Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Today the World Series begins. The only way to find out what was going on in sports, before radio, television and the internet, was to read the newspaper. Admittedly, my knowledge of current sports is minimal. My knowledge of sports history is absolutely nil. Where could I go to get a taste of historic sports information?

I looked in the Atlanta Historic Newspapers, which is a part of the Digital Library of Georgia. This is available without going through GALILEO . I searched for "world series". I put the phrase in quotes to hold it together. I didn't want to search for world and for series. 173 articles were retrieved. Most of the articles were dated late October, in the 1907-1911 time frame. To read the articles, I did need to download the DjVu plug-in.

While I was reading the sports pages, I noticed mention of Marist events. Marist is an Atlanta Catholic school that was founded for boys in 1901. Their sports activities were prominent on the sports pages of the turn of the century newspapers. Fascinating to read how excited people were over high school sports. But then this is the south.

Wandering while searching is an occupational hazard. One search leads to another. Go read about your favorite team from the turn of the century! You might be surprised at what you'll discover. Digital Library of Georgia has other newspapers from Georgia available.

-kss

Bulb carpeting

In GALILEO, the Ebsco database, Garden, Landscape & Horticulture Index

provides access to articles about gardens and plants, including topics such as horticulture, botany, garden and landscape design & history, ecology, plant and garden conservation, garden management, and horticultural therapy. A highlight of the database is its focus on environmentally sustainable horticultural and design practices. This index and abstract product is designed for gardening enthusiasts, professionals, and students of horticulture and of garden and landscape design & history. It covers more than 300 core serial titles that include general gardening titles of national, international, and regional interest, and titles devoted to specialty gardens and plant groups.

The title refers to the database as an index. However, you can limit your search to full text and find plenty of articles.

I searched for bulb planting and limited my search to 'full text'. 37 articles were retrieved. The first article The Changing World of Bulb Designs, fits nicely with my thoughts about planting now for a long lasting display. "The author suggests several methods of bulb planting in combination with perennial plants to avoid blank patches of land after the bulbs die, including tapestry design, bulb carpeting, and naturalistic designs of landscape designer Jacqueline van der Kloet."
I have something to think about as I get ready to design my spring display.

Go to GALILEO
...select Databases A-Z
....select G
.....select Garden, Landscape & Horticulture Index
Limit your search to full text to find informative articles about gardening.

You will need the current password for GALILEO to use Garden, Landscape & Horticulture Index. Your Georgia librarian can give you the password!




-kss

Thinking of Spring

Yes, I know Fall has barely begun, Winter is still months away but I'm thinking about Spring. A friend noted she had prepared a large pot with layers of bulbs that will bloom consecutively creating a long lasting spring floral display. She planted pansies as the last layer in the container, to give color for autumn.

We have an extensive collection of horticulture books to support our Environmental Horticulture program. This title might give you ideas on how to prepare your Spring display.Garden bulbs for the South by Scott Ogden [SB 425 .O44 2007]

There are hundreds of choice bulbs that revel in southern warmth and humidity, and Scott Ogden profiles the best of them in this fascinating, comprehensive volume. In a series of chapters that takes us through the gardening year, Ogden introduces the plants that help to give southern gardens their distinct regional flavor, many with charmingly descriptive names: rain lilies, oxblood lilies, jonquils, crinums, and scores of others. Weaving in bits of history and lore, Ogden details each plant's appearance and growing requirements. [more]

-kss

Cool, cooler, coolest

This morning the weather prognosticators noted a cool down is coming. We may have seen the last of the 80's for awhile. Knowing when the temperature will change and how low it will go is crucial for the agriculture industry.

The agriculture industry ranges from the commercial farmer to the patio container gardener. Each one has a vested interest in protecting their crop (no matter the size of the field).



The award winning Environmental Horticulture program has a page of weather information on their Library Guide. Stay tuned to the weather, your plants depend on your knowing what is going to happen next.



-kss

Hard hats

I saw men in hard hats wander by the door this morning.

I hear saws running.

The View from our front door will change over the next few months.

The auditorium will become a student area with three TV viewing spaces, vending machines and tables and chairs.

We will have a Student Commons area with the Student Success Center, Student Services, and the Library surrounding the new gathering space.



-kss

Noah Webster we salute you!

Dictionary Day is celebrated on October 16th.

The American Library Association noted on their FaceBook page -

My favorite online dictionary is still Merriam-Webster.com but another good source is the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, a part of Yahoo/reference. This is a clean site devoid of flashing advertisements, etc. which defines a word, has its part of speech and etymology. For some words there is a photo of the entry which is a hallmark of the print edition. A new edition of the dictionary will be published this fall and it is hoped that it will be incorporated into the Yahoo education site.

The OED (Oxford English Dictionary)is the grand master of dictionaries. We used to have access to the online edition but we do not subscribe any longer. We have the print edition in our reference collection [PE1625 .O87 1991 REF]. Our English instructors have created an assignment to have their students come to the library to use the OED. I'm grateful they are encouraging students to use this grand print resource.

-kss