Library News

Eighteenth Century Journals III

adling — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:17:47 -0500

The Eighteenth Century Journals online collection has been expanded with the addition of nearly 70 titles focusing on Scottish, Irish, and British Colonial (Canadian, Indian, Asian and Caribbean) publications. These journals demonstrate how news spread throughout the Empire and show how culture, taste, and political concerns circulated.

Materials for Eighteenth Century Journals III are drawn from two sources: the British Newspaper Library at Colindale, London and Cambridge University Library. Sample titles include the Nova-Scotia Gazette, Jamaica Mercury and Kingston Weekly, Bombay Courier, and more. To this has been added a number of rare titles published in Ireland, many from the 1790's reflecting the revolutionary fervour of the times, and a selection of important titles from Edinburgh.

Topics covered in collections I-III are extremely wide-ranging and include: colonial life; provincial and rural affairs; the French and American revolutions; reviews of literature and fashion throughout Europe; political debates; and London coffee house gossip and discussion.

Eighteenth Century Journals complements and does not duplicate the holdings of Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO), and, with Research Collections extensive print holdings, adds to the McMaster Library's strength for primary research.

Mass Observation Update: New Content

adling — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:29:32 -0500

Mass Observation, from Adam Matthew Digital, provides online access to to one of the most important archives for the study of social history in Britain during the mid twentieth century. The new Update to this resource adds Diary entries from 1941-1942, written by approximately 500 MO volunteers, giving insight into the mid years of the Second World War and to everyday life during this period.

It also expands the existing Topic Collections with 6 new areas:

Capital Punishment Surveys, 1938-1956 In 1948 and 1955, MO conducted two surveys on attitudes to the death penalty.
Films 1937-1948 Mass Observation reports on British and Hollywood films. There are surveys of audience behaviour, material on the effects of air-raids on the cinema trade, and the public reception of propaganda. MO presented reports throughout the war to the Ministry of Information, and their interviews, surveys, and analysis are included.
Victory Celebrations, 1945-1946 Diary extracts, reports, interview responses and other relevant material recording reactions to the end of war.
Dreams, 1937-1948 Reports on their dreams from members of MO's volunteer panel.
Religion, 1937-1950 Contains pre-war material relating to church services; reports on the effects of the war on church attendance and religious attitudes; surveys on astrology, spiritualism and superstition; letters and ephemera relating to religion in the forces; and reports on the Salvation Army.
Reading Habits, 1937-1947 Includes materials associated with the buying and reading of books, and the use of bookshops and libraries.

This material complements and enhances the first release of the Mass Observation database, consisting of

A complete set of the File Reports, 1937-1972, with full text searchability. This is the first time that the entire series of File Reports has been reproduced in full, offering an invaluable introduction to the work of Mass Observation, through top-level summaries and conclusions of the findings of nearly every Mass Observation study from 1937-1955.

Mass Observations’ Publications. Twenty-five books, most now out of print, appeared during Mass Observation’s first period of activity, 1937-1950, including May 12th; First Year’s Work; and Britain By Mass-Observation. They are all included here, along with pamphlets and workbooks published by the Mass Observation Archive.

Seven previously unpublished Topic Collections, covering Household Matters and household budgeting, 1939-1950; Juvenile delinquency, Korea 1950; Radio Listening, 1939-1948; and World Outlook, 1945-1950.

The complete Day Surveys, 1937-1938. We have included the full archive of one-day diaries sent in by Mass Observation’s national panel of observers.

Diaries, 1939-1940. The first two years of the Mass Observation Archive’s vast collection of diaries sent by volunteers over a period of over twenty-five years. Rather than select full coverage of the submissions of a limited number of diarists, we have kept faith with the original Mass Observation approach, by digitising all the diaries from the first two years of the project. Mass Observation’s request for diaries from their panel of observers deliberately coincided with the outbreak of World War II and was intended as a chronicle of life in Britain during wartime.

Mass Observation remains one of the essential primary source resources for research on the end of the 'Hungry Thirties', the onset of war, the Blitz, and war on the home front, and post-war Britain, which the rise of consumerism and television.

Library Annual Toy & Food Drive Begins

bairdca — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:40:35 -0500

The 2009 Annual Toy & Food Drive, taking place Monday November 16th to Monday December 14th, is being held in support of the Salvation Army's Christmas Toy Bureau. The Bureau is committed to ensuring a Happy Holiday for children of families in need of assistance. Over the years, the McMaster community has generously supported this worthy cause. Your continued support is very much appreciated!

Toys for boys and girls up to the age of 16, non-perishable food items, and items for family pets are needed.

