RIS Recommends

The Lord of the Libraries: Return of the Book

2011-06-23T10:01:00.000-05:00

Sometimes when you go to register you find you have a hold on your account. For some it is for a long forgotten library book that must be returned. This is the story of a brave band of students at the University of Kansas who must go on a quest to seek the help of the Lady Librarowyen. So before you embark on a quest for knowledge remember to Ask -A- Librarian. http://libweb.sfasu.edu/proser/ris/

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Hey!! Give me a way to search for books and articles at the same time!

2011-05-19T16:38:00.000-05:00

You got it!
It is available now in STEENFIND, the Steen Library catalog.

Choose the Everything tab on the STEENFIND search page, then…
put in your search term(s) and click Find.

The screen will split into two distinct sections: one for "Books and More" and one for "Articles and More"! This is your “one stop research shop”!

If you want learn more just Ask a Librarian

Tina Oswald
toswald@sfasu.edu
rm. 202f
936.468.1861
Subjects - Elementary Education, and Secondary Education/Educational Leadership

Sending the Wrong Message or Secrets on the Homepage

2011-04-04T11:13:00.002-05:00

While working as the webmaster for SFA a few years ago I learned about an important phenomenon. I learned that a website reflects the organization that built it. In 2006 Gerry McGovern wrote that "A website shows the true face of the organization as never before." This is as true for governments as it is for universities and businesses. While working on a project last month I saw some "hidden" messages that some countries were sending on their web sites both intentionally and unintentionally.

For example during the first week of February I came across this official government website for the Egyptian Presidency. www.presidency.gov.eg

Later in the month I came across the website for the government of Libya.

When I went back a couple of days later the original page was up again.

I plan to keep checking http://www.algathafi.org/ to see if the rebels can retake the web server from government forces.

Two of the remaining communist countries that still remain (at least the did when I got up this morning) had funny home pages. North Korea does not allow computers with internet connections, so their official government site is maintained by the Korea Friendship Association the funniest part is the domain for the site. The URL is: http://www.korea-dpr.com/

Cuba on the other hand maintains it's own government website. The site is regularly updated and is somewhat attractive.

Like most Government websites it have links to versions of their site in other languages. When you click on the button for the English version of Cuba's site you see this. http://www.cubagob.cu/ingles/default.htm

This page has been "Under Construction" for at least three years. I suspect that their is somebody in Cuba who can translate Spanish to English. I think it's funny because it seems to be Cuba's subtle way of thumbing its nose at the United States with their web site.

So next time you're surfing the web take a look at the hidden, unintentional or even startling messages that organizations send through their web site.

As always when you're ready to do research for class assignment, publication or just because you want to know Ask a Librarian. We can help you find the information you need "hidden" or otherwise.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

RIS Recommends: Ministry of Truth : Whitehouse Web Site

RIS Recommends: HUMINT, IMINT, MASINT, SIGINT, OSINT: Finding What Shouldn't be Found

Presidential Papers in Government Documents @ Steen Library

2011-01-28T08:53:00.000-06:00

Finding the Public Papers of the Presidents can be somewhat challenging because they are not all together in one place. A recommendation in 1957 ensured that an annual series of the President’s papers would be compiled beginning with the fifth year of the Eisenhower Administration. Provision was also made for retrospective collections. An earlier resolution of July 27, 1894, directed Congress to gather and publish “all the annual, special, and veto messages, proclamations, and inaugural addresses” of the Presidents from 1789 to 1894. This work was prepared under the Joint Committee on Printing under the direction of James D. Richardson, a representative from Tennessee. Not every early message and presidential paper is included in this set, and other sources may need to be consulted. The Steen government documents collection located in the SE corner of the 2^nd floor houses the following compilations:

A compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, 1789-1897 by John D. Richardson. Washington, GPO. 1896-1899, 10 volumes. SFA Stacks: J81 .B96 Vol.#
(A later edition of 20 volumes contains additional material through the Wilson Presidency, and paging is renumbered) SuDoc: Y 4.P93/1:3/1917 vol # (some volumes also available online through Google Books)
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (Herbert Hoover — Ronald Reagan,excluding Roosevelt) SuDoc: GS 4.113: (Herbert Hoover - Bill Clinton [1931-2002] online at:http://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/ppotpus/ )
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (Ronald Reagan [1984] –George W. Bush) SuDoc AE 2.114: (papers of George H.W. Bush—George W. Bush also online at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/pubpapers/search.html)
The Congressional Record (contains Presidential addresses to Congress and other messages not of a routine nature. Check the Record Index under “President of the United States.” SuDoc X 1.1 (Indexes, Print and Microfilm 1784-2004, 1833-1873 Online, 1998-Present)
American State Papers. Documents, legislative and executive, of the Congress of the United States. 38 vol. SuDoc SERIAL SET 01-38

Some additional library sources include:
The writings of George Washington: being his correspondence, addresses, messages and other papers, official and private, selected and published from original manuscripts. 12 vol. Jared Sparks, contr. Boston: Russell, Odiorne and Metcalf, 1834-1840. ETRC Call no. E312.7 1834x
Papers of Thomas Jefferson.29 vol. and 6 vol. index. Julian P. Boyd, et al, contr. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1950. Call no. E302 .J442 1950
The public papers and addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt. 13 vol. Samuel Irving Rosenman, contr. New York: Random House, 1938-1950. Call no. E 806 .R749
The State papers and other public writings of Herbert Hoover. 2 vol. William Starr Myers, contr. New York: Kraus Reprint, 1970. Call no. E801 .H66 1970x

Kayce Halstead
halsteadkay@sfasu.edu

rm. 202g

936.468.1574

Subjects - Government Documents, Collection Development

Think outside of the box!

2010-12-06T16:15:00.000-06:00

We haveall heard that phrase used when the person speaking is trying to get usto try something new or come up with a new idea. And, that is what theTexas Library Association was doing when they instituted the idea ofLibrary Snapshot Day in 2010.
When itwas announced that it was to be held this year and that a library couldpick any day in the month of October of 2010, the Steen Research andInstructional Services Librarians decided to bring the idea to theSFASU campus and the Ralph W. Steen Library.

Disposablecameras were placed at service desk throughout the library, with signsasking users to “take a picture, and leave the camera.”

Some of theLibrary staff got in the act using digital cameras.

There were over 150 photos taken with the 10 disposable cameras.

Library users were shown using the computers in the lobby and LINC,

sleeping on the new furniture in the New Books area,

attending aLibrary Instructional session,

getting tutoring in the AARC, etc.

So, on October 21 , 2010, we created a “snapshot” of a day in the life of Steen Library.

If you did not participate, don’t worry!

We hope to make this an annual event!

Hunt for tech books on Safari

2010-10-04T14:17:00.016-05:00

Safari Books Online is the premier on-demand digital library providing technology, digital media, business books, and videos online. Safari Books Online, is paid for and licensed by Steen library. Currently a Custom Safari Books Online Library that contains a specially-tailored subset of 115 titles available through Steen library's website and increasingly through the catalog SteenFind. Now when searching for books about Windows 7, your Smartphone, or on more technical topics, you will find the latest titles available online in full-text. For a more thorough search of the tittles, and to search the full text of these books go directly to Safari.

If there is a computer science book you would like to see the library purchase or a specific topic represented feel free to contact Phil Reynolds. New titles both online and in print are acquired by the library on an ongoing basis. Suggestions for the Computer Science Subject Guide are also welcome.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Welcome Freshman

2010-09-03T11:34:00.003-05:00

Welcome to new freshman and welcome back to our returning students. Here at Steen Library the research librarians are here to help you with your resource needs. The Ask-A-Librarian desk located on the 1^st floor in the Research Room (Steen Library Map) is great for walk-in research help and the phone number is 468-7299. You can also use the Ask-A-Librarian form to get help online. Subject specialty assistance is as easy as contacting your liaison contact. We are here to help you have a great and successful semester!

There is a new and easier way to find books at Steen Library.

2010-07-13T14:17:00.002-05:00

On Monday, July 12^th, the library rolled out a new library catalog called SteenFind. SteenFind will allow faculty, staff and students to search for books and other library materials faster and easier than before by combining the advantages of the traditional structure of library catalogs with the ease of search engines.

Check out the new catalog at http://library.sfasu.edu/find/.

SteenFind will feature patron empowerment services and we believe will greatly enhance your search for materials. Please contact me or any of the Research librarians if you have any questions or comments.

It's Not "What's New" but "Who's New"

2010-06-09T13:56:00.003-05:00

In February, as a result of reorganization in the Steen Library, I was made the Instruction Coordinator for the Research and Instructional Services (RIS) department. Every member of the RIS faculty has expertise in an academic field, as well as in library and information science. While I am not a librarian, I am an educator, with a very strong background in curriculum development and research. These skills are complimentary to RIS’s mission, and I have been incorporated into several of the primary areas of the department's mission. The RIS department is eager to help provide research assistance for the SFASU community, either through an individual consultation, through library orientation and research or information literacy instruction for a class, or by answering individual questions at the Ask A Librarian desk.

As the university begins to implement its Quality Enhancement Plan for high impact student learning, RIS has begun examining its own programs which support this plan. It has had programs in place for decades to teach library skills, called by a variety of names including information literacy and research skills, but the focus has expanded to embrace changes in technology that have occurred during the last two decades. It is also changing to include a focus on the first year experience, with the goal of perhaps serving as a bridge between the freshmen high school research skills and experiences (or lack thereof) and the expectations and needs of their college professors. Over the course of the next several months, we will be researching the actual needs of our main audiences - the students and faculty of SFASU. This phase will be followed with the development and implementation of curriculum based on the results of this research.

If you need help with your research project, please contact a member of the RIS faculty.

Rhonda W. Williams
Instruction Coordinator
Research and Instructional Services
Email: williamsrw@sfasu.edu
Office: 202H Steen Library
Phone: 936-468-7260

You are now entering "The Quiet Zone"

2010-04-23T17:00:00.001-05:00

A new Quiet Zone hits the fourth floor of Steen Library. Looking for a quiet study space away from the bustling crowds? Check out the entire fourth floor of the Steen Library which is now reserved for quiet study, free from the distractions of service desks, study groups, and cell phone conversations. Students can find a peaceful oasis with tables, study rooms, and study carrels throughout the floor. Last fall a library survey was conducted which revealed library users were unhappy with the ongoing noise levels in the library and other distracting activities that are counterproductive to individual study.

The Twilight Zone themed “Quiet Zone” was a design created by Ms. Devon Skinner a senior from Dallas, enrolled in the Illustration class taught by Aloma Marquis last fall. Quiet Zone signage will be placed on the fourth floor and furniture will be arranged in a manner conducive to individual study.

The second and third floors are available for group studying.

Success will be determined by the self-disciplined actions of library users, but any of the library service point, like the Circulation or InfoDesk, can be told about abuses. We are encouraging all library users to enjoy this new space especially during the stressful weeks ahead before finals.

Let us know what you think about the Quiet Floor or suggestions to make it better.

