The Libraries recently decided to discontinue offering users the ability to access our full-text journals via the mobile app BrowZine, which was being piloted this past year. While the BrowZine app is free to users, the library incurs a cost in making our content available and the low usage statistics gathered does not justify that cost.

It is always a difficult decision to limit access to our resources. As stewards of our collections, it is important to ensure that we are providing the right balance of scholarly resources available to faculty, staff and students. As we continue to face difficult financial times, we are steadfast in our commitment to consider cost vs. use for all the services we offer. In this case, we believe based on relatively low usage statistics it is more important to keep access to the full-text resources, rather than supporting this additional form of access.

Please note that UConn’s journals will no longer be accessible via BrowZine as of June 30, 2015.  Users will continue to be able to access full-text resources through our website. If you use BrowZine to read open access journal articles, that will still be available to you.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact ermsupport@lib.uconn.edu.

What country produces the most canola in the world? Where was wheat first grown? What state furthest south in the U.S. produces maple syrup? If you answered: 1) Canada 2) Mesopotamia or Iraq and 3) North Carolina you might have been able to match wits against the 80 or so Connecticut high school students who tested their knowledge about food, its history, and consumption during the Connecticut Geographic Alliance’s 24th Annual Connecticut High School Geographic Challenge in the UConn Libraries on Tuesday, May 19. Sixteen teams competed in geographic activities including orienteering, geographic problem solving, map interpretation, and a geography quiz, all centered around the theme of food. Andy Jolly-Ballantine, assistant professor in residence from UConn’s Geography department and coordinator of the Alliance, was master of ceremonies for the daylong event.

The winning team was from Bacon Academy in Colchester. Members include: Erica Boucher, Lauren Collins, Jared Kranc, Jillian Reynolds, and Nicholas Wright. Their advisor is Kristie Blanchard.

The winning team included: Erica Boucher, Lauren Collins, Jared Kranc, Jillian Reynolds, and Nicholas Wright. Their advisor is Kristie Blanchard.

In second place was Daniel Hand High School from Madison. Members include: Connor Bondachuk, Courtney Burns, Patrick Fahey, and James O’Connor. Thomas Quirk is the advisor for the team.

Andy Jolly-Ballantine is coordinator of the Alliance.

Winning third place was Housatonic Valley Regional High School from Falls Village. Members are: Sam Bradway, Eric Chin, Jonathan Miller, Emily Sullivan, and Sara Van Deusen. Their advisor is Peter Vermilyea.

EO Smith’s team hard at work answering questions.

The CT High School Geography Challenge is the only interscholastic geography competition in the state for high school students. The Connecticut High School Geography Challenge is sponsored by the Connecticut Geographic Alliance, an alliance among educational institutions and individuals in the state of Connecticut dedicated to promoting geography education in the state of Connecticut and supported with funding from the National Geographic Society Education Foundation. The Connecticut High School Geography Challenge requires a high level of geographic knowledge and well-developed geography skills as well as good team work.

The winning plaques and medals were provided by Billie and David Kapp. Prior to retiring, Billie taught in Coventry and regularly participated in the popular event. David is a former staff member from the UConn Libraries.

Congratulations to all who participated!

As the cost of textbooks continue to rise, with estimates as high as 812% or more than three times the rate of inflation since 1978, more students are choosing not to purchase textbooks, jeopardizing their success in the classroom.

However, as more emphasis is being placed on developing and sharing high quality, low cost, and easily accessible teaching materials outside of the traditional textbook, the future landscape looks bright.

The UConn Libraries’ is hosting a workshop that will help you navigate through the choices out there and offer tools to help evaluate their value in your classroom.

Wednesday, May 13
10:00-11:30am
Electronic Classroom 2
Homer Babbidge Library, Level 2

Joining us for the conversation will be two experts in the field – Nicole Allen, Director of Open Education for Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), an initiative of the Association of Research Libraries and Charlotte Roh, Scholarly Communications Resident Librarian from UMass Amherst.

Registration for the workshop can be done at http://s.uconn.edu/opened

Don’t miss the 2015 Babbidge Library Booksale this Thursday, April 30th from 9:00 – 3:00. It will be held outside under the overhang between Babbidge and the Dodd Research Center. The UConn Community (with ID) is welcome for early-bird entrance at 9:00 and the community is welcome at 11:00.

The materials cost a variety of amounts, with nothing more than $1.00.
Hardcover books & sheet music: $1.00
Paperback books & sheet music: 50¢
CDs/DVDs/VHS: $1.00 case
Maps: $1.00
Magazines and journals: free

Contact Richard Bleiler for more information

Have you wondered what resources were available to start that online journal? Join us on Thursday, April 16th to see how The Quiet Corner Interdisciplinary Journal  made DigitalCommons@UConn work for them.

Concerned about the escalating cost of traditional college textbooks, the UConn Libraries is partnering with UConnPIRG and the Undergraduate Student Government to explore “open-source” electronic textbook alternatives.

