Recently in Noteworthy Category

Students, faculty and staff visited the SEAL eResources Fair on Wednesday, March 19th, to learn about library resources and tools, enjoy cookies and coffee, and enter a Prize Raffle.

Raffle Winners:

$100 Best Buy gift card from CSA/Proquest
Erik Lion, Electrical Engineering undergrad

iPod Shuffle from the Library
Tanya Riddick, CST undergrad

$25 Circuit City gift card and tote bag from Thomson
Walter Johnson, Mechanical Engineering undergrad

1GB Flash Drive from IEEE
Michael Chen, CST undergrad

1GB flash drive from IEEE
Ajo Maret, Electrical Engineering undergrad

4-port USB Hub from IEEE
Kyle Goldstein, Civil Engineering undergrad

4-port USB Hub from IEEE
Kaveh Laksari, Mechanical Engineering graduate

$25 iTunes card from Engineering Village
Timothy Jennings, Mechanical Engineering undergrad

$25 iTunes card from Engineering Village
Tejal Patel, Electrical Engineering undergrad

Thank you to all who attended our first eResources Fair at SEAL. It was quite a success. As a graduate Mechanical Engineering student said, “This was a great event and very helpful. I’ll definitely be here next time!"

An undergraduate student in the Biology Department noted, “I learned that Temple had many databases that can ease my workload and make searching for sources very easy.”

At Temple University Libraries we’re always happy to support your research needs. Thank you again for making the eResources Fair a success!

Temple University Libraries, Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection recently received a generous gift of books on education, culture and the arts in Africa by Dr. Jack Lutz, a distinguished alumnus of the College of Education. The Blockson Collection is one of the nation’s foremost research centers on the study of the culture and people of Africa and its diaspora. The collection holds materials with a special emphasis on the experiences of African Americans in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley region. It is located in Sullivan Hall on the main campus of Temple University, and was donated to the university in 1984 by renowned historian, Charles L. Blockson.

Dr. Lutz has travelled the world through initiatives and programs that brought a quality education to all. Dr. Lutz spent most of his time in Africa, and from that experience he gained a passion for its culture. He also began collecting books and materials that help tell the history and story of those he met overseas. These books and materials have since been donated to the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University Libraries. Here are excerpts of a broad conversation between Dr. Lutz and Nicole Restaino of Temple University Libraries.

• Nicole Restaino: How has your training at Temple’s College of Education impacted your life? You’ve traveled all over the world to bring education to those in need. How did your time at Temple prepare you for this?

Dr. Jack Lutz: Temple’s College of Education, along with the Boy Scouts and my time at Northeast High School, are some of the major influences in my life. My years at Temple imbued in me a sense of service, and I knew that is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I received so much sagely wisdom from so many of the professors at Temple over the years. The tutelage I received while earning my BA, MA and doctorate were truly inspirational.

• NR: What struck you about your time in Africa? Do you have any stories or anecdotes about a favorite place or experience?

JL: As much as I served Africa, Africa served me ten times over.

I was a professor at Glassboro College (now Rowan University) and was offered an opportunity to join UNESCO as an education advisor. I spent over 24 years in Africa in this position, developing teacher’s colleges. During my time in Africa, I am met my wife, Dr. Paz Lutz. A Fulbright Scholar and doctor of education herself, she served many years in Africa as well.

While I was in the village of Abraka, Nigeria developing teacher training programs for UNESCO, I realized that only two universities in Nigeria offered master’s in education. Both universities were quite a way from Abraka, so I proposed the idea of starting a program at the University of Benin, which was much closer. I presented the idea to the government of Bendel State and the university. We all concurred that starting a graduate teaching program was a step in the right direction. And that is when I got Temple on board.

I further proposed that Temple professors come teach in Abraka, and the new graduate program would be a joint venture between the University of Benin and Temple University. Shortly thereafter, the Dean of the College of Education at that time, Paul Eberman, along with late Temple University President Marvin Wachman, came to Abraka, Nigeria, to implement the cooperative program with financial help from UNESCO.

