Topic List

A Brief History of the University of Florida – Carl Van Ness
University Historian and Archivist Carl Van Ness explores the highlights of the university’s history beginning with the institutions that preceded the creation of the University of Florida in Gainesville and ending with our emergence as the South’s largest public university.    The talk focuses on the history of the curriculum and the school’s journey from a college for white males in 1906 to one of the nation’s most culturally diverse universities.  Photographs and artifacts from the University of Florida Archives add to the event.

Business Information at the University of Florida’s Libraries - Peter McKay
UF’s Business Librarian describes the business information sources needed to support a highly regarded business school with 5,000 undergraduates, 1,500 Graduate Students, and 100 Faculty with MBA, Masters, and PhD programs. He will discuss collections and the services provided to the students and faculty and the development of the Business Library Web site and how it gives instant access to a research library to students and faculty anytime and anywhere in the world.

Caring for Family Papers and Memorabilia – John Freund
All too often family letters, deeds, birth, marriage and death certificates, bibles and photographs suffer damage due to age, poor handling and storage practices. This talk will include a brief introduction to proper care, handling and storage of these items, along with information on how to obtain further help.  A hand-out will be provided with care and handling tips listed on one side and contact information for vendors of “archivally correct” supplies on the other. The workshop will end with a “show and tell” session where audience members bring items that could be evaluated and proper treatment options discussed.  

Copyright Issues for Library Electronic Reserves and Course Management Systems –Lori Driscoll
Instructors, librarians and administrators are seeking guidance on copyright issues more now than ever before. Electronic reserves, course management systems, and the Web in general have expanded opportunities to distribute course materials to students. Understanding fair use in the context of these new technologies is important for copyright compliance. Lori Driscoll, head of Access Support, will lead a scenario-based discussion of the affect of copyright law on academic institutions and will help participants identify issues and trends that may impact libraries and course management systems in the future.

Discover the Treasures of the University of Florida’s Libraries –  John Ingram
The University of Florida’s special and area studies collections hold many beautiful and unusual treasures – ranging from hand-written manuscripts of the late 15th century to “rat caps,” yearbooks and sports programs from the university archives.  The director for collections will highlight the history of libraries at UF and will provide an up close and personal look at some of the some individual items (children’s books, Florida history, Florida authors, botanical books, etc.) that are available for research at the libraries in Gainesville.

The European Union – Chelsea Dinsmore
A Short Course on the European Union: How it’s organized and how to research it.  This presentation will cover the basic history of the EU, the current structure of the organization and what documents created by the EU are available to the public. A bibliography of research options, directions for further study, and specialized contacts will be included.

Federal Documents –A Treasure of Information – Chelsea Dinsmore
So What is a Federal Depository? And What’s in it for me?  The University of Florida libraries recently celebrated their centennial as a member of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). A major component of that membership is to provide access to government materials, free of charge. In addition to the unique and odd materials that are deposited in the government documents department, there is a wealth of government information freely available on the internet.  This presentation will discuss the FDLP program as well as highlight ways to find the government information you need.

The First Gators: Life as a Florida Student in the Early Years -- Carl Van Ness
University Historian and Archivist Carl Van Ness looks at the lives and activities of the first generation of Florida students.  What was it like to be one of 100 students in 1906 when the campus had only two buildings, it was a mile to “downtown” Gainesville, and the football team consisted of fourteen kids with little or no previous football experience?  The talk also explores the origins of the Gator nickname. Photographs and artifacts from the University of Florida Archives add to the event.

Popular Culture: Preserving and Collecting a New History – Jim Liversidge
Childhood memories stored and forgotten in attics, closets and garages and sold for unimaginable prices on EBay are now considered historical artifacts worthy of inclusion in research archives. Our recent cultural history (Film, television, sports, politics, etc) is now considered a worthy field of study in order to present a more complete view of the 20th-century experience. Ephemera and artifacts from the collections will be used to introduce the audience to areas of popular culture collected at the University of Florida in the Department of Special Collections. This nostalgic presentation will touch upon the early influences and interests of the speaker which resulted in a half century of collecting (for the joy of it!) a personal “baby boom” archive now housed and showcased at the University of Florida. The talk will appeal to various age groups who have experienced, enjoyed or wish to know more about the passing parade of the past century and what will be considered an historic artifact in the future.

For This is an Enchanted Land: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings at Cross Creek – Flo Turcotte
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, a native of Washington, DC, moved to Cross Creek, Florida in 1928.  This decision was to have a profound and long lasting effect on her life and work.  Topics of discussion will include: The Cross Creek Trial, Race Relations, and the role and influence on her work by her famous editor Max Perkins of Charles Scribner’s Sons. A virtual tour will be give of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park, and the holdings of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Collection at the University of Florida Library. This talk will appeal to a wide audience, especially aficionados of Florida History and Literature.

