#GivingTuesday for the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Endowment Fund

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November 28, 2017

2:22 pm

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This #GivingTuesday, help support student learning and information literacy for up and coming University of Scranton Royals by giving to the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Endowment Fund.

Named in honor of the late Bonnie Oldham, Associate Professor Emerita at The University of Scranton and Library Research Prize founder in the Weinberg Memorial Library, the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize recognizes excellence in student research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge in the methods of research and the information gathering process, and use of library resources, tools, and services.

It is the program in the Weinberg Memorial Library that most exemplifies the Jesuit ideal of magis–striving for excellence–as it relates to information literacy and students’ development of research skills and dispositions that will enable them to become leaders in their fields and professions.

Help us fully endow the Prize in perpetuity by making a donation today on #GivingTuesday!

To support student learning with your gift:

  1. Visit Support Scranton.
  2. Select “Weinberg Memorial Library” as the area you wish to support.
  3. Mention the “Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Endowment Fund” in the Additional Comments box at the bottom of the page.

More Library Study Space Available

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November 27, 2017

11:19 am

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The Library Computer Lab (Rm.306) and an additional Group Study Room on the 4th Floor are now available for student use. Please note the guidelines posted in each room, and good luck preparing for your exams!

Apply Now for the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize!

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November 16, 2017

6:31 pm

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Are you working on a research project this semester? Did you use the library’s resources, services, collections, or spaces in order to complete your research? Then the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize is for you!

The Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize recognizes excellence in research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge in the methods of research and the information gathering process and use of library resources, tools, and services.

New this year:  Three prizes of $500.00 each will be awarded to the winning individual student and/or group in the following categories: Undergraduate Foundational (100-level courses), Undergraduate Upper-level (200- to 400-level courses), and Graduate. If won by a group, the award will be split equally among the group members. All you need to do is write a 500- to 700-word essay describing your research process and how you used the library in completing the project. Click here for some tips on how to craft the best 500- to 700-word essay you can about your research. 

The application deadline for projects completed in Summer or Fall 2017 is Monday, December 4, 2017 at 4:00 pm. There will be another deadline for Spring 2018 research projects. Winners will be announced at the end of the Spring 2018 semester.

A statement of faculty support from the instructor who assigned the research project is also required for each submission.

For additional information on how to apply, what to include in a completed application, and to access the application, visit the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize page:  www.scranton.edu/libraryresearchprize

Featured Research Databases at the Weinberg Memorial Library – CQ Researcher Plus Archive, ProQuest Central, and Academic Search Elite (EBSCO)

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November 15, 2017

9:04 pm

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After meeting with several undergraduate students at the University of Scranton over the past few weeks, I had the opportunity to explain some best practices for research when using the following three databases: CQ Researcher Plus Archive, ProQuest Central, and Academic Search Elite (EBSCO).


Before diving into the research process, the first step in the research process is identifying one’s research topic and coming up with appropriate search terms. The next step to conducting research is identifying databases in which to search for articles which are appropriate to the research being conducted. If one is looking for original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues in the news then the CQ Researcher plus Archive database is an excellent place to start. When using this database, one should use key words to look for a well-researched report on their topic. Upon finding a report, it is recommended that one obtain the citation for the report and that they e-mail the citation and the report to themselves. At the end of the report is a comprehensive bibliography of resources used in compiling the report. These resources could provide further insights into one’s topic.


The next recommended database for research on current issues is ProQuest Central. This database provides access to more than 11,000 publications. More than 8,000 of the publications are available in full text. ProQuest Central covers current and international content in over 160 subject areas such as: business and economics; medical and health; news and world affairs; science; education; technology; humanities; social sciences; psychology; literature; law; and, women’s studies. This database can provide thousands of results. The best way to limit your results when using this database and any database is to conduct an advanced search while setting certain limits such as full-text, peer-reviewed, setting the years of publication of articles for your search, and selecting the specific type of resource you are looking for – newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals, etc. When you find an article that interests you, it is recommended to read the abstract to determine if the article pertains to your topic. If it does, e-mail the article to yourself with the appropriate citation, and then go back to your results and keep searching.


