Tuesday, November 19, 2024

USD Libraries Celebrate One-Year Anniversary of Partnership with the Civil War & Reconstruction Governors of Mississippi Project


 Funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), CWRGM is an ambitious undertaking that provides insights into the diverse experiences of Americans during one of the most transformative periods in the nation’s history.

 The University of South Dakota Libraries are celebrating the one-year anniversary of their partnership with the Civil War & Reconstruction Governors of Mississippi (CWRGM).

CWRGM aims to make a collection of over 20,000 documents, spanning from 1859 to 1882, freely available online at cwrgm.org.

Comprised of handwritten letters by people of all backgrounds, including freed people and women, that were sent to the governors of Mississippi during the Civil War and Reconstruction, CWRGM is a robust repository of digitized archival documents with metadata, transcriptions, subject tags, annotations, educational resources, datasets and more.

Under the co-direction of Lindsey R. Peterson, Ph.D., digital humanities assistant professor of practice at USD, and Susannah J. Ural, Ph.D., of Mississippi State University, CWRGM has employed and trained two interns and nine undergraduate and graduate students over the past year, providing students with hands-on education and experience in digital archiving.

"Working with CWRGM has been immensely rewarding. It has significantly improved my teamwork and problem-solving skills, while providing a valuable opportunity to gain hands-on experience as a historian," said senior English and history major Blake Pottebaum.

The student research team plays an integral role in the project’s transcription, tagging and annotation efforts. Additionally, the program recently sponsored USD graduate student Mariah Cosens’ attendance at the Digital Humanities Summer Institute in Victoria, British Columbia.

“This real-world training immerses students in the field of documentary editing and equips them with skills for rewarding careers in the humanities,” remarks Peterson.

Through CWRGM’s involvement in several pilot programs, these student researchers are also at the forefront of artificial intelligence and data sciences in cultural heritage research.

"I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with CWRGM,” said senior history major Emily Williams. “This role has taught me skills in transcription and editing historical documents, all while receiving guidance from dedicated people who are committed to my learning by providing me with space to make mistakes, grow, and learn."

Joining a pilot program with CWRGM’s partner, FromThePage, they provide feedback on AI-generated transcriptions, enhancing the accuracy and utility of these tools.

Alongside their work with FromThePage, Peterson and the University Libraries were recently awarded a two-year Digital Humanities Advancement Grant from the NEH, which will fund a USD graduate student to evaluate and refine AI-generated subject tags, further advancing the intersection of digital technology and historical scholarship.

Over the past year, CWRGM has enriched education and workforce preparation not only at USD but also at the K-12 level across the region and nation.

In the last year alone, the project worked with over 250 middle and high school students from South Dakota and Iowa and over 120 students in the New York Historical Society’s Student Historian Internship program.

With ongoing funding from the NHPRC, the University Libraries look forward to continuing this meaningful collaboration, bringing the nation’s Civil War and Reconstruction history to life, fostering greater public engagement with the humanities, supporting scholarly research and offering professional development and training for university students.

Originally posted at https://yote.us/4eA3Gld
 

Monday, November 18, 2024

Library Hours Thanksgiving

 Library Hours Thanksgiving

Nov 26-27 7:30 am - 5 pm
Nov 28-30 Closed
Dec 1 Noon-10pm

RED Readership October 2024

In October, USD RED had 12291 full-text downloads and 877 new submissions were posted, bringing the total works in the repository to 2774. University of South Dakota scholarship was read by 1167 institutions across 139 countries. 


The most popular papers were:
A Criminological Analysis of Notorious Serial Killers in the United States (1223 downloads)
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis/156

Application of Leininger’s Culture Care Theory in Family Medical History (493 downloads)
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis/43

The Parentification of Eldest Daughters (270 downloads)
https://red.library.usd.edu/diss-thesis/244


The most popular publications were:
Honors Thesis (6686 downloads)
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis
Dissertations and Theses (2352 downloads)
https://red.library.usd.edu/diss-thesis
South Dakota Law Review (1302 downloads)
https://red.library.usd.edu/sdlrev


Monday, October 28, 2024

New Database - Daniels' Orchestral Music Online

The University Libraries has recently purchased Daniels' Orchestral Music Online.  This resource is a unique orchestral music finder tool and an invaluable resource for orchestral librarians, libraries, planners, musicologists, conductors, and artistic directors.

https://usd.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://daniels-orchestral.com/

You can browse the classical repertoire from Karl Friedrich Abel to Ellen Taffee Zwilich and find basic information on composers and instrumentation plus inspiration for advanced programming.

