Applause!

A Newsletter Applauding Recent LSU Libraries Faculty Accomplishments

Issue no. 14.

May 19, 2009

Stephen Benseman

Bensman, Stephen J., and Leydesdorff, Loet. “Definition and Identification of Journals as Bibliographic and Subject Entities: Librarianship versus ISI Journal Citation Reports Methods and Their Effect on Citation Measures.” Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 60 (June 2009): 1097-1117.

Jennifer Cargill

Appointed to serve on the ALA Publishing Committee July 2009-June 2011.

Alexis Carrasquel

Appointed Chair for the Archives Committee of the Patent and Trademark Depository Library Association, This committee is also an Affiliate of ALA.

Sigrid Kelsey

Awarded the first annual ACRL-LA Scholar Librarian of the Year award at the 2009 LLA Conference.
Kelsey and Michelle Wang (LSU, art history) were awarded a grant from the Metropolitan Center for Far Eastern Art Studies in the amount of $4990 for the purchase of Asian art history books for the Libraries

Michael Taylor

Presented a paper, "Books as Artifacts: The Library of Rosedown Plantation," at Louisiana Historical Association Annual Conference, Monroe, March 2009.

Curated a new exhibition, "Mariners, Meridians and Monsters: Exploring the History of Maps in Fact and Fiction" (March 23 - Aug 15, 2009).

Bradley Wiles

Appointed as editor for the Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association newsletter.
Appointed to the American Library Association (ALA), Society of American Archivists (SAA), and American Association of Museums (AAM) joint Committee on Libraries, Archives, and Museums (CALM).

Faculty Presentations

LSU librarians presented a panel session entitled, “Popular Culture from Purple to Gold: Sharing Cultural Curiosities from the LSU Baton Rouge Libraries’ Collections” at the Popular Culture Association /American Culture Association Annual conference on April 11, 2009, in New Orleans. Stephanie Braunstein was panel chair/facilitator. Presenters included Michael Taylor “Bismarck Bisque and Rat Pâté: The Representation of Food & Famine in Popular Prints during the Siege of Paris, 1870-71”, Alice Daugherty “Cendrillon, Petit Rouge, and Clovis Crawfish: a Cajun Twist on Folktales for Children”, Bradley Wiles “The Scribe of Royal Street: Lyle Saxon and the Re-fashioning of the Big Easy”, Mike Russo and Jan Thomas, “A Drinking Town with a Football Problem”.

EXHIBITS

“Mariners, Meridians and Monsters: Exploring the History of Maps in Fact and Fiction”

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “map?” Is it the tattered road atlas stuffed under the seat of your car, or the large wall map in your dreaded high school history class? Or perhaps romantic images of desert islands, one-legged pirates and secret hordes of buried treasure where “X” marks the spot? A new exhibition at LSU Libraries’ Special Collections explores the many different kinds of maps that have been produced from ancient times to the present. “Mariners, Meridians and Monsters: Exploring the History of Maps in Fact and Fiction,” will be on display in the upper gallery of LSU’s Hill Memorial Library beginning March 23 and running through Aug. 15. Highlights of the exhibition include Abraham Ortelius’ 1579 world atlas, Peter Heylin’s Cosmographie (1679), early maps of the Pacific and the poles, an 18th-century reproduction of the ancient Roman road map known as the Peutinger Table, archeological maps from Napoleon's expedition to Egypt and even a map for the blind. There are also sections on humorous maps, maps in fiction and mythology and bird’s-eye views. he second half of the exhibition is devoted to maps of Louisiana. Included are Louis Hennepin’s 1683 map of North America (the first to name Louisiana), important maps of the Mississippi River, an early Spanish plan of Baton Rouge, manuscript maps of local plantations, and a wide selection of other maps tracing the history of the Civil War, LSU and tourism in the Bayou State.

“A Century of Standard Oil in Baton Rouge”

This exhibition features early 20th century images from a photographic album, currently on loan to the LSU Libraries’ Special Collections from Marna and Melvin Shortess. Mrs. Shortess is the grand-daughter of J. A. Bechtold, who was an accountant with Standard Oil when the company was first chartered in East Baton Rouge Parish on April 13, 1909. Bechtold photographed a variety of subjects in 1909 and the years following: mule teams clearing the land for the plant’s construction, workers performing calisthenics, and the Stanocola baseball team and band, to name a few. Bechtold’s captivating photographs, along with supplemental material from Special Collections including items from the Louis Link Papers, highlight Standard Oil’s impact on and relationship with LSU and the larger Baton Rouge community. The exhibition runs through August 15. The exhibition was curated by Elaine Smyth, Head of Special Collections. The LSU Libraries hosted a reception honoring the Shortesses and special exhibition viewing on Sunday, May 17 at Hill Memorial Library. The event is free and open to the public.

"Louis Braille Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit"

The LSU Libraries will host the Louis Braille Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit from June 18- July 12, 2009. National Braille Press has produced a 20 panel traveling display, in print and Braille, that takes a viewer through the highlights of Braille’s life, the Braille production process, and why Braille remains important today. Complementary exhibits will be mounted in Education Resources, Government Documents, and Special Collections.