Contest: Research Election History and Third Parties

What do the Communist Party, Constitution Party, Green Party, and Libertarian Party all have in common? They’re all third parties in the U.S., who represent differing origins, viewpoints, and intentions than the Democratic Party and Republican Party.

Since the formation of the organized political parties in the 1830s, the American political landscape has been dominated by the two-party system. Some other third parties in the U.S. are the Natural Law Party, Peace and Freedom Party, Progressive Labor Party, Prohibition Party, Reform Party, Ripon Society, Socialist Labor Party, and Socialist Party.

Show us your election research savvy: Did any of the above or other third parties hold a balance of power or win a significant portion of the ballots in Presidential elections in the past twenty years? Use CQ Electronic Library to find out and submit your answer to Yuan Zeng, librarian for Political Science, at yzeng@jhu.edu. The first responder with a correct answer wins a $5 Café Q gift card! (JHU students only, please.)

Update: The contest is now closed. Congratulations to our winner!

Laptop Locks Available at the Library

Kensington laptop locks are now available to check out in the Milton S. Eisenhower Library. These locks will make your laptop less vulnerable to theft while working in the library. Use your J-card to check one out at the Circulation Desk on M-level.

Roman de la Rose Digital Library

We’re pleased to announce the Roman de la Rose Digital Library, a joint project of the Sheridan Libraries and the Bibliothèque nationale de France made possible with funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The Roman de la Rose is an allegorical love poem written in the form of a dream vision. It was written by two authors in the thirteenth century and was the most extensively illustrated and widely circulated work in French literature for almost three centuries. It is preserved in approximately 300 medieval manuscripts.

Within the online library, there are a variety of ways to explore the collection of digitized manuscripts and printed books. Whether you are new to medieval studies, unfamiliar with Old French, or just browsing, there will be documentation to guide you in customizing your experience on the site. As a developing project, the Roman de la Rose Digital Library will expand within the coming year from the current 14 manuscripts to ultimately house around 150 manuscripts, nearly half of the Roman de la Rose manuscripts known to exist.

You can read more about the history of the project and about Roman de la Rose manuscripts on the accompanying blog, where feedback is welcome.

Featured: CQ Voting and Elections Collection

Whether you are writing a paper on electoral politics or exploring the history and evolution of American elections, CQ Voting and Elections Collection can provide you with rich and detailed information online. The collection integrates a wealth of data, authoritative analyses, concise explanations, and historical material to provide a powerful research and reference tool on the American voter, major and minor political parties, campaigns and elections, and historical and modern races for Congress, the presidency, and governorships.

The powerful database-driven research tools in the collection allow you to generate customized data about various aspects of elections in America. Valuable features in the collection include an encyclopedia that explains more than 200 terms and concepts in campaigns and elections, and web links that provide links to related elections, campaign, and voter information sites.

Activate your JCard to Request and Recall Items

Have you activated your JCard yet? Your JCard serves as your library card. You can use the barcode (circled in red, right) to check items out, renew materials online, and place requests in the catalog for items to be delivered and recalled. Before you use it, it needs to be activated with the library. To activate your JCard, please call (410) 516-8370, email circmail@jhu.edu, or visit the circulation desk at your local JHU library.

What are requests? The JHU Libraries Catalog includes all of the libraries of the University, so sometimes you may find an item that lives in a different building than the library you frequent. Many items can be delivered by request to the JHU library location of your choice. Use the blue request button (circled in red, below) in the catalog to make a request for most pick-up locations.*

What are recalls? You may also find that a key item you need to use for your research or coursework is already checked out. If you need to use an item, you have the option of recalling it by placing a request with the same blue button. The person who has the item checked out will be given ten days to finish using it and turn it in. You’ll then be notified when it is available for you to pick up.

*Which locations can you request as delivery locations? Keep reading to see a list and get instructions for having items delivered to Columbia and the Downtown Center campuses. Continue reading Activate your JCard to Request and Recall Items…

Where are the Fun Books?

Many years ago, I was working in the library of a science/engineering university in Chicago and a new student asked me “where are the fun books?” I had to reply honestly, if undiplomatically, that we had no fun books. At MSEL, I continue to hear a variation of this question from incoming students who are looking (quite understandably) for something light to read that will give them a break from the demands of their classes.

While the majority of the collection supports the research and teaching needs of the university, the Eisenhower Library still makes room for popular books. Check out the McNaughton Collection of popular fiction and non-fiction and DVDs on M-Level. Consult this handout for finding fiction in the shelves on D-Level. Visit the south end of A-Level and settle into a couch or comfortable chair to read Rolling Stone or People or another popular magazine. Need help finding something? Ask a librarian!

Fall Semester Hours at MSEL

We welcome new students, faculty, and staff and say “welcome back!” to our returning students, faculty, and staff. Those of you returning to Hopkins know that the library lost its 24/7 study space (aka the HUT) when Gilman Hall closed for renovations this past spring. For those of you in HUT withdrawal and new students wondering where you can study around the clock, the Eisenhower Library (MSEL) will be open 24/7 for the academic year, starting Monday, September 8. MSEL will keep to the same schedule that the HUT did so please consult our Hours page for the dates that we will not be open 24/7.

We’ve made some changes to our access policies in order to insure adequate seating and workstations for our JHU students, faculty, and staff. The Eisenhower Library will be open to the public (upon presentation of a photo ID) between 8 am and 8 pm daily. Between 8 pm and 8 am, we’ll need to see a JHU ID, an Eisenhower Library borrower card, or an ID from another academic institution when you enter MSEL.

Selling the Candidates: Presidential Campaign Music and Memorabilia

From George Washington to George W. Bush, presidential candidates have captured the American voter’s attention with music and memorabilia. In the spirit of the 2008 presidential election, campaign songs from the Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, and buttons, tie tacks, and other souvenirs from some of America’s most memorable elections will be displayed at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library.

The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music documents American history and America’s popular culture—from songs of homage to George Washington in the 18th century to familiar tunes of the late 20th-century. The pieces highlight the periods, people, and events that have formed, inspired, and described the American past. To view the collection, visit http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/

To learn more about the exhibit, visit http://www.library.jhu.edu/about/news/exhibits/campaignmusic.html

The Sheridan Libraries Welcome You

The Sheridan Libraries* are pleased to welcome to all new and returning students and faculty to campus for a new academic year. We extend a warm invitation for you to visit your campus library, or see us online. Be sure to Ask a Librarian whenever you need assistance. Need more information? See one of the below links.

Information for Undergraduate Students

Information for Graduate Students

Information for Faculty

*What are the Sheridan Libraries? Read more after the jump. Continue reading The Sheridan Libraries Welcome You…

Teaching Assistant Training Institute Tomorrow

The Center for Educational Resources is offering a half-day TA orientation program tomorrow, September 3, in the Glass Pavilion (of Levering Hall) and Hodson Hall. The event is open to all graduate students in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences or the Whiting School of Engineering with teaching assignments for fall 2008 and/or spring 2009.

Faculty members, University deans and administrators, and experienced TAs will discuss resources and services available to TAs and cover common classroom challenges such as leading discussions/labs, assisting struggling students, and addressing academic dishonesty.  For more information contact Richard Shingles at shingles@jhu.edu or visit the CER website.