In August 2008, with the grand opening of the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center, we went live with a brand new website meant to reflect the changing face of the UNR Libraries. As a container for the many aspects of and services offered by the library, it has served us well, but the time has come to take the next step in our online presence. Thus, a new portal to the library website was planned and developed, and is now ready for use in its Beta state.

As the web developer for the library, this has been a long road for me, and we haven’t quite gotten to version 1.0, but with your feedback, I feel that we can be well on our way. Many of you have, understandably, become well accustomed to the current library front page, and I have no intention of pulling it any time soon. The current plan is to roll out the UNR Libraries Portal 1.0, such as it will be, for the Spring semester, at which point our current entry page will take a back seat. Back seat notwithstanding, it will persist for a good amount of time, only to go dark at some currently undecided date much further down the road.

But all of these details will be worked out later. For now, I am merely offering the new portal as a sort of preview of what’s to come. At this stage, I’ll be working on bridging the gap between the two entry pages, to whatever extent is feasible or desirable, and on finishing or adding non-crucial features.

I hope you can find your way about the new portal and that you like the more task-oriented direction I’ve chosen to take the website. I look forward to your questions and comments.

Posted by Justin Garrett Blum to General, current | add a comment

On November 12, starting at 6:00 p.m., the Friends of the University Library will induct Nevada author H. Lee Barnes into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame. Barnes’ fiction focuses largely on working-class characters of the west and southwest, many of whom are war veterans. His narratives often deal with external events that subsume his characters as they try to deal with their sense of disaffection and negotiate a path through contemporary life. He has published five books and over 40 short stories and essays.

Also selected for recognition this year is the group of writers collectively known as the “Sagebrush School”. These authors were active in the Virginia City area during the time period 1859-1914. Although they were primarily journalists, they frequently branched out into other creative forms and sometimes gained fame in their later literary careers. The most famous was Mark Twain, who developed his trademark style on the Comstock.

The Silver Pen Award, celebrating Nevada literary talent mid-career, this year goes to two authors: Charles Bock, author of the best-selling novel Beautiful Children, and Robert Leonard Reid, with publications including the anthology A Treasury of the Sierra Nevada and nearly 100 magazine articles and essays.

Ceremonies will be held on November 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center in the Wells Fargo Auditorium. The reception and silent auction begin at 6 p.m., with the formal program commencing at 7 p.m. The $40 ticket to the event includes beverages and hors d’oeuvres and supports the services of the University Libraries.

For more information contact:

• Noelle White
• 775-682-6002
• nwhite@unr.edu

For further details, read the full Nevada News article.

Posted by Justin Garrett Blum to Databases, Events, current | add a comment

Take a study break on Prep Day, December 9! The University Library is hosting a mini-marathon of episodes from the TV series “Bonanza” in the Wells Fargo Auditorium, 1st Floor.

The three featured episodes are based on fact. In “Death on Sun Mountain” (8:00pm), a greedy opportunist stirs up trouble between the Paiute tribe and the citizens of Virginia City. The “Julia Bulette Story” (9:15pm) is inspired by the true story of a Virginia City madam. In The Philip Deideshiemer Story (10:30pm) the Cartwrights assist a German engineer in developing the concept of “square set timbering” in the mines

Posted by Justin Garrett Blum to Events, current | 3 comments | show comments » | « hide comments

We have a late edition to our “Comstock Conversations” series, which kicks off two new Knowledge Center exhibits and celebrates the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the Comstock Lode.

Lode-ing Up on Literary Prospects:
a seminar on uncovering lost and hidden works in libraries and archives

Dr. Lawrence I. Berkove (Professor emeritus, University of Michigan, Dearborn), the world’s leading authority on Nevada’s Sagebrush School of writers, will share his expertise in rescuing valuable literary works from obscurity.
October 29, 2009 | 2:30 p.m. | Knowledge Center, Faculty & Graduate Reading Room

Posted by Justin Garrett Blum to General | add a comment

KTVN-TV Channel 2 recently aired a news report extolling the virtues of the Knowledge Center as a hub for campus learning and collaboration, as well as a shining example of the university library in the 21st Century. They were kind enough to send over a tape, and our Teaching and Learning Technologies department turned it into streaming video for the website, which I’ve made available through our Downloads page.

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