Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Library Late Nights


Did you know that on a regular week, the James A. Cannavino Library is open 116.5 out of 168 hours in the week?  That is more than the main libraries at Yale or Princeton.  What’s more, there are professional librarians on hand to help faculty and students for almost all of the hours that we are open.

Regular Semester Hours


Monday - Thursday
07:30 am - 02:00 am
Friday
07:30 am - 09:00 pm
Saturday
10:00 am - 09:00 pm
Sunday
12:00 pm - 02:00 am
Both faculty and students lead busy lives and often need to utilize the library and library resources outside of the normal nine-to-five workday.  This is why there is a professional librarian available on Friday nights and weekends, and two professional librarians available each evening, during our evening hours from Sunday through Thursday.

Opportunities for Faculty

Having two professional librarians available during the evening does allow the James A. Cannavino Library to better serve Marist’s students, but it also allows us to better serve our faculty. 

During the day, your best contact person is your department’s assigned Library Liaison.   In the evening, Nancy Lewis, the James A. Cannavino Library’s Evening Operations Librarian, is available to answer any questions, help you with your research,  and assist you in setting up bibliographic instruction for you classes.  She is also available in the evening to meet with you about setting up course-specific Pathfinders

Opportunities for Students

We do our best to keep the library just as functional for students in the evening as it is during the day with little to no diminishment in resources. In return, students continue to utilize the library late into the night.  

Reference – We have full reference service available to assist your students until 12:00 am, Sunday – Thursday and until closing on Fridays and Saturdays.  

Computers/laptops – In addition to our computers, printers and scanners in the Escriptorium and on the first floor, The James A. Cannavino Library has a collection of laptop computers available to students for use within the library.  Laptops can be borrowed at the circulation desk.

Collaborative rooms - For group projects or group studying, the library provides collaborative rooms on the first and third floors.  The rooms vary in size and computer equipment provided.  These rooms are very popular in the evenings, and as the end of the semester approaches, can become entirely booked hours in advance, so tell your students to call ahead!

Quiet study room - The library provides a quiet study room on the first floor.


Especially as we approach finals, many students take advantage of all that the library provides, late into the night.  We are here for you and your students when you need us, even if that time is well after the sun goes down.




Friday, November 16, 2012

EADfying Lowell Thomas Papers

Article by:
Monish M. Singh
Digital Archivist

Introduction
In 2007, Marist College Archives & Special Collections received a grant from National Historical Publications & Records Commission (NHPRC) to arrange, describe, preserve and make the collection of one of our nation’s best known journalists and explorers, Lowell Thomas accessible to all interested researchers and educators. The Lowell Thomas Papers consists of approximately 36,000 photographs, hundreds of hours of audio, thousands of feet of motion picture film, numerous artifacts and over one million pages of manuscript materials that date from 1789 to 1984. To make this collection accessible, the project proposed to arrange and describe the entire collection down to item level and create a finding aid marked up in EAD format.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Expanded Access to Jstor


Facilitating Access to JSTOR
Over the past year, JSTOR has undertaken a number of new initiatives aimed at improving access to JSTOR for affiliated users and expanding access options for unaffiliated users. Listed below are three of the most recent.
Register & Read Beta
Register & Read is a new, experimental program that offers free, read-online access to individual scholars and researchers who register for a free MyJSTOR account.
Register & Read includes a subset of the content on JSTOR–currently 75 titles from more than 40 publishers.  Additional titles will be added at a later date.  With your  MyJSTOR account  you will be able to add to a reading shelf  up to three items in journals not under subscription by Marist.  There are no fees for this service. 
For more information on Register & Read, please visit the Register & Readpage or view this 1 minute 20 second video, "Register & Read (New!)"

Early Journal Content
JSTOR  is making journal content in JSTOR published prior to 1923 in the United States and prior to 1870 elsewhere freely available to anyone, anywhere in the world. This “Early Journal Content” includes discourse and scholarship in the arts and humanities, economics and politics, and in mathematics and other sciences. It includes nearly 500,000 articles from more than 385  journals, representing over  6% of the content on JSTOR.  For Marist, the Early Journal Content provides access to 195 additional titles. 
Early Journal Content is available for use by anyone, without registration and regardless of institutional affiliation. Making this Early Journal Content freely available is part of JSTOR's ongoing work to expand access to content on JSTOR, particularly for individuals who are not affiliated with academic institutions or libraries. For more information, view this 2 minute 17 second video, " Free Early Journal Content."
The James A. Cannavino LIbrary has integrated the Jstor Free Early Journal Content into Fox Hunt and into the regular Jstor Search interface.