Orchestral Music Online provides:


  • Access to information on more than 19,800 works by more than 3,300 composers
  • Quick search by composer, title, or keyword
  • Advanced search by duration, instrumentation, chorus type, and soloists
  • Ability to cut and paste data into rehearsal schedules and other documents to save time and to eliminate transcription errors.
  • Links from individual works to music publishers and other sources
  • Links to online perusals scores, program notes, recordings etc.
Orchestral Music Online is based on David Daniels’ reference work Orchestral Music: A handbook, published by Rowman & Littlefield. Purchase your very own copy of Orchestral Music and other great musical finders here.

Orchestral Music Online is used by more than 300 music libraries, orchestras, students and conductors in America, Europe and Asia and is a great addition to both ASIMUT and OPAS software.

Library Hours - Veterans Day

Veterans Day Hours

November 9-10 Noon-5pm
Veterans Day November 11 Noon - 10 pm

Friday, October 18, 2024

USD Student Access Organization to Host Inaugural Accessibility Day

 The University of South Dakota’s Student Access Organization will host campus and community partners for the inaugural Accessibility Day in the Muenster University Center (MUC) on Oct. 22.

 Accessibility Day is dedicated to raising awareness among students and faculty of the resources that are available for enhancing digital accessibility across campus. The event will take place in the MUC Pit Lounge and main corridor on Oct. 22 from 3-5 p.m.

The event will include various demonstrations of digital accessibility technologies and methods from departments and groups within USD as well as organizations coming from off-campus.

Campus partners and presenters include USD’s Office of Accessibility, the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, the Center for Disabilities, the Student Government Association, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Opportunity Center and the Campus Activities Board.

In addition to the on-campus partners, DakotaLink of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and South Dakota Vocational Rehabilitation of Yankton, South Dakota, and the South Dakota Department of Human Services will be joining to enhance the educational opportunities.

By engaging with the various organizations and demonstrations, individuals attending the event will enjoy grab-and-go snacks and earn chances to take home prizes ranging from fidget toys to bebe sunglasses.

“USD Student Access is the first organization on campus that supports and advocates for students with disabilities,” said Olivia Allen, current president and co-founder. “Through this event, the group aims to promote awareness and understanding of students with disabilities or learning variability on campus and create a positive campus environment.”


 

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

RED Readership September 2024

In September, USD RED had 9888 full-text downloads and 38 new submissions were posted, bringing the total works in the repository to 2753. University of South Dakota scholarship was read by 887 institutions across 140 countries.

 The most popular papers were:
A Criminological Analysis of Notorious Serial Killers in the United States (816 downloads)
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis/156

Application of Leininger’s Culture Care Theory in Family Medical History (555 downloads)
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis/43

The Effect of Exercise on College Students' Overall Health (268 downloads)
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis/74


The most popular publications were:
Honors Thesis (5467 downloads)
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis

Dissertations and Theses (1805 downloads)
https://red.library.usd.edu/diss-thesis

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations (1022 downloads)
https://red.library.usd.edu/ot-capstone


Wednesday, October 9, 2024

The 50th Wacipi images are now on RED.

Images created for the 50th Annual Wacipi, 2024, at the University of South Dakota are now available on RED.  https://red.library.usd.edu/exhibit/50th-annual-wacipi/
Images were produced by Pinnacle Productions, Tea, South Dakota.




Monday, October 7, 2024

FromthePage Update - Jane Rooker Breeden Papers

Thank you to all our collaborators for helping us complete transcripts for the Jane Rooker Breeden Papers!  We had 11 collaborators who completed 455 pages in seven months!

The completed project can be found at
https://explore.digitalsd.org/digital/search/searchterm/Jane%20Rooker%20Breeden%20Papers/field/all/mode/exact/conn/and/order/title

 


 

We have more collections that need transcriptions.  You can help today!  https://fromthepage.com/usdarchives

FromThePage is a software designed for transcribing documents. The platform enables users to view an image of a page and transcribe the corresponding text.

More information https://libguides.usd.edu/fromthepage Questions? Email us at library@usd.edu
@_FromThePage_