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News: 2019

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Hoblitzelle Foundation Grant Preserves African American Cultural History

The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL), in partnership with the University of North Texas, has received a $25,000 grant The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL), in partnership with the University of North Texas, has received a $25,000 grant from the Hoblitzelle Foundation to continue digitizing the organization’s archive, which highlights the diverse artistic legacy of African Americans. TBAAL has been a platform for black artists and scholars for more than four decades. From its cultural center in downtown Dallas, the institution has presented over 5,000 performances from emerging artists, as well as the biggest names in American visual, literary, cinematic, and performing arts. UNT Libraries has served as TBAAL’s preservation partner since June 2015 and, to date, has digitized and described more than 71,300 unique, primary source documents that help historians tell the true story of African Americans in the arts and letters. The archived materials include recordings of live performances and events, photographs of artists and documents that chronicle the development of TBAAL. “We’re so grateful for the Hoblitzelle Foundation’s support and UNT’s efforts to archive our institution’s history for scholarly research,” said Curtis King, president of TBAAL. “Preserving one’s cultural history is paramount to research and create a better way of understanding ethnic groups’ differences from the past and present.” As items from TBAAL’s archive are digitized, they are made available in UNT’s The Portal to Texas History, where students, researchers and the general public have easy access to rare and historical materials. This initiative is part of UNT Libraries’ larger aim to digitize archives of women, people of color, the LGBTQ community, working class people, and other underrepresented communities in Texas. “Support from the Hoblizelle Foundation will be used to continue preserving records of the academy’s performances and programs, which include many important black artists and scholars from the past 40 years,” said Morgan Gieringer, head of UNT Libraries Special Collections. “UNT is proud to house the archive of The Black Academy of Arts and Letters and make these significant historical resources available to the public.” Amanda Yanowski, Senior Communications Specialist, UNT Advancement special_collections_in_the_news_collection_highlight_grant_award
Posted: 12/11/2019
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Coffee and Cookies

Students are welcome to drop by UNT Libraries’ free coffee & cookies station during pre-finals and finals week. Good luck on your finals! Take a break from studying to enjoy free freshly brewed coffee and cookies brought to you by the UNT Libraries Student Library Advisory Boards and the Graduate Student Council. December 4th & 5th | 6:00 - 8:00 pm | Eagle Commons Library December 9th & 10th | 6:00 - 8:00 pm | Willis Library & Eagle Commons Library public_services_in_the_news_about_the_libraries
Posted: 12/04/2019
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Lectures in Information Science and Scholarly Communications: Martin Klein

Join Research Scientist and Los Alamos National Laboratory Professor, Martin Klein, for a lecture exploring “An Institutional Perspective to Rescue Scholarly Orphans.” Join Research Scientist and Los Alamos National Laboratory Professor, Martin Klein, for a lecture exploring “An Institutional Perspective to Rescue Scholarly Orphans”, and his development efforts in the realm of web archiving, scholarly communication, digital system interoperability, and data management. Dr. Klein and his team are known for frameworks and standards such as Memento, ResourceSync, Signposting, and Robust Links, and they have shown that without adequate infrastructure, scholarly artifacts will vanish from the web in much the same way that “regular” web resources do. As such, Dr. Klein and his team have devised an institutional pipeline to track, capture, and archive these artifacts. In this talk, Dr. Klein will demonstrate the pipeline and share insights gained by developing and operating it. digital_libraries_presentations_and_lectures
Posted: 11/19/2019
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UNT Libraries Exceeds Fundraising Goal

The Portal to Texas History at the University of North Texas has reached a multimillion dollar fundraising milestone to support continuing growth of its transformative online collection of Texas history and culture. The Portal to Texas History has reached a multimillion dollar fundraising milestone to support continuing growth of its transformative online collection of Texas history and culture. UNT Libraries had a goal of raising $1.5 million over the last four years to receive the entirety of a $500,000 Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Earlier this semester it surpassed that mark, reaching $2.3 million in funds raised. “I’m proud of the amazing team bringing Texas history to the world,” said Dean of Libraries Diane Bruxvoort. “The Portal is a free and public online gateway to primary source materials about Texas and thanks to the support from our donors and the National Endowment for the Humanities, we can ensure this resource will be accessible for generations to come.” The Portal includes more than 1.5 million historical materials from newspapers and photos to maps and letters. Each month, there are more than one million uses from around the world of the rare pieces of the state’s cultural and historical heritage collected from the Portal’s partners at museums, libraries and archives across Texas. The money raised will go into the Cathy Nelson Hartman Portal to Texas History Endowment, which funds: Future technology development, acquisition and support for the collection Research Fellowships Rescuing Texas History program Educational initiatives such as the Portal’s new Texas Edges Lecture Series Heather Noel, UNT News Service, University Relations, Communications & Marketing digital_libraries_in_the_news_collection_highlight_about_the_libraries
Posted: 11/13/2019
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Texas Borderlands Newspaper Collection Wins THC Award of Excellence in Preserving History

The Texas Historical Commission (THC) has selected UNT Libraries’ The Portal to Texas History: Texas Borderlands Newspaper Collection as this year’s recipient of the Award of Excellence in Preserving History. The Texas Historical Commission (THC) has selected UNT Libraries’ The Portal to Texas History: Texas Borderlands Newspaper Collection as this year’s recipient of the Award of Excellence in Preserving History. The award recognizes preservation of this significant collection and celebrates its power to promote a greater understanding of state and local history. Spanning three centuries and incorporating newspapers from counties on or near the Texas-Mexico border, the Borderlands collection brings to life the voices and viewpoints of people who lived here. Agricultural innovations, military conflicts, cultural challenges, and politics are covered along with news of daily life and world events. Newspapers represented in the collection include English, Spanish, and French titles. According to Ana Krahmer, Director of UNT Libraries’ Digital Newspaper Unit, “The Texas Border has seen a lot of exciting history, and we hoped every issue of these newspapers would serve as a puzzle piece to fill in the picture of that history.” The newspapers come from libraries and museums throughout the border region and comprise 87,722 pages and 118 years of content. Digitization was accomplished with the generous support of three TexTreasures grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, awarded through the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. digital_libraries_in_the_news_collection_highlight_about_the_libraries
Posted: 10/25/2019
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UNT Libraries Journal Hosting

The UNT Libraries Journal Hosting service provides a free platform for open access online journals. The UNT Libraries Journal Hosting service provides a free platform for open access online journals. These are journals that do not charge publication fees and include open licenses by which authors retain copyright to all published materials. Currently hosted journals include the newly created Unbound: A Journal of Digital Scholarship and the recently published North Texas Journal of Undergraduate Research which features works by UNT Honors College students from a wide variety of disciplines. This hosting service is available to full-time UNT faculty who serve as editors or editorial board members on a journal. If you’re interested in this service or have questions about journal hosting terms & services, please contact John Edward Martin, Scholarly Communication Librarian. teaching_learning_in_the_news_about_the_libraries_new_service
Posted: 10/01/2019
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Texas Edges Lecture Series: W. Caleb McDaniel

Join us for the 2nd annual Texas Edges Lecture Series featuring W. Caleb McDaniel, Associate Professor of History and Duncan College Magister at Rice University. Join us for the 2nd annual Texas Edges Lecture Series featuring W. Caleb McDaniel, Associate Professor of History and Duncan College Magister at Rice University. McDaniel’s lecture, “Doom and Dawn: A True Story of Slavery in Civil War Texas” covers the story of Henrietta Wood. In 1853, she was kidnapped, enslaved, and forced to march from Mississippi to Texas where she remained enslaved even after the Civil War ended. In 1869 she managed to return home to Cincinnati where she filed a lawsuit for reparations against her kidnapper, eventually winning a remarkable verdict that remains instructive today as Texans debate reparations and the legacies of slavery. Professor McDaniel will also highlight how digitized resources like those provided by The Portal of Texas History made it possible to reconstruct Henrietta Wood’s story and will share lessons learned from his experiment in “open notebook history.” digital_libraries_presentations_and_lectures
Posted: 10/01/2019
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Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. At UNT, we have a strong commitment to keeping our campus safe and educated when it comes to any form of violence on our camps. Some conflict in relationships is normal; however, violence is not okay. Understanding and identifying the forms of relationship violence is the first step in removing yourself from these types of situations. The UNT Dean of Students, UNT Survivor Advocate, and UNT Libraries are committed to the education and prevention of violence on our campus and in our community. Together, we created a library guide with links to campus and community organizations that can assist anyone suffering from any form of violence. The guide also contains definitions and descriptions of types of domestic violence as well as books to learn more about related topics like counseling, advocacy, and laws. You are not alone. We are here to help. On October 3, the Survivors Advocate Office and their partners will host a Domestic Violence Awareness Month resource fair so students can learn about services provided on campus and by the local community. Learn more at our Domestic Violence Awareness Month guide. Domestic Violence Awareness Month October 3: Domestic Violence Awareness Month Resource Fair, 11 am - 1 pm on the Library Mall. Hosted by UNT Survivor Advocate Office October 9: Help Yourself Campaign Table, 10 am - 3 pm in front of Willis Library. Hosted by UNT Library Learning Services October 22: Help Yourself Campaign Table, 10 am - 3 pm in front of Willis Library. Hosted by UNT Library Learning Services public_services_in_the_news_about_the_libraries
Posted: 09/26/2019
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UNT's Summer 2019 Theses and Dissertations Now Available