Susan Clarke
Head of Research and Instructional Services
sclarke@sfasu.edu
rm. 202g
(936) 468-1459

Argue like a Pro with "Opposing Viewpoints"

2010-03-05T09:20:00.005-06:00

Opposing Viewpoints is a database that presents both sides of controversial issues. It is a good starting point for choosing a topic, getting an overview, and finding related material. The series can be useful for writing speeches and debating. "Opposing Viewpoints" links to recommended websites, so it provides some “quality control” for the Web.

To get to it, click on the Databases A - Z on the Library home page. Scroll down to the O section and click on Opposing Viewpoints.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Love is in the air.

2010-02-14T17:21:00.004-06:00

Well, at least in the décor. It is estimated that one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second-largest card-selling holiday (after Christmas). But was Valentine’s Day really invented by the greeting card companies to take advantage of the love and/or friendship between two people?

Actually, Valentine’s Day was established at around 496 AD by Pope Gelasius I who named the holiday after a (some speculate several) Christian martyr named Valentine or Valentinus. No one really knows for sure who Valentine was or what he did but February was a month of romance long before the pope declared the 14^th the big day. Lupercalia, an ancient Roman fertility festival, was celebrated in mid-February.

The commercial holiday that we recognize today first began in Great Britain in the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common practice to exchange small gifts or handwritten poems on Valentine’s Day. Improvements in printing technology led to printed greeting cards in the late 1700s. By this time, the holiday had become popular in the United States. In the 1840s, Esther Howland (now known as the Mother of the Valentine) began selling the first mass-produced valentines in the country. Since then, a number of other countries in the world have created their own Valentine’s Day traditions. In Japan, it is customary for women to buy chocolates for men (usually co-workers). One month later, the men who received chocolates are expected to return the favor. In Norfolk, England “Jack” Valentine leaves treats for children on the back step of the house. In Finland and Estonia the holiday is more about celebrating friends rather than lovers.

How do you spend your Valentine’s Day? Some people use this opportunity to show their loved ones how much they care; others use it to show how much they’re willing to spend. Some people go out and have a romantic dinner; others go on a romantic weekend getaway. But if you’re like me, you prefer to spend the day relaxing at home without roses, heart-shaped boxes, and pink teddy bears. While I do intend to spend some quality time with my significant other, I plan on spending the greater part of the day the same way I spend every Sunday – cozily bundled up in blankets with a good read. Incidentally, the book I’ll be reading this Sunday is the seventh installment of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series – a series about love that transcends time.

But Erica, shouldn’t you be doing more on Valentine’s Day to show that special someone how much you care? Well, what can I say? At the risk of sounding ooey-gooey, I must say that I hardly feel the need for a big to-do this Sunday. After all, every day is Valentine’s Day in our home.

Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon
At a whopping 656 pages, Outlander may appear daunting at first but if you’re into adventure, historical fiction, and love stories, the time will fly.

https://rwsteen2.sfasu.edu/uhtbin/cgisirsi/0/0/0/5?searchdata1=9780440212560

Research Library Liaison - Erica Lopez

Email: z_lopezer@titan.sfasu.edu
Phone: (936) 468-6270
Office: 202j

Tech Talk -- Bullet Points, Begone!!!!!

2010-01-20T09:13:00.003-06:00

A great website about using technology in producing assignments for classes is http://libtechtalk.wordpress.com/ created by librarians at the University of Michigan. One of the tips they offer is how to get rid of boring bulletpoints in Powerpoint presentations even though you want to make sure your important points are noticed by the Prof.

I also found this trick simply by mistake as I was playing around with Microsoft features. After I created what I wanted, then I forgot how I did it! Here are the steps that will help you.

"Now, thanks to the help of PowerPoint’s “SmartArt Graphics”, you can easily turn your mundane bullet points into visually stunning gems of knowledge.

Here’s how…
1. Make your list, like you always do. (Go ahead, admit it.) Check out my mundane slide in Figure 1 if you need inspiration.

2. Select the text box that contains your bullet points.

3. Click the SmartArt icon in the “Paragraph” section of the “Home” ribbon.

4. Choose your preferred SmartArt graphic (hint: hovering over a particular SmartArt graphic will give you a preview of your transformed bullet points).

It’s better, but you’re not done yet!
Next, with the SmartArt version of your bullet points selected (make sure you choose the whole graphic rather than just part of it), click on the “Design” ribbon.

From here, you can change the colors and the style of your SmartArt graphic. Your B&W bullet points seem light years away now!"

Thank you Librarytechtalk.

Marthea Turnage
mturnage@sfasu.edu
rm. 202c
936.468.1896
Subjects - Accounting, Criminal Justice, Economics and Finance, General Business, Law, Management/Marketing/International Business, Nursing, Psychology

What to do When “No” is the Wrong Answer

2009-12-04T09:45:00.002-06:00

Sometimes while doing some online research the database you are using will return no hits. You may see a message saying:

“No matches found”

“No records matched your search”

“No results were found”

This can be frustrating when you need the right answer, right article, or just the right book. Fortunately, there are a few of quick steps you can take when “No….” is the wrong answer.

First, check your spelling, most of the time when a database can’t find anything matching your query it is because you misspelled something. While Steen Library does not currently have any books on kenisiology it does have several about kinesiology. With Google You can find almost 3500 web pages about kenisiology, you might want use one of the 930,000 or so pages Google returns for kinesiology.

If you are still getting no hits on your search your next step is to make sure you are using the right database. When doing online research the axiom “use the right tool for the right job” holds true. If you want to find a book in Steen Library, use the library’s catalog. If you need a journal article, use a “General Database” or “Subject Database” listed on one of the library’s “Subject Guides.” If you need a web site check the “Websites” section of one of the Subject Guides, or use a search engine like Google, Yahoo, or Bing.

Next, make sure you are using the right terminology. Many times when searching refereed or scholarly journals searchers will use different terms than those used in the discipline. While you may tell someone you broke your collarbone, you would probably want to find the latest treatment methods by searching for articles about a broken clavicle.

Of course, you can always Ask A Librarian. Whether you Ask A Librarian at the beginning so you can get the information you need faster, or wait and ask as a last resort, the librarians at Steen Library are ready to help.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Burn This Book

2009-11-02T13:46:00.008-06:00

Burn This Book: PEN Writers Speak Out on the Power of the Word, edited by Toni Morrison

Burn This Book has been chosen as the NetLibrary Book of the Month for October in acknowledgment of Banned Books Week (26 September – 3 October). Banned Books Week is an annual celebration of our First Amendment rights and our freedom to access information through reading.

Burn This Book is a collection of essays by prominent literary artists who discuss the importance of expressing ideas from various social and/or political viewpoints free from the fear of censorship. Emphasis is placed on both the importance of writing about real situations and the difference that writing can make. Contributors to Burn This Book include Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, Orhan Pamuk, David Grossman, and others.

This book is a must-have for librarians, teachers, and aspiring writers! Burn This Book will be available for free through NetLibrary until October 31, 2009 so be sure to take a look!
To Access NetLibrary via Steen Library you should first go to the Steen Library home page at: http://libweb.sfasu.edu then click on the Databases A-Z list on the left side of the page.

Once the database page appears click on the letter N or scroll down the list of databases until you arrive at the listing for Net Library.

Off campus, users will need to access NetLibrary and the library website via mySFA to gain access. After ther first visit to NetLibrary users can set up a personal account that will allow them to access NetLibrary anytime they are off campus without going through mySFA.

Other posts about Net Library on the RIS Recommends Blog include:

The Naked Roommate by Tina Oswald
eAudiobooks,NetLibrary and You by Kayce Halstead
SFA Internet Books by Bernice Wright

Erica Lopez
z_lopezer@titan.sfasu.edu
rm. 202j
(936) 468-6270
Subjects - Anatomy & Physiology, Astronomy, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Limnology, Math/Statistics, Microbiology, Physics, Zoology

Reading, Writing and RECON : Military Professional Reading Lists

2009-09-13T14:44:00.010-05:00

Roughly stated RECON is a mission to obtain information about an adversary, or the characteristics of an area. Today military professionals must know more about their profession and the world they live in, than ever before. For many gathering this information includes books, both electronic and digital. All branches of the military have recommended and/or required reading lists. The Combined Arms Research Library (CARL) at Fort Leavenworth, has one of the better-maintained list of these lists on the web. Their page of Military Professional Reading Lists links to more than twenty-five different lists. However, between the five branches of the military, their schools, commands, and civilian government the number of lists is almost impossible to enumerate.

As part of Steen library's collection development efforts, librarians will often use tools such as bibliographies and professional reading lists when purchasing materials to support learning, instruction, and research at SFA. For Military Science, the library has made a specific effort to acquire all of the books on "The U.S. Army Chief of Staff's Professional Reading List." (2004, this list has been superseded by the U.S. Army Center for Military History Professional Reading List) In addition many other titles from other military reading lists are part of the library collection. In an effort to make locating the hundreds of titles available at Steen Library from several of these lists, I recently created a spreadsheet this information and posted it on the web. The page "Combined Military Professional Reading List" provides easy access to titles owned by the library from many different lists. Links to some of the official lists are on the "List of Lists" page of the spreadsheet. The library owns almost all the titles from "The U.S. Army Chief of Staff's Professional Reading List", as well as many or most of the titles found on other reading lists. Through inter-library loan any additional titles not currently owned by Steen Library are readily available to the SFA community.

If you would like to recommend a favorite title or list of titles for Steen Library, contact your reference librarian.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

The Naked Roommate

2009-08-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

The Naked Roommate: and 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into at College 3rd ed., by Harlan Cohen.

“What an interesting title for a book!” That is what I thought when I saw it listed as the NetLibrary Book of the Month for July. (For information on NetLibrary and how to use it, see below.) This book contains all the information a new college student needs to be able to survive and thrive, during that confusing and challenging first year of college. Your parents will claim that, “I wish I had that information before I went to college.” However, don’t discount the book due to that statement!! There is good information here with funny stories and vignettes to complement the information being given. There are chapters on everything from dorm life to finances. Great information like: always were flip-flops in the community bathrooms, and the fact that you will do better in your classes if you actually go to class! So, go to NetLibrary and see what the book is all about. You may decide that you need a paper copy of this title, either for yourself, or your younger sibling or a friend.

Tina Oswald, Research Librarian

NetLibrary is one of the databases the Steen Library subscribes to and is actually a collection of e-books. Yes, you can get there easily! Follow these steps:

Go to the Library Home Page and click on Databases A – Z.

At the Databases page, click on “N”, or scroll down to the “N” section.

Click on NetLibrary, and you are there!!

Tina Oswald
toswald@sfasu.edu
rm. 202f
936.468.1861
Subjects - Elementary Education, and Secondary Education/Educational Leadership

"The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" Licensing, Fair Use, and Copyright.

2009-07-25T16:50:00.006-05:00

In June of 2009Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library, discontinued a short-lived pilot project wherein the library provided inter-library loan services to faculty using Amazon's Kindle. Roger Layton, communications manager for the library said.

