University Libraries

Want to learn more about how to use Compendex? Visit 2001C SC at 2:30pm Wednesday, February 19 for a 15min class!

This class will include an overview of Compendex.  The most comprehensive bibliographic database of scientific and technical engineering research available, covering all engineering disciplines. It includes millions of bibliographic citations and abstracts from thousands of engineering journals and conference proceedings. When combined with the Engineering Index Backfile (1884-1969), Compendex covers well over 120 years of core engineering literature. Taught by Kari Kozak (Head, Lichtenberger Engineering Library)

The NIH Public Access Policy, which ensures that all articles arising from NIH-sponsored research will be made freely available within a year after publication, is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to changes in scholarly publishing. Participants will learn more about these trends and discuss experiences with publishing.

Head Qrs. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 11th A.C.
Nashville Febry. 17th 1864
My Dear Wife

I wrote to you last night, enclosing Pass & twenty dollars, also in a letter a few days previous I enclosed an order on Wm. B. Lyon for $30. I hope they will arrive safe.

I feel very well to-night. Col. Harrison telegraphed his wife to start on Friday, so that she will be here Saturday evening [the 20th].

I am living in the expectation of getting to see you soon. All is prospering finely. We are all well.

I expect a letter to-morrow certain. I have recd. but three since you returned, & one of them was from Decatur. It is midnight. We had [Brigade] school to-night till after ten, & then I had a letter to write for Davy Jones to his little boy.¹ Enclosed you will find his Photograph. I have not been in camp since day before yesterday. Good night. May God bless you. Write often to

Your Affect. Husband
J. F. Culver

1. David Jones, a 37-year-old miner, was mustered into service on Sept. 8, 1862, as a private in Company A, 129th Illinois. Private Jones died at Chesterfield Courthouse, S.C., on March 3, 1865, of a congestive chill. Compiled Service Records of Union Soldiers, NA.

Head Quarters, 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 11th Army Corps
Nashville, Tenn., Febry. 16th 1864
My Dear Wife

Your letter of the 9th inst. was placed in my private drawer yesterday afternoon in my absence,¹ & I did not get to see it until this evening. I am very happy to hear that you are in good health, & I hope from the tenor of your letter that you are trying to enjoy yourself. Do not allow yourself to feel uneasy about the danger of my position. I do not think the danger is any greater than in the command of a Company.

Bro. Johnie [Murphy] is not “chief of artillery.” He is doing the duties of Junior 2nd Lieut, but has no commission. Should the Battery be recruited to the number entitling them to another officer, he will doubtless be commissioned.² I sent you the last letter I received from him.

Col. Harrison sent for his family to-night, so I procured a pass for you at the same time. I will send it, but ask you not to start until you hear from me. If I can raise sufficient money for instruments, I will be home, & I now think it can be done. If not, I will telegraph for you to come on. Do not say anything about my going home or your coming but get ready quietly. I feel, oh, so lonely.

Col. [Harrison] & I went to Genl. Rousseau’s to-night to get his opinion, & he said we should send for you as we will remain here for weeks yet.³ Yet all things in Army life are so uncertain that there is still a possibility of our hopes being disappointed. I feel happy in the thought of having you with me once more. If we were on the march or at the front, I could perhaps in the excitement of business overcome my feelings; but if we are compelled to lie here for weeks, it would be insufferable without you.

I sent you an order on Wm. B. Lyons a few days ago for $30, which, with what you may gather there, will bring you safely through. If I get home, I will bring you with me. What things you need, get. If you have not money enough, borrow some of Bro. Remick. I have about $100 on hand, & I will return it to him by Express. I do not like to send money in a letter.

You will conclude from the tenor of my letter that I make no allowance for your not coming. I have tried hard to give up the idea but have failed, so I have given myself up to anticipated pleasure of your Society.

I have recd. no letters since I last wrote. I sent to Sarah Williams [at New Hartford] for another dozen of your & Frankie’s pictures to be sent to you at Pontiac. Mother’s was spoiled, & some of the rest of the family did not receive theirs.

Your last letter contains much news, but I do not feel like writing about them. I do not know any very late news here. I saw Capt. Hoskins this morning. He is much better, & I think will be home on leave of absence in a few weeks. I have not seen either Chris [Yetter] or Nate [Hill] since I opened your letter, but I will convey your message to them to-morrow.

I will close. Let us pray for our success. Give my love to Mother and all the family, & Remember me kindly to all our friends. May God bless & keep you. I will not forget to pray. May your prayers in my behalf be answered.

Your Affectionate Husband
J. F. Culver

P.S. I have enclosed $20 for fear you would be short of funds.

1. Mary Culver’s letter of February 9 is missing from the Culver Collection.
2. Sergt. John Murphy was not promoted to 2d lieutenant until August 8, 1864, although he had acted in that capacity for almost one year. Adjutant General’s Report, State of Illinois, Vol. XIII, p. 653.
3. Maj. Gen. Lovell H. Rousseau commanded the District of Nashville. His protest that the dispatch of Harrison’s brigade to the front would gravely weaken the force charged with defense of the city had led to cancellation of the orders to march. O. R., Ser. I, Vol. XXXII, pt. II, p. 378.

PubMed is the National Library of Medicine’s Index to medical literature and includes over 22 million bibliographic citations in the life sciences. This one-hour session will show you how to improve your search results by using subject headings (MeSH) and advanced keyword searching techniques.

Our next session is:

Tuesday, February 18 from 9-10 am

Location: Hardin Library East Information Commons

Register here. Questions? Call us at 335-9151 or email lib-hardin@uiowa.edu.

Friday, February 14, 2014
Submitted by Brenna Campbell

As part of our normal digitization workflow, all rare materials being scanned are first assessed for condition problems by the Conservation Department. Last week, during an assessment of the McDill family papers, we ran across this mysterious folded letter.

Written on both sides were numbered sets of rhyming couplets, which seemed to have a romantic tone. By carefully unfolding the paper, we revealed the full content of the letter; it was a proposal of marriage, complete with illustrations.

While we had it open, we tried to reverse-engineer the letter, in order to make a model of our own. Many of the folds were torn, which made it more difficult to identify the original structure. With a little help from Google, we identified it as a “Victorian Puzzle Purse,” and learned that it was a popular way to fold a letter to that special someone.

If you would like to make a Victorian Puzzle Purse for your beloved, instructions can be found here: http://www.origami-resource-center.com/puzzle-purse-instructions.html

Thank you to all of you who were able to make the Studio talk this Thursday. And thank you for your wonderful and thought-provoking questions. Feel free to contact me further if you have any questions about the Fluxus West collection, the process we have attempted to digitize this collection and/or our motivations for using certain methods of digitization vs. others. We would love to hear from you.

Thank you to all of you who were able to make the Studio talk this Thursday. And thank you for your wonderful and thought-provoking questions. Feel free to contact me further if you have any questions about the Fluxus West collection, the process we have attempted to digitize this collection and/or our motivations for using certain methods of digitization vs. others. We would love to hear from you.

Scopus and Web of Sciences are multidisciplinary databases which allow users to measure scholarly impact. Scopus includes all citations that can be found in EMBASE. This hands-on session will provide help navigating these useful resources.

Topics include:

1) Locating articles for research or systematic review within Scopus or Web of Science

2) Tracking an article’s citing and cited references in each database

3) Finding journal Impact Factors using the Journal Citation Index in Web of Science

4) Determining an author’s H-index using Scopus