Stand up and be counted

Well, you don't actually have to stand up. You can be counted sitting down. And it's so easy to do you can even be counted lying down if you prefer. There's very little energy required.

Every 10 years, as specified in the U.S. Constitution, the Census Bureau conducts a count of every single person in the land. At least, that's the theory. It only works if each of those people cooperates and participates.

This April 1 is Census day for this decade. The last time it happened was April 1, 2000, and it won't happen again until April 1 (presumably) 2020. Every household is to respond to the questionnaire as of that day. Not the day before or the day after. [I was so disappointed that my son barely missed getting counted in the 1980 census—he was born a week later!]

The form is very short and only takes a few minutes to complete. You can take a look at it here. The more detailed questions that used to be a part of the Census are taken care of in the American Community Survey, which is an ongoing survey and only questions a sample of the population.

Simple as it is, there are a couple of areas you might have questions about:

• If you live on campus, your parents shouldn't count you on their form at home. You'll be counted in the dormitory. Here's more information on this count.
  
• The Census folks intend for Hispanic origin (which has only be noted since the 1970 Census, by the way) to be considered a separate characteristic from race. That's why there are two separate questions on the form. But race is self-reported. So if you're not comfortable marking white or African-American for race, there's a place for you to fill in what you consider yourself. The whole race question is very complicated and fraught with linguistic, emotional, and political baggage. The Library's Census guide has a section on comparability of Census data in this area. But suffice it to say that a perfect solution has yet to be devised.
• If you have any questions about getting a form or filling it out, here are some information phone numbers.
  

The main thing is to be counted! Census data is used for apportioning seats in the U.S. and Texas legislatures, for awarding grants, and in the research papers of generations of college students. So don't be left out!

Apply for the Louis J. Blume Library Undergraduate Research Award

Are you entering a project in the Undergraduate Research Symposium?

Consider applying for the
Fourth Annual Louis J. Blume Library Undergraduate Research Award

First Prize: $200
Second Prize: $100

The Award recognizes student researchers who demonstrate skill and originality in the application of library and other information sources in a research project. The Award is restricted to undergraduate students.

You must enter the Undergraduate Research Symposium (deadline Friday, March 12, 2010) to be eligible for this Award.

The Louis J. Blume Library Undergraduate Research Award application deadline: Monday, March 22, 2010 at 5pm.

Photo of 2007 Louis J. Blume Library Undergraduate Research Award winning project posters.

Photographs and Memories …..during Women's History Month

We celebrate Women's History Month every March in the United States. This year, St. Mary's University is hosting several programs to honor the contributions of women. Take a look at the 2010 St. Mary's University's Women's History Month program.

I hope you will visit the Blume Library to see our display celebrating Women's History Month: Snapshots of Women's History. I designed the display to focus on the way photographs can challenge our assumptions about the diversity of female experiences. The pictures on display show women contributing to society in a variety of ways including as artists, teachers, students, protestors, writers, business owners, and athletes. All the photos on display come from the Flickr Commons project, a repository of publicly-held photographs from archives and libraries throughout the world. The display also includes books from the Blume Library collection that focus on women in photography, either as subjects of the photos or as photographers.

The Blume Library Art Exhibit area highlights the two themes of women and photography this March with the opening of a photo exhibit by local artist Melanie Rush-Davis. The exhibit will run from March 7- April 16th and a reception will be held on Wednesday, April 7th from 4-5:30pm.

I invite you to stop by the library to view these displays and think about women's contributions to society, both now and in the past. I also encourage you to take advantage of all the wonderful Women's History Month programs occurring this month on our campus!