This arrangement existed for six years, I am proud to say, and graduates were awarded a dual diploma from Temple and the University of Benin. Outstanding master’s candidates in the program were offered an opportunity to study for their doctorate at Temple’s campus in Philadelphia. I believe that many top educators in Nigeria have their doctorate from Temple, in fact.

Another important part of my time overseas was my participation in communal life and the rites of passage of the diverse nations I lived in. I spent most of my time in Nigeria and Sierra Leone. I also lived in the Republic of Malawi, Uganda, Ethiopia and Swaziland. In Nigeria I was named Chief Dr. Jack Lutz, the Ehele of Abraka; Ehele being a Uhroba word for an “old warrior, not afraid to stand up and fight.” The cultural practices I was welcomed into have made such an impact in my life. In fact, my wife and I were wedded by a female Muslim magistrate (that’s quite unique!), a Catholic priest, and a justice of the peace while living in Sierra Leone. The warmth and diversity we experienced overseas was extraordinary. When we came back to Philadelphia after our wedding, we were also blessed in front of the Torah at a synagogue by a prominent Philadelphia Rabbi. (We touched all the bases!)

• NR: What was your impetus to begin collecting books and objects while in Africa?

JL: I began to amass materials related to curriculum and education in the countries in which I worked. My doctoral area of specialization was curriculum development and I helped to rework curriculum strategies in Nigeria, and documented that process. My interests later expanded and I started exploring materials on art and culture of local communities.

• NR: How did you find out about the Blockson Collection? Why did you see this as a fitting home for your outstanding collections?

JL: I knew collection founder Mr. Charles L. Blockson from Norristown, PA, years back, and that is how I first learned about the collection and its mission. My ultimate respect for Mr. Blockson and the collection’s goals to preserve African, African American and African Caribbean culture, lead me to make my donation to the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University Libraries. I’m proud to know, as a Temple grad, that the university prioritizes this amazing collection, which is one of the best around on African and African American life. I’m also proud that I could contribute to its mission with my donation.

• NR: How can the Temple community benefit from your gift? Are there any specific ways in which College of Education students might utilize the materials now housed at the Blockson Collection?

JL: The materials I donated to the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection are good research tools for the Temple community as a whole. These materials will be of particular use to students in the College of Education, in the areas of comparative educational and cultural studies, in specific. Graduate students can use these primary sources for doctoral and masters level research, while undergraduate classes can have a directed experience with the materials; they can be closely tied to a course syllabus at the undergraduate level. Courses in many areas, such as Africana studies, American studies, International studies and regional/area disciplines will also benefit from the materials. Several of the books, which are on African arts and crafts, should be useful to students in the Tyler school of fine arts as well as students of art history and anthropology.

• NR: Thank you so much, Dr. Lutz. Temple University Libraries and the Temple community are certainly thrilled by your contribution to the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection. I can’t wait to see the materials myself, in the collection’s wonderful new home in Sullivan Hall. Thanks again.
To finish off our conversation, what are you and Paz doing now?

JL: We continue to be deeply involved with service and education overseas. Most recently, our endeavors have taken us to Eastern Europe, where we served in the Peace Corps, which we joined in 1997, when I was 75 years old. We spent four years in Poland, working in a small town by the name of Nowy Sacz (about 100 miles SouthEast of Krakow), teaching English and instructional methods. Now we live in New Jersey, and are still involved with Temple’s College of Education. I hope that Paz and I inspire others to teach and live a life of service.

On February 4, 2008 Associate Professor of Religion Laura Levitt stopped by Paley Library to talk about her new book American Jewish Loss After the Holocaust, published by New York University Press. Below is a link to the MP3 file of the interview. Her book deals with the normal everyday losses that American Jews experience and tries to situate these in the larger context of American Jewish community life and the "grand narrative" of the Holocaust which tends to overshadow so much. During the course of American Jewish Loss After the Holocaust Levitt analyzes and meditates on selected poems, photographs, and films, as well as tells personal family stories. The interview gives a nice sense of Levitt's new work and her interests. It runs about twenty-one minutes. Have a listen.