  Institution Finder
JSTOR's  Institution Finder gives users who have not yet logged in to JSTOR the ability to locate his/her institution from a list on the JSTOR website, log in to that host institution, and be returned to the page they started on at JSTOR.
The of Institution Finder is to smooth authentication for the growing number of end users who are coming directly to JSTOR, unauthenticated, from a variety of places such as Google, Google Scholar, and Wikipedia.
For specific instructions, view this 1 minute 11 second video, "How to Use Institution Finder".



Friday, October 26, 2012

Pathfinders Proving Popular


Course-specific Pathfinders have been used by students over 7,325 times so far this semester.  More than  50 classes are using Pathfinders and they have been very well received by students.   Most faculty members have linked their Pathfinder on the left-hand navigation bar in their iLearn course, making it easily accessible to students.

For courses with multiple sections, Pathfinders are particularly effective.  A single guide created for Business 100 has been used heavily by multiple sections.

Some courses have chosen to use the majors Subject Guides instead of having a course-specific Pathfinder created.   These, too, can be easily embedded into iLearn.   The majors subject guides have been used over 10,000 times so far this semester.

Please consider having a Pathfinder made for courses you are teaching in Spring 2013.  For more information about thePathfinder process, please consult the previous post on the subject.   (http://cannavinofaculty.blogspot.com/2012/07/ask-us-for-custom-library-pathfinder.html)

Friday, September 21, 2012

Nineteenth Century Periodicals Pathfinder




 The Library has published a new pathfinder listing full text Nineteenth Century periodicals available online. The periodicals are presented in three different groupings: chronological, geographic and by the topics listed below.
  •  ·         Agriculture
  • ·         Arts & Fashion
  • ·         Children’s magazines
  • ·         Industry & Economy
  • ·         Literature
  • ·         Political Science
  • ·         Science
  • ·         Social Science
  • ·         Theology
  • ·         Women

 The Nineteenth Century Periodicals Pathfinder  offers access to hundreds of periodicals, the majority of which provide images
and covers.  It is a wonderful collection of primary source material.

As you can see from the few covers and pages included in this post,
there are many wonderful illustrations reflecting science, industry and
society in the XIX Century.

Thanks to Librarian Elizabeth Clarke for the great job she did compiling this pathfinder.












Friday, August 31, 2012

Archives 2.0!


The Archives and Special Collections underwent renovations this summer, and what a difference a few months can make!  Offices were redesigned, work spaces were moved, and most importantly, our storage areas were completely overhauled.  The Archives and Special Collections now has state-of-the-art storage facilities, including two new mobile shelving systems.  Our College history and manuscript collections are now better preserved and access to them has been vastly improved. 

The Archives and Special Collections’ website also has new features.  You can now follow us on Twitter to learn about Marist history and our collections.  Our Twitter handle is @LowellJThomas.  Additionally, we now have a Facebook page that includes a Marist history time-line and many photos from our College Archives and other collections.  You can find us on Facebook at the following URL: <http://www.facebook.com/maristarchives>. 

Faculty interested in using our collections are encouraged to drop by or schedule a time to meet with the Head of Archives and Special Collections, John Ansley, to arrange class sessions in the Archives and Special Collections or to discuss research projects.  John may be reached at ext. 5217 or john.ansley@marist.edu.

Guides or finding aids to the collections can be found by visiting the home page for the Archives and Special Collections: http://library.marist.edu/archives/.  Books in the Special Collections can be found on the Library’s catalog: http://voyager.marist.edu/vwebv/searchBasic?sk=en_USmarist.  Images from the Lowell Thomas Papers and our student newspaper archive can be search on-line: http://library.marist.edu/archives/search/.  The above materials will be added to Fox Hunt during the fall semester.
The Archives and Special Collections holds over 50 unique collections that include: original documents, photographic prints, glass plate negatives, lantern slides, reel to reel audiotape, wire recordings, phonograph records, objects, artifacts, motion picture film, videotape, DVDs, artwork, scientific reports, plays, and rare books.  Highlights include the Lowell Thomas Papers, our award winning Environmental History Collections, Hudson River Valley history, and the College Archives.

All of the collections held in the Archives and Special Collections are open to the Marist Community and all interested researchers.  The collections are non-circulating, but digital copies can be made of most items for classroom or research purposes.

