Ready to recover?

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 into law on Tuesday and if you've watched, listened to, or read any news this week you've probably heard a lot about it.

But what is it really all about and what does it mean for you? At 400+ pages, reading the thing is probably not an attractive option, (although you can do so here if you've got the spare time or the curiousity) but fortunately some folks have made understanding it a bit easier.

USA.gov, the major portal to U.S. government information online, provides this summary of the Act's aims, along with a timely warning against fraudulent offers of "stimulus" money, and links to both background information and more details.

The good bloggers at GovGab (from the General Services Administration) posted this link-filled highlight reel a few days ago. They focus on some of the middle-class tax-relief provisions of the legislation. One of the main links they recommend is recovery.gov, a new website set up to answer questions and keep the public informed as to how the Act is working. Be sure to check out the site's FAQ. And the site gives you opportunities to react and interact with the process. Check back with this site often, since their clever moving timeline will be filling up with more information as the Act's provisions are implemented.

If you do decide to look at the text of the Act, UT Arlington librarian Tom Lindsey has made it a lot easier to zero in on the right section with this handy blog post. He lists all the sections and the pages upon which page in the PDF version of the Act each starts.

Two birthdays for the price of one!

February 12, 1809, saw the birth of two little boys who would grow up to do great things. Such great things that two librarians were both inspired to blog about them! How famous can you get!

Famous Little Boy #1

Abraham Lincoln became the 16th President of the U.S. and guided the country through its darkest hour, the Civil War. Finding more information about this fascinating historical figure is easy—because so much has been written about him—and hard—because so much has been written about him! You can get an idea of this abundance looking at the listing in the post below.

On the web there's even more Lincoln information and artifacts. Ford's Theatre, where he was assassinated in 1865, is a site you might not think of for Lincoln research, but they have a Lincoln Museum onsite and also provide this website. [The image is from the Wikimedia Commons.]

Famous Little Boy #2

Charles Darwin developed the theory of evolution through natural selection, which not only revolutionized the science of biology, but also gave everyone a new way to look at the natural world. When I was in London last semester I enjoyed visiting the special exhibit at their Natural History Museum that was dedicated to Darwin's bicentennial. It was a really fascinating collection of memorabilia, handwritten notes, letters, photographs and books. [The Museum is high on Darwin even in non-bicentennial years; the photo is one I took in the museum's main hall of the Darwin statue there.]

I saw a particular San Antonio-Darwin connection in the exhibit that delighted me as as Spurs fan. One of the objects on display was a beetle Darwin collected on his famous voyage on the Beagle. And it was from Bahia Blanca, Argentina, one of the ship's ports of call, and the hometown of our own Manu Ginobili! It really is a small world, isn't it?

Lincoln, Darwin, and the NAACP

February 12, 2009 marks several anniversaries. It is the bicentennial of the birth of both Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. It also marks the centennial of the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a leading United States civil rights organization.

More biographies (over 14,000) have been written about Abraham Lincoln, than about any other individual, according to Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Lincoln's complex personality and character have resulted in biographical studies with a variety of titles: Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln: The War Years; Diplomat in Carpet Slippers: Abraham Lincoln Deals with Foreign Affairs; From Pioneer Home to the White House: Life of Abraham Lincoln: Boyhood, Youth, Manhood, Assassination, Death; Lincoln's Quest for Union: A Psychological Portrait; The Lincoln Nobody Knows; and The Last Best Hope of Earth: Abraham Lincoln and the Promise of America. These are just a few of the many books about Lincoln in the Blume Library's collection.

It might seem a stretch to compare Lincoln and Charles Darwin, but there are some commonalities. In fact Adam Gopnik's Angels and Ages: A Short Book about Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life, which has just recently been published, shows how these two men, who never met, altered the way we think about death and time--about the very nature of earthly existence.

It is no coincidence that the NAACP was founded a century ago, today. The NAACP is committed to struggle and armed with hope, working for full citizenship of all people regardless of origin, and continuing to press the cause of equality and social justice.

Happy Birthday!

[book cover images from http://covers.librarything.com/]

Bigger than Life

Back in the print-only, pre-digital-photography days, Life magazine was considered the gold standard for photo-journalism. Many famous photos, like the one at the right of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square on V-J day, were first published in Life.

Now Google has made an archive of millions of Life magazine photos, including many unpublished images, available online at images.google.com/hosted/life.

