Want to see the entire Presidential Campaign Collection of William L. Benoit? UAB Archives and the Digital Services team have made the 600-plus-piece collection available for viewing online through UAB Digital Collections.Selections from a new-to-UAB collection of flyers, pamphlets, brochures and leaflets from presidential primaries and general elections now are on view through December on the first floor of Sterne Library in the main group study area.

“Spot the Spin: Politics and Public Relations” features items from the Presidential Campaign Collection of William L. Benoit, which was donated by Benoit, now-retired Distinguished Professor in the Department of Communication Studies, to UAB Libraries in 2022. The materials span dozens of elections, from the 1936 campaign of Alf Landon to the 2000 campaigns of George W. Bush and Al Gore. The UAB Archives and Digital Services teams have made the items available for online viewing, and the physical items are held in the UAB Archives and are available for viewing by appointment.

Examining campaign materials from elections gone by can encourage viewers to reflect on how they and others consume media relating to current elections, said Brooke Becker, media literacy librarian in UAB Libraries.

“Using print media to share messaging has always been a part of candidates campaigns,” Becker said. “The biggest difference in today’s world is that it’s not just print media: The world of electronic communications opens up even more opportunities for engaging with disinformation and misinformation.”

To combat mis- and disinformation and empower Blazers to identify fact from fiction — both during and outside of election cycles — Becker has created a “Spot the Spin: Politics and Public Relations” research guide, which includes relevant information from the nonpartisan, nonprofit organization News Literacy Project, voting information for Alabama residents, topical books and databases from UAB Libraries’ collections, and best practices and policies for the practical design of political campaign materials.

“It’s really a one-stop shop for high-level info useful to being discerning when you encounter information online and out in the world,” Becker explained. “There’s seemingly endless information out there to sort through, and we wanted to make it easy.”

Click through the slideshow below to see some examples from the collection.

Hands-on experience for students

To provide students a chance to learn by doing, Becker, along with Marliese Thomas, fine arts librarian and liaison to the Department of Art and Art History, have designed an exercise and contest designed to combine student creativity and media literacy while utilizing the unique resource of the Presidential Campaign Collection.

Participants will redesign for a modern audience one of three specifically chosen poster advertisements (shown below) from the collection using a design platform such as Adobe Creative Cloud (which is available at no cost to all UAB students), and should consider whether they intend their advertisement to be an “acclaim,” or a positive message about the candidate; an “attack,” or a negative message about the candidate; or a “defense,” a response to an attack.

Students can choose from one of these three posters:

"A Look at the Record," 1960

See original

"Paul Tsongas, Democrat for President, Gay and Lesbian Rights," 1992

See original

"Shirley Chisholm Speaks Out, Presidential Campaign Position Paper, No.1," 1972

See original

Posters can be designed for any medium — print, social media, email distribution, etc. — but must be printable in its final form at 8 in. by 10 in. The use of generative AI is allowed, but in moderation and only with permission from a student’s instructor; students also must acknowledge the prompt(s) used and the percentages of work self-created and created by AI. (For more information on AI in education, see Becker’s additional research guide.)

Becker and Thomas recommend thinking on several questions before and during the design process:

• What is the message you intend?
• Who is your audience, and does this affect the message you intend to send?
• What elements work best to get your intention across? What would your audience engage with more, visual or text? Flashy or subdued? Pulling on heartstrings or straight facts?
• Do you want to control your message or open it up for wider sharing/distribution?

Students also are encouraged to peruse the “Best Practices and Policy for Design” tab in the Political Advertising section of Becker’s “Spot the Spin: Politics and Public Relations” research guide.

Submissions are due by Oct. 25; submit using this form.

Submitted designs will be voted on by a three-member jury panel of College of Arts and Sciences faculty, and winners will be printed, framed and displayed alongside the official memorabilia from the Presidential Campaign Collection in Sterne. All submitters will have the option to allow their work to be shared on the UAB Libraries Instagram @uablibraries, as well as permanently stored in the UAB Digital Commons, the repository for research and scholarly output submitted by members of the UAB campus.

