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Message from the University Librarian
Globalism and the Libraries

Globalism and globalization are “hot topics” in research and teaching, and they have gained increasing importance throughout the disciplines as we strive to understand the interconnectedness of the post-9/11 world. The UCI Libraries support such work in numerous ways, as the articles throughout this issue of Update reflect.

While the concept of globalism is not new, the Internet and other technologies, including social networking tools such as Second Life, have increased the flow of communication and interconnectivity among different parts of the world. Scanning any news source is likely to reveal how an economic, environmental, military, or social event has had worldwide repercussions. Clearly, the UCI community is paying close attention. A Google search on “UCI globalization,” or some variant, retrieves a broad array of courses, faculty research, and programs sponsored by departments and research centers from across all sectors of campus—Humanities, Business, Social Sciences, Sciences, Medicine, and others.

Library collections and services mirror this campuswide focus. We have proactively acquired books, journals, data sources, and multimedia to support intellectual inquiry on these issues. Through membership in various national and international organizations, such as the Center for Research Libraries, we are able to borrow research materials from around the world via interlibrary loan.

The Libraries also have begun developing local digital projects (such as the new Quest for Peace and SEAAdoc sites) that make multimedia content on global issues available to a worldwide audience. Through our library education program, exhibits, and the services and equipment for researchers in our libraries, we directly interact with faculty, students, and staff, and assist in the scholarly and educational exploration of global issues.

This issue of Update highlights a few current initiatives and illustrates how the Libraries are a key partner with the campus community in creating knowledge on globalism and globalization, thus fostering global understanding.

Gerald J. Munoff
University Librarian

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Inside this issue

Message from the University Librarian: Globalism and the Libraries

Multimedia without Boundaries

Fall Exhibit: California Universities Building Amistad

Digital Images from the National Palace Museum of Taipei

Building Global Collections

Library Recruitments Continue

Where Is Anteater Island?