Special Collections Online Exhibits

Archives Month (October) has almost come and gone, but the Special Collections Department in Albertsons Library, Boise State University, has recently mounted two online exhibits highlighting primary archival sources in several of its collections:

The Gracie Pfost Gallery
http://library.boisestate.edu/Special/GraciePfost.htm features photos and campaign literature from the career of Gracie Bowers Pfost (1906-1965), the first woman elected to Congress from Idaho. The exhibit items come from a collection of memorabilia donated to Boise State University by Mrs. Pfost's sister, Pearl Mabe, in 1998.


The Sunshine Mine Disaster
http://library.boisestate.edu/Special/Sunshine.htm
was created to support Boise State University's First Year Read, in which all freshmen are assigned to read the same book. This year the book is "The Deep Dark," by Gregg Olsen, about the Sunshine Mine fire in Kellogg, Idaho, in 1972. The primary source materials in the online exhibit come from the manuscript collections of Senator Frank Church, Senator Len B. Jordan, and Governor Cecil D. Andrus.

A complete list of online exhibits mounted by Special Collections at the Boise State University Library featuring primary source documents from our collections is found at http://library.boisestate.edu/Special/Exhibits.htm .

Alan Virta, Head of Special Collections and Associate Professor

Database Highlight: An art museum in your living room

ARTstor is an online database that includes half a million images in over fifty themed collections that you can browse and search at your leisure. Not only can you view the images online, but you can save them into groups, organize them, and share them with others using ARTstor's "image groups" feature.

Did I mention that ARTstor has half a million images? Digital reproductions of works held at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian, and a long list of others. The image quality is tremendous, offering you the ability to zoom in and see the item in great detail. It's like having an art museum in your living room!

ARTstor is a database you can use for research or just for fun; either way you get easy access to amazing works of art. To get to the database, go to the library homepage, click "Online Databases," jump to "A," and scroll down to where ARTstor appears in the database listing. You can view a quick-start guide to get you rolling. Enjoy!

Reminder Contest Due Date is November 7th!!!

The due date for entries to Albertsons Library’s online media/poster contest is Nov. 7th so mark your calendars. First prize is a $300 gift certificate to the BSU Bookstore/BroncoTec. That is enough loot to put towards a decent iPod!

Please see the contest website for official entry forms and rules: http://library.boisestate.edu/staff/librarycontest.htm

International Connections Brown Bag Luncheon Seminar

Join Professor McLuskie for a brief presentation summarizing his experience with Georgian university reform in the field of communication and media studies. The presentation will stress issues and debates concerning the emerging influence of U.S. models of media education and practices, based on his 2005 Fulbright experience teaching at the Tbilisi State University journalism department and the Georgian Institute for Public Affairs graduate program in media management.

Date: Wednesday, October 24, 2007, 12:30-1:30p.m.
Location: Student Union Building, Bishop Barnwell Room.

A discussion will follow on the more general question of cultural exports of university education as a theoretical and practical issue. He will be joined for the discussion by a Georgian native living in Boise, Lika Alaverdashvili, who has experienced Georgian and American education systems.

Feel free to bring your own lunch and light refreshments will be provided. Sponsored by the Albertsons Library and BSU International Programs. For more information, call 426-3652.

Wi-Fi Security Enhancement Announced

A message from the Office of Information Technology regarding a new wi-fi authentication process:

The Office of Information Technology will be implementing a new security authentication process for all University wireless and University Housing residence networks this coming Tuesday, October 16.

This new authentication process, known as "Clean Access," ensures computers connecting to the University's wireless and University Housing residence networks meet a minimum standard of security in order to protect the integrity of the University’s networked systems, as well as provide enhanced data security and privacy to the campus community.

Computers with Microsoft Windows operating systems connecting to the University Housing residence network and the University's wireless network will be required to download and install Clean Access software to gain access to University network resources and the Internet.

More information on Clean Access software installation and authentication can be found on the Office of Information Technology’s Help Desk's website at http://helpdesk.boisestate.edu/wireless

If you have any questions or concerns about the Clean Access authentication process, University wireless or residence hall network connections and policies, please call the OIT Help Desk at 426-4357, or e-mail helpdesk@boisestate.edu

Library Staff Read from The Deep Dark

Come listen to Albertsons Library staff read from "The Deep Dark" at the main entrance of the Library October 8th and 9th.

You can also check out a copy of "The Deep Dark" at the Library, or visit this page for additional information related to the Sunshine Mine disaster.

New Wireless Restrictions

The following announcement will also impact wireless access at Albertsons Library:

Beginning Oct. 9 October 16, computers connecting to the university network in residence halls and via the campus wireless network will be required to use a security and privacy authentication process called Clean Access.

Users of a Windows operating system will be required to install Clean Access Agent software on their computers. Macintosh and Linux systems will not be required to install the Clean Access Agent software at this time. This small application will verify to the network that the user’s laptop (on wireless) or computer (in student housing) is running a current version of anti-virus and that he/she has the recommended security software updates from Microsoft.

Clean Access only identifies vulnerabilities existing on computers and recommends and instructs computer owners how to fix those vulnerabilities in order to be granted access to the university network. For more information visit helpdesk.boisestate.edu/cleanaccess.shtml.

Check this FAQ for more information and additional options for wi-fi access around campus.