“We want to enable students to exercise their media literacy knowledge in a creative and tangible way,” Becker explains. “These concepts are things we all, student or otherwise, encounter on a daily basis and in real time. Stretching the mental muscle that asks questions about the meanings behind messaging is more important now than ever.”

For more information about the “Spot the Spin” student exercise, visit the research guide.

Details

Category: Announcements

See a complete list of all UAB Libraries’ digital collections online. Did you know that UAB Libraries is home to more than 30 collections of materials digitized by the libraries’ Digital Services team, including photographs, illustrations, books, videos, and audio recordings? UAB Libraries’ Digital Collections are a collaboration between several library departments, including the Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences, the Reynolds-Finley Historical Library and the UAB Archives — each of whom house much of the digitized materials in their physical collections — and the Digital Services Team, whose technical expertise on digitization and digital preservation continues to keep the Digital Collections online and available for browsing. Collections also have been contributed by other UAB units, departments and divisions, as well as by members of the wider Birmingham community.

Collections span a wide variety of topics, from UAB-specific history, such as a collection documenting the COVID-19 pandemic at UAB, to large-scale, culturally significant information, such as a large collection of letters by Florence Nightingale.

Recently added collections include the Presidential Campaign Collection of William L. Benoit, the Entrepreneurship Oral History Collection, and the UAB Town and Gown Theatre Programs and Playbills collection.

Exploring these collections is now more user-friendly than ever following a switch to Alma Digital, which integrated the digital collections into UAB Libraries’ existing platform.

"As an extension of our existing library services platform, Alma Digital enables us to seamlessly integrate digitized materials into our user's search results, enhancing the user experience and improving the overall discoverability of UAB Libraries' digital collections," said Kevin Hebert, associate dean for Technology and Technical Services in UAB Libraries.

See a selection of some of the new digital collections’ unique items and learn more about each collection below.
 

Presidential Campaign Collection of William L. Benoit

The newest addition to UAB Digital Collections, the Presidential Campaign Collection of William L. Benoit was donated to UAB Libraries in 2022 by William L. Benoit, Ph.D., now-retired Distinguished Professor in the Department of Communication Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The collection consists of flyers, pamphlets, brochures and leaflets from presidential primaries and general elections, with materials spanning from the 1936 campaign of Alf Landon to the 2000 campaigns of George W. Bush and Al Gore. The UAB Archives and Digital Services teams have made the items available for online viewing, and the physical items are held in the UAB Archives and are available for viewing by appointment.

A selection of items also is on display through December on the first floor of Sterne Library; look for the “Spot the Spin: Politics and Public Relations” display case in the main group study area.

Entrepreneurship Oral History Collection

The Entrepreneurship Oral History Collection is a collaborative oral histories project between UAB’s J. Frank Barefield Jr. Entrepreneurship Program, UAB Libraries, and the Academy of Management’s (AOM) Entrepreneurship Division. AOM is the preeminent professional association for management and organization scholars, and its Entrepreneurship Division (ENT) is nearing 40 years of formal history. In 2022-2023, Patrick J. Murphy, Ph.D., Goodrich Endowed Chair for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, professor in and founding director of the J. Frank Barefield Jr. Entrepreneurship Program, and ENT historian, initiated the oral history collection project to capture primary source historical accounts of ENT’s formations and the development of the entrepreneurship field — all directly from professors who have made foundational contributions. While the project is projected to take several years to complete, it is intended to offer insight into the entrepreneurship field’s early history and development for present and future academics and researchers.

UAB Town and Gown Theatre Programs and Playbills

Established in Birmingham in 1950 by the University of Alabama and led by founding director James F. Hatcher, the Town and Gown Theatre gained a reputation for its excellent production quality and combination of local community talent and veteran Broadway and Hollywood stars. This collection contains programs and playbills from Theatre productions, including both local and some traveling performances. The UAB Archives and Digital Services teams have made the items available for online viewing, and the physical items are held in the UAB Archives and are available for viewing by appointment.