Laura Levitt on American Jewish Loss After the Holocaust (MP3)(February 4, 2008)

The Temple University Libraries would like to thank Professor Levitt for taking the time to speak with us. We hope to make this the first of many faculty interviews on topics of interest to the Temple University community.

Naxos Music Library / Naxos Music Library Jazz

Temple University Libraries is pleased to announce the
addition of Naxos Music Library and Naxos Music Library Jazz
to our online streaming audio offerings.

The basis of the collection consists of the entire output of
the Naxos Recording Company. The mission of the company is
and has been since its inception in 1987 to provide the
widest possible range of repertoire to the widest possible
audience, resulting in an extremely extensive online musical
library.

All of Naxos’ recordings are available in the online service
whether they are out of print or still available for
purchase, and every new recording is included in the online
database as soon as it is commercially released. The
collection includes classical, jazz, blues, and world music.
The classical repertoire is thoroughly represented,
including unusual and contemporary works that cannot be
heard elsewhere such as the works of Joachim Raff, William
Henry Fry, Krzysztof Penderecki, Bohuslav Martinu, and
others. The strength of the Naxos collection is in its breadth. The
world music collection is particularly strong in the music
of East Asia. The content of the database grows not only by
the production of new recordings, but also by Naxos
negotiating with other recording companies to include
additional repertoire. Their website states that an
average of 39 CD’s per month were added in 2006.

The interface is easy to use and quite intuitive. Plenty of
online help is available, including a FAQ, User Guide, and
User Instructions. One can use the Advanced Search Feature
to search by keyword, disc or composition title, composer,
artist, record label, arranger, lyricist, performing group,
genre or music category, instrument, period, country, year
composed, and by mood or scenarios. In addition, the
collection is browsable by genres such as Classical,
Jazz/Contemporary, World/Folk, New Age, Chinese, Pop and
Rock and also by categories such as Ballet, Chamber Music,
Sacred Choral, Secular Choral, Composers, Concertos,
Educational, Film Music, Instrumental, Musicals,
Opera/Operetta, TV Music, Vocal, and Collections.

Naxos provides podcasts such as Classical Music Spotlight,
Choral Music of Thomas Tallis, American Jewish Music from
the Milken Archive with Leonard Nimoy, and interviews with
performers and composers.

Faculty can create folders for shared playlists for use in
classes, and provide persistant links to sound recordings in
course management software such as Blackboard .

Sound recordings provide an additional and enjoyable layer
of depth to the understanding of culture and history. The
Naxos Collection is invaluable for teaching history, ethnic
studies, world cultures, and African-American studies as
well as for music, dance, and theater.

Enjoy!

Anne Harlow

Reading: Myths of the Archaic State (2005, Cambridge) by Norman Yoffee.

Solving the problem of the emergence of "pristine" complex societies -- in other words, early states or "civilizations" -- takes up lots of time and energy in archaeological circles. Two geographic areas have received the lion's share of attention: Southwest Asia (Mesopotamia) / Egypt; and Mesoamerica (Mexico and upper Central America). Other important regions include China, the Andes, the Indus Valley, West Africa, and Southeast Asia (Khmer civilization). Many of the historical states and civilizations with which we are familiar, e.g. classical Greece and Rome, are in fact examples of "secondary" state development. In traditional models of primary state development, groups of people give up simple, egalitarian socioeconomic systems in favor of powerful new institutions such as kingship and markets (social and economic stratification), armies and police forces, codified laws, and bureaucracy. Wittfogel's hydraulic hypothesis argued that state-like institutions emerged in Southwest Asia to control irrigation projects otherwise unmanageable by local villagers. Other models emphasized increasing warfare over limited resources as an important causal factor leading to organized societies. All models have in common both rising population pressure and some form of circumscription -- geographic, social, or both -- that prevented local populations from migrating out of areas under pressure. Many models also draw extensively from historic or ethnographic examples, the polynesian chiefdoms of Hawaii being a particular favorite. At the point of transition from tribe or chiefdom to state, fertility goddesses supposedly gave way to a hierarchy of male-dominated gods that ideologically mirrored the new patriarchal social structure.