The archive can be searched from the page linked above, or just add source:life to any image search in Google from the regular search screen. Some of the archive's subject tags make precise subject searching somewhat iffy, but simply browsing through the results is fascinating. You can browse by decade, also, starting with the 1860's (yes, there was photography then, but not in the 1750's, as the web page hints—perhaps this is a typo?).

At any rate, photos of historical figures is a highlight of the collection, even back as far as the Victorian age—above at left is a photo of Queen Victoria herself.

Landscape photography is another area in which Life photographers excelled. On the right is a scene of shipping on the Yangtze River in China in the 1940's.

After you put in search terms or click on a link to browse, you'll see a page of thumbnails just like in a normal Google image search. Click on the picture of interest and you'll get a larger image (plus a link to a full-size image) and you may see information such as who took the photo, when and where it was taken, and additional information about the scene.

Trivia, tragedy, celebrity, ordinariness, action, tranquility—it's all a part of Life and you can find images of just about anything in this collection.


Note: all images in this blog post were taken from the Google Life Photo Archive. Photos in the archive are for personal, non-commercial use only. Remember always to credit the source of photos used in papers and presentations.

Hail to the Chief!

....the song with this name is the official musical announcement that the President has arrived, and as of next Tuesday afternoon it will be played for a new one. Barack Obama will be sworn in as 44th President in a ceremony set to begin at 10:30 a.m. our time. For complete, official, information about the ceremony and the many accompanying events, you can look at the Presidential Inauguration Committee's website.

Some information, including a general schedule of events and a biography of Mr. Obama, can also be found in the Library's inauguration display, shown at the right. The display is located on the first row of the government documents collection on the main floor. Other items in the display include a look at past inaugurations (and a volume of inaugural addresses), a selection of presidential documents from the '60's to the present, and a large format booklet with photos and diagrams of the White House gardens.

Want still more inauguration info? National Public Radio has gathered links to many of their recent stories about the inauguration—from the origin of the oath of office to how security will be handled to how the rehearsals were conducted.

Information Literacy News

As you wrap up final exams and pack your bags for the holidays, be sure to stop by the Blume Library's new Information Literacy display!

Not sure what Information Literacy involves? Also known as Information Competency or Information Fluency, Information Literacy refers to the skills used to identify when information is needed, and then locate, evaluate, and use it effectively. These abilities are especially crucial in our current environment of technological change and nearly unlimited information choices.

Ever been stumped with the question, "Can I really trust this information?" Whether looking up stock market prices, searching for the latest YouTube videos, or googling to find a paper topic, it's easy to become overwhelmed with the increasing abundance of unfiltered resources.

Here's where Information Literacy dives in for the rescue! Information literate individuals understand how knowledge is organized and how to apply strategies for finding, analyzing, and using information to nearly any challenge. They are not only able to exercise more control over their learning in academic settings, but also manage information choices in their everyday lives with greater ease.

For more details about Information Literacy, check out the following links:

• Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)


• Information Literacy Resources Directory


• National Forum on Information Literacy


• St. Mary's Information Competency Plan


• Texas Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT)

Over the break, test out your Information Literacy skills with some fun Internet Search Challenges, or polish your chops with these tips for locating, evaluating, and using Internet resources!

Global Road Warrior

Have you tried the Blume Library’s new database, Global Road Warrior? Whether you’re an adventuresome traveler, preparing for a Study Abroad program, or curious about different cultures, this "ultimate guide to the world" promises a worldwide experience!

Just in time for International Education Week at St. Mary’s, Global Warrior offers a wealth of information about 175 countries. Learn about the climate or demographics for locales that your friends discussed in the Student Showcase. Find out more about the business culture for countries represented in the Fair Trade Sale. Before watching the film, Rough Cut, equip yourself with facts about security and medical issues.

Global Road Warrior is especially valuable for preparing yourself to visit a foreign country. Jot down sightseeing stops recommended by insiders, gain practical insight about essentials to pack in your suitcase, and memorize a few common terms in the native language. Familiarize yourself with the country’s electrical plugs and voltage standards, and check out a list of nearby Internet cafes, to stay connected during your travels. You can also find answers to specific concerns, including tipping practices, emergency numbers, transportation options, and advice geared towards businesswomen.

Link to Global Warrior at the top of the Blume library’s website, and tour the possibilities! [photo courtesy of http://www.thewashingtonnote.com]