News: 2025 - University Libraries

UNT Libraries Student Engagement Survey

Posted: 04/16/2025

Scrappy's SpecFic Symposium

Dreaming of writing a fantastic story? Curious about the science fiction and fantasy industry? Come to Scrappy’s SpecFic Symposium talks with local speculative fiction authors and a look at UNT’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Study Collection! Registration is required. April 26, 2025, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Registration is required Willis Library 250H 1:00pm - Start 1:00-1:10pm - Introduction 1:10-1:30pm – Rhonda Eudaly – You Got Science in My Fiction Speculative fiction has been around for a long time in many forms, sometimes where you least expect it. Many works of traditional fiction contain specfic elements and tropes. Author Rhonda Eudaly introduces relevant examples and discusses how specfic might have been lurking in your favorite stories all along. 1:30-1:50pm – R.J. Hanson – You and No One Else (Building Your Brand) Self-publishing has become a valid pathway to writing success, giving authors both complete control and complete responsibility. Even traditionally published authors are expected to do more of their own marketing, branding, and readership building than 10 years ago. Successful self-published fantasy author R.J. Hanson offers his insights, recommendations, and tips. 1:50-2:00pm - Break 2:00-2:20pm – Jess Tucker UNT’s archives has a remarkable and rapidly growing speculative fiction collection in the southwest, featuring authors like Robert E. Howard, Warren Norwood, and Patricia Anthony. University archivist and collection developer Jess Tucker shares some of the collection’s oddities and treasures. 2:20-2:40pm – Jon Black – Researching What Never Happened Research forms part of the foundation of good speculative fiction, even if it’s just knowing what didn’t happen. Is there such a thing as too much research? Too little? Historical fiction author Jon Black helps you find the research approach that’s right for you. 2:40-2:50pm - Break 2:50-3:10pm – Michelle Muenzler – Brain Gremlins (Or What to Do When Your Brain Won’t Cooperate) A brain is a professional writer’s best friend … and worst enemy. Weird fiction author and poet Michelle Muenzler shares her experiences and advice for when your story’s real antagonist has become … your brain. 3:10-3:30pm Keith Lansdale – Being a Professional Liar for Money When the glamour and pretense come off, that’s when the hard work and the fun begin. Keith Landsdale, author of comics, film scripts, novels, and short stories, delves into the good, the bad, and the ugly of what being a professional liar for money, err, a professional speculative fiction author really means. 3:30-3:40pm - Break 3:40-4:40pm – Moderated panel Q&A with authors 4:40-5:00pm – Wrap up and optional book signing and selling 5:00pm - end Biographies: Rhonda Eudaly - Rhonda Eudaly lives in Arlington, Texas, where her wide variety of experience and skills is well-suited to her current job in local government. She’s married with dogs and an increasing horde of writing instruments, which she blogs about. Rhonda has a well-rounded publication history in all kinds of writing including novels like The Four Redheads of the Apocalypse, collaborations, and short stories. Check out her website—www.RhondaEudaly.com—for her latest publications and downloads. R. J. Hanson – R.J. Hanson has two books on Amazon ranked #1 in epic fantasy and dark fantasy, Roland’s Path and Fires that Forge. RJ began developing the epic sword and sorcery saga, Bloodlines Reforged, in 1996. The Bloodlines Reforged Saga tells the tales of a warrior’s courage, a scorned sorcerer’s revenge, a corrupt church’s perversion of faith, a grieving vampire dealing with loss, and a knight’s struggle to break his oath in order to fulfill it. R.J. has accumulated many real-world experiences that have given him a unique understanding of the human condition ranging from training in interview and interrogation techniques to hand to hand combat to SWAT tactics. RJ is a certified Firearms Instructor and Linguistic Statement Analyst as well as a former UNT TAMSter and working cowboy. Jon Black - Multi-award winning author Jon Black writes historical fiction with pulp, supernatural, or Mythos twists. His Bel Nemeton series combines 6th century Arthurian historical fantasy with brainy 21st century pulp. Its first installments, Bel Nemeton and Caledfwlch, were named Best Thriller Novels of 2018 and 2020 in the Critters’ Readers’ Poll. Reviewers have called the series “An Intellectual ‘Tomb Raider’” and “Books that should make Dan Brown weep with jealousy.” His Jazz Age, music-driven supernatural mystery Gabriel’s Trumpet was Critters’ Best Horror Novel of 2019. Raised in Denton, Texas, his previous jobs include archaeological excavator, Benjamin Franklin impersonator, embassy worker, graduate assistant, newspaper reporter, pizza jockey, political speechwriter, small business owner, substitute teacher, and summer camp counselor…not always in the order one might expect. Michelle Muenzler - Known at local science fiction and fantasy conventions as “The Cookie Lady”, Michelle writes fiction both dark and strange to counterbalance the sweetness of her baking. Her short fiction and poetry can be read in numerous science fiction and fantasy magazines, and she takes immense joy in crinkling words like little foil puppets. Michelle is a SFWA member and represented by Howard Morhaim of the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. Keith Lansdale - Keith Lansdale writes comics, film scripts, novels, and short stories. Keith has made films such as The Pale Door and Christmas With The Dead. Among his writing credits are, the novel Big Lizard with Joe R Lansdale, as well as the short stories “Hoppity White Rabbit Done Broke Down” and “It Goes With Everything.” Keith also co-wrote the children’s story “The Companion” when he was twelve with his younger sister which was picked up by the television show Creepshow and co-authored the children’s book In Waders From Mars.

