ChatUPDATE: Building the new library for VCU's future--Preliminary designs in the works focus on student spaces
October 1, 2012 — VCU is on a fast track to build a new library adjacent to James Branch Cabell Library on the Monroe Park campus. The project will create a striking new facility on Shafer Court that will connect with the existing Cabell Library, while also renovating parts of Cabell in order to integrate old and new. Full article »
In the News: STYLE cover piece explores Stilson collection of rare photos and films
October 3, 2012 — "The Roving Eye," an Oct. 2, 2012 article by Edwin Slipek Jr. in STYLE Weekly, publishes many rare photos of everyday life in Richmond early in the century and tells in detail the story of a turn-of-the-century Richmonder, Harris H. Stilson. Stilson was a streetcar conductor and motorman and an amateur photographer and filmmaker who captured images of Richmond in the 1910s, '20s and '30s. Full article »
VCU Libraries Presents... public programs for 2012-13
October 10, 2012 — VCU Libraries announces its 2012-13 VCU Libraries Presents series of programming free and open to the public. Diverse programs cover everything from medical errors to wrongful arrests to rare photos of Richmond. Full article »
Database demo: Images, history, culture of the 19th century at your fingertips
October 9, 2012 — Just in time for those mid-term research projects, VCU librarians will give a show-and-tell of two important VCU Libraries databases. The University community is invited to drop by James Branch Cabell Library Oct. 17, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Full article »
Patient safety expert presentation on Oct. 18 marks 10 years service by Community Health Education Center
October 17, 2012 — Patient and aviation expert John J. Nance takes on a sensitive topic in medicine: mistakes. Nance will give a lecture on "Why Hospitals Should Fly" at the Kontos Medical Sciences Building Thursday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. The lecture celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Community Health Education Center, the only consumer health library of its kind in Virginia. Please register online. Full article »
Interactive exhibit asks: What books do you carry with you from childhood?
August 1, 2012 — Universities promote the reading of research papers, in-depth articles and sophisticated books of all varieties. But often books that a person reads early in life make significant impacts, too. That's the idea behind Books You Carry with You, an exhibition at James Branch Cabell Library through September. Full article »
Robert Browning artifacts on display Oct. 18-Dec. 7
October 12, 2012 — A new exhibit is visiting VCU Libraries: "Robert Browning, 1812-1889: A Bicentenary Exhibition from the Mark Samuels Lasner Collection." The exhibit features vintage papers, ephemera, and other materials pertaining to Robert Browning, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets of the Victorian period and a forefather of modern poetry. Full article »
Oct. 29 Workshop: Arts and humanities resources for graduate students
October 22, 2012 — New to graduate school? Short on time to search for the best online resources to find scholarly sources, images, and dissertations? This workshop will provide information on good places to start your research, tools to manage your citations, tips on how electronic resources work at VCU and suggestions for how to use free online resources like Google Books. Full article »
Exhibition: The toll of the Civil War
October 22, 2012 — A new exhibit at Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences explores the experiences of disabled Civil War veterans and their role as symbols of the fractured nation. "Life and Limb: The Toll of the Civil War," a traveling exhibit from the National Library of Medicine, will be in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room from Oct. 22 to Dec. 1. Full article »
Open Access Week: Oct. 22-26
October 22, 2012 — VCU Libraries joins scholarly colleagues globally in marking Open Access Week, Oct. 22 - 26. This international observance promotes free access to academic research. It encourages academic publishers to make research available online for free, increasing its reach for students, researchers and the public. Full article »
VCU Libraries live with new-generation technological platform
October 24, 2012 — VCU Libraries is now live with a unified resource management system and stands at the forefront of libraries worldwide in adopting the next generation of library technologies. Full article »
Health sciences library celebrates 80 years on 12th Street
October 24, 2012 — Eighty years ago in September, 1932 students entered the Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences for the first time. Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences will mark 80 years at 509 North 12th Street at a drop-in birthday party Tuesday, Oct. 30, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Full article »
Deadlines for Cabell Award: Sept. 15 and Jan. 12, 2013
August 2, 2012 — Each year, VCU honors a first-time published fiction writer with The VCU Cabell First Novelist Award and a $5,000 prize. The deadline for the 2013 VCU Cabell First Novelist Award is September 15 for books published January through June 2012. For books published July through December 2012, the deadline is January 12, 2013. Full article »
Service Awards 2012 for libraries' employees
October 31, 2013 — Many VCU Libraries employees were recognized in October when Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Health System recognized employees for their dedicated years of commitment at the 41st annual Service Awards receptions. Full article »
Coming-of-age novel receives 2012 Cabell First Novelist Award
August 2, 2012 — Justin Torres has won the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, which honors an outstanding debut novel published during a calendar year. His winning book, "We the Animals," is a powerful coming-of-age novel about three brothers growing up amidst the chaotic and destructive love of their working-class parents. Full article »
The Next Generation: Library catalog evolves, moves to the cloud
