Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Happy Holidays


The Ort Library closes at 5:00 on Wednesday, December 23, and will reopen after Winter Break on Monday, January 4. 


If you've missed the opportunity to create Frosty this winter, consider the Ort Library's version of Olaf as an option. Happy Holidays to all.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Public Notice: US 219 Planning Study Newsletter

The Ort Library has received a public notice / newsletter that may be of interest to local residents who use US Route 219.

This notice also gives information about an informational meeting to be held on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at Grantsville Elementary School Cafeteria (120 Grant St, Grantsville, MD).

US 219 Planning Study Newsletter (PDF)

A web site is also available with more information about this project: http://www.us219md-pa.com/.


The Lewis J Ort is a depository for Maryland State Documents as well as a selective depository in the Federal Depository Library Program.  As a Maryland depository, we receive public notices such as the one featured above.  These notices are posted to a designated bulletin board on the 2nd floor of the Ort Library, but will also be posted regularly to the Ort Library Blog.  If  you would also like to be added to an e-mail distribution list in order to receive information about future public notices, please contact Lisa Hartman, Government Documents Coordinator at lahartman@frostburg.edu or (301) 687-4734.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

John Kennedy Lacock Collection & Braddock Road Preservation Association


In 1753, our region played a major role shaping the history of America and the world.

Nemacolin’s Path, later known as Braddock Road, beginning at the junction of Will’s Creek & the Potomac was used by Gen. Braddock & his troops.  As the troops marched toward Ft. Duquesne, they widened the 110 mile path into a road suitable for the troops, artillery, wagons, and 2,200 men. Seven miles short of Fort Duquesne, Braddock’s force was surprised and routed by an allied force of French & Indians/Native Americans at the Battle of the Monongahela.  Braddock Road would become a major route for settlers heading west to the new town of Pittsburgh and beyond. The first National Pike & U.S. Route 40 follow the general path of Braddock Road &  Interstate 68 crosses over Braddock’s Road in several places.

Viewing the Forbes Road photograph albums

John Kennedy Lacock & companions walked Braddock Road in 1912, taking photographs along the way.  Lacock used the information from his walk to write Braddock’s Road.  He included information from primary sources as well as material he obtained from experts on Braddock.  In 1987, Lacock’s nephew, Voy Lacock donated his uncle’s materials to the Ort Library.  The collection includes, but is not limited to: postcards of Braddock Road, newspaper articles about the Road as well as historic events, correspondence with experts on the Road, notes and manuscript of Braddock’s Road, books, and research pertinent to the Road.

Viewing the Lacock postcards

On 6 Nov. 2015, 58 attendees of the 2015 Braddock Road Preservation Association (BRPA) participated in a narrated trip from Dunbar’s Camp (Jumonville), PA to Ft. Cumberland, MD and back to Jumonville, PA for the remainder of the seminar.  On the return trip, they stopped at the Ort Library to view the John Kennedy Lacock Collection. This is the first time that the entire collection was available for viewing.  The members were surprised to see such a large collection of materials on Braddock Road in one location.  Throughout the weekend, the members referenced the Lacock Collection & its value to researchers on the history of the French and Indian War and western expansion.

Viewing original documents

The Braddock Road Preservation Association is an advisory organization that seeks to research, develop, interpret and promote the French and Indian War history of Jumonville, Dunbar Camp, and the Braddock Road.  For more information see http://braddockroadpa.org.

The John Kennedy Lacock Collection, Braddock Road materials and more on the French and Indian War are available for browsing or research in the Dr. David M. Gillespie Special Collections, Ort Library, Frostburg State University. To browse the collection, please call or email MaryJo Price, 301 687-4889 or mprice@frostburg.edu.

What-I'm-Reading-Wednesday: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

Mo Willems, writer and illustrator extraordinaire, has won my 3 year old's heart for life.  We have read and reread, and read some more Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!  This children's book tells the story of a very determined Pigeon who only wants to help your child by driving a city bus.  The Pigeon's simple dreams are crushed by the driver of the bus who asks your child to watch the bus until he returns.  The driver emphatically tells your child "don't let the pigeon drive the bus".  Laughter ensues as the Pigeon asks your child in every possible way to let him drive the bus before the Pigeon breaks down and throws a horrible tantrum.  But then a huge dump truck appears! The Pigeon's dream of driving the city bus quickly turns into an even grander idea of driving a monster sized dump truck.  The Pigeon's happiness is restored!

