Recently in Announcements Category

Digital collections managers in my position often make the case for digitizing materials like maps, newspapers, architectural drawings, and detailed images by highlighting that digitization is not only a great way to make the items globally accessible online, but it is also one way to actually transform the usage of the item.

What makes a digitized image transformative is the enhanced way that users can zoom into details that may not be easily seen with the naked eye, but become visible through high resolution images and the ability to zoom into small details of the image.

CONTENTdm users have had this ability for some time for JPEG2000 images / high resolutions JPEG's in their collections. The problem is that getting into the details requires enough clicking to cause carpal tunnel syndrome. This repeated clicking turns off all but the most determined users. Until now....

Recently, the Libraries' Web and Multimedia Designer has been working to improve the viewing experience for our users and has developed an open source application called dmMonocle to share with the CONTENTdm community.

It was only announced this week and already several libraries have implemented the code for their collections.

Download the code from Google Code and access screencasts to help get it installed and running on your collections.

More information on dmMonocle

Read more about web projects at UNLV at the Webbin Rebels blog

The digital collections team encourages your feedback, comments and suggestions. Please let us know what you think!

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.

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!