LOCATION: 
LB 134 (1st floor of the James A. Cannavino Library)

HOURS:
Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm

RESOURCES:
· Over 50 unique collections
· 9,000 books and monographs
· 40,000 images
· 1,000 hours of audio
· 1,500 hours of film ns
· 1,000,000 documents

CONTACT INFORMATION:
· Main number – 575-3199
· John Ansley, Head of Archives & Special Collections – 575-5217 or john.ansley@marist.edu
· Monish Singh, Digital Archivist – 575-5214 or monish.singh1@marist.edu
· Nancy Decker, Library Assistant – 575-3199 or nancy.decker@marist.edu

URL:

Twitter Handle:
@LowellJThomas

Facebook:


Monday, August 20, 2012

Changes to James A. Cannavino Library Website

Welcome Back!

A few changes have been made to the James A. Cannavino Website.

  1. New look for the Library
    • The interface and layout of the site have been revamped to make the site more user friendly and consistent with the Marist homepage.
    • Many menus and links can be found in places similar to their previous locations.
    • Most pages have been redesigned to match the new look and feel of the Library website. 
    • Subject pages can now be found under Pathfinders. 

  2. Fox Hunt 2.0 - Summon Search Engine.
    • The Library website is now equipped with a new search engine that helps students discover relevant results using a single search box.
    • The new Fox Hunt allows users to search the breadth of Marist Library's full-text digital and print collections turning the search experience into a simple, easy and fast one.

  3. Marist Library on Twitter.
    • Be sure to follow the Marist Library on Twitter @Marist_Library for up to date hours and other relevant information.

 More information will be posted about the new website in the following months.  



Monday, July 30, 2012

Library Liaisons

The Library Liaison is your contact person for help with any Library service or issue, including:

  • Create a Pathfinder for your class
  • Acquire Library materials
  • Bibliographic Instruction for your class
  • Questions about Interlibrary Loan
For any library-related issue, contact your Liaison.  We look forward to hearing from you.

School of Communications & the Arts
Communication John Ansley x. 5217
Art and Art History Elena Filchagina x. 2108
Fashion Marta Cwik x. 2408
Media Arts Katy Silberger x. 3419
Music John Ansley x. 5217
School of Computer Science & Math
Computer Science/IS/IT Pepper Boetcker x. 2194
Math Judy Diffenderfer x. 3191
School of Liberal Arts
English Katy Silberger x. 3419
Modern Languages Marta Cwik x. 2408
History John Ansley x. 5217
Paralegal Judy Diffenderfer x. 3191
Philosophy & Religion John Ansley x. 5217
Political Science Katy Silberger x. 3419
School of Management
Accounting & Econ/Finance Judy Diffenderfer x. 3191
Business Admin Judy Diffenderfer x.3191
Public Admin Judy Diffenderfer x.3191
School of Science
Athletic Training Katy Silberger x. 3419
Biology Katy Silberger x. 3419
Chemistry Katy Silberger x. 3419
Environmental Science John Ansley x. 5217
Medical Technology Katy Silberger x. 3419
School of Social & Behavioral Sciences
Criminal Justice Judy Diffenderfer x. 3191
Education Pepper Boetcker x. 3194
Psychology Pepper Boetcker x. 3194
Sociology & Social Work Pepper Boetcker x.3194
Academic Centers
Academic Learning Center Pepper Boetcker x. 2194
Center for Teaching Excellence Katy Silberger x. 3419
Graduate & Continuing Ed Pepper Boetcker x. 2194

Ask us for a custom Library Pathfinder for your class

EMBED A PATHFINDER  INTO YOUR iLEARN COURSE 


Would you like to embed a librarian into your iLearn course?  The Library has the tools to create such a “virtual librarian”.  We call it a Library Pathfinder.  You know the content and research needs of your course;  working together we can create a custom Library Pathfinder for your course.

COURSE SPECIFIC PATHFINDERS

Pathfinders are attractive mini-websites written by librarians in cooperation with faculty to address the research needs of your class.  These customized web-based guides direct students to a focused subset of resources that will help them complete successfully assignments in a given course.  Pathfinders are as easy to use as Google, but guide students to resources appropriate to college level research, including:
        • specific online journal and reference work articles, ebooks, evideos, online images and maps and other online documents. 
        • The most recent news articles (constantly updated)
        • Open source resources
        • Search boxes and links to library databases
        • Tips on conducting successful searches
        • Library instructional videos
        • Link to Ask-a-Librarian (7 days a week email reference service)

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CREATE A PATHFINDER?

