Greetings,
A recent post noted that Atlanta was the most popular destination for U-Hauls due to the fact that so many people continue to move to the area. (And yes, I am guilty of contributing to that tally.) However, this is a slight misnomer. Much of the growth experienced by Atlanta comes not from the city itself, but from the cities and counties outside the city limits.
Curious to find out the fastest growing counties? One good source of information is the website of the US Census Bureau. These fine folks are responsible for keeping a running tally of the US population, as well as information related to the population. Every ten years they create an official count of the nation's population, the next count coming in 2010.
When you get to the Census website, type 'fastest growing counties' in the search bar on the upper right side of the screen. This will pull up a series of links, many of which are press releases, to information related to this topic. One such link leads you to page with links to tables and charts, one of which is an excel table for the fastest growing counties, in terms of percentage increase, between 2000 and 2007. (Note that these are estimates, as official statistics are only 'official' during the year of the official census count).
The excel table shows that four metro Atlanta counties are in the top ten in percentage growth: Forsyth, Paulding, Henry, and Newton, with Forsyth being ranked highest at number 6. Two other metro counties, Barrow and Cherokee, are at 19 and 21 respectively. Jackson County and Walton County are to be found at 26 and 35. However, note that Effingham County, which is not in metro Atlanta, is found on the list, showing that not all the Georgia growth is confined to the Atl. Also not that much of the growing counties are located on the outer rings of the metro Atlanta.
Another possible source for news articles related to this topic is a Galileo database known as LexisNexis. Use the 'news' tab to activate the news search feature within this database. Remember that you can get the current Galileo password from your local Georgia librarian.
And now you know a bit more about why the trucks are headed to Atlanta.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
They're coming!
My RSS feeder sent me the Britannica Blog by Mark Perry which notes the U-Haul stats are out and - Atlanta is the first place people are moving their stuff to!
I had a twinge of curiosity about U-Haul. Going to GALILEO and selecting Databases A-Z, H, then Hoovers, I typed in U-Haul. 6 business came up - none of which said U-Haul in the name. I figured with 6 businesses - how hard can it be to find the parent of U-Haul. The first two are insurance companies so I took a stab at the third company,AMERCO, and voila- they are the parent of U-Haul:
Why did I select Hoovers? Because:
I could have used LexisNexis but that's another story!
You get the password to use GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian! Go explore your favorite business - see how they're doing.
-kls
I had a twinge of curiosity about U-Haul. Going to GALILEO and selecting Databases A-Z, H, then Hoovers, I typed in U-Haul. 6 business came up - none of which said U-Haul in the name. I figured with 6 businesses - how hard can it be to find the parent of U-Haul. The first two are insurance companies so I took a stab at the third company,AMERCO, and voila- they are the parent of U-Haul:
U-Haul, u-work, u-strain, u-hurt ... u-sure you don't want to spend the extra money for movers? If not, there's AMERCO, whose principal subsidiary, U-Haul International, rents its orange-and-white trucks, trailers, and vehicle tow devices and sells packing supplies to do-it-yourself movers through some 14,200 independent dealers and about 1,450 company-owned centers in the US and Canada. In addition, U-Haul is a leading operator of self-storage facilities. It maintains some 1,075 storage locations in the US and Canada, consisting of more than 385,000 rooms with about 34 million sq. ft. of space. Members of the founding Shoen family, led by chairman and president Edward "Joe" Shoen, still run the company.
Why did I select Hoovers? Because:
Hoover's Company Capsules and Profiles includes information on more than 40,000 companies, 600 industries, and 225,000 key executives. Business information includes:Company overview Company history Officers and board members Products and operations Auditors Rankings Related industry information Historical financials
Direct access to specific company information via Hoover's Company Capsules and Profiles can be found within full-text articles in ABI/INFORM Complete and ABI/INFORM Dateline. Links are indicated with an information icon followed by a company name.
I could have used LexisNexis but that's another story!
You get the password to use GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian! Go explore your favorite business - see how they're doing.
-kls
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
New Online Catalog
Hello,
As you are probably aware, North Metro Technical College is merging with both Chattahoochee Technical College in Marietta and Appalachian Technical College in Jasper. The name of the combined college will be Chattahoochee Techincal College.
As part of this merger, the libraries of the various colleges are also merging. One important step in this process was completed when the records from North Metro's online card catalog were loaded into the online catalog for Chattahoochee Tech. The new catalog allows you to search for materials in the various Chatt. Tech libraries and the North Metro Library. You can also limit your search to items available at North Metro. If you are a current North Metro student and you find an item at a Chatt. Tech library that you are interested in, please drop by the library and we can make an intralibrary loan request to borrow the book for you.
So remember, if you need to search the online card catalog, please go to http://webcat.chattcollege.com. We have already had several North Metro students request books from the Marietta and Mountain View campus libraries at Chattahoochee Tech.
JWF
As you are probably aware, North Metro Technical College is merging with both Chattahoochee Technical College in Marietta and Appalachian Technical College in Jasper. The name of the combined college will be Chattahoochee Techincal College.
As part of this merger, the libraries of the various colleges are also merging. One important step in this process was completed when the records from North Metro's online card catalog were loaded into the online catalog for Chattahoochee Tech. The new catalog allows you to search for materials in the various Chatt. Tech libraries and the North Metro Library. You can also limit your search to items available at North Metro. If you are a current North Metro student and you find an item at a Chatt. Tech library that you are interested in, please drop by the library and we can make an intralibrary loan request to borrow the book for you.
So remember, if you need to search the online card catalog, please go to http://webcat.chattcollege.com. We have already had several North Metro students request books from the Marietta and Mountain View campus libraries at Chattahoochee Tech.
JWF
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Dry in Australia
The April 2009 issue of National Geographic has a really interesting article on the severe drought that is affecting much of rural Australia. Crops have died or have not been planted at all. Rural populations are diminishing, and livestock populations have been sold off because the land is presently unable to support them. One of the difficulities in rural southern Australia is that much of the water is diverted from crops to urban areas along the coast, such as Adelaide. This creates a blending of environmental issues, the drought, as well as issues of water rights, agriculture, and urban water usage. Rural families often shower together and catch the shower water in tubs and pots. There are also some great photographs and maps with the article.
Please note that National Geographic is received each month in print by the North Metro Library and that past issues are kept for a period of two years.
The library also has a new book related to this issues entitled 'Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed' by Jared Diamond. This book deals with modern and ancient societies and their environmental challenges, which in the case of some ancient civilizations, led to their collapse. Diamond notes in his book that Australia is the most fragile of the continents, and discusses some of the modern day challenges that face it. The National Geographic article points out that European settlers did considerable damage to the water cycle by cutting down many native trees and attempting to farm the outback as they would England or Ireland.
Book Index with Reviews a database in Galileo, has some good reviews for Collapse. Search for the review by searching for Collapse as the title of the book.
Remember, you can get the Galileo password from your local Georgia librarian.
JWF
Please note that National Geographic is received each month in print by the North Metro Library and that past issues are kept for a period of two years.
The library also has a new book related to this issues entitled 'Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed' by Jared Diamond. This book deals with modern and ancient societies and their environmental challenges, which in the case of some ancient civilizations, led to their collapse. Diamond notes in his book that Australia is the most fragile of the continents, and discusses some of the modern day challenges that face it. The National Geographic article points out that European settlers did considerable damage to the water cycle by cutting down many native trees and attempting to farm the outback as they would England or Ireland.
Book Index with Reviews a database in Galileo, has some good reviews for Collapse. Search for the review by searching for Collapse as the title of the book.
Remember, you can get the Galileo password from your local Georgia librarian.
JWF
Through a glass darkly
In the morning a surgeon will be sucking away the cataract from my right eye and implanting a lens. I admit to being a tad nervous. In theory, my vision will be better. I may not even have to wear glasses again except for reading.
Going to GALILEO, I searched for cataracts. I selected Browse by Subject
...the Medicine and Health subject link
.....and selected Nursing and Allied Health
There are 5 databases with the option of selecting 5 more. I chose them all. I limited my search to full text and peer reviewed.
Voila - more information about cataracts, cataract surgery, anesthesia during cataract surgery and the use of bilberry to improve vision than one could hope for.
By Monday, I should be bright eyed and seeing clearer.
Get the password to use GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian!
-kls
Going to GALILEO, I searched for cataracts. I selected Browse by Subject
...the Medicine and Health subject link
.....and selected Nursing and Allied Health
There are 5 databases with the option of selecting 5 more. I chose them all. I limited my search to full text and peer reviewed.
Voila - more information about cataracts, cataract surgery, anesthesia during cataract surgery and the use of bilberry to improve vision than one could hope for.
By Monday, I should be bright eyed and seeing clearer.
Get the password to use GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian!
-kls
Monday, March 30, 2009
Spring Blossoms
North Metro has a spectacular Environmental Horticulture program. Last year the team came in first in the national competition (Planet). This year the team traveled to California and came in third in the nation - still in the top ten and beating one of our neighboring '
big dogs'.......
Top ten schools:
..1. BYU - Idaho
..2. Colorado State
..3. North Metro Tech
..4. BYU - Provo
..5. Cal Poly St Luis Obispo
..6. Cal Poly Pomona
..7. Miss State
..8. NC State
..9. Univ of GA
..10. Penn State
Students placing in top three:
..Alejandro Simmonds - 1st in CAD Design
..Cassie Templeton - 2nd in Annual ID
..Jessica Gray - 2nd in Irrigation Design
..Jessica Gray - 1st in Irrigation Troubleshooting
..Kevin Porter & Chris Early - 1st in Landscape Maintenance
..Lisa McKinney - 1st in Sales Presentation
This spring the course offerings reflect the depth of our program.
Our library offers a range of materials to support each program. The Horticulture program takes up three shelf units!
Online in GALILEO is the Ebsco database Garden, Landscape & Horticulture Index which 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 password to use GALILEO at home is available from your Georgia librarian.
big dogs'.......
Top ten schools:
..1. BYU - Idaho
..2. Colorado State
..3. North Metro Tech
..4. BYU - Provo
..5. Cal Poly St Luis Obispo
..6. Cal Poly Pomona
..7. Miss State
..8. NC State
..9. Univ of GA
..10. Penn State
Students placing in top three:
..Alejandro Simmonds - 1st in CAD Design
..Cassie Templeton - 2nd in Annual ID
..Jessica Gray - 2nd in Irrigation Design
..Jessica Gray - 1st in Irrigation Troubleshooting
..Kevin Porter & Chris Early - 1st in Landscape Maintenance
..Lisa McKinney - 1st in Sales Presentation
This spring the course offerings reflect the depth of our program.
Our library offers a range of materials to support each program. The Horticulture program takes up three shelf units!
Online in GALILEO is the Ebsco database Garden, Landscape & Horticulture Index which 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 password to use GALILEO at home is available from your Georgia librarian.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Talking pictures
At NMTC we've made several primitive You Tubes to help students 'see' how to find information in databases on GALILEO.
The staff at GALILEO has created 5 delightfully professional tutorials for the Scholar users (with the promise of more to come).
There are several groups of GALILEO users:
The tutorials are aimed at the scholar user (Board of Regents, private academic colleges and universities and Technical Colleges). You will find them quite helpful!
-kls
The staff at GALILEO has created 5 delightfully professional tutorials for the Scholar users (with the promise of more to come).
There are several groups of GALILEO users:
The community of more than 2000 GALILEO institutions includes the University System of Georgia, K-12 schools, public libraries, the adult technical institutes and colleges, and a group of private academic colleges and universities. At this time, only educational institutions are eligible to participate in GALILEO.
The tutorials are aimed at the scholar user (Board of Regents, private academic colleges and universities and Technical Colleges). You will find them quite helpful!
-kls
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Presidential Nicknames
Hello,
The library just received a copy of the H.W. Wilson published book Facts About the Presidents, 8th edition, 2009. This is a reference book that has a huge amount of information about the Presidents. The 2009 edition, the 8th, includes information even about President Obama.
One interesting section of the book deals with nicknames. Some of these Presidential nicknames I had heard of before, such as 'Ike' for President Dwight Eisenhower, while others, such as 'Shrub' for President George W. Bush, were new to me. Some Presidents had only one or a handful of nicknames listed, while others had quite a few. Here are some samples:
Andrew Johnson-Tennessee Tailor
Chester Arthur-Dude President
Franklin Pierce-Young Hicko of the Granite Hills
Millard Fillmore-Wool-Carder President
James Monroe-Last of the Cocked Hats
Franklin Roosevelt-Sphinx
Interested in learning more about the Presidents? Find out more information in the Facts About the Presidents book. The book can be found in our reference section.
JWF
The library just received a copy of the H.W. Wilson published book Facts About the Presidents, 8th edition, 2009. This is a reference book that has a huge amount of information about the Presidents. The 2009 edition, the 8th, includes information even about President Obama.