Image derived from a graphic created by Giulia Forsythe and remixed/re-used under Creative Commons license. Courtesy of BCcampus

As commercial college textbook costs continue to rise, estimated as high as 812% or more than three times the rate of inflation since 1978 by Student PIRGs, many students are choosing to not purchase textbooks, jeopardizing their success in the classroom. A new initiative at UConn, spearheaded by students from UConnPIRG and the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), is underway to investigate ways to educate students and faculty on the value of Open Educational Resources (OER) such as open source textbooks. Unlike traditional commercial textbooks, open source textbooks are made of content gathered from various sources that are freely available online and for everyone to use.

Last fall, USG kick started the movement by voting unanimously to form a committee to explore the use of open source textbooks.  The committee is being led by UConn’s Vice Provost for Libraries Martha Bedard and UConnPIRG Textbooks Coordinator Toyin Akinnusotu.  To further strengthen their commitment, USG passed a resolution on March 11, urging faculty to submit their textbook requirements on time to the University, a requirement for all federally funded institutions. This was further supported by the University’s Provost’s Library Advisory Committee, formed to help direct the library on issues regarding scholarly information access and delivery.

“These are important resolutions for UConn students to understand,” said Hilltop Dorms Senator Daniel Byrd. “As the cost of textbooks continue to increase exponentially, it is our responsibility to do what we can to both encourage the use of open source textbooks and ensure the disclosure of information about textbook costs.”  Knowing the costs when the courses are listed is not only useful to students when considering taking a course, but also affects the buyback value of textbooks.

UConn’s Vice Provost for Libraries Martha Bedard has been involved with the Open Access movement for over a decade. “The library is a natural place to facilitate this student-centered effort regarding open textbooks,” said Bedard. “We have seen a continuous cost increase in higher education resources and much like the issues students face, libraries cannot afford to provide all the resources requested by faculty and students. There have been many advances in the amount of high quality resources freely available so I am confident the adoption of open source textbooks will not compromise a quality education and in turn will make a tremendous difference for students.”

According to a report recently released by the Student PIRGs, the soaring textbook costs is a trend across the nation. The average undergraduate student spends as much as $1,200-$1,300 for textbooks and supplies each year, one of the largest out-of-pocket expenses they face. In traditional PIRG style, members of UConnPIRG have taken a grassroots approach, talking to individual faculty and gathering support for the effort. “I am encouraged by the numerous faculty members I have spoken with who have agreed to use open source materials in their classes,” said UConnPIRG Textbooks Coordinator Toyin Akinnusotu. “We are off to a great start.”

“Much of the issue is simple education. There are dozens of open textbooks available online, for free right now that provide the same high quality information as their traditional print textbook options. It is our job to help inform faculty on the resources available to them,” said Bedard.

Learn more about some of the open educational resources available via our helpful guide.

A copy of the referenced report, “Open Textbooks: The Billion-Dollar Solution,” is available at www.studentpirgs.org/textbooks.

This spring the art exhibits at Homer Babbidge Library feature William Shakespeare and his influence in performance, language, scholarship and pop culture at UConn and the artistry that results when microscopic objects are magnified a billion times and photographed. The exhibits run through June 15. An opening reception will take place on Thursday, April 2, from 4-6 p.m.

In “The Play’s the Thing: Shakespeare at UConn,” Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s (CRT) Managing Director Matthew Pugliese and Assistant Professor in the Department of Dramatic Arts Lindsay Cummings show the creative work of the students and artists of the Department of Dramatic Arts and Connecticut Repertory Theatre. The scholarship of professors from English to Digital Media, highlights the many academic, social, and cultural ways we interact with Shakespeare on campus and in our lives. The University’s roots as an agricultural institution are also featured, focusing on herbs and their symbology in Shakespeare’s work.

Ten foot tall polar bear puppet used in a campus production of “The Winter’s Tale,” on display in “The Play’s the Thing: Shakespeare at UConn.

Last year, UConn was invited to join the Folger Institute’s Consortium. The Folger Institute is a center for advanced study and collections-focused research in the humanities at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.

The CRT will present Shakespeare’s most popular comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” from April 23 through May 3 in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre.

Art in Nanochemistry
Using high power electron or optical microscopes, Professor Challa Vijaya Kumar, head of UConn’s Divisions of Physical and Biological Chemistry, and his Ph.D. students capture the natural world on the nano-level, creating awe inspiring images of natural materials that are as majestic as the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls.

This “Art in Nanochemistry” exhibit is a collection of electron micrographs of nanomaterials from Dr. Kumar’s research group, created with support from the National Science Foundation, works of his colleagues at UConn, and also from the Materials Research Society Art-in-Chemistry annual competitions. Dr. Kumar and his group are investigating how these protein-DNA nanomaterials they create in the lab can be applied in enzyme fuel cells, DNA-solar cells, and neuroprosthesis for spinal cord repair.

Two of Professor Kumar’s images, left, ‘Enzyme’ Stained Glass, and DNA Floor Boards.

After months of planning, gathering feedback, and migrating hundreds of pages of content, the Library is proud to announce our new website. The site has been redesigned and rebuilt to make it easier to find the resources and services you need.

The new lib.uconn.edu features a responsive design that has been designed to work on all devices, so whether you’re on a phone, tablet, or computer, you’ll be able to find whatever you need. The homepage features information about upcoming library events and news, and the navigation bar expands to provide quick access to key services and resources, no matter where you are at on our website.

We are incredibly excited about the release of the new lib.uconn.edu, and we want to hear what you think.