"We are pretty fast on the interlibrary loans, but it still takes days....With the Kindle, we can have a new book available for someone in a matter of minutes.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705310939/BYU-suspends-Kindle-program-over-legal-concerns.html

while this incident caused a bit of a stir in the library community it could have quietly faded into obscurity if Amazon had left well enough alone. Instead around July 14th of this year Amazon "began e-mailing a few hundred owners of its Kindle reading device to explain that it had deleted electronic copies of the George Orwell's "Animal Farm" and "1984" and had refunded the $0.99 purchase price." according to a recent article posted at Information Week's website. http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/drm/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218501227

Until now many saw no significant difference between purchasing copyrighted material and purchasing a license to use copyrighted material, despite the fact that almost every piece of software we use or "purchase" has for years been made available under a license agreement. People who bought a Kindle became painfully aware of the difference between buying a book and paying for a license to use a book.

Well So What?

Why should we care? Amazon gave refunds for the EBooks and said they "will no longer delete books in this manner." (Read apolofy from Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos) Amazon and other corporations may have the best interest of their customers at heart for the moment there is no guarantee that this will last. By lisenceing access to digital versions of a book or magazine, companies can circumvent or even eliminate consumers' rights of "fair use" and "first sale." The Kindle manual states "Digital content will be deemed licensed to you under this Agreement". The manual also states that "Amazon reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service at any time, and Amazon will not be liable to you should it exercise such right." (Amazon Kindle: Liscence Agreement and Terms of Use)So they can take back any EBook at anytime without any liability. Would this agreement stand up in court, or in the marketplace? It is hard to say, but the same types of licensing agreements have stood up in court for years in regards to software and End-User Liscense Agreements or EULAs. It is becoming an increasing concern in regards to music and movies purchased and managed by Digital Rights Management (DRM) software. (see the Computer & Communications Industry Association web site on defending fair use http://www.defendfairuse.org/index.html)

If this was just about Amazon and the Kindle then there would be no problem, people could just stop buying Kindles if they didn't like the licensing agreement. However, it is not just about Amazon. How much of our reading, research, watching movies, and listening to music do we do online or with our computers? If a company could license our access to all or most of our information, they could control, or at least exert an unprecideneted influence over what we could and could not read, hear or see through a EULA.

Google's Terms of Service
Your relationship with Google

Whenever you use our services it’s under the terms of a legal contract with Google.
This contract is made up of the Terms of Use and the Legal Notices for the services you’re using.
We will make any additional Legal Notices available to you when you sign up for the service concerned so you’ll know they apply.
If you misbehave, we may terminate our agreement with you. This might result in your access to some or all of our services being disabled. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
We may also decide to stop providing services to you. While we don’t plan to discontinue any service, we reserve the right to.
You can terminate your agreement with us at any time by closing your account for the services you use. We’ll be sorry to see you go, but you can come back anytime!....
About Google’s services
We are constantly changing and improving our services. If you’re scared of change, this isn’t the place for you....

http://www.google.com/accounts/tos/highlights/utos-us-en-h.html

Fair use and copyright law does not appear to apply in regards to the Kindle, Google, Google Scholar, Google Books, or almost any information accessed with a computer. Think about how much of your work, study, entertainment, and research you do through the use of Google, or any computer software (including operating systems). What would happen if Google, Apple, or Microsoft decided to "terminate our agreement with you. This might result in your access to some or all of our services being disabled...." "We may also decide to stop providing services to you. While we don’t plan to discontinue any service, we reserve the right to."

Now it all of a sudden is not about whether you want to buy a Kindle, its about your access to almost any information that at some time may be stored on a computer. While Google's current corporate philosophy includes the idea of "do no evil" is comforting, it could easily change."We are constantly changing and improving our services. If you’re scared of change, this isn’t the place for you...." Google's definition of "evil" is suddenly relevant to almost everyone whose life is touched by a computer. http://www.google.com/corporate/tenthings.html

Is the sky falling?

No, but you might want to think about licensing the use of an umbrella.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

RIS Recommends: The Color of Money: Fair Use and Copyright or: Free the Bound Periodicals!

Who Is It?

2009-07-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

Using the clues below, can you figure out who this person is?

1. His father worked in a brewery , but during prohibition, his father lost his job and began working in a zoo.

2. He was a wild college student at Dartmouth and edited the Jack-o-Lantern.

3. In the 1930's, he wrote for Life and Vanity Fair.

4. During WWII, he published a series of war posters for the United States.

5. Later in his life, he published fanciful children's books.

Who am I?

Books written by this famous author are available in a collection on the 4th floor of Steen library. This collection of children's books is called the Curriculum Collection. Librarians at SFA renamed the children's collection years ago because the books and textbooks from this collection are frequently by education majors when creating lesson plans. The books in the Curriculum Collection have the letters CURR appended to the front of their call numbers. Often students see this and assume it means something like current fiction. This is an easy mistake to make, but the library tradition of Curriculum Collection continues.Other info on book labels for the Curriculum Collection might include J or JR. Usually this means the book is geared for students in the 3rd grade up to the 12th grade. Another label might have an E which indicates that the book is an easy book for students from Pre-k to 3rd grade.

Visit the Curriculum Collection today and remember those times when you were younger and read and reread a favorite book, or pick out a book to read to your own children and start them down the path of loving and reading books.

CRS Reports Congress' not so Secret Weapon for First Class Research

2009-06-12T16:46:00.009-05:00

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Library Association (ALA) today sent letters to Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), thanking them for introducing S. Res. 118, legislation to allow no-fee public access to taxpayer-funded Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports.

The CRS produces well-researched and balanced reports on a wide variety of current issues affecting our citizens and country. Unfortunately, CRS reports are not systematically made freely available to the public through the Federal Depository Library Program or any other means. No-fee public access to these reports has been a goal the ALA has pursued for many years.

The CRS home page describes its service to congress as providing independent and professional "analytic capabilities" with the capability to "integrate multiple disciplines and research methodologies. In a fast-paced, ever-changing environment,". The site goes on to say that the "CRS approaches complex topics from a variety of perspectives and examines all sides of an issue. Staff members analyze current policies and present the impact of proposed policy alternatives, even if it means bringing to light facts that may be contrary to established assumptions. With public policy issues growing more complex and political debate turning more contentious, the need for insightful and comprehensive analysis of the issues has become vital. Congress relies on CRS to marshal interdisciplinary resources, encourage critical thinking, and create innovative frameworks to help legislators form sound policies and reach decisions on a host of difficult issues."

Wouldn't it be great if you could get access to this type of information on issues not ten years after the event in a book or filtered, slanted, or chopped up into sound bites as so often happens in political reporting of the day? Well at the risk of losing my ALA membership card, I will let you in on a librarian secret. You can get access to thousands of CRS reports that have already been released, or leaked to the public. Most of them would be difficult if not impossible to find using Google. Fortunately, several libraries and organizations have created online collections of these reports for public access on the Internet. Finding the right report for your research involves choosing the right collection of CRS reports to search.

Full text PDF versions of thousands of CRS reports are available at the OpenCRS site http://opencrs.com/. They act as a clearinghouse or central access point for CRS reports however, they do not have all the reports that are available online. While this source appears to have the most current overall coverage, subject access is provided by many groups including the ones listed on the OpenCRS collections page. http://opencrs.com/collections/

According to the web site OpenCRS
http://opencrs.com/ taxpayers pay nearly $100 million dollars a year to fund the Congressional Research Service (CRS) at the Library of Congress.

National Council for Science and the Environment/National Library for the Environment
http://ncseonline.org/NLE/CRS/

Thurgood Marshall Law Library/University of Maryland School of Law
http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/crsreports/index.html

US Department of State Foreign Press Centers (FPC)
http://fpc.state.gov/c18183.htm, PEPFAR
CRS Reports,

Franklin Pierce Law School Intellectual Property, Cyberlaw, and Electronic Commerce

Federation of American Scientists Intelligence, Military and National Security

Two other clearing houses for CRS reports include the massive Archive IT directory (http://www.archive-it.org/collections/1078) and the web site WikiLeaks which reportedly uploaded 7000 CRS reports recently. The collection of CRS reports at the WikiLeaks site provides not only a full text search of the reports, but an alpabetical list, and (possibly the most significant contribution for research and analysis) a chronological listing of CRS reports.

For those who want to be sure that no virtual stone is left unturned you may want to do one final search with a Google Scholar. Use the advanced search feature with "Congressional Research Service" as an author. http://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_q=&num=30&btnG=Search+Scholar&as_occt=any&as_sauthors=Congressional+Research+Service&safe=off

When you need some of the best and most current information Congressional Research Service reports a hard to beat. Now you have a secret weapon of sources for your research papers that is sure to impress your teachers and improve your grade.

This blog will self-destruct in 10 seconds…

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

eAudiobooks, NetLibrary and You

2009-06-08T10:28:00.004-05:00

Check out Steen Library’s new collection of eAudiobooks online. You can view the most current list of titles at NetLibrary’s website. To get there from the Steen Library Home page, select the link Databases A-Z on the left side of the page, then from the list of databases, select “NetLibrary.” Once you are at NetLibrary's web site, select the link for eAudiobooks located on the right hand side of the page. This will take you to a list of over 500 audio books available online. You can search or browse the eAudiobooks alphabetically by Title or by Subject. New titles will appear every month. Eventually, all of the eAudiobooks available from NetLibrary will be added to Steen Library’s catalog, and you will be able to search for them there as well.

You can create your own NetLibrary user account by selecting "create account" on the top right side of the NetLibrary screen. After you create your user name and password, you will be able to access eAudiobooks and all the other online titles available to the SFA community from NetLibrary, with any computer connected to the internet. There is unlimited, simultaneous access, which means several people can have the same eAudiobook “checked out” at the same time.
When browsing the books, if one looks interesting, click on “show details” to find out what portable playing devices can be used and what file formats are available. You can listen to the eAudiobooks on your computer as well as most Mp3 devices.

For more information, concerning content available online or in print we encourage you to contact a librarian. For more information about NetLibrary you can Ask A Librarian or visit the NetLibrary Demo to learn how to create an account, search for eContent, or Download eAudiobooks http://www.oclc.org/netlibrary/demo/.

Kayce Halstead
halsteadkay@sfasu.edu

rm. 202g

936.468.1574

Subjects - Government Documents, Collection Development

What to Read to While Away the Summer Hours?

2009-05-26T09:15:00.009-05:00

Okay, so vacation has not even begun and already someone is telling you to read something over the summer!! You are tired! You have been reading nothing but textbooks and information for your courses and research projects! You do not want to think about reading! I figure that will last about a week. Then, unless you are really busy with a stressful summer job, you will need to have something to do that requires just a little brain power. Doing, “Absolutely Nothing!” never feels as good as it sounds! So, here are some suggestions from a Librarian who has several hobbies—one of them being reading for pleasure.

