The HardiBlog

With the summer season upon us, hopefully it will bring some clear skies . For those of you interested in some alternative summer night activities, our Mappa selenographica (Berlin : Simon Schropp et Soc., 1834) may be of interest to you. Measuring almost 1m in diameter, it is a detailed map of the surface of the moon by the German astronomers Beer and Mädler, and is generally accepted to be the first exact map of the moon. The detail is extraordinary. If you would like to view/ consult this item, please submit an online request or contact the staff of the Special Collections Reading Room in the Hardiman Research Building at specialcollections@nuigalway.ie and prepare to while away a couple of hours in its contemplation.

Maya Angelou died May 28th at the age of 86.  She was a great advocate of libraries and often spoke of the value of libraries and education in her life. “I always knew from that moment, from the time I found myself at home in that little segregated library in the South, all the way up until I walked up the steps of the New York City library, I always felt, in any town, if I can get to a library, I'll be okay. It really helped me as a child, and that never left me. So I have a special place for every library, in my heart of hearts.” — In "Interview: How Libraries Changed Maya Angelou's Life"

Our SFX experienced technical issues for about 60 minutes yesterday, 28/05. This was due to a global technical issue with the service providers. Once again, our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

We would like to thank everyone who visited the AWC this year and to invite all of you to fill out a survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YJYJK3T The survey is very short. We would be very grateful for your help in making the AWC a better service.   We are also hoping to run a week-long camp on grammar and composition. The camp should suit students who would like to improve their writing skills ahead of next year. Depending on student demand, the camp is likely to take place in the last week of July or first week of August. If you are interested in attending, please send an email to irina.ruppo@nuigalway.ie or fill out this form https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2YNBYNC Very best wishes The AWC Team

The 12-month trial of the online resource  British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries expires on 14 June 2014. British and Irish Women’s Letters and Diaries   includes over 100,000 pages of material assembled from numerous bibliographies and from newly conducted research. Alongside the published material are 4,000 facsimile pages of previously unpublished manuscripts. Further information on this collection is available at: http://alexanderstreet.com/products/british-and-irish-womens-letters-and-diaries Trial access is available at: http://www.library.nuigalway.ie/aboutourcollections/databases/databasetrials/databasetrialfeedback/trialfeedback-britishirishwomenswriters/ Please complete the online feedback form if this resource is of interest to you.  

Spotted on the online film archive of British Pathè recently is this gem of a film regarding the return of the historic mace and sword of Galway City. The sword and mace, both beautifully crafted by local silversmiths in the early 17th Century and early 18th Century respectively, with the great mace being presented to the town of Galway by Edward Eyre, Mayor of Galway, in 1712. When Galway Corporation was dissolved in 1841, and as the Pathè film recounts, the then Mayor of Galway was owed considerable salary in arrears and he was given the two insignia." The items were later sold to an art dealer by the daughter of the Mayor and the mace and sword were eventually bought by American newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hurst. The mother of Hurst, Phoebe Elizabeth Hurst, neè Anderson, was of Irish lineage with her family having connection to Galway. Prior to this transaction of sale of the mace and sword, it was noted in the Galway Observer, January 28, 1933, that: "It is l...

It’s that time of year again – almost six months since our last break from the office, and our pale skin and frayed nerves are longing for a holiday. Why not take time out to consider the trips of yesteryear as illustrated in our early printed books. A trip to Cairo perhaps ...   Voyage pittoresque de la Syrie, de la Phœnicie, de la Palæstine, et de la Basse Ægypte (Paris : Imprimerie de la République, An VII) ... or follow in the footsteps of the Grant Tour aristocrats to Italy   Fresco decorations and stuccoes of churches & palaces in Italy (London: Thomas McClean, 1854) ... or simply take time out to boost that seashell collection ... Petrefacta Germaniæ   (Dusselforz : Arns & Co., 1826-1833)   If you would like to view/ consult any of these item, please submit an online request or contact the staff of the Special Collections Reading Room in the Hardiman Research Building at specialcollections@nuigal...

EBSCO databases training will take place on Tuesday next (20th May) as follows: Session 1: 1030-1145 EBSCO databases available at NUI Galway that are relevant to Arts, Social Sciences and Health Sciences e.g. Academic Search Complete, ERIC, CINAHL Session 2: 1215-1330 EBSCO databases available at NUI Galway that are relevant to Business, Economics, Science and Engineering e.g., Business Source Complete, EconLit, Omnifile, GreenFile The following topics will be addressed in both sessions - Overview of range of relevant EBSCO databases available to NUI Galway - How best to search the EBSCO platform etc. - New features - Indexes and thesauri - Cited reference searching - Subject terms vs thesaurus terms - Searching across all or selected Ebsco databases - Time for questions         Venue: Nursing Library PC Suite Trainer: Chris Watchous, Training & amp; Implementation Specialist, EBSCO To book a place follow the li...

Hoax ’phishing’ email messages are currently in circulation on both the staff and student email services, some of which have a subject line: "Service Desk Ticket #324125". This email provides a weblink and requests the user to provide login credentials. Please delete this mail if you receive it as it does not originate from ISS or other legitimate source in the University. ISS have now blocked the source of this email and connection from wired on campus PCs to the website in the link provided. WiFi and off campus users can still access this link and as above shouldn’t provide their login credentials. Please be reminded that Information Solutions and Services (ISS) do NOT and WILL NEVER request details of your password by email. If you receive a message asking for your email account details, delete it without response. If you have already replied to emails of this nature or clicked on a web link within an email and provided your password, please contact the Servi...

Following NUIG’s success in the intervarsity BioBlitz earlier this month, beating UCC, DCU and Trinity in a 24-hour battle to find out which campus is the most biodiverse in Ireland, why not take time out this week to enjoy some biodiversity of the past. Printed in Dublin in 1850 by James McGlashan, the Concise notices of British grasses, best suited for agriculture by David Moore (1808-1879) includes 60 dried specimens, the condition of which is remarkable. Appointed director of the Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin in 1838, this publication is just part of his body of valuable research on the native grasses of the British Isles, and his recommendations regarding species for the composition of good pasture is perhaps a precursor to our modern concern for the variety of life and healthy ecosystems worldwide. If you would like to consult this item, or indeed any item from the Old Library Collection , please submit an online request or contact the staff of the Special Collection...

In honour of the grand opening of the Hardiman Research Building, our book of the month for May is t he Kiltartan history book by Lady Gregory (1852-1932) (Dublin, Maunsel & Co., 1909). Writer, folklorist, adventurer, actress, and friend and supporter of many of the great writers of the period, Lady Gregory was involved in the founding and functioning of the Abbey Theatre, writing, acting, directing, and supporting playwrights such as J.M. Synge, Sean O’Casey and Lennox Robinson. She also wrote for children. The Kiltartan History Book was illustrated by her son, Robert Gregory, who died during the Great War and whose death is immortalised in W.B. Yeats’ poem An Irish airman foresees his death . In the notes at the end of our copy, Lady Gregory writes: “I have given this book its name because it is at my own door, in the Barony of Kiltartan, I have heard a great number of the stories from beggars, pipers, travelling men, and in such pleasant company. But other...