Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Featured Online Resources - Zika Virus Resources

The Zika Virus has been steadily increasing as a topic in the news this year.  When concerned about public health issues, it helps to be informed through reliable information sources.  Below are some links to a variety of web sites from agencies and organizations at state, national and international levels.


 



Friday, May 27, 2016

Library Closed Memorial Day

The Lewis J. Ort Library will be closed for the Memorial Day holiday.

The library will be closed:
  • Saturday - May 28
  • Sunday - May 29
  • Monday - May 30
The library will reopen Tuesday May 31 at 7:30 am for regular hours.

You can still access library resources (journal articles and e-books) through the library's website. If you need reference assistance you can contact Maryland AskUsNow! for 24/7 reference help.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Friday, May 20, 2016

Digitization of FSU's historic commencement programs




The Lewis J. Ort Library congratulates the Class of 2016 on its commencement! In honor of this occasion, the library offers a glimpse into our institution’s earlier commencement ceremonies. The library has been digitizing FSU’s historic commencement programs from Special Collections to put online in our institutional repository, eScholarship@Frostburg. The programs have been scanned and provided as OCR-compatible PDFs.
Originally, Frostburg State University was State Normal School No. 2 and, later, Frostburg State Teachers College. The commencement programs show varying sizes of graduation classes through the years. The majority of graduates hailed from Allegany and Garrett Counties. Meanwhile, changing ceremony formats often reflect the spirit of the historical period. For decades, Tasker G. Lowndes, President of the State Board of Education, awarded diplomas while the current school president conferred degrees. Administration officials were predominately male. However, a few female State Board of Education members are listed in commencement programs. By 1945, college president John S. Dunkle had passed the reins to Lillian C. Compton.
Ceremony programs include either an invocation or a prayer from a clergy member. Growing patriotism leading up to and during WWII is reflected in the ceremonies. State Teachers College commencements featured Henry Carey’s patriotic “America” (“My Country ‘Tis of Thee”) in the 1939 to 1941 programs. By 1942, flag salutes and Francis Scott Key’s “Star Spangled Banner” were integrated into the commencement ceremony and continued to be a fixture. The commencements also had somber moments that were personal. In 1950, John J. Stapleton of Frostburg was awarded his degree posthumously.
Music plays a large role in the degree-conferring spectacle. Commencement ceremony participants were treated to whimsical music selections both vocal and instrumental that included popular selections, folk songs, classical music, and religious music. Earlier commencements featured glee clubs singing breezy selections, such as the Men’s Glee Club’s performance of “In the Garden of Your Heart” in 1926. Later, the light-hearted glee clubs made way for choral groups, including the Maryland Singers who often sang operatic selections, such as “Hail to Isis” from Verdi’s Aïda in 1939. Likewise, orchestral selections changed in tone depending on the year. The 1926 program lists the “Indian Cradle Song.” Whereas, the 1949 commencement featured three musical selections from Richard Wagner.
While “Pomp and Circumstance” is considered a classic processional or recessional for graduation these days, it only shows up occasionally in these historic commencement programs. A college or university’s unique aspects are often expressed in its school’s song. In early programs, the “School Song” song, from Pinsuti, was often performed by the student chorus or student body prior to the recessional. By 1939, the program replaces the “School Song” with the “State Teachers College Song,” attributed to alum George W. Walburn (Class of 1937). Presumably, this song underwent revision as subsequent programs (1940-1954) indicate the performance of the “State Teachers College Song.” The song is then attributed to “Adapted” with no mention of Walburn.
Digitization work for commencement programs is ongoing. Click on these links to view the commencement programs for State Normal School and State Teachers College.

Monday, May 9, 2016

Extended Library Hours Spring 2016

The Ort Library will offer extended hours of service for the last week of classes and final exam week beginning this Sunday, May 8th. Dates and hours are listed below. They are also posted online at http://libguides.frostburg.edu/libhours. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the Circulation Desk at 301-687-4395 or the Reference Desk at 301-687-4424. We also offer 24/7 online chat reference service through Maryland AskUsNow! at www.askusnow.info.

Extended Hours for Last Week of Classes and Finals Week:
  • Sunday, May 8 // 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
  • Monday, May 9 - Thursday, May 12 // 7:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
  • Friday, May 13 // 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 14 // 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, May 15 // 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
  • Monday, May 16 - Tuesday, May 17 // 7:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
  • Wednesday, May 18  - Friday, May 20 // 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Commencement & Memorial Day Weekend Hours:
  • Saturday Commencement, May 21 // 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, May 22 // Closed
  • Monday, May 23 - Friday, May 27 // 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 28 - Monday, May 30 // Closed

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek – New Library Display



Star Trek at 50: A Cultural Phenomenon

The Ort Library is pleased to offer a new display on the 50th anniversary of Star Trek which was launched on NBC in 1966. The original show has spawned four television shows (a 5th will come out next year), a Saturday morning cartoon, and twelve movies (a 13th will come out this year).

“Beam me up, Scotty”, “He’s Dead, Jim”, and “Live Long and Prosper” are just some of the catch phrases from the show that are well known.

The displays are available on the 3rd and 5th floors of the library and will be up through the end of August. There are also several Star Trek novels available for checkout available on the 3rd floor of the library.

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.