The book's genius is in relating the Pigeon's behavior to a toddler's.  My daughter would laugh and laugh as she told the Pigeon "NO!" over and over, much like her parents have said to her.  As the Pigeon has a meltdown, my daughter would sadly shake her head and say "Poor Pigeon!"  My daughter's giggles would return when she and the Pigeon saw the huge dump truck make an appearance.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!  is the start of a nine book series featuring the crazy antics of the Pigeon and what he should or should not do.  If interested in this book or any of Mo Willems other books, please visit us at the Lewis J. Ort library on the Frostburg State University campus.  We have a wonderful Juvenile collection and would be more than happy to show it off! You can also request this volume from the Ort Library catalog here: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!.  Click on "Availability", then click on the yellow "Request" button, and login using your last name and 14-digit Library barcode number on your ID. If you need assistance, please contact the Circulation Desk at 301-687-4395. We hope to see you soon!

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Sustainability Information in the Ort Library

Branden Nestor, a student in Tracy Edward's SUST 155 Geography class, chose the Ort Library's sustainability resources as a topic for his poster project. Branden explained his strategy for locating items on his topic to librarians, Annamarie Klose Hrubes and Pam Williams, who toured the numerous posters in the Atkinson Room on Wednesday, December 9. 

Branden identified library items clustered together by Library of Congress call number on various floors of the library. His poster included sample book lists from the GE20 to GE 350, HB871 and HC79 sections on Floor 4.  His poster also contained a list of available DVD's and featured the cover for Al Gore's work on global warming An Inconvenient Truth.

 Branden visited the library the next day. The picture below includes Branden Nestor, his poster, and Annamarie Klose Hrubes, digital projects librarian.

 Branden learned about the location of resources in the Ort Library but he also learned about the process for requesting books that are available in the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI). The library also benefited from his project by learning about new titles for expanding the current collection on sustainability.

Other student posters illustrated topics related to Frostburg Grows, "a sustainable agriculture training center located atop a former strip mine in Frostburg"or highlighted campus, community and national outreach opportunities for sustainability.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

What-I'm-Watching-Wednesday: Pleasantville


Gary Ross (Big, Seabiscuit) wrote, directed, and produced Pleasantville (1998), a fantasy comedy-drama.  Tobey Maguire plays David, a teen enraptured with the saccharine, 1950s television show “Pleasantville.”  The fictional, black-and-white show depicts a simpler life with happy residents and wholesome values.  When David and his twin sister, Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon), struggle over a magical remote, they are transported to the world of “Pleasantville.”  Once they are there, David insists that they maintain the plotline of the television show.  However, Jennifer rebels and changes the course of events in mild-mannered Pleasantville.  Influenced by sex, rock ‘n’ roll, literature, and art, some residents begin to question their humdrum lives and inquire about the world outside their town.  The Pleasantville residents slowly see vibrant color appear in their town from green cars to colorful flowers.  Even the residents start changing from black-and-white to color.  The shifting values and invading color set off a clash between the traditional, black-and-white residents and their “colored” neighbors.  When confronted with bigotry and ignorance, David makes a stand to show Pleasantville the beauty of real, colorful life.  The supporting cast includes Joan Allen, William H. Macy, Jeff Daniels, J.T. Walsh, and TV legend Don Knotts.

The real star of the film is the striking visuals.  While color processing of motion pictures and television shows is commonplace today, the film’s use of spot color was revolutionary when it was released in 1998.  Ross uses the contrast between the black-and-white, traditional Pleasantville and the seeping color as an allegory about repression, civil rights, and changing values.  Cinematographer John Lindley balances rich, black-and-white tones with striking spot color in lush, Technicolor-style hues.  Plaid umbrellas, cherry blossoms, and modern art paintings against a greyscale landscape provide unforgettable eye candy that can’t be missed.

The DVD includes special features including a commentary tracks, cast and crew biographies, and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

Pleasantville received three Oscar nominations: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, and Best Music, Original Dramatic Score.

Pleasantville is one of the many films held by the Ort Library. Films are searchable in the Library's catalog, and can be requested by clicking on the yellow "Request" button. Log in using your 14-digit Library barcode number (located on your University ID), and your last name. You will then be able to select your pick-up location. The Library will notify you via email when your item has arrived for pick-up. If you need assistance with this process, please contact the Circulation Desk at 301-687-4395.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

New Displays in the Ort Library for December 2015



The Ort Library is pleased to announce several new displays for December. The first display located on the 3rd floor of the library showcases the Ludwig van Beethoven who was born 245 years ago in December 1770. The display highlights some of the resources the library has in its collections on Beethoven, including records, CDs, musical scores, and books.

