Reading Time: 2 minutes After digitizing resources, libraries face another obstacle when it comes to making resources readily available to researchers, and that is the obstacle of discoverability. Transkribus can help make handwritten text fully searchable.

Reading Time: 3 minutes With the name “University of South Florida,” most people except USF to be located in Miami or Fort Lauderdale. Instead, USF is located in the middle of the state in Tampa, a city that is not near southern Florida at all! So, how did the University of South Florida get its name? When Florida Governor LeRoy Collins signed a law in 1955… (Continue Reading)

Reading Time: 2 minutes Well, you can’t say that we don’t have fun at the University of South Florida… As one of the first resident instructors at USF, Phyllis Marshall came to the Tampa campus in the fall of 1960. At the time, Marshall was in charge of 47 women, who lived on the 4th floor of the University Center. She remembers the way the residents developed a set of rules for themselves and created new social organizations. She also remembers how the residents participated in some early antics… (Continue Reading)

Reading Time: 3 minutes USF Libraries’ program partners, donors, staff, and faculty have created several exhibits that highlight the Tampa campus library’s digital collections that focus on environmental studies.  These exhibits work to provide additional context and connect digital resources to tell the full story of events that have shaped the Florida environment.

Reading Time: 2 minutes From the beginning, USF faculty members have proved themselves to be resourceful and imaginative instructors. So, when an elephant passed away at nearby Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, USF’s biology professors saw this as a unique opportunity… (Continue Reading)

Reading Time: 5 minutes As a result of the “feather craze” that decimated Florida’s bird populations, the Florida Audubon Society found that the roseate spoonbill had been the mostly heavily hit. Plume hunters and poachers sought out the roseate spoonbill for its beautiful, bright pink and orange plumage. The Audubon Society “understood that in order to save endangered birds from extinction, [it] would have to bring more resources to bear than wardens and sanctuaries.” Because the population of spoonbills had been so devastated, their “critical situation called for careful study of the living birds in the wild” and Robert Porter Allen was the perfect person for the job… (Continue Reading)

Reading Time: 4 minutes The year was 1956… At the time, an old WWII Hillsborough Army Airfield occupied a large expanse of Fowler Avenue. On December 18th, the Florida Cabinet voted to transform that airfield into the location of a new public university. The University of South Florida Tampa campus would eventually be built on what once was the practice bombing range. Two years later, ground breaking ceremonies took place on the Tampa campus, with contracts for the first three university buildings complete… (Continue Reading)

Reading Time: 5 minutes Just like many of our readers, the contributing authors of Digital Dialogs have been working remotely for the last few months from our homes. Like many, this transition presented a few challenges. Some challenges were to be expected—like internet connectivity issues, computer problems, and software glitches—while others were less so. When we return to our desks each morning, we find mysterious coded messages on our computer screens, pens missing, our papers pushed to the floor, flash drives gone, and our mice hanging from the edge of our desks. Is this the work of a ghost? A trickster? A burglar? A fluffy head pops out of a drawer to give us a clue. So, who is the pen thief, the flash drive bandit, the commandeerer of vacated seats… (Continue Reading)

Reading Time: < 1 minute Every year in January, since 2019, a new group of material will have their copyright protection expire and will become part of the public domain. We need your help in deciding what 21 items USF Libraries will digitize to celebrate the public domain in 2021.  Tell us which ones you want scanned! 

Reading Time: 3 minutes In this Digital Dialogs Tools of the Trade post, we’re going to talk about a different kind of online tool: eMaze (https://emaze.com).  Emaze is an online tool for creating presentations, websites, blogs, photo albums, and e-cards.  This post will concentrate on presentations …Continue Reading

Reading Time: 7 minutes Nursing has changed a lot in the last 200 years, but a few things have not changed: devotion to patient care, compassion, dedication, knowledge, hard work, and empathy… just to name a few. From patient wards and operating rooms to ambulances and battle fields, nurses have been the backbone of the healthcare system for over a century. As a daughter of a nurse, I must admit that I might be a little biased on the subject, but I am confident that everyone would agree that nurses have made a profound impact on the health and success of our society… (Continue Reading)

Reading Time: 5 minutes Imagine it’s the year 1880… Men are dressed in top hats and long, formal coats while elegant women wear bustled skirts, their waists pinched in by corsets, and their heads adorned by large hats scattered with bright, colorful feathers. It’s the fashion of the day and the current craze is focused on those colorful feathers. But, what had to die to fulfill this fashion craze? BIRDS… (Continue Reading)

Reading Time: 5 minutes The Burgert Brothers Collection of Tampa Photographs pictorially captures the history of our city during the first half of the twentieth century. From 1917 until the 1960s, Burgert Brothers was the leading commercial photographic firm in Tampa. The photographs in this collection focus on communities at work and at play. From grocery stores, cigar factories, and cargo ships to citrus fields, universities, and company buildings, this collection provides a look at a changing society. Documenting Tampa in times of war, economic booms, cultural changes, and economic hardships, this collection shows how a marginalized group could enter into new spaces and flourish. With 863 digitized items, Digital Dialogs would like to celebrate Women’s History Month with the Burgert Brothers’ Collection in recognition of its many depictions of women at work and women’s collegiate education… (Continue Reading)

Reading Time: < 1 minute Guest Post by Matthew Torrence, Research Platform Team Librarian for the Geosciences In order to protect and improve our environmental future, it is important to preserve the past! The new Florida Environmental Interface (FEI) offers an excellent opportunity for researchers to access …Continue Reading

Reading Time: 5 minutes The USF Photograph Collection pictorially documents the history and legacy of the University of South Florida, including the impact of two pioneering individuals. In celebration of Black History Month, Digital Dialogs would like to recognize Dr. Ernest Boger, II and Dr. Juel Smith for their many accomplishments and contributions to our USF community… (Continue Reading)

