Matt Dilworth

Matt Dilworth

Catalog Facelift

Catalog Facelift

Long gone are the days of card-based catalogs, but still, the library’s online catalog continues to improve.  You may have tried the new version of IUCAT – the search box on our home page uses it – but now the bugs are worked out and it is our official index for books, ebooks, videos, reserves, and more.  It’s still the same catalog, though, and you can do all the same things – it’s just a new, cleaner interface.  You can still look for books and videos, renew your checkouts, request items from other IU campuses, and will receive email warnings before your checkouts come due.  But using it is easier than ever.   You can use it to search IU … Continued
This Week in History

This Week in History

This week marks the anniversary of the tragic Kent State demonstrations, a protest against the Vietnam War (specifically, the Cambodia invasion) that cost the lives of four students and injured nine others.  Given the importance of Vietnam to modern American history, it is a common topic in our history classrooms and assignments.  The Kent State shooting showed us that even students here in America could find themselves in the line of fire.   Whether you’re researching the Kent State tragedy or the Vietnam War as a whole, there are plenty of resources for you.  Databases like America: History and Life or JSTOR have a wealth of information – even a simple search turns up hundreds of articles, new and old.  … Continued
The Technology is a Changin’

The Technology is a Changin’

You might have heard that VHS tape players are being removed from all classrooms starting next semester.  If you’ve ever used a video in your projects or presentations, you’ll need a more modern format from now on.  Of course, you’re probably already used to using modern media like DVDs.  But even those sources can be cumbersome. Because, really, any hard format is becoming rarer.  Chances are, you stream films with Netflix or Hulu as often as you buy a DVD or BluRay disc.  But are they good sources for your class assignments?  There are lots of places to find streaming video.  Of course, there are resources like Vimeo, YouTube, and Viddler, and those are great free resources online.  But they … Continued
Sing, O Muse

Sing, O Muse

April is National Poetry Month.  Launched in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, it pays tribute to the ways poetry enriches American culture, both past and present.  Their website has a number of poetry-related readings and activities, including a Poem-A-Day program you can receive through email.  You can also follow Natasha Trethewey, our current Poet Laureate, at the Library of Congress.  But our library is well stocked with resources for poetry and poetry criticism, as well.  Among are databases are Litfinder, which includes over 150,000 full-text poems and 800,000+ poetry citations, among numerous other short stories, speeches, and plays; 20th Century American Poetry, which includes over 50,000 poems from authors like Adrienne Rich, Langston Hughes, Ezra Pound, Denise Levertov, … Continued
World Health Day

World Health Day

World Health Day, celebrated every April, is the World Health Organization’s holiday designed to raise global health awareness.  Each year, the WHO chooses an aspect of healthy living that they want to use the holiday to promote, and have used the opportunity to showcase topics ranging from road safety to safe motherhood to mental health.  In 2013, the topic is ‘Control Your Blood Pressure’.   High blood pressure can be the cause behind many problems, especially heart disease and strokes.  The WHO views preventive education as the best tool to use against hypertension.  And a library is a terrific place to go for education!  IU East subscribes to many medical databases, such as MedLine, Nursing and Allied Health Source, and OVID.  … Continued