WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for April 4, 2007
Over the weekend, I learned of a very sad place in Iowa known as What Cheer. In Massachusetts though, Tree of Knowledge is probably a very learned place. In Missouri, south and east of Kansas City, you can visit Peculiar, an odd town, so I’ve heard or Humansville a town named for its inhabitants.
I learned of all these places at Unusual City Names, a listing of cities, towns and geographic features, all with not so conventional names. A Dean Tersigni, a blogger from Michigan compiled the list.
Enjoy some unusual place names and be grateful that you don’t hail from Difficult, Tennessee where life is really really tough.
Click here >>> http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Pointless/Cities.html
Jim
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Great Gatsby Slang
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for March 21, 2007
Today, at 12 noon, in front of the fireplace, Professor Sean Meehan will lead a book discussion of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. It is this year’s OneBookOneSiouxland selection. Today’s Wrap-up is to prepare all that might participate with a working vocabulary of the twenties.
The Internet Guide to Jazz Age Slang reflects an avocation and interest of a D. Lawkins. Although the site would not meet many of the criteria of a ‘good’ website, for my purposes today, it’s looks to be fine. Here, you will find several hundred slang terms used during the time of The Great Gatsby.
So come today and spill a little. The conversation will be swell and nifty and you won’t hear any applesauce. Although it will cost you more than a clam, but no more than two simoleans, buy a cup of Joe, and enjoy today’s event where everything will be copasetic.
Click here >>> http://home.earthlink.net/~dlarkins/slang-pg.htm#K/
Jim
Today, at 12 noon, in front of the fireplace, Professor Sean Meehan will lead a book discussion of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. It is this year’s OneBookOneSiouxland selection. Today’s Wrap-up is to prepare all that might participate with a working vocabulary of the twenties.
The Internet Guide to Jazz Age Slang reflects an avocation and interest of a D. Lawkins. Although the site would not meet many of the criteria of a ‘good’ website, for my purposes today, it’s looks to be fine. Here, you will find several hundred slang terms used during the time of The Great Gatsby.
So come today and spill a little. The conversation will be swell and nifty and you won’t hear any applesauce. Although it will cost you more than a clam, but no more than two simoleans, buy a cup of Joe, and enjoy today’s event where everything will be copasetic.
Click here >>> http://home.earthlink.net/~dlarkins/slang-pg.htm#K/
Jim
Monday, March 19, 2007
CollegeValues.org
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for March 14, 2007
CollegeVaues.org hosts the peer-reviewed Journal of College & Character and the information site, Character Clearinghouse. The Center for the Study of Values in College Student Development of Florida State University is the site’s sponsor. It is this week’s Wrap-up.
According to the Center (2006), the Journal focuses on “how colleges and universities influence, both intentionally and unintentionally, the moral and civic learning and behaviors of college students.” Consider these links when exploring the journal: Featured Journal Articles, (for a listing and the full text of all published articles) Student Reflections …, Presidents’ Diaries and Ethical Issues on Campus. The Clearinghouse features a newsletter, links and themed content such as Spirituality on Campus and Leadership Profiles.
Prompt some reflective thought by clicking here >>> http://www.collegevalues.org/
Jim
CollegeVaues.org hosts the peer-reviewed Journal of College & Character and the information site, Character Clearinghouse. The Center for the Study of Values in College Student Development of Florida State University is the site’s sponsor. It is this week’s Wrap-up.
According to the Center (2006), the Journal focuses on “how colleges and universities influence, both intentionally and unintentionally, the moral and civic learning and behaviors of college students.” Consider these links when exploring the journal: Featured Journal Articles, (for a listing and the full text of all published articles) Student Reflections …, Presidents’ Diaries and Ethical Issues on Campus. The Clearinghouse features a newsletter, links and themed content such as Spirituality on Campus and Leadership Profiles.
Prompt some reflective thought by clicking here >>> http://www.collegevalues.org/
Jim
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Feline Reactions to Bearded Men
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for March 7, 2007
This week’s Wrap-up is near and dear to my heart. “Feline (I have four!) Reactions to Bearded Men (I am)” is an article from the Annals of Improbable Research, a publication featured here before. “Feline Reactions …” has all the elements of ‘sound’ scientific research, a literature review, a description of methods, empirical results, a discussion and a listing of sources cited. You decide; is this serious research?
