Auburn University Libraries’ latest exhibit looks into the past of the Auburn freshman experience with “Being a R.A.T.: The Auburn Freshman Experience-Flashback.” The exhibit is located on the first floor of Ralph Brown Draughon Library and is open to the public during all regular library hours.

The Rookie Auburn Tiger (R.A.T.) experience has undergone many changes since the university’s beginnings. From shaved heads and military-style hazing, to R.A.T. caps, R.A.T. bibles, and rolling Toomer’s Oaks, the first 100 years were full of traditions that were distinctly Auburn.

The exhibit was conceived and assembled by the Special Collections and Archives Department of AU Libraries. Tommy Brown, university archivist, and processing archivist Joanna Ashley selected several fascinating artifacts from the archives for the exhibit. These artifacts came from Auburn alumni that donated their items through the years. The collection continues to grow as many former students donate pieces of Auburn memorabilia from all eras of the university’s existence. Contact AU Libraries Special Collections and Archives at archives@aubburn.edu if you have Auburn student life artifacts just to show or donate.

Auburn University Libraries, in partnership with the League of Women Voters of East Alabama, is hosting a voter registration day on September 19 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. in the Ralph Brown Draughon Library. Those wishing to register to vote or just wanting information on voting are welcome.

A table staffed by League of Women Voters and AU Libraries volunteers will provide information about voter registration and voting by absentee ballot. Laptops will be available so that individuals may register to vote online.  Printed mail-in voter registration forms will also be available.

Persons who wish to check their voter registration status may do so at the voter registration table.

The voter registration table will be located at the first-floor parking deck entrance to the library, adjacent to the circulation desk. 

Late-night study sessions at Ralph Brown Draughon Library just became more productive with the addition of two new Costa Coffee vending machines on the first floor in the Newspaper Reading Room.

The installation of the two coffee vending machines came about through a discussion of student needs between Dr. Shali Zhang, Dean of Auburn University Libraries, and John David Jones, President of the AU Student Government Association.

“The partnership between AU Libraries and the SGA at Auburn has been nothing short of excellent,” said Jones. “Upon the start of our term, we set a few priorities to improve the student experience, one of which being, ‘Accommodating the recent growth of the student body through providing study spaces for students to pursue academic excellence.’ Quickly, AU Libraries worked to provide new study pods and to fulfill our request to have new Costa Coffee machines located in RBD. These machines provide students with 24/7 service and will continue to advance the student experience in the classroom. We would like to thank Dr. Zhang and her team that worked quickly and effectively to make our goals a reality.”

The two coffee vending machines will fill the coffee gap between when the Panera Bread location in RBD Library closes in the evenings and reopens in the morning. They will make coffee availability in the library truly an every-hour-the-library-is-open service.

Attorney of historic Supreme Court case is featured 2023 Constitution Day lecturer

Auburn University’s annual Constitution Day lecture will feature Ronnie Williams, the attorney that argued the Supreme Court case of Wallace v. Jaffree that raised the question of prayer in school under the 1^st Amendment Establishment Clause. The program will take place on Thursday, September 14 at 3 p.m. in the Caroline Marshall Draughon Auditorium on the ground floor of the Ralph Brown Draughon Library. It may also be attended via Zoom at https://auburn.zoom.us/j/83107385345. 

Attorney Ronnie Williams will discuss Wallace v. Jaffree, the 1985 landmark school prayer decision, and his experience arguing the case before the United States Supreme Court. Representing Ishmael Jaffree of Mobile, Alabama, Williams argued that an Alabama statute that sought to return prayer to public schools by authorizing a one-minute period of silence for “meditation or voluntary prayer” violated the First Amendment’s establishment clause.  Because the statute lacked a secular purpose, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Jaffree’s favor.

Attorney Williams continues to serve as a constitutional rights advocate and civil rights attorney and is the founder of Williams & Associates, LLC, which has offices in Mobile and Birmingham.  A graduate of Tuskegee Institute and the Florida State University College of Law, Williams is a member of both the Alabama and Florida Bars. 

Williams will be introduced by Dr. Steven P. Brown, Professor and Morris Savage Endowed Chair in the Department of Political Science.  Brown is the author of Alabama Justice: The Cases and Faces that Changed a Nation, which includes a chapter on Wallace v. Jaffree.

The event is free and open to the public. It is co-sponsored by Auburn University Libraries, the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities, and the Department of Political Science at Auburn University. 

About Constitution Day

On September 17, 1787, the Constitutional Convention held its final meeting and delegates signed the Constitution of the United States of America. In 2004, Congress designated September 17 of each year as Constitution Day, requiring schools receiving federal funds and all federal agencies to coordinate educational events during the week to promote a better understanding of the Constitution.

The Fall 2023 Graduate Research and Writing Studio is a weekly writing retreat offering support from a research librarian and a graduate writing consultant. Light refreshments are provided!

The studio will be held repeating on Wednesdays from 1-4, September 6 - November 15.

The registration link is aub.ie/GradStudio

Auburn University Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives department is pleased to announce the completion of the restoration project for two historic books: Raphael Holinshed’s “Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande” (1587) and Holinshed’s “Historie of England” (1587) thanks to the generosity of Tiger Giving Day donors. With their support, AU Libraries was able to surpass their Tiger Giving Day target goal of $10,000 by 34 percent. The additional funds will be used to restore more historic books.