One interesting section of the book deals with nicknames. Some of these Presidential nicknames I had heard of before, such as 'Ike' for President Dwight Eisenhower, while others, such as 'Shrub' for President George W. Bush, were new to me. Some Presidents had only one or a handful of nicknames listed, while others had quite a few. Here are some samples:
Andrew Johnson-Tennessee Tailor
Chester Arthur-Dude President
Franklin Pierce-Young Hicko of the Granite Hills
Millard Fillmore-Wool-Carder President
James Monroe-Last of the Cocked Hats
Franklin Roosevelt-Sphinx
Interested in learning more about the Presidents? Find out more information in the Facts About the Presidents book. The book can be found in our reference section.
JWF
Monday, March 09, 2009
Just a taste
When you're thinking about reading a book, do you stand at the shelf and skim the first chapter? NoveList (in GALILEO) offers the first chapter for a few of the titles- not all but more than you might expect.
I finished Twilight by Stephanie Meyer over the weekend (well, in one day). I'm desperate to begin the second in the series. There is a link for Twilight series..there it is in NoveList- the first chapter of New Moon.
Now you know what I'll be doing.....
...get the password to GALILEO from your Georgia librarian. You can join me in reading the first chapters!
-kls
I finished Twilight by Stephanie Meyer over the weekend (well, in one day). I'm desperate to begin the second in the series. There is a link for Twilight series..there it is in NoveList- the first chapter of New Moon.
Now you know what I'll be doing.....
...get the password to GALILEO from your Georgia librarian. You can join me in reading the first chapters!
-kls
Sunday, March 08, 2009
All the news
The RSS feeds I subscribe to help keep me up to date. It's my personal newspaper. I subscribe to blogs and web sites covering international and national news, librarians, genealogy, religion and comics. This morning I read Dear Myrtle (a genealogy blog) writing about NPR's Second Life story which aired on Saturday, March 7.
North Metro's Visual Communication department has purchased land in Second Life and built the 'Annex'
My avatar in Second Life is Kathryn LeFevre. You might meet me in Second Life at the Annex or a Library conference or a genealogy workshop!
-kls
Host Scott Simon speaks with [Michael] Demers about how this virtual terrain helps his students learn more effectively.I did have a moment of amusement thinking about genealogy buffs who research past lives participating as avatars in Second Life. Second Life is obviously not just for the computer aficionado.
North Metro's Visual Communication department has purchased land in Second Life and built the 'Annex'
The Annex will consist of a first floor art gallery, second floor classroom, and a third floor multi-purpose Learning Resource Center. On the grounds overlooking the ocean will be the work-ethics garden.
My avatar in Second Life is Kathryn LeFevre. You might meet me in Second Life at the Annex or a Library conference or a genealogy workshop!
-kls
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Three Books
Whilst exploring the website of National Public Radio (NPR), I stumbled across an interesting portion of their 'books' section. This area of the books page is known as Three Books. Every few weeks, NPR has a guest, usually an author, select three books on a relevant topic, such as Abraham Lincoln. It was interesting exploring the book selections for various subjects, many of which I had never heard before.
If you are interested in any of the books in 'Three Books,' you can always visit our online catalog to see if we own a particular book. If you need a review of the book, or would like some more information on it, then check out Galileo. There are some databases within Galileo that can help you out in this regard.
NoveList is a great database that contains book reviews and other information about different works, primarily fiction. There is a really neat feature that helps you to find similar books related to the current book review that you are looking at. There is also a recommended reading section.
Book Index with Reviews is a database similar to NoveList. Book Index also has lots of reviews on nonfiction works. The interface on Book Index is also well thought out and organized, which should aid your searching.
There is also Worldcat. Worldcat will allow you to look up a book and see what is the closest Georgia library that has it. Remember, if you are a NMTC student and the closest copy of a particular book is in Valdosta, then the NMTC Library can try and request the book for you through Interlibrary Loan. Contact the library on how to do this.
Remember, the gain access to Galileo you will need the current password. Get it from your local Georgia librarian.
JWF
If you are interested in any of the books in 'Three Books,' you can always visit our online catalog to see if we own a particular book. If you need a review of the book, or would like some more information on it, then check out Galileo. There are some databases within Galileo that can help you out in this regard.
NoveList is a great database that contains book reviews and other information about different works, primarily fiction. There is a really neat feature that helps you to find similar books related to the current book review that you are looking at. There is also a recommended reading section.
Book Index with Reviews is a database similar to NoveList. Book Index also has lots of reviews on nonfiction works. The interface on Book Index is also well thought out and organized, which should aid your searching.
There is also Worldcat. Worldcat will allow you to look up a book and see what is the closest Georgia library that has it. Remember, if you are a NMTC student and the closest copy of a particular book is in Valdosta, then the NMTC Library can try and request the book for you through Interlibrary Loan. Contact the library on how to do this.
Remember, the gain access to Galileo you will need the current password. Get it from your local Georgia librarian.
JWF
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
You Wouldn't Like Green Eggs and Ham Either
March 2nd was the birthday of noted author Dr. Seuss. Seuss was famous for many works, including the Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. Google altered its main page logo to celebrate the birthday of Seuss.
Speaking from personal experience, green eggs are really nasty. I once worked in a middle school, and as part of the Seuss 'celebration' they served up an eggish substance loaded down with green food coloring. Nice gesture, but something was lost in the translation.
The North Metro Tech Library has several books by, or about, Dr. Seuss. Remember, to search in the catalog, go to the college's website http://www.northmetrotech.edu, then click on 'Library.' You will notice two ways to search the catalog. You can type a search term into the search bar and hit search, or you can click on the link for the online catalog.
Remember, avoid real green eggs at all costs. Your taste buds will thank you.
JWF
Monday, March 02, 2009
What is a cloud?
The question was asked by Dr. Mary Ann Bell on LM_Net - what do you think of when you hear the phrase 'The Cloud'? She offered a quick survey to the LM_Net community. She gave us a hint- we could look in Wikipedia for The Cloud.
I think of 'It Looked Like Spilt Milk' by Charles G. Shaw when I think of clouds. I cut a white flannel shape for each of the pictures and lay out the 'clouds' on the board as I read. By the time I've finished- it looks like a sky full of clouds.
Back to Dr. Bell's question - which asked about 'The Cloud'. I did check Wikipedia, then I went to GALILEO where I selected Browse by Type and chose Encyclopedias- of course, Encyclopedia Britannica was my first choice. 'The cloud' brought up 1290 entries in EB. Changing the search term to The cloud internet brought up one entry.
I learned something from the Wikipedia article. I'm not sure I understand it- but I learned something!
-kls
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down
In the Christian year, this is the first day of Lent. The beginning of the 40 days before Easter when Christians reflect on their humanity, their fallen and broken nature, the nature that is ultimately redeemed by Jesus. Ash Wednesday is appropriately preceeded by Fat Tuesday (also known as Shrove Tuesday) - the day of excess celebrated most vividly in Latin cultures via Mardi Gras. Northern Europeans celebrate Fat Tuesday with the Pancake Supper!
Where can you find information about Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Lent, Easter, etc? I did a Google search on each topic and found many a site willing to share. Some sites had a clear 'authority' - the Vatican for example. Yet, I wanted something I could cite without digging through the About Us to find the author.
GALILEO offers cite-able sources- Ebsco's Religion and Philosophy "includes more than 300 full-text journals covering topics such as world religions, major denominations, biblical studies, religious history, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of language, moral philosophy, and the history of philosophy."
I'm looking for facts about Lent, etc - Encyclopedia Brittanica or Credo Reference offer access to 'facts'. Yes, yes, I know about Wikipedia but even they note " anyone can edit it". Credo and Britannica offer me credible, vetted information (yes, I've read the Nature article showing Britannica had almost as many errors as Wikipedia and the refutation).
Easy is not always the surest route to the best information.....Lent offers a time to reflect on what 'easy' gets us....get the password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.
-kls
Where can you find information about Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Lent, Easter, etc? I did a Google search on each topic and found many a site willing to share. Some sites had a clear 'authority' - the Vatican for example. Yet, I wanted something I could cite without digging through the About Us to find the author.
GALILEO offers cite-able sources- Ebsco's Religion and Philosophy "includes more than 300 full-text journals covering topics such as world religions, major denominations, biblical studies, religious history, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of language, moral philosophy, and the history of philosophy."
I'm looking for facts about Lent, etc - Encyclopedia Brittanica or Credo Reference offer access to 'facts'. Yes, yes, I know about Wikipedia but even they note " anyone can edit it". Credo and Britannica offer me credible, vetted information (yes, I've read the Nature article showing Britannica had almost as many errors as Wikipedia and the refutation).
Easy is not always the surest route to the best information.....Lent offers a time to reflect on what 'easy' gets us....get the password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.
-kls
Monday, February 23, 2009
How do I find thee?
Thank you Jeff Mallett, creator of Frazz.
22 Feb 2009
I smiled. Yes, print is one way to find the information.
-kls
22 Feb 2009
I smiled. Yes, print is one way to find the information.
-kls
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Those who don't know
history are destined to repeat it - said Edmund Burke
Carter G. Woodson began Negro History Week in 1926. He wrote 'Observances of Negro History Week,' which appeared in the volume 11, number 2 issue of the 'Journal of Negro History.'
Where could I find that article?
A Google search led me to HighBeam.com which has the article but requires my registering for a free trial (and then charging me a monthly fee).
You know I'm sending you to GALILEO - where our Georgia tax dollars are at work (get the password for home use from your Georgia librarian). There you'll find the History Reference Center an Ebsco product.
GALILEO
...Databases A-Z, select H
.....Scroll to History Reference Center
.......Type in Negro History week
.........Select 'Observances of Negro History Week'(on my search it was the 4th article)notice it is a pdf file- you'll see the article as it was in the journal
You can create an Alert for the Black History Bulletin "A peer-reviewed publication written to provide those who instruct our youth with innovative materials, which teach Black history and conform to national history standards." Ebsco will send you links to the latest articles posted from Black History Bulletin.
Make learning history a year round effort!
Keeping in mind Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it - Edmund Burke
-kls
Carter G. Woodson began Negro History Week in 1926. He wrote 'Observances of Negro History Week,' which appeared in the volume 11, number 2 issue of the 'Journal of Negro History.'
Where could I find that article?
A Google search led me to HighBeam.com which has the article but requires my registering for a free trial (and then charging me a monthly fee).
You know I'm sending you to GALILEO - where our Georgia tax dollars are at work (get the password for home use from your Georgia librarian). There you'll find the History Reference Center an Ebsco product.
GALILEO
...Databases A-Z, select H
.....Scroll to History Reference Center
.......Type in Negro History week
.........Select 'Observances of Negro History Week'(on my search it was the 4th article)notice it is a pdf file- you'll see the article as it was in the journal
Reprints the article 'Observances of Negro History Week,' by Carter G. Woodson, which appeared in the volume 11, number 2 issue of the 'Journal of Negro History.'
You can create an Alert for the Black History Bulletin "A peer-reviewed publication written to provide those who instruct our youth with innovative materials, which teach Black history and conform to national history standards." Ebsco will send you links to the latest articles posted from Black History Bulletin.
Make learning history a year round effort!
Keeping in mind Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it - Edmund Burke
-kls
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Answers to Presidential Trivia
Here are the answers to our Presidents' Day Trivia. Let's see how you did.
1. This man was the shortest President to date, standing in at 5'4".
Answer: James Madison, our 4th President.
2. This President was the first to die in office, setting a record for the shortest term of office to date, a whole month.
Answer: William Henry Harrison, our 9th President. Harrison did not wear a coat during his inaugural address, given on a cold, yucky day, and proceeded to give the longest such address in history. He got sick the next day and died soon after.
3. Technically counting as two Presidents, this man was the only President to serve non-consecutive terms of office.
Answer: Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President. Cleveland was defeated for reelection by Benjamin Harrison in 1888. He then returned in 1892 and was elected again.
4. This President came from a historically prominent American family, had a grandfather who was President before him, and was elected to one term by winning the electoral college but losing the popular vote.
Answer: Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President. Harrison's grandfather was William Henry Harrison. He defeated Grover Cleveland in the electoral college in 1888, but lost a rematch to Cleveland in 1892.
5. 'Accidental' President who became the longest lived President to date. He outlived the second longest lived President, Ronald Reagan, by 45 days and died at the age of 93 years and 165 days.
Answer: Gerald Ford, the 38th President. Ford remains the only President to have never been elected to either the Presidency or Vice-Presidency. He was appointed to be Vice-President under the terms of the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution following the resignation of Vice-President Spiro Agnew. When President Richard Nixon later resigned, Ford became President. He lost the campaign to win a term as President in his own right in 1976 to former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter.
