Search
Loading
January 27th, 2025
In honor of Black History Month, Purdue Libraries and the Black Cultural Center invites you to attend a lecture by Sheryll Cashin titled, “Residential caste: How West Lafayette can transcend segregation and opportunity hoarding” on Wednesday, February 19, 10:30–11:30 AM in STEW 202.
About the lecture
How does a community with a history of segregation and disenfranchisement move forward to heal, repair, and transform?
West Lafayette is not different from other cities where Black migrants landed. As a professor of law at Georgetown University, Cashin has experience applying her theories to the particulars of multiple communities, with examples of hope, transformation, and repair from other cities. Repair requires building a multiracial coalition that supports policies that include and lift up vulnerable people. Dismantling and repairing residential caste requires perfecting local mulitracial democracy, or what W. E. B. DuBois called abolition democracy.
About Sheryll Cashin
Author of works centered around race relations and inequality in America, Sheryll Cashin is a professor of law at Georgetown University. Her latest book “White Space, Black Hood: Opportunity Hoarding and Segregation in the Age of Inequality” published in September 2021 shows how the government created “ghettos” and affluent white space and entrenched a system of American residential caste that is the linchpin of U.S. inequality, while issuing a call for abolition.
Cashin is an active member of the Poverty and Race Research Action Council; worked in the Clinton White House as an advisor on urban and economic policy, particularly concerning community development in inner-city neighborhoods; and served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. She was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, where her parents were political activists, and currently resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two sons.
View her website to learn more about Cashin and her work.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsSeptember 27th, 2024
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.—Purdue University Archives and Special Collections (ASC) is pleased to announce the digitization of paper transcripts used by Neil Armstrong for his public addresses and select speeches. The nearly 500 transcripts—totaling 7,700 pages—were generously donated by his wife, Carol Armstrong, in 2011. The speeches are available for public viewing, text-searchable, and accessible on Purdue’s online archives platform, e-Archives.
The speeches are annotated by Armstrong with comments, quips, and jokes, or with arrows in the margins suggesting changes to word or phrase order. Jo Otremba, Barron Hilton Archivist for Flight and Space Exploration and clinical assistant professor at Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies, said Armstrong frequently added information that provides readers with additional context of the speech.
“He often added notes on the speeches sharing the date and location the speech was given, which is an interesting feature for the readers to consider,” Otremba said.
Some of the most notable speeches were given at Purdue University events such as the dedication of Grissom and Chaffee Halls and Armstrong’s acceptance of an honorary doctorate degree in 1970. The halls are named after two Purdue astronauts who both lost their lives in a NASA pre-launch fire at Cape Kennedy in 1967—the late Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and the second American to fly in space, and Roger B. Chaffee, a Navy pilot and NASA astronaut.
The Neil Armstrong papers continue to be one of the most accessed collections for research requests and instructional usage through ASC. Increasing ease of access to the archival collection through digitization has been a goal since the acquisition of the speeches in 2011. Work to digitize the speeches, funded by the Purdue Research Foundation and Carol Armstrong, began in 2022. The digitization process itself is lengthy and requires that each speech be described, vetted for third-party copyright, and uploaded to e-Archives.
“This project highlights the continuous effort required to make these resources accessible, and it’s wonderful to celebrate the speeches’ public availability through our e-Archives,” said Otremba.
Building this digital collection would not have been achieved without the detailed and steady collaboration between ASC’s Otremba; graduate assistant Camryn Beeman; Neal Harmeyer, Archivist for Digital Collections and Initiatives, Interim Head of Archives and Special Collections, and clinical associate professor; Sammie Morris, former Head of Archives and Special Collections and former director of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center; and members of Purdue Libraries’ Digital Programs team—Cliff Harrison, operations manager; M Lewis, digital collections photography assistant; and Samuel Wilson, digitization project assistant.
Purdue University Archives and Special Collections
Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, housed within Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies, aims to support the discovery, learning, and engagement goals of Purdue University by identifying, collecting, preserving, and making available research records and papers of enduring value created or received by the university and its employees.
To learn more, visit lib.purdue.edu/spcol.
Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, general, News and AnnouncementsSeptember 21st, 2025
Parrish Library’s Featured Databases series will give you a very brief introduction to the basic features of one of Purdue Libraries’ subscription resources. This edition will feature Morningstar Investing Center, brought to you by Morningstar, Inc.
Morningstar Investing Center includes information on stocks and mutual funds, allows screening using a variety of criteria, and provides access to Morningstar Rating for mutual funds and stocks. Includes Morningstar Analyst Reports.
Please note that this database has a five concurrent user limit. Please log off when you are finished.
The List of Business Databases is an alphabetical list of databases filtered to those most applicable to business, entrepreneurship, and hospitality and tourism management programs of study.
Click Getting Started with Morningstar Investing Center to watch the basics of using this database.