We recently made our August 2019 graduates’ electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) available in the UNT Digital Library. We recently made our August 2019 graduates’ electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) available in the UNT Digital Library. The 114 doctoral dissertations and 48 master’s theses join a robust collection of more than 19,000 UNT graduate works dating back to 1936. Full-text searchable within our digital library, the ETDs are also easy to discover via Google and other search engines— providing immediate global visibility. In 1999, UNT was among the first three American universities requiring students to submit theses and dissertations in electronic format. The UNT Digital Library followed up by retrospectively digitizing all UNT theses and dissertations produced prior to 1999 and adding them to the collection. Now, UNT’s implementation of the Vireo ETD submission and management system allows us to add current ETDs promptly each semester after they are approved by the Toulouse Graduate School. We also provide access to other forms of scholarly and artistic content created by UNT students including data sets, recital recordings, artwork, publications and problems-in-lieu-of-theses, and honors papers. By delivering integrated, enhanced digital access to these materials, the UNT Digital Library attracts users from more than 200 countries, increasing the impact of UNT students’ scholarship and creativity around the world. digital_libraries_in_the_news_collection_highlight_about_the_libraries
Posted: 09/12/2019
black and white photograph of a woman sitting in the corner of a boxing ring

Photography Study Collection

The Photography Study Collection is a curated collection of original artist’s prints covering a diverse range of photographic style and technique. The Photography Study Collection is a curated collection of original artist’s prints covering a diverse range of photographic style and technique. These recently acquired images provide photography students at UNT an opportunity to view and safely handle vintage fine art prints in person. Students using the Photography Study Collection will have an opportunity to examine different printing techniques including digital chromogenic prints, gelatin silver prints, archival inkjet prints and prints on fabric. The collection also includes different representations of artist’s work including signed prints, artist’s portfolios, and artist’s books. Professors Paho Mann and Dornith Doherty selected the prints for inclusion in the Photography Study Collection and worked with several galleries in Dallas to arrange the acquisition of prints including PDNB Gallery, Liliana Bloch Gallery, and Talley Dunn Gallery. In addition to the work of professional artists, Mann and Doherty selected a UNT student portfolio to add to the collection. This summer the library acquired the work of graduate student Melissa Gamez-Herrara for the Photography Study Collection. Her artist’s book titled “En sus propias palabras (In Her Own Words): Words from Maquiladora Workers on the U.S.-Mexico Border was purchased in summer 2019. Additional artists represented in the collection include: Keith Carter Rachel Cox Letitia Huckaby Leigh Merrill Jeanine Michna-Bales Delilah Montoya Geoff Winningham The Photography Study Collection currently includes 18 photographs and four portfolios representing the work of eight early to mid-career artists. Each year the Special Collections department will add several artist’s prints to the collection, in addition to a UNT photography student purchase prize. The Photography Study Collection is available for research use on-site in the Sarah T. Hughes Reading Room. The Photography Study Collection is part of a growing archive of photographic materials at UNT including photojournalism, documentary, fine art, and architectural photography, as well as street and vernacular photography. A growing body of resources on the history of photography is also available in Special Collections, including samples of original daguerreotypes, tintypes, carte de visites, cabinet cards, postcard photography and photographic ephemera such as early photography supply catalogs and camera manuals. More information about all of these collections is available through our website or by contacting UNT Special Collections at specialcollections@unt.edu. special_collections_in_the_news_collection_highlight
Posted: 09/06/2019
several uniformed men riding horses and pulling men in horse-drawn carts

Rescuing Texas History 2019 Awardees

The Portal to Texas History is proud to announce we have awarded 49 total projects this year in our Rescuing Texas History program. In May 2019, The Portal to Texas History announced the latest call for applications to our Rescuing Texas History program, in two tracks: for newspaper and non-newspaper applications. This program is intended to offer up to $1,000 worth of digitization services by the UNT Libraries’ Digital Projects Unit to build access to partners’ local materials. We are proud to announce we have awarded 49 total projects this year. We are thrilled for our partners and wanted to provide everyone a sneak peek of where the new materials are coming from. Among this year’s new Rescuing Texas History projects are photos from the Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas, and insights into the evolution of solar energy from the 1970s and 1980s. Additionally, you will have access to The Junior Ranger, the student newspaper from San Antonio College Library with issues dating back to 1926, along with 14 years of the Carlton Citizen from Erath County. This is just to name a few, so keep your eyes peeled for new and fascinating Texas history materials! Private Collections of TB Willis Dr. Pound Historical Farmstead Tarleton State University Friench Simpson Memorial Library Murphy Historical Society Texas Lutheran University Dr. Pepper Museum Austin History Center, Austin Public Library Dallas Firefighters Museum Mexic-Arte Museum Private Collection of Mike Cochran Fort Davis Historical Society – Overland Trail Museum St. Mary’s Louise J. Blume Library Denton Public Library Forney Historic Preservation League Southwestern University Private Collection of the Ritchie Family Moody Medical Library at UTMB Interurban Railway Museum Lone Star Flight Museum Private Collection of the Curtis Estate Private Collection of the Litzler Family Fannin County Historical Commission Ben E. Allen Real Estate Dallas Municipal Archives Mineola Landmark Commission Private Collection of JK Johnson Travis County Historical Commission San Antonio College Library Erath County Genealogical Society Port Arthur Public Library Gillespie County Historical Society Montgomery County Library University of Dallas Brownsville Historical Association City of Quanah Kerr County Historical Commission McCulloch County Historical Commission History of West Museum Rosenberg Library Solar Engineering Magazine Melissa Public Library Fannin County Museum of History Private Collection of the Koenig Family Private Collection of MM Davis Carrollton Public Library Ennis Public Library Smith County Historical Society Tarrant County Archives external_relations_in_the_news_grant_award
Posted: 08/29/2019
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UNT LGBTQ Archive Speaker Series

UNT Libraries has partnered with Resource Center and The Dallas Way to present a fall speaker series benefiting the UNT LGBTQ Archive. UNT Libraries has partnered with Resource Center and The Dallas Way to present a fall speaker series benefiting the UNT LGBTQ Archive. Three speakers, all of whom are past UNT Special Collections Research Fellows, will speak on different topics related to LGBTQ history. The speaker series will take place Resource Center’s Louis L. Borick Foundation Auditorium located at 5750 Cedar Springs Rd, Dallas, TX. Each event in the series will include a complimentary reception from 5:30-6:00 p.m. followed by the speaker. The September 18, 2019 event will feature speaker Dr. Wesley Phelps, Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas. Phelps will be speaking about legal challenges to Texas sodomy laws before the landmark 2003 Supreme Court decision to Lawrence v. Texas. Hear the ways in which the LGBTQ community and allies struggled to develop legal, political and educational strategies based on privacy, due process, and equal protection under law. The October 30, 2019 event will feature speaker Dr. Chris Babits, Andrew W. Mellon Engaged Scholar Initiative Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. Babits will discuss the history of the conversion therapy movement, religion, and scientific inquiry. Hear about changing norms in gender and sexuality from the early Cold War into post 9/11 America. The November 20, 2019 event will feature speaker Agatha Beins, Associate Professor and Director of the Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies Master’s Program at Texas Woman’s University. Beins will speak about the content and material qualities of the AIDS Memorial Quilt as well as the multiple paths it offered for people to learn about HIV/AIDS and build community. Hear about the North Texas’ area advocacy and discover the power of this art-activist project on a local scale. All events in the speaker series are free and open to the public. If you plan to attend, please email tfrank@myresourcecenter.org to RSVP. September 18, 2019 | Dr. Wesley Phelps October 30, 2019 | Dr. Chris Babits November 20, 2019 | Agatha Beins special_collections_in_the_news_collection_highlight_presentations_and_lectures
Posted: 08/28/2019
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Librarian Appointed to Board Promoting Free Access to Scholarship

