Serial Set Maps, 1817-

Serial Set Maps

The folks at Readex have been digitally pulling historic maps from the nearly 14,000 volumes that make up the U.S. Congressional Serials Set. Currently, they have extracted thousands of maps through 1899 and the work continues.

But to this point, they have not made them very easy to find. I have discussed this with Jen Carroll, our electronic resources librarian, and we’ll be making a direct link to the Serial Set Maps on our databases pages. In the meantime, we have set up a link through our proxy server, so that you can have direct access to this resource: Serial Set Maps.

As with other parts of the Serials Set, this page allows you to search for maps by location, subject, personal name, issuing agency, and date. The other thing to keep in mind: even though the Serials Set had its origins in 19th Century , the Smithsonian and other agencies frequently reprinted historic maps dating back to the Age of Discovery. Hence, you can find maps on the extent of Portuguese colonization in the New World from 1520 or the earliest map to show the territory occupied by the Cherokee (1597). And, as with other parts of the Serials Set, you can save, print, and convert to pdf format. Have fun.

UNH Library Toolbar Update

About ten days ago, we introduced you to the UNH Library Toolbar. We’ve had a lot of interest in this plug-in, as well as number of questions about installation, so I’ve updated the original posting (December 5, 2007) with additional information.

Moreover, on Wednesday, December 19th, at noon, Rob Wolff and I will be hosting a brown-bag lunch here in the Library to formally present and lead a discussion on the toolbar and its many applications. The brown-bag is sponsored by the Staff Development Council and will take place in the Faculty Lounge (Dimond 502). We know it is a busy time of year, but bring your lunch, gather some useful information, and eat a cookie — on us!

The UNH Library Toolbar

OK, consider this an early holiday present. Rob Wolff, from our Systems Department, has been working to adapt the LibX plug-in from Virginia Tech to UNH. We were planning on rolling it out at the beginning of next semester, but hey, this is the season for giving.

The UNH Library Toolbar is a plug-in for your browser which allows you to search our library catalog and databases. It has been configured to allow users to search the Library Catalog, Full Text Journals via Serial Solutions, Academic Search Premier, JSTOR, Worldcat.org, and PsycINFO. I have used the proxy server from home and it works just fine.

In addition, the toolbar automatically places embedded links in popular sites like Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble or in results from search engines like Google and Yahoo; this permits you to instantly and easily search for a given title in our online catalog. Just click-on the blue Thompson Hall icon next to the title and it will do the work for you. Keep in mind that Amazon often defaults to the paperback edition, so you should search under the hardback edition, as well, to determine whether UNH has purchased a title or not. There are other features you can explore on you own and we’ll be advising you about more specifics in the not-so-distant future.

There are two versions: Internet Explorer and Firefox.

The Firefox version is available here:
http://libx.org/editions/76/BC/76BCDC06/libx-76BCDC06.xpi

The Internet Explorer version is available here:
http://libx.org/editions/76/BC/76BCDC06/libx-76BCDC06.exe

The Firefox version is easier to install, supports embedded cues in more sites, and updates automatically when a new version is released, so we’re encouraging folks to use the Firefox version.

When installing the Firefox version, you may see a message indicating Firefox prevented the site from asking you to install software on your computer. If this happens, click the “Edit Options…” button. In the window which appears, click the “Allow” button, and then “Close.” Then click the link for the Firefox version again. You will see a window called Software Installation. After it counts down, click the “Install Now” button. Then restart Firefox and you’ll be off and running.

The Internet Explorer version requires Microsoft .NET 2.0, which must be installed first and is available here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=0856EACB-4362-4B0D-8EDD-AAB15C5E04F5

The Internet Explorer version is available here:
http://libx.org/editions/76/BC/76BCDC06/libx-76BCDC06.exe

To install the Internet Explorer version, just download .NET 2.0 and double-click to install. Then do the same with the toolbar installation file. When using the Internet Explorer version, you may receive a message indicating it blocked a pop-up window. If this happens, click the Information Bar when it notifies you that a pop-up window has been blocked. Then click “Show Blocked Pop-up.”

If you need any help with installation or use, just send Rob Wolff an email at Rob.Wolff@unh.edu, and he’ll give you a hand. Let us know if it proves useful for you!

The Easy Button: Playing in the JSTOR Sandbox

If you look at the top of the JSTOR search page, there is a question: “What’s new in the JSTOR Sandbox?” The sandbox is literally a place where you can explore new resources and play with planned changes to the JSTOR technology platform. As they continue to work on changes, it includes some screenshots of what the site will look like in the not-so-distant future.

