may not be an Albertsons Library librarian all the time, but a librarian from another college or university, ready to answer your reference questions.

It's just another way to connect with knowledgeable staff to help you and your research needs, day and night, all the time. Cool? We think so.