Posted: 04/13/2025

photograph of Omar Valerio-Jiméniz; Three Questions

Three Questions with Omar Valerio-Jiméniz

Dr. Omar Valerio-Jiméniz is a Professor of history and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at UT San Antonio. Three Questions is an initiative to share the value that our faculty, students, and external patrons derive from using the Portal to Texas History at UNT Libraries. 1. How important is the Portal in your teaching, learning or research? The Portal to Texas History has been an indispensable tool for my research on textbook reform and archival preservation in Texas and New Mexico. My book project examines four scholars in Texas and four scholars in New Mexico during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. For the Texas portion of my study, I have used the Portal to collect primary sources on the educational reform efforts of historian Carlos E. Castañeda, writer and historical preservationist Adina de Zavala, lawyer and legislator José T. Canales, and writer and educator Elena Zamora O’Shea. The Portal contains over 1,000 documents (including newspaper stories, letters, pamphlets and government documents) that pertain to my current book project. Among the advantages of conducting research on the Portal are the ease of use of the search engine, the convenience of accessing digital copies of sources from various archival depositories, and the ability to easily save digital copies of documents. I have also used documents found on the Portal in my courses on Mexican American history, South Texas, and public history. The Portal makes it easy to find primary sources (e.g., newspapers, letters, photographs) that I can use in my lectures or for class discussions. When I demonstrate to students how simple it is to search on the Portal and the wide variety of primary sources available, they instantly see the usefulness of this great research tool. 2. How has the Portal changed the way you approach your research, teaching or learning? The Portal has changed some of my research strategies for accessing digital sources. Before I began using the Portal, I usually consulted several online databases available through my university’s library to conduct online searches. This process was often time-consuming because the various databases have different search functions and often the same search cannot be completed across these databases. Now, I often use the Portal before using other online databases because the Portal has a diverse set of documents from numerous archival depositories. Once I’ve examined the sources available through the Portal, I turn to the other online databases to fill in any gaps. I often turn to the Portal when I cannot find a newspaper in the databases available through my university library. The variety of sources available on the Portal continuously surprises me. Whenever I need an image for a lecture that I am preparing, I turn to the Portal because its collection of newspapers and photographs are quite useful in my teaching. 3. What do you want others to know about your research, teaching or learning? My current research focuses on the educational reform and archival preservation efforts of four Mexican American scholars and activists in Texas and four in New Mexico. As I was researching my last book, Remembering Conquest, I came across documents on the four individuals from Texas and one individual from New Mexico that form part of my study. I was surprised to learn that efforts to reform textbooks had begun in the late nineteenth century (for New Mexico) and early twentieth century (for Texas). The eight scholars and activists in my study sought to change the negative depictions of Mexican Americans found in public school textbooks at the time. They also sought to preserve primary sources pertaining to Mexican American history so that future historians would have these sources available for their research. In some ways, the archiving of sources on Mexican American history on the Portal is a continuation of these early preservation efforts. Biography: I was born in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, but grew up in South Texas since I entered second grade. My childhood was spent in a bilingual and bicultural environment where my family often crossed the international border to visit family and friends. I obtained my bachelor’s degree at MIT, and worked as an electrical engineer in the Houston for five years before deciding to pursue a doctorate in history at UCLA. My first book, River of Hope, examines the transformations experienced by eighteenth- and nineteenth-century residents of the South Texas border region where I grew up. I have also published articles and edited anthologies on Latinos in the Midwest, the U.S.-Mexico border, Latinos, and U.S. West. I have taught at universities in California, Iowa, New York, and Texas. I love being back in Texas and teaching in San Antonio.