Click here >>>
http://www.improbable.com/airchives/classical/cat/cat.html/
Jim
This week’s Wrap-up is near and dear to my heart. “Feline (I have four!) Reactions to Bearded Men (I am)” is an article from the Annals of Improbable Research, a publication featured here before. “Feline Reactions …” has all the elements of ‘sound’ scientific research, a literature review, a description of methods, empirical results, a discussion and a listing of sources cited. You decide; is this serious research?
Click here >>>
http://www.improbable.com/airchives/classical/cat/cat.html/
Jim
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The Government Printing Office
Wednesday Web Wrap-up For February 21, 2007
GPO (Government Printing Office) Access, this week’s Wrap-up is the publisher and distributor of information created by the United States. To fully appreciate all that is available through the GPO, you might plan on spending some time exploring the various paths beginning with the many links found on the main portal page. For example, “Legislative Resources” include the complete Congressional Record back to 1994.
If you have an immediate research question that might relate to very recent American History or a current issue or require the use of primary documents, follow this path from the main portal: Catalog of Government Publication >>>> Advanced Search. You will come to a search interface that is fairly to use and facilitates any number of search strategies. Most of what you will find is full text.
Enter the government web by clicking here >>>> http://www.gpoaccess.gov/
Jim
GPO (Government Printing Office) Access, this week’s Wrap-up is the publisher and distributor of information created by the United States. To fully appreciate all that is available through the GPO, you might plan on spending some time exploring the various paths beginning with the many links found on the main portal page. For example, “Legislative Resources” include the complete Congressional Record back to 1994.
If you have an immediate research question that might relate to very recent American History or a current issue or require the use of primary documents, follow this path from the main portal: Catalog of Government Publication >>>> Advanced Search. You will come to a search interface that is fairly to use and facilitates any number of search strategies. Most of what you will find is full text.
Enter the government web by clicking here >>>> http://www.gpoaccess.gov/
Jim
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Whatever Happened to Polio?
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for February 14, 2007
Today at noon across from the Spoonholder Cafe, Professors Jane Hey and Kitty Green will lead a discussion centering on the work of Jonas Salk and the biography, “The Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio." So as to publicize this event, today’s Wrap-up is “Whatever Happened to Polio,” a virtual and interactive exhibit of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
The exhibit is easy to navigate and requires no directions here. Be sure to check the “Historical Photos” though. Accompanying this collection is an interesting commentary relative to the use of photography and the intentions and motivations of those taking the photos.
Click here >>> http://americanhistory.si.edu/polio/index.htm
Jim
Today at noon across from the Spoonholder Cafe, Professors Jane Hey and Kitty Green will lead a discussion centering on the work of Jonas Salk and the biography, “The Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio." So as to publicize this event, today’s Wrap-up is “Whatever Happened to Polio,” a virtual and interactive exhibit of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
The exhibit is easy to navigate and requires no directions here. Be sure to check the “Historical Photos” though. Accompanying this collection is an interesting commentary relative to the use of photography and the intentions and motivations of those taking the photos.
Click here >>> http://americanhistory.si.edu/polio/index.htm
Jim
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
AmericanHeritage.com
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for February 7, 2007
If any of you are frequenters of library book sales you probably can recall seeing multiple volumes of The American Heritage, a bi-monthly publication that covers all aspects of American history and life. At 50 cents to a dollar a copy, lots of pictures and nice cover art, my own collection grew out of control. Well, in the last few months I’ve done some weeding and the number of American Heritage magazines in my home is now manageable. With knowledge of this week’s Wrap-up, my remaining volumes may eventually be recycled to a book sale near you.
AmericanHeritage.com is the Web presence of this publication and it is this week’s Wednesday Web Wrap-up. It may be enjoyed in a number of ways. You can click on one of the subject tabs such as “People” and choose from a number of articles featured by the site’s editors. You may choose from some “Special Features.” My favorite is “50 Years of American Heritage Archives.” This link facilitates browsing by year and issue number. You can also search the entire archives (text only) of the magazine back to 1954, its first year of publication. Although you may become a registered user, registration is not required for access to any content.
Visit a library book sale sometime but first click here >>> http://www.americanheritage.com/
Jim
If any of you are frequenters of library book sales you probably can recall seeing multiple volumes of The American Heritage, a bi-monthly publication that covers all aspects of American history and life. At 50 cents to a dollar a copy, lots of pictures and nice cover art, my own collection grew out of control. Well, in the last few months I’ve done some weeding and the number of American Heritage magazines in my home is now manageable. With knowledge of this week’s Wrap-up, my remaining volumes may eventually be recycled to a book sale near you.