Reading Time: 3 minutes Copyright protects works of original authorship from being legally copied, disseminated, and otherwise exploited without the author or rights-holder’s approval.  This protection is for a limited time in order to balance the interests of the author with the possibility that a work …Continue Reading

Reading Time: 2 minutes Copyright law originated with the printed word and many feel that it most easily and accurately applies when dealing with written works.  The digital world has opened new avenues to creators, however, and the concept of copying is expanding from just paper …Continue Reading

Reading Time: 2 minutes What does it mean to be a good digital citizen? Fundamentally, being a good digital citizen reminds us that our digital footprint, or the sum total of information we post and share on the internet, can follow us throughout our lifetime. Photos …Continue Reading

Reading Time: < 1 minute For more than four decades, Charles Stanish has unearthed the mysteries and secrets of ancient societies in the Americas. His work uncovers the interplay of trade, war, and labor organization as villages evolved into complex societies.  His discoveries gave new understanding to …Continue Reading

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Digital Library Federation (https://www.diglib.org/) is a library member group that works together to advance research and the development of digital library technologies.  Every year DLF has a forum, open to members and non-members alike, where digital library practitioners can gather, share …Continue Reading

Reading Time: 5 minutes Guest post by Dr. Lori Collins,  Research Associate Professor and co-Director of the Digital Heritage & Humanities Collection (DHHC) in the University of South Florida Libraries. The Digital Heritage and Humanities Collections (DHHC) at the University of South Florida Libraries, working in …Continue Reading

Reading Time: 3 minutes Digital collections have the exciting ability to shed light upon and provide accessibility to materials that had previously been hidden within locked rooms in the library building.  By digitizing and sharing material online, libraries can facilitate advancements in research that were hindered …Continue Reading

Reading Time: 3 minutes *post by Barbara Lewis and LeEtta Schmidt Mind and concept mapping are processes by which ideas, knowledge, and problems are visually documented and organized. While there are differences between mind maps (single topic, center-out hierarchical structure, documenting ideas/brainstorming) and concepts maps (complex …Continue Reading

Reading Time: < 1 minute This month, 61 years ago, a group of friends meeting for dinner and conviviality proposed the idea that friendships help humanity. This idea was championed by the World Friendship Crusade and in 2011, the 65th General Assembly of the UN passed Resolution …Continue Reading

Reading Time: < 1 minute Before 1976, copyright protection was a lot different than it is today.  Material published with a © notice and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office between 1923 and 1963 were only granted 28 years of copyright protection with an optional 28 year …Continue Reading

Reading Time: < 1 minute Since 1956, the University of South Florida has been amazing people. But, you should expect a bang from an institution built on a World War II practice bombing range, shouldn’t you? The early years definitely have stories, some inspiring and some surprising. …Continue Reading

Reading Time: 2 minutes Imagine you are putting together the slides for a presentation.  Knowing that it is much better to use the slides as dynamic visual aids and not load them with text, you are looking for a picture to help get your point across.  …Continue Reading

Reading Time: 2 minutes August 18, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which established women’s right to vote, and nicely coincides with the 2020 presidential election. To celebrate the anniversary, honor the advocates, and document the …Continue Reading

Reading Time: < 1 minute Talented. Undeterred. History Shapers. These are but some of the attributes found in the musicians of the “Swing Along!“ exhibit. In spite of prejudice and lack of opportunities, these men changed the history of music. Each story is unique as the individual …Continue Reading

Reading Time: 2 minutes Our online world has made finding information and media easier than ever, but knowing what can be done with that material, legally, isn’t always clear.  U.S. Copyright law and international trade agreements mean that most of the material you may find online …Continue Reading

Reading Time: < 1 minute   The School of Geosciences Research Platform Team (RPT) and Digital Heritage and Humanities Collection (DHHC) at the USF Libraries worked with paleo-biologist professors Jen Bright and Greg Herbert to create 3D models of six biological specimens for use in an out-of-classroom …Continue Reading

Reading Time: < 1 minute Tampa was incorporated in 1849, but for a long time was overlooked or considered a town with dubious morals—a town for mobsters or corrupt politicians. In spite of these unfortunately accurate accusations, Tampa grew, and as it grew changes took place. From …Continue Reading

Reading Time: < 1 minute Fair Use week, from February 25 to March 1 in 2019, is a community celebration of fair use coordinated by the Association of Research Libraries.  Each day teachers, students, researchers and consumers benefit from copyrighted information because of the fair use exception …Continue Reading

Reading Time: 2 minutes A few decades ago, a chance discovery by a wandering Bedouin brought the Dead Sea Scrolls out of the caves near Khirbet Qumran on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea and eventually to the Shrine of the Book at the Israel …Continue Reading

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ah, Firenze!  Located in the Tuscan region of Italy, this ancient city was a center of trade, finance, and culture in medieval times.  Home to the Medici family, whose power and control over the region began in the mid-15th century, Florence is …Continue Reading

Reading Time: < 1 minute After several months of diligent work, USF Library Digital Scholarship Services unveiled the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP) Oral History Collection on Thursday October 12th, 2017. This collection features audio interviews and transcripts from many of the founders, partners, and …Continue Reading

Reading Time: 2 minutes The world is at our fingertips, and we are awash with information. This exciting experience can become a predicament when quality resources are required and time is short. There is so much “stuff” returned with a search string. If the building is …Continue Reading

Reading Time: 3 minutes Voyant Tools is a web-based text reading and analysis platform designed to help scholars and students with both macroscopic and microscopic analysis of textual works. It was designed by Stefan Sinclair (McGill University) and Geoffrey Rockwell (University of Alberta) and is open-source …Continue Reading