Want to learn more about Town and Gown’s extensive history? University Archivist Tim Pennycuff has compiled the rest of the story online.

See a complete list of all UAB Libraries’ digital collections online. Digital Services welcomes new collections and projects from UAB departments and the wider Birmingham community to expand UAB Libraries’ digital offerings and ensure the preservation of valuable resources; email digital-collections@uab.edu to inquire about adding additional items.

Details

Category: Announcements

Two new shelves on the first floor of Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences — one by the University Boulevard entrance, and one at the entrance from the courtyard between Volker Hall and the library — are home to the Relax and Read Collection, curated by Christy Hogan, collection development librarian for the health sciences. The recreational reading collection aims to provide patrons easy access to in-demand, noteworthy and new items available through UAB Libraries.

“From nonfiction books on topics like diversity in medicine, medical biographies, and graphic medicine to novels that can help you take a break from studying for a bit, the Relax and Read Collection has something for everyone,” Hogan said.

Relax and Read Collection books rotate every four weeks and have a loan period of 28 days with the option for one renewal; they are not a part of UAB Libraries’ permanent collection.

Relax and Read joins three additional specialized book collections, each housed on the first floor of Sterne Library: The Café Collection showcases popular literature from well-known authors, while the Stem Café Collection houses books about coding, data analysis, ecology and more. The New Releases collection showcases new acquisitions to UAB Libraries’ permanent collections.

Not affiliated with UAB professionally or academically? No problem! With an Alabama driver’s license or other proof of residency, anyone can now receive a courtesy card to check out printed materials from UAB Libraries. Learn more. 

Details

Category: Announcements

Learn to craft systematic reviews during a four-part training series in October from UAB Libraries’ Clinical, Academic and Research Engagement team; each session is available at no cost to faculty, staff and student researchers.

Systematic reviews are a type of literature review that involve a detailed and comprehensive plan and search strategy with the goal of reducing bias by identifying, appraising and synthesizing all relevant studies on a particular topic.

In addition to the October workshop series, UAB Libraries offers comprehensive systematic review services to faculty, residents, fellows, staff and graduate students. Both “Consultation” and “Collaboration” service levels are provided; read more online.

All workshops are virtual and take place noon-1 p.m.

Oct. 9 — Navigating Review Types: A Beginner's Guide for Graduate Students & New Faculty
Tailored for graduate students and new faculty, this workshop will help attendees learn the eight major types of reviews and their distinct purposes. Register online.

Oct. 16 — Getting Started with Covidence: A Beginner’s Guide to Streamlining Your Review
Participants can learn to use the world’s leading software for managing and streamlining systematic reviews and explore how it can simplify reviews and assignments. Register online.

Oct. 23 — Risk of Bias vs. Quality Assessment: Selecting the Right Tools for Systematic Reviews
Learn the differences between risk of bias and quality assessment in systematic reviews and discover the tools that can help streamline these processes. Register online.

Oct. 30 — Don't Be Spooked! Librarians to the Rescue: Preparing for Scoping & Systematic Reviews
Learn to demystify scoping and systematic reviews in biomedical research during this workshop; expert librarians will share tips on streamlining the review process and avoiding common pitfalls. Register online.

Details

Category: Announcements

Join librarians from UAB Libraries’ Clinical, Academic and Research Engagement team to learn how to use four key tools available at no cost to faculty, staff and student researchers.

Curious what else is available to bolster your research skills? Researchers also can access nearly 650 more research tools and information databases online at no cost through UAB Libraries.

SimplyAnalytics

Explore demographic, business and geographic data with SimplyAnalytics. Though marketed as a business research tool, this platform can be used for research in any discipline that examines population data, including the social sciences and public health.

By the end of a workshop, you’ll be able to:

• Create a Simply Analytics project
• Identify information sources that meet your needs
• Create interactive maps and data comparison tables

Open workshops (all online):

• Sept. 18, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to Simply Analytics

EndNote

EndNote is a bibliographic management platform designed to help users collect citations in one place and update them easily and quickly from one style to another.

