Times Digital Archive

Lewis Library provides access to a database, The Times Digital Archive, that has PDF for the Times of London for more than two centuries (1785 to 2006).

You can access this through GALILEO (or directly here if you’re on a campus computer).  You can search the full text of articles, or search for articles by a specific author, e.g. “Bernard Shaw” to find his many letters to the Times).  You can also browse entire issues by date.  (Maybe you want to follow the War of 1812 covered from the British point of view?)

This database covers the Times from Monday through Saturday.  We have another database, the Sunday Times Digital Archive, that provides full text for the Sunday Times from 1922 through 2006.

Announcement of a new book, A Christmas Carol, in the Times, November 24, 1843

**This post authored by Arthur Robinson.

Movies for the Holidays!

Seen any good movies lately? This past year, we have added many new films for our students and staff members to check out during their holiday breaks!   You will find many classic movies like ones directed by Alfred Hitchcock but we also have newer movies such as Hunger Games, The Descendants, and The Help.  Be sure to stop by Lewis Library soon and look for a good movie! 

**This post was authored by Stacey Davis.

Do you know these people?

Homecoming is always an opportunity to see old friends and classmates. For the second year the Archives and Special Collections set up a table which displayed notebooks filled with old photographs that we have been unable to identify.  Not only did the alumni enjoy themselves looking at the old photos, but we were able to fill in the blanks with names on many of these old pictures, especially those from the 1950's.  We also got some terrific stories from alumni who were actually there at the time making it a productive and fun time for everyone! 

We intend to do the same thing next year at Homecoming so stop by and see if you know these people!

**Authored by Pam Barrett.

Serendipity

Serendipity: the faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident

--Oxford English Dictionary

I’m afraid it’s becoming a lost art in Libraries. PDA aside (see last week’s post), I think there’s much yet to be discovered in our print collection. I know it’s incredibly convenient to have the world at our fingertips through our online catalog and our GALILEO databases, but what about those books you never would have looked for, but were incredibly interested to find? Does it ever cross your mind to just wander in the library stacks to see what it is that those crazy Physics (or substitute another discipline, as far from yours as possible) folks find to read to stretch their minds?

It seems to me, that the purpose of a Liberal Arts Education is to get a broad foundation in all sorts of fields of knowledge. Can you really study Da Vinci’s art without reading about his life in Science (The Dictionary of Scientific Biography REF Q141 .D5) or  to learn about all facets of his creativity? What is creativity? (See Creativity: from potential to realization). Do you forget names? Maybe The Cognitive Psychology of Proper Names could shed some light. What discovery might you make on a wander through the shelves? Are you stuck in your own discipline and need a little ‘broadening’?

Try this for me….pick a section of the library with a topic you know very little about, and wander for a while. (Here’s a guide to get you started). I think as little as 30 minutes invested could yield enormous gains and expand your world view. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself still wandering the shelves several hours later!

Come see us at the Lewis Library for a dose of Serendipity!

**This post authored by Mary Lou Dabbs