6. The President who was the youngest age, at 42, when he was first inaugurated President.
Answer: Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President. Roosevelt was the younger man to ever become President. He was sworn in upon the assassination of President William McKinley. John F. Kennedy has the youngest age upon being elected President. Theodore Roosevelt was older than Kennedy's election age when he won a term in his own right in 1904.
7. The only President to date who was born outside of the continental United States.
Answer: Barack Obama, the 44th President. Obama was born in Hawaii, which along with Alaska, is not one of the 48 continental United States.
8. This President had the rotten luck to see the Roaring Twenties come crashing to an end just after taking office, but lived longer after he was President than any man to date.
Answer: Herbert Hoover, the 31st President. Hoover saw the 1929 stock market crash and the onset of the Great Depression shortly after taking office in 1929. He was defeated for reelection in 1932 by Franklin Roosevelt, and many blamed him for the Depression for years after. Hoover lived for thirty one years after leaving office.
9. The only President who is buried in the District of Columbia. His final resting place is in the National Cathedral.
Answer: Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President. Wilson is buried in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
10. The only President to die in the 18th century.
Answer: George Washington, the 1st President. Washington died December 14th, 1799.
How did you do?
Number Correct:
0-failed run for city council
1-2-made it to the state legislature
3-4-won statewide office
5-6-elected to the House of Representatives
7-8-elected governor
9-US Senate
10-Presidential
JWF
1. This man was the shortest President to date, standing in at 5'4".
Answer: James Madison, our 4th President.
2. This President was the first to die in office, setting a record for the shortest term of office to date, a whole month.
Answer: William Henry Harrison, our 9th President. Harrison did not wear a coat during his inaugural address, given on a cold, yucky day, and proceeded to give the longest such address in history. He got sick the next day and died soon after.
3. Technically counting as two Presidents, this man was the only President to serve non-consecutive terms of office.
Answer: Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President. Cleveland was defeated for reelection by Benjamin Harrison in 1888. He then returned in 1892 and was elected again.
4. This President came from a historically prominent American family, had a grandfather who was President before him, and was elected to one term by winning the electoral college but losing the popular vote.
Answer: Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President. Harrison's grandfather was William Henry Harrison. He defeated Grover Cleveland in the electoral college in 1888, but lost a rematch to Cleveland in 1892.
5. 'Accidental' President who became the longest lived President to date. He outlived the second longest lived President, Ronald Reagan, by 45 days and died at the age of 93 years and 165 days.
Answer: Gerald Ford, the 38th President. Ford remains the only President to have never been elected to either the Presidency or Vice-Presidency. He was appointed to be Vice-President under the terms of the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution following the resignation of Vice-President Spiro Agnew. When President Richard Nixon later resigned, Ford became President. He lost the campaign to win a term as President in his own right in 1976 to former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter.
6. The President who was the youngest age, at 42, when he was first inaugurated President.
Answer: Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President. Roosevelt was the younger man to ever become President. He was sworn in upon the assassination of President William McKinley. John F. Kennedy has the youngest age upon being elected President. Theodore Roosevelt was older than Kennedy's election age when he won a term in his own right in 1904.
7. The only President to date who was born outside of the continental United States.
Answer: Barack Obama, the 44th President. Obama was born in Hawaii, which along with Alaska, is not one of the 48 continental United States.
8. This President had the rotten luck to see the Roaring Twenties come crashing to an end just after taking office, but lived longer after he was President than any man to date.
Answer: Herbert Hoover, the 31st President. Hoover saw the 1929 stock market crash and the onset of the Great Depression shortly after taking office in 1929. He was defeated for reelection in 1932 by Franklin Roosevelt, and many blamed him for the Depression for years after. Hoover lived for thirty one years after leaving office.
9. The only President who is buried in the District of Columbia. His final resting place is in the National Cathedral.
Answer: Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President. Wilson is buried in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
10. The only President to die in the 18th century.
Answer: George Washington, the 1st President. Washington died December 14th, 1799.
How did you do?
Number Correct:
0-failed run for city council
1-2-made it to the state legislature
3-4-won statewide office
5-6-elected to the House of Representatives
7-8-elected governor
9-US Senate
10-Presidential
JWF
Monday, February 16, 2009
President's Day
In honor of President's Day, here is a bit of Presidential trivia. Answers to be posted on Tuesday, February 17, 2009. See if you can identify the President referred to by each statement/question.
Remember, you may want to use Galileo to try and find the answers. Get the password from your Georgia librarian.
1. This man was the shortest President to date, standing in at 5'4".
2. This President was the first to die in office, setting the record for the shortest term of office to date, a whole month.
3. Technically counting as two Presidents, this man was the only President to serve non-consecutive terms of office.
4. This President came from a historically prominent American family, had a grandfather who was President before him, and was elected to one term by winning the electoral college but losing the popular vote.
5. 'Accidental' President who became the longest lived President to date. He outlived the second longest lived President, Ronald Reagan, by 45 days and died at the age of 93 years and 165 days.
6. The President who was the youngest age, at 42, when he was first inaugurated President.
7. The only President to date who was born outside of the continental United States.
8. This President had the rotten luck to see the Roaring Twenties come crashing to an end just after taking office, but lived longer after he was President than any man to date.
9. The only President who is buried in the District of Columbia. His final resting place is in the National Cathedral.
10. The only President to die in the 18th century.
JWF
Remember, you may want to use Galileo to try and find the answers. Get the password from your Georgia librarian.
1. This man was the shortest President to date, standing in at 5'4".
2. This President was the first to die in office, setting the record for the shortest term of office to date, a whole month.
3. Technically counting as two Presidents, this man was the only President to serve non-consecutive terms of office.
4. This President came from a historically prominent American family, had a grandfather who was President before him, and was elected to one term by winning the electoral college but losing the popular vote.
5. 'Accidental' President who became the longest lived President to date. He outlived the second longest lived President, Ronald Reagan, by 45 days and died at the age of 93 years and 165 days.
6. The President who was the youngest age, at 42, when he was first inaugurated President.
7. The only President to date who was born outside of the continental United States.
8. This President had the rotten luck to see the Roaring Twenties come crashing to an end just after taking office, but lived longer after he was President than any man to date.
9. The only President who is buried in the District of Columbia. His final resting place is in the National Cathedral.
10. The only President to die in the 18th century.
JWF
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Happy Birthday Charlie Darwin!
It's easy for me to remember that February 12th is the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. My mother's birthday is also on February 12th. I guess you could say that I think of the day as my mother's birthday, and it also happens to be Lincoln's birthday.
Old Abe Charles Darwin, the naturalist responsible for the theory of evolution by means of natural selection. Darwin has had an indirect influence on my life. My hometown is Dayton, Tennessee. Dayton was the site of one of the several 'trials of the century,' the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial. The trial was a test case to challenge a Tennessee law banning the teaching of evolution. The trial became the biggest event in Dayton's history, and subsequently gave the town the nickname of 'Monkeytown,' as many a huckster and tonic salesman descended upon the town, selling shaved chimps as the missing link. The trial attracted the likes of WGN radio, Clarence Darrow, and William Jennings Bryan. The liberal arts college in Dayton, Bryan College, was named for Bryan.
Note: to view some of the links in this post, you may need to get the current Galileo password. You can get the password from your Georgia librarian.
Happy Birthday Mom!
JWF
Old Abe Charles Darwin, the naturalist responsible for the theory of evolution by means of natural selection. Darwin has had an indirect influence on my life. My hometown is Dayton, Tennessee. Dayton was the site of one of the several 'trials of the century,' the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial. The trial was a test case to challenge a Tennessee law banning the teaching of evolution. The trial became the biggest event in Dayton's history, and subsequently gave the town the nickname of 'Monkeytown,' as many a huckster and tonic salesman descended upon the town, selling shaved chimps as the missing link. The trial attracted the likes of WGN radio, Clarence Darrow, and William Jennings Bryan. The liberal arts college in Dayton, Bryan College, was named for Bryan.
Note: to view some of the links in this post, you may need to get the current Galileo password. You can get the password from your Georgia librarian.
Happy Birthday Mom!
JWF
As long as we're talking about Lincoln
Lincoln's birthday celebration brings to mind the Civil War, which brings to mind Veterans, which brings me to Ancestry.com adding records (I feel like a Laura Numeroff story "If you give a librarian ....").
Today's Genealogy Insider by Diane Haddad noted the addition of a number of resources to Ancestry. The one that caught my eye pertains to Georgia.
You may access Heritage Quest at home with your public library GALILEO password - yes the public library offers slightly different resources in GALILEO - ask your public librarian)
-kls
Today's Genealogy Insider by Diane Haddad noted the addition of a number of resources to Ancestry. The one that caught my eye pertains to Georgia.
Confederate Pension Applications from Georgia includes more than 60,000 records documenting pension applications Confederate soldiers and their widows filed in Georgia. (Search these free on the Georgia State Archives Web site.)
You may access Heritage Quest at home with your public library GALILEO password - yes the public library offers slightly different resources in GALILEO - ask your public librarian)
-kls
Happy Birthday, Mr. L
I wonder if Abe had any idea the impact he would make on history when he was a boy, a young man, or even as a middle aged President? It seems 'everyone' is running specials, writing articles, and blogging about the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln.
Britannica has been blogging about Mr. Lincoln for a few days. They posted a YouTube that someone compiled of 'all' the pictures of Mr. Lincoln! Fascinating.
I went to GALILEO and selected Lexis Nexis Academic to look through the transcripts.
...I typed "Abraham Lincoln" in quotes
......Limited my search to TV and Radio Broadcast transcripts
........Limited my search to the previous week
110 results were displayed. Read all about it - using Lexis Nexis Academic in GALILEO.
-kls
You may get the password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.
Britannica has been blogging about Mr. Lincoln for a few days. They posted a YouTube that someone compiled of 'all' the pictures of Mr. Lincoln! Fascinating.
I went to GALILEO and selected Lexis Nexis Academic to look through the transcripts.
...I typed "Abraham Lincoln" in quotes
......Limited my search to TV and Radio Broadcast transcripts
........Limited my search to the previous week
110 results were displayed. Read all about it - using Lexis Nexis Academic in GALILEO.
-kls
You may get the password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Learning new things
Research Strategies : Finding your Way through the information Fog [Z 710 .B23 2008] by William B. Badke has arrived.
The book is at the circulation desk where the librarians are reading and learning. My favorite quote so far is found on page 13 - "Not all information is equal."
Trying to teach anyone that 'good enough' may not be really 'good enough' is hard. Google and Wikipedia are so easy to find - using the library resources that are protected by passwords sometimes 'feels' quite difficult.
I shared with one class the true story- a student called the library last week and said "I've spent hours on Google and can't find an article for my class". Biting my tongue, I asked "Did you look in GALILEO"....OH
I'm hoping Mr. Badke has a hint or tip that we can share to help students remember to use the library databases!
-kls
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Cards Are Shuffled
In a recent post, I noted that the Arizona (by way of St. Louis and Chicago) Cardinals won the NFL title in 1947. A diligent reader posted a reply stating that the Cardinals also won the NFL championship in 1925. This may depend upon who you ask, especially if they live in Pennsylvania. A summary of the situation can be found here.
Apparently, back in 1925, there were no playoffs. The championship was awarded to the team with the best record. That normally would have gone to the Pottsville Maroons of Pennsylvania, who finished with the best record in the league that year (similar to many soccer leagues). The Maroons also won a convincing victory over the Cardinals in Chicago during the season. However, the Maroons then went on to play a Notre Dam All-Star team in a non-league game. As a result, in part because the game was played in Philadelphia and violated the rights of another team in the league, the league stripped the Maroons of the trophy and awarded the championship to the Cardinals. According to some sources, the Cardinals refused to accept the championship.
Attempts have been made by Maroons fans over the years to have the championship restored to Pottsville. Pottsville fans claim that these attempts have been thwarted over the years by the Bidwell family, longtime owners of the Cardinals (although not in 1925), who want to see the Cardinals remain recognized as the 1925 champs.
It should be noted that the website of the Pro Football Hall of Fame notes that the Cardinals are the 1925 champions, without an asterisk next to their name.
JWF
Apparently, back in 1925, there were no playoffs. The championship was awarded to the team with the best record. That normally would have gone to the Pottsville Maroons of Pennsylvania, who finished with the best record in the league that year (similar to many soccer leagues). The Maroons also won a convincing victory over the Cardinals in Chicago during the season. However, the Maroons then went on to play a Notre Dam All-Star team in a non-league game. As a result, in part because the game was played in Philadelphia and violated the rights of another team in the league, the league stripped the Maroons of the trophy and awarded the championship to the Cardinals. According to some sources, the Cardinals refused to accept the championship.
Attempts have been made by Maroons fans over the years to have the championship restored to Pottsville. Pottsville fans claim that these attempts have been thwarted over the years by the Bidwell family, longtime owners of the Cardinals (although not in 1925), who want to see the Cardinals remain recognized as the 1925 champs.
