Library instruction has always been a central focus at Carmichael Library. Our librarians collaborate with faculty to instill lifelong learning skills that students can use in their courses and apply beyond the University. The library offers more than 200 information literacy and digital literacy sessions each year across the curriculum. And these sessions can delivered in the format that best suits your needs.

How can faculty request instruction?

An instructional request can be placed by completing our online form or contacting Anna Mary Williford (205-665-6108) or Kayla Johnson (205-665-6109) directly.

What types of instruction can be requested?

General instruction, subject-specific, and specialized sessions using digital media or archival materials are available. Library instruction and support for online classes is also available, in synchronous and asynchronous modes. And instruction can be delivered in a variety of formats including

• in-person sessions (in our newly renovated EBSCO room or in your classroom)
• Zoom sessions
• pre-recorded videos
• research or course guides (stand-alone or in conjunction with an instructional session)
• Canvas modules available through Canvas Commons

What is Canvas Commons and how can I find library modules there?

UM recently activated Canvas Commons, a repository where course content (such as courses, modules, pages, and images) can be shared, downloaded, and imported. To access it, look for the icon labeled "Commons" in the left toolbar in Canvas (as shown in the second image above). We are excited to announce that the library has a presence in Canvas Commons! For now, we have developed two modules: Using Google Scholar and Getting Started with PubMed. Further, we plan to add more content over time and upon request. Simply search for "Carmichael Library" or "Montevallo Library" to find our library instruction modules, which can be downloaded and imported into your courses. And you can use them "as is" or modify them to meet your instructional needs.

To learn more about Canvas Commons, you are encouraged to attend the February Technology Toolbox Talk offered by the Malone Center which will feature this new tool. If you cannot attend the workshop, it will be recorded and posted to the Instructional Resources Canvas course. You can also use the resources below, provided by Instructure (Canvas), to learn more.

• What is Canvas Commons?
• How do I import and view a Canvas Commons resource in Canvas?
• Canvas Commons Guide

How can I learn more about library instruction options?

You can visit our UM Faculty FAQ and Distance Education, For Faculty guides for more details.

Kayla Johnson joined Carmichael Library in January 2023 as an adjunct Reference and Instruction Librarian. She is a recent graduate of the University of Alabama Library and Information Studies program. She is no stranger to UM as she completed her Bachelor's degree in English here in 2019, laying an excellent foundation for the Freshman English Composition courses she will work with in the Spring semester. With background experiences in public libraries for nearly eight years, she is eager to return to UM and connect faculty, staff, and students with Carmichael's wealth of resources and materials. Fun fact: Kayla was once a proud owner of two pet snails who both ran away, and now she proudly parents a Basil plant named Batholomew (affectionately known as Bart).

Spring semester is well underway at Montevallo, and as Thoreau wrote in Walden, we are "on the alert for the first signs of spring, to hear the chance note of some arriving bird, or the striped squirrel's chirp, for his stores must be now nearly exhausted, or see the woodchuck venture out of his winter quarters." Here in the library, things are calmer than they were in the Fall; freshmen have figured out their academic rhythms and routines, students have settled into their favorite study spots, and the library's overnight 24/4 space has become a part of campus life.

In addition to our ongoing services, there are some great events scheduled in Carmichael Library for Spring Semester. These include a Feb. 1 screening of "54 Miles to Home" (sponsored by the Montevallo AAUW / Shelby County NAACP / Montevallo Legacy Project); an author reading by Mary Miller on Feb. 20 (part of the BACHE Visiting Writers' Series); Dr. Ashley Wurzbacher's University Scholar lecture on March 13; and Poetry@UM and Pat Scales Lecture Series presentations coming up in April. A Student Art Association show will open in March and the library is set to launch a new tool lending program, funded by a UM Green Fund grant, in the coming weeks. We hope you'll stop by soon to attend an event, check out a book or an iPad or a cordless drill(!), meet up with friends for a study session, or simply sit and read for a while!

We are excited to announce a new database, America's News by NewsBank, which can be used research diverse perspectives, topics, and trends that align with a variety of curricular areas. It features reliable information from a variety of local, regional, and national news sources. Use the links below, or click the Databases button on the library homepage, for access.

• America's News : 🔗Database Link | ▶️ Introductory Video
• Alabama News Sources: 🔗 Database Link
• Black Life in America, Series 3 (1976 to present):🔗Database Link | ▶️ "How to" Video
• Hispanic Life in America, Series 3 (2010 to present): 🔗Database Link | ▶️ "How to" Video

1. An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realm Around Us by Ed Yong

2. Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen

3. If/then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future by Jill Lepore

4. The Women with Silver Wings by Katherine Sharp Landdeck

5. The Ground Breaking by Scott Ellsworth

6. Walk with Me: A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer by Kate Clifford Larson

7. We are Better Together by Bill McKibben

8. Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

1. West Side Story directed by Steven Spielberg

2. Fantastic Beasts: The Secret of Dumbeldore directed by David Yates

3. Belfast directed by Kenneth Branagh

4. Handmaid's Tale, Season 4 created by Bruce Miller

5. Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Sadness directed by Sam Raimi

6. Sound of Metal directed by Darius Marder (The Criterion Collection)

7. Farewell Amor directed by Ekwa Msangi (The Criterion Collection)

8. Dune directed by Denis Villeneuve

In recognition of Black History Month in February, the library curated a display of materials and resources that can be viewed online or on the first floor lobby. In March, we will feature Women's History Month. Be on the lookout for information, in the library and Vallo Voice, about other displays this year.

The Digital Media Lab is offering something new for students and faculty. We now offer a new way to take pictures of your larger artwork pieces. Bring your paintings, prints, or large posters to document your work.

Contact Michael Price, the Digital Media & Emerging Technologies Librarian, to mark an appointment today to try out the new Large Format Photography System inside the Digital Media Lab.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of King House. Built in 1823, the house is an anchor point for the University of Montevallo’s National Historic District. Upon completion, the structure was the first in central Alabama to feature bricks and glass windows. From 1823 to 1863, Edmund King resided here and oversaw a large plantation and multiple business ventures. His considerable family consisted of three wives; Nancy Ragan (died 1842), Susan (died 1850), and Leila (divorced), and ten children and the informal adoption of a young boy named French Nabors. While historical information on the family, particularly Edmund’s business dealings, exists and is being discovered by a host of researchers, King House offers another common, but somber, reality. Information on the enslaved African Americans who built the house and worked the land is sparse or potentially nonexistent. However, Carmichael Library was able to highlight some of these untold stories last year during a grant funded program titled, “Why We Must Remember.” The program and subsequent panel discussion featured Melanie Morrison, a direct descendant of Edmund and Nancy King, and her work to unravel the history of King House. Work continues on campus and across the southeast to find and highlight suppressed narratives associated with the 200 years of King House history.

The image above is a current photo of King House. The ones below show the house in its prerenovation state. The photo in the left frame features French and Sarah Nabors and their family around 1890. And the one in the right frame shows prerenovation King House on a snowy day.

Have you noticed the knitting project on the first floor? Since 2014, UM students, faculty, and staff have been adding to a scarf and documenting their contributions. Watch this video to learn more.

Email: library@montevallo.edu
Website: libguides.montevallo.edu
Location: 75 College Drive, Montevallo, AL, USA
Phone: 2056656100
Facebook: facebook.com/umlibrary
Twitter: @umlibrary