AmericanHeritage.com is the Web presence of this publication and it is this week’s Wednesday Web Wrap-up. It may be enjoyed in a number of ways. You can click on one of the subject tabs such as “People” and choose from a number of articles featured by the site’s editors. You may choose from some “Special Features.” My favorite is “50 Years of American Heritage Archives.” This link facilitates browsing by year and issue number. You can also search the entire archives (text only) of the magazine back to 1954, its first year of publication. Although you may become a registered user, registration is not required for access to any content.
Visit a library book sale sometime but first click here >>> http://www.americanheritage.com/
Jim
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Google Book
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for January 31, 2007
A year or so ago, I featured Google Book as the Wrap-up. Much has changed since then. Partner libraries in addition to Harvard include Stanford, the University of Michigan, the University of Texas, the New York Public Library and Oxford University. You may now limit your searches to those books available in full text (using advanced search). As such, you won’t need to deal with what can be frustrating, separating the snippets and excerpts from what is fully available. Recently, Google also added a feature by which some titles may be downloaded and saved for reading at a later time.
So imagine you are visiting the rare collection areas of Google’s library partners. While browsing at the University of Michigan, you noted an original report made by Wilbur Wright to the Smithsonian in regards to his and his brother's flight at Kitty Hawk. At Stanford you found and paged through the 1902 periodical, the Horseless Age. And … at Harvard, you read an article from the 1904 book, The College Girl of America. In it, you learned that back in the day, Morningside College’s fastest sprinter, who happened to be a woman could not represent the College at an Iowa state intercollegiate track meet because of her gender. I found all of these in Google Book.
Visit a virtual rare books collection by clicking here >>> http://books.google.com/advanced_book_search
Jim
A year or so ago, I featured Google Book as the Wrap-up. Much has changed since then. Partner libraries in addition to Harvard include Stanford, the University of Michigan, the University of Texas, the New York Public Library and Oxford University. You may now limit your searches to those books available in full text (using advanced search). As such, you won’t need to deal with what can be frustrating, separating the snippets and excerpts from what is fully available. Recently, Google also added a feature by which some titles may be downloaded and saved for reading at a later time.
So imagine you are visiting the rare collection areas of Google’s library partners. While browsing at the University of Michigan, you noted an original report made by Wilbur Wright to the Smithsonian in regards to his and his brother's flight at Kitty Hawk. At Stanford you found and paged through the 1902 periodical, the Horseless Age. And … at Harvard, you read an article from the 1904 book, The College Girl of America. In it, you learned that back in the day, Morningside College’s fastest sprinter, who happened to be a woman could not represent the College at an Iowa state intercollegiate track meet because of her gender. I found all of these in Google Book.
Visit a virtual rare books collection by clicking here >>> http://books.google.com/advanced_book_search
Jim
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Highwire Press
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for January 24, 2007
Lately, I have had a lot of success using the open access database, Highwire Press, a service from the libraries at Stanford University. According to those who manage the site, “HighWire Press hosts the largest repository of free full-text life science articles in the world, with 1,569,781 articles available without subscription.” As such, it is very useful to nursing and biology students. Students of other disciplines may also find Highwire Press valuable as a citation/abstract database.
This database is easy to use; from the homepage, look for the hypertext link, “more search options” to take full advantage of this database’s searching capabilities. In addition, consider selecting the option, "All (including Pubmed)" to include this database in your search as well.
Click here to visit the Highwire Press >>> http://highwire.stanford.edu/
Jim
Lately, I have had a lot of success using the open access database, Highwire Press, a service from the libraries at Stanford University. According to those who manage the site, “HighWire Press hosts the largest repository of free full-text life science articles in the world, with 1,569,781 articles available without subscription.” As such, it is very useful to nursing and biology students. Students of other disciplines may also find Highwire Press valuable as a citation/abstract database.
This database is easy to use; from the homepage, look for the hypertext link, “more search options” to take full advantage of this database’s searching capabilities. In addition, consider selecting the option, "All (including Pubmed)" to include this database in your search as well.
