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| New This Week for October 4, 2007 |
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This Week For the first newsletter of October, it's National Book Month, arts education, your money's worth at the library, world tours for toddlers, Buster Keaton, and scarecrows. Bon appetit from librarians Maria, Jennifer, Charlotte, and Wendy. Tip of the Week This week we added a couple sites about Polish American ancestry; see our other heritage-specific, general, and research sites about genealogy. |
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Arts and Humanities
Arts Education Partnership (AEP)
AEP "is a national coalition of arts, education, business, philanthropic and government organizations that demonstrate and promote the essential role of the arts in the learning and development of every child." Its website features a searchable database with information on state arts education policies, publications and reports on the benefits of arts education, and links to resources for evaluation and assessment, national and state advocacy efforts, and more.
URL: http://aep-arts.org/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24618
Jamestown: The Birth of American Polonia, 1608-2008
Material related to Polish-American involvement in the 2007 celebration of the 400th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, and "a commemorative observance at Jamestown, Virginia on October 1, 2008. That date is believed to be the exact anniversary of the landing of the Polish settlers." Includes an essay on roles and accomplishments of Polish colonists, a Polish pioneers historic postcard, lesson plan, and a bibliography. From the Polish American Congress.
URL: http://www.polamcon.org/jamestown/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24607
Monthly Reading Activities: A Month of Reading With the NEA
Collection of ideas for monthly reading activities for children. Includes ideas for Newbery and Caldecott Awards for January, Black History Month in February, National Poetry Month in April, Christopher Robin's birthday in August, National Book Month in October, and the winter solstice in December. Also includes short lists of author birthdays and links to reading lists. From the National Education Association (NEA).
URL: http://www.nea.org/readacross/year/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24552
National Arts Education Public Awareness Campaign
Website for this advertisement campaign to promote the need for more arts education opportunities for children. Describes how children who participate in the arts are more likely to participate in academic activities, and provides suggested standards for arts education and lists of local arts agencies. In English and Spanish. Note: State standards for arts education are not available. From Americans for the Arts and the Ad Council.
URL: http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24617
Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum
Website for this Okinawa, Japan, museum that memorializes the 1945 World War II battle in Okinawa, known at the "Typhoon of Steel." "The Battle of Okinawa was the only ground fighting fought on Japanese soil and was also the largest-scale campaign of the Asia-Pacific War." Describes the great loss of civilian life, some as a result of suicide, and provides photos of the museum. In English and Japanese.
URL: http://www.peace-museum.pref.okinawa.jp/english/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24615
Business
Associates: The Electronic Library Support Staff Journal
This online periodical, published three times a year, "is a forum for and about library support staff issues." Topics include staff development in academic libraries, using student employees, and choosing not to get an MLS. Browse issues back to 1994 with editorials, columns, feature articles, interviews, fiction, event listings, and reviews. Also includes title and author indexes.
URL: http://associates.ucr.edu/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24614
Corporate Equity Index
"The Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index report, released each fall, provides an in-depth analysis and rating of large U.S. employers and their policies and practices pertinent to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, consumers and investors." Includes evaluation of issues such as diversity training, domestic partner benefits, and respectful advertising. Includes reports back to 2002. From the Human Rights Campaign.
URL: http://www.hrc.org/issues/ceihome.asp
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24555
Library Use Value Calculator
Use this online form to estimate the value of the library services you use each month. Services listed include materials borrowed (books, movies, audio books, museum passes), magazines used in library, interlibrary loan, children's programs attended, computer use, reference questions, and more. From the Maine State Library.
URL: http://www.maine.gov/msl/services/calculator.htm
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24620
Health
Spina Bifida Association: About Spina Bifida
Information about spina bifida, "a neural tube defect that happens in the first month of pregnancy when the spinal column doesn't close completely. ... Each year, about 3,000 pregnancies are affected by these birth defects." Provides a FAQ, website links, and fact sheets on topics such as genetics, folic acid, hip function, and educational issues. From the Spina Bifida Association, which promotes the prevention of the defect and provides resources for those affected by it.
