
Library Faculty/Staff Book Gallery
This is a collection of books written by faculty and staff in the Rod Library.
To see books written by all UNI faculty and staff, click here.
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Loremasters and Libraries in Fantasy and Science Fiction: A Gedenkschrift for David Oberhelman
Jason Fisher and Janet Brennan Croft
David Dean Oberhelman (1965-2018) was a librarian and scholar with wide-ranging research interests, who had a long association with the Mythopoeic Society. He was an enthusiastic supporter of other scholars, a gifted editor, and an outstanding teacher. The core concept of this collection developed from panel discussions in which David drew together a group of fantasy, science fiction, and comics scholars to discuss libraries, librarians, archives, research, writing, and related topics as depicted in these genres. In this collection, his friends and colleagues explore the enduring importance of the historical record in its many forms, the concept of writing as a creative gateway to other worlds, the otherworldly geometries of the interconnectedness of information represented as what Terry Pratchett called “L-space,” and the depiction of learning and scholarship in invented worlds. There is something recursively satisfying in books about books, research about research, writing about writing, the librarianship section in a library. -- Provided by the publisher
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Divining Tarot: Papers on Charles Williams's The Greater Trumps and Other Works
Janet Croft, Emily E. Auger, and Nancy-Lou Patterson
Nancy-Lou Patterson taught at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, from 1962 until she retired in 1992. The University of Waterloo named her a Distinguished Professor Emerita and Wilfrid Laurier University awarded her an honorary doctor of letters. Patterson taught art history and was an active artist, poet, and fiction writer. She was also an enthusiastic conference participant and scholar, who published extensively on her favorite research subject, the Inklings, including Charles Williams. Many of Patterson's papers about Williams are gathered here in Divining Tarot.
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"Something Has Gone Crack": New Perspectives on J. R. R. Tolkien in the Great War
Janet Croft and Annika Röttinger
"Something has gone crack," Tolkien wrote about the first death among his tight-knit fellowship of friends in 1916, and the impact of the war haunted his writing for the rest of his life. In Tolkien's body of work, the Great War serves as a source of imagery, motifs, and examples of military operations and strategy; of central themes about conflict, comradeship, duty, and the destruction of the environment; and of personal trauma which he worked out in meaningful symbolic form throughout his life. In this volume, we collect a variety of perspectives on the war's impact on Tolkien's writing, building upon earlier work in this area by filling in gaps in the scholarship and incorporating new material. We trace major themes in Tolkien's legendarium that had their roots in, or were heavily influenced by, his war experiences. It is essential to any study of the Great War not to assume that only the most frequently heard voices are important; the experiences and viewpoints of participants outside of the mainstream are also necessary to give us a full picture of the impact of war, and were not neglected by Tolkien. We therefore also explore issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality. At this point in the study of J.R.R. Tolkien's life and works, the centrally important topic of his Great War experience is by no means exhausted. Our hope is that this collection is not the last word on the topic, but instead sparks new ideas and future scholarship.