Looking for ideas? Infants and toddlers might like:

toys
books
games
craft kits
coloring books, crayons and/or markers
sleighs
building blocks
dolls
puzzles
popular Barbie(s) and/or action and television characters/figures and accessories
or even a “Toys R Us” gift certificate

Older children might like:

Sports items and accessories
model kits
make-up
hair essentials and accessories
gift certificates (movie passes, video & music stores, shopping malls)
clock-radios
electronics

Why not start a toy-drive in your office, residence or department? Donations can be dropped off at a collection box at any of these locations:

any campus library
M.S.U. Office in the Student Centre
service kiosks at Mary Keyes Residence or the Commons.

Inquiries should be directed to Kerry Jay, Denise Johnson or Kim Pickett at ext. 22068, or Debbie Trebych at ext. 24053.

Thank You for Your Continued Support & Happy Holidays!

Wireless access @ Thode improved

pottier — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:03 -0500

Did you know? Thode is the place to use laptops! Whereas Mills typically has 400 concurrent users, Thode has grown over the last year to 280 concurrent users, but only had half the number of access points compared to Mills! In order to provide better WiFi access @ Thode, three additional access points plus 20 new antennae were installed over the last few days. We hope this will make a significant difference to our growing laptop community. Please continue to report any access problems you may have @ http://library.mcmaster.ca/justask/.

Tale of Two Pens: A WWI Love Story

bairdca — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:19:14 -0500

This is a story of two pens, which belonged to lovers who were separated by the catastrophic intrusion of the First World War. Their moving accounts are preserved in their writings in the archives at the University Library. Vera Brittain (1893-1970) was a writer, pacifist and feminist, born in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Roland Leighton (1895-1915) was a British soldier, who met Vera in 1913. He was posted to the Franco-Belgian border in March 1915 and letter writing was the bond that united them during their separation. During a short leave in August, the couple became engaged, only to see Roland mortally wounded in December 1915. Vera was to immortalize him in her haunting autobiography published in 1933: Testament of Youth, An Autobiography, 1914-1925, an eloquent personal experience of “the war to end all wars”.

Roland's letters reveal that that he too was a poet, who continued to write and send poetry to Vera in the stretches of time he spent in the trenches. Just prior to his departure for the Front, Roland wrote “If you want to give me a little present to take away, I have thought of something – a fountain pen…I should find this very useful…” On March 21, 1915, Vera writes, “I am so glad you have thought of something you would like. I will send the fountain pen to-morrow, but I had to write to you to-day, in case after all you go earlier than you expect…An appropriate gift from one would be scribbler to another”. On July 4, 1915, Roland wrote, “ I have also just broken the cap of my -your- fountain pen. I enclose the remains. Do you think you could...get me a new one?”

The discovery of an enclosed broken black pen cap in his letter in the University Archives was a surprising find. In trying to identify the type of pen, McMaster Archivist Renu Barrett speculates that, given the very small size of the cap fragments, the cap may have fitted a trench pen. Such pens came on the market in the course of World War I. Their size and design enabled soldiers to refill their pens by adding water to the ink pellets in the pen barrels. On July 7, 1915, Vera sent Roland a replacement cap for this pen.

Vera’s own pen, used to write the manuscript for her renowned work Testament of Youth is found in the University Archives along with other personal memorabilia such as locks of family hair and dried pressed flowers. The pen, given to her by close friend and author, Winifred Holtby, was found in an envelope scribbled with Brittain's handwriting : “Pen given to me by Winifred Holtby, Christmas 1925”. Vera’s name is inscribed on the barrel but the pen has no other markings. Archivist Renu Barrett identified the pen as a W.A. Sheaffer Co. Lifetime. It is a “flat-head” and is made of marbleized Bakelite (a synthetic resin) with a tortoise-shell look. The cap is of the “ring top” variety, which was popularly worn on a chain or ribbon.

The Vera Brittain archives at McMaster University Library span over 35 metres and consist of diaries, manuscripts of over 25 books, letters, photographs and scrapbooks. Testament of Youth was published in 1933 and became an immediate bestseller in Britain and the United States. As well as the vivid descriptions of her time as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse at Buxton, the book describes the deaths of all of the young men to whom she was close: her fiancé Roland Leighton, her brother’s two close friends Geoffrey Thurlow and Victor Richardson, and, last of all, her cherished brother Edward himself. Winifred Holtby, whose archives are also at the University Library, is the author of South Riding published in 1935, a year before her early death.

Image: The Vera Brittain pen and the two volume manuscript of Testament of Youth written in ink.

For further information contact Renu Barrett or follow the links below:

Vera-Roland Correspondence read out loud

Vera Brittain Archival Finding Aid

Holtby Archival Finding Aid

Roland Leighton Collection (Oxford)

PS's are on the move!

pottier — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:27:43 -0500

In preparation for some construction on the 4th floor, the PS collection is being moved from one area to another on the 4th floor of Mills. Effective immediately, this collection is being moved to the compact shelving on the northeast corner of the 4th floor. The move will take approximately 2 weeks, during which time most of the collection should be available at all times.