October 24, 2012 — Beginning Oct. 24, the VCU Libraries' systems professionals began the transition to retire the old catalog, parts of which will persist until all the components can be migrated later this year. The new software searches VCU Libraries' collections as well as millions of journals and other resources. It uses unique features such as global data mining to recommend scholarly resources based upon search results. Full article »
Unseen Richmond topic of book launch talk for "From a Richmond Streetcar"
October 23, 2012 — The publication of author Kitty Snow's book featuring rare photographs of Richmond will be celebrated Tuesday, Oct. 30 at a free and open to the public event in Special Collections and Archives, fourth floor, James Branch Cabell Library, VCU, 901 Park Ave. Full article »
VCU Libraries' collections tied to annual symposium on architecture and decorative arts
November 15, 2012 — Nov. 16 marks the 20th year for an annual conference organized by Charles E. Brownell, Ph.D., the head of VCU's Architectural History Program. Traditions IV: 20th Symposium on Architecture and Decorative Arts was scheduled to take place at the Virginia Historical Society. Full article »
Nov. 8: VCU Cabell First Novelist recipient speaks and takes questions
November 1, 2012 — Justin Torres will be honored on campus as the 2012 recipient of the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, which honors an outstanding debut novel published during a calendar year. His winning book, "We the Animals," is a powerful coming-of-age novel about three brothers growing up with the chaotic and destructive love of their working-class parents. Full article »
New "chat" service fields research questions in real time
November 6, 2012 — Having trouble locating articles for your research project? Not sure how to focus your search? Wondering about library hours and services? Now, you can get help in real time no matter where you are--at home or at lunch, in the campus connector bus or on the quiet floor at Cabell with your backpack, laptop and notes scattered around you. Full article »
'Moving up to the cloud': Library technology leaders to gather at VCU Jan. 9 for panel session
December 14, 2012 — As one of the first major research universities to launch a pioneering new cloud-resident enterprise library platform, Virginia Commonwealth University is hosting an educational session Jan. 9, designed to help other libraries around the world prepare for the next generation of library technologies. Full article »
Vote for VCU: Famous cartoonist's work in Virginia Association of Museums' campaign for preservation of artifacts
August 7, 2012 — Here's a new way to support Virginia Commonwealth University, VCU Libraries and one of VCU's strongest collections: vote in Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts campaign. In the running: office door of pioneering cartoonist Billy DeBeck featuring an oil painting of Barney Google and his equine sidekick. The door resides in the office of Special Collections and Archives at James Branch Cabell Library. Full article »
Collaborative course showcases innovative student work in 'Portrait as Community' through Dec. 9 at Anderson Gallery
November 26, 2013 — A collection of student multimedia projects documenting communities in and around Richmond runs Nov. 30 - Dec. 9 at Anderson Gallery. "Portrait as Community" is the culmination of a special course inspired by Growing Up in Civil Rights Richmond: A Community Remembers, a project organized by the Anderson Gallery with South African photographer Zwelethu Mthethwa and American Studies scholar Laura Browder. Full article »
President Emeritus Trani lectures on his new book Dec. 12
December 12, 2012 — Eugene P. Trani, president emeritus and university distinguished professor will speak about his new book, "The Reporter Who Knew Too Much: Harrison Salisbury and The New York Times" on Wednesday, Dec. 12. The book details the political times and career of the influential, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who was the Times' man in Moscow after World War II. Full article »
In the News: "Hidden Lifestyles"
December 5, 2012 — The Commonwealth Times covered The Anderson Gallery show tied to an innovative class on portraits and community co-taught by Yuki Hibben of VCU Libraries. Full article »
In the News: Students Engage the World around Them in Portrait as Community
December 6, 2012 — VCU News posted a feature story about an innovative class that was a collaboration among VCU Libraries, the Anderson Gallery and others. Full article »
Rams Reaching Out photo contest through Sept. 15
August 14, 2012 — Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences invites current students to share photographs from their 2011-12 health services projects anywhere in the world to the Rams Reaching Out Photography Contest. Selected photographs will be displayed in the Tompkins-McCaw Library Gallery and win cash prizes. Serve, snap, send. Full article »
Board of Visitors OKs $3.2 million for design of new Monroe Park library
August 23, 2012 — The VCU Board of Visitors has approved the $3.2 million contract for design work on the $47.3 million Library and Academic Commons project. Full article »
Exhibit in Cabell Library marks significant discovery in anthropology
August 31, 2012 — "Australopithecine!" (aw-stral-o-PITH-eh-seen), an exhibit on the first floor of James Branch Cabell Library, features facsimiles of fossils of a recently discovered species that anthropologists say could be a missing link between the genus Homo and the more ancient genus Australopithecus. Full article »
Los Angeles Review of Books features Cabell First Novelist recipient
September 26, 2012 — Los Angeles-based writer Daniel Olivas interviews Justin Torres, recipient of the 2012 Cabell First Novelist Award, in a lengthy article in the Los Angeles Review of Books. The interview mentions VCU and the high quality of entries for the award. Full article »
Cabell award winner gets nod from National Book Foundation
October 1, 2012 — Author of "We the Animals" and recipient of the 2012 VCU Cabell First Novelist Award Justin Torres has been named to the career-kick starting 5 Under 35 list by the National Book Foundation. Torres will be on the Virginia Commonwealth University campus Nov. 8 for a reading, book signing, Q&A and sessions with students. Full article »