HS/HSL Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday: Nov 26 – 29

Happy Thanksgiving

The HS/HSL will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday from Thursday, November 26 – Sunday, December 29. During this time, the library building and all virtual services will be closed. We wish you a peaceful, happy, and healthy holiday.

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Remembering Dr. Burt Jacob Asper, School of Medicine Class of 1911 on Veteran’s Day

The Health Sciences and Human Services Library Historical Collections’ strives to provide broad access to our diverse collections both in person and digitally. Materials in our collections appear as they originally were published or created and may contain offensive or inappropriate language or images and may be offensive to users. The University of Maryland, Baltimore does not endorse the views expressed in these materials. Materials should be viewed in the context in which they were created.

Yearbook photograph of man in graduate cap and gown.

Photograph and superlatives for Dr. Burt J. Asper, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Class of 1911. Image from the 1911 Terra Mariae Yearbook.

Burt Jacob Asper was born to Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Asper of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania on August 30, 1888. He graduated from University of Maryland, School of Medicine in 1911, earning the Gold Medal, given to the student with the highest grade. His brother, Dr. Guy Asper, was also a graduate of the School of Medicine in 1903. 

Newspaper statistics for Sheppard-Pratt Baeball Game

Scorecard for Sheppard-Pratt vs. Belair Club Baseball Game in June 1913. The Baseball games were partially used as entertainment for the patients at the Sheppard-Pratt Hospital.

Dr. Asper began his professional career as an assistant physician at the City Detention Hospital of Baltimore, where he remained for a year before accepting a position at Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital. While at Sheppard-Pratt Hospital, Dr. Asper, earned some local fame as an outfielder for the hospital baseball team. On June 1, 1916, He was appointed as Assistant Physician and Pathologist at Springfield State Hospital in Sykesville, Maryland, where he also lectured on general medicine and contagious diseases at the Hospital’s Training School for Nurses. Dr. Asper married Miss Lee Christey of Baltimore, Maryland in October 1917.

Soon after the United States joined World War I in 1917, Dr. Asper enlisted into the United States Navy. He served as First Lieutenant and Assistant Surgeon on the USS Cyclops, which was commissioned May 1, 1917 as a collier (a ship that carries coal to fuel other ships). At the time, the Cyclops was one of the largest fuel ships in the world and spent most of the war along the Eastern Coast of the United States.

On February 16, 1918, the ship left the East Coast for Brazil to help fuel British ships. After completing this mission, the Cyclops began sailing with a load of manganese from Rio de Janeiro. The ship stopped at Salvador before leaving for its final port of Baltimore on February 20, 1918. Due to a cracked cylinder in the engine, an unexpected stop was made in Barbados, where the already overloaded ship took on more coal and water. Nothing could be done to fix the damaged engine in Barbados, so the Cyclops set sail for Baltimore on March 4, 1918. Sometime after leaving Barbados, the Cyclops sank in the Bermuda Triangle leaving no trace of the ship or the 309 passengers on board. 

Black and White photograph of a ship on the water

The USS Cyclops in October 1911. Image from Naval History and Heritage Command National Museum of the U.S. Navy.

To this day, the ship’s final resting spot has not been found and the cause of the Cyclops disappearance remains a mystery. Throughout history there have been several theories (some realistic others fanciful) about the sinking of the ship.  These theories include: 1) an enemy boat (presumably a German U-Boat) sank the ship; 2) a storm capsized the vulnerable boat, which was overloaded with Manganese, water, and coal and weakened by a damaged engine; 3) a bomb was planted on board the boat during the unexpected stop in Barbados; 4) a mutiny occurred on board due to unrest with the ship’s tempestuous commander, George Worley; or 5) Worley, who was born in Germany, was a traitor and colluded with the Germans, to steal the ship for his homeland.

Description of the Burt J. Asper Memorial Fund

The Burt J. Asper Memorial Fund was created by the Alumni Association of the School of Medicine in October 1922. Ads appeared for several years in the Bulletin of the University of Maryland School of Medicine asking alumni to donate to the fund.

The U.S. Navy looked for the Cyclops for 100 days after it failed to reach Baltimore on March 13, 1918.  It was officially deemed lost on June 1, 1918 by Assistant Secretary of Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt. At that time, all 309 passengers, including Dr. Burt J. Asper, were pronounced dead. Dr. Asper became the first man from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania to die during World War I; he was only 28 years old.