URL: http://www.spinabifidaassociation.org/site/c.liKWL7PLLrF/b.2642323/k.8...
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24605
Law
Crime Prevention Month
Collection of tips and publications for Crime Prevention Month, observed annually in October. "The month-long celebration spotlights successful crime prevention efforts on the local, state, and national levels." Includes Halloween safety brochures and links to other crime prevention material. From the National Crime Prevention Council.
URL: http://www.ncpc.org/about/crime-prevention-month
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24597
Justice for All: The Legacy of Thurgood Marshall
Background about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who as legal director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) had argued "Brown v. Board of Education" before the Supreme Court. Also includes a timeline, photo gallery, video clips, bibliography, and material about his mentor and law school professor, Charles Hamilton Houston. Available in several languages. From the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs.
URL: http://www.america.gov/publications/books/justice-for-all-legacy-of-th...
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24580
Media
The Hour With George Stroumboulopoulos
Companion to a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) current affairs program, which has presented interviews with "some of the most interesting and influential figures on the planet: from big thinkers like Al Gore, [and] Noam Chomsky ... to establishment shakers like Bob Geldof," to musicians, movie stars, authors, and others. "The Hour" is "Always unconventional. Often controversial. Never predictable." Watch video clips online. Also includes a blog.
URL: http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24582
People
Amiri Baraka
Official website for Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), "the author of over 40 books of essays, poems, drama, and music history and criticism, a poet icon and revolutionary political activist." Features a biography, audio and video clips, essays and poems (including the controversial "Somebody Blew Up America," written about the September 11, 2001, attacks when Baraka was New Jersey's poet laureate), and related links.
URL: http://www.amiribaraka.com/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24596
Buster Keaton on Comedy and Making Movies
"Actor and filmmaker Buster Keaton (1895-1966) was one of the greatest comic figures of the silent film era. ... In 1958, Columbia University's Oral History Research Office conducted several lengthy interviews with Keaton about his life and career. The interviews, which can be listened to or read here, provide a rare glimpse of a vanished era." Topics include Keatons's vaudeville childhood, "Fatty" Arbuckle, and the end of silent films. From Columbia University.
URL: http://www.fathom.com/course/10701030/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24584
The Gore Vidal Index
Unofficial website for American essayist and novelist Gore Vidal, who is known for writing historical fiction and other works. The site features a brief biography, thumbnail reviews of Vidal's books, images of book covers of translations, the transcript of a 1991 interview, and links to related material and sites. From a journalism instructor at the University of Pittsburgh.
URL: http://www.pitt.edu/~kloman/vidalframe.html
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24583
International Buster Keaton Society
The goal of this group is "to foster and perpetuate appreciation and understanding of the life, career and films of comedian/filmmaker Buster Keaton." Its site features a biography, synopses of films, a list of Keaton movies currently on television, bibliography, and articles about Keaton on topics such as Keaton's "Italian Villa" in Hollywood, and about a trip to England in 1909. Also includes links to related sites.
URL: http://www.busterkeaton.com/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24585
Vaclav Havel
Official website for this author and dramatist who was president of Czechoslovakia (1989-1992) and the first president of the Czech Republic (1993-2003). Features a biography, timeline, photos, list of plays and books, and links to writings and speeches by time period and themes, such as human rights, globalization, and NATO. In English and Czech.
URL: http://www.vaclavhavel.cz/index.php?sec=1&id=1&setln=2
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24586
Recreation
Edible Gardens: Making a Scarecrow
Collection of tips for making a scarecrow, with ideas for a frame, head and face, hands and feet, hair, and clothing and accessories. Includes suggestions for assembling the scarecrow, and other ideas such as making scarecrow animals. From the website for the Victoria (Australia) government's "campaign to get Victorians physically active and eating healthily."