Click here to visit the Highwire Press >>> http://highwire.stanford.edu/
Jim
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
The Encyclopedia of Earth
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for January 17, 2007
This week’s Wrap-up is the Encyclopedia of Earth. According to its founders, it is “a new electronic reference about the Earth, its natural environments, and their interaction with society.” It is also produced collaboratively with the same sort of software by which Wikipedia is created. Unlike the latter though, contributors are carefully selected and considered experts in their respective fields. Content is also peer - reviewed before it appears in the Encyclopedia.
The site is easy to use. Visitors have the options of either searching by keyword(s) or browsing by author, an alphabetic listing of titles or by topic.
Click here to visit >>> http://www.eoearth.org/
Jim
This week’s Wrap-up is the Encyclopedia of Earth. According to its founders, it is “a new electronic reference about the Earth, its natural environments, and their interaction with society.” It is also produced collaboratively with the same sort of software by which Wikipedia is created. Unlike the latter though, contributors are carefully selected and considered experts in their respective fields. Content is also peer - reviewed before it appears in the Encyclopedia.
The site is easy to use. Visitors have the options of either searching by keyword(s) or browsing by author, an alphabetic listing of titles or by topic.
Click here to visit >>> http://www.eoearth.org/
Jim
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for January 10, 2007
Welcome back everyone! I hope all of you are rested and excited for what is to come in 2007.
Gerald Ford’s passing on December 26th brought back some memories. He assumed office during the summer following this librarian’s graduation from college. I can still recall my sense of relief that our country’s political life would likely become 'normal' again. Images of the end of the Vietnam War also remain in my memory. In any event this week’s Wrap-up is the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum site.
The Library and Museum is a one of eleven Presidential Libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. As with most of the Presidential Libraries, online availability of primary materials makes these sites especially useful to students of recent American history. At the Ford site, you can for example read minutes from both Cabinet and National Security Council meetings. You might also check out an interesting collection of documents from the Mr. Ford’s 1976 Presidential campaign. Click on the link “Documents and Photographs” to view these and other primary materials.
Pay tribute to the 38th President of the United States by clicking here >>> http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/default.asp
Jim
Welcome back everyone! I hope all of you are rested and excited for what is to come in 2007.
Gerald Ford’s passing on December 26th brought back some memories. He assumed office during the summer following this librarian’s graduation from college. I can still recall my sense of relief that our country’s political life would likely become 'normal' again. Images of the end of the Vietnam War also remain in my memory. In any event this week’s Wrap-up is the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum site.
The Library and Museum is a one of eleven Presidential Libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. As with most of the Presidential Libraries, online availability of primary materials makes these sites especially useful to students of recent American history. At the Ford site, you can for example read minutes from both Cabinet and National Security Council meetings. You might also check out an interesting collection of documents from the Mr. Ford’s 1976 Presidential campaign. Click on the link “Documents and Photographs” to view these and other primary materials.
Pay tribute to the 38th President of the United States by clicking here >>> http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/default.asp
Jim
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Wrap-up Archive 8/30/2006 - 12/6/2006
This comes to you from Library Services at Morningside College...
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WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for December 6, 2006
Henry David Thoreau, in describing snowflakes, wrote: “How full of the creative genius is the air in which these are generated! I should hardly admire more if real stars fell and lodged on my coat." This quote appears in today’s seasonally-themed Wrap-up, SnowCrystals.com.
SnowCrystals.com is full of science. Its creator, Ken Libbrecht is on the faculty of the California Institute of Technology. Check out the links under the heading, Snowflake Physics for thorough explanations of snowflake formation, types and properties. You can even find an answer to the question: Are there any two snowflakes alike? From this librarian’s perspective though, it is the collection of snowflake photos (in the Photo Galleries) that make this site so cool.
This wraps up the Wrap-up for this calendar year. Have a safe and happy holiday season everyone but first click here >>> http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/.
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for November 29, 2006
Twice every school year, I feature a Wrap-up that is an easy to use guide from Duke
University to help students cite the sources they used in a research paper. Although I had intended this time to suggest a guide from another university, I’ve concluded that “Citing Sources” from the Duke University Libraries is still my favorite. The entry page includes links to two sections: “Citing Source Within Your Paper” and “Assembling a List of Works Cited.” Examples are organized by resource type and by citation style (e.g. MLA and APA). Although it always seems as if we need to reference a source that isn’t quite like any of the examples that may be found in a handbook or online guide, “Citing Sources” will show how to acknowledge most of what any of us would ever need to cite.
