Wrap-up Archive 9/7/2005 - 5/3/2006

September 7, 2005 - May 3, 2006

May 3, 2006

Last week while at the reference desk, some students and I were talking high school team names. During our conversation, I recalled a classmate of mine who graduated from Omaha Benson High School. Its team name was and continues to be the bunnies. Imagine the ‘fear’ that such a mascot would incite. He did and found a compilation of not so common high school nicknames. Benson alums should feel consoled. For example, the New Philadelphia, Ohio athletic teams are known as the Fighting Quakers. If you'd like to see some other unique team names check the Wednesday Web Wrap-up site for this week: http://www.tekonsha.k12.mi.us/scaa/teamnames.htm

April 26, 2006

Two years ago, around this time, I featured two sites promoting the Loess Hills. I also suggested that it was a “very suitable” time to visit. Last Sunday, I finally followed my own advice by driving up to "http://www.iowadnr.com/parks/state_park_list/stone.html">Stone State Park just a few miles north and west of Sioux City. The 1,069 acre park, on the northern edge of the Loess Hills overlooks the Big Sioux River and the Iowa and South Dakota border.

April 19, 2006
Yesterday was the centennial of the San Francisco Earthquake. This week’s Wrap-up, from the United States Geological Survey commemorates that day of a hundred years ago.

April 12, 2006
How Products Are Made is the equivalent of a published seven volume set of reference books containing articles describing the origins, uses and manufacturing processes of various and sundry items ranging from Slinky Toys to Compact Disc Players. Although sources of the information found here are difficult to ascertain, Thompson Gale, a well-known publisher of library reference materials holds the copyright for the content found at this site.

April 5, 2006
This week’s Wrap-up comes from a source (with new content) that I have featured before. The Pew Research Center (2006) is a “Fact Tank” of information created “by conducting public opinion polling and social science research; by reporting news and analyzing news coverage; and by holding forums and briefings. It does not take positions on policy issues.”

March 29, 2006
This week in the Learning Center, we celebrate chocolate. So to bring attention to this week’s celebratory events, this week’s Wrap-up pays tribute to Sioux City’s place in the world of chocolate. The Palmer Candy Company has had its headquarters in our community since 1878. Its most notable claim to fame is the Twin Bing Candy Bar.

March 22, 2006
The Internet History Sourcebooks is the work of Paul Halsall, Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Florida. As the site name suggests the Sourcebooks is a collection of primary and secondary historical texts from throughout history. Halsall has organized the collection by epoch (Ancient, Medieval and Modern), by thematic Subsidiary Sourcebooks and by a Special Resources designation. Although the site at times can seem cumbersome to navigate, consider visiting often to become comfortable with its organization and design.

March 15, 2006
Hoophall.com is the official Website of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Although much of its content is promotional, the History, Hall of Famers and the News sections contain some interesting features.

March 1, 2006
The Center of Seussian Studies is the work of a David Bedno, a self-described fan. The site includes links to a brief biography of Seuss, to other related sites and to parodies submitted by who I presume to be other fans.

February 22, 2006
Today’s Wrap-up is the Internet Public Library’s (IPL) Blog page. Here, you will links to sites about Blogs, to subject-specific blogs and to what the IPL considers the “best” Blog sites. Blogs are examples of what can be described as the unregulated nature of the Internet. As such, we all should be donning our critical thinking hats when considering them as an information source.

February 15, 2006
Over three year ago, the Wrap-up featured a contest site known as the Webby Awards. The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences sponsors this competition to recognize “excellence in Web design, creativity, usability and functionality.” Winners are now recognized in sixty five categories instead of the thirty or so back in 2002. The most recent winning sites range from Rathergood.com in the Weird category to the World Citizen’s Guide in the Activism category.

