Advanced Research Skills

Learn advanced research skills with Professor Lisa DeLuca in the new Graduate Student Lounge! Master Google Scholar and our newest research tool, Browzine. This Tuesday, September 22nd from 4:30-5:30pm.

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Moving the Jennings Petroglyph: Behind the Scenes

By Allison Stevens, Collections Manager | 9/8/2015

Since 1968, the lobby of Fahy Hall had been the home of the Jennings Petroglyph on the campus of Seton Hall University. On August 19, 2015, it moved to its new home on the main floor of the Walsh Library, just outside the Dean’s suite.

The Jennings Petroglyph in the Lobby of Fahy Hall, where it had been since 1968.

The Jennings Petroglyph in the Lobby of Fahy Hall, where it had been since 1968.

The petroglyph, a Native American artifact probably carved between 1,000 and 5,000 years ago, was discovered across from Dingmans Ferry in Pike County on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River in 1965.   Plans to build the Tocks Island Dam, which never came to fruition, would have covered the petroglyph with a lake formed behind the dam.  In order to preserve it, the petroglyph was transported to Seton Hall in 1968.  The site where this petroglyph was found holds the unique distinction of being the only one ever discovered along the Delaware River.

The Fahy Hall display had to be deconstructed in order to lift the petroglyph. Here, the surrounding chicken wire and plaster are being removed.

The Fahy Hall display had to be deconstructed in order to lift the petroglyph. Here, the surrounding chicken wire and plaster are being removed.

The word petroglyph means “rock carving,” from petro, meaning “rock” and glyph, meaning “symbol.” Similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs, the symbols are used to convey meaning. Because creating petroglyphs was a difficult and time consuming process, requiring specialized tools for Native Americans to carve into the rocks, we know that their meaning is important. The meaning of the Jennings Petroglyph has been obscured over time, but it is most likely sacred. Anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures and cupules (dots and circles) are distinctive elements of this petroglyph. Herbert Kraft (1927 – 2000), Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Seton Hall University, described the glyphs as lizard-like figures or men with sexual appendages.

After some clean up, the petroglyph is strapped, lifted, and ready to be wheeled across campus.

After some clean up, the petroglyph is strapped, lifted, and ready to be wheeled across campus.

As Collections Manager, part of my job is to document any major relocation and installation of art and artifacts on campus. Record-keeping is one of the most important aspects of museum collections work; it ensures that future generations will understand the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” something was done with the collection, as well as allow us to track the condition of objects through time. The photographs included show the various stages of the move, and the finished casework in the Walsh Library.

Moving the petroglyph was done for several reasons: to make it more accessible by putting it in a space shared by all students, the Walsh Library; to update the display which had been in place for 47 years; to free up space in Fahy Hall’s lobby; and to unite the petroglyph with the rest of the Seton Hall University Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology (SHUMAA) collection, which will be moving to a newly renovated storage area in the library. Relocating the petroglyph is the first step in this multi-year process to document, catalog, photograph, and properly store the some 26,000 objects in the SHUMAA collection, mostly Native American artifacts, to meet museum standards and to make research easier and more transparent for faculty, students, and scholars alike.

The petroglyph en route to its new home in the Walsh Library.

The petroglyph en route to its new home in the Walsh Library.

The cataloging of the SHUMAA collection will expand upon work spearheaded by Professor Rhonda Quinn, Assistant Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work at Seton Hall. Through diligent work over the past few years, Dr. Quinn and her students were able to digitize a few thousand of the original paper records created by Herbert Kraft on the artifacts into a museum collections database. Taking over these tasks as Collections Manager, I will continue the process of rediscovery of the significant and culturally invaluable artifacts in the SHUMAA collection. In addition to the petroglyph, the collection is comprised of several thousand lithic materials (stone tools and chipped stone artifacts), pottery sherds, moccasins, a headdress, textiles, clothing, woven baskets, clay pots, jewelry, and many other artifacts.