It should be noted that the website of the Pro Football Hall of Fame notes that the Cardinals are the 1925 champions, without an asterisk next to their name.
JWF
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Pollock
January 29th is the birthday of the late American painter Jackson Pollock. Pollock is noted for his unique style of painting, particularly the paint drop method he used primarily in the fifties. Many of his works from this time period are simply noted with a number and a date. Pollock's paintings sell for millions of dollars.
Google adapted its logo today to resemble one of Pollock's paintings to celebrate his birthday. A sample of Pollock's paintings and a biography are available in the Galileo database Oxford Art Online. Simply do a search, or an advanced search for 'pollock' or 'Jackson Pollock.' Remember, you will need a password to use Galileo off-campus. Contact the library to get the current Galileo password, or your local Georgia librarian.
JWF
Google adapted its logo today to resemble one of Pollock's paintings to celebrate his birthday. A sample of Pollock's paintings and a biography are available in the Galileo database Oxford Art Online. Simply do a search, or an advanced search for 'pollock' or 'Jackson Pollock.' Remember, you will need a password to use Galileo off-campus. Contact the library to get the current Galileo password, or your local Georgia librarian.
JWF
Haunted Libraries in the South
Hello,
Encyclopedia Britannica recently did a series of Blog entries on 'haunted libraries' in the United States. They broke that same list down by region, including a list of 'haunted' libraries in the south (although one wonders if Texas is still truly a southern state), as well as a list of international haunts.
Interestingly, Britannica was unable to find any haunted Georgia libraries. One library that is supposedly haunted is in Tennessee, the Hoskins Library at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. The Hoskins Library was the main academic library for many years until it was converted to a special collections library in the 1980's.
Encyclopedia Britannica is always doing many fine blog entries on history, society, politics, and health, among other subjects. Remember that North Metro Tech students can access Britannica through Galileo. Please contact the library if you need the current Galileo password.
JWF
Encyclopedia Britannica recently did a series of Blog entries on 'haunted libraries' in the United States. They broke that same list down by region, including a list of 'haunted' libraries in the south (although one wonders if Texas is still truly a southern state), as well as a list of international haunts.
Interestingly, Britannica was unable to find any haunted Georgia libraries. One library that is supposedly haunted is in Tennessee, the Hoskins Library at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. The Hoskins Library was the main academic library for many years until it was converted to a special collections library in the 1980's.
Encyclopedia Britannica is always doing many fine blog entries on history, society, politics, and health, among other subjects. Remember that North Metro Tech students can access Britannica through Galileo. Please contact the library if you need the current Galileo password.
JWF
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
And the winners are
For librarians and bibliophiles - the mid-winter meeting of ALA holds a particular pleasure - the announcement of the Newbery and Caldecott winners- along with others of note.
I no longer keep up with the Newbery but I do avidly await the Caldecott announcement to build up the Early Childhood collection. Yes, I've ordered the winner.
This year someone (sorry I can't remember who) noted the 2009 Newbery winner was available online as Neil Gaiman read aloud the The Graveyard Book over a 9 day book tour trip in October 2008. Delightfully the author has an easy voice to listen to and great expression as well.
I admit it starts off a bit gruesome for my taste but as I continued to listen I was drawn into the story. Mr. Gaiman has a very expressive voice (and an expressive face).
In GALILEO , Novelist K-8 has a book talk and several reviews to help one push this book!
Yes, get the password from your Georgia librarian to access Novelist through GALILEO.
-kls
I no longer keep up with the Newbery but I do avidly await the Caldecott announcement to build up the Early Childhood collection. Yes, I've ordered the winner.
This year someone (sorry I can't remember who) noted the 2009 Newbery winner was available online as Neil Gaiman read aloud the The Graveyard Book over a 9 day book tour trip in October 2008. Delightfully the author has an easy voice to listen to and great expression as well.
I admit it starts off a bit gruesome for my taste but as I continued to listen I was drawn into the story. Mr. Gaiman has a very expressive voice (and an expressive face).
In GALILEO , Novelist K-8 has a book talk and several reviews to help one push this book!
Yes, get the password from your Georgia librarian to access Novelist through GALILEO.
-kls
RIP Rabbit writer
Hat tip to Titus One Nine for RIP John Updike.
I started looking for verification. I did a Google search, figuring there might be a news story. First on the results list was Wikipedia and they had the death date listed. I looked for a newsy source, skimmed fan sites which did not yet list the death date. In a box I saw the Bloomberg site. I read their news story on John Updike.
Now I'm curious- how fast will other sources update the information. Was the updated Wikipedia a fluke?
Went to GALILEO and looked in Encyclopedia Britannica for John Updike - not updated yet (3:10 EST). How long will it take? Should I send in an edit comment?
Many times the bloggers are ahead of the curve but we need to verify the information with other sources. There's that carpenters adage - measure twice, cut once- which can be translated to check your sources!
-kls
I started looking for verification. I did a Google search, figuring there might be a news story. First on the results list was Wikipedia and they had the death date listed. I looked for a newsy source, skimmed fan sites which did not yet list the death date. In a box I saw the Bloomberg site. I read their news story on John Updike.
Now I'm curious- how fast will other sources update the information. Was the updated Wikipedia a fluke?
Went to GALILEO and looked in Encyclopedia Britannica for John Updike - not updated yet (3:10 EST). How long will it take? Should I send in an edit comment?
Many times the bloggers are ahead of the curve but we need to verify the information with other sources. There's that carpenters adage - measure twice, cut once- which can be translated to check your sources!
-kls
Monday, January 26, 2009
Happy Australia Day!
Today, January 26th, is celebrated as a holiday called Australia Day in the nation continent of Australia. January 26th, 1788 was the date of the arrival of the First Fleet ,a collection of eleven British ships under the command of Governor Arthur Phillip, at what is Port Jackson/Sydney Cove/Sydney Harbour near the present day site of the Sydney Opera House . This marked the establishment of a permanent British presence on the eastern coast of the Australian continent and also began the series of events that led to the creation of the modern day state of Australia. Of interest is the fact that many of the colonists aboard the First Fleet were convicts.
The national holiday is also used to reveal the awarding of the Australian of the Year Award. The 1988 holiday was significant in that it marked the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the first fleet.
JWF
The national holiday is also used to reveal the awarding of the Australian of the Year Award. The 1988 holiday was significant in that it marked the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the first fleet.
JWF
EB clarifies itself
Encyclopedia Britannica has a blog that covers a variety of topics. They must be hearing that folks aren't thrilled with the idea of EB turning into Wikipedia.
Britannica.com : new features
That's good to hear!
-kls
Britannica.com : new features
A “Suggest Edit” button allows a user to edit any section of an article and submit the changes to Britannica’s editors. Edits submitted by readers are suggestions to our editors that must be reviewed and approved by them before they’re posted. We’re eager for editorial suggestions from our readers, and we’ll review and act on them as quickly as we can, but no one can actually change a Britannica article except our editors.
That's good to hear!
-kls
Math on Sunday
The comics on Sunday, January 25, had a math pattern -
First there is Luann by Greg Evans
Then Foxtrot by Bill Arnend.
Math has never been my favorite subject. It is so rigid, so black and white, so right and wrong- so precise. It's easier to mush around in the Social Sciences. Yet, I ,along with LuAnn and Paige, - use math daily. I'm grateful that I was 'forced' to memorize the multiplication tables as I figure out how much several items will cost. I value being made to practice adding and subtracting in my head, quickly - as I look at a restaurant bill to see if it's correct. I appreciate being able to quickly figure percentages when faced with how much tip to leave.
We have several books in the Q's to help our students brush up on their math skills as they prepare for various standardized tests.
GALILEO has a search link for math. You may search Academic Search Complete - National Science Digital Library -
Research Library (at ProQuest) - and Science and Technology Collection - plus adding other databases.
Math is for everyday use!
-kls
First there is Luann by Greg Evans
Then Foxtrot by Bill Arnend.
Math has never been my favorite subject. It is so rigid, so black and white, so right and wrong- so precise. It's easier to mush around in the Social Sciences. Yet, I ,along with LuAnn and Paige, - use math daily. I'm grateful that I was 'forced' to memorize the multiplication tables as I figure out how much several items will cost. I value being made to practice adding and subtracting in my head, quickly - as I look at a restaurant bill to see if it's correct. I appreciate being able to quickly figure percentages when faced with how much tip to leave.
We have several books in the Q's to help our students brush up on their math skills as they prepare for various standardized tests.
GALILEO has a search link for math. You may search Academic Search Complete - National Science Digital Library -
Research Library (at ProQuest) - and Science and Technology Collection - plus adding other databases.
Math is for everyday use!
-kls
Friday, January 23, 2009
Britannica to Look Like Wikipedia
Greetings,
A librarian at Chattahoochee Technical College set us the following link about Britannica attempting to model itself after Wikipedia by allowing users some ability to edit and add content.
Note: To access Britannica off-campus, you may need to get the current Galileo password from your local Georgia public and/or college librarian.
Britannica to Allow User Edits Like Wikipedia
Britannica is making a mistake with this one.
Britannica is attempting, whether they admit it or not, to become another Wikipedia. They should rather focus on what makes them unique from Wikipedia, which is existing as an authoritative, academic , online encyclopedia. Rather than try to copy Wikipedia, Britannica needs to strengthen what I feel are its weaknesses as compared to Wikipedia. These would include what I feel are poorer interfaces, layouts, and graphics when compared to Wikipedia.
Also, I don’t see how their new user-added feature will entice patrons away from Wikipedia. First, Britannica has it articles written by experts in a field. I find it hard to digest that Britannica will have a Classics expert on call 24/7 to vet a user submitted entry on the Alexander the Great article. Also, one appeal of the user edit feature in Wikipedia is that you can see your edits instantly, not twenty minutes later.
Wikipedia, because of its nature, is much more exhaustive than Britannica. You can find articles in Wikipedia on the novel adaptations of the different Star Trek television series. You won’t find that on Britannica. And you shouldn’t find that on Britannica , if Britannica continues to promote itself as an academic source.
Despite its level of acceptance by many of our younger patrons, Wikipedia is best viewed as a pop culture/quick reference resource, that has to be taken with a grain of salt. Britannica should recognize this and not try to copy them, but rather should play to its own strengths and increase its viability as an academic and referenced alternative.
I liken this situation to the current state of affairs at General Motors. One of their few bright spots the last decade has been Cadillac. They made the decision to make the line unique from Buick and other GM lines, and play to Cadillac’s strengths as a high end luxury line with lots of features. One area GM failed was its half-hearted attempts to copy Japanese/Korean successes in smaller cars without giving the same level of quality and fuel efficiency that the imports offered.
This is akin to Pepsi changing it can color to red and white because Coke is selling more product.
JWF
A librarian at Chattahoochee Technical College set us the following link about Britannica attempting to model itself after Wikipedia by allowing users some ability to edit and add content.
Note: To access Britannica off-campus, you may need to get the current Galileo password from your local Georgia public and/or college librarian.
Britannica to Allow User Edits Like Wikipedia
Britannica is making a mistake with this one.
Britannica is attempting, whether they admit it or not, to become another Wikipedia. They should rather focus on what makes them unique from Wikipedia, which is existing as an authoritative, academic , online encyclopedia. Rather than try to copy Wikipedia, Britannica needs to strengthen what I feel are its weaknesses as compared to Wikipedia. These would include what I feel are poorer interfaces, layouts, and graphics when compared to Wikipedia.
Also, I don’t see how their new user-added feature will entice patrons away from Wikipedia. First, Britannica has it articles written by experts in a field. I find it hard to digest that Britannica will have a Classics expert on call 24/7 to vet a user submitted entry on the Alexander the Great article. Also, one appeal of the user edit feature in Wikipedia is that you can see your edits instantly, not twenty minutes later.
Wikipedia, because of its nature, is much more exhaustive than Britannica. You can find articles in Wikipedia on the novel adaptations of the different Star Trek television series. You won’t find that on Britannica. And you shouldn’t find that on Britannica , if Britannica continues to promote itself as an academic source.
Despite its level of acceptance by many of our younger patrons, Wikipedia is best viewed as a pop culture/quick reference resource, that has to be taken with a grain of salt. Britannica should recognize this and not try to copy them, but rather should play to its own strengths and increase its viability as an academic and referenced alternative.
I liken this situation to the current state of affairs at General Motors. One of their few bright spots the last decade has been Cadillac. They made the decision to make the line unique from Buick and other GM lines, and play to Cadillac’s strengths as a high end luxury line with lots of features. One area GM failed was its half-hearted attempts to copy Japanese/Korean successes in smaller cars without giving the same level of quality and fuel efficiency that the imports offered.