	If you have not read Twilight, then get with the program. Everyone who is anyone has read it! It is an easy and entertaining read. The characters are engaging with lives that are so much more interesting than our own. You get lost in their world for a time. It is thoroughly enjoyable! If you think vampires are scary, then this will convince you that they are not all that way.
	I am reading a new non-fiction book, Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals. Two of the subject headings for it are: emotions in animals, and animal behavior. It is available in print as well as an Audio Book through NetLibrary. This is the first time that I ever started a book at the end. The afterward is titled: “Why Do I Still Work for the Industry?” That grabbed my attention, so I started reading there. The author, Temple Grandin, works for the meat industry. She discusses the fact that there are those who raise animals for food that are doing it the decent, humane way. In the end, she relays the fact that many cows have better lives than a supposedly pampered dog that is left alone all day. Dogs can suffer from separation anxiety when left on their own while the owner is at work. A good life for pets requires: health, freedom from physical and emotional pain, and lots of interaction and activities with humans. Read it to learn how to treat your pets and give them the best life possible.
	Are you serious? You have not read any of the Harry Potter books? Even if you have seen the movies, you are missing out. The book is always better! Take time this summer to read the first one, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is available at Steen Library. The Nacogdoches Public Library also carries print and audio book versions. Your local Public Library is likely to have a copy as well. It is the shortest at 309 pages. I promise you will be hooked! You will understand how Harry Potter became sopopular.
	One last suggestion is called The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. It would be a great “take on a week at the beach” as it is over 500 pages. However, it is so well written that it is hard to put it down! It is about a girl who loves books and is sent to live with an older couple during World War II. It does not sound too exciting, but it is! Try it out.

Have a Great Summer!

Do you have any summer book recommendations? Post a comment and share some of your favorite summer reads.

Tina Oswald
toswald@sfasu.edu
rm. 202f
936.468.1861
Subjects - Elementary Education, and Secondary Education/Educational Leadership

SFA Internet Books

2009-05-14T08:38:00.007-05:00

Did you know that Steen Library subscribes to a collection of internet books called NetLibrary? There are almost 30,000 books in this collection. Compared to our general collection of almost half a million monographs, it's a small collection, but still large enough to add significant value. In doing a routine subject or keyword search in our catalog, it's not unusual for one or more of the retrieved titles to be part of the NetLibrary Collection. The oldest titles in the collection are about twelve years old, but most of the books in the collection were published in this decade. While some of the titles are duplicated in our print collection, many are not.

These electronic books are perfect for distance education students. I've never tried to read one of these books from cover to cover, but most books checked out from our general collection, excluding, children's books and novels, are not read cover to cover. One or two chapters in the book is probably all that the average student uses. In one sense, electronic books are more useful than print books. One can do keyword searching of the full text of the book. This allows the user to find the paragraphs in the book containing a particular word or phrase.

The user can print pages from the book, but each page requires a separate print command. In other words you cannot do a print all or print pages 1-50. Another drawback to the collection is that most of these books allow only one SFASU user at a time.

Faculty members who want to make assignments using these books should be aware of the limitations, ask the librarian to write specific instructions for the students, tell the students about the one user at a time limitation, and allow enough time for the assignment given the size of the class.

NetLibrary is listed on our Databases A-Z list linked from the library homepage. After getting into NetLibrary, select title or subject keyword search on your topic to see if there are books in the collection that may meet your needs. If you are off campus, be sure to begin by logging in to your mySFA account, click on myCourses, and then link to the library homepage.

The first time you use NetLibrary, you may want to set up a login for the collection. This will make it easier to use the collection off campus. For class use, you might want to set up a class login and password.

As I mentioned earlier, most of the NetLibrary books are included in the Steen Library catalog. You'll occasionally retrieve one of these titles in a routine search.

Bernice Wright
bwright@sfasu.edu
rm. 202j
936.468.1528
Subjects - Agriculture, Forestry, Human Sciences, Human Services, Speech/Communication

Pop Quiz. The Alarm Sounds. What do You Do?

2009-04-17T11:00:00.005-05:00

Thursday...

April 16, 2009 8:00 a.m.
Several threatening signs were found posted on and off campus this morning. The signs found on campus stated “4-16-09 A shooting will occur today and students will die.” Several signs were also found off-campus at the Grove apartment complex stating “4-16-09 10 people will be killed and shot at the grove.” While these messages are disturbing, there have been no other indications of a threat. Classes will continue as scheduled. Police patrols have been increased today. We ask that students, faculty and staff be vigilant and notify University Police immediately if they witness any unusual activity. Any updates will be posted on this site.

What was a catchy phrase for a movie in 1994 is now a scary possibility for some in 2009. Did you know what to do Thursday? The university has detailed plans and procedures for dealing with emergencies.

Pop Quiz. Fire alarms go off in the building, what do you do?
Fire
Pop Quiz. Weather alert alarms go off, what do you do?
Weather
Pop Quiz. Hazardous chemical spill forces an evacuation the alarms go off, what do you do?
Evacuation
Pop Quiz. A gunman starts shooting on campus, alarms go off, what do you do?
Armed Subjects
Pop Quiz. Someone makes physical threats, what do you do?
Disruptive Individuals
Pop Quiz. Someone is having a heart attack, what do you do?
Automatic Electronic Defibrillators (AED)

What do you do? You should be prepared by reading emergency procedures ahead of time, and then practicing them. You can also learn about preparedness and survival in almost any situation from books and other materials in the library.

That's what you do.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Quick Tips for Searching

2009-04-05T17:00:00.002-05:00

Quick Tips.....for internet searching or the library database searching.

Help screens are often difficult to find and even harder to understand for most databases these days.

However, there are a few hints to help you get started with most databases and search engines.

Use the "keyword" option when available.

Connect keywords with [AND] [OR] or eliminate unwanted terms using [NOT]. For example, if I want to know, why the sky is blue, my search phrase could be [sky AND blue].
Use quotation marks to search for specific phrases such as "irregular warfare".

Truncation symbols are *, ?, !, #, $. The most common being the * character. For example, if I want to search for how many men cook, I would use the search phrase men AND cook*. The * character can take the place of on letter or many letters. For example the search phrase cook* would find the words cooks, cooking, cooker. cookware, cooked, cookies or cookable.

Stopwords are bad so do not use in, a, the, an in your search phrase.

Field searching means selecting the keywords in the "Title field", or "subject field" , or "author field" or something like it. These options are usually available through the "advanced searching" link or tab.

Guess Who Is to Blame for Punctuation Marks .!:;,"??. . .

2009-03-10T10:00:00.010-05:00

Having a hard time with those commas or semicolons? Does punctuation, and that red (or purple) ink on your papers, give you a headache?

The authors of On the Dot: the Speck That Changed the World (Humez, 2008) lay the blame squarely on an ancient Greek named Aristophanes of Byzantium. He was the librarian at the Museum of Alexandria in Egypt. So, go ahead and blame a librarian, but not this librarian! They write that he is generally credited with devising the first system of punctuation in the Western world. Aristophanes “. . . created a system of three dots (low, middle, and high) to address a problem of vital interest to the readers of his day: how to tell where (and for how long) to pause and take a breath while reading out loud.” (Humez 2008, x-xi).

Apart from all those breathless Greeks and Egyptians, the authors caution not to judge Aristophanes too harshly for his "invention." Kathryn Lasky explains in her childrens’ picture book, The Librarian Who Measured the Earth, “Before this, one word ran into another with no spaces between them. There were no question marks, periods, or exclamation points either. Reading was hard!”

just imagine trying to read the following without punctuation marks it would be pretty difficult how about typing a web address what a jumble the comics wouldnt be half as much fun either if characters couldnt react with !**!#?*!! as they often do and you all know what that stands for or so Ive heard texting would be tough carol said forget about database searching it doesnt work well without punctuation marks

Whether you think of the librarian Aristophanes as a problem solver, or a problem maker, he was a librarian who changed the world forever with, three... little.. dots.

Carol Scamman
cscamman@sfasu.edu
rm. 202e
936.468.1710
Subjects - Art, English, Modern Languages, Social Work, Sociology, Theatre

Find a 4 Letter Word in the Library: HELP!

2009-02-16T01:22:00.001-06:00

We Are Here To Help

Ever get that feeling that the only time a person is really there to help you is when it is convenient for them? That is why the Research Librarians in the Steen Library are there when it is convenient for you! We have set hours when there is a Research Librarian stationed at the Reference Desk on the first floor of the Steen Library. You say you have never seen the Reference Desk? Ever notice the desk over to the left as you walk in the front door of the Steen Library? Over it, in nice, big letters, is Ask-A-Librarian. That is the Reference Desk!!

The Librarian hours are:
Monday to Thursday—8 a.m. -9 p.m.
Friday—10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday—10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday—Noon-8 p.m.

If you do not see anyone at the desk during those hours, then ask at the Information Desk or Circulation Desk. They can tell you where we are, or even call us for you! We are here to help, so let us know what we can do for you!
Need us during times that we are not here? You can e-mail a Research Librarian at: https://forms.sfasu.edu/libweb/askalib.html

How to be Useful (Even When You are not Happy About it)

2009-01-07T11:27:00.006-06:00

by Tina Oswald

It is nice to have a break from the classes and studying. Many of us use that time to read things we want to read for fun and enjoyment! In searching through the new books that come in to the Steen Library, I was struck by this title: How To Be Useful: a Beginner’s Guide to Not Hating Work. It seems that many of us “worker bees” are not happy at our jobs. This book tries to put a positive spin on being a worker bee with the message of “be useful where you are, even if you are not particularly happy to be there.” The author, Megan Hustad, gives new employees the finer points of everything job related from:

-Why you should not listen to the advice to be yourself -to

-How to make polite conversation.

The author accomplishes this with style and humor, so it does not feel as if she is preaching to you. She states in the introduction that she wrote the book for the newest generations,” Generation X and Y.” Hustad emphatically states that these generations are not prepared for the working world. Her book will help them be ready. Are you ready? Are you close to graduation? Are you ready to break out into the “real world” in a big way? If so, read Ms. Hustad’s book and you will not fall flat when you do!

How to be useful: A beginner’s guide to not hating work

Megan Hustad

Call number: HF 5386 .H97 2008

Tina Oswald

toswald@sfasu.edu

rm. 202f

936.468.1861

Subjects - Elementary Education, and Secondary Education/Educational Leadership

Ministry Of Truth : Whitehouse Web Site

2008-12-12T11:15:00.011-06:00

Ministry of Truth

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

"Reality Control" ...if all records told the same tale-then the lie passed into history and became truth. "Who controls the past", ran the party slogan "controls the future: who controls the present controls the past."

This Process of continuous alteration was applied...to every kind of documentation which might conceivably hold any political or ideological significance.

....[documents] were recalled and rewritten again and again, and were invariably reissued without any admission that any alteration had been made.