Featured Database comes to you from the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management & Economics. If you would like more information about this database, or if you would like a demonstration of it for a class, contact parrlib@purdue.edu.
Want to see a specific database promoted in an upcoming edition? Send an email to parrlib@purdue.edu and we will gladly promote it.
Filed under: database, general, MGMTSeptember 19th, 2025
On September 17, 2025, Purdue University marked Constitution Day with a celebration in the West Commons of the Purdue Memorial Union. From 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, students, faculty, and community members came together to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution through interactive games, vendor booths, and educational contests. Highlights included a spirited Jeopardy-style competition featuring Purdue students and local celebrities, opportunities to register to vote onsite, and giveaways such as pocket Constitutions and Purdue Football tickets.
Purdue Libraries staff actively engaged with attendees to promote civic literacy during the event. They played a key role by leading discussions on Freedom of Expression, one of the core rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Staff also showcased several digital guides designed to support students’ understanding of free speech, civil liberties, and other related constitutional topics.
By blending fun, education, and civic engagement, the Constitution Day celebration highlighted the Constitution’s lasting impact. Purdue Libraries supports these efforts through resources and programs that empower students to be informed, engaged citizens.
View our government and law guides on our website.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsSeptember 9th, 2025
The Mathematical Sciences Library (MATH) has reopened, welcoming patrons back to a refreshed and updated environment. Visitors can enjoy newly carpeted areas, upgraded furniture, and additional group study rooms. The library’s redesign features a thoughtful rearrangement of bookshelves to increase natural light and create a brighter, more inviting space for study and research.
A testing room is now available
A highlight of the reopening is the new testing room, designed for individual use. This small, windowless room is equipped with a desktop computer and also provides space for personal laptops. It is intended for students taking online exams and will be reservable upon request. Please note that the testing room is not proctored, as Libraries does not offer proctoring services. The reservation system for the testing room can be found on the Libraries website.
Looking forward
Library hours remain unchanged and can be found on the Libraries Hours page. Staff continue to assist with material requests and any questions.
The recent updates and new facilities reflect the Mathematical Sciences Library’s ongoing commitment to providing a comfortable, modern, and functional space to support academic success.
For questions, please contact Allen Bol at rbol@purdue.edu.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsSeptember 7th, 2025
Parrish Library’s Featured Databases series will give you a very brief introduction to the basic features of one of Purdue Libraries’ subscription resources. This edition will feature Checkpoint Edge, brought to you by Thomson Reuters.
Checkpoint Edge provides primary tax documents and secondary analysis for federal, state, and local taxation, estate planning, pensions and benefits, international taxation, and payroll taxation.
The List of Business Databases is an alphabetical list of databases filtered to those most applicable to business, entrepreneurship, and hospitality and tourism management programs of study.
Click Getting Started with Checkpoint Edge to watch the basics of using this database.
Featured Database comes to you from the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management & Economics. If you would like more information about this database, or if you would like a demonstration of it for a class, contact parrlib@purdue.edu.
Want to see a specific database promoted in an upcoming edition? Send an email to parrlib@purdue.edu and we will gladly promote it.
Filed under: database, general, MGMTAugust 24th, 2025
Parrish Library’s Featured Databases series will give you a very brief introduction to the basic features of one of Purdue Libraries’ subscription resources. This edition will feature D&B Hoovers, brought to you by Dun & Bradstreet.
D&B Hoovers aggregates company profiles, business news, and industry reports.
The List of Business Databases is an alphabetical list of databases filtered to those most applicable to business, entrepreneurship, and hospitality and tourism management programs of study.
Click Getting Started with D&B Hoovers to watch the basics of using this database.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Featured Database comes to you from the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management & Economics. If you would like more information about this database, or if you would like a demonstration of it for a class, contact parrlib@purdue.edu.
Want to see a specific database promoted in an upcoming edition? Send an email to parrlib@purdue.edu and we will gladly promote it.
Filed under: database, general, MGMTAugust 14th, 2025
Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies is excited to share a new campus-wide resource: the Digital Accessibility Guide. This comprehensive guide is designed to help faculty, staff, and students create more accessible digital content—from instructional materials and research outputs to webpages and presentations.
The guide provides practical tools, best practices, checklists, and training links to help integrate accessibility into everyday work. Whether you’re building a syllabus, designing a slide deck, or uploading documents online, the guide offers support for creating materials that are inclusive and accessible to all users.
This resource was developed by the Libraries Accessibility Working Group, a team committed to improving accessibility across Libraries services, spaces, and digital resources. While rooted in Libraries, the group’s efforts aim to support broader campus accessibility goals and promote a “born-accessible” approach—building accessibility into the design of content, services, and programs from the outset, rather than addressing barriers after they arise.