History of the Book (4 options) – John Van Hook
*  The birth of the printed book, 1450-1500, including the process Gutenberg perfected, the clandestine spread of the art for a full generation, and then its unanticipated flowering first around Germany, Italy, and France beginning in 1470 and, within less than a decade, throughout most of Western Europe and beyond.

*  English printing in Shakespeare’s time, including the earliest English printers like Caxton and de Worde, the Stationer’s Company, the operation of a printing and publishing shop, the examination of several famous books via the internet, and the steady decline in print quality during the English Renaissance.

*  The Illustrated Book, 1465-1800.  This talk shows how to distinguish between the many processes that were used to illustrate books during the hand-press period – the woodcut, etching, engraving, and wood engraving – from physical evidence alone. It examines masterworks in each of these media and points out the formal and expressive qualities of each one as well.

*  Colonial American Printing and Publishing, from their founding in Cambridge Massachusetts through their spread as far south as Savannah, and the economic, social, religious, and finally political impact the industry had in bringing about the War of Independence.  Particular attention will be paid to the career and output of Benjamin Franklin.

Investment Information at UF Libraries– Peter McKay
UF’s Business Librarian presents investment information sources at the George A. Smathers Libraries. Investment information has migrated from print to the digital world. The libraries have many of the databases used by investment professionals to manage large investment portfolios. Individual investors are welcome to use these sources on campus. Courtesy borrower may check out material from UF’s comprehensive collection of investment books.

Today’s Student – New Challenges for Library Services– LeiLani Freund & Stacey Ewing
Many articles are being written about today’s undergraduate students who are referred to as “The Millennials” or “Internet (Net) Generation.” Members of this group share characteristics that set them apart from their Baby Boomer parents and other generations of students.  These individuals have grown up with technology, are particularly close to their parents, are accustomed to group activities with their peers, and have high expectations of customer service in an academic environment. In the libraries, we are called upon to provide new services and to relate to these students in different ways than in the past.  How are we integrating their technology into our services? How do we meet their expectations and how are we reaching out to let them know what we can do for them?  Stacey Ewing, Information Commons Librarian, and LeiLani Freund, associate chair of Library West, will talk with you about the fun and the challenges of bringing the libraries to the Net Generation.

The World through Maps – Carol McAuliffe
The University of Florida holds one of the nation’s largest and best map collections. The Map and Imagery Library includes several unique and standout collections such as our antique map collection, aerial photography of Florida, satellite images, Sanborn historical maps for more than 130 Florida cities and town, and particularly strong collections for Florida, Latin America, Africa, and the Holy Land. Carol McAuliffe, map librarian, will talk about the wonderful world of maps and bring a slide show and some collection examples for viewing.

Judaica
Historical bibliography, the role it played in building this collection, as a preamble to what overlaps in the areas of my interest, and recent acquisitions of two key pieces by Price into special collections, namely the first classified Judaica (and Arabic, and Syriac) bibliography, the Promtuarium, by the Swiss Reformist scholar Johann Heinrich Hottinger (Heidelberg, 1658); the other is the Kohelet David or Collectio Davidis (Hamburg, 1826), the catalogue of the collection of, David ben Abraham Oppenheim (1664-1736), which not only became the basis of Bodleian’s Hebrew print collection, but also that of the Catalogue of Printed Hebrew Books of the Bodleian Library, by Moritz Steinschneider, essentially the synthesis of all previous catalogues that serves as the model for Judaica catalogues thereafter.

Other topics include Indian Judaica (printed in Bombay, Poona, and Cochin between 1840 and 1960; Yiddish, American (including from during WW2), and between-the-wars German Judaica.

Becoming an Armchair Astronomer– Sara Russell Gonzalez
Are you an amateur astronomer or interested in the stars and planets?  There is a wealth of astronomical images, data, software, and literature freely available online. Dr. Sara Gonzalez, the UF astronomy librarian, will discuss how to find and retrieve these resources, locate current astronomy research and how to participate in public science projects using your home computer.

African Americans in North Central Florida – Joel Buchanan

Asian Studies Collections - David Hickey

Children’s Literature - Rita Smith

Florida History - James Cusick

GIS – Geographic Information Systems - Joe Aufmuth

Historic Film - John Van Hook

John D. MacDonald – Flo Turcotte

Zora Neale Hurston - Flo Turcotte     

Latest advances and latest gadgets in technology - Bill Covey