Life Stories of Remarkable Women

March is Women’s History Month. It’s also National Reading Month! If our last post put you in the mood to read more biographies of women, the History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library’s shelves are bursting with possibilities. Discover the fascinating lives of a 1st-century C.E. Jewish ruler, a neo-Platonist mathematician, an 18th-century Italian physicist, a 19th-century samurai grandmother, a dozen under-appreciated British philosophers, a Mexican independence fighter, a Sufi spy in Nazi-occupied Paris, an agnostic French Jew who became a Christian mystic, a Zimbabwean painter, a Black Canadian science fiction writer, and many, many more.

Here are a few recent biographies that jumped out at me: Continue reading “Life Stories of Remarkable Women”

Not the Camilla You Think It Is…

 

I had a tough time selecting a book to read and review for this blog this time. I didn’t know anything about the League of Nations or Woodrow Wilson, nor did I really care to learn the ins and outs of the gubernatorial races in mid-twentieth century Louisianan politics enough to continue reading the two books I started on those topics, so I turned on the TV and looked for a distraction. Continue reading “Not the Camilla You Think It Is…”

A Foucaldian February

If on these wintery rainy days of February, the structures of power are getting you down, consider coming to the History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library and having a Foucaldian February. The library has a great many books by Foucault, about Foucault, about his writings, and generally inspired by Foucault, which will hold you in good stead until the last day of February (The 29th this year!) and even through to the next leap year (and well beyond.) 

Continue reading “A Foucaldian February”

Testing Digital Humanities Tools for Research

No doubt if you are in academia right now–or even outside of academia you might’ve heard a bit about digital humanities. While researching end-of-semester papers, I thought I would test out a few DH tools for research that have been recommended to me and see how well they work for my subject matter. I’ll be testing JSTOR’s Text Analyzer and Connected Papers. Continue reading “Testing Digital Humanities Tools for Research”

Are you a taphophile? Check out this book review and reading list about American cemeteries

Introduction

Are you a “taphophile” or “tombstone tourist” or just want a book about cemeteries to read as we get closer to Halloween? If so, check out this book review and book list about American cemeteries!

taphophile. Noun. (plural taphophiles) A person who is interested in cemeteries, funerals and gravestones.” Continue reading “Are you a taphophile? Check out this book review and reading list about American cemeteries”

Trial Databases April/May 2023

Trial Databases 

The History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library has two new trial databases, Black South African Magazines and Bibliography of Indigenous People in North America. Check out the descriptions below! 

Enjoying these databases? Let us know at hpnl@library.illinois.edu 

Africa Commons: Black South African Magazines  

Trial available through April 30, 2023. Continue reading “Trial Databases April/May 2023”

WAND TV Reported on HPNL’s “Blaxtravaganza”

WAND TV released a news report about HPNL’s “Blaxtravaganza” event taking place March 2-8th.

URBANA, Ill (WAND) – The History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library at the University of Illinois will host a Blaxtravaganza which will highlight the talents of faculty members.

Event organizer Courtney Becks says the goal is to highlight research, creativity, and brilliance. Continue reading “WAND TV Reported on HPNL’s “Blaxtravaganza””

New Library Catalog debuts June 24, 2020

In late June, the University Library will introduce its new catalog, Primo. The Primo Catalog is the search interface of a state-of-the-art library management system called Ex Libris Alma. The Alma/Primo system was designed to provide better access to, and management of, 21st-century library collections. It has been adopted by a number of research libraries including Harvard and Northwestern.

Continue reading “New Library Catalog debuts June 24, 2020”