Avoid plagiarism and click here >>> http://library.duke.edu/research/citing/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for November 15, 2006
Today’s Wrap-up is a bit of Thanksgiving trivia along with some real primary historical documents. It comes to us from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. By Presidential proclamation, Thanksgiving Day traditionally fell on the last Thursday in November. However in 1939, FDR, at the request of some retail business interests, moved Thanksgiving back to November 23rd from November 30th so as to lengthen the Christmas shopping season. The decision however was a controversial one as original letters to Roosevelt (linked to the site) show. In 1941, because of the “outrage” Congress passed legislation to permanently establish the observance of Thanksgiving to be on the fourth Thursday of November.
Happy Thanksgiving to all and click here >>>
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/thanksg.html#doc
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for November 8, 2006
This is an anniversary offering of sorts. It was yesterday, five years ago that I first sent to you the Wrap-up. Since then, I have shared with you websites featuring a variety of content such as Iowa corn, scholarly research, Lutheran humor and tongue twisters. Although I almost always select a new site weekly, this week’s site is ‘rerun’ of the first Wrap-up. Refdesk.com is according to its founder, continues to be "the single best source for facts on the Net." The resources found at the Refdesk include links to headlines, online reference sources, almanacs and sites designated as just for fun.
Click here >>> http://www.refdesk.com/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for November 1, 2006
In preparation for a number of library sessions, I have come across various Popular Culture sites. Pophistorynow.com is my favorite. This is a fun site and easy to use. To search the site’s contents, first select a decade. A directory of years then opens. Upon selection of a year, you will have a selection of weeks from which to choose. Each weekly entry includes an assortment of trivia such as a listing of television shows and movies running that week, popular music titles, news and images. The 1960’s collection is the most complete.
The site however is a work in process so check back regularly.
Visit the year of your birth and click here >>> http://www.pophistorynow.com/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for October 25, 2006
FindArticles.com is a free periodical database that provides access to an archive of
millions of articles dating back to 1984. Although most of what is found here are citations and abstracts, a fair percentage of the content is in full text and free.
Navigation is relatively easy. You may search by keyword, browse through the content of a specific publication, explore by using a topical directory or use an advanced search utility. You may also limit your search to “free articles only” so as to avoid the ‘extreme’ frustration of finding something “really good” and then learning that you must pay for it. I have successfully used FindArticles to locate articles, in full text that were not available through one of the library’s subscription databases.
Give it a try by clicking here >>>http://www.findarticles.com/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for October 18, 2006
Recently the publishers of Time magazine made available on the World Wide Web, a text archive of all articles published since its first issue in 1923. The archive is this week’s Wrap-up. This free resource may be used and enjoyed in several ways. The archive is organized according to a directory of over 100 theme-based collections. (Click on “See all collections”). For example, you might wish to read articles relating to the oil industry, a “Current Events” collection. This set began with the 1923 story, “Crude oil has been marked up 25¢ to $1.75 per barrel by several prominent companies.” Visitors may also search the entire collections using the navigation box. Plan however, to refine your search using options available on a Search Results page that follows your initial query. Browsers who may have no specific research interest might wish to view one or more 4,373 covers of the magazine.
Although the Time online archive is fun place to spend some free time, I still prefer the library’s 1926 – 1965 print collection located in the basement for serious article browsing.
Take Time and click here >>>http://www.time.com/time/archive/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for October 11, 2006
As I was walking across campus last week, a colleague remarked “isn’t it a great time to be a political junkie!” This week’s Wrap-up is for the political junkies on campus. RealClearPolitics.com (RCP) according to its founders “is America’s political web site for intelligent opinion, news, polls and analysis.” RCP, a virtual news monitoring service includes content originating from both ends of the political spectrum as well as from the middle. As such, visitors will find news reporting from publications ranging from the New York Times to the Washington Times and opinion from the likes of Robert Novak to Molly Ivins. As you navigate the site, consider clicking on “links” as it will bring you to a directory of all forms of political punditry and news.
If you can’t get enough political news and opinion, click here >>> http://www.realclearpolitics.com/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for October 4, 2006
September 15th through October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month and this week’s Wrap-up is intended to bring attention to this annual observance. And once again, this librarian returns to the Pew Research Center for this week’s offering.