Posted: 04/08/2025

First Chair Chats: A Digital Music Collective Series @ UNT Libraries

Music Librarianship Interest Tea

Posted: 04/02/2025

photo of Stephen Schafer on top of a car with a camera on a tripod

Documentation and Preservation Lecture Series: Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)

Posted: 03/19/2025

First Chair Chats: Preserving Your Home Music Collections

Posted: 03/19/2025

Willis Library building with green geometric design and text

Dean's Innovation Grant 2025

The University of North Texas Libraries’ Dean’s Innovation Grant, provides funding to research and projects within the UNT Libraries. The University of North Texas Libraries’ Dean’s Innovation Grant, provides funding to research and projects within the UNT Libraries that promote scholarship and contribute to the gathering of knowledge that helps improve our libraries, our university, and the community. Dean’s Innovation Grant 2025 Awardees Live D&D @ UNT Lindsay Duke, Diane Robson, Steven Guerrero, Dakota Scott, Jenn Washburn Project Description: The Media Library will host a live performance of Dungeons & Dragons with a student cast lead by Lindsay Duke as Dungeon Master. This will be performed in front of a live audience and streamed via the Media Library Discord server. The event will be held on October 30th in the Lyceum. The objective will be to expand our engagement with the student population, connect with the role-playing community on campus, and showcase the Media Library’s Role-Playing guides and gaming collections. Texas Historic American Buildings Project: Research and Praxis Mark Phillips Project Description: The Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) are administered by the National Park Service to document the historic sites and structures across the United States through the creation of measured drawings, large-format photographs, and historical reports. To better understand the history of the HDP, its role in documenting the built environment in the state of Texas, and to develop greater insight into the technical requirements of these programs to inform future projects, I propose this two-stage project involving a research stage and a praxis stage to assist in documenting the built environment in Texas according to the guidelines of the HDP. Library on the Go: A Pop-up Library Initiative Abby Stovall, Briana Knox, Madison Brents, Jo Monahan Project Description: Create a pop-up library kit that can be reserved and utilized by librarians and staff within the University of North Texas Libraries. This kit will incorporate aspects of a traditional library services desk, but mobile, so that pop-up events are recognizable as a library point-of-service. After researching, purchasing, and assembling the kit, project members would pilot various pop-up events in different places on campus with different purposes and assemble a Library Guide with tips and ideas for library employees to be inspired to host their own Pop-Up Library. RapidMiner Karen Harker, Sephra Byrne, Carol Hargis, Jen Rowe, Frank Gosnell, Garrett Rumohr, Deborah Caldwell Project Description: The objective of this project is to for UNT Libraries staff to gain experience in modeling a variety of data with flatter learning curve than traditional programming languages like Python and R. The purpose of gaining this experience is to improve library resources, services, and processes through the use of data modeling. Key projects include predicting student outcomes in First Year Writing II courses for those who did and did not receive library instruction, predicting users and non-users of library resources and services, and predicting use and non-usage of journals. Assessment of the Representation of Libraries’ Juvenile Collection Sephra Byrne, Sian Brannon, Todd Enoch, Stacey Wolf, Jo Monahan, Greg Hardin, Marcia McIntosh, Sarah Lynn Fisher Project Description: We aim to establish a benchmark of representation of voices and characters within the UNT Libraries’ Juvenile Collection so that pre-service teachers and library science students will assured of access to high-quality literature and books that reflect the communities they will be serving. LIMIT Digital Streaming Maristella Feustle, Leah De Leon Project Description: The proposed project entails connecting directly with rights holders of local music items in UNT’s LIMIT Collection to develop a robust digital streaming catalog. The intended goal is to provide local, independent musicians with an online platform for their music, and the funds would allow the library to provide an incentive of a non-exclusive licensing deal. The primary stakeholders of this project are the rights holders, the UNT Music Library, as well as the broader local/independent music community of Texas and researchers studying music scenes and music collection preservation tactics.