This is akin to Pepsi changing it can color to red and white because Coke is selling more product.
JWF
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
From way up high
A bit of news posted in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on 14 Jan 2009. Google Earth and the Museo Nacional del Prado in Spain have joined to put art into Google Earth.
Open up Google Earth (you may need to install it on your computer but it didn't take me long to do that). When you search for Museo del Prado, click on the museum, 14 pictures appear, click on a picture and read about the painting. Fascinating!
I noticed in my glance at a Google Earth page, a mention of Shakespeare. When I went back after loading Google Earth, I couldn't find the entry. I was able to find the Google Earth Blog reference for Shakespeare. Many places mentioned by Shakespeare are noted on Google Earth. Click on a picture of Shakespeare and zoom in to see what the location looks like today.
Fascinating! It does remind me of my foray into Second Life - flying over the land- setting down to visit.
I've added the Google Earth Blog story to delicious and tagged it for ENG 193 and Humanities 191.
-kls
Open up Google Earth (you may need to install it on your computer but it didn't take me long to do that). When you search for Museo del Prado, click on the museum, 14 pictures appear, click on a picture and read about the painting. Fascinating!
I noticed in my glance at a Google Earth page, a mention of Shakespeare. When I went back after loading Google Earth, I couldn't find the entry. I was able to find the Google Earth Blog reference for Shakespeare. Many places mentioned by Shakespeare are noted on Google Earth. Click on a picture of Shakespeare and zoom in to see what the location looks like today.
Fascinating! It does remind me of my foray into Second Life - flying over the land- setting down to visit.
I've added the Google Earth Blog story to delicious and tagged it for ENG 193 and Humanities 191.
-kls
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Feeding the info tiger
Really Simple Syndication is one way to get the news and commentary delivered to your desktop.
This morning I read on Titus One Nine the news about the WhiteHouse.gov site. The Obama team had their first blog posting at 12:01. Fast, very fast. I've created a feed to my Bloglines because I find it easier to check Bloglines than to go from site to site checking for a new post.
Various vendors in GALILEO offer RSS feeds for searches and publications. I like getting the latest publication delivered to my desktop (quicker than theUS Mail, cheaper than a print subscription. RSS really is simple.
Yes, the password to access GALILEO is available from your Georgia librarian.
-kls
This morning I read on Titus One Nine the news about the WhiteHouse.gov site. The Obama team had their first blog posting at 12:01. Fast, very fast. I've created a feed to my Bloglines because I find it easier to check Bloglines than to go from site to site checking for a new post.
Various vendors in GALILEO offer RSS feeds for searches and publications. I like getting the latest publication delivered to my desktop (quicker than theUS Mail, cheaper than a print subscription. RSS really is simple.
Yes, the password to access GALILEO is available from your Georgia librarian.
-kls
Card-Pitt
Greetings,
This past Sunday, the last four remaining NFL teams competed for a chance to represent their respective conference in Super Bowl XLIII. The Pittsburgh Steelers eliminated the Baltimore Ravens to win the American Conference and the Lamar Hunt trophy, while the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles to win the National Conferenc. Thus, the Cardinals and the Steelers will face off in neutral Tampa to see which team will hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy as the champions of the National Football League fo the 2008 season.
The Super Bowl matchup is quite interesting, for a number of reasons. The Arizona Cardinals are, according to their own website, the oldest pro football team in the country that has been in continous operation since their founding. The Cardinals were founded in 1898, predating the NFL itself, serving as one of the charter members of the league. Since the NFL began, the Cardinals have played in Chicago, serving as the city's south-side team, in St. Louis, and mostly recently in the Phoenix area. However, in their long history, the Cardinals have won exactly one NFL championship (the name of the league title prior to the Super Bowl), and were the last NFC team to make the conference championship game since 'modern' NFL history began in 1970 with the AFL/NFL merger. Now that the Cardinals have made both the conference championship and the Super Bowl, they leave only the New Orleans Saints, the Detroit Lions, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Cleveland Browns, and the Houston Texans as the teams that have never made it to the Super Bowl. Of those, only the Texans have never made their respective conference game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are considered one of the NFL's premier franchises. According to the Steelers' official website, they are the fifth oldest NFL franchise, forming in 1933. The Steelers were one of the lowliest franchises in the league until the hiring of Coach Chuck Noll in 1969, who led the team to four Super Bowl titles in the 1970's. The Steelers have been to the Super Bowl six times prior to this appearance, winning five times.
The Steelers have been owned by the Rooney family since their inception. The Cardinals have been owned by the Bidwill family for most of their existence. During the World War II affected 1944 season, both teams combined to form the Card-Pitt team, which lost every game it played that year.
If you are interested in news and information about these two teams, try Galileo . Go to the 'search' page. Try using the 'Pittsburgh Steelers' and 'Arizona Cardinals' as your search terms. You might want to limit your search to full-text. You will get results from publications including Sports Illustrated. (Note: you may need to get the current Galileo password from your local Georgia librarian.)
JWF
This past Sunday, the last four remaining NFL teams competed for a chance to represent their respective conference in Super Bowl XLIII. The Pittsburgh Steelers eliminated the Baltimore Ravens to win the American Conference and the Lamar Hunt trophy, while the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles to win the National Conferenc. Thus, the Cardinals and the Steelers will face off in neutral Tampa to see which team will hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy as the champions of the National Football League fo the 2008 season.
The Super Bowl matchup is quite interesting, for a number of reasons. The Arizona Cardinals are, according to their own website, the oldest pro football team in the country that has been in continous operation since their founding. The Cardinals were founded in 1898, predating the NFL itself, serving as one of the charter members of the league. Since the NFL began, the Cardinals have played in Chicago, serving as the city's south-side team, in St. Louis, and mostly recently in the Phoenix area. However, in their long history, the Cardinals have won exactly one NFL championship (the name of the league title prior to the Super Bowl), and were the last NFC team to make the conference championship game since 'modern' NFL history began in 1970 with the AFL/NFL merger. Now that the Cardinals have made both the conference championship and the Super Bowl, they leave only the New Orleans Saints, the Detroit Lions, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Cleveland Browns, and the Houston Texans as the teams that have never made it to the Super Bowl. Of those, only the Texans have never made their respective conference game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are considered one of the NFL's premier franchises. According to the Steelers' official website, they are the fifth oldest NFL franchise, forming in 1933. The Steelers were one of the lowliest franchises in the league until the hiring of Coach Chuck Noll in 1969, who led the team to four Super Bowl titles in the 1970's. The Steelers have been to the Super Bowl six times prior to this appearance, winning five times.
The Steelers have been owned by the Rooney family since their inception. The Cardinals have been owned by the Bidwill family for most of their existence. During the World War II affected 1944 season, both teams combined to form the Card-Pitt team, which lost every game it played that year.
If you are interested in news and information about these two teams, try Galileo . Go to the 'search' page. Try using the 'Pittsburgh Steelers' and 'Arizona Cardinals' as your search terms. You might want to limit your search to full-text. You will get results from publications including Sports Illustrated. (Note: you may need to get the current Galileo password from your local Georgia librarian.)
JWF
What did that mean?
The English language evolves with use. What a word means today is not what it meant 96 to 181 years ago. On LM_NET Sybil Finemel of Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 + 1828)supported by The ARTFL Project. Fun to type in a word and see what it used to mean!
GALILEO offers access to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (in Encyclopædia Britannica Online). It too is easy to search and includes the older meanings.
The grandaddy of dictionaries is the Oxford English Dictionary (also available through GALILEO)
The fun part of the OED is the timeline of use with dated quotes.
So many ways to find out what a word means yesterday and today!
You get the current password to access GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian.
-kls
GALILEO offers access to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (in Encyclopædia Britannica Online). It too is easy to search and includes the older meanings.
The grandaddy of dictionaries is the Oxford English Dictionary (also available through GALILEO)
The Oxford English Dictionary is the "accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium." The OED gives definitions, etymological analysis, and quotations to demonstrate the use of words in the English language over time.
The fun part of the OED is the timeline of use with dated quotes.
So many ways to find out what a word means yesterday and today!
You get the current password to access GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian.
-kls
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
We have a new name
North Metro Tech, Appalachian Tech and Chattahoochee Tech have been in the process of combining to create a new school since September. It has taken awhile to work out the new name. Dr. Sanford Chandler, president of Chattahoochee Tech, sent an e-mail announcing the new school would be known as Chattahoochee Technical College.
Read all about it in the various papers - Cartersville Daily Tribune and the Marietta Daily Journal.
-kls
Read all about it in the various papers - Cartersville Daily Tribune and the Marietta Daily Journal.
-kls
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Flickr Commons
Greetings,
Many of you may be familiar with the online photo sharing resource called Flickr . Flickr allows you to post and share photos online, while tagging them so that they can be searched more easily.
Flickr has created a new service that allows you to tag and describe older photos, many of which are from archived collections such as the Library of Congress. The stated mission of the project is to allow users (the public) to contribute information about these photos, and hopefully make them easier to find, and to increase the awareness of the existence of these collections.
Pay a visit to the Commons and explore what you find.
JWF
Many of you may be familiar with the online photo sharing resource called Flickr . Flickr allows you to post and share photos online, while tagging them so that they can be searched more easily.
Flickr has created a new service that allows you to tag and describe older photos, many of which are from archived collections such as the Library of Congress. The stated mission of the project is to allow users (the public) to contribute information about these photos, and hopefully make them easier to find, and to increase the awareness of the existence of these collections.
Pay a visit to the Commons and explore what you find.
JWF
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
New 7 Wonders
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a story on January 7th, 2009 about online voting for the 'new' 7 wonders of the natural world . This voting is being organized by a group that conducted voting last year for the 'new' 7 manmade wonders of the world. This time, voting is being limited to wonders that are natural.
The current phase of the voting is involves scaling down the nominees from over 200 to 77 for the next phase of the voting. The process seems to be well thought out, as each nominee must have an official sponsorship committee to be eligible to move into the next round.
A list of the winners of the 7 manmade wonders is available here . Note that the closest the USA came to getting an entry was the Statue of Liberty, which made the semifinal round.
Glancing at the nominees for the natural 7 wonders, I was interested to see how many I had not heard of, and that some things I had expected to be on the list were not, such as Arches National Park in Utah . (Although another arches park in Libya is present.) US located nominees include Lake Superior , the Grand Canyon , Niagara Falls , and Buck Island Reef in the Virgin Islands . Note that Lake Superior and Niagara Falls are shared with Canada.
It does appear that you have to provide your email in order to vote.
JWF
The current phase of the voting is involves scaling down the nominees from over 200 to 77 for the next phase of the voting. The process seems to be well thought out, as each nominee must have an official sponsorship committee to be eligible to move into the next round.
A list of the winners of the 7 manmade wonders is available here . Note that the closest the USA came to getting an entry was the Statue of Liberty, which made the semifinal round.
Glancing at the nominees for the natural 7 wonders, I was interested to see how many I had not heard of, and that some things I had expected to be on the list were not, such as Arches National Park in Utah . (Although another arches park in Libya is present.) US located nominees include Lake Superior , the Grand Canyon , Niagara Falls , and Buck Island Reef in the Virgin Islands . Note that Lake Superior and Niagara Falls are shared with Canada.
It does appear that you have to provide your email in order to vote.
JWF
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Making a comeback
Thanks to Sarah Hey at Stand Firm for highlighting this opinion declaration by Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal. Ms. Noonan happily shares her conviction that reading books will come back in style! She refers to several titles she's read this year. I was touched by the last sentence in her declaration:
Ms. Noonan was referring to "Mother Teresa's Secret Fire" by Joseph Langford. This is a title I was not familiar with.
I went to GALILEO and selected Book Index with Reviews . Here I read the reviews, clicked on the link to World Cat and the link to EBSCO (which has access to digitized articles from thousands of magazines). WorldCat let me know the closest library that holds this title. The EBSCO link brought me an interesting article about this title.
Book Index with Reviews in GALILEO is the place to go for information about a book someone mentions - to use this source at home get the current password for GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.
-kls
that all can change, that a life—and a world—can be made better all of a sudden, out of the blue, unexpectedly. But you have to be listening. You have to be able to hear.
Ms. Noonan was referring to "Mother Teresa's Secret Fire" by Joseph Langford. This is a title I was not familiar with.
I went to GALILEO and selected Book Index with Reviews . Here I read the reviews, clicked on the link to World Cat and the link to EBSCO (which has access to digitized articles from thousands of magazines). WorldCat let me know the closest library that holds this title. The EBSCO link brought me an interesting article about this title.
Book Index with Reviews in GALILEO is the place to go for information about a book someone mentions - to use this source at home get the current password for GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.
-kls
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Not so much the green maverick on Main Street
Associated Press writer, Jeff Karoub, penned an article referring to the annual list of words compiled by the faculty at Lake Superior State University. What fun to read the list and think about the popularity (or over popularity) of words in common use.
