Ready for another dive into a super cool database you didn’t know you needed? Welcome to the Nineteenth Century Collections Online! As the name implies, this database is focused on primary source documents from the 1800’s, including diaries, letters, military orders, church records, newspapers, and more, all on a variety of hot topics from the era.

Are you a true crime fan interested in learning more about Jack the Ripper? Take a look at The Whitechapel Murders Papers. This collection contains numerous letters to the editor, from concerned citizens in London and throughout England. Here is one letter, from someone named W. Harrison, who claims to have seen on of the murders in their dream. They said they saw two men “of medium height, slim figures and respectably dressed” in their dream, and want detectives to investigate. At that point in time, were the police desperate enough to listen to the dreams on random citizens? You’ll have to read these letters for yourself to find out.

What about those of you studying to be actors, or just particularly enjoy theater history? You’d probably enjoy looking through the British Playbills, 1780-1861 collection. The Drury Lane Theater (which still exists by the way), performed several Shakespeare plays in 1826 and 1827, including Othello, The Merry Wives of Windsor, King Richard III, King Lear, the Merchant of Venice, and Macbeth. Drury Lane was not the only theater company performing Shakespeare either. The Covent Garden Theater spent their 1830/1831 season performing Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, and Henry VIII (advertised here as King Henry VIII).

Perhaps you are a history buff instead? There are several collections relating to the various U.S. Consulates across eastern Asia, including the consul in Bangkok, Siam (now Thailand), the consul in Batavia, Java, Netherlands East Indies (now Jakarta, Java, Indonesia), the consul in Chinkiang, China (now Zhenjiang), the consul in Hong Kong, the consul in Iloilo, Philippines, the consul in Nagasaki, Japan, and more. Each of these collections include letters to military leaders, diplomats in both Asia and America, and even treaties signed between the United States and the various counties seen here.

Utagawa, Sadahide. An American Mercentile Building in Yokohama (Yokohama ijin shokan no zu). 1861, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago.

If you have any interest in learning more about the nineteenth century, the Nineteenth Century Collections Database is a great place to finds some stunning primary source documents. Take some time looking around, and don’t forget, if you every need research help, or help navigating any databases, feel free to call, text, chat, or swing by the Reference Desk and we are more then happy to assist!

Happy reading!

Daylight Savings is upon us once again, but have you ever put more thought into the event beyond remembering which way to change your clock? If not, you really should. Daylight Savings has plenty of effects on the world from finance, to medical care, to traffic safety. If you’re interested in learning more, take a look at some of these books and articles, and remember to move your clocks back an hour in fall.

Saving the Daylight: Why We Put the Clocks Forward by David Prerau

Why Should We Abolish Daylight Saving Time? by Till Roenneberg, Anna Wirz-Justice, Debra J. Skene, et. al.

Sleepy Punishers Are Harsh Punishers: Daylight Saving Time and Legal Sentences by Kyougmin Cho, Christopher M. Barnes, and Christiano L Guanara

Losing Sleep at the Market: The Daylight Saving Anomaly by Mark J. Kamstra, Lisa A. Kramer and Maurice D. Levi

Daylight Saving Time and Artificial Time Zones – A Battle Between Biological and Social Times by Till Roenneberg, Eva C. Winnebeck, and Elizabeth B. Klerman

Does Daylight Saving Save Electricity? A Meta-Analysis by Tomas Havranek,  Dominik Herman, and Zuzana Irsova

Sleep, Health, and Human Capital: Evidence from Daylight Saving Time by Lawrence Jin and Nicolas R. Ziebarth

Halloween, the spookiest time of year, is eclipsed only by the scare you get when you realize it’s 10pm on a Sunday night and you have an 8 page paper due at midnight. But don’t worry, the library has a secret that might just help you in your hour of need. We have over 250 guides that cover a wide variety of topics that can help you get started!

There are general guides that cover research like Business and Nursing, but there are also guides that cover specific topics in depth, like Scholarly vs Popular Sources, Filipino History Month, Citing Sources, and more. Some classes, like JUST 110, BIOL 108, and ART 492 get guides written just for their class. Archives and Special Collections also publish guides to their materials so if you ever wanted to do research on Alaska during the Cold War Era, Fur Rondy, or the construction of the Alaska Highway, they have you covered.

Each guide is separated into several sections, including where to start when you begin research, where to go once you have the basics, additional resources, and related guides that can help you build out your research. Additionally, if you ever get stuck, every guide has links to connect you to a Reference librarian, whether by phone, text, chat, or email.  You could even schedule an individual appointment with a librarian.

If you are ever stuck and you just don’t know where to begin, take a look at all one of our guides or give us a call. We are always ready to help you tackle the scariest of assignments and get you started down the right path!

Have you ever finished reading a book that was so good you just couldn’t put it down? But then the book ended and the sequel wasn’t being published for another few months? What do you do in the meantime, just stop reading? No! You try to find another great book to read, and NoveList can help you find that next great read!

At its core, NoveList can recommend you a book based on another book or author you type into the search bar. It breaks books down into various genres, themes, and ideas and helps you find something similar. Take for example a book I just finished, The Time It Never Rained, by Elmer Kelton about a cattle rancher in 1919, faced with losing his farm, land, and cattle due to a 6-year drought.

As you can see on the side, NoveList already has a list of titles it thinks I’ll enjoy next, including The Range War of 82′, and Rio Tinto. However, if I scroll down the page just a bit, I can search again using some key terms that identify specific thinks about the novel I liked. Selecting the key words and searching again gives me even more titles to enjoy!

Keep refining your search with the tools available to find the perfect book for you! If we don’t have a copy available at the UAA/APU Consortium Library, make sure to place a hold on the book. Your library card can get you books from other libraries across the state, so no need to miss out on your next favorite book!

Happy reading!

Welcome to the fall semester!  We have good news: The Information and Research Help Desk is open for in-person service this semester. The librarians are available for helping you with your research and book/resource-finding needs.

Studying from home? You have options. The Virtual Research Desk is still alive and well! You can chat in real-time with librarians on the Ask Us page by clicking the green “Chat is Online” button. If you already started your search in the Quicksearch box, click the blue “Ask us! tab on the side of your screen to begin a chat session. You can also call at 786-1848 and email us using this form. If you have a particularly gnarly question, we can even Zoom with you!

For fall 2021, the In-person and Virtual Reference Desk will be available 9 am – 8 pm Monday-Thursday, 9 am – 5 pm Friday, and 1 pm – 6 pm Saturday-Sunday.

Need even more options to get help? Lucky for you, librarians are also available by appointment!

If you have a pretty specialized question in your field of study, we have specific librarians whose skills are best suited to particular subjects. You can find the list of subject librarians and which majors they serve here. You can book an appointment with a specific librarian by clicking on their name and following the prompts.

Have a great fall semester!