“These books hold immense value and impact on the teaching curriculum,” said Greg Schmidt, head of the AU Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives Department. “The 1587 edition of the “Chronicles” played an important role in William Shakespeare’s research in many of his historical plays, including “Richard III”. These ancient books are taught to students and hold invaluable history of knowledge, technology, design, illustration, and literacy.”

For over a decade, the two books have been a pivotal part of AU Libraries classroom experience. However, due to their poor and fragile condition, their usage in the classroom has been very limited in recent years. With the successful restoration of these books, they can be brought back to life and offer students a unique hands-on experience of the Early Modern works in English.

The conservators at Etherington Conservation Center achieved amazing results with the two volumes. AU Libraries can now ensure the usage and teaching of these volumes to generations of Auburn students.

The InterLibrary Loan/Document Delivery department of Auburn University Libraries passed a major milestone on August 17, 2023 when it processed its one millionth transaction since the installation of ILLiad on August 15, 2006.

Gail Barton (head of ILL), Christine Black, Fran Judkins, and Brenda Ray make up the current ILL/Document Delivery team at AU Libraries. To reach the one million transaction mark, they and those that came before them had to process in excess of 58,000 transactions per year.

Auburn University Libraries will hold its fall semester Savvy Researcher Boot Camp, over Zoom, on Saturday Sept. 9, from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. The daylong event is designed for graduate students who want to take their research skills to a higher level. Whether students are interested in learning how to locate scholarly sources in their field, write a literature review, manage data, organize citations, or present their research, the Savvy Researcher workshops will help them become better, more effective, researchers.

Registration: https://aub.ie/bootcamp     

The Boot Camp lunchtime program features a Funded Research seminar (offered by AU Proposal Services and Faculty Support).

Workshops offered include:

Intro to Writing Literature Reviews (offered by University Writing)

Citation Managers:  Zotero | Endnote | Mendeley

Conducting a Literature Review: Search Strategies

Intro to Systematic Reviews

Presentation Skills and Software

NEW: Designing Your Academic Poster

NEW: Creating Graphics and Video using Adobe Creative Cloud

NEW: Using Infographics in Presentations and Lectures

Google Scholar Tips and Tricks

Understanding & Navigating the Scholarly Communication System

LaTeX

Data Management for Scientific Workflows

Ethical Data Practices

Exploration of Digital Humanities Tools and Methods

Intro to Qualtrics

NEW: AMA (Ask Me Anything): Business Research

NEW: Business Writing: Tips & Strategies

Finding Scholarly Literature: Engineering

Searching Scholarly Literature: Biology & Agriculture

Introduction to SciFinder and Reaxys for Chemistry Research

Searching for Statistics in the Field of Education

NEW: Timeboxing: How to Maximize Your Day

Foster Success as a Graduate Student (offered by Academic Coaching)

To help users learn how to use the creative applications of Adobe Creative Cloud including generative ai art, and how to use the audio studio and technology lending equipment available for checkout, the Auburn University Libraries’ I&RC (Innovation & Research Commons) is offering free instructional workshops open to all Auburn students, faculty, and staff, including new topics. Topics include Technology Lending Open House, Generative AI Playground: Adobe Firefly and more, Adobe Photoshop for Beginners, Basics of Manual Photography with DSLR Cameras, Adobe Portfolio, Introduction to the Audio Studio, Adobe Mobile Apps for Productivity, Social Media, Photo Editing, AR and more. Learn to use creative apps and equipment to enhance classroom assignments, present research, and design and publish both print and online content. 

Workshops are offered in-person and via Zoom unless otherwise indicated; computers with Adobe Creative Cloud installed provided in-person. View the I&RC Workshop flyer [https://lib.auburn.edu/irc/files/WorkshopFlyer_Fall_2023.pdf]. Register at http://aub.ie/libraryworkshops. Unable to attend, or need Adobe video how-to content for your courses, or would like a consultation for integrating into your class? Visit https://aub.ie/ircinstruction.  

Make plans to attend Adobe Day, Thursday August 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Ralph Brown Draughon Library, 2^nd floor, an official First 56 event [https://auburn.campuslabs.com/engage/event/9130420]. Adobe Creative Cloud is available to all Auburn students at no additional cost. Presenters and our own Adobe Student Consultants and Adobe Student Ambassadors will share how they use Adobe Creative Cloud software. No registration required, drop by for a few minutes anytime during the event hours to hear about creative learning opportunities; free swag available while it lasts. Learn how Adobe Creative Cloud can help you complete assignments and present research and ideas in clear, creative ways. We’ll demo new Adobe offerings that utilize some of the most exciting trends in emerging technology: generative ai, on-the-go video storytelling, and more. We hope you’ll join us!  

Pop-up mini sessions, no registration required:

• 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Use Adobe Express to Create Graphics, Web pages, Video, and More with Generative AI
• 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.: Get Started in Adobe Photoshop and Using Generative AI
• 12 p.m. to 12;30 p.m.: Edit Your Photos on the Fly and more with Adobe Mobile Apps such as Lightroom, Express, and Scan
• 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Create Digital Video on the go: Adobe Premiere Rush

More information: https://auburn.libcal.com/calendar/workshops/adobeday