Enter the 2009 Homewood Student Video Competition

The 2009 Homewood Student Video Competition has begun! Make a short video and enter to win cash prizes and (at least two-three minutes of) fame.

What’s at stake? Cash prizes, including a $500 for First Place, $300 for Second Place, and $200 for either Third Place or the People’s Choice Award. New this year, you can also win special prizes, including a $200 award for the best video highlighting Johns Hopkins library resources or services.

The process is simple: choose one of three themes and create a two to three minute-long video (that, of course, follows the rules). Need equipment or help? Both are available free-of-charge through the Digital Media Center. The deadline for submission is March 25.

• Competition Website (including last year’s winners!)
  
• Complete Rules

The competition is open to all full-time undergraduate and graduate students in Arts & Sciences and Engineering. Submissions may be posted on Johns Hopkins and other websites and used to promote Hopkins to prospective students.

Roman de la Rose Exhibition and Reception Tuesday

On Tuesday, February 24, from 6-8 p.m., The Walters Art Museum will host a reception and viewing of medieval manuscripts from the Roman de la Rose Digital Library collection. Medieval scholars, art historians, digital archivists and the general public will be guided on a tour of extravagantly embellished manuscripts and images, which together depict a rich tale of courtly love and human sexuality that has fed scholarship since the 14th and 15th centuries. This event will be part of an exhibition featuring the Saint John’s Bible, the first handwritten, illuminated bible in modern times.

Roman de la Rose Digital Library

The Walters Art Museum

How Do You Like to Talk to Us?

When you’ve got a question for a librarian, how would you like to ask it?

Currently, we offer in person services,  at the Eisenhower Library and the DC and Montgomery Centers, phone, e-mail, and reference by appointment with your subject librarians.

We’re curious—are there other ways you’d like to ask your questions?  Let us know by taking this brief survey any time between February 23 and March 13.

We will post a summary of the answers here on the blog. And we’ll send your responses to a group charged with the possible extension of our services. Thanks!

Professor Emeritus Allen Grossman wins Bollingen Prize in Poetry

Allen Grossman, the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities in the English Department, has won the prestigious Bollingen Prize in American Poetry, awarded biennially by Yale University. The prize is awarded for the “best book published during the previous two years or for lifetime achievement in poetry”. Previous winners include Wallace Stevens, Marianne Moore, W. H. Auden, E. E. Cummings, Louise Glück, and Adrienne Rich.

The Judges described Grossman as a “profoundly original American poet whose work embraces the co-existence of comedy and tragedy.” He is the author of many books of poetry, his most recent being “Descartes’ Loneliness” (2007). Professor Grossman came to Johns Hopkins in 1991 from Brandeis, where he had taught for over 30 years. He has won numerous other awards and honors, including a MacArthur Fellowship and 3 Pushcart Prizes.

Text of the complete official announcement, including several poems by Professor Grossman.

What’s New with the Library Homepage

We’ve given our homepage a bit of a makeover to simplify your work. Among the changes:

• Under Research by Subject, guides now combine cross-database searching with boutique library catalog searches (for movies, music, and more), and specialized pages for specific courses and special topics.
• Under Search a Database, access your go-to databases quickly by name, or choose more to browse by subject.
• Looking for our old “E-Journals” link? Search a citation takes you there.

We welcome all questions and feedback!

Happy 200th to Abe and Charles!

Did you know that Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln share a birthday? They were both born on February 12th, 1809.

Of course, many new books about Lincoln and Darwin are being published in their bicentennial year. And while there are lots of websites about each man and his impact upon our world, two websites in particular gather together and make available their papers. The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online is produced by Dr. John van Wyhe. The Library of Congress provides access to Abraham Lincoln’s papers as part of the American Memory project.

In honor of the anniversary of their births, we’re featuring Lincoln and Darwin-specific titles from our General Reference and Science Reference collections, on the two shelves to the left of the Reference Office.  Admire the Charles Darwin bobble head and take a look at The Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia and All Things Darwin.  Want more?  Visit the librarian on duty or send us an e-mail.

Resources on Business Plans and Planning

Calling all entrepreneurs! Check out some of these resources on business plans and planning as you develop your ideas into strategy.

• Business Plans Handbooks
  Search a topic of interest to see actual business plans online.
• Center for Business Planning
  Samples, software, and strategy information.
• Bplans.com
  Browse 500 sample plans online.
• Books on business planning
  Find something in the library to check out or request.
  

Find more sources and information on the Business Guide. Feel free to contact me to discuss your specific business research needs.

Lav Notes: The RefWorks Edition

Be sure to check out Lav Notes: The RefWorks Edition while it is still posted.

In case you’ve missed it in the Eisenhower Library, read it online and get an overview of how RefWorks can store your citations, build bibliographies with one click, and help you get organized.

Want to know more? Check out our more complete RefWorks Guide, watch a tutorial, download the quickstart guide, or post a question below.

Remember, send your suggestions for Lav Notes features to asklib@jhu.edu. If we use your suggestion, you’ll get a gift card.

Dr. Carson’s Book is a TV Movie

TNT is airing a made-for-TV movie this Saturday, Feb. 7th at 8pm that we should all watch.

Gifted Hands, the autobiography of Hopkins neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, sounds like a great movie. Cuba Gooding Jr. portrays Dr. Carson. TNT and IMDB have some information about the movie posted. The Baltimore Sun has a review.

Make some popcorn, grab a soda, and take a study break.