The Pew Hispanic Center (2006) “is a nonpartisan research organization supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Its mission is to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and to chronicle Latinos' growing impact on the entire nation. The Center does not advocate for or take positions on policy issues.” The site’s content Research Topics such as Economics, Reports & Factsheets, Surveys and Datasets.
If you are researching an immigration issue or would like to develop opinions informed by
facts, consider clicking here >>> http://pewhispanic.org/.
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for September 27, 2006
Featured yesterday on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” was an interview with the Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings. The interviewer asked Ms. Spellings her views of the future of higher education in the context of a just-released report, A test for Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education” prepared by the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education. The Commission’s report considers the issues of accessibility, affordability and accountability.
Click here to read the full report >>>
http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/reports/pre-pub-report.pdf
A summary may be read here >>>
http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/actionplan-factsheet.pdf
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for September 20, 2006
At 2:00 PM on Tuesday, September 26th in Eppley Auditorium, Thomas Friedman, a Pulitzer Prize winning author, the foreign affairs columnist of the New York Times and the author of the book, The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century will speak on our campus. In anticipation of this very significant event, I present Globalization 101, a project of the Carnegie Endowment. According to its creators, the site is “to challenge you to think about many of the controversies surrounding globalization …” Consider selecting the tab, Issue Briefs to get started. The site is very easy to navigate and requires no explanation here.
Come better prepared to hear Mr. Friedman by clicking here >>>
http://www.globalization101.org/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for September 13, 2006
Today, from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM in Buck’s, the Morningside Civic Union will lead an
observance of the 219th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. The
celebration will take the form of the game, “Who Wants to Be a Citizen.” It sounds similar to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire; it is except for the cash.
This week’s Wrap-up is in part to promote this event. The CRS Annotated Constitution is a resource developed by the Legal Information Institute of the Cornell University Law School. The value in this site is the use of hypertext that links the Articles and Amendments of our Constitution to related commentary (annotations), statutes and Court cases. For those of you, who anticipate taking a course in Constitutional Law, bookmark this site.
Celebrate our Constitution by clicking here >>>>
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/index.html
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for September 6, 2006
This week’s Wrap-up is one of those sites that you gotta hear! Pandora Radio is the product of the Music Genome Project. Listeners create custom radio stations by entering an artist’s name or song title in an easy-to-use player. The player then analyzes that entry by identifying its musical qualities and style. These are matched against the attributes of a database of songs of over 10,000 performers. Although registration is not required, you may wish to establish an account so that your ‘radio stations’ may be saved. Look for an account tab at the bottom of the player to do this. Pandora Radio also features other options such as “backstage” where listeners can read about specific artists and/or the attributes of specific songs. Additionally a listener may refine his or her musical preferences by clicking on a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down” as a song is played. The service, by the way is free unless you prefer it without advertising ($36/year).
Tune in to Pandora Radio by clicking here >>> http://www.pandora.com/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for August 30, 2006
To those of you, who are new to the Morningside community, welcome! And to those who are returning, I’m glad you’re back. The Learning Center is just not the same without you. If you are confused by the header of this message, the Wednesday Web Wrap is a weekly annotation of what I think is ‘cool’ on the Web. Cool might mean something academically useful. It may stimulate some thought and reflection. Cool might be descriptive of something falling into the category, for the curious. And sometimes, it’s just my way of saying, “you gotta see this!”
This week’s Wrap-up is for those who might be curious about Labor Day. It comes to you from History Now, an online publication of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. If you’re not at all that interested in the historical roots of Labor Day, still consider checking out the Gilder Lehrman homepage by clicking on its text link at the very bottom of the Labor Day page.
Have a fun three day weekend, go Mustangs on Saturday, and click here >>>
http://www.historynow.org/preview/06_2005/historian4.html
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WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for December 6, 2006
Henry David Thoreau, in describing snowflakes, wrote: “How full of the creative genius is the air in which these are generated! I should hardly admire more if real stars fell and lodged on my coat." This quote appears in today’s seasonally-themed Wrap-up, SnowCrystals.com.
SnowCrystals.com is full of science. Its creator, Ken Libbrecht is on the faculty of the California Institute of Technology. Check out the links under the heading, Snowflake Physics for thorough explanations of snowflake formation, types and properties. You can even find an answer to the question: Are there any two snowflakes alike? From this librarian’s perspective though, it is the collection of snowflake photos (in the Photo Galleries) that make this site so cool.
This wraps up the Wrap-up for this calendar year. Have a safe and happy holiday season everyone but first click here >>> http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/.