The author attempts to go beyond traditional models by examining the "limits of power" in early complex societies (41). One of the strengths of Yoffee's book is that it competently cites and discusses the literature from almost all of the areas of pristine state development: Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, China, the Andes, and Mesoamerica (including not only Teotihuacan but also Monte Alban and the Maya). Few authors are as comfortable as Yoffee outside their narrow geographic focus. Since I've only just begun this book, I can't say much more at this point. But I do recommend Myths of the Archaic State to anyone who has taken at least one undergraduate archaeology course. Interested parties with little or no formal background might wish to first become familiar with key concepts and terms. Several archaeological reference works can be accessed online from the Libraries' eBooks page. ABC-CLIO eBooks has two encyclopedias of archaeology; the Gale Virtual Reference Library includes the 5 volume Encyclopedia of Anthropology; and Oxford Reference Online makes available the Concise Dictionary of Archaeology.

Watching: Rome (HBO).

Eye candy abounds in this sensational series from HBO. The production values are incredible, outdoing most movies. Especially if you have hi-def access, the series is worth it for the sets alone (soak in the Julii villa to see what I mean). The costumes and jewelry are also stunning. I don't care if the history is 100% accurate (it isn't) ; the various directors follow known cultural and historical details far more carefully than, for example, Mel Gibson in his recent disappointment, Apocalypto. OK, I'm sure folks in Rome, be they nobles or plebs, didn't spend every minute of every day scheming for position, or quite literally fighting for their lives. But Rome rather convincingly demonstrates the seedier side of life in this great Metropolis, and I think that's rather novel and brilliant. Think about it: How many other shows about the ancient world have allowed you to imagine what it might have been like to live in an ancient, pre-industrial city of one million people! The series finale aired last night. I would recommend finding the DVD.

Listening: Gord's Gold, 2 CD's worth of Gordon Lightfoot's greatest hits

One of my colleagues recently told me that Gordon Lightfoot holds iconic status in Canada, something akin to that held by Bob Dylan in the United States. While I somehow find that hard to believe, Gord's Gold is well worth a listen if you appreciate seventies singer / songwriters. This 2-disc set of course includes all the big hits, such as Sundown (love it!), Carefree Highway, and the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It also contains Cotton Jenny, Old Dan's Records, and several other less-well-known gems. Cheesy? Who cares? Enjoy!!

-David Murray

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Reading: The Last Novel by David Markson (Shoemaker & Hoard, 2007).

My favorite living novelist? No question, it's David Markson. Markson writes his own genre of "seminonfictional semifictions" which are "Nonlinear. Discontinuous. Collage-like." In short bursts Markson mixes biographical bits about artistic and historical figures, unattributed quotations, and brief segments from the voice of the protagonist, here named "Novelist". The collage-like assemblage of these elements read with an ongoing and building rhythmic pace that generates emotion and paints a picture (more real than any realist novel) of the true varieties of experience. Unlike anything you've ever read (except another Markson novel), the knowledge contained within is in itself an education but one that reads with the verve of the best of novels. This novel, hopefully not his last, is forthcoming in May (I have a copy for review), but the library has a few of his previous works.

Watching: The Office (NBC (Thursdays 8:30), DVD, or iTunes).

