Ohrstrom Blog » Fine Arts

New Reference Book: The Eloquent Shakespeare

Lura Sanborn — Tue, 25 May 2010 12:00:42 +0000

The Eloquent Shakespeare by Gary Logan, University of Chicago Press, 2008.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 822.3 zL82E

A pronouncing dictionary to Shakespeare’s complete dramatic works, with notes. Written by the director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy for Classical Acting this unique reference book seeks to standardize pronunciation for the stage.

Learn to pronounce:
•    Alphonso
•    cap-a-pe
•    eyas-musket
•    Oxfordshire
•    wolt

Helpful for: Humanities III, Humanities V, Shakespeare, Theater, Fiske Cup

New Reference Book: Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography

Lura Sanborn — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:00:08 +0000

Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography edited by Lynne Warren, Routledge, 2006.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 770.9 W25

Photography’s second century is recorded, analyzed and discussed in this new reference set. Photography is placed in a variety of contexts such as: geography, institutions & exhibitions, inventions and people. The set offers a glossary of photographic terms, bibliographies and B&W samples of artists work.

Check out entries on: Lotte Jacobi, Bracketing, Impressionism, Dada, and Works Progress Administration.

Looking for more examples of a particular artist’s work? Try searching the artist’s name in ARTstor.

Helpful for: Humanities V, Humanities V Research Paper, Humanities IV, Humanities IV Research Paper, Photographers, Art

New Reference Book: The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television

Lura Sanborn — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:00:30 +0000

The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television by John Kenneth Muir, McFarland, 2008.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 791.43 M91S

A one-volume guide discussing superheroes from American film and television. Each article focuses on a particular superhero, their history, creation and appearance in TV and/or film(s). When applicable, a complete TV episode-by-episode synopsis follows each entry.

Examples include:

The Amazing Spider-Man
The Ambiguously Gay Duo
The Bionic Woman
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Doctor Strange
Swamp Thing

Helpful for: Humanities IV, Art, Gender Studies, Social History, Pop Culture, Superhero Fans

New Reference Book: What People Wore When

Lura Sanborn — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:00:18 +0000

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

What People Wore When: A Complete Illustrated History of Costume edited by Melissa Leventon, St. Martin’s Press, 2008.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 391 L57W

Presented geographically (Egypt, Italy, India, et al.), area fashions are then presented chronologically, often spanning several centuries. Color drawings are included throughout.

Images are accompanied by brief text descriptions including: Knights, 11th Century [England]; Campaign Wig [France, 1650-1780], Samurai Woman, [Japan, 19th Century].

The final 30 pages of the volume is divided into two sections. The first focuses on Western clothing details (sleeves, doublets, hose, et al) from 1300-1800. The second section focuses on Western accessories (footwear, belts, hairstyles, et al.).

Helpful for: Humanities IV, Humanities V, Fashion Enthusiasts, Art

New Reference Book: Encyclopedia of Women in Religious Art

Lura Sanborn — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:00:56 +0000

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

Encyclopedia of Women in Religious Art by Diane Apostolos-Cappadona, Continuum Publishing Co., 1996.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 704.9424

A quick, specialized dictionary focused on images, roles and symbols related to women in religious art. Over 2,000 brief entries focus on the world’s major religions.

Examples include: Bestiary, Golden Legend, Saint Mary Magdalene, and Willow.

An appendix lists variant names of “historical and legendary” women (Contents, iii).

Helpful for: Humanities, Religious Studies, Women’s Studies, Humanities V Art Paper

New Reference Book: The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture

Lura Sanborn — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:00:31 +0000

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture edited by Jonathan M. Bloom and Sheila S. Blair, Oxford U. Press, 2009.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 709.17 G911

Islamic art and techniques, as well as related people and places from Asia, Europe and Africa provide the focus of this 3-volume set.

A sampling from the 1,600 entries: Fulani, Body Art; Jade; Carpets and Flatweaves; Metalwork; and Banknotes.