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for November 29, 2006
Twice every school year, I feature a Wrap-up that is an easy to use guide from Duke
University to help students cite the sources they used in a research paper. Although I had intended this time to suggest a guide from another university, I’ve concluded that “Citing Sources” from the Duke University Libraries is still my favorite. The entry page includes links to two sections: “Citing Source Within Your Paper” and “Assembling a List of Works Cited.” Examples are organized by resource type and by citation style (e.g. MLA and APA). Although it always seems as if we need to reference a source that isn’t quite like any of the examples that may be found in a handbook or online guide, “Citing Sources” will show how to acknowledge most of what any of us would ever need to cite.
Avoid plagiarism and click here >>> http://library.duke.edu/research/citing/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for November 15, 2006
Today’s Wrap-up is a bit of Thanksgiving trivia along with some real primary historical documents. It comes to us from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. By Presidential proclamation, Thanksgiving Day traditionally fell on the last Thursday in November. However in 1939, FDR, at the request of some retail business interests, moved Thanksgiving back to November 23rd from November 30th so as to lengthen the Christmas shopping season. The decision however was a controversial one as original letters to Roosevelt (linked to the site) show. In 1941, because of the “outrage” Congress passed legislation to permanently establish the observance of Thanksgiving to be on the fourth Thursday of November.
Happy Thanksgiving to all and click here >>>
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/thanksg.html#doc
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for November 8, 2006
This is an anniversary offering of sorts. It was yesterday, five years ago that I first sent to you the Wrap-up. Since then, I have shared with you websites featuring a variety of content such as Iowa corn, scholarly research, Lutheran humor and tongue twisters. Although I almost always select a new site weekly, this week’s site is ‘rerun’ of the first Wrap-up. Refdesk.com is according to its founder, continues to be "the single best source for facts on the Net." The resources found at the Refdesk include links to headlines, online reference sources, almanacs and sites designated as just for fun.
Click here >>> http://www.refdesk.com/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for November 1, 2006
In preparation for a number of library sessions, I have come across various Popular Culture sites. Pophistorynow.com is my favorite. This is a fun site and easy to use. To search the site’s contents, first select a decade. A directory of years then opens. Upon selection of a year, you will have a selection of weeks from which to choose. Each weekly entry includes an assortment of trivia such as a listing of television shows and movies running that week, popular music titles, news and images. The 1960’s collection is the most complete.
The site however is a work in process so check back regularly.
Visit the year of your birth and click here >>> http://www.pophistorynow.com/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for October 25, 2006
FindArticles.com is a free periodical database that provides access to an archive of
millions of articles dating back to 1984. Although most of what is found here are citations and abstracts, a fair percentage of the content is in full text and free.
Navigation is relatively easy. You may search by keyword, browse through the content of a specific publication, explore by using a topical directory or use an advanced search utility. You may also limit your search to “free articles only” so as to avoid the ‘extreme’ frustration of finding something “really good” and then learning that you must pay for it. I have successfully used FindArticles to locate articles, in full text that were not available through one of the library’s subscription databases.
Give it a try by clicking here >>>http://www.findarticles.com/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for October 18, 2006
Recently the publishers of Time magazine made available on the World Wide Web, a text archive of all articles published since its first issue in 1923. The archive is this week’s Wrap-up. This free resource may be used and enjoyed in several ways. The archive is organized according to a directory of over 100 theme-based collections. (Click on “See all collections”). For example, you might wish to read articles relating to the oil industry, a “Current Events” collection. This set began with the 1923 story, “Crude oil has been marked up 25¢ to $1.75 per barrel by several prominent companies.” Visitors may also search the entire collections using the navigation box. Plan however, to refine your search using options available on a Search Results page that follows your initial query. Browsers who may have no specific research interest might wish to view one or more 4,373 covers of the magazine.
Although the Time online archive is fun place to spend some free time, I still prefer the library’s 1926 – 1965 print collection located in the basement for serious article browsing.
Take Time and click here >>>http://www.time.com/time/archive/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for October 11, 2006
As I was walking across campus last week, a colleague remarked “isn’t it a great time to be a political junkie!” This week’s Wrap-up is for the political junkies on campus. RealClearPolitics.com (RCP) according to its founders “is America’s political web site for intelligent opinion, news, polls and analysis.” RCP, a virtual news monitoring service includes content originating from both ends of the political spectrum as well as from the middle. As such, visitors will find news reporting from publications ranging from the New York Times to the Washington Times and opinion from the likes of Robert Novak to Molly Ivins. As you navigate the site, consider clicking on “links” as it will bring you to a directory of all forms of political punditry and news.
