Library

Data provides students with a granular view of the world around them. Understanding the world with data is critical to the social sciences, especially because many students tend to assume that opinions, not data, will determine their educational experience. It is by exploring and visualizing data in the social sciences that students and researchers can gain meaningful insights into the problems and challenges which human societies face today.

How has economic inequality affected minorities in the U.S.? How have demographic shifts over time impacted the growth of American cities? How many people are opting to not get married in the U.S. and how does that impact the population going forward? How to examine these and other topics with data forms the crux of this webinar offered on Tuesday, January 21, 11am-12pm in the Library Fishbowl.

Dr. Quentin Kilpatrick, an instructor at Virginia Commonwealth University, will lead this webinar and discuss how he brings real-world data to life for his students in the social sciences. Using Social Explorer, Dr. Kilpatrick tells the story of American society. Learn how he integrates storytelling with data using Social Explorer in the courses that he teaches. Social Explorer is a premier data visualization and mapping tool, currently enhancing the research experience in over 400 academic libraries in the U.S. This is a timely webinar for all data and social science librarians, and for anyone interested in examining the social world today with data.

Quentin Kilpatrick is a recent Ph.D. graduate from Florida State University. His research interests are focused on the environmental and personal factors that shape stress exposure, mental health, and health behaviors in the transition from adolescence through adulthood. His research has examined how stress impacts the mental and physical health of individuals across social statuses of age, gender, race/ethnicity, and nativity. He currently splits his time between teaching at Virginia Commonwealth University and working in theater productions in New York.

Are you interested in the tourism and travel industry? Apply to be a Library Scholar Intern!

HSU Library is seeking two Library Scholar Interns to work as a team on a Tourism & Travel Project that runs from February to May 20, 2020. This paid internship provides a stipend of $500 upon the completion of the internship project, consisting of:

• developing an exhibit May 5-11 and an event for National Tourism Day on May 7
• performing research and gathering information and data about tourism and travel for Humboldt County
• developing a resource guide.

Team roles and duties will be tailored to the talents and interests of the interns.

In addition to developing a resource guide, the Library Scholars will:

• Maintain an internship log, including experiences and challenges that they encountered over the course of their project. Meet together at least one hour each week.
• Perform research and interviews to gather resources, develop a resource guide and suggested resources on tourism and travel, eco- and edu- tourism, and other related resources.
• Gather information from a variety of sources - web pages, news sources, interviews, etc, - to understand the tourism and travel interests at HSU and in the region.
• Evaluate existing travel apps and how Humboldt County is represented.
• Write a brief reflection of the internship.

HSU students will work individually and as a team to gain hands-on experience researching, evaluating resources, and developing a resource guide of recommended readings for tourism and travel.

For more information or to apply, please send a brief resume, availability schedule, and brief cover letter expressing your interest for this unique opportunity to Cyril Oberlander, Dean of HSU Library at Cyril.Oberlander@Humboldt.edu by Friday, January 31, 2020..

Semester break beings Saturday, December 21.  Please see the Library Hours webpage for details.

Therapy Dogs International will bring their canine companions to the Library Lobby for your enjoyment during Finals Week on Monday, Dec. 16 from 2-3:30pm and Tuesday, Dec. 17 from 6:30-8pm in the Library Lobby

It has been clinically proven that through petting, touching, and talking with animals, blood pressure is lowered, stress is relieved, and depression is eased. Take a break from studying or reward yourself after your final and relax with a retriever, love a lab, hug a husky, or pet a pug. They are here for you to enjoy!

Note: These trained and certified dogs will be the only animals allowed. Please leave your pets at home.

Ever wondered what amazing images are popularized to help depict the California Pacific Northwest?