The final recommended database for research on current issues is Academic Search Elite (EBSCO). This database contains Indexing and abstracts for 3,484 journals with full-text for over 2,000 journals, including more than 1,500 peer-reviewed titles. For this database, it is best to set limits when conducting your search, read the abstracts of articles that relate to your topic, and e-mail the articles with the appropriate citations that work for your current issue topics.

The final advice I gave to students that I met with was to feel free to come back to the Library Research Services desk and ask the Library Research Services librarians for assistance with any future research topics and projects that they may have. We are here to help and provide assistance on any research topic or project.

Leaves of Class XIX – October!

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November 6, 2017

10:49 am

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Congratulations to Gloria Jablonski of Dickson City who won a 1 ct. t.w. diamond bracelet courtesy of Midori Yamanouchi, Ph.D., a Pet Basket of Gifts (gift certificates from local pet stores and more — $100 value), an adult coloring book basket from the Library Express, a cozy handmade fleece blanket by Annette Kalwaytis, and a Java City gift basket. Gloria also won four reserved tickets to the Ballet Theatre of Scranton’s performance of The Nutcracker at Marywood University (Dec. 26-28) and the following gift card/certificates: The University of Scranton Bookstore ($150), Alexander’s Family Restaurant ($50), and Barnes & Noble Booksellers ($25).

There are still TWO chances to win! Our next drawing for Leaves of Class XIX is November 30, 2017.

To purchase entries online, visit: www.scranton.edu/leaves. To request mailed brochures, contact Kym Balthazar Fetsko – kym.fetsko@scranton.edu, 570.941.7816.

Thank you & good Luck!

Western Penman Journal Collection Now Online

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November 2, 2017

1:28 pm

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The University is pleased to announce that our substantial collection of Western Penman and American Penman journals has been digitized and is now publicly available online as a part of the Library’s digital collections. The Western Penman can be accessed here and The American Penman here.

Contained within the Library’s extensive Zaner-Bloser Penmanship Collection, the journal is one among many penmanship periodicals published during what is known as the “Golden Age” of penmanship, extending several decades before and after the year 1900. Austin Norman Palmer began The Western Penman in 1884. A contemporary and competitor of Charles Paxton Zaner (who would begin publishing his own journal, The Business Educator, eleven years later), Palmer created a simplified method of manuscript writing designed for speed and relying on muscle memory and whole-arm movement. Palmer’s technique contrasted with the more ornate Spencerian script that was the standard of the time. The insistence on speed, evidenced even in Palmer’s habit of closing letters with “Rapidly yours,” aligned perfectly with the growing American obsession with the automobile and his ideas were soon taught in schools across the country. In 1900, Palmer began publishing separate student and professional editions of The Western Penman. In 1906, the publication was renamed The American Penman and ran until 1938, resulting in a total of fifty-five volumes of issues.

The Library’s collection encompasses the entire span of the Penman’s life cycle, although some volumes and issues are missing. While a substantial amount of the Library’s penmanship journals, consisting mostly of the Penman’s Art Journal and the Zaner-Bloser publications, were digitized in 2010 by the Internet Archive as a part of the Lyrasis Mass Digitization Collaborative, the Western Penman and American Penman journals remained available almost exclusively in their print editions. In 2017, twenty-two bound volumes were digitized by Backstage Library Works. Our digital collection now contains 519 issues, with a total of 17,119 page images. The master TIFF image files, which are stored in our digital preservation repository, add up to 652 GB.

We extend our warmest thanks to all of those involved in the process of making these journals digitally available! They are sure to offer great value, both historically and artistically, to our Library’s users.

Below are examples representing various elements of the journal: examples of penmanship completed by students at a business school in Michigan, a page of exercises written by penman R. H. Robbins, and an excerpt from a detailed lesson by Palmer concerning his Muscular Movement technique. Palmer wrote that he considered his readers to be an “immense writing class” led by his teachings.