By the end of a workshop, you’ll be able to:

• Create and organize a library of citations
• Send citations from various databases to EndNote
• Use EndNote to find PDFs of your citations
• Insert and edit EndNote citations in a Word document

Open workshops (all online):

• Sept. 24, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to EndNote
• Oct. 17, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to EndNote
• Nov. 13, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to EndNote
• Dec. 5, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to EndNote

PubMed

PubMed is one of the most robust medical literature databases, comprising more than 37 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals and online books.

By the end of a workshop, you’ll be able to:

• Build a basic search by developing search concepts
• Use Boolean Operators to connect search concepts

Open workshops (all online):

• Sept. 26, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to PubMed
• Dec. 3, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to PubMed

Completed the introductory workshop and want more training? Sign up for the advanced training to learn about automatic term mapping, medical subject headings and how to use field codes.

• Nov. 19, noon-1 p.m. — Advanced Searching in PubMed

CINAHL

CINAHL is an index of English-language and selected other-language journal articles about nursing, allied health, biomedicine and health care.

By the end of a workshop, you’ll be able to:

• Build a basic search by developing search concepts
• Use Boolean Operators to connect search concepts

Open workshops (all online):

• Oct. 22, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to CINAHL

Details

Category: Announcements

Employees and students interested in learning how to use UAB’s 3D printers can sign up for one of 10 upcoming training sessions offered by UAB Libraries this fall.

Employees and students interested in learning how to use UAB’s 3D printers can sign up for one of 10 upcoming training sessions offered by UAB Libraries this fall. Completing a training session is required before users can begin printing their own projects — but at just 1.5 hours long and offered both online and in-person, the rewards far outweigh the relatively small time investment, said Technology Labs Manager Patrick Boggs, who leads the training session.

“3D printing lets users be creative in so many ways,” Boggs said. “Lots of people print for fun — they make game figurines or intricate pots for plants, things like that — but what’s special about printing at UAB is that we’re uniquely placed to help with research and other campus initiatives.

“Folks at UAB have discovered really unique ways to incorporate 3D-printed items into their projects, like making molds for silicone tools used in heart research, or cases for GPS units the football team uses. The options really are endless.”

Get started with 3 easy projects

Want to start 3D printing but not sure what to do first? These projects can help capture your Blazer spirit while giving you practice using the printers.

Bookmark

These small bookmarks are perfect for marking your place in a textbook, magazine or novel.

→ Get the pattern

Keychain & smartphone holder

This keychain does two jobs: Shows off your Blazer spirit while also serving as a phone holder.

→ Get the pattern

Dragon figurine

This dragon figurine makes the perfect desk or shelf décor.

→ Get the pattern

Sign up for a training that works for you

During the training, Blazers are given access to printer queues for both Sterne Library and Lister Hill Library 3D printing via 3DPrinterOS. 3DPrinterOS is a cloud-based system that lets users monitor the ongoing print queue to see when printers are available and check the progress of their jobs; several of the 3D printers managed in 3DPrinterOS have cameras attached so users can watch how their prints are coming along. Users also automatically receive a time-lapse video of their items being printed via email once the objects are complete.

Sessions continue through Nov. 21. Check the Campus Calendar for the rest.

Details

Category: Announcements

Academic integrity is a fundamental principle that ensures the credibility and value of educational institutions such as UAB — and the degrees they award. Maintaining academic integrity helps build trust between students, instructors and the larger UAB community, all while ensuring a level playing field for all students.

UAB Libraries’ Academic Integrity research guide, created by Kara Van Abel, academic integrity coordinator, reference librarian and liaison to the Collat School of Business, is a one-stop-shop for all things academic integrity at UAB — including a new Canvas assignment on the subject, available now for embedding into any Canvas shell.

“At its core, academic integrity encourages authentic learning,” Van Abel explained. “True engagement with coursework encourages development of critical-thinking skills and a sense of responsibility, accountability and respect for others’ work — all of which are useful beyond their time at UAB.”

Here are 5 academic integrity resources available through UAB Libraries — you can find each of them in the research guide.

