Library Services, Research Tips, Resources

Using Archival Collections in Your Research

UASC Stacks
UMass Boston’s archival storage space. The University holds more than 200 archival collections across a variety of research areas.

Developing a successful research strategy involves identifying and locating relevant resources including both secondary and primary source materials.  It may turn out that UMass Boston’s Archives hold archival collections that are of direct use to you in your research.  UMass Boston’s collections encompass a variety of subject disciplines.  We preserve archival materials related to the University’s history as well as records and documents that reflect the university’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social action, alternative movements, community organizations and local history related to our neighboring communities including the Boston Harbor Islands.   A couple of examples:

ForestersRecords
A single MCOF Record. Source: University Archives and Special Collections, UMass Boston.

UMass Boston holds than 28,000 mortuary records from the Mass. Catholic Association of Foresters,  a fraternal organization begun in Boston in 1879 by Irish immigrants. These records include extensive data about the health, social networks, occupations and immigration patterns of thousands of people over many decades.  We also hold the records of the international organization “Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research”, the papers of Judge David Mazzone, who presided over the cleanup of Boston Harbor, the chambers papers of W. Arthur Garrity, who presided over the desegregation of Boston Public Schools, records of the League of American Wheelmen and many, many more organizations and individuals.

1968 photo of Columbia Point
Columbia Point before the construction of the UMass Boston campus; photo taken in 1968. The building in the center is the Calf Pasture Pumping Station. Source: University Archives and Special Collections, UMass Boston.
Bicycling postcard, “You Can Count On US, Solider ! We’ll Keep ‘Em Rolling!”, circa 1920-1950. Source: Archives and Special Collections, UMass Boston.

Of course, no single archival institution can hold everything. Around the world, different institutions have committed to taking responsibility for storing and preserving different chunks of the historic record, usually based on that institution’s own mission and goals. There are many other archival institutions in the area and around the world, and Healey Library’s Archives staff can help you to find out what they hold and how to access them. There are also several fine, online directories of archival holdings – “ArchiveGrid” from OCLC is a good one.  Another is WorldCat, where you may limit search results to “Archival Material” using the faceting options in the left-hand column.

BPD Duty Card, 1919
Duty roster card for a patrolman involved in the 1919 Police Strike in Boston. Source: Boston Police Department Archives; digital copies of the full set held at University Archives and Special Collections, UMass Boston.

So if your research can make use of archival materials in any format, please do contact us. The staff here in the University Archives and Special Collections is enthusiastically committed to assisting you in reaching your academic and research goals.  The best way to take advantage of the Archives department’s services is simply to email library.archives@umb.edu and tell us what you need or are hoping to accomplish. And you are welcome to stop by any weekday between 10 am and 4 pm to say hello and see our Reading Room and speak to an archivist.  The University Archives and Special Collections are located on the 5th Floor of the Healey Library.

Related Resources:

Descriptions of UMass Boston’s Archival Collections

UMass Boston’s Repository for Digital Collections

Using Archives: A Guide to Effective Research (SAA handout)

 

Library Services, Resources

Resources for the Art and Performing Arts Departments

I would like to introduce myself as the liaison for the Art and Performing Arts Departments. As a liaison and resource for the departments, I facilitate access to the growing list of library resources, and communicate the various library services for faculty and students and much more.

I work in the University Archives and Special Collections within the Healey Library and have a background in fine arts and specialize in painting. From this perspective, I’d like to share some of the resources the library has that faculty and students in Art, Music and Performing Arts can use for their classes and art making.

There are a lot of resources available to faculty and students and can be overwhelming and often hidden in plain sight. To help navigate this landscape, the library has available a list of research guides by subject. Several research guides exist for Art, Music, and Theatre Arts. Each contains links to images, faculty publications, videos and film, music, primary sources, books, articles and content for student assignments or faculty preparation for class assignments. Clicking on “Help” in the left column provides a list of options such as citation assistance, email, chat or call a librarian for further assistance.

The Art Research Guide contain links for images, such as ARTstor, Art Full Text and Oxford Art Online to name a few, faculty publications, and videos and film through VAST: Academic Video Online.

More videos are available by clicking “Find Videos”. I particularly like Kanopy Streaming Video and Films on Demand for its large selection of films in a variety of subjects.