Posted: 02/12/2025

photos of Dr. Mónica Salazar and Dr. Layla Seale

Spring 2025 Coursework Development Grant

Special Collections is pleased to announce the recipients of the Coursework Development Grant for the Spring 2025 semester. Supported by the Toulouse Archival Research Program Endowment, the grant was established in 2019 to partner with faculty at UNT to develop assignments for courses that will utilize collections and materials held by Special Collections. Recipients of the grant are awarded $500 in research and professional development funding. Spring 2025 Special Collections Coursework Development Grant Special Collections is pleased to announce the recipients of the Coursework Development Grant for the Spring 2025 semester. Supported by the Toulouse Archival Research Program Endowment, the grant was established in 2019 to partner with faculty at UNT to develop assignments for courses that will utilize collections and materials held by Special Collections. Recipients of the grant are awarded $500 in research and professional development funding. The Spring 2025 winners are: Dr. Mónica Salazar, Senior Lecturer, Department of Art History Dr. Salazar is a Senior Lecturer in the department of Art History at the University of North Texas, where she teaches courses in postmodernism, theories of contemporary art, as well as the history of photography and modern and contemporary Latin American art. Her research considers questions regarding Mexico’s entrance into the globalized world order and the consequences this has for the visual arts. Students in her upper-level undergraduate History of Photography course will study holdings in the Byrd Williams Family Photography Collection as inspiration for a creative self-portrait assignment. Dr. Layla Seale, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Art History Dr. Seale is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Art History at UNT, specializing in Medieval Art. Her research analyzes how medieval images of demons reveal a broad spectrum of religious and cultural ideologies and anxieties. Recently, her work on demons and labor, titled “Work is Hell: Demon Laborers in Late Medieval Art,” was published in Different Visions, a peer-reviewed, open access journal devoted to progressive art history scholarship. Undergraduate students in her art history course, Illuminating the Middle Ages: The Art of Medieval Manuscript, will analyze UNT Special Collection’s rich collection of medieval manuscript leaves and fragments during multiple visits, and submit written responses explaining their reactions to the materiality of these objects with the option of submitting a creative assignment replicating the techniques they analyzed. During individual visits, students will also consult the robust collection of illuminated manuscript facsimiles. Congratulations, Dr. Salazar and Dr. Seale! UNT Special Collections is excited to work with you and your students this semester!

