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January 30th, 2019
Due to the wind chill emergency at Purdue University, the Veterinary Medical Library and the Aviation Technology Library will close at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30.
Visit www.lib.purdue.edu/hoursList for Purdue Libraries’ hours.
Filed under: generalJanuary 27th, 2019
On July 20, 1969, the world watched as Neil Armstrong took humankind’s first steps on the moon.
This giant leap instantly became the defining moment in space history. There were now American footprints on the moon, fulfilling the late President John F. Kennedy’s promise to do so by the end of the decade.
NASA’s accomplishment is all the more incredible in light of the tragedy that occurred just two-and-half years prior, when on January 27, 1967, Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee lost their lives in a fire during a launch pad test of the Apollo 1 spacecraft. The nation was in shock and NASA was forced to confront the mistakes that led to the avoidable deaths of its own astronauts.
In its haste to reach the moon by the end of the decade, NASA had pushed the flawed Apollo 1 craft to its limits. Though it was too late for the Apollo 1 astronauts, NASA ultimately realized that there was much that needed to be changed if they were to make it to the moon.
“One of the cruel ironies, the central paradox of the Space Race, was that a launch pad fire actually saved the Apollo program,” notes George Leopold, Gus Grissom’s biographer. “The reason was the evidence of what had been overlooked in Grissom’s ship—the faulty wiring, the leaking coolant, the lack of flame-retardant materials in the spacecraft, the clumsy, inward-opening hatch, and most important of all, NASA’s misguided engineering decision to use pure oxygen under pressure on the launch pad—all of it was there for the investigators to sift through.”
Tragedy struck, but NASA learned from it, and the groundwork was laid to successfully put humankind on the moon.
Armstrong was empowered to take that first giant leap on the surface of the moon because of those who did so before him on Earth, including Grissom, White, and Chaffee who took calculated risks to fulfill Kennedy’s promise.
NASA did not make it to the moon despite the failure of the mission; rather, NASA achieved their goal because of the contributions and the sacrifices of these astronauts, and the doors they opened for future giant leaps
As Purdue University celebrates 150 Years of Giant Leaps with its sesquicentennial celebration in 2019; as the world recognizes the fiftieth anniversary of Armstrong’s first steps on the moon in July of this year; we cast the spotlight, today, on the crew of Apollo 1 and in particular Purdue alumnus astronauts Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee, whose giant leaps and ultimate sacrifice moved humankind forward, to the moon and beyond.
The information in this post came from Grissom’s biography, Calculated Risk: The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom, Revised and Expanded and a previous Q&A with the author, George Leopold.
Filed under: UncategorizedJanuary 25th, 2019
Due to some technical difficulties with an electrical project in Stewart Center, the building may experience a power outage Friday, Jan. 25. If this occurs, the outage will impact the Humanities, Social Science, and Humanities (HSSE) Library, and the library will be evacuated and closed until power is restored.
Filed under: general, HSSEJanuary 17th, 2019
In March, Purdue Libraries will offer a special Tinkering Humanist Workshop series focused on text analysis. Led by Purdue Libraries Assistant Professor of Digital Humanities Matt Hannah and Library Assistant Trevor Burrows, the series will explore how to incorporate such methodologies as sentiment analysis and stylometrics into humanities research using the programming language R. The workshop instructors will also consider some of the practical and theoretical questions particular to these approaches.
The series schedule is listed below. Registration for each workshop is required.
Register online at https://goo.gl/forms/u6KdezbBE4jgyDpm2. No previous programming experience is necessary, but participants should be comfortable with basic computer operations.
All sessions will be held in D-VELoP (Data Visualization Experience Lab of Purdue), located in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC 3045).
For more information, contact Assistant Professor Hannah at hannah8@purdue.edu.
Filed under: faculty_staff, general, HSSE, UncategorizedJanuary 17th, 2019
Explore the power of annotation for your research and instruction in a new “Annotating the Humanities” workshop courtesy of the Purdue University Libraries’ Tinkering Humanist Digital Humanities (DH) Workshop Series.
“Annotating the Humanities” is set from 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, in the Data Visualization Experience Lab of Purdue (D-VELoP) in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center, room 3045. Registration is required.
According to Matthew Hannah, assistant professor of digital humanities in Purdue Libraries, the session will cover the challenges of building new digital tools with special guest Hongshan Li, graduate student in the Purdue University Department of Mathematics, who will share a new tool he built to annotate documents.
“These tools are perfect complements for courses because they require students to focus on texts and ‘mark up’ their reading. Hongshan will also share an exclusive first look at his annotation tool designed for classroom application,” Hannah explained. “In this session, we will also discuss the unique challenges of building DH tools.”
Register online at https://bit.ly/2Jja8m6. For more information, contact Assistant Professor Hannah at hannah8@purdue.edu.
Filed under: faculty_staff, general, HSSE, Uncategorized
January 16th, 2019
Due to a scheduled power shut down to install new equipment, Stewart Center, which houses the Humanities, Social Science, and Education (HSSE) Library, will close at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22; Wednesday, Jan. 23; and Thursday, Jan. 24.
All individuals in Stewart Center and the HSSE Library will be required to exit the building at 10:45 p.m. before power to the building is shut off at 11 p.m.
January 22-24 the HSSE Library will re-open at the regularly scheduled time (8 a.m.).
Filed under: general, HSSEJanuary 15th, 2019
Parrish Library’s Featured Database will give you a very brief introduction to the basic features of one of our specialized subscription databases. This time we’re featuring Thomson One brought to you by Thomson Reuters.
