Digitization Projects at UNLV Libraries

The University Libraries are pleased to announce the launch of a new digital collection:

Southern Nevada: The Boomtown Years 1900-1925
http://digital.library.unlv.edu/boomtown

The LSTA-grant funded, Southern Nevada: The Boomtown Years 1900-1925 digital collection brings together a wide range of original source materials found in the rich collections of UNLV Libraries Special Collections, as well as items from the Nevada State Museum and the Clark County Heritage Museum.

The project contains over 1500 digitized items; including photographs, correspondence, newspapers, maps, and ephemera from several mining and railroad manuscript collections documenting both large historical events, and the more private and social lives of individuals and their communities during the mining boom in Southern Nevada.

Notably, this collection also promotes the use of primary source materials by K-16 educators by providing a wide variety of standards-based teaching activities for elementary and high schoolers.

For more information about the collection, or to share your comments, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at cory.lampert@unlv.edu.

What media succeeds and what happens when it fails? Should we care about obsolete technologies?

This past week I was invited to a Journalism department Media Technologies and Society class to engage in a discussion about technology obsolescence. In preparation for what turned out to be a very compelling discussion, I was given a selection of articles to think about. And I just have to pass on the citation for one article that really should be required (and is in fact) very enjoyable, reading for anyone and everyone:

Sterling, B. (2004). Built on digital sand. Horizon, 18.

As a teaser, I'll include a quote from the article, where Sterling is comparing print media (paper and ink) preservation problems to our current situation:

"Paper documents do die, rather slowly. But the alphabetical symbols on this paper can be copied fairly cheaply and quickly without much loss of fidelity.

However, if you have a computer with digital data inside it, you have not one problem, or two problems, but level after level of sophisticated instabilities. Basically, you the lonely archivist are trying to support and preserve an entire cybernetic post-industrial system."

During my time with the class, I got to share the perspective of someone in the education/cultural heritage field whose professional work deals heavily with technology (and therefore obsolescence). I was asked a multitude of insightful questions by the students and I was pleased to hear it summed up quite succinctly as the realization grew, "So basically we are ALL becoming digital librarians!" Yes, we are!

The ALA New Members Roundtable Student Chapter of the Year Award Committee wants to hear about your accomplishments! Are you a member of an active ALA student chapter? Apply today for this annual award that comes with bragging rights, plus $1,000 in travel funding to support ALA conference attendance! Feel free to forward this announcement to any interested students you might know. Thanks!

Applicants Sought for the NMRT Student Chapter of the Year Award

Deadline: February 27, 2009

Calling All Student Chapters!

Has your chapter had an outstanding year? Has membership in your chapter increased? Did your chapter develop and provide opportunities for members to participate in interesting and rewarding activities? Has your chapter received any awards? Do you have outstanding officers or members who should be recognized nationally?

Apply for the *New Members Round Table Student Chapter of the Year Award*! Applying for this award is a great way to highlight the time, energy and creativity that your chapter has put forward in planning activities and increasing student involvement. The Award is presented in recognition of a chapter's outstanding contributions to the American Library Association, their library school, and the profession. A winner and runner-up will be selected for the award. The Student Chapter winner will receive $1,000.00 to help defray travel expenses to ALA Annual, and the winning chapter, along with the runner up, will each receive a certificate. Both will be recognized at the Student Reception at ALA Annual. All interested applicants must be accredited ALA Student Chapters.

Please visit the NMRT Student Chapter of the Year Award website for more award information and application forms.

The UNLV University Libraries announces the launch of a new digital collection, Welcome Home, Howard: Or Whatever Became of the Daring Aviator? This collection is an update of a popular Special Collections web exhibit, that has been converted to a searchable digital collection with added functionality and a new look.

The collection features photographic images and portraits documenting the life of Howard Hughes, including images selected from two collections: The Howard Hughes Collection and the Hughes Electronics Collection.

This collection also features several new functions, including a commenting feature and the ability to rate individual items. Search suggestions have been incorporated into the basic keyword search box and there is an enhanced date search that can be found under "Advanced Search". Give it a try!

Visit the collection at: http://digital.library.unlv.edu/hughes/

Comments and feedback are always appreciated!

I am pleased to announce that the Nevada Test Site Oral History Project is the recipient of the Elizabeth B. Mason Project Award, Honorable Mention, for "outstanding use of oral history".

I was able to attend the Oral History Association's annual meeting this past weekend in Pittsburgh, PA to join and celebrate the other award winners and participate in the conference's Digital Showcase. I feel honored to be a part of this project and I am grateful to the OHA for welcoming me into their community.

Other award recipients include:
Muskie Oral History Project (The Edmund S. Muskie and Special Collections Library at Bates College)

In Our Own Words - The Negro Spirituals Heritage Keepers Oral History Project of Mexican American Community Builders in San Jose, California (Mills College)

Congratulations!