McConnell Library News and Events

Virginia Deal Lawrence Scrapbook Collection

Gene Hyde — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:36:17 +0000

Virginia Deal Lawrence. Photo taken sometime in the 1940s.

McConnell Library’s Archives and Special Collections recently added the Virginia Deal Lawrence Scrapbook Collection to its Appalachian Collection. Virginia Deal Lawrence was a Radford College alumna and lifelong educator in the Auburn community of Montgomery County. She was a devoted historian and scrapbook collector, and compiled 123 scrapbooks of newspaper clippings, photographs, and other materials during her lifetime. Donated to the university by the estate of Virginia Deal Lawrence, the collection consists of scrapbooks, one photo album, a ledger book, loose newspaper clippings, miscellaneous documents, and a variety of other materials. You can read more about the collection on the Archives and Special Collections blog. Selected photos and documents from the collection are available on the Radford University Digital Collections website, and a finding aid to the collection is available here.

The collection was processed by David Atkins, a 2012 Radford University graduate who is currently working on a graduate degree in Library Science from Florida State University. He processed the Virginia Deal Lawrence Scrapbook Collection as part of a graduate internship in the Radford University Archives and Special Collections in the Spring of 2013.

Winners and finalists for Library Research Awards 2012-13

Candice Benjes-Small — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:45:55 +0000

Lower division winners: Debra Lusting and Lauren Young
Upper division winners: Caitlyn Parker and Emily Redd

Finalists: Anita Puerto, Kevin Ivey, Cali Vasaturo, Nicole Johnston, and Cassidy Lawson

Congratulations!

You’re invited! Library Research Awards Reception, 5/3

Candice Benjes-Small — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:18:55 +0000

The Library Research Awards Reception will be held at 4 pm on Friday, May 3, in the library. Following a keynote by Dr. Erin Webster Garrett, we will announce this year’s winners and finalists. Refreshments will be served.

Stress Buster is Tuesday!

Beth Johnson — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:37:05 +0000

It’s that fabulous time again! Time for the Stress Buster!

This semester’s theme is “Peace Out.” Groove your way over to McConnell Library on Tuesday, April 30th, between 10 am and 10 pm to say goodbye to spring semester and enjoy free food, crafts, games, giveaways, chair massages, and more!

Need research help? Contact the Reference Desk!

Eric Ackermann — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:41:20 +0000

Only a few weeks left to get all of your papers and projects done! Need some excellent sources to wow your professors, or help citing? Don’t stress, the Reference Desk is here to the rescue, with help in the form of SIX Research Days over the next two weeks when it is open additional hours:

Thursday, April 25th: 9am- 10pm
Friday, April 26th: 9am- 7pm
Saturday, April 27th: 11am-7pm

Thursday, May 2nd : 9am- 10pm
Friday, May 3rd: 9am- 10pm
Saturday, May4th: 11am-7pm

The library will be offering extended hours April 29th through May 8th. The schedule can be viewed
here.

Open Journal Project

Beth Johnson — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:44:18 +0000

Instead of going through a regular publisher and spending thousands of dollars for publishing, or just posting your journal pages on a website, have you considered using McConnell Library’s Open Journal System? Watch as McConnell Library Dean Steve Helm describes the process:

http://vimeo.com/63595562

Level 5 under construction

Beth Johnson — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:45:19 +0000

In the days to come, you might find yourself asking, What’s up with the noise on Level 5? That will be the sound of our new Archives Reading Room being constructed. We’ll make the project as fast and quiet as possible, but please be forewarned that our quiet floor will have a bit more noise than usual. Thanks for your understanding! And if you need to find another study space, please ask for help at the Front Desk.

Access to Berg Fashion Library and AdForum!

Jason Shepherd — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:35:06 +0000

The library now has access to the following resources:

Berg Fashion Library

Berg Fashion Library provides integrated text and image content on world dress and fashion throughout history. It offers fully cross-searchable access to an expanding range of Berg content collections, including the Encyclopedia of world dress and fashion, e-books, e-journals, museum directory, reference works, images, and more. The library is organized by time (1600 to date) and by place.

Adforum

Adforum.com offers custom research services to provide timely intelligence on the advertising industry, its creative work, and information on agencies and marketing communications companies worldwide. Showcases award winners, ads aired on TV during special events in browse-able lists. Search tools organized according to the type of information (advertising firms, production companies & directors, creative work, and more).

Have feedback about our resources? Is there something you wish we had? We’re listening!

Click HERE to learn more about collection development or email us!

Apply for $750 Library Research Awards

Candice Benjes-Small — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:24:24 +0000

The Winesett Awards for Library Research recognize creative and original library research completed by Radford University undergraduate students. Four $750 prizes, two for juniors and seniors and two for freshmen and sophomores, will be given to the students whose papers or projects best illustrate exemplary use of McConnell Library tools and resources and development of information-gathering skills.

In addition, we will publish the finalists’ and winners’ essays and papers or projects in our online journal, Archives of the Winesett Scholars. Finalists will receive $100 prizes.

The deadline for the 2012-2013 academic year is 5 pm Thursday, April 25, 2013. Winners will be announced at the Library Research Awards Reception on Friday, May 3, 4 p m.

Application and details at: http://library.radford.edu/information/award

Learn about the Battle of Blair Mountain at McConnell Library on March 28

Gene Hyde — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:20:17 +0000

Come join us for a talk by Wess Harris, a noted authority on the West Virginia Mine Wars and editor of When Miners March, the story of Bill Blizzard and the Battle of Blair Mountain. Harris will be speaking at 2 PM on Thursday, March 28, in McConnell Library. The talk is free and open to the public.

The coal miners’ uprisings known as the West Virginia Mine Wars came to a head at the Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921, the largest armed rebellion in U.S. history. The Battle was only quelled when the U.S. Army brought guns and aerial bombers to stop the 10,000 miners. The union forces were led by William H. “Bill” Blizzard, a coal miner and union organizer. After the battle Blizzard was tried for, but acquitted of, treason and murder. Following his acquittal he served as legislative representative for the United Mine Workers and as vice president and president of the United Mine Workers District 17 based in Charleston, WV.

The story of Blizzard and the Battle of Blair Mountain was originally told in a series of newspaper articles by his son, William C. Blizzard, under the title “Struggle and Lose…Struggle and Win! – The Story of Coal Miners in West Virginia,” which was printed in the socialist newspaper Labors Daily in 1952-53. Wess Harris worked with WIlliam C. Blizzard to publish his original newspaper articles as a book, and the result is When Miners March (2004). Historian Howard Zinn called When Miners March “an extraordinary account of a largely ignored but important event in the history of our nation.”

In addition to talking about the Blizzard and the Battle of Blair Mountain, Harris will also discuss the background behind the William C. and Bill Blizzard When Miners March Coal & Labor Collection, which is housed in the McConnell Library Appalachian Collection. This collection contains transcripts and newspaper accounts of the Battle of Blair Mountain and the subsequent trial, personal papers from William C. Blizzard, documents from Bill Blizzard’s career as a UMWA leader, and other materials. The collection is open for research. A finding aid is available here and select items from the collection have been digitized and are available in the Radford University Digital Collections. The William C. and Bill Blizzard When Miners March Coal & Labor Collection is part of the Coal and Labor Collections in the RU Archives.

For more information contact Gene Hyde, Appalachian Collection Librarian, at 831-5692 or wehyde@radford.edu

: Bill Blizzard and other union leaders before their trial for treason and murder following the Battle of Blair Mountain.. Annotations by William C. Blizzard. From the William C. and Bill Blizzard When Miners March Coal & Labor Collection