The move of the petroglyph itself required a team of art handlers, specialized equipment, and a few months of planning between several departments on campus. Walsh Library and Gallery staff met with art handlers to plan the move, Facilities Engineering to make sure that the proposed space in the library met ADA requirements for accessibility, and a structural engineer to ensure that the building could bear the weight of a one ton rock. In addition, the South Orange Fire Marshall had to inspect the space to make sure it met fire code regulations. It also meant coordinating with the Dean of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Chrysanthy Grieco, and her staff to confirm that the schedule worked with both Fahy Hall and the Walsh Library.

The petroglyph in its new display, outside the Dean's Suite in Walsh Library.

The petroglyph in its new display, outside the Dean’s Suite in Walsh Library.

Now that the Jennings Petroglyph is in its new home, we welcome you to come visit and form your own ideas about the meaning behind these enigmatic, sacred carvings.

For further reading on petroglyphs, see the Pennsylvania Museum and Historical Commission website: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/petroglyphs/3892.

 

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Graduate Student Lounge

The Curriculum Resource Center will become the Graduate Student Lounge space Monday – Thursday, 4:30PM-7:30PM for the first 11 weeks of the semester.  Aside from 2 hard-wired Mac computers, a digital projector and monitor, whiteboard and flexible group seating, the room will be staffed by trained graduate students who can provide basic information regarding resources on campus such as the ID process, course registration, parking, career services, PirateNet, IRB documents, and classroom locations.  In addition, ‘guest’  presenters from various areas, such as financial aid and library services, may participate at key points in the semester when those services are most needed.  And of course the Library is always staffed with Reference librarians, technology help, and specialized information consultation services which can be scheduled.  This space provides support for the range of needs and issues that graduate students face:  quiet space, group study space, research support, IT support, presentation practice/equipment, and an opportunity to connect with other graduate students.

Curriculum Resource Center / Graduate Student Lounge

Curriculum Resource Center / Graduate Student Lounge

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Announcing a new platform for AnthroSource

The American Anthropological Association (AAA) has launched a platform for its flagship database, AnthroSource.

AnthroSource is the premier online portal serving the research, teaching and practicing needs of anthropologists, offering access to more than 100 years of anthropological knowledge. AnthroSource provides current content from  32 anthropological publications,  including journals, books, monographs, bulletins and newsletters.

You can access it here, from the database list for Anthropology or from the recently updated Anthropology Libguide

Here is the announcement from AAA:

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American Chemical Society Legacy Archives

University Libraries would like to thank the Provost’s Office for their generosity in acquiring the American Chemical Society (ACS) Legacy Archives.

The archive provides full-text searching and instant access to ACS journal content from their first volumes in 1879 to 1995.  Adding the archive to our ongoing ACS Web Editions package, we now have continuous coverage from 1879 to the present.

Check here for details of the collection.

 

 

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Petersheim Academic Exposition April 20-25

There will be events all over campus focusing on student research and the theme of “Share, Honor, Unite”.  Check out the Petersheim website and the schedule of events

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Cabell’s Directory of Publishing Opportunities

The University Libraries has initiated a one-year trial a subscription to April 1, 2016 to Cabell’s directories which help professors, graduate students and researchers publish their manuscripts in academic journals.  Cabell’s database is useful to determine journal acceptance rates, type of manuscript reviews, time lapse between acceptance and publication, a journal influence rating, search by topical areas, manuscript guidelines and more.  Some of this information is accessible at journal publishers’websites.  Cabell’s provides a convenient source and multiple search criteria.

Directory categories include:

Business Directories
Accounting
Economics & Finance
Management
Marketing

Educational Directories
Educational Curriculum & Methods
Educational Psychology & Administration
Educational Technology & Library Science

Psychology
Psychology & Psychiatry

Computer Science
Computer Science – Business Information Systems
Health Administration
Nursing

For more information, please contact a subject librarian that matches Cabell’s directories.