George Orwell 1984

Changes in White House documents raise concern about rewriting history

news bureau
University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign

11/25/08

Craig Chamberlain, Social Science Editor
217-333-2894; cdchambe@illinois.edu

The Bush White House has been rewriting part of its history, according to University of Illinois researchers Scott Althaus (ALL’-touse) and Kalev Leetaru (KAHL’-iv lee-TAR-oo). It “has quietly deleted or modified key documents in the public record that are maintained under its direct control,” they write, in a report posted online this week and cited in a story in The New York Times.

They argue, however, that “updating lists to keep up with the times is one thing. Deleting original documents from the White House archives is another. Back-dating later documents and using them to replace the originals goes beyond irresponsible stewardship of the public record. It is rewriting history.”

Airbrushing History American Style (Full Report)

The authors of the report show how to locate altered or deleted documents from the public record on the White House web site. You will need to hurry because in January the site will be gone. It could be deleted or put in an archive with restricted access.

Print, books, cultural literacy, and "the classics" are as relevant today as the day the were first written.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Thanksgiving: My Favorite Holiday

2008-11-21T17:30:00.002-06:00

What’s your favorite holiday? One of my favorites has always been Thanksgiving. Who hasn’t been in a school play dressed up as a Pilgrim (or a turkey) reenacting that first Thanksgiving Day in 1621 when the surviving Puritans gave thanks for their bountiful harvest ?

According to CHASE’S CALENDAR OF EVENTS (Ref 4803 .C48), the first US holiday by presidential proclamation was issued on Oct. 3, 1789 when George Washington (at request of Congress) proclaimed November 26, 1789 “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer…”. The most famous Thanksgiving Proclamation is the one issued by President Lincoln in 1863. The beautifully written proclamation was actually penned by his Secretary of State, William Seward. http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/thanks.htm

Since 1941 the fourth Thursday in November has been our official Thanksgiving Holiday. Most of us celebrate it by watching Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and eating turkey, dressing and all the trimmings. http://www1.macys.com/campaign/parade/parade.jsp

Learn more about Thanksgiving and other US holidays on USA.gov’s American Holidays page. http://www.usa.gov/citizens/holidays.shtml


	We Gather Together

Bernice Wright
bwright@sfasu.edu
rm. 202j
936.468.1528
Subjects - Agriculture, Forestry, Human Sciences, Human Services, Speech/Communication

Was Shakespeare an Identity Thief?

2008-11-14T01:00:00.011-06:00

Could Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, have been the true author of the plays attributed to actor William Shakespeare of Stratford-on-Avon? Was Shakespeare involved in a conspiracy to conceal his identity?

SFA grad and former Steen Library employee, Pamela Lynn Palmer,(MySpace page) explores that theory in her award-winning play, "Eclipse of the Sun: A Play in Two Acts." The promotional brochure explains, "Sex, violence, and intrigue in the court of Elizabeth I conspired to mask a grievous case of identity theft, perpetuating what may be the greatest literary hoax of all time."

USA Book News named her play a Finalist in the Theatre Arts:Drama/Play category of the National Best Books 2008 Awards. "Eclipse of the Sun" won “Best Play” in the Spring 2004 WriteMovies.com international competition.

"The University of Southwestern Louisiana kept sponsoring a contest for a play about the life and works of Edward de Vere. I finally looked up the name and realized he was the Earl of Oxford some believed might be the true author of the works under the name William Shakespeare. I did some research and found the theory fascinating, . . .and wrote my play.” She won the contest, the Miller Award Drama Category from the Deep South Writers Competition.

A prolific writer and award-winning poet, Pam Palmer authored the young adult novel, "Horse of the Dawn," now a talking book.

Born in Shreveport, LA and raised in Houston, Pam graduated from high school in Houston, TX in 1969. She finished two degrees at SFASU in just 4 years and added, “Of course my social life suffered!” She earned a B.A. in English (with honors) in 1971 and an M.A. in English 1973.

Pam Palmer worked at R.W. Steen library from 1976-1997; first, as a Library Assistant in Humanities, then in Special Collections (now the ETRC), and later in Reference/Documents. She currently resides in Valencia, California and would love to see “Eclipse of the Sun” debut at SFA!

Photo by permission of Ivan Murray, PIO, Palo Verde College

Carol Scamman
cscamman@sfasu.edu
rm. 202e
936.468.1710
Subjects - Art, English, Modern Languages, Social Work, Sociology, Theatre

Sweetest Industry on Earth: The Sweet Industry Group

2008-11-08T02:26:00.002-06:00

What do Russia, Thailand, South Korea, India, and Portugal have in common?

They are part of the "sweet industry group, chocolate confectionery". In fact, I don't think there is a country in the world that doesn't have a confectionery company making some kind of chocolate chocolate candies. A great place to find out about the chocolate industry around the world or any other type of industry, is the library resource, Marketline. Marketline currently provides 3,024 industry profiles. Each offers all sorts of info such as market volume, segmentation, forecasts, and leading companies for each industry.

As for the Russians; the sweet industry group report reveals that they favor packaged or boxed chocolates. Is their romance in the air?

Marthea Turnage

mturnage@sfasu.edu

rm. 202c

936.468.1896

Subjects - Accounting, Criminal Justice, Economics and Finance, General Business, Law, Management/Marketing/International Business, Nursing, Psychology

Is the Whole World Going Broke?

2008-10-24T08:46:00.001-05:00

Over the past couple of weeks many of us have been growing more and more concerned about the fiscal crisis on Wall Street that is spreading to what the pundits call "main street" (in other words, all the rest of us who don't work on Wall Street). Over the last couple of days it has become apparent that there is now an international crisis. This morning everything sounds so bad that a worldwide depression is being talked about.

For sometime now our university faculty has added international studies to the curriculum in a growing number of disciplines. International business, hospitality, nutrition, political science, anthropology, communication, etc. I won't even attempt to name every program that includes international or intercultural components. All of us have become more aware of how internationally intertwined so many aspects of our lives have become.

Here in the library we often have questions from students looking for demographic, trade, and cultural aspects of other countries. This semester we are pleased to announce the addition of a database to our library that will help immensely with the cultural aspect of these assignments. The database is called CultureGrams Online. Aside from the population and government statistics that you can find in a number of country profile products, this database includes information on family, housing, diet, recreation, dating and marriage customs and several other aspects of lifestyle. Check it out when you have a chance. You'll find that it will not only be helpful academically, it will also be useful for Scout Troops, university and civic organizations, or planning your next vacation. Everything from recipes to common courtesies and greetings is covered. As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing."

Bernice Wright
bwright@sfasu.edu
rm. 202j
936.468.1528
Subjects - Agriculture, Forestry, Human Sciences, Human Services, Speech/Communication

Kid's Reading Levels

2008-10-17T14:54:00.001-05:00

Did you ever wonder if a book would be appropriate for your child, or the class you are teaching? There is a way to find out. It is a tool that we have recently discovered called Scholastic Book Wizard http://bookwizard.scholastic.com/tbw/homePage.do

If you put the title of a book in the Scholastic Book Wizard you will find the recommended grade level equivalent or interest level for that book. If you put in an author's name, the site will list the author's works that are available, along with the grade level equivalent, interest level, and whether or not it has a Scholastic Reading Counts! Quiz or an Accelerated Reader Quiz. Click on the book's title and you get even more more information about the book. If you are looking to build your collection of childrens' books this site will be an invaluable help. Student Activities and Teaching Resources tabs are also available and allow you to use the site when developing lesson plans.

Check it out!

Tina Oswald

toswald@sfasu.edu

rm. 202f

936.468.1861

Subjects - Elementary Education, and Secondary Education/Educational Leadership

Beyond the Pale and Toad and the Wet Sprocket

2008-10-10T12:25:00.002-05:00

The phrase "beyond the pale" appears frequently in writing; many guess at its meaning or just read past the phrase without looking up its meaning and move on. However, it could be central to the point the author is making. Its use extends through the lexicon of western civilization for at least 1000 years. If we ignore its origins or meaning of this and other phrases shared by our culture it hinders our understanding. Not knowing the shared fundamental knowledge of educated members of western society renders us illiterate regarding many of the things we read and hear throughout our lives. David Hirsch describes this concept of the need to know a standard set of facts and knowledge shared by all members of western society as "Cultural Literacy."

Wanting to be a literate and reasonably educated person, I often turn to reference sources to understand what I am reading or the world around me. One source many turn to Google. I tried it. After entering [Define:pale] Google retrieved several definitions. One was from Wikipedia: "Pale is the second album by Toad the Wet Sprocket released in January 1990.” This was not what I was looking for, so I turned to my all time favorite reference resource: "The Oxford English Dictionary” (OED).

The OED has two pages of text defining the word pale, its origins, and definitions for it from its first appearance an English text to the present. This multi volume work is comprehensive however; I will admit it did not mention "Toad and the Wet Sprocket.” The OED did reveal that a Pale was a poll or log lodged into an embankment with a pointed tip facing outward at an angle to act as a fence or defensive barrier impaling any attackers. This barrier defined the boundary of the civilized camp or village, from those who lived outside the defended area (or, beyond the pale) who were the "uncivilized" or "barbarians”. Eventually these boundaries became stone walls and then just lines on a map.

The meaning of beyond the pale also evolved from referring to the crude physical barrier to a conceptual line surrounding social behavior or set of shared ideals. Today it refers frequently to an individual or group that acts in a way beyond the accepted values, mores, or behavior of respectable or civilized members of society. This is beyond bending the rules or offending someone, but is an action so outrageous that society cannot accommodate or excuse the behavior. The offender traveled past the protective boundaries of civilization into barbarism; going "beyond the pale" of all reason and moral judgment.

I have nothing against Toad and the Wet Sprocket or Google, but I think the OED's definition is what I needed.

See: Rudyard Kiplings short story "Beyond the Pale", where a "man who willfully stepped beyond the safe limits of decent everyday society, and paid for it heavily".

The Oxford English dictionary.Oxford : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1989.
call no. SFA Ref nc PE1625 .O87 1989

The dictionary of cultural literacy [electronic resource] / .D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
Online at Net Library
print version, call no. SFA Ref nc E169.1 .H6 1993

Cultural literacy : what every American needs to know / E.D. Hirsch, Jr. ; with an updated appendix, What literate Americans know [by] E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph Kett, James Trefil. New York : Vintage Books, 1988, c1987.
call no. LB45. H57

"Pale" by Toad The Wet Sprocket (Audio CD - Jan 16, 1990) Amazon

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Sarah Palin

2008-10-07T13:00:00.002-05:00

Sarah Palin, new VP candidate for the United States, and her opponent Joseph Biden ...

NEED TO KNOW MORE -

Use the library to find out more about the candidates and other influential people. Look in the library resource, Biography Resource Center (Sorry, only SFA folks can use it). When trying to find information about a person, the Biography Resource Center can offer accurate info in addition to journal articles and websites. When you need to know more about a person, go to the library. Ask a librarian.

