Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Special Collections Turns 50!


Special Collections turns 50 this year!

Join the celebration at an open house on February 28 from 4-6 pm in the Special Collections reading room. A reception with refreshments begins at 4:00.

At 4:30, four Special Collections librarians will give fast-paced Pecha Kucha presentations about our University Archives, Vermontiana, and Rare Books collections. A variety of items from the collections will also be on display.

In the spring of 1962, librarians in UVM’s new Guy W. Bailey Library unveiled the new Special Collections Department, under the direction of its first head librarian, John L. Buechler. Special Collections brought together Vermont research materials, formerly housed in the Fleming Museum’s Wilbur Room, and rare book collections, formerly housed in the Billings Library. For the first time, these materials—and the specialized attention they required—were combined in one department with a special educational and research mission.

Five decades have brought tremendous growth in the Department’s collections and services. Gifts, purchases, and transfers from the general library collection have more than doubled the Rare Book collection, while historical manuscript materials expanded from a few hundred linear shelf-feet in 1962 to more than 9,000 in 2012. Special Collections has become a vital teaching resource in a variety of disciplines, and the leading library for Vermont research. Librarians in Special Collections are dedicated to serving the University community as well as users around Vermont and the world.

The event is open to the public. For more information, call 656-2138 or email uvmsc@uvm.edu

Leap Day Bake-Off


Greetings everyone! Welcome to the last few days of February, one of which is an extra day---Feb. 29.

FACTOID: Leap Years are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth's revolutions around the sun. It takes the Earth approximately 365.242199 days (a tropical year) to circle once around the Sun. However, the Gregorian calendar has only 365 days in a year, so if we didn't add a day on February 29 nearly every 4 years, we would lose almost six hours off our calendar every year. After only 100 years, our calendar would be off by approximately 24 days! Continue reading on Examiner.com

In honor of our extra day, the Dean's Office invites all libraries' employees to participate in a bake-off celebration at
2 p.m. on Feb. 29 in the B/H Staff Lounge. (We have fantastic bakers here!) The Dean's Office will provide coffee and tea. Get your best recipes ready, and start cooking.

Universal Design Lab: What Happens in There?


By Michele Patenaude

What's going on
in the Universal Design Technology Lab on the second floor of Bailey/Howe?

Come find out on Wednesday, February 22 from Noon to 1 p.m. in the B/H Dean's Conference room (accessible through the Dean's Office, B/H first floor). Bring your lunch!


And what is Universal Design anyway?


Nick Hall and his colleagues at the Universal Design Technology Lab (UDTL) will talk about their work and the services they offer to students, staff, and faculty with disabilities such as blindness and low vision, hearing loss, mobility impairments dyslexia, and ADHD. Learn all about the adaptive and assistive technologies----software and hardware----that are available at the lab.


Please join us for this interesting presentation and learn more about your library!