If you can’t get enough political news and opinion, click here >>> http://www.realclearpolitics.com/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for October 4, 2006
September 15th through October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month and this week’s Wrap-up is intended to bring attention to this annual observance. And once again, this librarian returns to the Pew Research Center for this week’s offering.
The Pew Hispanic Center (2006) “is a nonpartisan research organization supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Its mission is to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and to chronicle Latinos' growing impact on the entire nation. The Center does not advocate for or take positions on policy issues.” The site’s content Research Topics such as Economics, Reports & Factsheets, Surveys and Datasets.
If you are researching an immigration issue or would like to develop opinions informed by
facts, consider clicking here >>> http://pewhispanic.org/.
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for September 27, 2006
Featured yesterday on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” was an interview with the Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings. The interviewer asked Ms. Spellings her views of the future of higher education in the context of a just-released report, A test for Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education” prepared by the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education. The Commission’s report considers the issues of accessibility, affordability and accountability.
Click here to read the full report >>>
http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/reports/pre-pub-report.pdf
A summary may be read here >>>
http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/actionplan-factsheet.pdf
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for September 20, 2006
At 2:00 PM on Tuesday, September 26th in Eppley Auditorium, Thomas Friedman, a Pulitzer Prize winning author, the foreign affairs columnist of the New York Times and the author of the book, The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century will speak on our campus. In anticipation of this very significant event, I present Globalization 101, a project of the Carnegie Endowment. According to its creators, the site is “to challenge you to think about many of the controversies surrounding globalization …” Consider selecting the tab, Issue Briefs to get started. The site is very easy to navigate and requires no explanation here.
Come better prepared to hear Mr. Friedman by clicking here >>>
http://www.globalization101.org/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for September 13, 2006
Today, from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM in Buck’s, the Morningside Civic Union will lead an
observance of the 219th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. The
celebration will take the form of the game, “Who Wants to Be a Citizen.” It sounds similar to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire; it is except for the cash.
This week’s Wrap-up is in part to promote this event. The CRS Annotated Constitution is a resource developed by the Legal Information Institute of the Cornell University Law School. The value in this site is the use of hypertext that links the Articles and Amendments of our Constitution to related commentary (annotations), statutes and Court cases. For those of you, who anticipate taking a course in Constitutional Law, bookmark this site.
Celebrate our Constitution by clicking here >>>>
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/index.html
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for September 6, 2006
This week’s Wrap-up is one of those sites that you gotta hear! Pandora Radio is the product of the Music Genome Project. Listeners create custom radio stations by entering an artist’s name or song title in an easy-to-use player. The player then analyzes that entry by identifying its musical qualities and style. These are matched against the attributes of a database of songs of over 10,000 performers. Although registration is not required, you may wish to establish an account so that your ‘radio stations’ may be saved. Look for an account tab at the bottom of the player to do this. Pandora Radio also features other options such as “backstage” where listeners can read about specific artists and/or the attributes of specific songs. Additionally a listener may refine his or her musical preferences by clicking on a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down” as a song is played. The service, by the way is free unless you prefer it without advertising ($36/year).
Tune in to Pandora Radio by clicking here >>> http://www.pandora.com/
WEDNESDAY WEB WRAP-UP for August 30, 2006
To those of you, who are new to the Morningside community, welcome! And to those who are returning, I’m glad you’re back. The Learning Center is just not the same without you. If you are confused by the header of this message, the Wednesday Web Wrap is a weekly annotation of what I think is ‘cool’ on the Web. Cool might mean something academically useful. It may stimulate some thought and reflection. Cool might be descriptive of something falling into the category, for the curious. And sometimes, it’s just my way of saying, “you gotta see this!”
This week’s Wrap-up is for those who might be curious about Labor Day. It comes to you from History Now, an online publication of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. If you’re not at all that interested in the historical roots of Labor Day, still consider checking out the Gilder Lehrman homepage by clicking on its text link at the very bottom of the Labor Day page.
Have a fun three day weekend, go Mustangs on Saturday, and click here >>>
http://www.historynow.org/preview/06_2005/historian4.html
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