If you are interested in having a Pathfinder created for your course, contact your Library Liaison and let us know what you would like. The initial discussion takes about 15 to 20 minutes.  Many faculty send a copy of the assignment, reading list and/or syllabus.  You do NOT need to provide us with URLs to anything the Library owns or subscribes to; just give us enough of a citation so we can clearly identify the resource.   Give us your thoughts on what you might like in the Pathfinder.  After two or three days we will send you a link to a draft for your critique.  We will then make revisions based on your feedback.
There is no set format for what a Pathfinder should be.  Some faculty want to use the Pathfinder as an electronic reserve reading list.  Others want a few databases highlighted with tips about how to run successful searches.  The content of your Pathfinder is completely faculty driven.
If you want additions or changes made to the Pathfinder after you start using it in class, that can happen fairly quickly.
Pathfinders can be created for classes currently underway, or they can be developed for classes being taught in future semesters.  We will work at whatever pace suits you.  We can keep the Pathfinders from being displayed publicly until the moment is right for you.

HOW WILL MY STUDENTS ACCESS THE PATHFINDER?

Each Pathfinder has a unique URL.  We (or Academic Technology) can help you embed the Pathfinder into your iLearn Course.  There is also a main page for Pathfinders, http://libguides.marist.edu/.  Students can locate the Pathfinder they need by the subject category.

SUBJECT PATHFINDERS

The Library also is creating Pathfinders for subjects that are frequently asked at the Reference Desk.  For example. we  recently published the Citation Style Pathfinder (http://libguides.marist.edu/citation) that provides links to resources about APA, MLA, CSE, Chicago/Turbian styles, as well as a page devoted to Zotero.  Even if you do not request a Pathfinder be created for your class, you may want to direct your students to a subject Pathfinder.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Summertime in the Library

           As the semester draws to a close The James A. Cannavino wishes you a productive and enjoyable summer.

            The Library will be open over the summer (check the hours page for specific times).  Librarians are available to help with your research or preparation for upcoming classes by phone (845-575-3292) or in person when the library is open, and anytime via Ask-A-Librarian@marist.edu.  We know that many of you will be traveling over the summer, but quite a bit can be accomplished with email alone.  We hope to hear from you. 

             If you are preparing classes over the summer, please let Judy Diffenderfer, Collection Development Librarian, know if you would like the Library to acquire any books (print or ebooks) to support your classes

             Pathfinders, a new library service introduced this Spring, have been very well received by students and faculty.  If you would like a Pathfinder created for a class, please contact your Library Liaison or Ask-A-Librarian

              Katy Silberger will be available  to work with you on iLearn/Library issues.  If you would like help creating an “electronic reserve reading list” or linking to the Library instructional videos, please contact her.
 
                ILL will be available and fully staffed throughout the break.   Because so many of the articles are delivered in PDF format, you should be able to use ILL from any remote location.

Day by day Library hours are posted on the Library calendar.
Phone us at 845-575-3292 when the Library is open.
Send an email anytime to Ask-A-Librarian@marist.edu.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Alerts - A Way for Scholarly Researchers to Stay Current

Many library resources offer "Alerts"  that can be set up to deliver to your email newly-published articles on a specific topic, or from a particular publication.  Some sample uses:
  • track new scholarship on fresh water invertebrates,
  • automatically receive new articles from Film Journal International,
  • see new finance or economics articles that mention Sony corporation.

The Library has published a new Pathfinder - Alerts: Staying Current in Your Discipline  - that provides some guidance on using this technology.  It's easy, even fun.  Take a look and tell us what you think.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The  2011-2012 Faculty Recognition Awards


The recipients of this year's Faculty Recognition Awards, sponsored by the Library Development Committee and the James A. Cannavino Library, are Dr. Angela Laflen, Assistant Professor of English, and Dr. Julie Raines, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice.  The purpose of the award is to recognize faculty who have distinguished themselves by their scholarly and/or creative work. 

Dr. Laflen's research "focuses on how new media impacts contemporary literature and writing practices", while Dr. Raines has published research on ethics in policing and mental health court jail diversion programs. 

Pictures from the awards ceremony, which was held on March 28, can be seen below.




Professor Mark Gildard, Chair of the Library Development Committee, opens the ceremony.