Kevin Hawkins, Assistant Dean for Scholarly Communication and Interim Head of Teaching & Learning, has been appointed for a two-year term on the steering committee for the Coalition of Open Access Policy Institutions. Kevin Hawkins, Assistant Dean for Scholarly Communication and Interim Head of Teaching & Learning, has been appointed for a two-year term beginning July 2019 on the steering committee for the Coalition of Open Access Policy Institutions (COAPI), which includes representatives from North American universities and other institutions that have created or adopted policies on making research produced by the institution free to read online. UNT was the first public university in Texas to pass such a policy (in 2011), and Hawkins led a rewriting of the policy in 2017 to clarify its provisions. You can read more about the UNT Open Access Policy and about Open Access at UNT online. public_services_in_the_news_honors_and_awards
Posted: 08/14/2019
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Radio Shack & Tandy Corporation Collection Now Available

The University of North Texas Special Collections acquired the Radio Shack and Tandy Corporation Archive through the 2017 bankruptcy auction of the Radio Shack Company. The University of North Texas Special Collections acquired the Radio Shack and Tandy Corporation Archive through the 2017 bankruptcy auction of the Radio Shack Company. Although this is an unusual way for UNT to acquire a collection, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to preserve an important piece of technology, computing and north Texas history. Starting as a family owned leather business in the early 1900’s, the Tandy Corporation was created by Dave Tandy. The corporation started trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1960 and purchased Radio Shack in 1963. The Tandy Corporation also purchased Leonard’s department stores in 1967 and Meacham’s fashion stores in 1968. Charles Tandy, the son of Dave Tandy, grew Radio Shack and the Tandy Corporation into one of the leading companies in consumer technology. Radio Shack found success by taking a vertically integrated approach to the company’s structure, with much of the store’s products being produced by the company itself. In 1975, the company broke ground on Tandy Center in Fort Worth. The twin multi-story towers became an iconic part of the downtown Fort Worth landscape. The Tandy Center also included a mall, an indoor ice-skating rink and a privately owned subway running from the Tandy Center to the parking lots. The Tandy Corporation became the RadioShack Corporation in 2000, and a year later they sold Tandy Center. After filing for bankruptcy in 2015, Radio Shack was sold to Standard General. The Radio Shack and Tandy Corporation Collection holds many interesting artifacts and documents from the company’s history. Some of these include: Over 30 Volumes of the ‘Intercom’ employee newsletter, detailing company news from 1967-2000. Documents and news articles regarding one of the only privately owned subways in the world, the Leonard’s M&O Subway in Fort Worth. A detailed look at the TRS-80, one of the earliest mass-produced retail home computers, developed and released by Radio Shack in 1977. The decline and bankruptcy of Radio Shack has been newsworthy story in recent years. Radio Shack had historically been a reliable source of products for both tech-savvy consumers and hobbyists. This collection will hold interest for anyone wanting to see the growth, structure, and inner workings of this tech giant. The finding aid for the Radio Shack and Tandy Corporation Archive is available online. Some items from the archive are featured in an online exhibit. To learn more about the Radio Shack Archive, or to access materials on-campus, please contact specialcollections@unt.edu. This collection was processed as a practicum project by Cody Rone (featured image), a graduate student at the University of Texas at Arlington. special_collections_in_the_news_collection_highlight
Posted: 07/09/2019
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Three Questions with Trey Murphy

Trey Murphy is a PhD candidate in the University of North Carolina Geography Department studying petroleum production in Texas. As an energy geographer, his current project examines the historical formation of mineral rights and the present inequalities in Texas’s hydrocarbon property system. Three Questions is an initiative to share the value that our faculty, students, and others in the UNT community derive from using the Unique Collections at UNT Libraries. 1. How important are the Libraries’ services in your teaching, learning or research? The University of North Texas libraries have served as an invaluable resource throughout my investigation. For the previous two summers, I have focused on a somewhat obscure but immensely important piece of Texas state legislation from the 1910s, the Relinquishment Act, that solidified property laws and oil production in west Texas. Traveling to many archival centers throughout the state, I realized that the data sources for the project might be too dispersed to create a cogent account of the circumstances that surrounded the passage of this legislation. However, an archivist at the University of Texas recommended that I investigate the Portal to Texas History. Sure enough, the Portal quickly revealed countless newspaper sources from throughout that period that enlivened the Relinquishment Act’s story and revealed the tensions present during its passage. Without the Portal, this project would have likely stalled, and I doubt I would have been able to give a coherent account of this critical statute. How have the Libraries’ services changed the way you approach your research, teaching or learning? The Portal to Texas History gives me a new lens through which to view this state’s fascinating past. There are so many facets of Texas history that deserve greater attention. Thankfully, the Portal creates a space to quickly explore some of the primary documents that have transformed the Texas landscape. In this way, I have thought of many new research ideas that could be completed with the data from the Portal. As I continue through my career, I can foresee incorporating the Portal into my teaching and giving my students the opportunity to explore Texas history by viewing primary documents from specific time periods. As a geographer, I want my students to understand the socio-political landscapes of the past and how decision made decades ago have ramifications to the present. By using the UNT’s library resources, I suspect I can quickly accomplish that. What do you want others to know about your research, teaching or learning? My research explores energy landscapes with a special emphasis on the historic and present ways that petroleum extraction creates opportunities for prosperity and inequality. In this way, I rely heavily on historical texts to ground my investigations and to explore the positive and negative facets of production. Librarians have opened new pathways during countless moments when I thought I had reached a dead end in my research. Indeed even after I have finished writing up the findings of my research and published them in scientific journals, librarians have helped me select outlets to share my research with the broader community and ensure that what I share is accessible beyond the academic gates. In this way, I would encourage social scientists to look to their libraries—especially the fabulous library resources at the University of North Texas—as not just a reference but rather a source for new information and guidance during the research process. Trey Murphy is a PhD candidate in the University of North Carolina Geography Department studying petroleum production in Texas. As an energy geographer, his current project examines the historical formation of mineral rights and the present inequalities in Texas’s hydrocarbon property system. To learn more about his present research or reach out for more information, he regularly posts updates on his research on his Twitter feed. external_relations_in_the_news_three_questions
Posted: 07/01/2019
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Dr. Daniel Alemneh to Serve as Fulbright Scholar in Ethiopia

Congratulations to Dr. Daniel Alemneh of UNT Libraries for being accepted as a Fulbright Scholar! Congratulations to Dr. Daniel Alemneh of UNT Libraries for being accepted as a Fulbright Scholar! Dr. Alemneh will be working to develop digital library structures and framework to support local universities and organizations in Ethiopia during his appointment in the 2019-2020 academic year. In his position as Digital Curation Unit Supervisor, Alemneh has worked previously with Ethiopian university faculty to review curriculum for digital library development. Ethiopia has a rich history which has not been well recorded digitally due to limited technical resources and knowledge. Alemneh’s project will aim to bridge this gap and complement existing efforts by promoting and optimizing best practices to create and maintain sustainable digital libraries. These digital repositories will hold the many varied histories of the citizens of the country. The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) collaborates with the Institute of International Education’s Council for International Exchange of Scholars (IIE/CIES) to administer the Fulbright Program for U.S. faculty, administrators and professionals. Before his departure in the fall, Alemneh will attend a pre-departure program this summer organized to train scholars on safety, cultural differences, and how to use the resources available to them when they are abroad. Alemneh joins the list of over 35 Fulbright Scholars that have served as UNT representatives since Join us in congratulating Dr. Daniel Alemneh on this wonderful opportunity! digital_libraries_in_the_news_honors_and_awards
Posted: 06/20/2019
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Spring 2019 UNT Press Books Available Online