Marthea Turnage

mturnage@sfasu.edu

rm. 202c

936.468.1896

Subjects - Accounting, Criminal Justice, Economics and Finance, General Business, Law, Management/Marketing/International Business, Nursing, Psychology

Elections 2008

2008-09-27T16:13:00.001-05:00

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the plethora of political web sites and blogs available on the net, and yet having up-to-the-minute reliable information about burning issues, candidates, and all things related to the election process is extremely relevant right now.

The folks at the Documents Center of University of Michigan Library have provided a great comprehensive web site that organizes this huge mass of information so that by using the quick jumps at the top of the page, you can navigate to Presidential and Congressional candidate profiles and financial disclosures, political advertising, public opinion polls, campaign finance reports, debate transcripts, and information about lobby groups. Major policy issues are covered with a variety of materials such as congressional bills, agency reports, speeches, laws, and policy papers. All of the information is continually being updated and will be for the next year.

These folks have been providing election information online since 2000 and historical information is available as well.

Check it out at: http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/elec2008.html

Kayce Halstead
halsteadkay@sfasu.edu

rm. 202g

936.468.1574

Subjects - Government Documents, Collection Development

Losing a Friend and Colleague

2008-09-22T17:41:00.001-05:00

He was almost eighty years old, but the call on that Sunday afternoon informing me of his death was still a shock. Don had been on vacation for three weeks and was scheduled to return to work on Monday. I still remember the first day I met him because it was my first day at work at SFA. Even though I intended to arrive early, several librarians were ahead of me as I rushed to the university wide faculty meeting held at the beginning of each new academic year. "There's Bernice, there's the new librarian." I was greeted by Don, Elizabeth Wallace, and several other new colleagues. as we walked together to the meeting. That was 32 meetings ago, and I'm certainly not the new librarian any more.

Back then I worked in Technical Services, and I soon got to know Don well. No one was more persistent than Don in making sure that the materials needed by his faculty and students in the sciences were ordered, checked in, and processed as quickly as possible. Waiting for the invoice to arrive or setting aside a tough cataloging problem was not an option if one of Don's students needed the book, geological survey, or map that he was tracking down. Music collection responsibilities were added to Don's job description a few years later. For Don this was not a burden, it was a joy. The sciences were Don's job and he was very good at it, but music was his passion.

I joined Don, Marty Turnage, Carol Scamman, Kayce Halstead and others in the Reference Department in 1991. There were no online end-user databases in those days. Printed indexes for undergraduates and expensive Dialog database searches done by librarians for graduate students and faculty were the order of the day. I worked with Don on Tuesday nights. We were almost always busy, but there were short breaks between questions when I could ask Don to show me how to use one of the reference books or compare notes with him on vacations to Big Bend or Mesa Verde.

On Tuesdays, Don would come in at 7:30 a.m. and work until 10 p.m. He took off an hour for lunch , but often just ate a sandwich in his office for supper before joining me at the Reference Desk at 6 p.m. The rest of us took afternoons off when we were scheduled to work until 10 p.m., but Don didn't start taking the afternoons off until he was forced to. There was some newfangled rule about not earning more than 80 hours of comp time per year. Ten comp days for weekends plus a year's worth of Tuesday afternoons added up to considerably more than 80 hours! Don complained about his new schedule for weeks, but a few years later turned down the option of having no night duty every other semester. By this time, being free on Tuesday afternoons was essential!

Fifteen years past the age when most people retire, Don was still arriving at his office shortly after 7:30 each morning. Don enjoyed traveling and going to operas and other musical performances. He had plenty of vacation time to do that. He still loved his work and was not ready to retire. He wasn't up on all the newest technology. He couldn't name the newest pop stars. He didn't blog or twitter. But for some students and faculty in chemistry, geology, or music, he wasn't just the best person to ask, he was often the only person that could help them.

Don was a valued colleague and friend. I won't soon forget him, and neither will many others.

Bernice Wright
bwright@sfasu.edu
rm. 202j
936.468.1528
Subjects - Agriculture, Forestry, Human Sciences, Human Services, Speech/Communication

Would You Like to be an Award Winning Director or Have $1000?

2008-09-12T10:42:00.002-05:00

Attention SFA students!! Submit a short video and be eligible to win a SPARKY Award and $1,000!!! This year’s contest theme is “MindMashup: The Value of Information Sharing.” You can work individually or as a team. Contest deadline is November 30, 2008. See contest Rules and Requirements under Details at http://www.sparkyawards.org/details/index.shtml

The SPARKY Awards are organized by SPARC, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition. Many of SFA’s librarians belong to the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). ACRL is co-sponsoring this video contest for college students with SPARC. Winning entries are screened at national conferences. For details about prizes and national exposure see http://www.sparkyawards.org/awards/index.shtml

The librarians in RIS (Research and Instructional Services) would love to see you win! We know you’re creative, and you have what it takes (especially if you managed to wade through all the previous acronyms). We also know you don’t need another assignment, but if you want to get some course credit, it’s within the contest rules for you to ask a professor to make it an assignment for a class where it would be appropriate. For more information go to http://www.sparkyawards.org/

Carol Scamman
cscamman@sfasu.edu
rm. 202e
936.468.1710
Subjects - Art, English, Modern Languages, Social Work, Sociology, Theatre

In Memory of Don Richter

2008-08-19T09:39:00.000-05:00

In Memory of a

Colleague
Friend
Gentleman
Professional
And Scholar

Don Richter
1928 - 2008

Ransom Seaborn: Book Review

2008-06-17T09:50:00.001-05:00

Singer/songwriter Bill Deasy http://www.billdeasy.com/, captures the essence of the freshman year in his award-winning first novel, Ransom Seaborn. Deasy recounts a college coming-of-age story with a troubadour’s love for the music of language.

Dan Finbar, aka Fin, struggles to find his place as a big-city Catholic freshman attending a rural, small-town, conservative Protestant college. From “meet the roommate” and parting with his parents to the stunning ending, this slim book recalls the new freedoms, turmoil, and longing to fit in common to the first-year college experience. Humor, poignancy, and mature themes abound as the author stirs memories of each readers’ college experience.

All references to persons living or dead are purely intentional. Deasy’s fictional Harrison College is Grove City College, in western Pennsylvania, where he graduated in ‘88. He dubs The Gedunk, Grove City’s popular student hangout and snack bar, the Podunk. Despite the name changes and decades since I graduated (‘75), his descriptions of the locale and Dr. Exley’s provocative classroom challenge ring true (flashback to the lone C in my major; Dr. Donnelly’s not-so-Romantic Lit at 8:00 A.M). For the source of the title character’s name plus campus references, read an article profiling Bill Deasy in The GēDUNK: Grove City College Alumni Magazine .(p.16, Fall 2007)

Ransom Seaborn won the former literary blog POD-dy Mouth’s 2006 Needle Award for Print-On-Demand books (out of a field of over 1,600 entrants).

At last count, 21 out of 23 customer reviews at amazon.com gave this book five stars with two four-star reviews.

Attention: once and future college English professors, if you teach a course on The Campus Novel, Creative Writing, or American Literature, this is one for the syllabus. To mashup lit crit speak, Ransom Seaborn is a timeless Bildungsroman á clef in the academic novel genre complete with road trip quest (via Greyhound), intertextuality, and a powerful denouement.

Warning—it will take willpower not to devour this book in one sitting.With its echoes of and critical comparisons to The Catcher in the Rye, Deasy’s work will whet your appetite to re-read J. D. Salinger’s novel and have a second helping of Ransom Seaborn.

Carol Scamman
cscamman@sfasu.edu
rm. 202e
936.468.1710
Subjects - Art, English, Modern Languages, Social Work, Sociology, Theatre

If a picture is worth a thousand words, can I turn one in for my English assignment?

2008-02-21T11:08:00.002-06:00

What exactly is a word? The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, second Ed. (Unabridged of course) defines a word as follows. A word is “a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation that functions as a principal carrier of meaning.”

It seems that with one sentence the dictionary has wiped out American Sign Language (ASL). The word on the left is neither written nor spoken but it acts as the principal carrier of meaning.

When does a symbol, icon, or gesture gain the status of a word? When does a picture of a fish become the word fish?

When do they cross over into a lexicon?

For instance if I write “I hate midterms. We get so much d@#% work I cannot think straight.” Did you understand all the words?” You are darn right you did. Everything in that sentence except the punctuation was a” written representation that functions as a principal carrier of meaning.”

So the next time I am in a club or crowded get together and an attractive lady gives me “the look” and then winks at me, I will not be wondering if that constituted a word, symbol, sign language or body language. I will just be trying to think of what words I can say to her and not sound like an idiot. Then when she tells me she was saying hi to the guy standing behind me I will go home thinking about how people should communicate more clearly and effectively. Then I will watch Bruce Willis in a Die Hard movie.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

We Can Do This The Easy Way Or The Hard Way

2008-02-19T15:56:00.002-06:00

So you want to use RefWorks. Some would pay up to $300 for access to software that will keep track of all your sources and write them in any style (MLA, APA, Turabian) and then insert them in your paper your bibliography and footnotes for you. In this limited time offer you can use RefWorks not for$300 not $100 dollars, not for even three easy payments of $19.95 RefWorks is available free at Steen Library. Look at what else it can do.

Its 12:01 AM your paper is due in the Morning at 9:00 what do you do? What do you do?

Visit RefWorks Today.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Kiss Bow or Shake Hands:

2008-02-13T16:18:00.003-06:00

This may sound like the beginning of a sexual harassment lawsuit but actually, it is a handbook on polite behavior in over sixty countries. Whether you need to know business practices for International Marketing and Management or the customs and tastes for decorating an office in another country, you will find it in this book. Even if you have guests visit from another culture you can learn the customary way to welcome them and any gifts that may be appropriate to give or receive. This book can be the window looking out from Nacanowhere to Nacaeverywhere. Kiss, bow, or shake hands: how to do business in sixty countries, by Terri Morrison, Wayne A. Conaway & George A. Borden. Holbrook, Mass. : B. Adams, c1994.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

HUMINT, IMINT, MASINT, SIGINT, OSINT: Finding What Shouldn't be Found

2008-02-12T16:03:00.004-06:00

The October - December 2005 issue of the Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin, focused on Open Source Intelligence (OSINT). It referred to finding valuable and sometimes secret information in the library and in public databases. The issue provides an amazing number of excellent internet sources for information on almost any topic. It is surprising how much is available, for anyone to use.

Some of the training and research for military intelligence occurs at Fort Leavenworth Kansas, home of the Combined Arms ResearchLibrary(CARL). Right from the home page you stumble into an amazing amount of authoritative information. The navigation button at the top Find Books & More leads to the library's catalog. On the catalog page is a link to the full texts of 185 books and monographs on Counterinsurgency. A literal goldmine of information of years of thought and research on a topic that is relevant right now.
If you select the Digital Library link, you are immediately taken to a collection of full text databases which cover topics on military history, or lead to obsolete field manuals , as well as the latest research publications from the Command and General Staff College or the School of Advanced Military Study Monographs.

