Beginning January 4, 2011, UMBC has trial access to ShipIndex.org

ShipIndex.org lets you search for information about practically any ship, from famous ships such as the Titanic to less well-known vessels such as the Peter Iredale. ShipIndex.org tells you which books, magazines, and online resources mention the vessels you're researching.

The trial runs through January 25, 2011.

For off-campus access, please login via VPN first (http://vpn.umbc.edu). Then follow the link under "News & Events" on the library homepage. For more info on remote access, see http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/services/remoteaccess.php

Feedback is encouraged. Use the form below or send directly to Drew Alfgren: alfgren@umbc.edu

Beginning January 4, 2011, UMBC has a 2-week trial of the Accessible Archives database.

Accessible Archives contains the rich, comprehensive material found in leading historic periodicals and books. Eyewitness accounts of historical events, vivid descriptions of daily life, editorial observations, commerce as seen through advertisements, and genealogical records are available in a user-friendly online environment.

Resources include: African American Newspapers, Godey`s Lady`s Book, The Liberator, and much more.

The trial runs through January 18, 2011.

For off-campus access, please login via VPN first (http://vpn.umbc.edu). Then follow the link under "News & Events" on the library homepage. For more info on remote access, see http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/services/remoteaccess.php

Feedback is encouraged. Use the form below or send directly to Drew Alfgren: alfgren@umbc.edu

In an effort to highlight the new material that comes into Special Collections every week, Special Collections staff will begin to post brief summaries of some of our recent acquisitions. These highlights may include new items from our Bafford Photography Collection, University Archives, Regional or Personal Manuscripts, the Center for Biological Sciences Archives, or one of our many book collections centered on photography, science fiction, artist books, Maryland and Baltimore history, radical thought, alternative presses, or faculty/staff publications. These materials are open to researchers; please contact Special Collections staff or see our website for more information on all of our holdings.

Collection 85: Television scripts

A unique collection for UMBC! Fifteen boxes of television scripts dating from 1954 to 1978. Includes classics like Batman (scripts from 1965-1967), The Beverly Hillbillies (1961-1964), The Brady Bunch (1970-1972), Mission: Impossible (1968-1972), The Mod Squad (1968-1972), and The Partridge Family (1970-1971).

UARC 2010-026: University Photographs

These four color photographic prints were donated by former Library Director Jonathan LeBreton. The prints show the construction of the Library tower in 1993.

UARC 2010-027: University Photographs

7700 digital images documenting the Office of Student Life, Student Government Association, UMBC's 40th Anniversary, Homecoming, and other campus groups and events. We're working to upload these images into our Digital Collections very soon! So far, only the set from the 2003-2004 acdemic year are available online. The image to the right is from the Winter 2004 Welcome Pep Rally in the Commons Main Street.

In "Constructing the Samurai" students used digital story techniques to explore aspects of samurai culture through visual assignments. The honors class was taught by Professor Constantine Vaporis during the Fall 2009 and 2010 semesters. Here are the results:

Fall, 2010
Oishi and the Loyal Retainers (Tina Zou)
The Adventures of Samurai Asakura Yoshimoto (Sara Ross, Cynthia Dang)
Samurai Final Open Shot (Sean Palmateer, Julian Brezon)
"Armor of the Samurai" (Brandon Callahan and Adam Robinson)
Martial Arts During the Tokugawa Era (David Eastman, Glen Langan)
"Forging the Samurai" (Steven Cornthwaite, Max Petulante)
"Zen Buddhism and the Samurai" (Caitlin Smith)
"Seppuku: Death Before Dishonor" (Nathaniel Castill Jr.)
"Seppuku in 20th Century Japan" (Sarah Stark)
"Tokugawa's Melting Pot" (Dwumah Frimpong)

Fall 2009
Women's Role in Samurai Films - Samantha Larsen
Samurai Honor - Rebecca Walter
Recipe for a Samurai - Becca Reeves
Seppuku
Marriage and Gender Among Samurai in Tokugawa Japan - James Chrismer, Momoka Watanabe, Kazutomo Terada
Chushingura in Transition - Matthew Murphy
The Social Relationships of the Samurai - Sammantha Chin and Lara English
HIST 355 Final Project - Daniel Graham
Armor of the Samurai - Rachel and Angela
Bushido: The Way of the Warrior - David Baldwin
Progression of the Samurai
Fallen Cherry Blossoms- Kamikaze Pilots - Harsh Bambawale
Samurai in Games

The Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery is offering extended hours through exams.

* Sundays- Thursdays we will be open until 2 a.m.
* Fridays and Saturdays we will be open until 10 p.m.

Thank you and good luck on your exams!

The Library is currently testing several eBook platforms. Please check them out and complete our online survey to let us know what you think.