The UNT Press collection in the UNT Digital Library consists of 450 books and journals including our most recent publications from Spring 2019. The University of North Texas Press was founded in 1987 and published its first book in 1989. Though it is the newest university press in North Texas (following SMU Press and TCU Press), it has quickly become a leading press with the most titles in print (more than 400) and published (18 to 20 each year). The UNT Press is a fully accredited member of the Association of University Presses. Its books are distributed and marketed nationally and internationally through the Texas A&M University Press Consortium. The UNT Press collection in the UNT Digital Library consists of 450 books and journals including our most recent publications from Spring 2019. Nearly 100 of these titles are available for free worldwide open access. New titles include prize-winning poetry, the musical career of Alexander Tumanov, a back seat view of the Vietnam War, and more. digital_libraries_in_the_news_collection_highlight_about_the_libraries
Posted: 06/19/2019
photograph of several smiling people in graduation caps and gowns

UNT's Spring 2019 Theses and Dissertations Now Available

We recently made our May 2019 graduates’ electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) available in the UNT Digital Library. We recently made our May 2019 graduates’ electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) available in the UNT Digital Library. The 106 doctoral dissertations and 52 master’s theses join a robust collection of more than 19,000 UNT graduate works dating back to 1936. Full-text searchable within our digital library, the ETDs are also easy to discover via Google and other search engines— providing immediate global visibility. In 1999, UNT was among the first three American universities requiring students to submit theses and dissertations in electronic format. The UNT Digital Library followed up by retrospectively digitizing all UNT theses and dissertations produced prior to 1999 and adding them to the collection. Now, UNT’s implementation of the Vireo ETD submission and management system allows us to add current ETDs promptly each semester after they are approved by the Toulouse Graduate School. We also provide access to other forms of scholarly and artistic content created by UNT students including data sets, recital recordings, artwork, publications and problems-in-lieu-of-theses, and honors papers. By delivering integrated, enhanced digital access to these materials, the UNT Digital Library attracts users from more than 200 countries, increasing the impact of UNT students’ scholarship and creativity around the world. digital_libraries_in_the_news_collection_highlight_about_the_libraries
Posted: 06/14/2019
collage of four photographs including a helicopter, girl in a stream, miniature open book, and a girl with a hat

Special Collections Coursework Development Grant Awardees

The two Special Collections Coursework Development Grant winners are Dr. Kathryne Beebe, Associate Professor of Medieval History, and Dr. Liane Malinowski, Assistant Professor of English. Special Collections accepted applications in May for the newly established Special Collections Coursework Development Grant. The grant was established in order to partner with faculty to develop assignments for Fall 2019 courses that will utilize rare books, fine books, facsimiles, maps, photography, archival collections, or other types of materials held by Special Collections. The two grant winners were announced on May 24th. The winners are: Dr. Kathryne Beebe, Associate Professor of Medieval History Dr. Liane Malinowski, Assistant Professor of English Dr. Beebe’s project, Holding History in Your Hands: Medieval Fragments and Student Experiential Learning, is a semester-long, experiential learning project assignment that will ask students in HIST 4218: Early Medieval Europe to 1) become an “expert” on an item in UNT’s Medieval and Renaissance Manuscript Leaves Collection, and 2) via several short workshops, to learn the techniques of the actual making of a medieval manuscript that is featured in that item (i.e. by writing calligraphy, gilding letters with gold leaf, or creating an illuminated initial letter). The final projects for the course will reflect this twinned approach: the envisioned student-written-and-created Library Guide to the Medieval and Renaissance Manuscript Leaves Collection would showcase the students’ research and writing skills, while simultaneously bringing the collection to a wider public. In Dr. Malinowski’s project students will be researching and creating a pop-up exhibit about the Denton Women’s Interracial Fellowship, a group of black and white Denton women who came together in 1964 to work together across differences of race, and to take on local projects related to infrastructure and housing. Dr. Beebe and Dr. Malinowski will each receive $500 for their grant award which will be made available as research and professional development funding. Congratulations Dr. Beebe and Dr. Malinowski! The Special Collections Team is looking forward to working with you on your coursework activities! special_collections_in_the_news_honors_and_awards
Posted: 06/05/2019
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Rescuing Texas History Mini-Grants 2019

The Portal to Texas History has recently announced the call for submissions for its most recent round of the Rescuing Texas History program. The Portal to Texas History has recently announced the call for submissions for its most recent round of the Rescuing Texas History program. Rescuing Texas History 2019 is the twelfth year of the program, which has brought to light over 62,000 items from 289 projects. Since the beginning of the program there have been over 8 million uses of materials hosted on the Portal to Texas History that were received in response to past call for submissions. Each project selected will be provided with up to $1,000 of digitization services to libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, and other groups (including individuals) that house historical materials. All materials accepted will be scanned at UNT Libraries and hosted on The Portal to Texas History. Deadline for receipt of applications is August 8, 2019. For more information and to download the application, please visit Rescuing Texas History Mini-Grant. external_relations_in_the_news_grant_award
Posted: 06/04/2019
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UNT Officially Sets a New World Record

The University of North Texas is the official holder of a new Guinness World Record for the Longest History Lesson! The University of North Texas is the official holder of a new Guinness World Record for the Longest History Lesson! Please join us in giving a huge congratulations to Dr. Torget, the students in the class, and the multitude of volunteers who helped make this a success. If you were not able to join us or tune in during the attempt, you can see the full 26 hour and 34-minute Texas history lesson on The Portal to Texas History. external_relations_in_the_news_honors_and_awards
Posted: 06/03/2019
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3Dhotbed Wins TDL's Excellence in Digital Libraries Award

The Texas Digital Library awarded the 3D-printed History of the Book Education (3Dhotbed) Project their Excellence in Digital Libraries Award! The Texas Digital Library awarded the 3D-printed History of the Book Education (3Dhotbed) Project their Excellence in Digital Libraries Award! This award honors overall excellence in one or more areas of digital library practice and is one of six annual awards given out during The Texas Conference on Digital Libraries hosted annually in Austin, Texas. To qualify for this honor, the 3Dhotbed project demonstrated collaborative work on an innovative digital collection project that uses unique technology and serves to advance digital collections standards. The 3Dhotbed project is a collaborative effort of Courtney Jacobs (Head of Outreach and Community Engagement, UCLA Library Special Collections), Kevin M. O’Sullivan (Curator of Rare Books & Manuscripts at Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, Texas A&M University), and Marcia McIntosh (Digital Production Librarian, University of North Texas Libraries). The project started with Jacobs’ idea to make a type-casting hand mould at Texas A&M’s Book History Workshop more accessible to those who want to enhance their courses and projects with the hands-on experience of casting type. In partnership with O’Sullivan and McIntosh, the 3Dhotbed team published its first toolkit in 2017. The 3Dhotbed project provides educators with the resources and materials they need to teach early book history, including the mechanics of the hand press, bookbinding, typecasting, and woodcuts. This online resource provides access to pedagogical materials made up of instructional videos, informational handouts, and a typecasting toolkit that educators can print on their own 3D printers instead of buying costly equipment. All of the data files necessary to create these replica teaching models are available to download at no cost from the UNT Digital Library. Congratulations to the 3Dhotbed team for their outstanding contribution to the advancement of digital libraries! Meet the Team Courtney Jacobs received her MSLIS from Syracuse University. She is the Head of Outreach and Community Engagement for the UCLA Library Special Collections. She has developed and delivered many lectures and workshops on book history and printing history utilizing primary source materials in support of teaching faculty’s curriculum and learning outcomes. Kevin O’Sullivan serves as the Curator of Rare Books & Manuscripts at Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, Texas A&M University, where he also directs the Book History Workshop. He received his MSIS from the University of Texas at Austin and is currently working toward his Ph.D. in English at Texas A&M University. Marcia McIntosh received her master’s in Information Studies from the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Information. She is the Digital Production Librarian at the University of North Texas, where she assists in coordinating and managing the creation of digital collections. Feature image: Marcia McIntosh accepting the award on behalf of her teammates Kevin O’Sullivan and Courtney Jacobs. digital_libraries_in_the_news_honors_and_awards
Posted: 05/30/2019
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Three Questions with Jacqueline Foertsch