URL: http://www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.au/hav/articles.nsf/pages/Edible_gard...
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24578
Youth Gardening Activities
This collection of gardening activities includes flower drying, gourd birdhouses, leaf rubbings, scarecrows, seed saving, a scavenger hunt, pizza and salsa gardens, egg coloring, and more. Also provides a book list and a "zoo garden" (elephant garlic, lamb's ear, etc.) plant list. From the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County.
URL: http://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/youth/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24577
Regional: California
California Alliance for Arts Education
This organization "promotes, supports, and advocates visual and performing arts education for preschool through post-secondary students in California schools." Site features a history of legislation affecting arts education in California back to 1970, a list of key California arts education organizations, a FAQ, the publication "The Insider's Guide to Arts Education Planning," and links to related sites. Note: Portions of this site are up to date, while others have not been updated recently.
URL: http://www.artsed411.org/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24619
Following Sean
Website for the follow-up documentary (30 years later) to a 1969 student film about the filmmaker's upstairs neighbor in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, 4-year-old Sean. Watch the original 1969 film and learn about updates in the lives of the people featured in the films. Also includes a filmmaker interview and personal views, production journal, filmmaker profile, discussion guide, and lesson plan. From P.O.V.
URL: http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2007/followingsean/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/23777
Regions of the World
Bugaboo Daytrips
Whimsical artist-drawn maps (and associated written descriptions) for walking tours to be taken by parents and young children. The tours of major cities are designed "to capture the imaginations of both you and your child." Cities include Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Prague. Available in several languages. From a company that makes strollers.
URL: http://www.bugaboodaytrips.com/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24609
China From the Inside
Companion website for this television series that "provides a rare insider's view of China," covering topics related to the Communist Party, women in China, environmental issues, and religious groups. Provides in-depth features on specific areas of the program, opinion pieces, an interactive map with field audio recordings around the country, a China-U.S. comparison quiz, lesson plans, and more. A co-production of KQED Public Television and Granada Television.
URL: http://www.pbs.org/kqed/chinainside/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/23155
Science
Google Moon
This site provides "a mosaic of landing site images and a tour of the Apollo landings" on the moon. Click to zoom in on the landing sites for the "six missions of the Apollo Program, which lasted from 1963 to 1972." Also includes a FAQ and a relief map showing moon elevations. From Google, in partnership with scientists at the NASA Ames Research Center.
URL: http://www.google.com/moon/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24558
Solar System Exploration: Sputnik
Background about Sputnik, the basketball-sized spacecraft that was "the world's first artificial satellite," launched in 1957 by the former Soviet Union. "The U.S. responded in January 1958 with the launch of Explorer 1. Another American response to Sputnik: The creation of NASA in October 1958." Provides key dates, fast facts, and links to other websites about Sputnik. From NASA.
URL: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?MCode=Sputnik
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24595
Society & Social Science
Polish American Heritage Month
Activity ideas and resources for celebrating Polish-American Heritage Month in October, including events to mark the death of American Revolutionary War hero General Casimir Pulaski (October 15). Includes a "tracing your heritage" worksheet, guidelines for sponsoring an essay or coloring contest, posters, and related material. From the Polish American Heritage Center in Philadelphia.
URL: http://www.polishamericancenter.org/heritmo.htm
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24606
PolishRoots®: The Polish Genealogy Source
Searchable directory of "materials of interest to those researching their Polish ancestry." Although the site focuses on genealogical resources (for example, surname search, online forum, databases), it will be of interest to anyone looking for information about Polish history, customs, geography, and heraldry. Includes links to information in both English and Polish.
URL: http://www.polishroots.org
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/11847
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Thanks for reading LII New This Week!
Jennifer English, Liaison to Califa Library Group
Wendy Hyman, Senior Editor
Maria Brandt, Associate Editor
Charlotte Bagby, Senior Weeder
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