Dr. Moira Fitzgibbons introduces Dr. Angela Laflen





Dr. Angela Laflen





Dr. Laflen and Prof. Gildard  with plaque





Dean Margaret Calista introduces Dr. Raines



Dr. Julie Raines





Dr. Raines and Prof. Gildard with plaque







President Dennis Murray with Dr. Laflen





President Murray with Dr. Raines








Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The Marist Environmental History Project


The Marist Environmental History Project (MEHP), started by the Archives and Special Collections in 2001, is dedicated to identifying historically significant materials concerning the Scenic Hudson Decision,promoting access to these materials for use by researchers, and most importantly preserving these materials.

The Scenic Hudson Decision was a 17-year (1963-1981) legal dispute which defeated Consolidated Edison's plan to embed the world's largest pumped storage hydroelectric plant into the face of Storm King Mountain, near Cornwall, New York. The lengthy and controversial case had an immense impact on environmental and legal issues affecting the Hudson River Valley as well as the nation. The landmark case set important precedents in environmental law including: the right of citizens to participate in environmental disputes, the emergence of environmental law as a legal specialty, ideas Congress incorporated in the country's first National Environment Policy Act (NEPA), federal and state regulation of the environment, and it is credited with launching the modern environmental movement.

In October of 2005 the Marist College Archives and Special Collections received the Debra E. Bernhardt Annual Archives Award for developing the MEHP. This project is a continuation of the work that Marist has been concerned with for the past decade. During this time the Marist College Archives and Special Collections has been awarded numerous grants to preserve and make accessible the many significant environmental collections held by the College. These important collections, combined with the efforts of Marist College to process and maintain them, have brought an increased awareness to issues that threaten our environment.

To access our Environmental History Collections, please visit the Archives and Special Collections’ webpage. Or stop by the Archives and Special Collections on the first floor of the Library (LB 134) to see them in-person!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Ask Us for a Custom Library Pathfinder for your Class

EMBED A PATHFINDER  INTO YOUR iLEARN COURSE 

Would you like to embed a librarian into your iLearn course?  The Library has the tools to create such a “virtual librarian”.  We call it a Library Pathfinder.  You know the content and research needs of your course;  working together we can create a custom Library Pathfinder for your course.
COURSE SPECIFIC PATHFINDERS
Pathfinders are attractive mini-websites written by librarians in cooperation with faculty to address the research needs of your class.  These customized web-based guides direct students to a focused subset of resources that will help them complete successfully assignments in a given course.  Pathfinders are as easy to use as Google, but guide students to resources appropriate to college level research, including:
        • specific online journal and reference work articles, ebooks, evideos, online images and maps and other online documents. 
        • The most recent news articles (constantly updated)
        • Open source resources
        • Search boxes and links to library databases
        • Tips on conducting successful searches
        • Library instructional videos
        • Link to Ask-a-Librarian (7 days a week email reference service)
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CREATE A PATHFINDER?
If you are interested in having a Pathfinder created for your course, contact your Library Liaison and let us know what you would like. The initial discussion takes about 15 to 20 minutes.  Many faculty send a copy of the assignment, reading list and/or syllabus.  You do NOT need to provide us with URLs to anything the Library owns or subscribes to; just give us enough of a citation so we can clearly identify the resource.   Give us your thoughts on what you might like in the Pathfinder.  After two or three days we will send you a link to a draft for your critique.  We will then make revisions based on your feedback.
There is no set format for what a Pathfinder should be.  Some faculty want to use the Pathfinder as an electronic reserve reading list.  Others want a few databases highlighted with tips about how to run successful searches.  The content of your Pathfinder is completely faculty driven.
If you want additions or changes made to the Pathfinder after you start using it in class, that can happen fairly quickly.
Pathfinders can be created for classes currently underway, or they can be developed for classes being taught in future semesters.  We will work at whatever pace suits you.  We can keep the Pathfinders from being displayed publicly until the moment is right for you.
HOW WILL MY STUDENTS ACCESS THE PATHFINDER?
Each Pathfinder has a unique URL.  We (or Academic Technology) can help you embed the Pathfinder into your iLearn Course.  There is also a main page for Pathfinders, http://libguides.marist.edu/.  Students can locate the Pathfinder they need by the subject category.
SUBJECT PATHFINDERS
The Library also is creating Pathfinders for subjects that are frequently asked at the Reference Desk.  For example. we  recently published the Citation Style Pathfinder (http://libguides.marist.edu/citation) that provides links to resources about APA, MLA, CSE, Chicago/Turbian styles, as well as a page devoted to Zotero.  Even if you do not request a Pathfinder be created for your class, you may want to direct your students to a subject Pathfinder. 