The Music Research Guide found under Arts & Music also offers the same access to films alongside several great databases such as Naxos Music Library and RILM Abstracts of Music Literature

RILM Abstracts of Music Literature (1967 to Present only)
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature (1967 to Present only)

which includes a wide range of resources from articles to concert review and recording notes.

 

 

 

 

The Theatre Arts Research Guide found under the Arts & Music guide, provides links to Theatre Video which offers access to performances and films.

The Cambridge Companions Online provides a rich resource of literature, essays, and the classics.

These guides can help you get started. If you need research assistance schedule an appointment with a Reference Librarian. If you are faculty and interested in resources and databases that aren’t available, contact liaison Meghan.bailey@umb.edu, there is a chance these resources are available elsewhere or the library may consider a trial. If you would like to schedule a librarian to conduct an instruction session for your class contact us. Visit our web page for more detailed information about our instruction services.

Research Tips

Research Tip: Getting Unstuck – Research Guides

A frequent occurrence in the early stages of the research process is not knowing where to begin. Healey Library has broken down the 283 databases to which we have subscriptions into subject-specific Research Guides to facilitate an easier introduction to database searching. Instead of having to browse the database list trial-and-error style, the Research Guides organize this material into a one-stop shop for subject-specific resources and recommended databases for each particular field.

The guides have been redesigned to be usable on mobile devices as well as ADA-Compliant. By default, the Research Guides display 29 major disciplines and their sub-categories. Another option for browsing the Research Guides is by selecting “All Guides” up at the top navigation bar. This will display sub-categories as well as class-specific Research Guides requested or created by professors. The “By Type” option divides the guides in to four categories: Course Guides, General Purpose, Subject Guides, and Help.

Research guides by type2
Please contact library.reference@umb.edu to suggest a Course Guide or a Research Guide!

Resources, What's Cool

November is Native American Heritage Month

Here are a few ways to celebrate Native American Heritage Month.

View a documentary about the contemporary experiences or history of Native Americans available via Healey Library streaming video databases.

Up Heartbreak Hill

“Up Heartbreak Hill chronicles the lives of three Native American teenagers in Navajo, New Mexico-Thomas, an elite runner; Tamara, an academic superstar; and Gabby, an aspiring photographer-as they navigate their senior year at a reservation high school.”

The Way West: Ghost Dance

“The story begins with the opening decades of expansion, key technological advances, and the uprooting of the native people through the Civil War period. It then examines the four-year period immediately following the Civil War to the completion of the transcontinental railroad. The conclusion traces the sequence of events leading to the battle of the Little Big Horn, the oppression of Native American tribes, the rise of the Ghost Dance religion and the massacre at Wounded Knee.”

In Whose Honor?

“In Whose Honor? takes a critical look at the long-running practice of “honoring” American Indians as mascots and nicknames in sport. It follows Native American mother Charlene Teters, and her transformation into the leader some are calling the “Rosa Parks of American Indians” as she struggles to protect her cultural symbols and identity.”

 

Read a book about Native American history or literature.

Green, Thomas A., ed. Stories from the American Mosaic: Native American Folktales. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2008. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 13 November 2015.

Mann, Charles C. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. New York: Knopf, 2005. Print.

Treuer, David. Native American Fiction: A User’s Manual. Saint Paul: Graywolf Press, 2006. Print.

 

In the News, What's Cool

Academic Impact: Open Education Resources initiatives at BLC Libraries

OER

On September 28, 2015, Boston Library Consortium (BLC) hosted the first Open Educational Resources Workshop “OER: the path to sustainable change ” at the Boston College Theology and Ministry Library. The keynote speaker was Dr. David Ernst from the University of Minnesota and founder of the Open Textbook Library. The statistical data shows that students who took the OER courses performed well in the advanced level courses.

Four librarians from the BLC libraries, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Boston College, University of New Hampshire and The University of Connecticut shared their experiences in developing  OER initiatives and programs on their campuses.

The video of the workshop is available from the following link:

https://www.blc.org/special-highlights/open-educational-resources-and-blc

After the presentation, there was a brainstorming discussion on how BLC can support these initiatives going forward.

The BLC is considering joining the Open Textbook Library network. More information coming soon, stay tuned.

 

Updates from UMass Boston's Healey Library