Jacqueline Foertsch is professor of English at the University of North Texas and chair of UNT’s Postwar Faculty Colloquium. She is the author of six books in American literature, film, and culture. Three Questions is an initiative to share the value that our faculty, students, and others in the UNT community derive from using the Unique Collections at UNT Libraries. How important are Unique Collections in your teaching, learning or research? I could not get through my research day without the invaluable services provided by ILL, remote storage, and collections development. Coby Condrey gets me the books or e-books I need, and no request is too complicated or too picky for the inestimable James Flowers. James tracks down any book or article housed in the annex, sends multiple scans if page numbers are missing, and recently went over to the Discovery Park annex to dig Unsafe at Any Speed out of a box in the middle of a move! Kevin Yanowski and John Edward Martin are also always ready with their info and advice, Darin Castillo does a terrific job setting up my Course Reserves, and Assoc. Dean Mary Ann Venner has enabled my teaching and research for many years. Excellent, wonderfully helpful library staff! How have Unique Collections changed the way you approach your research, teaching or learning? Willis services have kept up with technological changes that are essential to modern research methods. I make frequent use of the e-formatted books and articles, and access to UNT’s newspapers databases (e.g., Proquest Historical Newspapers) has meant much in researching my last two book projects. And it may seem a minor issue, but a huge, huge improvement for me is the recyclable canvas bag system now used for departmental delivery. I never used delivery in the era of plastic packaging – a huge thank-you to Willis for “meaning green” when getting books to faculty. What do you want others to know about your research, teaching or learning? My work regards the post-WWII decades of American literature and culture, so I’m not usually one of the library’s customers in search of obscure or ancient archival material. But I still rely on the Willis staff on a weekly basis to move vital materials to my departmental or electronic inbox – they are terrific! Jacqueline Foertsch is professor of English at the University of North Texas and chair of UNT’s Postwar Faculty Colloquium. She is the author of six books in American literature, film, and culture and is at work on Freedom’s Ring: Literatures of Liberation from Civil Rights to the Second Wave and Chariots of Doom: Getting Around to True Crime in Postwar America. external_relations_in_the_news_three_questions
Posted: 05/22/2019
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Special Collections Coursework Development Grant

The University of North Texas Special Collections invites applications for the newly established Special Collections Coursework Development Grant. The University of North Texas Special Collections invites applications for the newly established Special Collections Coursework Development Grant. We are interested in partnering with faculty to develop assignments for Fall 2019 courses that will utilize rare books, fine books, facsimiles, maps, photography, archival collections or other types of materials held by Special Collections. Activities and assignments eligible for this grant may include, but are not limited to: Bibliographic description Document or photograph analysis Creative writing exercises Creation of digital exhibits and websites Documentary filmmaking Both in-class activities and assignments that involve asynchronous visits on an individual student basis are eligible for the award. Special Collections is especially interested in exploring opportunities to collaborate with teaching faculty in the STEM disciplines. Applications will be accepted through May 17, The successful projects will be announced on May 24, 2019. To apply, please submit your course syllabus and a 1,000 word maximum statement that details: What specific collection(s) or books held by UNT Special Collections you are interested in using How a collaboration with Special Collections would enhance your course The assignment you are proposing The expected learning outcomes for the assignment Applications should be emailed to Jodi Rhinehart-Doty by Friday, May 17, 2019. Two grants of $500 each will be awarded. Funds will be made available as research and professional development funding. This funding may be expensed for research (books, supplies) and professional development (conferences, seminars, travel, etc.) Awardees will be required to meet with Special Collections staff in advance of the Fall semester to coordinate their coursework activity and schedule time for one or more class visits to Special Collections. To locate materials, you can search the UNT Library catalog (use tab “Books & More” and limit search to “Special Collections”) or UNT Special Collections’ finding aids. Please contact specialcollections@unt.edu with any questions or for assistance locating relevant materials for your desired project. Some notable collections to consider: NBC 5/KXAS news archive Bell Helicopter Denton Fracking Referendum Collection Byrd Williams Photography Collection Clark Family Photography Collection John Rogers and Georgette de Bruchard Photography Collection The Black Academy of Arts and Letters Records Donald Thomas War Poetry Collection Vann Victorian Literature Collection LGBTQ Archives Margaret Parx Hays Papers Dorothy Gray Mills Howard Collection Artists’ Books collection Miniature books collection Yearbooks, university photography, university archives The Coursework Development Grant is supported by the Toulouse Archival Research Program Endowment. special_collections_in_the_news_grant_award
Posted: 05/07/2019
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The Portal to Texas History 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee - Jordan Johnson

Jordan Johnson is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Emory University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Southwestern University in English, Spanish, and Feminist Studies, and is the recipient of the Debbie Ellis Award in Feminist Studies. The University of North Texas Libraries invite applications for the 2020 The Portal to Texas History Research Fellowship. Research using the Portal is relevant to studies in a variety of disciplines including history, journalism, political science, geography, and American studies. We encourage applicants to think creatively about the opportunities that research with large digital library collections can enable. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the greatest potential for publication and the best use of The Portal to Texas History. The Portal to Texas History 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee Jordan Johnson Project Title Encountering the Forest Archive: A Feminist Genealogy of the East Texas Pineywoods Project Description This project analyzes practices of forestry and resource management through the lens of feminist science and technology studies, exploring how processes of industrialization and development have operationalized shifting notions of the natural world, technology, and land use. Situated at the intersection of environmental studies, feminist materialism, and posthumanist theory, this work incorporates literary/textual analysis alongside historical and archival methods to produce a Foucauldian genealogy of forestry and environmental management on the Angelina National Forest, exploring how environmental-industrial legacies in the Pineywoods expose limitations and incongruities inherent in liberal humanist fantasies of progress, development, and sustainability. Biography Jordan Johnson is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Emory University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Southwestern University in English, Spanish, and Feminist Studies, and is the recipient of the Debbie Ellis Award in Feminist Studies. She has also worked as the managing editor of Southern Spaces: A Journal about Real and Imagined Spaces and Places of the US South and their Global Connections. digital_libraries_in_the_news_honors_and_awards_research_fellowships
Posted: 04/23/2019
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The Portal to Texas History 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee - Trey Murphy

Trey Murphy is an energy geographer and PhD candidate at the University of North Carolina where he examines the intrinsic relationship between the governance of petroleum extraction and Texas property ownership. The University of North Texas Libraries invite applications for the 2020 The Portal to Texas History Research Fellowship. Research using the Portal is relevant to studies in a variety of disciplines including history, journalism, political science, geography, and American studies. We encourage applicants to think creatively about the opportunities that research with large digital library collections can enable. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the greatest potential for publication and the best use of The Portal to Texas History. The Portal to Texas History 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee Trey Murphy Project Title The Petroleum Governance of Property through the Texas Relinquishment Act of 1919 Project Description Land ownership in Texas is complex in that the subsurface and the surface can be held by different individuals, which can lead to oil wells in someone’s backyards for which the homeowner receives no payment. A century ago, the Texas state legislature passed the Relinquishment Act, which created a compensation scheme for surface property owners when the state government owns the subsurface. This project explores and looks to the Relinquishment Act as a potential solution to present-day questions over who should benefit from extraction when the surface and subsurface of the same parcel of land are owned by different people. Biography Trey Murphy is an energy geographer and PhD candidate at the University of North Carolina where he examines the intrinsic relationship between the governance of petroleum extraction and Texas property ownership. To conduct this investigation, Trey uses a combination of semi-structured interviews with mineral rights stakeholders, archival research of Texas state legislative and judicial history, as well as participant-observation collected at mineral ownership conferences. His research has been featured on NPR, Texas Monthly Online, and the Houston Chronicle. digital_libraries_in_the_news_honors_and_awards_research_fellowships
Posted: 04/19/2019
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The UNT Special Collections 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee - Timothy Vale

Timothy Vale attended the University of Houston receiving a Bachelor’s degree in History and minor in Anthropology in 2013. He returned to the University of Houston in 2015 as a master’s student and transferred to the PhD program in August of 2016. His focus is on History of American Medicine and LGBT History. The University of North Texas Libraries invite applications for the 2020 UNT Special Collections Research Fellowship. Research in special collections is relevant to studies in a variety of disciplines including history, journalism, political science, geography, fine art, art history and American studies. We encourage applicants to think creatively about new uses for special collections. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the greatest potential for publication and the best use of special collections at UNT Libraries. The UNT Special Collections 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee Timothy Vale Project Title Crimson Legacy: AIDS Patients and Gay Male Sexuality in America Since 1980 Project Description This dissertation examines how gay men and their communities confronted the HIV/AIDS epidemic and in turn, how they responded to public and medical perceptions of the disease from the 1980s to the present. Through examining the cities of Houston and Los Angeles, this dissertation rejects the typical “monolithic” depiction of HIV/AIDS and the gay community found in many historical works by arguing that the way in which gay men and their communities combatted and memorialized the HIV/AIDS epidemic was not a straightforward process. Biography Timothy Vale was born and raised in Houston, Texas and went to high school at Cy-Fair High School. He attended the University of Houston receiving a Bachelor’s degree in History and minor in Anthropology in 2013. He returned to the University of Houston in 2015 as a master’s student and transferred to the PhD program in August of 2016. His focus is on History of American Medicine and LGBT History. special_collections_in_the_news_honors_and_awards_research_fellowships
Posted: 04/18/2019
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The Portal to Texas History 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee - Laura Lee Oviedo