The Oxford English Dictionary ,which is available to Georgia residents through GALILEO, has examples of the changes in meaning that words go through over time.
Here's what the OED offers on maverick
Yes, maverick has several meanings and a history to our understanding of what a maverick is!
What I noticed is the RSS feed that the OED offers to those who might like to add a word to their vocabulary. So here's to New Years resolutions- subscribe to the OED RSS feed and use that word twice before the next word appears in your feed reader. Amaze your acquaintances with the expansion of your vocabulary.
You may get the current password to access GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian.
-kls
The Oxford English Dictionary ,which is available to Georgia residents through GALILEO, has examples of the changes in meaning that words go through over time.
Here's what the OED offers on maverick
2. An unorthodox or independent-minded person; a person who refuses to conform to the views of a particular group or party; an individualist. Also in extended use.
1880 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 19 Aug. 4/5 We..will crush radicals, greenbackers and all other foes of democracy, especially those independent gentlemen, those political mavericks. 1892 R. KIPLING Life's Handicap 195 A very muzzy Maverick smote his sergeant on the nose. 1948 Chicago Daily News 11 June 16/7 One Republican Senator, and not by any means a conspicuous maverick, pointed out that the Senate might have acted. 1957 Oxf. Mag. 17 Oct. 22/2 The story is not just of local boy making good, but also, and more significantly, of maverick making friends. 1989 Money & Family Wealth Mar. 25/2 Although the Abbey National is one of the oldest building societies, in recent years it has cultivated an image as a maverick and a mould-breaker. 1994 Hypno 3 69/2 James is a maverick of disturbingly beautiful techno.
Yes, maverick has several meanings and a history to our understanding of what a maverick is!
What I noticed is the RSS feed that the OED offers to those who might like to add a word to their vocabulary. So here's to New Years resolutions- subscribe to the OED RSS feed and use that word twice before the next word appears in your feed reader. Amaze your acquaintances with the expansion of your vocabulary.
You may get the current password to access GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian.
-kls
0-16
Part of being a librarian is having a familiarity with statistics. Knowledge of where and how to find statistics is part of the job description. Statistics are also a part of our everday lives, from the price of gas to stock prices.
One statistic that you have probably heard a lot about in the last week has been 0-16. This figure has been widely reported in all avenues of the news media, including on venues that are not sports related. 0-16 refers to the the record of the Detroit Lions football team of the National Football League. Losing Sunday, the Lions became the first team in league history to lose all 16 regular season games.
Several teams have had perfect losing seasons in the history of the league. Perhaps the best known is the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs went 0-14 that year. However, the Bucs had a bit of an excuse. That year the Bucs were an expansion team, not expected to compete. (Note that the NFL expanded its regular season to 16 games in the late 1970's.) The last pure 'defeated' season before the Bucs was during World War II.
Several teams have gone winless but have managed to get a tie over the course of a season. The Dallas Cowboys, in their first year, went 0-11-1. More common is the dreaded 1-15 season, a mark achieved by several franchises, including the Patriots, Colts, Dolphins, and Jets, all of whom currently or once played in the AFC East Division. The Miami Dolphins spoiled some fans idea of the ultimate season when they won their singular victory late last year, ending the notion of having one team go undefeated in the regular season, the Patriots, with another going undefeated. The Panthers once went 1-15, winning their first game and losing the rest. The 1989 Cowboys were perhaps the most famous of the 1-15 teams, winning the Super Bowl just three years later.
One great website for football statistics is Pro-Football-Reference.com. This website contains a plethora of information on coaching records, draft picks, and player stats. And most statistics are better than the dreaded 0-16.
JWF
One statistic that you have probably heard a lot about in the last week has been 0-16. This figure has been widely reported in all avenues of the news media, including on venues that are not sports related. 0-16 refers to the the record of the Detroit Lions football team of the National Football League. Losing Sunday, the Lions became the first team in league history to lose all 16 regular season games.
Several teams have had perfect losing seasons in the history of the league. Perhaps the best known is the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs went 0-14 that year. However, the Bucs had a bit of an excuse. That year the Bucs were an expansion team, not expected to compete. (Note that the NFL expanded its regular season to 16 games in the late 1970's.) The last pure 'defeated' season before the Bucs was during World War II.
Several teams have gone winless but have managed to get a tie over the course of a season. The Dallas Cowboys, in their first year, went 0-11-1. More common is the dreaded 1-15 season, a mark achieved by several franchises, including the Patriots, Colts, Dolphins, and Jets, all of whom currently or once played in the AFC East Division. The Miami Dolphins spoiled some fans idea of the ultimate season when they won their singular victory late last year, ending the notion of having one team go undefeated in the regular season, the Patriots, with another going undefeated. The Panthers once went 1-15, winning their first game and losing the rest. The 1989 Cowboys were perhaps the most famous of the 1-15 teams, winning the Super Bowl just three years later.
One great website for football statistics is Pro-Football-Reference.com. This website contains a plethora of information on coaching records, draft picks, and player stats. And most statistics are better than the dreaded 0-16.
JWF
Monday, December 29, 2008
Boxing Day
The last week of the year . . . A time for winding down, putting away all the Christmas decor, and figuring out where you put the free 2009 calendar that you got in the mail.
Speaking of calendars, you may have noticed on yours a little known and understood holiday on December 26th known as Boxing Day. But what in the world is Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is a holiday associated with the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries of the British Commonwealth. Boxing Day is celebrated on the 26th of December, unless that day falls on a weekend, in which case Boxing Day is often moved back to the next Monday.
There are several possible explanations for the origins of Boxing Day. The entry on Encyclopedia Britannica (available through Galileo , get the password from your Georgia Librarian) notes that Boxing Day may have started out of two possible traditions. The first was the giving of alms or donations to the poor, often collected in small boxes, at Christmas. The second was the later tradition of servants having the day after Christmas off. Servants were often given the day off and were given boxes of goodies (similar to care packages).
There are other origins of the holiday. The urban legends website Snopes.com notes that in all the origin explanations, the main theme is that of the poor being given something by the wealthy.
Boxing Day in Canada has evolved into something similar to the huge post-Christmas shopping day in the United States. Sales and returns at big box stores are often the theme of the day. Britannica also notes that, for whatever reason, English colonists in America did not carry the holiday over from England, perhaps explaining why Boxing Day is not an official holiday in the United States.
Now you can stare at December 26th on your calendar in 2009 and not be confused.
JWF
Speaking of calendars, you may have noticed on yours a little known and understood holiday on December 26th known as Boxing Day. But what in the world is Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is a holiday associated with the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries of the British Commonwealth. Boxing Day is celebrated on the 26th of December, unless that day falls on a weekend, in which case Boxing Day is often moved back to the next Monday.
There are several possible explanations for the origins of Boxing Day. The entry on Encyclopedia Britannica (available through Galileo , get the password from your Georgia Librarian) notes that Boxing Day may have started out of two possible traditions. The first was the giving of alms or donations to the poor, often collected in small boxes, at Christmas. The second was the later tradition of servants having the day after Christmas off. Servants were often given the day off and were given boxes of goodies (similar to care packages).
There are other origins of the holiday. The urban legends website Snopes.com notes that in all the origin explanations, the main theme is that of the poor being given something by the wealthy.
Boxing Day in Canada has evolved into something similar to the huge post-Christmas shopping day in the United States. Sales and returns at big box stores are often the theme of the day. Britannica also notes that, for whatever reason, English colonists in America did not carry the holiday over from England, perhaps explaining why Boxing Day is not an official holiday in the United States.
Now you can stare at December 26th on your calendar in 2009 and not be confused.
JWF
Sunday, December 21, 2008
1000 posts
When I logged in, I noticed we had 1000 posts on this blog...who would have thought I had so much to say?
Sharing the online resources (and the print resources) available to North Metro Technical College students is enjoyable. Noticing the 1000th post notation reinforces the adage- "time flies when you're having fun".
I'm on break till January 5th but as I see or hear something I'll share. Which brings me to the Early Word blog- "steal this for your next speech". It made me laugh out loud.
I used to be a part of a giant public library system that would mail books to your home.....so when Brian Williams got to the.... well- you'll see- just watch and listen...and think of me laughing.
-kls
Sharing the online resources (and the print resources) available to North Metro Technical College students is enjoyable. Noticing the 1000th post notation reinforces the adage- "time flies when you're having fun".
I'm on break till January 5th but as I see or hear something I'll share. Which brings me to the Early Word blog- "steal this for your next speech". It made me laugh out loud.
I used to be a part of a giant public library system that would mail books to your home.....so when Brian Williams got to the.... well- you'll see- just watch and listen...and think of me laughing.
-kls
Thursday, December 11, 2008
It's not just inked anymore
What do you think of when you hear the word encyclopedia? Several shelves of dark colored thick volumes with gold lettering on the spines and big numbers or letters at the bottom of the spine...the traditional 22 volumes of print....with an index that you might consider using if you're really into cross referencing?
Yes, that was the style encyclopedia I used for many years. In my earliest library days there were CD's that could be loaded on a computer. Then encyclopedias became available through a subscription service online. Wiki-pedia, the people's encyclopedia, became the free way online to find pop culture information (and quick facts). So what was a self respecting encyclopedia publisher to do?
Encyclopedia Britannica has moved well into the 21st century. I attended one of their webinars and came away thinking - this isn't the encyclopedia anymore!
It's a portal of information- full text articles from EB, magazine and journal articles from ProQuest and Ebsco, web sites vetted by humans, images, video-clips, and time lines. There are enough links within each page to make the most ardent web surfer happy.
Best of all you can create Workspaces and collect all those links into your personal library on a topic. We're going to use the workspace option for our History classes and English classes. We have collected web sites on delicious but this will add another dimension- best of all the link to the workspace can be e-mailed (or saved on delicious)!
What a wonderful well rounded resource the encyclopedia has become. It's available through GALILEO. You may get the password to use GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian!
-kls
Yes, that was the style encyclopedia I used for many years. In my earliest library days there were CD's that could be loaded on a computer. Then encyclopedias became available through a subscription service online. Wiki-pedia, the people's encyclopedia, became the free way online to find pop culture information (and quick facts). So what was a self respecting encyclopedia publisher to do?
Encyclopedia Britannica has moved well into the 21st century. I attended one of their webinars and came away thinking - this isn't the encyclopedia anymore!
It's a portal of information- full text articles from EB, magazine and journal articles from ProQuest and Ebsco, web sites vetted by humans, images, video-clips, and time lines. There are enough links within each page to make the most ardent web surfer happy.
Best of all you can create Workspaces and collect all those links into your personal library on a topic. We're going to use the workspace option for our History classes and English classes. We have collected web sites on delicious but this will add another dimension- best of all the link to the workspace can be e-mailed (or saved on delicious)!
What a wonderful well rounded resource the encyclopedia has become. It's available through GALILEO. You may get the password to use GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian!
-kls
Serendipity
Yesterday I mentioned the phase of the moon in my entry. Shortly afterwards I read what Mary Ludwick on LM_NET posted from the NASA Science News for December 9, 2008 -Not all full Moons are the same. This Friday's is the biggest and brightest full Moon of the year.
The full story may be found at NASA's page!
Isn't serendipity fun!
From Encyclopedia Britannica via GALILEO:
Main Entry: ser·en·dip·i·ty
Pronunciation: -'di-p&-tE
Function: noun
Etymology: from its possession by the heroes of the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip
: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for
You get the current password to access GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian
-kls
The full story may be found at NASA's page!
Isn't serendipity fun!
From Encyclopedia Britannica via GALILEO:
Main Entry: ser·en·dip·i·ty
Pronunciation: -'di-p&-tE
Function: noun
Etymology: from its possession by the heroes of the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip
: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for
You get the current password to access GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian
-kls
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
What phase is the moon in>
A cartoon co-incidence today -Rhymes with Orange refers to T. Oedipus Rex in paleo-psychiatry while One Big Happy plays on the word Rex as wrecks.
I started thinking about Oedipus Rex and realized - my brain is turning to jello and I couldn't remember anything- was it Shakespeare or Greeks? Who wrote it?
To get a quick answer I could have done a Google search but I thought better of it- and went to our OPAC and searched. We have four titles - two print and two electronic books. All looked like more information than I really wanted.
We purchase the full Credo Reference and have a search box on the library page. A search in Credo brought me 171 results. I chose The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Houghton Mifflin (yes, it was first on the list). I was reminded of the Greek myth and the play by Sophocless with a reference to Freud.
All in a paragraph in a reputable source- just as easy as Google without the angst of worrying if this is a credible resource!
-kls
I started thinking about Oedipus Rex and realized - my brain is turning to jello and I couldn't remember anything- was it Shakespeare or Greeks? Who wrote it?
