The first 100 open access books were launched this week on the Project MUSE platform as a result of funding provided by the Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The project to disseminate scholarship, particularly in the humanities, has …Continue Reading
Category: Books & E-books
Why Choose the Library Catalog over the Findit Search Tool?
Sometimes less is more when it comes to search tools. Why use the library catalog when you can access book records from the all-inclusive Findit Tool? One reason you might want to use the catalog has to do with the fact that you are more clicks away from getting useful information should you want to find a physical item such as a print book in the library. The catalog has more functionality than the Findit Tool if you want more local information like where to locate your item using floor maps of your library or if you want to construct an advanced search to look for either a specific location of materials in the library (like children’s books) or a specific format of material, like videos. This post features a video tutorial on how to conduct an advanced search in the library catalog to filter for specific material you may be looking for in the library.
The Joan Kaywell Award
The Kaywell Award, originally given by the Florida Council of Teachers of English (FCTE) and now part of the Hipple Collection of Young Adult Literature in Special Collections at the University of South Florida, is given to the book that best represents an adolescent’s overcoming a situation–not of his or her own making—in such a way to provide significant insight and hope to a reader. It was named in honor of Dr. Joan F. Kaywell, a professor of English Education at USF and long-time leader in the Council. Dr. Kaywell gave the inaugural awards to representative authors who write books that save lives to Laurie Halse Anderson & Chris Crutcher in 2012 and then to Ellen Hopkins & Walter Dean Myers in 2013. The first book to receive the award is Lesléa Newman’s October Mourning. The 2019 winner of the award goes to Sandra Uwiringiyimana’s book, How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child
Featured E-book Navigating Challenges in Qualitative Educational Research
Navigating Challenges in Qualitative Educational Research, from Routledge by Todd Ruecker and Vanessa Svihla, discusses how education researchers navigate the qualitative research process, along with a myriad of decision points. This work offers students and other researchers insights on how to deal with research challenges.
Pearson announces a transition to digital-only textbooks
Inside Higher Education reports that Pearson is abandoning the traditional print textbook model in favor of a digital-first strategy. While renting books can save money, the option to resell or purchase used print books will disappear, giving Pearson more control over student choice and student access says, Phil Hill who blogs about the changes here.
Featured E-book: The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread
The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread by Cailin O”Connor, outline in their new book that social dynamics of “alternative facts” influences what people believe and that depend on who they know. Authors explore why demonstrably false beliefs persist and spread despite bad, even fatal, consequences for the people who hold them.
Featured E-Resource: TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching
The USF Libraries has acquired an award-winning online encyclopedia, the TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching, edited by USF Associate Professor of ESOL, John Liontas. To learn more about this eight-volume work, click here.
Featured E-book: Queer Adolescent Literature
Queer Adolescent Literature as a Complement to the English Language Arts Curriculum, by Joan Kaywell (2018), offers guided instructional approaches for including queer-themed young adult literature in language arts. Each chapter highlights one YA novel and offers activities that guide students to a deeper understanding of the content. Image credit
Celebrating the Public Domain: 19 in 2019
In June of 2018 the library posted a list of items just coming into the public domain that can be digitized by the USF Tampa Library. We asked our community to vote for what they most would like to see digitized. The list of newly digitized items from the project is available through this post in Digital Directions. We would like to continue this on an annual basis. Here is a list of possible titles for our 2020 digitization and we would like your help narrowing it down. Vote for your favorites here:
https://usf.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0pLGWRNAG86Vpdz.
Can Book Piracy Be Stopped?
The problem of illegally downloaded books is a growing one. This article in The Guardian discusses this trend.