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Improving Library Services in Support of International Student and English as a Second Language Learners
Leila J. Rod-Welch
International students in the United States contribute to the diversity of university campuses, classrooms, and our communities. These students bring new ways of thinking, help to foster academic competition, and enrich the cultural diversity of campuses and the common understanding and appreciation of differences around the world. At the same time, international students encounter many difficulties and obstacles during their collegiate studies, such as cultural shock, the social isolation of being away from family and friends, being homesick, finding employment and balancing work, financial struggles, different spiritual beliefs, unfamiliar living settings and food options, different learning styles and educational systems, language barriers, and cultural differences. -- Provided by the publisher
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Detecting Wimsey: Papers on Dorothy L. Sayers's Detective Fiction
Janet Croft, Emily E. Auger, and Nancy-Lou Patterson
Papers by Nancy-Lou Patterson on Dorothy L. Sayers
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Ransoming the Waste Land: Papers on C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy, Chronicles of Narnia, and Other Works Volume I
Janet Croft, Emily E. Auger, and Nancy-Lou Patterson
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Ransoming the Waste Land: Papers on C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy, Chronicles of Narnia, and Other Works Volume II
Janet Croft, Emily E. Auger, and Nancy-Lou Patterson
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RDA, Resource Description & Access and Cartographic Resources
Paige G. Andrew, Susan M. Moore, and Mary Lynette Larsgaard
As the cataloging universe moves ever deeper into the era of RDA: Resource Description and Access, specialist catalogers need information on managing the materials in their areas of responsibility. In this manual, three expert catalogers offer a summary and overview of how to catalog cartographic resources using the new standard. Through abundant examples and sample records to illustrate the work, the authors Take a close look at what remains familiar from AACR2, and what is new and different in RDA Offer guidance for creating authorized geographic subject headings using Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Resources (FRBR) and Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD) Present a detailed examination of geographic subject headings and subdivisions Designed for both practicing map catalogers and catalogers new to cartographic resources, this volume will be a one-stop resource for all catalogers of cartographic materials looking to understand the differences between cataloging using AACR2 and cataloging using RDA. -- Provided by publisher
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Baptism of Fire: The Birth of the Modern British Fantastic in World War I
Janet Croft
World War I has been called “the poets’ war,” as it was characterized by a massive outpouring of works of literature during and after the war. Much of this literary harvest, as Paul Fussell brilliantly demonstrated in The Great War and Modern Memory, hinged on an ironic response to the deadly absurdities of World War I. Yet, Fussell also acknowledges that fantasy could be a legitimate literary response to the war, a way of transforming the horrible experiences of the war into something more bearable, applicable, and relevant; into myth and “Escape” in the sense that Tolkien used the term in “On Fairy-stories”. This present volume sprang from a desire to examine selected examples of the fantastic response to World War I among British authors. The contents comprise a mix of five classic articles from the pages of Mythlore and twelve new essays. The first half of the book considers the Inklings, the Oxford literary group centered on J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, while the second half deals with other authors.
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Perilous and Fair: Women in the Works and Life of J. R. R. Tolkien
Janet Croft and Leslie A. Donovan
Since the earliest scholarship on The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, critics have discussed how the works of J. R. R. Tolkien seem either to ignore women or to place them on unattainable pedestals. To remedy such claims that Tolkien’s fiction has nothing useful or modern to say about women, Perilous and Fair focuses critical attention on views that interpret women in Tolkien’s works and life as enacting essential, rather than merely supportive roles. Perilous and Fair includes seven classic articles as well as seven new examinations of women in Tolkien’s works and life. These fourteen articles bring together perspectives not only on Tolkien’s most commonly discussed female characters-- Éowyn, Galadriel, and Lúthien—but also on less studied figures such as Nienna, Yavanna, Shelob, and Arwen. Among others, the collection features such diverse critical approaches and methods as literary source study, historical context, feminist theory, biographical investigation, close-reading textual analysis, Jungian archetypes, and fanfiction reader-response.
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Tolkien in the New Century: Essays in Honor of Tom Shippey
Janet Croft, John William Houghton, Nancy Martsch, John D. Rateliff, and Robin Anne Reid
Widely considered one of the leading experts on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Thomas Alan Shippey has informed and enlightened a generation of Tolkien scholars and fans. In this collection, friends and colleagues honor Shippey with 15 essays that reflect their mentor's research interests, methods of literary criticism and attention to Tolkien's shorter works. In a wide-ranging consideration of Tolkien's oeuvre, the contributors explore the influence of 19th and 20th century book illustrations on Tolkien's work; utopia and fantasy in Tolkien's Middle-earth; the Silmarils, the Arkenstone, and the One Ring as thematic vehicles; the pattern of decline in Middle-earth as reflected in the diminishing power of language; Tolkien's interest in medieval genres; the heroism of secondary characters; and numerous other topics. Also included are brief memoirs by Shippey's colleagues and friends in academia and fandom and a bibliography of Shippey's work.