The launch of the guide aligns with updated federal requirements under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which call on public institutions to meet more rigorous digital accessibility standards. Through this work, Purdue Libraries reaffirms its commitment to equitable access and contributes to a campus-wide culture where accessibility is a shared responsibility where everyone benefits.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsJuly 29th, 2025
Since 1998, the Indiana State Library (ISL) has provided INSPIRE, a suite of online databases and resources, to all libraries, schools, and residents of Indiana. Due to recent budget cuts at the federal and state levels, ISL has had to renegotiate its INSPIRE contract with the library database vendor EBSCO, resulting in several EBSCO databases being replaced with lower-tier products or eliminated completely. Change in access is expected to occur on August 1. Please see our INSPIRE Libguide for more details.
Purdue Libraries has traditionally tracked the databases made available through the INSPIRE program on its discovery tools like the A-to-Z database list and will be updating those tools to reflect the changes to the INSPIRE EBSCO databases as they occur. Libraries is currently analyzing usage statistics for resources within INSPIRE to determine the most cost-effective way to provide access to eliminated content that has, up until now, been available to Purdue University at no extra cost.
Users are encouraged to use the Purdue Libraries’ interlibrary loan service to request articles no longer available via INSPIRE databases.
Please contact Rebecca Richardson, associate dean for collections and access, with questions or concerns at rarichar@purdue.edu.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsJune 25th, 2025
Purdue Libraries Assistant Professor Zoeanna Mayhook has been invited to serve on the planning committee for the inaugural AI Academy, offered through the Purdue Innovation Hub. This week-long experience, scheduled for August 11–15, is designed to help faculty across campus build the skills and confidence to creatively and critically integrate AI tools into their teaching practices.
As a member of the planning committee, Mayhook brings an information literacy perspective to the conversation. “AI has certainly streamlined search and information synthesis in many ways,” she explained, “but now more than ever, it’s important to understand how these tools function, what data and sources they draw from, what they do well, and where they fall short. I take an AI-positive approach in my teaching, and I’m genuinely excited about what these tools can do, but I also want us all to stay sharp and thoughtful.”
Mayhook emphasized that even when AI-generated content appears credible, that doesn’t guarantee it is accurate or complete. Evaluating AI outputs requires a different approach than traditional methods used for human-authored sources. Developing the skills and strategies to critically assess AI-generated information will help faculty and students adapt to the evolving roles and expectations surrounding AI use in both academic and professional environments.
Through her involvement in AI Academy, Mayhook is looking forward to sharing best practices with colleagues across disciplines and learning alongside the planning team. “It’s an amazing team putting this together, and I’m thrilled to be part of it,” she added. “It’s shaping up to be a fantastic experience this August.”
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsMay 29th, 2025
Libraries faculty members Margaret Phillips, Jason Reed, David Zwicky, and Wei Zakharov won the 2025 ELD Best Publication Award for their paper titled, “Systematic Reviews in the Engineering Literature: A Scoping Review.” The award was established in 1998 to honor the best new paper or non-reference monographic work in engineering information.
The paper, a collaborative effort involving nine authors—including colleagues from several other Association of American Universities (AAU) institutions—provides a comprehensive overview of how systematic reviews are conducted and utilized in engineering scholarship. The project was funded by a 2023 “Elevating the Visibility of Research” seed grant from the Purdue Office of Research, which supports the development of high-impact review papers with the potential to raise the visibility of Purdue’s research.
The 2025 ELD Awards Committee praised the paper for its strong structure, clarity, and relevance to a rapidly growing area within engineering librarianship. The committee highlighted the paper’s clear and effective presentation, as well as the use of well-designed visuals and cross-institutional collaboration. They described the work as a model for future research in the field—one that “sets a high standard” and represents a “significant contribution to the field of engineering information.”
To learn more about the award and the Engineering Libraries Division, visit the ELD website; more information about the American Society for Engineering Education can be found on the ASEE website.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsMay 29th, 2025
The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) has signed a groundbreaking two-year Open Publishing Agreement with Springer Nature—marking the publisher’s first unlimited, uncapped open access agreement in the Americas. This agreement is the BTAA’s fifth Open Publishing Agreement and its most ambitious yet, significantly expanding publishing opportunities for researchers across participating institutions, including Purdue University.
Under this new agreement, authors affiliated with participating BTAA member institutions can publish open access articles in Springer Nature’s entire hybrid journal portfolio without paying article processing charges. This includes over 2,200 journals published under the Springer, Palgrave Macmillan, and Adis imprints, as well as Academic Journals; it does not, however, include Nature titles or those that are fully open access. The deal removes financial barriers and simplifies the publishing process, allowing authors to retain their rights and publish under a Creative Commons license—ensuring immediate, unrestricted access to their research.
To learn more about this agreement and others, please visit our Open Access Publishing Partnerships guide.
Filed under: general, News and Announcements