Emile NaickerHistory major Emile Naicker demonstrates the web site he created that's devoted to the history of the Manchester United football club.

Students preserve history on web

When Emile Naicker came to university, he never imagined he’d be able to combine his love for history with his passion for his favourite football club.

But that’s just what the fourth-year history major did when he signed up for an innovative course taught by Heidi Jacobs and Rob Nelson called History on the Web. Designed to teach students how to integrate historical archives and other resources with modern communications technology, the course required each one to create a project demonstrating how they would preserve history on the internet.

Last Wednesday, the students presented their results.

“Basically they had to pitch a creative project, and it had to be a permanent digital archive,” said Dr. Nelson, a history professor.

Naicker, a lifelong fan of the Manchester United soccer club, used Go Daddy to create a web site dedicated to preserving the history of his favourite team. Besides links to other resources, the site also contained old newspaper clippings, videos and tabbed pages dedicated to legendary players like David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“I thought this would be a purely academic course, but it was really cool,” said Naicker. “We really got to see how the web impacts everything we do as historians.”

Some of the other projects included a blog that helps lay audiences better understand the legitimacy of various resources; a video walking tour of historic Sandwich; a geographical mapping of all the various tours by the Beatles; a website based on obituaries from the Leamington Post; a video on the history of the internet; and a website devoted to the Underground Railroad.

Dr. Jacobs said the class is among the most unusual of its kind.

“There’s not a lot of evidence of other programs doing anything quite like this,” she said.

Ledy Library exteriorCampus libraries will launch an innovative cloud-based library management system on May 5.

New online system to integrate campus library and external resources

Patrons of campus libraries will soon be able to conduct a single search across a broad array of resources ranging from materials held on the library shelves through all subscribed databases and extending to open access scholarship on the internet.

The Leddy and law libraries will replace the current online system with the launch of a new resource management system, Alma, along with the Primo search interface on May 5.

Implementation of the innovative cloud-based library management system will position the University of Windsor as an early adopter of powerful technological advances previously unavailable, says Gwendolyn Ebbett, dean of the library.

“We’re again breaking new ground by implementing a system that will be a one-stop-search for our users to access not only materials we purchase, but also the scholarly materials that are available open access and through other avenues,” Ebbett says. “We’re providing them a Google-type search for scholarly materials, and we’re really excited to be able to do that.”

The Alma/Primo system is provided by Ex Libris, a firm specializing in automation solutions for academic libraries. It is designed to integrate smoothly with both external campus systems and a simplified search interface.

Data librarian Kristi Thompson will lead a presentation entitled “Meet Alma and Primo: Introducing the Next Generation of Library Search” during Campus Technology Day, April 29. The event is free to UWindsor faculty, staff and students. Find a full program and online registration on the conference website.

T-shirtThis beautiful T-shirt awaits the winner of today’s trivia quiz on UWindsor typefaces.

Trivia quiz to test power of typeface identification

To help celebrate the University of Windsor’s 50th anniversary, the University Bookstore is offering DailyNews readers chances to demonstrate their knowledge of the institution and its history.

Today’s quiz, the 41st in a series, offers one lucky winner a beautiful white T-shirt with the University’s name and date of birth imprinted in black. It is offered for purchase at a cost of $11.95 from the Bookstore kiosk in the CAW Student Centre.

To enter, just identify the typeface used to spell “University of Windsor” in each of the historical official logos below. The winner will be selected at random from all correct responses received by 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 22.

  1. What typeface is employed on this logo, adopted in 1980?
    a) Academica Grotesk
    b) Ivory Tower Oblique
    c) Times New Roman
    d) Windsor Inline

  1. What typeface is employed on this logo, launched in 2007?
    a) Campus Plus
    b) Lancer
    c) Meta
    d) Scholar Sans

  1. What typeface is employed on the current logo, launched in 2013?
    a) Cheer Bold
    b) Collegiate
    c) Din
    d) Varsity

Contest is open to all readers of the DailyNews. Send an e-mail with your responses to uofwnews@uwindsor.ca. One entry per contestant, please. Note: the decision of the judge in determining the most correct response is inviolable.

50th Anniversary logo

UWindsor professor emeritus Alistair MacLeodA colleague described UWindsor professor emeritus Alistair MacLeod, who died Sunday, April 20, as a “national treasure.”

Professor emeritus Alistair MacLeod remembered as “national treasure”

UWindsor professor emeritus Alistair MacLeod, who died Sunday, April 20, is remembered by colleagues as a caring educator as well as one of Canada’s greatest authors.

“Alistair MacLeod was a national treasure,” says Karl Jirgens, acting head of the Department of English Language, Literature and Creative Writing. “He will be sorely missed.”

