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September 18, 2007
New Look for the Thompson Library Homepage
Looks different, eh? As you may know, the entire campus is migrating to a new, common system for its websites. The Thompson Library is in the midst of this process. (And as library webmaster, I'm up to my eyeballs in it!) Because the Thompson Library has over 800 web pages and files to migrate, it's a long process. The new look to the homepage and a few other pages isn't even the finished product; although the finished product will look almost identical to this, it will be on a different server.
Another change: the Thompson Library's homepage can be found at www.umflint.edu/library. The old address will continue to work through the Fall term, and other pages will keep the old "lib.umflint.edu" URL until the migration is completed. When the final migration is done (probably in October or November), please update your library bookmarks.
If you have any questions or notice any problems, please let me know.
Paul Streby
Collection Development Librarian & Webmaster
pgstreby@umflint.edu
762-3405
Posted by pgstreby at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)
September 13, 2007
Problem with Library Databases - RESOLVED
EZProxy is working again. Thank you for your patience.
Posted by pgstreby at 05:27 PM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2007
Archives & Rare Books Catalog
Archival research at UM is becoming a little bit easier. On Monday, September 17, Mirlyn will include a new combined catalog of archival holdings and other rare materials on the Flint and Ann Arbor campuses, and is titled Archives & Rare Books.
This new catalog covers the holdings of the Genesee Historical Collections Center (the official name of the UM-Flint Archives), the Bentley Historical Library, the Clements Library, and the Special Collections Library on the Ann Arbor campus, as well as relevant collections of several other Ann Arbor libraries. The Archives & Rare Books catalog can be found by clicking "Find Other Library Catalogs" in Mirlyn, or take a sneak peak..
If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact Paul Streby.
Posted by pgstreby at 11:09 PM | Comments (0)
September 10, 2007
9/11 Resources at the Thompson Library
Anniversaries are often times of recollection and reflection. As we commemorate the sixth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on America, you may find yourself remembering where you were when you first heard about some planes crashing. I was in my office; my wife Kim called and told me that an airplane had smashed into the World Trade Center. I said it might have been an accident, but when she called back and told me about the second tower being hit, my hope vanished that it was simply a terrible mishap. Kim was a month pregnant with our firstborn son Ronan, and I wondered what sort of world we were bringing a child into.
As you reflect on the September 11 attacks and their consequences, I invite you to use the resources of the Thompson Library to deepen your knowledge and understanding. The Thompson Library has a number of books and videos about that horrible day and its long aftermath. Whether you are looking for accounts of the attacks themselves, analyses of their causes, or interpretations of their significance today, there are materials here that you can use.
One personal recommendation: the film United 93, about the passengers who rose up and fought their hijackers, literally to the death. It's not easy to watch, but it's one of the most riveting action movies I've ever seen. I hate calling it an "action movie," because it is infinitely better than 99% of the explosion-packed fluff that comes out of Hollywood, but I don't know what other genre it would fall into. It successfully conveys the confusing situation decision-makers on the ground found themselves in, and the courage and will to survive of the passengers in the air. The implicit deal in hijackings had been that if you cooperated with the terrorists, you'd get out alive. Once the passengers on United flight 93 learned that their captors weren't going to keep their end of this wicked bargain, they knew they had to act. All civilized people owe respect and gratitude to these passengers - ordinary people - who refused to be passive victims.
Posted by pgstreby at 03:33 PM | Comments (0)