The second display, located on the 4th floor, highlights the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1865 that outlawed slavery. The display highlights some of the resources that the library offers on this topic and includes a replica of the Emancipation Proclamation. 

The third display is located on the 5th floor and celebrates the 60th anniversary of Rosa Parks and her refusal to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, AL in 1955. The display highlights some of the resources the library has on Rosa Parks and also resources that the library has on the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

The displays will be up in the library through the end of December. If you have any questions, please contact Theresa Mastrodonato (tmmastrodonato@frostburg.edu) or MaryJo Price (mprice@frostburg.edu).

Monday, December 7, 2015

Featured Online Resource: The Cyber Cemetery (and more!)

 K-Brooks, Leif. Old Computers.(CC BY-SA 2.0)


New web sites  are appearing constantly, but they also change rapidly. In some cases they completely disappear.  This can be frustrating when you remember a web site or a specific web page as a good source of information, but when you try to find it again, it has changed or no longer exists!

Some organizations are aware of this problem, and have been in the process of making snapshots of web sites so that that copies of how they appeared can be available into the future.

Please note that when you look at a web site that has been archived, you're looking at an image of how it appeared on the date that it was archived.  The information is no longer being updated or maintained, and this needs to be considered when evaluating the accuracy of the information found here.  If the site included links to other web sites, these links may no longer be valid.

The Cyber Cemetery

The University of North Texas Libraries are working with the US Government Publishing Office (GPO) to begin archiving the web sites of Federal agencies that are being taken down, these archived web sites c n be found at the Cyber Cemetery.  This can happen when an agency no longer exists, an agency decides to stop maintaining a web site, or even if an agency makes major changes to one of their sites.

An example of a web site archived here is NASA' Return to Flight Task Group, which was formed to assist with NASA's resumption of safe space shuttle flights following the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia accident.


Archive-It

This organization works with companies, organizations, and agencies who wish to have their web sites archived periodically.  For example, the Maryland State Archives has arranged for local government web sites to be archived regularly.  Allegany County's web site has been archived several times since 2011.  Some collections are related to topics, rather than to a specific web site. For example the Wikileaks 2010 Document Release Collection includes articles and information related to the Wikileaks releases.


The Wayback Machine

If you have a specific link that you wish to find, try the Wayback Machine. Enter the web site address (URL) into the field, and if it has been archived, you will see a calendar of dates that are available.  When you click that date, you will be taken to a snapshot of that web site as it appeared on the date selected.

The Wayback Wachine also has an option to save a page.  It appears at the bottom, right under "Save Page Now".  Enter the address that you wish to archive, and you will be given a link that takes you to the snapshot that was taken.  This works better for some sites than others.  For example, this LINK takes you to the snapshot of CNN.com, as it appeared on December 7 at about 10:00 AM. It did not save everything that actually appeared at that time.  So, use this with caution!




These are just a few examples of archiving services that are available.  If you have a favorite web site, you might want to check to see if any of these are archiving it occasionally!







Wednesday, December 2, 2015

What-I'm-Reading-Wednesday: Journey to Pennsylvania by Gottlieb Mittelberger.


I was alerted to this book by a local historian who had researched his German ancestry. Mittelberger poignantly details the real story of immigrants from Germany and conveys their merciless exploitation by men involved with recruiting and transporting  refugees in the 18th century.

Mittelberger's travel log describes his own emigration to Pennsylvania in 1750 and was written after his return to his German homeland four years later to forewarn his countrymen about the problems they would encounter. Originally written in German, this edition was edited and translated by Oscar Handlin and John Clive and published by Belknap Press of Harvard University in 1960.

Like many immigrants to the United States, Mittelberger left Germany to escape oppressive religious and economic conditions and to begin a new life in the New World. "Newlanders" were the unscrupulous scouts who marketed the colonies by making false promises and who  profited from the refugees. Mittelberger describes the deplorable conditions aboard ships during the passage to America and the plight of many immigrants who were forced to work as indentured servants for many years in order to pay for their passage.

Mittelberger enjoyed more prosperous circumstances when he arrived in Philadelphia in 1750. During the next four years he tried to make a new start and keenly observed daily life in the colonies, but the author finally abandoned his efforts in 1754 and journeyed back to his homeland. Journey to Pennsylvania includes descriptions of both the bounty and the hardships in colonial Philadelphia.

 This volume is available from the Ort Library catalog here: http://catalog.umd.edu/docno=000094525 Click on “Availability,” then click on the yellow “Request” button.  Log in using your first name and 14 digit library barcode from your ID.  If you need assistance, please contact the Circulation Desk at 301 687-4395.