Dr. MacLeod served as the University of Windsor’s 50th anniversary writer in residence, after a literary career that included his acclaimed 1999 novel No Great Mischief—winner of the 2001 IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Trillium Book Award and the Lannan Literary Award—as well as the short story collections The Lost Salt Gift of Blood (1976), As Birds Bring Forth the Sun and Other Stories (1986), and Island (2000).

Dr. Jirgens says MacLeod was dedicated to encouraging students.

“Alistair generously made time for all those who wished to speak to him about writing and literature,” he says. “He will continue to serve as a profound inspiration to all who admire great stories and the shaping powers of literature.”

In 2007, MacLeod was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honour, in recognition of his commitment to Canadian literature and influence on Canadian authors. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2000.

For funeral arrangements, read his obituary online.

T-shirt celebrating the 1963 establishment of the University of WindsorA T-shirt celebrating the 1963 establishment of the University of Windsor is on sale for half-price Tuesday in the University Bookstore.

Sale T-shirt marks 50 years of University of Windsor

Celebrate the University’s history with this swanky T-shirt noting its 1963 origins, on sale April 22 at the University Bookstore as its True Savings Tuesday special.

Normally priced at $11.95, this 100 percent cotton shirt will be reduced to just $5.95. Beneath the bold black imprinted “University of Windsor,” it reads “Est. 1963,” making it a perfect item to wrap up the 50th anniversary year.

The Bookstore’s CAW Student Centre kiosk is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Ali Kareem and Katherine Lambruzzo show off wax casts of their handsAli Kareem and Katherine Lambruzzo show off wax casts of their hands they made during a 2013 UWindsor Welcome carnival.

Organizing committee invites proposals for Welcome Week events

The UWindsor Welcome Week committee invites individuals and organizations to submit proposals for events for the annual fall orientation week, which this year will run August 31 to September 6.

The committee is also accepting event proposals for any events that will be held during September’s UWindsor Welcome Month.

All proposals are due no later than July 2 for inclusion in the event guide that will be distributed in September and available on the web.

All events must be inclusive and accessible for all, and must contribute toward at least three of the desired outcomes:

  • Orienting students to campus;
  • Building a sense of community;
  • Fostering school pride, civility and tradition;
  • Promoting wellness and inclusiveness;
  • Enhancing a sense of fun and excitement; and
  • Welcoming returning students.

Find tips for planning events and the proposal submission form on the UWindsor Welcome Event Proposal form.

"Visitor Parking" sign in front of garageThe campus parking garage will not staff its kiosk over the summer months.

Staffing change prompts revised guest parking procedure

The parking garage will change its procedure for pre-paid guest parking over the summer, reports Campus Parking Services, as the kiosk will be unstaffed starting May 1.

“For the volume of use the garage will have, it is not economical for us to staff the kiosk,” says parking services manager Laurie Butler-Grondin. “Luckily, our new equipment is installed to allow it to operate for the summer.”

Permit holders already using the garage will see no change, and occasional users will be able to pay for their parking on exit. The only real change will be for guests who are provided complimentary parking by host departments.

Butler-Grondin has circulated a memo to campus departments explaining the change in procedure. Departments who wish to provide free parking must contact the office of Campus Parking Services to purchase the appropriate exit passes, and distribute them to the guests before they leave.

“It’s not a huge change, but we want to make sure everyone is comfortable with it before it is implemented May 1,” Butler-Grondin says.

To arrange provision of complimentary parking for guests, contact her office at 519-253-3000, ext. 2413, or e-mail kmcqueen@uwindsor.ca.

Highlighters in front of bookshelvesThe University Bookstore will close April 28 to 30 for its annual inventory.

Inventory to close University Bookstore at month’s end

The University Bookstore will close both its locations—in Vanier Hall and the CAW Student Centre kiosk—to business Monday to Wednesday, April 28 to 30, for its annual inventory.

Marketing co-ordinator Martin Deck invites departments to make purchases with an eye to the fiscal year-end.

“People who need to pay for items before the start of the next budget year should come in and place their orders before the end of this week!” he says.

The Bookstore remains open for online shopping 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at www.bookstore.uwindsor.ca.

earth as seen from surface of moonThe keynote speaker for the Earth Day dinner will offer a cosmic perspective on our little home planet.

Science City dinner to mark Earth Day

Fun, food, an auction and an education are on the agenda for the Canada South Science City fundraising dinner Monday, April 21.

Keynote speaker Ivan Semeniuk, science correspondent for the Globe and Mail newspaper and host of the astronomy series Cosmic Vistas, will deliver an address entitled “Earth: a Cosmic Perspective.” It offers a wide-ranging tour through space and time to reveal what looking out at the cosmos can tell us about the significance of our own planet, and what Earth, in turn, can tell us about the nature of life in the universe.

The event begins at 6 p.m. at the Caboto Club, 2175 Parent Avenue. Tickets are $40; $30 for children 5 to 12 years old.