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Lois McMaster Bujold: Essays on a Modern Master of Science Fiction and Fantasy
Janet Croft
Lois McMaster Bujold has won a shelf full of awards--Hugos, Nebulas, and others--for both her science fiction and fantasy writing. She is one of the most respected names in the field, always delivering polished, thoughtful, and well-crafted writing. She consistently addresses great issues and problems on a human level, where they are faced by quirky, prickly, and very real characters, and her exploration of the theory of reader-response is an important critical contribution. Yet there has been a surprising dearth of serious critical writing about her output--in part because she resists neat and easy classification by genre, politics, or subject matter. This collection of fresh essays aims to correct that situation by presenting critical insights into many aspects of her writing. Attention is given to both her Miles Vorkosigan science fiction series and her Chalion and Sharing Knife fantasy series, as well as the books that fall outside these series.
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Information Literacy Instruction Handbook
Christopher N. Cox and Elizabeth Blakesley Lindsay
Information Literacy Instruction Handbook is designed primarily for librarians new to teaching or management of information literacy instruction. In addition, it serves as a one-stop refresher source on key topics for more experienced librarians. The approach is practical, with an emphasis on up to date situations and approaches. It contains concise and practical chapters, written by experienced information literacy instruction librarians, providing the basics but with references to other key sources for those who would like to explore topics further. -- Provided by publisher
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Federated Searching: Solution or Setback?
Christopher N. Cox
Understand federated searching implementation better—and what works best in your library Federated Search: Solution or Setback for Online Library Services is a comprehensive guide to choosing, implementing, testing, teaching, and marketing federated search products in libraries. Experts in the field and librarians across the United States provide firsthand information on using federated search engines in different types of libraries (small, academic, and consortia), integrating search engines into library Web sites, homegrown upgrades, bidding on a product, other uses for software, and the future of federated searching. Federated Search: Solution or Setback for Online Library Services explains what factors come into play when choosing which federated search engine is appropriate for a library. This helpful resource discusses how to go out to bid for a product and provides a variety of case examples that illustrate implementation in libraries of different sizes. The book also includes information of what happened once federated search was implemented on various campuses, such as usability studies, teaching issues, getting buy-on from librarians, and marketing to students. -- Provided by publisher
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Tolkien and Shakespeare: Essays on Shared Themes and Language
Janet Croft
Tolkien and Shakespeare: These essays focus on the broad themes and motifs which concerned both authors. They seek to uncover Shakespeare's influence on Tolkien through echoes of the playwright's themes and even word choices, discovering how Tolkien used, revised, updated, "corrected," and otherwise held an ongoing dialogue with Shakespeare's works.
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Legal Solutions in Electronic Reserves and the Electronic Delivery of Interlibrary Loan
Janet Croft
Avoid legal consequences in your library by knowing copyright law! Legal Solutions in Electronic Reserves and the Electronic Delivery of Interlibrary Loan guides you through the process of developing policies to protect you, your library, and your patrons. The book examines the philosophy and regulations behind the laws and guidelines that apply directly to library services, allowing library staff and administration to better understand why these rules are needed. This vital resource offers suggestions and advice to ensure your library can offer the best services to your patrons while staying within the boundaries of the law.
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Tolkien on Film: Essays on Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings
Janet Croft
This collection of essays addresses various aspects of Peter Jackson's film adaptations of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings including scriptwriting and the creative process, the place of the films in cinematic history, gender roles in the films and the books, wisdom and councils, hobbits and heroism, fan culture and fanfic, the use of Tolkien's languages in the films, and other issues.
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University of Northern Iowa, from the College History Series
Gerald L. Peterson
The University of Northern Iowa has evolved from its humble beginnings in 1876 as a normal school with 27 students to a thriving educational community with a student body of over 13,000. But as this pictorial history vividly depicts, its founding principles have remained the same: a commitment to high-quality education, an impressive teaching staff, and eager students with a desire to learn. Originally established in a former home for the orphans of Iowa's Civil War veterans, the University of Northern Iowa has matured from a small teacher's college to the university which is internationally known today. Inspired leadership from university presidents helped bridge this transition, and to give guidance to an institution deeply affected by the Great Depression, emerging only to face new challenges brought on by World War II. WAVES and US Army Air Corps personnel trained here, and GIs were educated upon their return from service. Civil Rights, the anti-war movement, and the technology revolution all helped shape the university into the excellent institution it is today. -- Provided by publisher