To get a quick answer I could have done a Google search but I thought better of it- and went to our OPAC and searched. We have four titles - two print and two electronic books. All looked like more information than I really wanted.
We purchase the full Credo Reference and have a search box on the library page. A search in Credo brought me 171 results. I chose The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Houghton Mifflin (yes, it was first on the list). I was reminded of the Greek myth and the play by Sophocless with a reference to Freud.
All in a paragraph in a reputable source- just as easy as Google without the angst of worrying if this is a credible resource!
-kls
The perfect gift
Can you guess what this item is?
- No assembly required
- No batteries needed
- Does not become obsolete
- Can be taken anywhere
- Does not cause carpel tunnel syndrome
- No small parts to lose
- No annoying sound effects
- No updates or upgrades needed
- Never needs ironing
- Easy to wrap
- Good for hours of entertainment
- Easy to store
- Always fits
- Will not cause strife at airport security
- User friendly
- Easy to share files with friends
- Doesn't need extension cord
- Bookmarks easy to manage
- Great topics of conversation
- Never comes in the wrong color or size
- Doesn't need to be serviced by a dealer
- Doesn't need spare parts
- Easier to wrap than footballs
- Looks good with any decor
- Doesn't need watering or fertilizing
- Won't irritate your allergies
- Doesn't go out of style
- Doesn't get aphids or draw ants
- Doesn't bark or need to be walked in the middle of the night
- Won't stretch, shrink or fade
- Won't scratch the coffee table
- Won't get stale
- Doesn't have zippers that break
- Can be used over and over by many people
- Not empty when finished
- You can open this again and again
----it's a book!
I smiled as I went through the list. My youngest has asked for a complete set of the Ian Fleming, James Bond books. Nice- very nice- no batteries....
-kls
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
the House of Lords
Greetings,
Most Sunday evenings I tune in to watch the delayed broadcast of the Prime Minister's Question Time on C-SPAN. Question Time occurs live on Wednesdays from the British House of Commons in London. The House of Commons is the lower house of the British Parliament, and serves as the equivalent of our legislative branch and most of our executive branch of government. During Question Time, any Member of Parliament, or MP, can ask the current Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, a question, to which the Prime Minister replies. The 30 minute show is a jostling affair, with the members of the three main political parties hollering and cheering as their respective leaders get in various jabs and jarbs with questions and responses. The Speaker of the House tries to referee it all.
This Sunday the Question Time did not air. Instead, C-SPAN aired delayed footage of the ceremonial opening of the parliamentary session. This opening involves the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, and the upper house of the Parliament, the House of Lords.
The House of Lords was once the domain of the titled nobility. Nobles were given membership based upon their birth into a titled house. Over time, the power of the House of Lords, like that of the monarch, declined and became rather ceremonial in nature, with most power resting in the hands of the House of Commons. Her Majesty's Government is controlled by the party that wins the most seats in the Commons, although there are members of the Government's cabinet who come from the House of Lords.
Today the Lords serves as a bit of a reviewing body on laws passed by Her Majesty's Government. Interestingly, the Lords is also the highest judiciary body in Great Britain, with a small group of 12 members of the House of Lords fulfilling this duty.
Members of the House of Lords are called 'peers.' As mentioned above, membership was once dominated by 'hereditary peers,' those peers who inherited title by birth from their families. A dark time for the House of Lords was the Commonwealth period following the English Civil War. During this time both the monarchy and the Lords were abolished, and England was ruled by general and Parliamentarian Oliver Cromwell. The Lords was restored after Cromwell's death, when the monarchy was restored.
During the mid-twentieth century, legislation was passsed which enabled the creation of Life Peerages. Life Peers are those who are given title for service to Britain. These titles are not passed down to their children but expire when they die. Many former Prime Ministers and other notable members of the House of Commons, such as former PM Margaret Thatcher, have been made life peers. (Interestingly, the last Hereditary Peerage, which can be passed on to children, given to a non-member of the royal family, went to Thatcher's husband Dennis.)
Some peers are referred to as the Lords Spiritual. These members sit because of their office within the Church of England, which is the official state church. Unlike the other peers, Lords Spiritual may not show a preference for or identify with a particular political party. Other peers may choose to identify as Labour, Conservative, or Liberal Democrat. A few peers do not identify with any of the three major political parties.
The Labour Party has been more outspoken on the issue of reforming the nature of the House of Lords when compared to the Conservative Party. At one time, the Labour Party called for the abolition of the House of Lords. One of the platforms of Tony Blair's 'New Labour' election campaign in 1997 was reform of the House of Lords. This succeed in limiting the number of hereditary peers to 92 members, a minority of the members in the House of Lords. Votes on further reform showed support for making the House either 80% elected or 100% elected. However, these votes were not binding. The current government position is to move the House into a body of which 1/3 is up for election every general election, with an elected composition of either 80% or 100%.
Regardless, of future reforms, the House of Lords is a fascinating example of an upper house of government as compared to our own US Senate here in the United States.
BBC Guide to the House of Lords
JWF
Most Sunday evenings I tune in to watch the delayed broadcast of the Prime Minister's Question Time on C-SPAN. Question Time occurs live on Wednesdays from the British House of Commons in London. The House of Commons is the lower house of the British Parliament, and serves as the equivalent of our legislative branch and most of our executive branch of government. During Question Time, any Member of Parliament, or MP, can ask the current Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, a question, to which the Prime Minister replies. The 30 minute show is a jostling affair, with the members of the three main political parties hollering and cheering as their respective leaders get in various jabs and jarbs with questions and responses. The Speaker of the House tries to referee it all.
This Sunday the Question Time did not air. Instead, C-SPAN aired delayed footage of the ceremonial opening of the parliamentary session. This opening involves the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, and the upper house of the Parliament, the House of Lords.
The House of Lords was once the domain of the titled nobility. Nobles were given membership based upon their birth into a titled house. Over time, the power of the House of Lords, like that of the monarch, declined and became rather ceremonial in nature, with most power resting in the hands of the House of Commons. Her Majesty's Government is controlled by the party that wins the most seats in the Commons, although there are members of the Government's cabinet who come from the House of Lords.
Today the Lords serves as a bit of a reviewing body on laws passed by Her Majesty's Government. Interestingly, the Lords is also the highest judiciary body in Great Britain, with a small group of 12 members of the House of Lords fulfilling this duty.
Members of the House of Lords are called 'peers.' As mentioned above, membership was once dominated by 'hereditary peers,' those peers who inherited title by birth from their families. A dark time for the House of Lords was the Commonwealth period following the English Civil War. During this time both the monarchy and the Lords were abolished, and England was ruled by general and Parliamentarian Oliver Cromwell. The Lords was restored after Cromwell's death, when the monarchy was restored.
During the mid-twentieth century, legislation was passsed which enabled the creation of Life Peerages. Life Peers are those who are given title for service to Britain. These titles are not passed down to their children but expire when they die. Many former Prime Ministers and other notable members of the House of Commons, such as former PM Margaret Thatcher, have been made life peers. (Interestingly, the last Hereditary Peerage, which can be passed on to children, given to a non-member of the royal family, went to Thatcher's husband Dennis.)
Some peers are referred to as the Lords Spiritual. These members sit because of their office within the Church of England, which is the official state church. Unlike the other peers, Lords Spiritual may not show a preference for or identify with a particular political party. Other peers may choose to identify as Labour, Conservative, or Liberal Democrat. A few peers do not identify with any of the three major political parties.
The Labour Party has been more outspoken on the issue of reforming the nature of the House of Lords when compared to the Conservative Party. At one time, the Labour Party called for the abolition of the House of Lords. One of the platforms of Tony Blair's 'New Labour' election campaign in 1997 was reform of the House of Lords. This succeed in limiting the number of hereditary peers to 92 members, a minority of the members in the House of Lords. Votes on further reform showed support for making the House either 80% elected or 100% elected. However, these votes were not binding. The current government position is to move the House into a body of which 1/3 is up for election every general election, with an elected composition of either 80% or 100%.
Regardless, of future reforms, the House of Lords is a fascinating example of an upper house of government as compared to our own US Senate here in the United States.
BBC Guide to the House of Lords
JWF
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Planning ahead
It's quite chilly outside. Several staff saw snow flurries yesterday. When I went to GALILEO to look for a database, I noticed In the Spotlight (on the right hand side of the home page) the All About Birds web site (yes, Virginia, there are web sites in GALILEO).
I thought- winter (see the first two sentences) would be a great time to prepare for Spring- study the birds, listen to their songs. Think warm thoughts!
kls
All About Birds is a website from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that includes information about watching birds, learning their nesting behaviors, attracting birds, indentifying them, recording observations, and getting involved in bird conservation. The site includes guides, images, maps, sounds, videos, and much more. There is also a link to the Macaulay Library, an archive of animal sounds and videos.
I thought- winter (see the first two sentences) would be a great time to prepare for Spring- study the birds, listen to their songs. Think warm thoughts!
kls
Who invented that?
Yesterday I talked about gathering stories about your family- what if you hear that Uncle Bill invented something? How do you find out if that's 'true'? Dear Myrtle (a genealogy blogger) shares the experience of one of her readers with Google Patent. Myrt notes how one can search by name or by invention.
Thinking of simple Christmas gifts from my youth, I searched for 'hula hoop'. Amazing how many patents there are for the wide variety of hoops.
Which lead me to GALILEO to search for 'hula hoop'. From the home page I selected the Company and Industry information link, then Company information, I left the 4 suggested databases and searched for 'hula hoop'. Interesting current articles about this long lived toy!
From stories about family to stories about companies - tie them together by using authoritative resources.
kls
Thinking of simple Christmas gifts from my youth, I searched for 'hula hoop'. Amazing how many patents there are for the wide variety of hoops.
Which lead me to GALILEO to search for 'hula hoop'. From the home page I selected the Company and Industry information link, then Company information, I left the 4 suggested databases and searched for 'hula hoop'. Interesting current articles about this long lived toy!
From stories about family to stories about companies - tie them together by using authoritative resources.
kls
Monday, December 01, 2008
And we talked
Thanksgiving is a delightfully American holiday when we celebrate our blessings which range from a variety of food stuffs to friends and family. Some travel to visit kin over the long weekend. A family reunion may take place - where cousins see each other for the first time in years. The conversations around the table vary from reminiscing about long gone relatives to catching up on life's current little details. If someone in your family has started collecting the stories about the extended family, where are they keeping those tales? My family has a wiki that is accessible by invitation and password. The stories collect, get edited and enjoyed. Here's another way to preserve those stories.
Go listen, record, and share the stories of our lives!
kls
Story Corps is extending the National Day of Listening through the holiday season.
This holiday season, ask the people around you about their lives — it could be your grandmother, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood. By listening to their stories, you will be telling them that they matter and they won’t ever be forgotten. It may be the most meaningful time you spend this year.
Go listen, record, and share the stories of our lives!
kls
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Greetings,
Ah, Thanksgiving . . . A time for turkey, family, fun, fall, and football. The National Football League is closely associated with the holiday, as for many years the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys have played respective games against rotating opponents on America's turkey day. Given the dismal state of the Lions over the last decade, there has been talk of taking the games away from Detroit and Dallas and rotating all four spots among the 32 teams. However, much of this talk has died down now that the NFL Network has started to air a night/third Thanksgiving game that features two rotating teams each year.
Today, Thanksgiving Eve, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its twenty five seminfinalists for induction to its hallowed halls. This number will soon be paired down to fifteen and also includes two senior nominees (guys who played a long time ago). Among the semifinalists are some perpetual semifinalists, including Ray Guy, Lester Hayes (Go Raiders!), and those eligible for the first time, including Shannon Sharpe. A player must have been retired for five years to be eligible, and a coach must have been retired for one year to eligible.
Despite its name, the Pro Football Hall of Fame focuses on the NFL/National Football League. However, some of the enshrinees spent portions of their career in other leagues, such as Minnesota Coach Bud Grant in the Canadian Football League and 49ers quarterback Steve Young in the 1980's United States Football League.
The Hall is a museum that is shaped like a vertical football. Some have compared the shape to an old orange juice squeezer. The Hall is located in Canton, Ohio. Why Canton? Canton was home to the Canton Bulldogs, one of the original professional teams in the sport, and is also home to some of the most competitive high school games you will find. The area around Canton is also considered one of the birthplaces of football.
The inductees will be voted on and announced the day before the 2009 Super Bowl. Some get in their first year of eligibility, such as Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, while others wait for many years to be inducted, such as Steelers wideouts Lynn Swann and John Stallworth. Other greats rise up out of the seniors pool to be inducted. Each inductee receives a distinctive yellow blazer, a ring, and has their bust cast in bronze for display in the museum.
