Derby Day!

"The Kentucky Derby has been run continuously at Churchill Downs racetrack, in Louisville, Ky., on the first Saturday of May since 1875, when the track was built. The race is limited to horses 3 years of age. The distance for the race was 11/2 mi (about 2.4 km) from 1875 to 1895; since 1896 the distance has been 11/4 mi (about 2 km). The record speed for the 1 1/2 mi distance, 2 min 34 1/2 sec, was run by a horse named Spokane in 1889. The record for the 1 1/4 mi distance is 1 min 59 2/10 sec, set by Secretariat in 1973."

You can find more information about the Kentucky Derby in GALILEO (for home use you can get the password from the librarian)
.....Select the tab - News/Facts Reference
........Directories and Almanacs
............World Almanac
You can also go to Databases A-Z
.....Select W
.........World Almanac

This is a First Search Database. 23 entries pulled up when I searched for Kentucky Derby.

Civil Rights Act 0f 1960

The civil rights bill of 1960 became law on May 6, 1960. "The new act made it a crime to obstruct integration in public schools, and it provided for federal referees in voter-registration disputes, carrying forward the intent of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. " The American Book of Days, 3rd edition. Jane M. Hatch GT 4803 D6 1978

You can get information about the Civil Rights Movement at the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History. The index to this collection is on GALILEO http://www.galileo.usg.edu (ask the librarian at the circulation desk for the password to use GALILEO at home)

" The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History is a Special Library of the Atlanta-Fulton County Library System. It is the first library of its kind in the southeast offering specialized reference and archival collections for the study and research of African cultures. The library is a public facility with non-circulating collections, services and programs free and open to the general public.

The Auburn Avenue Research Library Finding Aids describe the contents and historical context of the archives and manuscript collections held by the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History. An electronic inventory represents each collection listed in the database. The inventories provide general information about the materials in a collection, a historical or biographical sketch providing pertinent background, administrative information, and a container listing that details more precisely the contents of the boxes and folders within the collection. These electronic descriptions are derived primarily from the print finding aids created by the Archives Division of the Auburn Avenue Research Library.

The nucleus of the Auburn Avenue Research Library collection was established in 1934 as the Negro History Collection of Non-Circulating Books. This unique collection was created by combining a small existing collection at the first Auburn Avenue Branch, with another small collection from the Adult Education Project which operated from 1931 to 1934. In 1949 the collection was moved to the West Hunter Branch, the second branch established to serve Atlanta's African-American population."

5-05-05

So what is 5-05-05?
.....Yes, it's May 5, 2005.
.....Yes, it's Cinco de Mayo.
.....Yes, it's the National Day of Prayer
.....Yes, it's Ascencion Thursday (you can look this up in the Encyclopedia Brittanica on GALILEO)

But best of all it's a PALINDROME.

b. A number, or a date expressed numerically, that is unchanged when the order of its digits is reversed.

Check out the Oxford English Dictionary on GALILEO http://www.galileo.usg.edu (ask the librarian at the circulation desk for the password to use GALILEO at home) for the meaning and use of all sorts of English words.

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo (the Fifth of May) will be celebrated by the Student Leadership Council (SLC) in the lobby area of the 100 Building from 11-1 and again from 4-6. They will be just outside the new library doors.
What a view we'll have!

So what are we celebrating?

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Cinco de Mayo is a "national holiday in Mexico in honour of a military victory in 1862 over the French forces of Napoleon III...Cinco de Mayo has become a festive holiday in parts of the United States with large Mexican American populations."

You can read more about Cinco de Mayo in the Encyclopedia Britannica which is available online through GALILEO http://www.galileo.usg.edu.

Ask the librarian at the circulation desk for this quarters password to use GALILEO at home.

What Happened Today in History?

Did you ever wonder what happened today in history?
There are resources (in our library) that list dates and events.

One resource is: The Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates (E 174.5 C3 1987). On May 4, 1970 "At Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, four students were killed when National Guard troops fired at some 600 antiwar demonstrators, some of whom had been throwing rocks at the guardsmen and taunting them."
Another resource is: 2005 Chase's Calendar of Events (GT 4803 C48 2005) "May 4, 1970. Four students (Allison Krause, 19; Sandra Lee Scheuer, 20; Jeffrey Glenn Miller, 20 and William K. Schroeder, 19) were killed by the National Guard during demonstrations against the Vietnam War at Kent (Ohio) State University."

18 years between the resources and they tell the same story but just a little differently.

GALILEO- Auto Repair Reference Center

As a part of GALILEO (Georgia Library Learning On-Line), we have added Ebsco's database- Auto Repair Reference Center. This particular database has manuals back to the 1940's. Diagrams and directions are included for working on most vehicles.

You can get the password to use GALILEO at home from the librarian at the circulation desk.

New Doors

The wooden doors are gone We have a new view from the library entrance. The doors have been replaced with a glass door and clear side panels. It adds a few square feet, lets in a bit more light and definitely looks welcoming!
We have a new view.