Monday, March 19, 2012

FACULTY RESOURCES PAGE - "ONE-STOP SHOPPING"


The library has created a page specifically tailored to the faculty.  From this one page, you will be able to link to forms to put items on reserve; request new books, dvds and journal purchases; and submit interlibrary loan requests.

                                                      
You are also able to:

  1.  Obtain information on joining the library's iLearn site where you can obtain useful information on incorporating library resources into your courses, including links to journal articles and "how to" video tutorials.

  2.  Discover which publishers specialize in your area of research (see link to the Association of American University Presses under Acquisitions).

  3.  Contact your department's library liaison or ask for research help.

  4.  Search for online videos and book reviews.

As you will note, there is also a convenient link to this Library Faculty Blog and a "Find" frame on the right that allows you to quickly search for library resources, words in the dictionary, and subject guides by major.

We hope you will use this faculty resources page frequently and please let us know if you would like us to add any additional links or information to the page.




Wednesday, February 29, 2012

In Charge in the Evening!

Nancy Lewis
The James A. Cannavino Library is pleased to announce the arrival of our newest staff member: Nancy L Lewis.

Nancy's title is Library Evening Operations Manager.  Working Sunday-Thursday 4:30pm-12mid, she provides full-service library support for issues with Circulation, Reference, and the library building.

Most excitingly for us, she has a strong background in Reference Librarianship.  Her newly created African American History Research Pathfinder demonstrates her skills with technology, and her knowledge of library resources. Nancy will look to strengthen our support for faculty and researchers outside normal business hours.  We hope instructors for evening classes especially will get to know her as a colleague and partner.

Please introduce yourself to Nancy next time you're here in the evening and let her know how she can help with classes, assignments, research support or anything else in the library world.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

New African American History Library Research Guide

Check out the Library’s newest Research Pathfinder: “African American History.” The Pathfinder highlights not just books, ebooks and articles, but images, videos and other less-frequented resources that may stimulate interest or support research.

 It also links to “Historical African American Newspapers Available Online” a related guide listing of over 65 newspapers of interest for African American History - organized alphabetically, chronologically and geographically.  This list - already one of the most comprehensive on the internet - is dynamic and growing.  More entries will be added as we uncover them.

Research Pathfinders guide students to library resources targeted at either a specific topic or a Marist course.   Faculty can request a Pathfinder for a specific course and research assignment or discipline specific subject, e.g. “Advertising” or “Painters of Florence”.  Click here for some recent examples.  Contact your Library liaison for more information on having one created for you, or call the Reference Desk x3292, or email us via Ask A Librarian

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Who is Lowell Thomas? Get to Know the Man Behind the Building!



Join in the fun and become part of the Archives and Special Collections’ social media campaign to learn about Lowell Thomas. You can now follow Lowell Thomas’s exploits on Twitter @LowellJThomas, FaceBook, or the Archives and Special Collections’ website.

It is an interesting time to consider the historical memory of Lowell Thomas. He is in transition from being remembered as a celebrity to a historical figure. Thomas died in 1981, and as his fans follow him they are being replaced by researchers attempting to document his remarkable career as a journalist, entrepreneur, and adventurer.

Thomas was a pioneer journalist and developed into one of the foremost radio broadcasters during the golden age of radio. Today little is recalled of his ground breaking work as a commentator or as a world traveler. In the early 1920s he launched his career presenting lectures concerning his travels in the Middle East. A three-month stint in England turned into a 5 year world tour. During this time over 4 million people came to experience the multi-media extravaganza entitled The Lowell Thomas Travelogues. In recalling his travels and encounters in Arabia, Thomas made T.E. Lawrence known worldwide as Lawrence of Arabia and established himself as one of the great public speakers of his day. In the 1930s Thomas continued his pioneer work in the broadcasting industry. He was the first person to air a simulcast and he became the voice of Fox Movitone Newsreels. In the 1950s he co-created Cinerama and his movie “This Is Cinerama” broke every known record for income and total audience when it showed on Broadway in New York City in 1952. Later that decade he founded Capital Cities, a major broadcasting group which is now part of the Walt Disney Company. He created his very popular High Adventure television series in the 1960s, and continued his world travels. In 1977 Thomas retired from his radio news program, which had been on the air for 46 continuous years. Later that year he published Good Evening Everybody, the first volume of his autobiography, and just one of the over 50 books he authored. Thomas returned to radio in 1978. National Public Radio aired his series “The Best Years” until just before his death on August 29, 1981.

Follow @LowellJThomas on twitter today to experience it for yourself!