Link: http://guides.lib.purdue.edu/az.php?s=71213 is the alphabetical list of the databases specially selected for those in a business program of study. Access the databases off-campus with your Purdue login and password.
Focus: Thomson One is a comprehensive database of public financial statistics that also contains investment analyst reports and mergers & acquisitions information. Please note that this database only works in Internet Explorer.
Tutorial: We have three different tutorials available related to Thomson One depending on the type of data you’re interested in: Finding Mergers and Acquisitions Data in Thomson One, Finding VentureXpert Data in Thomson One, and Finding Investext Investment Analyst Reports in Thomson One.
Start with this hint: Make sure you’re using Internet Explorer to access Thomson One. Where you begin, will be dependent on what type of data you’re looking for. See the tutorial links above for more detailed information.
Why you should know this database: Thomson One provides easy access to VentureXpert and Mergers and Acquisitions data that may not otherwise be easily accessible online.
Related Resources
Some other databases you might want to explore, are:
This 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. Also let us know if you know of a colleague who would benefit from this, or future Featured Databases.
Since usage statistics are an important barometer when databases are up for renewal, tell us your favorite database, and we will gladly promote it. Send an email to parrlib@purdue.edu.
Filed under: database, general, MGMTJanuary 14th, 2019
A new Purdue Archives and Special Collections exhibit that focuses on the experience of international students at Purdue University throughout the institution’s history is open!
“Around the World in 150 Years: Purdue’s International Footprint” highlights a variety of cultures, countries, activities, and time periods represented in the holdings of Archives and Special Collections, with a special focus on students who were among the first from their home countries to attend Purdue. Items on display include photographs, articles, and publications by or about international students, as well as artifacts given to the university by alumni groups from around the world.
According to Archivist for University History Adriana Harmeyer, the idea for the display came about as Purdue archivists have been considering the University’s Sesquicentennial, which is being commemorated through Homecoming 2019. She noted that a team of individuals in Purdue Archives helped curate the exhibit.
“As we mark Purdue’s 150th anniversary, we are looking back and celebrating the people who have made the University what it is today. The international student population has been a presence on campus for a longer period of time than many people realize, and international students have made amazing contributions to the academic and social life of campus,” she noted.
The exhibit includes materials from some of the earliest international student groups on campus, including the Cosmopolitan Club (established in 1909) and publications by the 1920s-era Chinese Students Association, including a “Chinese Students Year-Book” from 1927, Harmeyer added.
“Around the World in 150 Years: Purdue International Footprint” will run weekdays (Monday-Friday) from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. through Friday, March 8. The exhibit is on display in the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, located on the fourth floor of the Humanities, Social Science, and Education (HSSE) Library.
For more information, contact Harmeyer at aharmey@purdue.edu.
Filed under: general, SPECJanuary 8th, 2019
Courtesy of Purdue Marketing and Media
Four finalists for dean of Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies will be on the West Lafayette campus for two-day interviews in late January and early February.
David Reingold, chair of the search committee and the Justin S. Morrill Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, says that as part of the process, each finalist will make a 35- to 40-minute public presentation and then take questions from the audience.
The Board of Trustees approved a new name for the unit — now called the Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies — during its meeting on Dec. 7. “The new name better reflects the teaching and scholarly contributions the Libraries faculty and staff are making to the broader University,” Reingold says.
Each candidate’s full curriculum vitae is on the search website, where a link for livestreaming of the candidate’s presentation can be found as well. Feedback on the candidates is requested, and an online feedback tool is located at the same site. The feedback link will be live after each candidate’s presentation.
“Learning technology, digital scholarship and data science are already having a material impact on our faculty, staff and students — and changing the role of libraries nationwide,” says Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity. “We are a leader in many of these areas, and I’m looking forward to working with the new dean to help our Libraries and School of Information Studies move to even higher levels of national leadership, impact and service.”
Finalists and their presentation details are below:
* Beth McNeil, dean of library services and professor, Iowa State University — 11 a.m. Jan. 14, Stewart Center, Room 206.
* Maria Bonn, associate professor, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois; former director, Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan — 11 a.m. Jan. 28, Stewart Center, Room 302.
* Stephanie Walker, dean of libraries and information resources, University of North Dakota — 11 a.m. Jan. 31, Stewart Center, Room 218ABC.
* Evviva Weinraub, associate university librarian for collections and technologies, Northwestern University — 11 a.m. Feb. 4, Stewart Center, Room 206
Filed under: faculty_staff, generalDecember 21st, 2018
2018 was a great year at Purdue University Press, highlighted by a full slate of scholarly and trade books, as well as several journals that were released during our Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter seasons.
In May of 2018 we welcomed Clarence Maybee as a new series editor for the Purdue Information Literacy Handbooks, and in November we welcomed Justin Race as the new Director of Purdue University Press.
As we move forward into 2019 stay engaged with us and subscribe to our email newsletter to get the latest on books and promotions. We also encourage you to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, especially to make sure you catch our upcoming “New Year, New Book, New You” sale!
To get a comprehensive list of what came out this year, click on #PUPYearinReview in the tweet below, check out our catalogs listed at the end of this post, or visit www.press.purdue.edu.
Throughout the month of December, we'll be going back through 2018 month by month to recap what we were up to. To follow along, keep up with #PUPYearinReview! First up is January…
— Purdue University Press (@PurduePress) December 6, 2018
Thank you for keeping in touch with the Press, Happy New Year and we’ll see you in 2019!
Filed under: Uncategorized