We currently have access to the following platforms:

ebrary Academic Complete
Ebrary Academic Complete is a multidisciplinary digital library with more than 47,000 titles. Subjects covered include Anthropology, Business & Economics, Computers & IT, Education, Fine Arts, History, Language & Literature, Law, Life Sciences, Medicine, Physical Sciences, Psychology, Religion, Social Sciences, and Technology. Content includes handbooks, e-books, manuals, reports and other authoritative documents.

Trial runs through December 8, 2010.

MyiLibrary
MyiLibrary provides desktop access to over 235,000 eBooks. Subjects covered include: Philosophy, Psychology, & Religion; History; Geography; Anthropology; Social Sciences; Political Science; Law; Education; Music; Fine Arts; Language & Literature; Science; Medicine; Agriculture; Technology; Military Science; Naval Science.

Trial runs through December 15, 2010.

EBL Ebook Library
EBL offers content across all subject areas, with an initial focus on recent titles - most specifically in the areas of Science, Technology and Medicine (STM). EBL features more than 100,000 titles from hundreds of academic publishers.

You must create a free account from a valid UMBC IP address in order to access the EBL trial.

Trial runs through December 15, 2010.

Springer eBooks
The Springer eBooks trial provides access to over 20,000 eBook titles (2005-2010 copyright only) in twelve subject collections:
* Behavioral Science
* Biomedical and Life Sciences
* Business and Economics
* Chemistry and Materials Science
* Computer Science (including the highly regarded Lecture Notes in Computer Science)
* Earth and Environmental Science
* Engineering
* Humanities, Social Sciences and Law
* Mathematics and Statistics
* Medicine
* Physics and Astronomy
* Professional Computing and Web Design

Titles include textbooks, reference works, monographs, and book series. All titles are fully searchable and hyperlinked.

Trial runs through December 31, 2010

NetLibrary
NetLibrary provides online access to thousands of scholarly books and reference works. Subjects include: computer science, business, international relations, education, environmental science, psychology, civil rights law and history.

UMBC currently has access to a selection of books specifically chosen by Maryland Academic Libraries. Funded by the Maryland Digital Library (MDL).

For off-campus access, please login via VPN first (http://vpn.umbc.edu). Then follow the link under "News & Events" on the library homepage. For more info on remote access, see http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/services/remoteaccess.php

Please check out these trials and then take our online survey.

UMBC now has trial access to the Morningstar Investment Research Center.

The Morningstar Investment Research Center is an all-inclusive investment research database designed specifically for libraries. It features data and analysis on over 11,000 international and domestic stocks, 24,000 mutual funds, and more than 1,000 exchange traded funds.

The trial runs through December 10, 2010.

For off-campus access, please login via VPN first (http://vpn.umbc.edu). Then follow the link under "News & Events" on the library homepage. For more info on remote access, see http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/services/remoteaccess.php

Feedback is encouraged. Use the form below or send directly to Drew Alfgren: alfgren@umbc.edu

UMBC now has trial access to the three AAS Historical Periodicals collections through Dec.24.

EBSCO has partnered with the American Antiquarian Society (AAS) to provide digital access to American periodicals published between 1691 and 1877. In total, more than 6,500 periodicals will be available, eclipsing all other online resources in this area. The collection is divided into three series:
Series 1 presents over 500 titles dating from 1691 through 1820.
On campus direct access: Series1

Series 2 presents over 1,000 titles dating from 1821 through 1837.
On campus direct access: Series 2

Series 3 presents over 1,800 titles dating from 1838 through 1852.
On campus direct access: Series 3

The databases can also be accessed through the EbscoHost platform. Access any Ebsco database, click on "Choose Databases." The three AAS databases are at the end of the list and may be searched individually or in combination.

For off-campus access, please login via VPN first (http://vpn.umbc.edu). Then follow the link under "News & Events" on the library homepage. For more info on remote access, see http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/services/remoteaccess.php

Feedback is encouraged. Use the form below or send directly to Drew Alfgren: alfgren@umbc.edu

UMBC now has trial access to Springer eBooks. The trial runs through December 31, 2010.

NOTE: Trial access is only available for 2005-2010 copyright Springer eBooks from all collections.

The Springer eBooks trial provides access to over 20,000 eBook titles in twelve subject collections:
* Behavioral Science
* Biomedical and Life Sciences
* Business and Economics
* Chemistry and Materials Science
* Computer Science (including the highly regarded Lecture Notes in Computer Science)
* Earth and Environmental Science
* Engineering
* Humanities, Social Sciences and Law
* Mathematics and Statistics
* Medicine
* Physics and Astronomy
* Professional Computing and Web Design

Titles include textbooks, reference works, monographs, and book series. All titles are fully searchable and hyperlinked.

For off-campus access, please login via VPN first (http://vpn.umbc.edu). Then follow the link under "News & Events" on the library homepage. For more info on remote access, see http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/services/remoteaccess.php

Please let us know what you think. Leave a comment or send your comments to Janet Hack at jhack@umbc.edu.