Laura L. Oviedo is a PhD candidate at Texas A&M University who grew up along the U.S.-Mexico border in Pharr, Texas. She is currently a Smithsonian Pre-Doctoral Curatorial Fellow in the Division of Political and Military History at the National Museum of American History. The University of North Texas Libraries invite applications for the 2020 The Portal to Texas History Research Fellowship. Research using the Portal is relevant to studies in a variety of disciplines including history, journalism, political science, geography, and American studies. We encourage applicants to think creatively about the opportunities that research with large digital library collections can enable. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the greatest potential for publication and the best use of The Portal to Texas History. The Portal to Texas History 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee Laura Lee Oviedo Project Title Belonging in Nation and War: Latinas and the Politics of Identity, Militarization, and Labor/s in Texas and Puerto Rico during World War II Project Description Belonging in Nation and War draws on oral histories, material culture, archival sources, and ethnography to provide a transnational history of Latina labor/s and military participation in Texas and Puerto Rico as important tools for survival, opportunities, and civil rights for Latinxs during and after World War II. Laura Lee Oviedo examines how the ideological, cultural, and institutional processes of militarization helped construct ideas of race, citizenship, sex and public health, labor/s, and nation. This dissertation considers how U.S. colonialism and empire in Texas and Puerto Rico, including their geo-political importance to U.S.-Latin American relations and hemispheric defense influenced wartime policies that shaped Latina’s relationship to family, community, and nation. Biography Laura L. Oviedo is a PhD candidate at Texas A&M University who grew up along the U.S.-Mexico border in Pharr, Texas. She is currently a Smithsonian Pre-Doctoral Curatorial Fellow in the Division of Political and Military History at the National Museum of American History. Specializing in 20th century American history, her research employs an intersectional lens and interdisciplinary methodology to examine the relationship between war, identity, citizenship, labor, and civil rights. In addition to her dissertation, Laura’s oral history interviews with the distinguished Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment aka the Borinqueneers, Congressional Gold Medal recipients for their service in the Korean War, will be deposited as the first Latino military history collection in the NMAH Archives. digital_libraries_in_the_news_honors_and_awards_research_fellowships
Posted: 04/18/2019
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The UNT Special Collections 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee - Edward Etkins

Edward Etkins is a graduate of the Philadelphia Musical Academy, where he received his BM and BME. Edward achieved his Master of Music degree from Arcadia University, where he currently is an adjunct professor of music. He also completed graduate studies at Rutgers University. The University of North Texas Libraries invite applications for the 2020 UNT Special Collections Research Fellowship. Research in special collections is relevant to studies in a variety of disciplines including history, journalism, political science, geography, fine art, art history and American studies. We encourage applicants to think creatively about new uses for special collections. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the greatest potential for publication and the best use of special collections at UNT Libraries. The UNT Special Collections 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee Edward Etkins Project Title The Music of Maynard Ferguson Project Description An overview of the Maynard Ferguson Collection at UNT with an emphasis on the Ferguson Band from 1957 through 1969. This period is referred to as the “Roulette” era. The project is a look at the arrangers, composers, and their music in an aural and visual presentation. Biography Edward Etkins is a graduate of the Philadelphia Musical Academy, where he received his BM and BME. Edward achieved his Master of Music degree from Arcadia University, where he currently is an adjunct professor of music. He also completed graduate studies at Rutgers University. special_collections_in_the_news_honors_and_awards_research_fellowships
Posted: 04/17/2019
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The UNT Special Collections 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee - Niloofar Gholamrezaei

Niloofar Gholamrezaei is a PhD student in Fine Arts: Critical Studies and Artistic Practice at Texas Tech University. Her dissertation is a cross-cultural investigation of two painters of the twentieth century, Otto Dix (1891-1969 Germany) and Kamal-Al-Molk (or Mohammad Ghaffari, 1848-1940, Iran). The University of North Texas Libraries invite applications for the 2020 UNT Special Collections Research Fellowship. Research in special collections is relevant to studies in a variety of disciplines including history, journalism, political science, geography, fine art, art history and American studies. We encourage applicants to think creatively about new uses for special collections. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the greatest potential for publication and the best use of special collections at UNT Libraries. The UNT Special Collections 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee Niloofar Gholamrezaei Project Title World War I and Representation: A Cross-cultural Comparison of the British Soldier’s Poetry and Der Krieg by Otto Dix Project Description This project will focus on the representation of World War I through a comparative and interdisciplinary analysis of the Donald Thomas WWI Poetry Collection and Otto Dix’s representation of Great War during 1923-1924 in his series of prints, Der Krieg, or the War Cycle. This research will examine the antiwar aesthetic of Otto Dix’s prints and the British soldiers’ poetries, their different modes of representation, and differing political and aesthetic positionalities. Biography Niloofar Gholamrezaei is a PhD student in Fine Arts: Critical Studies and Artistic Practice at Texas Tech University. Her dissertation is a cross-cultural investigation of two painters of the twentieth century, Otto Dix (1891-1969 Germany) and Kamal-Al-Molk (or Mohammad Ghaffari, 1848-1940, Iran). In addition to research, she spends time perusing her artistic practice in painting and animation. special_collections_in_the_news_honors_and_awards_research_fellowships
Posted: 04/17/2019
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The Portal to Texas History 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee - Alejandra C. Garza

Alejandra C. Garza is currently the American Historical Association Career Diversity Fellow and a PhD candidate in the History Department at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also a portfolio student in the Mexican American Latina/o Studies Department. The University of North Texas Libraries invite applications for the 2020 The Portal to Texas History Research Fellowship. Research using the Portal is relevant to studies in a variety of disciplines including history, journalism, political science, geography, and American studies. We encourage applicants to think creatively about the opportunities that research with large digital library collections can enable. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the greatest potential for publication and the best use of The Portal to Texas History. The Portal to Texas History 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee Alejandra C. Garza Project Title From Laborers to Legends: The Life and Memory of Vaqueros in South Texas Throughout the Twentieth Century Project Description This project will utilize the Texas Borderlands Newspaper Collection for research about vaqueros in South Texas during the twentieth century. This research will be a vital part of Alejandra C. Garza’s dissertation at UT-Austin. Additionally, she will create a three-panel exhibit of notable newspapers and their content related to vaqueros which could be shown in partnership with the Hebbronville Museum Foundation in Jim Hogg County. Biography Alejandra C. Garza is currently the American Historical Association Career Diversity Fellow and a PhD candidate in the History Department at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also a portfolio student in the Mexican American Latina/o Studies Department. Her research centers around twentieth century South Texas ranching communities and historical memory. Alejandra is a Texas native and grew up in South Texas. In 2014 she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Texas A&M University-Kingsville with a B.A. in History and a minor in Journalism. digital_libraries_in_the_news_honors_and_awards_research_fellowships
Posted: 04/17/2019
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The UNT Special Collections 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee - John Carranza

John A. Carranza is a PhD candidate in the Department of History at the University of Texas at Austin, where he specializes in the history of medicine and disability. A San Antonio native, he received his BA from University of the Incarnate Word and his MA from the University of Texas at San Antonio. The University of North Texas Libraries invite applications for the 2020 UNT Special Collections Research Fellowship. Research in special collections is relevant to studies in a variety of disciplines including history, journalism, political science, geography, fine art, art history and American studies. We encourage applicants to think creatively about new uses for special collections. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the greatest potential for publication and the best use of special collections at UNT Libraries. The UNT Special Collections 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee John A. Carranza Project Title Explaining Sex: Sex Education and Disability in the U.S. from the 1960s to the 1990s Project Description This project centers on how intimate relationships and human reproduction were formulated and challenged by social movements from the 1960s to the 1990s in the United States. The disability rights movement, women’s liberation, and gay liberation questioned popular conceptions of “normality” and sexuality, which informed how healthcare professionals responded to sex education for people with disabilities. The implication of such instruction simultaneously reinforced and complicated heterosexual marriage and the family as a social construct. Biography John A. Carranza is a PhD candidate in the Department of History at the University of Texas at Austin, where he specializes in the history of medicine and disability. A San Antonio native, he received his BA from University of the Incarnate Word and his MA from the University of Texas at San Antonio. For over a decade, he worked with children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities before leaving to pursue his PhD in Austin. During the 2019-2020 academic year, he will carry out dissertation research and continue as regular contributor to Synapsis: A Health Humanities Journal. special_collections_in_the_news_honors_and_awards_research_fellowships
Posted: 04/16/2019
man in a suit leaning against a podium on a stage