Ostensibly filmed as a documentary or reality television show (it's never made clear), this sitcom, based on a British series of the same name, takes on the most banal of situations, the life in a small office, and proves that any setting can be the raw materials for great entertainment (dare I say, art?). The viewer is plunged into the small office of a paper company in Scranton, PA and, like a new employee, slowly learns about the habits and quirks of the employees as they go through their rather dreary existence. The show is hilariously funny but also laced with emotional moments that are the all the more moving for their sharp contrast to the humor.

Listening: "The Beautiful and the Afternoon" by Robert Sarazin Blake (Same Room Records, 2007).

I've seen Robert Blake perform twice over the past couple years. Once in the basement of a chaotic West Philadelphia house. Once in the a very tiny bar upstairs from an Indian restaurant. Both times he stood before the crowd with his guitar and no amplification at all. He is a modern day folkie, drawing on a style that is part Woody Guthrie, part punk rock. He sings songs of romance, travel, and politics in a rough yet melodic voice accompanied by an often off-kilter guitar strum. His last album "Still Kissing Last Night' Smoke Stained Lips" beats out all other albums for number of times played in my iTunes library, and this new one is on it's way to catching up.

-Derik Badman

(Recommendations from library staff.)

READING: The Medici Effect: What elephants & epidemics can teach us about innovation by Frans Johansson. It's a business management book (yawn) celebrating the Intersection of ideas that makes me feel pretty good about being in a library (career choice!) -- although I don't think libraries are ever mentioned (hmmm.)

PLAYING: "Lost in Blue" for Nintendo DS. High school senior Keith and nearly blind Skye get tossed on a deserted island and have to keep themselves going with realistic tasks and on the lookout. It's hard, it's sometimes tedious, it's great to stay alive.

LISTENING: The Big Bam : the life and times of Babe Ruth (paper version) by Leigh Montville as an abriged audio book. The guy was a true American phenomena of time and place and this is a great bio that works as a story being told.

WATCHING: The Wire. A David Simon and Edward Burns television creation that continues their amazing documentation and fictionalization of the shadows of urban Baltimore (Homicide: Life on the Streets, The corner: a year in the life of an inner-city neighborhood) that have universal appeal and relevance.

-Rick Lezenby

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READING: A companion to African-American Studies edited by Lewis Gordon and Jane Gordon. Essays on the difficulty and installation of African-American Studies in colleges and universities in the USA. We might take it for granted now, but there is still antagonism about this site. Gordon and Gordon (philosophy and political science) are editors, both at Temple University. Introduction by the editors sets up the playing field of this subject matter.

WATCHING: A Street Car Named Desire (1951) film. Janet Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden A must-see film; one of Brando's first films. The DVD from circulation is a special edition with two discs: disc #2 has outtakes and screen tests of Brando. Do it! (Brando looks like a teen-ager, in the screen test.)

LISTENING: "Sing Sing Sing". A famous jazz number, popularized by Benny Goodman (1939). I heard a performance from the Lincoln Center, with a contemporary band, and with commentary by Ed Bradle

-Al Vara

RefWorks, which is provided free through the library, is a tool to manage citations (import, export, search, create formatted bibliographies). Information on free webinars about using RefWorks follows:

RefWorks will be hosting a series of training webinars in the coming weeks. The sessions are designed to cover the "fundamental" features of the service and are open to any RefWorks user at no cost.

Enrollment is limited to 50 people per session and registration is required.

During the 75 minute session(s), we will cover the following:

- Creating an account and logging in
- Navigating RefWorks
- Getting references into RefWorks:
   - from a direct export partner
   - from a text file
   - from an online catalog or database search in RefWorks
   - adding references manually
- Organizing references
- Using quick search to search your RefWorks database
- Creating a bibliography from a folder of references
- Using Write-N-Cite to format your paper

The first three schedule webinars will be held:

Wednesday, 28 March 2007 at 11 AM EDT -- attendees click here to register
Tuesday, 3 April 2007 at 2 PM EDT -- attendees click here to register
Wednesday, 11 April 2007 at 3:30 PM EDT -- attendees click here to register