1. Supplemental Academic Integrity Review Assignment, available through Canvas
Accessible in the UAB Canvas Commons, this interactive assignment is available for embedding in any Canvas shell. The assignment guides students in answering questions like, “What is academic integrity, why is it important, and how does academic misconduct affect me?” It also includes interactive scenarios and a quick check for understanding and is intended for instructors looking for more student practice in this area.

2. Discussion guide and questionnaire
This downloadable PDF includes questions for students to discuss as a class or in smaller groups to explore situations and concepts related to academic integrity.

3. Discussion sessions facilitated by UAB Libraries’ academic integrity coordinator
Instructors can request Van Abel to facilitate a 60-minute discussion session with students for any course using this form.

4. AI and Ethics research guide
Supplement discussions of AI and academic integrity using this research guide created by Brooke Becker, media literacy librarian, reference librarian and liaison to the departments of Communication and Political Science and Public Administration.

5. Additional help available for students
UAB offers a variety of resources that can help students avoid academic misconduct, including a comprehensive research guide on citations from UAB Libraries and the University Writing Center, which is located in Sterne Library and is available to help students with any kind of writing at any stage of the writing process. FAQs on academic integrity also are available.

The Academic Integrity research guide also includes a link to the Alleged Academic Misconduct Referral form, available through UAB’s Office of Community Standards and Student Accountability. 

Details

Category: Announcements

Register for the fall 2024 Business Research Toolkit course to learn business research skills and discover no-cost online resources and subscription databases available through UAB Libraries. Available to all UAB students and employees, the asynchronous Canvas course is self-paced, enabling enrollees to fit it into any busy schedule, and those who complete it will earn a digital badge for use on resumes and LinkedIn. Registration is open now; the course runs Sept. 9-Oct. 27.

Details

Category: Announcements

Beginning Aug. 26, UAB Libraries users will be able to place up to 40 active Interlibrary Loan requests at one time, an increase from the previous limit of 25.

The Interlibrary Loan service (ILL) enables users to borrow materials not available in UAB Libraries’ collections from other libraries across the globe. Document Delivery, a related service, sends users electronic copies of articles from UAB Libraries’ print journal collection. Read more online.

Details

Category: Announcements

UAB Libraries’ Reynolds-Finley Historical Library is home to the African American Medical Collection, a physical compendium of historical objects that celebrates pioneering efforts by Black physicians, nurses and other health care professionals.

A selection of items currently is on display in the Reynolds-Finley reading room on the third floor of Lister Hill Library; email pbalch@uab.edu to make an appointment to view.

“Let there be life: the contemporary account of Edna L. Griffin, M. D.,” published in 1947 by Helen Kitchen Branson, is a biography of the first Black female physician of Pasadena, California.

“My world of reality: an autobiography of Hildrus A. Poindexter, M.D., Ph.D., M.S.P.H., Sc.D.,” is a 1973 autobiography penned by Poindexter, who was born in 1901 in western Tennessee and later became chief of Bacteriology, Preventive Medicine and Public Health at Howard University and chief of American Foreign Aid Health Missions to Liberia, Libya, Suriname, Iraq, Sierra Leone and Indochina.

The biography “Doctor Dan: Pioneer in American surgery” by Helen Buckler chronicles the life and experiences of Black surgeon Daniel Hale Williams, M.D., who performed one of the first successful heart surgeries in the United States when, in July 1893, he opened the thoracic cavity to repair a wound to the pericardium by suture before successfully closing the chest; the patient lived for 20 years following the operation. Nicknamed “Doctor Dan,” Williams also founded the first non-segregated hospital in the U.S., Chicago’s Provident Hospital, in 1891. Two articles about Williams also are on display.

Two ledger books kept by Black physician and activist William Worthy detail a busy urban obstetrics practice in early 20th-century Roxbury, a neighborhood of Boston. Worthy’s son, William Worthy Jr., became a well-known civil rights activist.

This copy of the 1874 annual report for Freedman’s Hospital, located near Talladega, Alabama, contains handwritten annotations.

Details

Category: Announcements