Postcards are a tremendous way of communicating landmarks, natural landscape, cityscapes, artwork, and tourist attractions to a larger populace through correspondence with friends, family, and penpals. The Tim McKay Postcard Collection currently on display outside HSU Library Special Collections serves as a way to follow “Tim McKay’s lifelong interests in the natural world and in the ways that people and communities use their surroundings for livelihood and solace.” (Tim McKay Postcard Collection Finding Aid)

As an environmental advocate, writer, scholar and historian, Tim McKay dedicated a majority of his life to the natural world that beautifies Humboldt County and the complexities of reducing human impact in the region. Through his persistence in environmental conservation and drive for knowledge, Tim McKay served as executive director for the Northcoast Environmental Center for three decades until his passing in 2006. The legacy that McKay leaves behind embodies advocacy in many prominent local issues related to environment and community including PG&E’s Humboldt Bay nuclear facility, expansion of Redwood National Park, California’s first Wilderness bill, the Siskiyou Mountains and its infamous G-O Road, and National Forest management. (Biography by Susie Van Kirk, 2009)

Themes and imagery that range from the Prairie Creek Roosevelt Elk to the forest clear cutting beside lumber mills provide a pictorial narrative that help relate Tim McKay’s career in local environmental advocacy to the postcards on display. Come up to the third floor and check out these postcards on display for yourself!

This display was curated and made possible by Drew Ahlberg.

The Wildlife Senior Students Poster Session will be held on Friday, December 6th, from 4:30-6:30 pm in Authors Hall at the library (2nd floor). We will have about 60 graduating students presenting on their research.

As always, you are welcome to stop by and see what interesting research the senior wildlife students conducted and to congratulate them on their achievements.

Light refreshments will be served.

Did you know that your travel can leave a significant impact on a destination and the people who live there? This workshop will explore a variety of practical ways we can become more responsible tourists and still have a fun vacation!

Learn more at the Sustainable Travel Workshop on Wednesday, November 13th 3:30-4:15 in the Library Fishbowl, brought to you by the Sustainable Tourism Class.

Your History Matters! Celebrate & Preserve It @ HSU Library

Community members are invited to digitally preserve their individual, family, or special histories. In celebration of American Archives Month, HSU Library Special Collections is hosting Humboldt History Digitization Day on Saturday, November 16th from noon to 4pm in the Special Collections research room on the third floor of the HSU Library.

You can digitize your documents and photographs using HSU Special Collections scanners, store them on hard-drives or flash-drives, or share them through social media. A technician and archivist will be on site to teach and assist everyone with the digitization process.

Join us - Please RSVP at https://forms.gle/bn7XnLRdjNiWj1fm9

• Sign up for a 20-minute digitization slot.
• Prioritize 10 items to scan - a great starting point for digitizing and learning about archiving.
• If you have your own flash-drive or hard-drive, please bring it, or we can provide a flash-drive. Supplies are limited.

Digitizing

• Please be aware of copyright that limits what you can scan. If you created it, that means you have the copyright; if it was a photograph from a photography studio, you need their permission. We can explain more when you are here.
• Don’t digitize personal information like addresses, phone numbers, and social security numbers. That’s information that should stay private.
• Materials should be able to lie flat on a scanner.  Fragile items are not recommended. 

Bring 10 items like these examples

• Single or multi-page documents such as newsletters or smaller maps
• Flat documents such as letters and posters up to 8 ½” x 11”
• Photographs up to 8 ½” x 11”

Digitization Day will not include the following at this time

• Audio
• Video
• Film
• Large rolled panoramic photographs, maps, or posters
• 3D Objects

Humboldt History Digitization Day is made possible by a Library Services and Technology Competitive Grant by the California State Library to promote historical preservation and digitization as a facet of digital literacy.

The Campus & Community Dialogue on Race (CDOR) is an annual event at Humboldt State University that invites students, staff, faculty, administrators, and community members to present and attend programs that relate to racial justice and its intersections with all forms of oppression and resistance. Our objective is to create spaces and structures for reflection, analysis, dialogue and positive strategies for change. This year's Dialogue will run from November 4 – November 8, 2019, with the theme DISMANTLING & DECONSTRUCTING TO BUILD.

Information about keynote speakers, workshops, and other events that are free and open to the public can be found on the CDOR website.