Submitted by Richard Stern 

April 8, 2015

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Pilot Policy starting Sunday, April 19 Group Study Rooms: 8-hr Time Limit During Finals

Pilot Policy starting Sunday, April 19  Group Study Rooms:  8-hr Time Limit During Finals Group Study Room Pilot Project

To the Setonian:  Library Pilot for Spring ’15:  Time Limits on Group Study Rooms During the 24/7 Period

We have had many complaints from students about Group Study Rooms being monopolized during Finals for 24, 36 or even 48 hours straight.  We are aware that some students did not want these kinds of rules, but we are receiving more and more complaints each semester.  So we are piloting this policy for this semester to try and set time limits on the use of Group Study Rooms during Finals, with fines in place for going over time.  This pilot of a new policy would ensure a turnover of the rooms so that more students have access to them, and we want to try it this semester.   We put a survey explaining/asking about this on the Libraries’ website for over a week before Spring Break, and we had around 300 responses:  roughly 55% supported the idea and 45% didn’t support it.  However, some of the angriest comments were from the “no” group, and we’ve adjusted the time periods and fines in response to those comments.   We’re now reaching out to the Setonian to let the students know the pilot policy:

Two students must present their IDs to obtain a room key, which will have two barcodes (one to link to each ID – that way the time keeping is very easy) to check out the key to both of them.  There will be a 8-hour time limit on use of the room during Finals.  After 8 hours, both students must return the key, or each will be required to pay a fine of $3.00 per ¼ hour (15 minutes).  There will be a $3.00 fine per person per each 15 minutes late – we’ll give a small grace period of 10 minutes if it is turned in a little late.  (We’ll also give them a note saying what time the keys are due back when they check the key out, and that there are no renewals unless no one is on the waiting list for the room.)  In this way, the room can be freed up for the next group of students who requested it, and more students will have access to the Group Study Rooms during a period of very high demand and heavy use.  The next group will have no more than 8 hours to use it.  A simple sign-up sheet will be used to reserve the next available room:  students must show their SHU IDs and then can provide us with two phone numbers to text, or two e-mails to notify them of room availability.  If they don’t show up to claim their room in 15 minutes, it will go to the next two people who signed up.

Please note that our goal is not to collect more fine monies.  The goal is to distribute the rooms more widely for more students to use them during finals.  We begin staying open 24/7 on April 19th – we wanted to reach out to the Setonian to inform students, but we’ll also put a couple of posters up in the entrance to the Library at the end of this week, a notice on our website, and the same information on our flat screen with our hours in the main reading room.  Students will have plenty of notification that we’re piloting this policy – and that, by a 10 point margin in the survey they voted for it!  There is one more piece of good news:  we are making three more Group Study Rooms available in time for Finals – that’s six more rooms given over to the students in the last 2.5 years.

 

 

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SCOPUS LUNCH & LEARN

SHU now subscribes to SCOPUS, the largest abstract and indexing database of peer-reviewed literature featuring smart tools to track, analyze and visualize research.

Come and join us for a live demonstration of SCOPUS and Q & A session on FRIDAY MARCH 6TH, 2015 in the Beck Rooms

Bring your laptop so that you can try SCOPUS features for yourself and see what it can do for your research needs. There will be 2 sessions, so please sign up for one or both and enjoy A DELICIOUS LUNCH and great conversation between sessions.

  1. Session I:   11.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.
  2. Session II: 1.00 – 2.00 p.m.

All SHU Faculty, Administrators and Graduate students are cordially invited to attend.

Please RSVP to Lisa Rose-Wiles, Lisa.Rose-Wiles@shu.edu

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New Databases for Spring

Enhance your research this semester with the following new databases:

Early American Newspapers, Series I (1690-1876)
First World War: Personal Experiences
IOP Science
Jewish Life in America, c1654-1954
JSTOR / Religion & Theology
Medieval and Early Modern Sources Online (MEMSO)
Scopus
Statistical Abstracts

Visit us at http://library.shu.edu/databases.

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