There are other free sources for government data containing excellent information. One of my favorites is the Google Custom Search Engine(CSE) called Naval Open Source Intelligence
(NOSINT). This source provides information on supposed secrets, covering material that will never attract the attention of the news media. Much of this information would be difficult to locate using a refular Google search.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

From Librarian to Leader

2008-02-11T16:57:00.002-06:00

This mild mannered turned radical librarian became a political leader whose status as a revolutionary in world history is matched by few others. He was highly literate and sensitive, and dedicated to a relentless struggle against inequality and injustice.

Born on Dec. 26, 1893, he did not venture outside his home province until he was 25. A visit to the capital city in 1918 broadened his view. Although his life there was miserable, he was working under the chief librarian of one of the countries largest Universities. Reportedly, the university passed him over for a promotion and he returned home following year.

In this stage of his life, this librarian started making a living as a primary schoolteacher. He also edited radical magazines, organized trade unions, and set up politically oriented schools of his own creating agitation among city workers and students.

After a long convalescence, he discovered the revolutionary potential of the peasants, who had in such great numbers been displaced and pauperized by the misrule of the warlords. From then on, he focused his attention to this vast underprivileged class of people. He studied them, tried to understand their grievances, and agitated among them.

Eventually a personality cult grew around our famous librarian. His ideas and philosophy became part of his party’s constitution. Finally, in 1949 he took power of his entire country. He would reassert is power over the military and with their help and the help of young students, he waged a fierce struggle against what he called the revisionists in power. In this struggle it was revealed how elitist, bureaucratic, and brittle the government had become since 1949.

After reaching his late 70s, his lifework was essentially done, although he retained power until the end. One of his final major acts was to reopen contact with the United States. In September of 1976, he died as undoubtedly 20th century's most important movers and reformers. This was the end of the life of the librarian known as; Mao, Tse-tung or (Mao Zedong).

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

You Can Run but You Can't Hide From an Overdue Fine

2008-02-11T16:45:00.002-06:00

Seinfeld is tracked down by library cop Mr. Bookman, for a missing book he checked out over twenty years ago.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Information R/evolution, by Mike Wesch

2008-02-09T13:12:00.003-06:00

The following YouTube Video is part of an interesting and growing genre of animation / film projects centered on video anthropology. This particular short communicates a stinging commentary on libraries while extolling the virtues of the we.

While the "Hive Mind" and the intelligence of the "Group" are extolled there seems to be no counterpoint in his file of the "Ignorance of Mobs". In addition his entire search would have gone better if he would have asked a librarian. Enjoy the show.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Super Tuesday and What it Means to be a Citizen

2008-02-07T14:08:00.002-06:00

Once again, several individuals in many states participated in an American ritual reaffirming for themselves their status as citizens. One thing they might ask something we all might ask; what does citizen mean? If you want to know what a word in English, you check a dictionary. The mother of all dictionaries is the OED, aka The Oxford English Dictionary. The OED does not just give you a current definition. It gives you every definition that the word has had since the first evidence of its use in text.

In 1314, a citizen inhabited a city or town and had certain civic rights or privileges. By 1514, a citizen was a townsman as opposed to someone living in the country, or a tradesman instead of a member of the aristocracy. In 1799, Webster Washington wrote of citizens as an enfranchised resident of a country either born there or naturalized this is close to what many consider the definition of citizen is today.

The French aristocrat Alexis De Tocqueville in the middle of the 19^th century wrote a classic two-volume study about America, its people, and politics. Its title is Democracy in America. He wrote that he saw the inevitability of political equality for all citizens. He thought that there could be “no middle course between the sovereignty of all and the absolute power of one,” and that any discussion of “political laws in the united States must always begin with the dogma of the sovereignty of the people.”

These definitions and descriptions of the word citizen are completely accurate. Despite this, they fail to convey the true, complete, or the marrow of the meaning of the word. These disembodied concepts fail to convey any knowledge or depth of understanding. As librarians move toward becoming curators of electronic databases and resources we run the risk of leaving behind the knowledge and understanding that comes from reading an entire narrative as contained in a book. If Gandhi or Martin Luther King had Googled the word citizen, would they have ever developed the beliefs and convictions necessary for them to accomplish their heroic achievements? I doubt it. Instead, they read monographs such as Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience. This was not a collection of sound bites strung together from several different sources and thoughts of others. It was a carefully crafted philosophical framework that Thoreau could use to guide or justify his actions and beliefs.

He did not believe that a citizen acted from dogma, to do so was to surrender one’s conscience or sovereignty to a tradition. A citizen also could not act just because the law said he must. A true citizen maintained their sovereignty above that of all other people or institutions. When a true citizen obeyed a law, it was because they chose to concede that part of their sovereignty to the lawmaker not because of any authority the lawmaker claimed but because they thought it was right or just. Ultimately, the authority to govern resides with the governed. This also meant the responsibility for the laws and actions of the government resides squarely on the shoulders of the governed. Therefore, if there was any law or any action taken by the government that ran contrary to the conscience or sovereignty of the individual it was their responsibility as a citizen to disobey that law.

Thoreau’s essay laid out this and other concepts in detail. Each part of his argument built upon the part written before. When summarized or chopped up into quotes that sound good, the essay loses its meaning. People may agree with or enjoy what they read or heard from these disembodied pieces, but are unlikely rededicate their lives to being better citizens. That type of change, requires an in depth connection and understanding of the thoughts and feelings of others. It does not come from chunks of electronic text, but from seriously reading the entire narrative of a great thinker and writer.

Once again, we find ourselves in an election year. This year half or more of America’s citizens will lose their rights and be disenfranchised. This will not be because of the actions of their Secretary Of State. It will not be from rigged, hacked, or faulty computer voting machines. It will not even be from U-haul trucks full of ballots being lost dumped or otherwise removed from the count. It will be because they will disenfranchise themselves by staying home instead of voting.

“Citizen” that is the word to learn this year. It can be Googled, plagiarized, described, and talked about, but ultimately to understand it, it must be experienced.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

I Prefer My Gadget Porn to My Climate Porn

2008-01-30T10:30:00.001-06:00

I Prefer My Gadget Porn to My Climate Porn: New Words from 2007 ( Word Spy )

In his book WORD SPY: The Word Lover's Guide to Modern Culture Paul McFedries identifies "...new words and phrases that tell us something about our world." He collects "snapshots" of our quickly changing world with words, then adds context and a definition of their meaning. These words are like the gray literature of dictionaries. They are a step above slang because of their use in professional publications or circles, and their pervasiveness in current culture. Despite this they still lack the sanction of a respected dictionary.

The words and phrases McFedrise selects from our spoken and written interactions, provide an interesting gauge of current culture. They represent changes in society by society's need to create a new word to more accurately or succinctly describe either a new concept, or an old concept that previously did not seem to warrant its own word.

The WORD SPY: The Word Lover's Guide to Modern Culture web site contains a Subject Guide, Archives, and an Quotation Section organized by author and quote, and a list that "...shows the top 100 Word Spy words (as measured by page views) from the past seven days (The list below came from December 25, 2007 to January 1, 2008)."

New additions from 2007 include:

Rank	Previous	Word	Posted On
2	2	vajayjay	January 26, 2007
6	5	Christmas tree allergy	December 13, 2007
7	7	intensivist	December 18, 2007
12	11	Frankenstein veto	December 14, 2007
14	12	stroller envy	October 25, 2007
17	16	push present	December 12, 2007
18	20	lifestreaming	November 6, 2007
20	15	fixie	December 5, 2007
21	18	dropout factory	December 6, 2007
22	19	womenomics	December 11, 2007
61	54	upcycling	October 11, 2007
68	55	pack-year	September 13, 2007
90	82	climate porn	March 2, 2007
96	87	gorno	June 15, 2007

An interesting quote from the site about a current issue.

"Above all, a book is a riverbank for the river of language. Language without the riverbank is only television talk — a free fall, a loose splash, a spill."
—Cynthia Ozick, American novelist, essayist, critic, and playwright, Portrait of the Artist as a Bad Character, 1996.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

Who was the Sexiest Librarian to Ever Live

2008-01-24T13:06:00.001-06:00

All right, all right, I mean the second sexiest librarian to ever live.

As everyone knows librarianship is one of the hottest and sexiest professions in history. Popular culture is awash in librarian fashion accessories (like the ever popular librarian glasses), images of irresistible librarians and even using the librarian mystique to sell products.

Books and those who care for them have always had a special place in society. They were often priests, scholars or imperial officials. Then in 1966 in a journal article from Psychoanalyst Dr. Norman S. Weiner wrote an article called “The Bibliomaniac.” He described a bibliomaniac as a person “with an inordinate desire” for books “who will “pursue a volume in an active or seductive way; he will use intrigue and stealth; he will hazard his fortune and he will journey around the world, or even marry for the gain of a coveted book.” At first it almost sounds like an addiction, but as the article goes on it sounds more like an obsessive compulsive disorder. “Bibliomania is a problem solving complex of activity that relieves anxiety or directly gratifies certain instinctual drives.” “The book is a talisman for its owner but it is a temporary and fleeting passion.” Then in an interesting twist Dr. Weiner compares the disorder with a “hyper sexual male hysteric who must constantly reassure himself he has not been castrated”

Now there are a lot of people who collect and like books however, it is unlikely that they fit that last description. Interestingly though the author points out that our famously sexy librarian settled down after his legendary amorous adventures and became a librarian. He worked (or hid out) as a librarian in the castle of Count Waldstein at Dux in Bohemia for thirteen years until his death in 1798. Who was he?

Giacomo Casanova (1725 – 1798)

For an excellent read on the subject of peoples’ passion for books get a copy of A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books by Nicholas A. Basbanes.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

5 Types of Books that Increase Intelligence

2008-01-23T16:22:00.001-06:00

Fortunately, after John Wesley posted 10 Ways to Improve Your Mind by Reading the Classics, he soon followed up with a list of genres to read to increase intelligence. In his post 5 Types of Books that Increase Intelligence, he describes in detail how reading Science, Philosophy, Serious Fiction, and Poetry increases our brain power. Most of the classics in these fields can either be acquired very inexpensively or downloaded free. Of course, as always there is your local library.

Below is a list of some of my favorite classics.

Beowulf (Library) Beowulf (Librivox free audio books)
The Island of Doctor Moreau (Library) (LibriVox)
War of the Worlds (Library) (LibriVox)
Pride and Prejudice (Library) (LibriVox)
Northanger Abbey (Library) (LibriVox)
Heart of Darkness (Library) (LibriVox)
Demoracy in America (Library)
Bible, King James Version (Libary)
Siddhartha (Library)
The Art of War (Library) (LibriVox)

What are some of your favorite classics? Send us a comment with a list of titles and share your classic finds with others.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

"weirdest library design EVAR"

2008-01-23T13:19:00.001-06:00

Jessamyn West in her excellent blog featured a new library to be built in Prague. This is definitely a one of a kind. It looks like something that belongs on the set of Star Trek. This 48 million extension shows both vision and bravery of the government. To understand the daring of the undertaking view pictures of the project at bd the Architects Website. You can read more about it at: http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=3082843

This is an image of the interior of the current National library in
Prague.
Photograph by Francesco Villa
Today's challenge find the location of the old library, and the future site of the new library.