The museum also houses famous memorabilia from past games. My personal favorites from my two visits are the white cleets Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett wore when he ran the 99 yard run from scrimmage against the Vikings and a pair of Rams running back Eric Dickerson's goggles. They also have Oilers coach Bum Phillip's belt buckle, which was the size of a small helicopter pad.
If you are ever in Canton/Stark County, give the Hall of Fame a visit.
JWF
Ah, Thanksgiving . . . A time for turkey, family, fun, fall, and football. The National Football League is closely associated with the holiday, as for many years the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys have played respective games against rotating opponents on America's turkey day. Given the dismal state of the Lions over the last decade, there has been talk of taking the games away from Detroit and Dallas and rotating all four spots among the 32 teams. However, much of this talk has died down now that the NFL Network has started to air a night/third Thanksgiving game that features two rotating teams each year.
Today, Thanksgiving Eve, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its twenty five seminfinalists for induction to its hallowed halls. This number will soon be paired down to fifteen and also includes two senior nominees (guys who played a long time ago). Among the semifinalists are some perpetual semifinalists, including Ray Guy, Lester Hayes (Go Raiders!), and those eligible for the first time, including Shannon Sharpe. A player must have been retired for five years to be eligible, and a coach must have been retired for one year to eligible.
Despite its name, the Pro Football Hall of Fame focuses on the NFL/National Football League. However, some of the enshrinees spent portions of their career in other leagues, such as Minnesota Coach Bud Grant in the Canadian Football League and 49ers quarterback Steve Young in the 1980's United States Football League.
The Hall is a museum that is shaped like a vertical football. Some have compared the shape to an old orange juice squeezer. The Hall is located in Canton, Ohio. Why Canton? Canton was home to the Canton Bulldogs, one of the original professional teams in the sport, and is also home to some of the most competitive high school games you will find. The area around Canton is also considered one of the birthplaces of football.
The inductees will be voted on and announced the day before the 2009 Super Bowl. Some get in their first year of eligibility, such as Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, while others wait for many years to be inducted, such as Steelers wideouts Lynn Swann and John Stallworth. Other greats rise up out of the seniors pool to be inducted. Each inductee receives a distinctive yellow blazer, a ring, and has their bust cast in bronze for display in the museum.
The museum also houses famous memorabilia from past games. My personal favorites from my two visits are the white cleets Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett wore when he ran the 99 yard run from scrimmage against the Vikings and a pair of Rams running back Eric Dickerson's goggles. They also have Oilers coach Bum Phillip's belt buckle, which was the size of a small helicopter pad.
If you are ever in Canton/Stark County, give the Hall of Fame a visit.
JWF
Monday, November 24, 2008
Bidding for what
Over the weekend various channels were running stories about the assassination of JFK 45 years ago.
Mike Huckabee interviewed Dan Rather for Saturdays show on Fox. Mr. Rather shared the story about the bidding for the film taken by Abraham Zapruder.
Who would bid today - with the ubiquitous news crews and the everyday person with a camera phone who may post to their blog, YouTube, MySpace, Flickr - providing immediate, unfiltered access to the event.
-kls
Mike Huckabee interviewed Dan Rather for Saturdays show on Fox. Mr. Rather shared the story about the bidding for the film taken by Abraham Zapruder.
Who would bid today - with the ubiquitous news crews and the everyday person with a camera phone who may post to their blog, YouTube, MySpace, Flickr - providing immediate, unfiltered access to the event.
-kls
The Power of Art at the Library
Greetings,
Need a bit of art in your life to spice up the drab days of late fall and early winter? Look no further than the North Metro Tech Library.
We have just acquired the DVD edition of the BBC/PBS series 'the Power of Art' by Simon Schama. The series focuses on eight great works of art. Each episode takes the viewer back in time to the creation of the piece and examines the cultural and social context in which it was created. The episodes also look at the life of the artist and how that shaped the creation and style of the work. The episodes span several different periods in time and art.
We also have the companion book to the series, for those of you seeking further information. Both the dvd and book are reserve materials, which means that they are available for use within the library.
Schama is a writer well known for his works on the French Revolution and slavery, among other topics. You may recognize him from his tv series 'A History of Britain,' which aired on the History Channel several years ago. Schama is known for his distinctive delivery and narrative prose.
JWF
Need a bit of art in your life to spice up the drab days of late fall and early winter? Look no further than the North Metro Tech Library.
We have just acquired the DVD edition of the BBC/PBS series 'the Power of Art' by Simon Schama. The series focuses on eight great works of art. Each episode takes the viewer back in time to the creation of the piece and examines the cultural and social context in which it was created. The episodes also look at the life of the artist and how that shaped the creation and style of the work. The episodes span several different periods in time and art.
We also have the companion book to the series, for those of you seeking further information. Both the dvd and book are reserve materials, which means that they are available for use within the library.
Schama is a writer well known for his works on the French Revolution and slavery, among other topics. You may recognize him from his tv series 'A History of Britain,' which aired on the History Channel several years ago. Schama is known for his distinctive delivery and narrative prose.
JWF
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Get in Shape Georgia
The President's Challenge is a government program designed to get Americans into better physical shape. The website for the program is very interactive and has programs and activities geared toward children, teens, adults, and seniors.
You can create an account on the website and use your account to log your activity. At the adult age level, there are bronze, silver, and gold award levels. You achieve these awards by logging your activity in your account. The website tabulates up the amount of points you earn for each activity based upon time, distance, degree of intensity. The website keeps track of your points and will display the progress that you have made toward your goal. Once you have reached an award level, you are eligible for a certificate from the office of the President.
There are many great features on this website. It also saves you the time of having to keep track of your activity on paper. I am personally using the website. I have a goal of completing the bronze level before President Bush leaves office and getting a certificate from him, then getting a certificate from President Obama for the silver level. At present I am over 50% complete with the bronze level.
JWF
You can create an account on the website and use your account to log your activity. At the adult age level, there are bronze, silver, and gold award levels. You achieve these awards by logging your activity in your account. The website tabulates up the amount of points you earn for each activity based upon time, distance, degree of intensity. The website keeps track of your points and will display the progress that you have made toward your goal. Once you have reached an award level, you are eligible for a certificate from the office of the President.
There are many great features on this website. It also saves you the time of having to keep track of your activity on paper. I am personally using the website. I have a goal of completing the bronze level before President Bush leaves office and getting a certificate from him, then getting a certificate from President Obama for the silver level. At present I am over 50% complete with the bronze level.
JWF
Monday, November 10, 2008
Cornhusks and the Electoral College
Greetings,
The eyes of the electoral world were upon the state of Nebraska for a brief moment on Friday. It was announced that Barack Obama had won one of the state's five electoral votes. This is due to a system of awarding some of the state's electoral votes based upon who wins in a particular Congressional district, not on who wins the popular vote statewide.
All fifty states have electoral votes. Each state has two for its US Senators, and at least one for the number of members it has in the House of Representatives. Example, California: 2+53=55, Wyoming: 2+1=3, Tennessee: 2+9=11. Remember, it is not the candidate who wins the national popular vote who becomes President, but rather the candidate who wins the most electoral votes. As a result, candidates fight to win individual 'swing' states to gain the most electors rather than run a campaing to pile up the biggest amount of votes nationwide. (Note: It is possible to come in 2nd in the popular vote but win the electoral vote and become President. Ex. Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876 and George W. Bush in 2000).
Forty-eight of the fifty states currently award all of their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote within the state. Some have argued the fairness of this system, as a candidate might win California by one vote (theoretically), but not pick up any of its 53 electoral votes. Colorado voters in 2004 defeated a statewide referendum that would have awarded their electoral votes on a proportional basis.
Nebraska and Maine are the two exceptions. These states award their electoral votes in a unique way. The two electoral votes for the two US Senators in each state are awarded to the winner of the statewide popular vote. As a result, McCain picked up two in Nebraska and Obama two in Maine.
Here's where it gets a bit trickier. The remaining votes are awarded based upon the candidate who wins the most votes in each of the Congressional districts in the state. Until 2008, there was nothing unusual about this as in both Maine and Nebraska the statewide winner also won in each state's Congressional districts. However, that changed in 2008. After the counting of mail-in ballots, it was determined that Barack Obama had won more votes than John McCain in the Nebraska 2nd Congressional district (the smallest district in the state, which includes the city of Omaha). As a result, one of the Nebraska electoral votes was awarded to Obama for a 4 to 1 McCain to Obama split in the state's electoral votes. (Maine awarded all votes to Obama). Also, the Republican candidate in the 2nd district won the Congressional election, which would seem to indicate that many voters in the Nebraska second congressional district voted a split ticket.
And in a further peace of trivia, Nebraska is the only state government to not have an upper and lower house in its legislature. It operates on a unicameral system, one where there is only one house in the legislature and one in which the members are officially non-partisan.
JWF
The eyes of the electoral world were upon the state of Nebraska for a brief moment on Friday. It was announced that Barack Obama had won one of the state's five electoral votes. This is due to a system of awarding some of the state's electoral votes based upon who wins in a particular Congressional district, not on who wins the popular vote statewide.
All fifty states have electoral votes. Each state has two for its US Senators, and at least one for the number of members it has in the House of Representatives. Example, California: 2+53=55, Wyoming: 2+1=3, Tennessee: 2+9=11. Remember, it is not the candidate who wins the national popular vote who becomes President, but rather the candidate who wins the most electoral votes. As a result, candidates fight to win individual 'swing' states to gain the most electors rather than run a campaing to pile up the biggest amount of votes nationwide. (Note: It is possible to come in 2nd in the popular vote but win the electoral vote and become President. Ex. Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876 and George W. Bush in 2000).
Forty-eight of the fifty states currently award all of their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote within the state. Some have argued the fairness of this system, as a candidate might win California by one vote (theoretically), but not pick up any of its 53 electoral votes. Colorado voters in 2004 defeated a statewide referendum that would have awarded their electoral votes on a proportional basis.
Nebraska and Maine are the two exceptions. These states award their electoral votes in a unique way. The two electoral votes for the two US Senators in each state are awarded to the winner of the statewide popular vote. As a result, McCain picked up two in Nebraska and Obama two in Maine.
Here's where it gets a bit trickier. The remaining votes are awarded based upon the candidate who wins the most votes in each of the Congressional districts in the state. Until 2008, there was nothing unusual about this as in both Maine and Nebraska the statewide winner also won in each state's Congressional districts. However, that changed in 2008. After the counting of mail-in ballots, it was determined that Barack Obama had won more votes than John McCain in the Nebraska 2nd Congressional district (the smallest district in the state, which includes the city of Omaha). As a result, one of the Nebraska electoral votes was awarded to Obama for a 4 to 1 McCain to Obama split in the state's electoral votes. (Maine awarded all votes to Obama). Also, the Republican candidate in the 2nd district won the Congressional election, which would seem to indicate that many voters in the Nebraska second congressional district voted a split ticket.
And in a further peace of trivia, Nebraska is the only state government to not have an upper and lower house in its legislature. It operates on a unicameral system, one where there is only one house in the legislature and one in which the members are officially non-partisan.
JWF
Thursday, November 06, 2008
A swift goodbye
The Official Michael Crichton site notes his passing. Blogs and news outlets have shared the information. Wiki Pedia has a complete list of his work with links.At NMTC, we don't have many pleasure reading books - but in our netLibrary collection there is the 1996 edition of Michael Crichton : a critical companion by Elizabeth A. Trembley.
The summary notes: Until now, Michael Crichton's many readers have had nowhere to turn for more information on one of America's most popular novelists. This companion features clear analyses of Crichton's life and literary influences, as well as chapters on each of his 13 novels to date. It will help Crichton's readers to learn more about how significant events in his life affected the development of his fiction and literary style and how the heritage of popular fiction, including mystery, gothic, adventure, and science fiction, influenced his writing. This study provides close textual analysis of each of his novels in turn, focusing on plot, character development, theme, and critical interpretation.
You can check World Cat in GALILEO for the nearest library that owns a Michael Chrichton title. You may also do an Interlibrary Loan request through World Cat. We'll borrow the book for you from another library! Save on gas - let your computer do the searching.
-kls
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Through the air with the greatest of ease
Just reading the news - and this story grabbed me - Pilot completes jetpack challenge ....Known as "Fusionman," he was aiming to follow the route taken by French airman Louis Blériot 99 years ago when he became the first person to fly across the English Channel in a plane.
Which reminded me of the Caldecott winner in our collection, The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot July 25, 1909 by Alice Provensen [TL 721.B5 P76 1987]
The pictures are gorgeous - which one would expect from a Caldecott winner. The story is inspiring as well. It wouldn't take long to read either.
Which reminded me of the Caldecott winner in our collection, The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot July 25, 1909 by Alice Provensen [TL 721.B5 P76 1987]The pictures are gorgeous - which one would expect from a Caldecott winner. The story is inspiring as well. It wouldn't take long to read either.
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