World's Longest History Lesson Replay

The Portal to Texas History now contains the complete video of Dr. Andrew Torget’s 26 hour, 33 minute attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s longest history lesson. The Portal to Texas History now contains the complete video of Dr. Andrew Torget’s 26 hour, 33 minute attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s longest history lesson. The tour-de-force presentation of Texas history took place at UNT in August 2018 with the help of many UNT Libraries and community volunteers, as well as a team of undaunted students and lifelong learners—most of whom stayed awake for the whole lesson. The event also served as a fund-raiser, earning more than $12,000 in donations for the Portal. The world record has not yet been confirmed, but while you’re waiting for the Guinness organization to complete its evaluation, you can enjoy the lesson all over again—this time broken into manageable 50 minute segments for easy viewing. digital_libraries_in_the_news_about_the_libraries_collection_highlight
Posted: 04/15/2019
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Last week, UNT Libraries received a special delivery, an anonymous letter and a first American edition of the J.R.R. Tolkien classic, The Hobbit. Last week, UNT Libraries received a special delivery, an anonymous letter and a first American edition of the J.R.R. Tolkien classic, The Hobbit. The letter stated that the sender had taken this copy of The Hobbit from UNT Libraries in 1974, and has cherished it ever since. This version of The Hobbit contains beautiful illustrations by the author, and the original version of the chapter concerning Gollum and the Ring, which was later revised as Tolkien wrote the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Special Collections posted about this fantastic story on their Facebook page, and the story took flight! WFAA News reached out to do a story about the return of this long lost book, and the story was picked up by their Tyler and Houston affiliates. Additional news media has reached out since then to write about this amazing tale. In a turn of events, a librarian from Oklahoma Baptist University reached out to us saying that the same person returned an early set of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, taken from their library in 1972! A special thank you goes out to Laurel Crawford, Morgan Gieringer, and Edward Hoyenski for participating in the interviews for these news outlets and helping to share this feel-good story. The returned book is currently being cataloged and assessed by preservation, but we plan to have the book available in the Special Collections Reading Room for those curious to see the illustrations in person or to read the original chapter with Gollum. special_collections_in_the_news_about_the_libraries
Posted: 04/12/2019
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The Portal to Texas History 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee - Haley Brown

Haley Brown is a master’s student and Teaching Assistant at the University of North Texas who plans on graduating in Spring 2020. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history and minor in English at the University of North Texas. In the 2019-2020 academic school year, Haley will complete her thesis on the lynching of women in Texas. The University of North Texas Libraries invite applications for the 2020 The Portal to Texas History Research Fellowship. Research using the Portal is relevant to studies in a variety of disciplines including history, journalism, political science, geography, and American studies. We encourage applicants to think creatively about the opportunities that research with large digital library collections can enable. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the greatest potential for publication and the best use of The Portal to Texas History. The Portal to Texas History 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee Haley Brown Project Title The Lynching of Women in Texas, 1885-1926 Project Description This project examines the lynching of women in Texas, who have been traditionally left out of the historical narrative. The lynching of these women mirrored the lynching of men in many ways, but once explored and analyzed the unique aspects associated with female lynchings will further the current understanding of lynching as a practice. Currently, a study of exclusively female lynching victims in Texas does not exist, and as such this research will help us better understand lynching and Southern violence. Biography Haley Brown is a master’s student and Teaching Assistant at the University of North Texas who plans on graduating in Spring 2020. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history and minor in English at the University of North Texas. In the 2019-2020 academic school year, Haley will complete her thesis on the lynching of women in Texas. Her larger academic interests include Southern history, race relations, and violence. She plans to pursue a doctorate degree after completing her masters. digital_libraries_in_the_news_honors_and_awards_research_fellowships
Posted: 04/12/2019
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National Library Week

Join us for a week of events and activities celebrating National Library Week. Join us for a week of events and activities celebrating National Library Week. All Week The Library Asks | 9:30 am - 3:30 pm | Willis Library & Library Mall LIMIT Exhibit: Scene and Heard | Business Hours | UNT on the Square Monday, April 8 60 Years of NASA | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm | Eagle Commons Library Japanese Bookmaking Workshop | 11:00 am - 2:00 pm | Willis Library 250H Tuesday, April 9 Day of Digital Scholarship | 9:00 am - 5:00 pm | Willis Library 250H Wednesday, April 10 Fem Flicks: Dalya’s Other Country | 12:00 pm | Willis Library 250H Thursday, April 11 The Human Library | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm | Union Rooftop Garden Friday, April 12 University Day | 11:00 am - 1:30 pm | Campus North Green administrative_office_in_the_news_about_the_libraries
Posted: 04/03/2019
image of a robot reading a book

Robots Read On

UNT’s Digital Collections recently implemented a new section of metadata just for robots—or at least for machines. The bulk of our descriptive item records contain who/what/where/when information telling human readers more than they sometimes want to know about the document, photograph, or artifact they are viewing online. But our records also contain useful links to services and machine-readable data that relate to the digital object. To help humans share these links with machines, we’ve compiled them into a single list available near the end of each metadata record. According to Associate Dean Mark Phillips, whose current research interests focus on machine learning in libraries, “We have always had different ways that users can interact with our digital objects. By providing an easy way to discover and use these links and services, we hope that others will find new ways to interact with the digital resources we have online.” We expect the links to aid users with development, research, and innovation. So robots, read on. We’re speaking your language. digital_libraries_in_the_news_about_the_libraries
Posted: 03/15/2019
open book with a cream and peach background

New Programs for Open Educational Resources

The UNT Libraries would like to draw your attention to new programs designed to support UNT faculty who want to use alternatives to conventional textbooks in their classes. UNT Summer OER Grants UNT Summer OER Grants is a new program from the UNT Libraries, Center for Learning Experimentation, Application, and Research (CLEAR), and the Office of the Provost to support use of open educational resources in UNT courses. Grants will support UNT faculty who adopt or adapt an existing openly licensed textbook and/or adopt, adapt, or create additional materials for a current open textbook for use in a UNT course. Faculty will be given awards of $500 to $2,500 of research funding to support this work. To apply for a grant for summer 2019, apply by March 18. UNT Open Texts UNT Open Texts is a collaborative effort of the UNT Press and the University Libraries to support UNT faculty, including instructors and lecturers, who wish to publish a new open access textbook for use in UNT courses. Texts will be made free to read online, with a downloadable e-book version and a low-cost print edition available for purchase by students at UNT and elsewhere. The UNT Press will pay a stipend of $2,500 to support the development of each textbook. These are just two of UNT’s efforts to keep the cost of a college degree within reach of everyone! public_services_in_the_news_about_the_libraries
Posted: 03/08/2019
graphic drawing of books on a shelf with the UNT Press logo

Fall 2018 UNT Press Books Available Online

The UNT Press collection in the UNT Digital Library consists of 447 books and journals including our most recent publications from Fall 2018. The University of North Texas Press was founded in 1987 and published its first book in 1989. Though it is the newest university press in North Texas (following SMU Press and TCU Press), it has quickly become a leading press with the most titles in print (more than 400) and published (18 to 20 each year). The UNT Press is a fully accredited member of the Association of University Presses. Its books are distributed and marketed nationally and internationally through the Texas A&M University Press Consortium. The UNT Press collection in the UNT Digital Library consists of 447 books and journals including our most recent publications from Fall 2018. Nearly 100 of these titles are available for free worldwide open access. New titles include prize winning poetry, a unique look at the 2016 presidential election, a biography of Texas Ranger Jack Dean, and more. digital_libraries_in_the_news_collection_highlight_about_the_libraries
Posted: 02/25/2019
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Three Questions with Rebecca Geoffroy-Schwinden

