Healey Keynotes

Morrie Schwartz's library is coming to Healey

The Healey Library is to receive the personal library of Morris Schwartz, the late Brandeis professor made famous by his award winning book, Tuesdays with Morrie.  The book, also made into a successful 1999 film, chronicles the final months of Schwartz's remarkable life.  At the age of 78 he was diagnosed with ALS, a terminal illness commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Rather than fearing death Schwartz faced it as a learning opportunity and shared his experiences with audiences on national television and radio. His appearance on Nightline prompted former student and sportswriter, Mitch Albom, to reconnect with his favorite professor. The two began meeting weekly in Schwartz’s Brookline home and their talks about life and death became rich content for the best selling book.

Schwartz’s library is a life-long academic collection of approximately 2,000 books primarily in the field of sociology and related disciplines. The collection has been generously donated by Schwartz's widow, Charlotte Schwartz, who chose Healey Library because of her friendship with Robert Hutchins, a retired UMB Sociology professor.

Healey Library Joins Fenway Libraries Online

FROM: Daniel Ortiz, University Librarian

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I am pleased to announce that Healey Library has recently joined Fenway Libraries Online (FLO), a group of academic and special interest libraries in the Boston/ Cambridge area.

For twenty years, FLO has implemented state-of-the-art library systems and provided its member libraries with new opportunities for cooperative collection development, particularly in the acquisition of electronic databases. By joining FLO, the university community will have access to more than a million books and other materials, which will be added to the list of resources in Healey Library.

Additional institutions that are part of the FLO membership include: Emerson College, Emmanuel College, Lesley University, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Museum of Fine Arts, New England Conservatory, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Wheelock College.

I want to thank Provost Paul Fonteyn, Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance, Ellen O’Connor, as well as all the UMass Boston deans for providing guidance and support in making this significant decision.

Explore the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Healey Library’s newest database, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford DNB), will be a big plus for all who seek biographical information about noteworthy people who are in some way related to the British Isles. These may be people born there, people who moved there, as well as people from former British territories. The Oxford DNB includes not only the expected kings and queens but also poet laureates, Nobel prize winners, important military figures, musicians, artists and the list goes on.  It even includes an entry on the Piltdown Man (supp. fl. 4 million BC), an archaeological hoax. The biographies are substantial and well researched. Many of the biographies include a painting or photograph of the person. No living people are included in the Oxford DNB. 

Looking for 19^th century artists? Women politicians? You can also use the Oxford DNB to help you find people.  You can search by specific criteria such as sex and field of interest.  You can also search by broad themes such as Armed Forces, Arts and Culture, and Politics: British Isles. Or you can choose to browse the Oxford DNB alphabetically, by birth date order or by death date order.

You will find the Oxford DNB an extremely interesting, rich and powerful resource.