Archive for the 'Periodicals' Category

New Reference Book: Consider the Source

Lura Sanborn May 4th, 2010

Consider the Source: A Critical Guide to 100 Prominent News and Information Sites on the Web by James F. Broderick & Darren W. Miller, Information Today, 2007.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 070.579 B78C

Using news or newspapers in your research?  Not sure of the quality, the bias or the history of the source?  Consider consulting this volume.

Focusing on 100 news and newspaper sites this book provides an overview, type of coverage, leaning and the authors’ personal rating of each site discussed.

Examples include: Asia Times Online, BBC, Congressional Quarterly, Times of India, Rotten Tomatoes.

Helpful for: Humanities IV, Humanities V,  Media Watchers, Journalism, Those conducting news and newspaper related research

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Reflections from the Horae: Ohrstrom Library, 1991

Lisa Laughy June 3rd, 2009

Lisa Laughy – Archives Assistant

The following is an excerpt from an article found in the Alumni Horae Digital Archive, now available online.  The Spring 1991 issue of the Alumni Horae celebrated the then newly completed and dedicated Ohrstrom Library.  In her article, The Libraries of St. Paul’s School, Librarian Rosemarie Cassels-Brown wrote her reflections on the place Ohrstrom Library would fill in this ongoing history:

On a cold, sunny, but as yet snowless January day, just after the School returned from Christmas vacation, a colorful line of students and faculty, clad in parkas and heavy winter coats, stretched across from Sheldon to Ohrstrom. Piles of books were handed along, to be placed on the shelves in our new library. Conversations in the line were animated; the mood was one of celebration. . . . Although in terms of the number of books moved in this fashion it was a largely symbolic gesture, to those participating in the book brigade it meant: this is our library, . . .

I sometimes wonder, as I move through this extraordinary building or take visitors around, what those who dedicated so much of their time and energy to the library in the early years of the School would think if they could see our new Ohrstrom Library —a spacious building, full of light, where students and teachers can pursue serious research as well as read for pleasure; . . . I hope our predecessors might be persuaded that in spite of much that would be new or unfamiliar to them, we are still concerned to be “an effective agency in the literary culture of the [students].”

To read the full article click HERE to access the Alumni Horae Digital Archive, then under the “Browse” tab, in the “1990 – 1999″ folder, look for the “Spring 1991″ folder for The Libraries of St. Paul’s School article in that edition of the Alumni Horae.

Article Source:

Cassels-Brown, Rosemarie. “The Libraries of St. Paul’s School.” Alumni Horae
Spring 1991: 16. Alumni Horae Digital Archive. Ohrstrom Lib., St. Paul’s
School, Concord, NH. 2 June 2009 <http://archives.sps.edu/>.

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Primary Source Round-up: Something for Everyone

Lura Sanborn May 8th, 2009

Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian

Gathering primary sources for your Fifth Form paper?  Ohrstrom Library offers the following sources and suggestions:

Online Databases:
These databases, available through the Library’s website, are those most commonly used by Fifth Formers looking for primary source periodical material.

  • London Times – Provides the full-text of this newspaper from 1785-1985.
  • Historical Newspaper Collection – Provides the full-text of 6 major U.S. newspapers from 1851 through the early 2000s.
  • JSTOR – features a collection of 750+ journals, most dating from at least the 1800s forward.  (Note, be sure to watch the date.  A recent article on your topic represents current research, not a likely primary source.)

Books – More Primary Source Potential:
You can locate primary sources published in book form by using the following terms as subject searches in the Library’s Online Catalog.  Or, conduct a keyword search using one term below combined with your topic (i.e. Correspondence, Darwin; or Sources, Inquisition).

  • Correspondence
  • Diaries
  • Interviews
  • Personal narratives
  • Speeches
  • Sources

Frequently, primary sources are embedded within books considered secondary sources.  For example, a book about the Cold War may contain the text of a relevant speech, letter and/or legal document.

Venturing Online – Visit the Library @ Delicious:
The Library has begun collecting high quality websites in its own Delicious account.  Click on the “Primary Sources” tag to generate a list of websites housing exceptional collections of primary sources.  Top picks are also listed in the Fifth Form paper research guide.

Google Advanced Search Techniques:
As a final online tip, try searching your subject in Google, but first, limit the domain to .edu and add the word archives to your search string.  If a University or College library has digitized a special collection in your area of research, this search could help you find it.

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A Friend Indeed: Fifth Form Paper Research Guide

Lisa Laughy April 30th, 2009

Lisa Laughy - Archives Assistant

Just in time for the Fifth Form Humanities research paper assignments, Ohrstrom Library staff members have prepared an online research guide to help you through the process. The Fifth Form Paper Research Guide has been added to the Ohrstrom Blog and contains key information, such as:

  • A list of reference books in the library that can help you find a topic
  • Step-by-Step guide to the research process
  • Search strategies for finding periodical articles in magazines, newspapers, scholarly journals, reports, and more
  • A list of librarian approved web resources for accessing photos, artwork, video and other documents and primary sources
  • A link to our Delicious account where you can access more, newly added librarian approved web resources

You can access this research guide by clicking HERE. There are also permanent links in the blog sidebar under the “Research Guides” list heading, a link in the fly-out menu of the Ohrstrom Library website under “Research > Research Guides”, and a link on the Ohrstrom Library main page in Blackboard (Click on “Ohrstrom Library” in your course list).

This research guide will be your best friend over the next few weeks, so be sure to bookmark it and visit it often throughout the research phase of the assignment. For additional research assistance contact Ms. Sanborn or any of the Ohrstrom Library Staff.

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Periodical Picks: Earth Day 2009

Lisa Laughy April 20th, 2009

Patti Lynn - Library Assistant, Periodicals

In honor of the upcoming Earth Day Celebration Ohrstrom Library would like to highlight two environmental magazines in the periodicals collection.  First up is The Ecologist, a magazine that proclaims itself to be “The world’s leading environmental magazine”.   The Ecologist is published in London, but it features articles that are universally relevant.  In the April issue, “Sick as a pig” focuses on the rise in antibiotic resistance that is being transferred from farm animals to humans.  Another article, “Possum or polar bear” cautions that polar bears are not the only species facing threats from global warming.  In fact, there are many tropical species suffering from rising global temperatures.  The Ecologist is published ten times a year, and an online version is available at www.theecologist.org.

Wildlife Conservation published by the Wildlife Conservation Society is another interesting environmental magazine available in the Library.  Published six times a year, it features articles detailing on-going research and conservation efforts worldwide.  Articles from the most recent issue include “The Great Barranquero City of El Condor”  which details efforts to save the nesting area of the world’s largest parrot colony along the South Atlantic shore in Argentina.  In “The secret family life of cougars” you can read about scientists who are using GPS technology and DNA analysis to track the movements of cougar “families”.

Take a moment and browse the back issues of these two journals.  Both are filled with thought provoking articles and stunning photography.

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