Rare Book Research
Notre Dame undergraduate students in Professor Kate Bossert’s Literary Interpretation class had the opportunity to apply their knowledge of textual studies and the materiality of books during a visit to Archives and Special Collections. Archivist Jenny Kinniff shared several treasures from the Library’s rare book collection with the students, including a 14th century Italian Book of Hours and a fore-edge painted book, and discussed unique features of the books with students.
Each student then had the opportunity to examine and analyze a book from the collection and to discuss it with the class. The books they analyzed included many different examples of bookbinding and printing: everything from a Virginia Woolf first edition, to Japanese fairy tales printed on rice paper, to a well-worn Catholic prayer book printed in 1850. Pairing their course readings on the physical aspects of texts with real-world examples was, in the words of one student, “an inspiring and awesome experience.”
ELI in the Innovation Station
The English Language Institute at Notre Dame provides English language instruction to international students. Some professors from ELI use technology from the Innovation Station, the Library’s makerspace, to enrich their curriculum. Instructor Faye Park has used the One Button Studio to record her students over the duration of a course. These students recorded videos of skits and conversations in English on a weekly basis. At the end of their course, the students used these weekly videos to track their growth over the semester. The videos let the students evaluate their developing language skills, as well as their confidence, articulation, and body language.
In other courses, Faye used technology in the Innovation Station to supplement their coursework. These classes worked with Youlanda Halterman from the library’s Technology Services department to create dioramas of scenes and replicas of important objects from the stories her class read using the 3D printers and the Cricut Maker. Through hands-on making in the Innovation Station, ELI students were able to practice vocabulary and demonstrate their reading comprehension in creative and engaging ways. If faculty would like to use the Innovation Station in their classes, contact Youlanda Halterman at yhalterman@loyola.edu.
Computer Science Capstone Projects
Four Loyola Computer Science students partnered with the library during the Spring 2019 semester to create senior capstone projects. Technology Librarian Matthew Treskon oversaw their development of two systems with the potential to aid the library: a dry erase board usage analysis system, and a group study room occupancy monitor system. Yon Su Kim and Arizza Santos’ dry erase board system tracks when and how a whiteboard is being used, as well as where in the library it’s taken. Dylan Graham and Trent Holsborg’s group study sensor system tracks whether or not a given room is occupied. While neither of these systems have been implemented in the library as of yet, this partnership with Loyola’s Computer Science department has proven successful! If faculty would like to collaborate with LNDL’s Technology Services on projects like these, contact Matthew Treskon at mtreskon@loyola.edu.