We have done our best to post signs guiding people to this collections new home, but don't hesitate to ask if you are having difficulty locating an item. If you are really having difficulty, please complete the Unable to Locate online form - we will find the book and have it held for you at the Service Desk on the main floor. You will receive an email notification once the book is available.

We appreciate your patience during this move.

Library Launches New Survey: Your Opinion Counts

amanda — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:30:01 -0500

The Library has implemented a customer satisfaction survey developed specifically for libraries by the Canadian company, Counting Opinions. The web-based survey will be a permanent fixture on many of our web pages and Is available in two versions: ‘Regular’ which takes approximately 7 minutes to complete and ‘In-depth’ which takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. In addition to questions which ask you to rate your satisfaction with library services and equipment and their importance to you there is also an open comment box where you can share your opinions with us.

So let us know how we did today and complete the survey!

This survey has been approved by the McMaster Research Ethics Board. If you have any questions about the survey please contact Kathy Ball.

Own McMaster’s Rare Books

wyckoff — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:54:32 -0500

You can now have your own copy of rare and out-of-print books from the Library’s collection!

As part of our mass digitization program, we’ve worked with Kirtas Technologies and OCLC to create a “digitize on demand” site. Detailed reproductions of more than 90,000 books from the Library’s collection are available for purchase. Paperback and e-book versions start at $10.00, and hardcover at $20.00. When your order is placed, the book is digitized and your print or e-book copy created and delivered right to your door.

Paperback copies of books included in the digitization program can also be ordered by contacting Mark Lefebvre at Titles Bookstore. As the Library’s digitization program continues, watch for more of these books to appear in the inventory at Titles. Online versions will be coming to the Library’s Digital Collections site.

Our rich collections in 18th and 19th century literature, history, and culture provide a wealth of material for reading and study. All of the books included in the Library’s digitization efforts are free of copyright protection, allowing us to make these new versions available to you. A portion of each sale comes back to the Library and is used to further support our programs and services. Books are not damaged or removed as part of the digitization process, so if reading your own copy makes you yearn to see the original, we encourage you to come to the Library!

November Twitter Contest!

amanda — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:15:30 -0500

Our Twitter contest continues with a new prize November, a 500 GB external hard drive!

We decided to switch things up this month, so here's how the November contest will work:

Make sure you follow us on Twitter (@maclibraries) so we can find you if you win.
In November we are asking you to tweet how you used the library today to your own Twitter account and add the hashtag "#maclibrariescontest". For example:
Keep following us and watch out for the contest tweets in December. The prizes just keep getting better!

Once again, the rules:

You have to be a @maclibraries follower to win.
Only individuals and not tweeting organizations are eligible.
Only one entry per individual Twitter account per month will be accepted.
Open to all McMaster students, faculty and staff + anyone else who happens to follow us!

Questions? 
Email Catherine Baird.

Library Video Contest

amanda — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:39:51 -0500

Now that you've seen the library's videos, we're turning the camera (not literally) over to you. It's your turn! Show us in 60 seconds or less what you like about the library for the chance to win great prizes. See details about how to enter and contest rules below.

Prizes

The top three videos will be awarded the following prizes:

1st prize: One $200 gift certificate to Best Buy
2nd prize: One $100 gift certificate to Best Buy
3rd prize: One $50 gift certificate to Titles

Early Bird Prize

The first ten people to submit entries will be entered into an additional draw to win a $50 gift certificates to Titles Bookstore.

How to Enter

Be creative and show us what you like about the library.
Record a video using any video recording device such as your phone or digital camera.
Post your video to YouTube or any other web-based video hosting service by January 8th, 11:59 EST.
Email bairdca AT mcmaster.ca the link to your video and be sure to include your full name, email address, and your status at McMaster (student, faculty, staff).

Winners will be notified by email. All decisions are final. All eligible entries will be posted for viewing on the Library's website.

Contest Rules

The contest runs from November 4, 2009 until January 8th, 11:59 pm EST
All current McMaster students, faculty, and staff are eligible to enter.
Videos must be 60 seconds or less in length.
One entry per person. You can work in teams, but each entry must submitted under one name only.
Make sure to get permission from all individuals appearing in your video.
Videos will be disqualified if they use copyrighted material (e.g. music). All content must be original.
Videos will be disqualified if they include offensive language or scenes, etc.
By entering your video in the contest, you grant McMaster University Library permission to use your name and video in McMaster University Library promotions.

[image credit / CC BY-ND 2.0]