Posted: 02/06/2025

photograph of Gene Forst; Three Questions

Three Questions with Gene Forst

Three Questions is an initiative to share the value that our faculty, students, and external patrons derive from using the Portal to Texas History at UNT Libraries. Three Questions is an initiative to share the value that our faculty, students, and external patrons derive from using the Portal to Texas History at UNT Libraries. 1. How important is the Portal in your teaching, learning or research? The Portal to Texas History, especially the Texas newspapers collection, is invaluable for my research in mid to late 19th century Texas history. My research interests include alternative Texas political parties of the 1870s and 1880s, the many attempts to create statewide labor organizations in the 1880s and 1890s and different tries to develop a socialist future for the state. The Portal’s newspapers provide a wide variety of views and opinions on these topics from different regions of Texas. Because most newspapers of the period had short lives or ownership and editors constantly changed, the Portal’s newspaper directories and town directories are very helpful. 2. How has the Portal changed the way you approach your research, teaching or learning? Newspapers of the period relied on their exchanges with other papers. They printed items from those papers to fill space in their own paper. Hence, with the number of papers available in the Portal you can piece together the views of papers no longer extant. Also, perhaps to fill space, most papers printed verbatim speeches, letters and minutes of innumerable citizen mass meetings without the filtering of a third party. As more papers are added to the Portal, new information can arise that could modify a prior conclusion. So, in a sense, your research is never complete. 3. What do you want others to know about your research, teaching or learning? Research in the Portal can be addictively entertaining. You can find yourself tracking stories and people that lead you far from your original intent. The Portal to Texas History is UNT’s signal contribution to scholarship across Texas and beyond. It should be promoted and bragged on by the UNT academic community. Gene Forst is retired and lives in Denton, Texas.

Posted: 01/16/2025

Artist Lecture: Kelli Connell

Posted: 01/06/2025

photograph of Sam Haynes; Three Questions

Three Questions with Sam Haynes

Dr. Sam Haynes is a professor of history at the University of Texas at Arlington, and is the Director of the Center for Greater Southwestern Studies. Three Questions is an initiative to share the value that our faculty, students, and external patrons derive from using the Portal to Texas History at UNT Libraries. 1. How important is the Portal in your teaching, learning or research? As a Texas historian, I have been a regular — and often daily — visitor to the site since it first went online twenty years ago. My own area of research is the 19th century, and I have come to rely heavily on the Portal, and particularly its digital newspaper collection. Combing through old newspapers used to be an incredibly arduous and time-consuming process, requiring countless hours at archives or on microfilm machines. By collecting and digitizing newspapers from across the state, the Portal is nothing less than an indispensable resource for scholars of Texas history using print media in their research. What’s more, the Portal is much more user-friendly than other digital newspaper sites, one that students find accessible as well. 2. How has the Portal changed the way you approach your research, teaching or learning? As a pedagogical tool, the Portal is essential for anyone teaching Texas history at the college level. I offer a research course at UT Arlington for undergraduate history majors, and last year students were tasked with writing an in-depth paper on a particular Texas monument. Some chose one of the many Confederate veterans’ memorials erected in towns and cities in the early 20th century, while others examined statues built to celebrate the state’s centennial anniversary in 1936. All these construction projects received considerable attention in the local press, so the Portal’s digital newspaper collection was invaluable, allowing students to get a real sense of what each monument meant to their respective communities when they were being built. Several told me that researching local newspapers via the Portal was their favorite part of the course. 3. What do you want others to know about your research, teaching or learning? In 2015 I began work on a digital humanities project, Texas in Turmoil: Interethnic Violence, 1821-1879, which seeks to map sites of conflict in Texas from the Mexican republic to the end of the so-called Indian Wars. Texas was one of the most ethnically diverse regions in North America during much of this period, and this project has enabled me, and I hope will enable other historians, to better understand how the many peoples of Texas fought for land, resources and power. In my research I have drawn from historical monographs, local county histories, archival materials at the Texas State Library and the National Archives, and, of course, the Portal’s newspaper collection. When complete, the Texas in Turmoil project will have mapped more than 3,000 sites of conflict in nineteenth century Texas involving Anglo-Americans, Native Americans, Hispano Americans, and those of African descent. I am hopeful that the website will provide scholars and teachers with new ways to understand and visualize the interethnic and interracial struggles that represent such a conspicuous and protracted feature of the state’s early modern past.

Posted: 01/06/2025