February 8, 2006
The Sense of Smell Institute, a division of the Fragrance Institute, describes its mission as one “to be a leading global resource relating to the sense of smell and its importance to human psychology, behavior and quality of life” Be aware that this site is sponsored by purveyors of perfume so its emphasis is on those pleasant sensations of smell.
Take a deep breath and click here >>>http://www.senseofsmell.org/index.php

January 25, 2006
On Friday, January 27th, musical lovers such as this librarian will observe the 250th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birthday. You too can observe this day by checking out Mozart’s Own Weblog. Here for example, you can follow the composer’s own 21st century blog, explore some related sites and view his life in picture.

January 18, 2006
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, this week’s Wrap-up is according to its editors, a dynamic reference work, meaning that “each entry is maintained and kept up to date by an expert or group of experts in the field.” Additionally all entries and subsequent revisions receive peer review before appearing before being posted on the site.

January 11, 2006
OYEZ, “a multimedia-based Supreme Court experience” might be a useful resource for those of us following those hearings. It is this week’s Wrap-up. Visitors to OYEZ may take a virtual tour of
the Supreme Court Building, read brief biographies of past and present members of the Court, listen to recent oral arguments made before the Court, get previews of pending cases and find summaries of past significant cases.

December 14, 2005
In the news as of late, there have been numerous stories regarding the role of Christmas in our society. Some have even suggested that there is a conspiracy to subvert its meaning in the interests of political correctness, secularism and consumerism. "Christianity in the Marketplace: Christmas and the Consumer Culture" considers the interrelationship between consumerism and religion as it has existed during the past several centuries. An essay by Leigh Eric Schmidt is this week's Wrap-up.

November 30, 2005
Google Book Search is a work in process to digitize the content of millions of books and to make it available on the Internet. Visitors have access to the full text of more than 10,000 books that are in the
public domain (not protected by copyright). Generally speaking, these include books published before 1925. In addition, also makes available the text of brief passages from titles still protected by copyright.

November 16, 2005
Feeding America, a project of Michigan State University is an online archive of cookbooks dating back from the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. The site also features a virtual museum and a glossary of culinary terms, many of which are probably not used today.

November 9, 2005
On November 10th, 1975, the Great Lakes ore carrier, S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald sank to the bottom of Lake Superior with its crew of 29 men onboard. This Wrap-up is in observance of the 30th anniversary of that cold and stormy November night.

November 2, 2005
The companion website of The PBS broadcast of Nova: Einstein's Big Idea includes a variety of topics to explore, including explanations of the Theory of Relativity as given by today's top physicists and a timeline of Einstein's life.

October 26, 2005
Halloween at the History Channel features an online exhibit. Although not all that scary, you will find some entertaining stuff, including some "Creepy Videos", "Historic Haunts", "Spooky Recipes" and "Ghost Stories."

October 19, 2005
Wikipedia is a "free encyclopedia that anyone can edit" (Wikipedia, 2005). As such, it is a good example of the collaborative (Wiki) technology that allows thousands of contributors to create and maintain an online information resource.

October 12, 2005
NostalgiaCentral.com first appeared in 1998 as a relatively small site hosted by Yahoo's GeoCities services. Today, more than 1.5 million surfers visit it monthly. It also comes recommended by publications such as Yahoo Internet Life and Access Magazine.

October 5, 2005 T
he Nobel Foundation website includes biographies and lectures of past Prize winners, related essays and presentation speeches.

September 28, 2005
DocuTicker is a daily compilation of Internet-accessible reports and information created by think tanks, government agencies and non-government organizations.

September 21, 2005
According to the Mission Statement of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, its purpose is " ... to preserve the memory of those who suffered; and to encourage its visitors to reflect upon the moral and spiritual questions raised by the events of the Holocaust ..." The site's virtual content includes an Encyclopedia, over 40 online exhibits, and many personal narratives.

September 14, 2005
The Congressional Research Service, a unit of the Library of Congress provides to Congress "nonpartisan research, analysis, and information they need to make informed decisions on behalf of the American people" (Library of Congress, 2005 The Libraries at the University of North Texas have compiled one of the better collections of these reports.

September 7, 2005
The American Institute of Philanthropy has identified these "top-rated" organizations as meeting certain criteria relative to their "fundraising efficiency".