Helpful for: Middle Eastern Voices, Humanities III, Art, Art, Islamic Studies

World Collections Online: Expanding our Global Perspective

Lisa Laughy — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:51:57 +0000

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

The World Digital Library is a partnership between UNESCO and the U.S. Library of Congress. The site aims to provide free access to digitized treasures currently housed in libraries, museums & other institutions around the world.

Search by keyword or browse using different methods including: place, time or topic.

Europeana is collaboration between dozens of European institutions including: museums, libraries, archives and galleries. Currently housing 4 million items, the project aims to have 10 million items online in 2010.

Search for James Bond, Descartes, hippos or Alice in Wonderland. Searches may be further narrowed by item type including: texts, images, videos and sounds.

Helpful for: Humanities III, Humanities IV, Humanities V, Religious Studies, Art, Science, books, Primary Sources

New Reference Book: Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography

Lura Sanborn — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:38:40 +0000

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography edited by John Hannavy, Routledge, 2008.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 770.9 H19

Photography’s first century is recorded, analyzed and discussed in this new reference set. Photography is placed in a variety of contexts such as: geography, institutions & exhibitions, inventions and people.

Check out entries on: Coloring by Hand, Photographic Jewelry and Tourist Photography.

Helpful for: Photography students, Humanities, History, Art Research.

For examples of 21st Century photography, stop by the lower level of the library to view a display of SPS student photography from Mr. Lemay’s Studio Lighting Alternative Printing class project.

Google for LIFE

Lisa Laughy — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:00:52 +0000

Lisa Laughy – Archives Assistant

A few months ago Google began offering access to an unprecedented collection of photographs available as part of the Google Image search. Google has partnered with LIFE Magazine to offer the LIFE Photo Archive, a fully searchable database of images from the extensive collection amassed over the years by LIFE Magazine.

According to the Official Google Blog:

“This collection of newly-digitized images includes photos and etchings produced and owned by LIFE dating all the way back to the 1750s.

Only a very small percentage of these images have ever been published. The rest have been sitting in dusty archives in the form of negatives, slides, glass plates, etchings, and prints. We’re digitizing them so that everyone can easily experience these fascinating moments in time. Today about 20 percent of the collection is online; during the next few months, we will be adding the entire LIFE archive — about 10 million photos.”

This incredible visual resource is available for “personal non-commercial use only” providing students a valuable research tool. Fourth Form students working on their research papers may find inspiration by browsing the image collection for their assigned date range. Additionally, students researching a particular photographer could search for works by that artist, and students researching specific events could find images related to that event.

Whatever your research needs are, be sure to take time to browse through the LIFE Photo Archive.

Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard & Elgar Mitchell practicing moon landing procedures inside LM simulator, 1970.

New Book Display: Graphic Novels

Lisa Laughy — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:29:43 +0000

Lisa Laughy -Archives Assistant

In response to growing student interest, Ohrstrom Library is expanding its collection of graphic novels. The library staff is celebrating the influx of these engaging new books with a colorful display in the Baker Reading Room featuring over 20 new graphic novels. They represent a mixture of artistic styles and genres including biographies, autobiographies, fantasy, and literature. Here are the highlights of a few of the titles:

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi – her award winning memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution
Beowulf adapted and illustrated by Gareth Hinds – a visually compelling graphic novel of the ancient classic.
Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa – an original fairy tale / fantasy story about a father’s quest to protect his young son from his fate.
Laika by Nick Abadzis – a fictionalized account of the first dog sent into orbit as part of the Soviet space program.
We Are on Our Own: A Memoir by Miriam Katin – the story of the author’s and her mother’s escape from the Nazi invasion of Budapest.

This book display is great for browsing so be sure to take a few minutes to stop by Ohrstrom to look it over. If you have never read a graphic novel before, or only associate the genre with super-heroes in tights and capes, you will be surprised by the range of subjects and marvel at the variety of original visual styles represented.

This display will be available in the Baker Reading Room through the end of term, so if you would like some recreational reading over the holiday break just request a special due date when checking the item out at the Circulation Desk.