Maymester at the Libraries

Need help? Ask a librarian!
Need help? Ask a librarian!

The Libraries will have new extended hours during Maymester! May 11 through May 29, McWherter Library will be open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. The library will be closed on the weekends, as well as Wednesday, May 13 for Personnel Development Day and Monday, May 25 for Memorial Day. Visit our website for more information on the Libraries’ hours.

Need help with a paper or project? Feel free to ask a librarian any time! Visit Ask a Librarian on the Libraries’ homepage. You can chat with a librarian, text @ 901-201-5389, email us at askus@memphis.libanswers.com, or call 901-678-2208.  One-on-one research consultations can also be scheduled, and get answers to simple questions by clicking on the FAQ link. Don’t get frustrated. Ask a Librarian!

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The University Libraries Hosts Faculty Scholarship Week, April 13 – 17

College of Communication and Fine Arts’ faculty scholarship

Each year, the University Libraries at the University of Memphis hosts an exhibition of the faculty’s scholarship from the previous year. This year, Faculty Scholarship Week will be observed April 13-17. The event celebrates the outstanding research, writing, performance and other scholarly works of the University’s faculty. Faculty-authored and created publications and works in a variety of media from numerous U of M colleges and departments will be displayed in the Ned R. McWherter Library rotunda beginning at noon on Monday, April 13. The exhibition will close on Friday, April 17, at 4 p.m.

The 2015 exhibition includes scholarship from Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, College of Arts and Sciences (including Political Science, Sociology, Mathematical Sciences, Physics, Earth Sciences, English, Foreign Languages and Literature, and History), College of Communication and Fine Arts (including Architecture, Art, Communication, Music, and Theater and Dance), College of Education, Health and Human Sciences (including Counseling, Education Psychology and Research), Fogelman College of Business and Economics (including Economics, FIR, and Management Information Systems), Herff College of Engineering (including Biomedical Engineering), Loewenberg School of Nursing, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and the University Libraries.

Faculty Scholarship Week is sponsored by the University Libraries with the support of the Friends of Libraries.

For more information, contact Anna Swearengen at mswrngen@memphis.edu or 678-2744.

The University Libraries Celebrates Women’s History Month 2015

WHM Poster 2015

The University Libraries is pleased to participate in the U of M’s campus-wide celebration of Women’s History Month. See the full calendar of events here and visit the Libraries’ Women’s and Gender Studies research guide for books, articles, web sites, videos, primary documents, and other resources about women’s history and feminist issues. In addition, we have created a special research guide featuring Tennessee women who dedicated their lives to activism and service and participated in national movements for equality.

In honor of our new exhibition, “Woven Into Words: Tennessee Women Making History,” we will host a reception on Tuesday, March 3, 5:30-7:00 p.m. on the fourth floor of McWherter Library; Dr. Christine Eisel, Department of History, will share “Lessons Learned in the Archives.” Guests can explore several display cases which illustrate the impact of women like Roberta Church, Elizabeth Meriwether, Sister Hughetta Snowden, Cornelia Crenshaw, and Maxine Smith and highlight government documents relating to women’s suffrage and political history. Presented with the support of the Friends of the University Libraries.

Then, on Wednesday, March 18, 11:30 a.m., Jazmin Miller will present her original one-woman show, “The Journey of Truth,” about the life of abolitionist and activist Sojourner Truth in the rotunda of McWherter Library. Free and open to the public.

In addition to attending programs, you can participate in Women’s History Month by responding to a writing prompt and/or recognizing a woman who has helped you weave your own story (submission sheets are also available in rotunda of McWherter Library).

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A Tribute to Our Colleague and Friend Betsy Park

Betsy3Betsy Park’s colleagues and friends are saddened to hear of her death on Sunday 18 January 2015 from complications of a bone marrow transplant.

Betsy’s distinguished 32-year tenure at the University Libraries at the University of Memphis was an inspiration to the faculty, staff, and students she served enthusiastically first as a reference librarian, then as Head of Reference, and finally as Assistant to the Dean for Planning and Assessment.

Betsy modeled the characteristics she expected in other Libraries faculty: Intellectual inquisitiveness, service to others, and the drive to contribute meaningfully to the profession. In addition to her oft-cited publication, “Status of the Profession: A 1989 National Survey of Tenure and Promotion for Policies for Academic Librarians” (College and Research Libraries, May 1991, 275-289), Betsy authored a book chapter and many journal articles, regularly presented her work at state and national conferences, and was active in a variety of professional organizations.

She was a respected colleague; Libraries faculty and staff actively sought her advice and counsel. Her door was always open, and she went out of her way to welcome and mentor junior faculty members. In her role as Head of Reference, Betsy was a strong and charismatic leader; she was always available, fair, and encouraging to members of the Department. She was a dedicated chair of the Libraries Tenure and Promotion Committee and created a writing group to facilitate and support the scholarship of Libraries faculty.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABetsy lived to teach, and in addition to her innumerable presentations in classrooms, often invited students and faculty to her office to help with research-related questions. Colleagues nearby could often hear exclamations of delight as Betsy shared with her visitors new perspectives, research skills, and ways to use technology.

Betsy never shied away from challenges, whether professional or personal. She was an innovative, insightful, and reliable collaborator. She was among the first librarians at the University to present online instruction to distance learning students and to be embedded in online classes, and became the go-to person for questions about RefWorks, the citation management software.

Her adventurous spirit led her to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Gossas, Senegal, from 1966-1968; more recently, she and her husband reveled in the cultures of South Korea, Japan, France, and Hawaii. A fabulous chef and hostess, Betsy was known for dishes inspired by the culinary experiences she had while traveling. She threw great dinner parties, made pots of homemade applesauce with her granddaughters (one of her favorite traditions), and amassed an impressive collection of cookbooks.

Betsy routinely shared produce from her bountiful garden, was often spotted at the Symphony and the Overton Shell, and was an avid golfer at one time. The songs of love birds filled her home, and she loved–and adopted–many dogs over the years (each a character, it seemed!).

Everyone who knew her has a favorite “Betsy story.” Won’t you share yours?