Monthly Archive Index for KSL News Blog

Spring or Summer Abroad? Learn the Language Basics in the Freedman Center

Before you go abroad, step into the Freedman Center! Our self-paced Pimsleur language learning series can get you started talking with the locals. Each listening-based lesson takes about 30 minutes to complete during which users are instructed to recall and form phrases to strengthen memory.

We offer...
Brazilian Portuguese 1-3
Chinese/Cantonese 1
Dutch 1
Egyptian Arabic 1
French 1-3
German 1-3
Greek 1
Hebrew 1
Hindi 1
Italian 1-3
Japanese 1-3
Polish 1
Mandarin 1-3
Russian 1-3
Spanish 1-3
Turkish 1

Have a question for the Freedman Center? E-mail us: freedmancenter@case.edu

Case Winner in Knovel University Challenge

Case produces a winner in the annual Knovel University Challenge and KSL is pleased to present the a $500 American Express gift card prize to Andrew Steele. One of 18 students to win prizes, Andrew was one of 5,600 students in the global contest that required 3 correct answers through the Knovel contest widget. Over 600 universities were represented from 93 countries.

A first semester student who is starting his Masters in Applied Anatomy, Andrew was new to the Knovel database, but now regularly searches across the digital collections. He told KSL he enjoys browsing biochemistry, biology, and biotechnology the most.

Case has had winners in this contest before, and once again Case students make an impression, as Knovel used Andrew's comment on their contest announcement page: "The University Challenge is fun way to test what you've learned in the classroom."

Knovel is a database with full text of over 2,000 leading reference handbooks, conference proceedings, databases and statistical data for researchers in the applied sciences. Its analysis tools and other features plus 40 international publishers and professional societies give Case researchers cross-disciplinary research results from a single page. Added features offer customized content & results.

Knovel is licensed for Case researchers; off campus or wireless access requires an activated VPN session. Find Knovel on the Research Database list.

Research, Back to the Future: Elsevier Backfiles Available

Take your research back 3 or 4 decades or more to complete your next research topic, with the latest addition to the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center (EJC). The Elsevier backfiles project, digitizing journals back to volume 1, has now given OhioLINK researchers another 3.4 million articles in the EJC.

• Explore the 1950s with titles like Tetrahedon & Journal of Molecular Biology
• Reach back to the 1960s with Nuclear Physics A & B
• Search the 1970s with Discrete Mathematics, Research Policy, World Development, Journal of Medieval History
• Discover the 1980s through Language & Communication
• Go back nearly 200 years The Lancet [Vol.1, No 1.] London, Sunday, October 5, 1823 [Price 6d]

The preface to the 1823 first issue of The Lancet reflects the 2012 goal of this backfile addition:
"Having for a considerable time past observed the great and increasing inquiries for such information..." Today we recognize that the added content (1823-1994) increases the EJC to 21 million articles and mirrors the 1823 desire for comprehensive scholarly content.

In December 2010 Eric Fingerhut, then Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents remarked that the Elsevier backfile acquisition "speaks to the hard work and dedication of the OhioLINK community." CWRU researchers will certainly reap the benefits of the newly added content.

This historic journal backfile content was funded by a collective effort of the Ohio Board of Regents and all OhioLINK member institutions. EJC content is owned, not leased, by OhioLINK.

New Loan Policy for Freedman Center

Ever needed a camera just a few days longer? Almost done recording your audition but need an extra night with our Zoom Audio Recorders? Found a quiet space in the library with one of our laptops and need just a few more hours?

The Freedman Center will now allow for checking in and checking out equipment for an additional loan period. Bring in your borrowed device before it's due so our staff can check its condition and make sure at least 2 other devices of the same are available for our patrons and you will be granted another check out. As always, fines apply for any equipment not turned in on time.

Contact us at freedmancenter@case.edu or (216) 368-6004.

Illustrations, Enlightenment & More--Thursday Feb 23 Event

KSL invites you to an interesting and entertaining lecture on the intersections of culture & commerce, politics & religion and more, from today's perspective..back to the 1600s. Michael Suarez, SJ, University Professor and Director of Rare Book School, University of Virginia, provides this compelling discussion of culture and intellect, in Patrons and Illustrations: 17th Century British Books and the Coming of Enlightenment.

Advertising, networking, deception, history, art...enjoy history come alive with Michael Suarez, professor, noted author, research fellow, Marshall Scholar, and Editor in Chief of Oxford Scholarly Editions Online, a new initiative to publish complete texts of scholarly works from the 1400s to 1660.

Thursday, 23 February 2012
Kelvin Smith Library, 2nd floor Dampeer Room - 4 pm
Case Western Reserve University

Download and share the complete flyer with your friends.
The KSL location map also indicates an underground parking garage for visitors (fee), and nearby metered street parking, as available.

Kindle Fire Winner @KSL

KSL is pleased to announce the winner of the Kindle Fire, drawn from graduate students' names who participated in KSL focus groups in late January & early February. Christina Larson, Ph.D. student in Art History, is our winner and she looks forward to some personal reading on her new device.

Christina started her Ph.D. program in 2007, after completing her Masters degree at Case. Talking with librarians Catherine Wells and Brian Gray (pictured) after her award presentation, she remarked that "KSL has come a long way in the last couple of years." When asked what she and her focus group peers found most appealing, she quickly said "We are excited about the room we were in... a special place" where graduates can work together. Focus groups were held in the 2nd floor Graduate Research Commons Room.

Christina's focus is the artist Paul Sample, an American regional painter of the early 20th century. Her career interests are aimed at a museum role as well as teaching, and she has found the Cleveland Museum of Art an integral part of her academic life here. A former student assistant in KSL's Special Collections Department, she's well versed in using information resources to her advantage, and we wish her luck as she completes her dissertation.

Kelvin Smith Library staff thanks all the graduate students who signed up and generously shared their knowledge, opinions, and comments about their research today as well as for the future at KSL and Case.

Art Exhibit Brings the Farm to KSL

Visit the newest art exhibit @KSL and find out what a pink pig has in common with Squires, Sanders & Dempsey, a university trustee, and the name Wade. In addition to the display cases that hold the answer to that assortment of esteemed names is a watercolor exhibit done by CWRU alumni, enrolled in Continuing Education Summer in the Country program. Stop in on Monday, February 13 for the Opening Reception in the Cramelot Café, 3-4:30 pm, and enjoy the exhibits.

Thirty-eight framed watercolors showcase Squire Valleevue and Valley Ridge Farms through the seasons, with views of landscapes and buildings, along with intricacies of structures like fire escapes. Escape to one of the university's unique treasures, with the exhibit on the farm. (Shown: Detail, from Yoshiko Ikuta's Lower Farm)

Exhibit cases expand on the artistry, with a hand-scripted ledger book that shows a working farm's cider pressing dates. You'll see a blueprint of the farm and read about how it came to its current 389-acre size. Read more about it in the new book Case Western Reserve University Squire Valleevue and Valley Ridge Farms, a 2011 publication by Ana B. Locci and Chris Bond. Request a copy from OhioLINK and enjoy reading about the history of the university Farm.

This exhibit was organized & assembled by staff from KSL Preservation, University Archives & Special Collections, and student assistants.