Rebecca Geoffroy-Schwinden is an Assistant Professor in the UNT College of Music, where she is the Classical Era and eighteenth century specialist on the music history faculty. Three Questions is an initiative to share the value that our faculty, students, and others in the UNT community derive from using the Unique Collections at UNT Libraries. How important are Unique Collections in your teaching, learning or research? The libraries’ services are absolutely essential to my teaching. My courses are mostly at the graduate level and are designed primarily to show students how to research and write effectively. Most music graduate students, whether pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree, will need to complete a thesis or dissertation to graduate. And so they need to develop an applied understanding of how to systematically navigate the libraries’ many resources in in order to find reliable sources for their work. How have Unique Collections changed the way you approach your research, teaching or learning? When I began to explore the rich materials housed in UNT’s music special collections, it occurred to me that they offered an ideal opportunity to provide students with a hands-on experience in primary source research. Most students have only learned history through secondary—even tertiary!—sources. The learning object of my advanced music research course is for Doctoral of Musical Arts students to learn how to design dissertation topic proposals. In the proposals, students must justify an original research project by posing a research question, writing a review of relevant literature, and choosing materials and methodologies to answer their question. I began the course with a basic (far too general!) research question: what role have women played in the UNT College of Music’s history? My students entered the UNT music special collections to find out. A fascinating array of research project designs emerged highlighting the many women who have contributed to the College of Music as administrators, faculty members, staff members, and students throughout the twentieth century. We found everything from photographs, to postcards, to bracelets and conducting batons! Of course, these were among the more expected music manuscripts, newspaper clippings, and letters. Quite a few students used the Julia Smith collection to develop vastly different research projects: one considered how Smith’s letters reveal the composer promoting women in classical music concerts, another explored the disputes that arose among Smith, her librettist, and the Girl Scouts of America during the writing of the libretto for her opera Daisy, and another questioned why Smith’s opera Cynthia Parker was so well received in 1940s Texas, but not upon its revival in the 1980s. One project focused on materials from eminent UNT librarian Anna Harriet Heyer’s pioneering music librarianship course from the 1940s. The students then contextualized these materials in larger research conversations in the field of women and music. While they acquired practical skills in research design, the students also took away what I think is a far more valuable lesson: that every history that we read is the result of a series of writers’ and researchers’ choices. Thus, we have an opportunity to tell more inclusive, and (I think) more compelling histories by digging into archives, telling new stories, and situating our results in relation to pre-existing scholarly conversations. What do you want others to know about your research, teaching or learning? While they acquired practical skills in research design, the students also took away what I think is a far more valuable lesson: that every history that we read is the result of a series of writers’ and researchers’ choices. Thus, we have an opportunity to tell more inclusive, and (I think) more compelling histories by digging into archives, telling new stories, and situating our results in relation to pre-existing scholarly conversations. Also, there are so many stories just waiting to be told in the UNT special collections, I would encourage even those who aren’t history buffs to check it out! Rebecca Geoffroy-Schwinden is an Assistant Professor in the UNT College of Music, where she is the Classical Era and eighteenth century specialist on the music history faculty. Her research on musical life in Enlightenment, Revolutionary, and Napoleonic France has appeared in journals including Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture, Women & Music, and Transposition— musique et sciences sociales. Rebecca’s article “Music as Feminine Capital in Napoleonic France: Nancy Macdonald’s Musical Upbringing,” recently received the Music & Letters Centenary Prize for best original article in musicology. She received her Ph.D. from Duke University, where she was inducted into the Society of Duke Fellows. external_relations_in_the_news_three_questions
Posted: 02/19/2019
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UNT Digital Collections Get the Coloring Book Treatment

UNT Libraries participated in the worldwide Color Our Collections campaign for the second year in a row. UNT Libraries participated in the worldwide Color Our Collections campaign for the second year in a row. UNT Libraries submitted 17 coloring pages of items found in the Digital Library and The Portal to Texas History. The drawings came from an array of sources, including a 1921 farmer’s bulletin, an umbrella-supporter patent and hand-drawn illustrations of dresses from the Texas Fashion Collection. Launched by The New York Academy of Medicine Library in 2016, Color Our Collections is an annual, weeklong coloring event organized by libraries and other cultural institutions worldwide. The 2019 event lasted from February 4-8. Using materials from their collections, institutions share free coloring content with the hashtag Color Our Collections and invite followers to color and get creative with their collections. The 2019 edition of Color Our Collections featured 114 institutions from around the world. digital_libraries_in_the_news_collection_highlight_about_the_libraries
Posted: 02/08/2019
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UNT's Fall 2018 Theses and Dissertations Now Available

We recently made our December 2018 graduates’ electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) available in the UNT Digital Library. We recently made our December 2018 graduates’ electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) available in the UNT Digital Library. The 80 doctoral dissertations and 38 master’s theses join a robust collection of some 19,000 UNT graduate works dating back to 1936. Full-text searchable within our digital library, the ETDs are also easy to discover via Google and other search engines— providing immediate global visibility. In 1999, UNT was among the first three American universities requiring students to submit theses and dissertations in electronic format. The UNT Digital Library followed up by retrospectively digitizing all UNT theses and dissertations produced prior to 1999 and adding them to the collection. Now, UNT’s implementation of the Vireo ETD submission and management system allows us to add current ETDs promptly each semester after they are approved by the Toulouse Graduate School. We also provide access to other forms of scholarly and artistic content created by UNT students including data sets, recital recordings, artwork, publications and problems-in-lieu-of-theses, and honors papers. By delivering integrated, enhanced digital access to these materials, the UNT Digital Library attracts users from more than 200 countries, increasing the impact of UNT students’ scholarship and creativity around the world. digital_libraries_in_the_news_collection_highlight_about_the_libraries
Posted: 02/08/2019
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Artist Lecture: Letitia Huckaby

Multimedia artist Letitia Huckaby will discuss her prize-winning career in photography and art. Multimedia artist Letitia Huckaby will discuss her prize-winning career in photography and art. Huckaby creates multimedia artwork that, in her words, is based on “faith, family and legacy” as “a time capsule for the African-American experience.” She began her artistic career at the age of four when her parents started her in dance classes. She studied ballet, tap, jazz, and modern until the age of eighteen, and was selected to participate in the prestigious Oklahoma Arts Institute two years in a row. This exposure to a variety of other art forms led her to photography. Huckaby holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma, a BFA from the Art Institute of Boston, Massachusetts in photography, and a Master’s degree from the University of North Texas. Huckaby has exhibited at the Dallas Contemporary, the Galveston Arts Center, Renaissance Fine Art in Harlem, the McKenna Museum in New Orleans, and the Dallas African-American Museum. Public projects include a piece along the Trinity River in Fort Worth at the 4th Street Trailhead site and the new Ella Mae Shamblee branch library in Fort Worth. This event is sponsored by The Cathy Nelson Hartman Portal to Texas History Endowment. digital_libraries_presentations_and_lectures
Posted: 01/28/2019
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Let's Get This Semester Started

Welcome to the new semester at UNT! We’ve listed a few services that will help you get the semester started off right. Welcome to the new semester at UNT! Here are some services that will help you get the semester started off right. Stay up to date on everything happening in the Libraries with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and our library Events page. Hours The new semester has started and Willis Library is now open 24/7! Our Service Desks have slightly different hours as does the Eagle Commons Library, Discovery Park Library and the Media Library. You can always find Today’s Hours for all our Libraries. Help We want you be successful at UNT! Check out some of the ways we can help: Ask Us, Your Subject Librarian, and Subject and Course Guides. Service Desks Stop by the Willis Library Services Desk to check out calculators, headphones, and phone chargers to help you study and to keep you connected. Eagle Commons Library Service Desk offers calculators and headphones. Discovery Park Library Service Desk has calculators for you to checkout. The Media Library Service Desk offers DVDs, games, and gaming equipment. The Music Library Service Desk has a lot to offer for checkout including headphones, a record player, and vinyl records nearby! Laptops Laptops (MacBooks and Dell PCs) are available for checkout at Willis Library 24 Commons, Discovery Park Library Service Desk, and Eagle Commons Library Service Desk. Printing We have a number of printers, scanners, and copiers located throughout the Libraries. Course Reserves Check our course reserves to see if we have your textbook for checkout, for free! Study Spaces We provide many different types of spaces within the Libraries for you to get your work done. Filter your options on our Spaces page and then click through to reserve a space, learn about the room’s amenities, find the noise level, and get directions. The Factory Our makerspace, The Factory, promotes the cooperative and creative use of technology. We provide the UNT community with access to equipment, software, and training that promotes innovative, cross-disciplinary learning. Stop by one of our locations in Willis Library (Room 137) or Discovery Park (Room M130). public_services_in_the_news_about_the_libraries
Posted: 01/10/2019