Dr. Asper’s legacy continues to live on in the HS/HSL. In October 1922, a memorial fund was set up by his classmates and colleagues to support the library.  The fund was created to purchase books and periodicals to help the library grow its collection.  Today the fund is used to support the Historical Collections and continues to honor an American and UMB hero.

The HS/HSL today and always thanks our UMB Veterans for their service.

Historical Collections References:

Newspaper References:

  • Associated Press. (15 Apr. 1918). “Big U.S. Naval Collier Cyclops is Lost at Sea: No Trace Found of 293 Souls on Board Vessel Long Overdue.” Harrisburg Telegraph. Harrisburg, PA: 3. Retrieved from: https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/171939585 Downloaded.
  • “Keeps up Winning Streak.” (20 Jun 1913). The Sun. Baltimore:8. Retrieved from ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
  • “Men from Section on Lost U.S. Navy Collier.” (15 Apr. 1918). Carlisle Evening Herald. Carlisle, PA:1. Retrieved from: https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/269925425.
  • “Mystery Envelops the Disappearance of a U.S. Collier and 283 Men: A Chambersburg Boy, Lieutenant Asper, on the Missing Steamer – Various Reasons Assigned by Experts to Determine its Fate.” (18 Apr. 1918). People’s Register. Chambersburg, PA: 1, 5. Retrieved from: https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/551832197.
  • “No Diplomas at Nurses’ School.” (02 Jul. 1919). The Sun. Baltimore:14. Retrieved from: ProQuest Historical Newspapers.

Web References:

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Tell Us About Your Data and Bioinformation Needs!

researchers working with data

The newly formed Center for Data and Bioinformation Services (CDABS) at the Health Sciences & Human Services Library (HS/HSL) wants to hear from you!

Take our survey to help us understand more about your needs for data and bioinformation related resources and services. The responses from this survey will be carefully reviewed to help CDABS prioritize our programming for the coming year.

We are looking for feedback from the entire UMB community (faculty, students, and staff in all schools and departments). If you work with research data in any capacity, as a novice or as an expert and everything in between, we hope to hear from you!

The survey will remain open until November 6, 2020.  You may access the survey at: https://is.gd/dataneeds.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Amy Yarnell, Data Services Librarian, and Jean-Paul Courneya, Bioinformationist at data@hshsl.umaryland.edu.

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UMB Students, Faculty, & Staff Must Scan One Card Before Entering HS/HSL

The HS/HSL has implemented a new policy for UMB students, faculty, and staff entering the HS/HSL building. Please scan your One Card at the card reader pole outside the front door before you enter. You should scan your card every time you enter, even if it is multiple times per day. This information is being used by the Campus to assist in contact tracing for COVID-19 infections.

If you are a UMMC employee or do not have a One Card, please stop by the front Information Services desk to be signed in by staff.

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The Library Genie Returns!

library genie wishes

The Library Genie will be accepting wishes from November 1 – November 30.

  • How can the HS/HSL help you during this time of uncertainty and change?
  • How would you like to see the Library’s space designed so that it meets your needs?
  • What about resources and services the Library could provide?

Now is your chance to let us know. Submit your 3 wishes to the Library Genie starting November 1! Your wishes will be anonymous, but if you’d be willing to talk more with us about your wishes you can include your name and e-mail address.

Thanks for your input and happy wishing!

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Changes Await You at the HS/HSL

Changes await you at the HS/HSL with an exciting new look for the Library’s second and fifth floors. The second floor now has all new tables with power, comfortable rolling chairs, study banquettes, and new carpeting. You can find the new furniture throughout the second floor, including the tower, some study rooms, and in the area above the Information Services desk.

Second Floor

The fifth floor has long been a destination for quiet study. Now, the area overlooking Ravens Stadium and Oriole Park at Camden Yards has new tables, all with power and enhanced lighting. A new study area on the east side of the building features individual study pods and informal, round tables. Fifth floor study room tables have been upgraded, and comfortable rolling chairs have been added throughout the floor.

Fifth Floor

Plans for the building furniture refresh have been in the works for nearly two years – starting with a survey that gauged students’ preferences for functional furniture and optimal study spaces.

We hope you enjoy the new furniture and upgrades!

Fifth Floor   

 

 

 

 

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HS/HSL Celebrates Open Access Week with New Scholarly Publishing Videos

open access week 2020 banner

In celebration of Open Access Week 2020, the HS/HSL has released a new set of brief videos about various topics related to scholarly publishing. The new videos include:

We hope these videos will help you to explore new strategies for publishing your work! If you are interested in publishing in an Open Access journal but need financial support for the publication fee, you can apply to our pilot Open Access fund for early-career researchers.