Their sandbox permits you to test drive their faceted search, which lets you deepen or expand searches by organizing search results into different categories, or “facets.” Using this feature you can narrow results by: discipline; journal; article type; publication date; language; the number of times the article is cited in JSTOR; number of pages; and those articles containing images. Just recently, they added three additional features:

• You may now click on a “More Like This” link to bring up similar articles;
• You may use article-level keywords to identify important concepts within the article and to search for other articles with the same keywords; and
• You can use a “slider” to help fine-tune your search by increasing or decreasing the importance that the search gives to your selected facets and search terms without the need for complex Boolean equations.

Take some time to experiment with these new features. JSTOR includes a warning that this is a protoype and that it cannot guarantee that results are up-to-date; however, I have run a number of searches side-by-side and results have been the same. But, don’t sue me!

The Easy Button: New Tools for Project MUSE

Project MUSE has developed a search plugin that you can add to your web browser. When added, it will be part of the list of search engines that are available in the search box in the upper right corner on your browser. This will enable you to search MUSE any time your browser is open, regardless of the web page you are viewing. The plugin can be added to any browser that supports Sherlock and OpenSearch Search Engine Plugins. The installation takes just a couple of seconds. To read about and install the Project MUSE search plugin, please go to http://muse.jhu.edu/content/ml/about/librarians/search_plugin.html.

In addition, Project MUSE has added a new RSS feed: Upcoming Journals for 2008. This feed provides a list of all titles confirmed to join MUSE in 2008 with subsequent notification when each of the new titles first becomes available online. This is in addition to feeds for Upcoming Journals for 2007 and journal feeds, i.e. automatic notification for the most recent issues of MUSE titles that you select according to your interests. Read about and subscribe to MUSE RSS feeds at the MUSE RSS Syndication page: http://feeds.muse.jhu.edu.

The Easy Button: Digitized Documents and PDF

Portable Document Format or PDF is a widely accepted file format for exchanging, displaying, and printing documents. Most of the collections of digital documents that we have purchased in recent years feature a PDF function to permit researchers to print or save items. In addition, I have found that it is often faster to save and work with documents as PDFs, rather than to use them online. This is especially true when navigating large files, accessing databases of such documents from home, or using a wireless internet connection. So, the next time you are using Early English Books, America’s Historical Newspapers, or similar products, and response time seems a bit slow, hit the PDF button and see if you can’t make your work go a little faster.

The Easy Button: The U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980

U.S. Congressional Serial Set [restricted to UNH users]

About a year ago, the UNH Library added the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980 from Readex to its digital holdings. Unfortunately, its bland title suggests page after page of dry legalese. On the contrary, this product is a rich and largely untapped collection of primary source material detailing all aspects of American history and culture. When completed, the U.S. Congressional Serial Set will replicate nearly 14,000 volumes and more than 12 million pages from the original 350,000 publications, along with 52,000 maps and thousands of illustrations and statistical tables. It currently has been scanned and indexed through the 70^th Congress (1928), but more is being added all the time.

Digitization not only makes it possible to access over a third of a million publications from your desk-top, it allows full-text searching. Moreover, Readex has added thousands of access points, so that researchers can locate materials by subject, publication type, Congress, and even personal name. And once you have accessed an individual document, the table of contents enables you to identify any tables, maps or illustrations within a document. Some examples of searches:

• Looking under the subject area “Health” can lead you to the sub-heading “Influenza Epidemic (1918-1919)”, where you locate 15 related documents. You can break it down further to track-down legislation regarding “Undertakers and undertakers” or reports on the link between the outbreak and the First World War.

• A search under “Science and Technology” can take you to the 36 documents published as the result of the “Pacific railroad surveys (1853-1856).” Within these you can see maps and illustrations from the survey.

• Within “Safety, Accidents and Disasters” you can identify 89 documents related to hurricanes. You can use sub-headings to narrow it to the 13 documents on the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. Within those documents you may locate maps which document the destruction to the city and local shipping.

The point is: don’t be intimidated by the amount of information contained in the Serials Set. There are thousands of access points that can lead you to information specific to your research. And then there is the full-text searching capability.

So, if you haven’t already, take it for a test drive. If you do have any questions or run into any problems, don’t hesitate to post any questions or comments.