Research

Research

Oxford Scholarship Online and the Prospective Print Pilot

Oxford Scholarship Online and the Prospective Print Pilot

, , Library Resources, Research
Oxford Scholarship Online (OSO) is a database that offers access to thousands of academic works from Oxford University Press. Since the fall of 2016, The IU East Campus Library has had access to certain subject modules in Oxford Scholarship Online, including Literature, Philosophy, Religion, Social Work, Sociology, Business and Management, Classical Studies, Economics and Finance, and History. Starting February 2021, the IU East Campus Library, along with the other regional campus libraries, will be joining the Bloomington campus in participating in an Oxford Prospective Print Pilot through the Big Ten Academic Alliance Library Initiatives (BTAA). With this program, the BTAA receives one archival print copy of new titles within certain Oxford Scholarship Online (OSO) subjects, with online access extended to … Continued
How To Trust the News

How To Trust the News

, , Matt Dilworth, Research
In examining the current news environment, it can be disheartening to see the vast divide in political perspective that colors or slants vital reporting.  While partisan reporting allows consumers to feel more comfortable, having their own biases reinforced, it makes searching for the facts that inform opinions more difficult.  It also complicates finding common ground amongst differently aligned stakeholders. A deeply divided and partisan press has been a hallmark of American media since the beginning, when the Gazette of the United States (supported by Alexander Hamilton and unrepentantly Federalist) and the National Gazette (funded by Thomas Jefferson and rabidly anti-Federalist) were representative of the leading newspapers of the day.  Moreover, anyone could print up leaflets, broadsheets, or pamphlets with whatever … Continued
American protest music: a brief history

American protest music: a brief history

, , , Research
While Americans have always performed music, serious study of American musical forms only begins in the 20th century.  John Lomax, beginning as a graduate student at Harvard, was among the very first to take interest in traditional American music, and he began his work with “cowboy” songs, which detailed the lives of what he felt were “authentic” Americans and their experiences.  Although his viewpoint could comfortably be considered naïve today, his work, along with that of anthropologist Franz Boaz and, slightly later, poet Carl Sandburg, became the foundation for American folk music studies.  It is from folk music that the protest music movement stems.  The very first protest singer/songwriter was a Swedish immigrant, born Joel Hagglund in 1879.  After his … Continued
Social Justice, Fair Use, and MOM: Top 3 Takeaways from Open Education Conference 2020

Social Justice, Fair Use, and MOM: Top 3 Takeaways from Open Education Conference 2020

, , Research
This year’s 17th Open Education Conference in November convened virtually for the first time. Participants from all over the world met to focus on OER (Open Educational Resources). IU East Campus Librarian Beth South attended, to learn about topics such as collaborative OER projects, using OER to advance social justice initiatives, responding to Covid-19, and challenges of OER. Networking opportunities included virtual teatime, yoga, story circles, and a coordinated game night with rounds of trivia and a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. The February 2020 Campus Library blog “There’s an OER For That,” explained OER, the difference between OER and Open Access, and where OER resources can be found. In her role as an OER advocate, librarian, and faculty member, Beth … Continued
Phil Ochs and the legacy of singing journalism

Phil Ochs and the legacy of singing journalism

, , , Research
“In the heat of the summer/when the pavements were burning/the soul of a city was ravaged in the night/after the city sun was sinkin’.”                   – “In the Heat of the Summer” After the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, the city of Minneapolis erupted in protest, with police forces beating back protestors with tear gas and rubber bullets.  Related protests occurred in 140 other US cities, including Los Angeles, Detroit, Atlanta, New York and Las Vegas, resulting in violence, property damage and the deaths of at least four protestors.  The protests of summer 2020 eerily resembled the civil rights riots which swept much of the country during the mid-1960s.  Documentation of those riots was not left entirely … Continued