For more information about scholarly publishing, view our Publication Planning guide. If you have any publishing-related questions you can request a consultation or email publishing@hshsl.umaryland.edu for help. 

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The HS/HSL Wants Your Pandemic Stories

image of a spine with an inked figure with red embroidery, done on mulberry paper

Image: Fragile by Kathy Strauss, University of Maryland School of Medicine. Fragile is a monotype of a spine with an inked figure with red embroidery, done on mulberry paper.

The HS/HSL is collecting stories from the pandemic to preserve a record of UMB’s collective experience for posterity and future research. Since the project’s launch over the summer, there have been five submissions of artwork and written reflections to the archive.

The library is hoping for more submissions to capture the breadth of the UMB community’s experiences during this historical event. Learn more and see the previous submissions.

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1920: A look back at the Graduate School 100 Years Ago

The Health Sciences and Human Services Library Historical Collections’ strives to provide broad access to our diverse collections both in person and digitally. Materials in our collections appear as they originally were published or created and may contain offensive or inappropriate language or images and may be offensive to users. The University of Maryland, Baltimore does not endorse the views expressed in these materials. Materials should be viewed in the context in which they were created.

In 1920 the University of Maryland Graduate School was only a two-year-old institution (the school was established during the 1918-1919 academic year).  The Graduate School was founded at the Maryland State College of Agriculture in College Park, which merged with the University of Maryland (Baltimore) in 1920 forming two campuses under the UM name.  The Graduate School oversaw all students taking graduate coursework at the University of Maryland and remained at College Park after the merger in 1920. 

Black and white photograph of a man in a suit and tie

Dean Charles O. Appleman from the 1921 Terra Mariae Yearbook.

Dr. Charles O. Appleman served as the dean of the school.  Dean Appleman was a distinguished teacher, professor of Plant Physiology, and researcher; he remained head of the graduate school until 1949.  In addition to Dean Appleman, the graduate school was led by a Graduate Council, which included University President Albert F. Woods, E.S. Johnston, H.S. Patterson and Professors T.H. Taliaferro (Mathematics), E.N. Cory (Zoology), H.C. House (Liberal Arts), A.G. McCall (Geology and Soils), DeVoe Meade (Animal Husbandry) and Neil H. Gordon (Chemist).  Faculty from all schools within the University of Maryland served in the Graduate School.

The following advanced degrees were offered by the Graduate School: Master of Science & Doctor of Philosophy (Agriculture & Natural Sciences), Master of Arts (Liberal Arts, Education & Home Economics), and Doctor of Philosophy (Liberal Arts).  In order to receive a master degree, students had to 1) be a graduate of a qualified institution and have required prerequisites for field of work chosen; 2) complete all graduate course work, comprising of one major and one related minor as well as work on full-time basis with one year advanced work (can be part time if longer than a year); 3) submit a thesis, approved by Graduate Faculty members; and 4) pass a final examination.  Traditionally, a student could graduate with a masters’ degree in one year. The first masters’ degrees were awarded in 1924. To earn a Doctor of Philosophy, students were expected to 1) have graduated from college, with a reading knowledge of French/German, and have basic training in the field of advanced work; 2) attend three years of graduate study (1 year in residence – work must have important contribution to research); 3) choose a major and two minors; 4) submit a thesis for approval by graduate faculty; and 5) pass a final examination. In most instances, students earned a Doctor of Philosophy in three years.  The first Ph.D.’s were awarded in 1933.

The costs associated with graduate work were a matriculation fee of $10, $1 per term per credit hour, and a $10 diploma fee.  For reference $1 in 1920 is the equivalent of $12.96 in today’s money; therefore, $10 in 1920 is the equivalent of $129.60 in 2020.  The graduate school oversaw the upper-level programs across the schools and two campuses in 1920; today it continues to unite the schools at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. 

To learn more about the Graduate School in 1920 see:

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Meet Your Librarian!

cartoon of laptop with online meeting

Did you know that each school has a librarian dedicated to working with its faculty, staff, and students? 

What your librarian can do for you:

  • Consult with you to assist with literature searching and research
  • Collaborate on comprehensive literature searches for systematic reviews
  • Gather data to measure your individual, group, or departmental research impact
  • Teach citation management using EndNote, Zotero, and other systems
  • …and much more! Visit Help With Your Research on our website to see all the ways librarians can support your research, teaching, and class projects.

To find out who your school’s librarian is or schedule an online meeting with them, visit our Make an Appointment page. 

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