Good Luck!

Send comments and pictures of the weirdest or coolest library architecture you have seen. We will take the best entries and post them on the blog.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

The Color of Money: Fair Use and Copyright or: Free the Bound Periodicals!

2008-01-23T13:14:00.002-06:00

In a recent blog Andrew Albanese -- Library Journal, 9/17/2007 wrote that a new "Study Suggests "Fair Use" Means Big Business." Many believe the record, movie, and publishing industries' attempts to curb or eliminate fair use clauses from copyright law are about corporate profits more than protecting artists. Several artists are now following a path to success pioneered many authors. Essentially they provide free and easily available content of their work. In most cases this leads to more sales and greater profits. This eliminates many of the middlemen, and barriers between the creators and their fans. It also lowers the cost to consumers and creates new markets for artists. When some or all of the content is free of charge this paradoxically leads to more sales.

The greatest threat and fear to almost every industry since the rise of the web is the role the Internet plays in dis-intermediation, or the elimination of the middleman. That was true of brokerages, bookstores, book publishers and now it is striking fear in the hearts of members of the Motion Picture Association. At one time the publishing industry tried to hold back the clock by lobbying for legislation making it illegal to even loan a book to a friend. Yet seeing a movie you enjoy is not the end of profit but the beginning. After watching good movie many will then buy posters, books, t-shirts, DVD's, and soundtracks to the movies they liked. Star Wars started this trend where a majority of profits came from merchandise, sale of home use formats of the movie, and sales in overseas markets. The initial production cost of a movie or a song is rarely covered by its initial release. The real profit comes from the development and cultivation of a fan base after it leaves the hands of the studios and theaters.

This lesson about the transformational nature of the Internet is a difficult and painful one. However, those who have faced it head on in the newspaper industry, brokerage firms, travel agencies, bookstores and other sectors have survived and many learned to thrive in the new environment.

Now there are some numbers to help put these issues in perspective. The Motion Picture Association of America told congress that the total loss to U.S.$20.5 millionU.S. industries and our economy.

Recently another study came out looking at the other side. In August 2007 the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) published a study which revealed that "fair use dependent industries" contributed over $4.5 trillion in annual revenue for the United States. This was approximately one sixth of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP).

So who are the Motion Picture Association, other media and publishing groups really concerned about? New artists, or bankable stars, talented writers or the latest best seller tripe spewed out by Sylvia Brown? What constituencies are best served by expansive fair use laws, artists, educators, students, industry, researchers, or Time Warner? How far along would medicine and biological research be right now if the data from the human genome project was the property of one pharmaceutical company instead of a public resource for researchers, all pharmaceutical companies, university labs and government research projects? Most people want to see others get what they deserve for their work. However, it is pretty clear that the movie industry is more than willing to give a back seat to artists the education system, industry, and the country as a whole, to move their own interests forward, no matter what the costs are for anyone else.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

RIS Recommends: "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" Licensing, Fair Use, and Copyright.

10 Ways to Improve Your Mind by Reading the Classics

2008-01-22T16:25:00.001-06:00

From the blog "PicktheBrain" John Wesley mentions a study summarized for the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, indicating that "42% of college graduates will never read another book" after graduation. As disturbing as this is, it indicates that if a book is not a bestseller then number of people likely to read it drops even further. Wesley lists ten ways that reading the "classics" will improve our intelligence. He lists things like gaining perspective, developing fresh ideas, and increasing your level of sophistication. This does not mean one has to become a bookworm but it could help us move a little farther from being a couch potato. The list is at: 10 Ways to Improve Your Mind by Reading the Classics.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

Reality Check: How Information Flows in a Real Office

2008-01-08T13:30:00.001-06:00

The Flow of Information at the Googleplex

1/08/2008 07:37:00 AM

Posted by Bo Cowgill, Economics Group

Alright the last one was easy, let's see if you can find the following building. The building was the site of a study by Bo Cowgill, Economics Group of how information flows within an office environment. It measured this flow by tracking employee participation in Prediction Markets "at the Googleplex."

The article suggests that micro-geography (or who is sitting next to you) has more to do with the flow of information in an office than any other factor. This of course sparked a heated debate but the diagram from the paper (below) certainly seems to support the paper's findings. (Suggested Reading: Ambient Findability chpt 3.4 online "Safari Books" at Steen Library web site)

Here is the "When and Where" part. Where is the building located that the graph is displayed on, and when was the photo taken? Please send links and an explanation of your proof.

Good Luck :)

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

The Cornerstone of a Successful Search

2008-01-04T16:10:00.001-06:00

When you come to the reference desk and ask a question, the first thing a librarian will do is ask some questions. This is called a "reference interview." It is t important because researchers will not always ask for what they are looking for but for what they think the library has. Sometimes they are embarrassed about the question so they ask something else. Others worry that the librarian is too busy or that they would not be able to answer the real question. So,the librarian's first goal is to help them articulate an effective question or "task definition."

Ru Story-Huffman in his article Critical Thinking, Task Definition and the Reference Interview (Higher ed) states that the reference interview is “an information contact that involves the use, recommendation, interpretation, or instruction in the use of one or more information sources; or knowledge of such sources, by a member of the reference or information staff.” (2004, pg 1). So, successfully assisting a student in task definition allows the student to work to identify their information needs. As most research fails due to poor task definition, effective research creates a usable and accurate task definition. There are three simple ways to do this.

1. Use a "Research Helper Task Definition Chart" as a way to write down the information
you need. This should be done as soon as you receive the assignment.

2. Another way to define your task is to write down the question you will answer in your paper in a one-sentence question. It needs to be clear, and have well-defined boundaries. The question "What do you have on drugs?" is not a question with well-defined boundaries, and is an example of poor task definition. "What are the physiological effects of steroid use among high school athletes?" is an example of good task definition.

3. The last technique is to imagine you have found the perfect article about your topic. This article talks about all the things you want to cover and has the answers to all your questions. Imagine the article in your mind; then write down the title of the article.

Task definition is the first step in all research. Determining what needs to “be known to reach an objective” and identifying the location of the information is what librarian’s do. We study it, we practice it, and we do it every day. Just ask, and we will help you.

In his book Real World Intelligence Herbert Meyer writes,

"One difference between failure and success is not how much you know, but rather how much you know about the right things. And figuring out the right things to know about-which is to say the things that will directly help you to reach a particular objective-is one of the trickiest, least understood, most underrated jobs in the world.... Anyone who knows how to determine what needs to be known to reach one objective can also determine what needs to be known to reach any other objective"

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

Future Reading: Digitization and its discontents.

2008-01-03T13:16:00.001-06:00

Full Article in:
New Yorker
Nov. 5, 2007
by Anthony Grafton

"Digitizing every book and putting them on the Web. That’s the vision of at least three major corporations including Microsoft, Amazon and Google." While many technophiles are forecasting the end of the book, one wonders what happened to the "paperless office.” The last paperless office I am aware of (if you don't count papyrus or vellum) was in Mesopotamia and used clay. One thing about baked clay is that it is not subject to "bit rot.” Not everyone thinks that digitizing all of the books will mean the death of the book or the library. Mr. Grafton in his article on Future reading concludes:

Sit in your local coffee shop, and your laptop can tell you a lot. If you want deeper, more local knowledge, you will have to take the narrower path that leads between the lions and up the stairs. There—as in great libraries around the world—you’ll use all the new sources, the library’s and those it buys from others, all the time. You’ll check musicians’ names and dates at Grove Music Online, read Marlowe’s “Doctor Faustus” on Early English Books Online, or decipher Civil War documents on Valley of the Shadow. But these streams of data, rich as they are, will illuminate, rather than eliminate, books and prints and manuscripts that only the library can put in front of you. The narrow path still leads, as it must, to crowded public rooms where the sunlight gleams on varnished tables, and knowledge is embodied in millions of dusty, crumbling, smelly, irreplaceable documents and books.

So does information in book form contain any added value or is it more valuable when retrievable from a large database? Is the ability to retrieve any quote, sentence, or paragraph from a sea of zeros and ones a boon or a loss to society? I am sure it will cut both ways unfortunately many including college students will use this new method of access to find a quote to substantiate their preexisting opinion as opposed to doing research to develop an informed opinion of their own. These disembodied pieces of text can loose meaning when taken from a carefully crafted discussion of hundreds of pages then turned into a text-bite. While this has been done in the past with the advent of full text databases, it has become the norm. Furthermore, the "researcher" no longer needs to read the text to find a quote they use or misuse.

A truly noble sentiment that makes an excellent text-bite:

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate... we cannot consecrate... we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

While this phrase expresses an inherently moving ideal its meaning is greatly diminished because of its separation from the next paragraph:

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us... that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion... that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain... that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom... and that government of the people... by the people... for the people... shall not perish from this earth.

This idea of taking the sacrifice of hundreds and thousands of soldiers and turning it from a vain and disheartening tragedy into a reaffirmation of values and a re-dedication of purpose is truly a masterpiece of oratory. However, how much meaning is lost if the reader is not aware of the battle of Gettysburg, or even the American Civil War. Assumption of this knowledge is no longer valid in the US let alone in cultures linked by the Internet across the globe. Is there any value left when this or any significant piece of text is removed from the context that framed its meaning?

If you doubt the value of context, or format, read the Gettysburg address online. Then one night read it alone carved on the wall of the Lincoln Memorial. Perhaps then the realization of the importance of context, format, and how vital it is to meaning may become apparent.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

They are Finally Adding Ginormous to the Dictionary

2008-01-02T15:59:00.001-06:00

Merriam Webster released a tantalizing list of new additions to their Merriam-Webster's Collegiate^® Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. While the list is not Ginormous it does have some interesting new words, some words that have been around awhile, and a few words you probably wish you never heard of. So for all of you who are dying to update your spell checkers with the 100 or so new words here is a list of twenty to start with.

Why not throw a couple of these in one of your papers and see if you get it marked wrong?

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

I Am Not Making This Up

2007-12-19T16:49:00.001-06:00

We've heard that people are using their booktrucks in the craziest ways! Are you? Send us a photo of you using your booktruck in the most unusual, non typical way and win these great prizes...

GRAND PRIZE!

Win a DEMCO® LibrayQuiet™ Booktruck

(a $265 value!)

and a $200 DEMCO Gift Certificate

FIRST PRIZE!

Win a $150 DEMCO Gift Certificate

SECOND PRIZE!

Win a $100 DEMCO Gift Certificate

Circulate the fun! Tell your friends about this contest, too. Plus, you'll all get the chance to vote for your favorite!

I received this in my email today. The filename for the picture is "Rodeo Joe." The Demco web site has the contest rules and a section for entrants to submit their photos. I have a feeling I am going to get a lot of mileage out of this. This group will probably enter.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

Librarian's Advice: How to Conduct an Exhaustive Literature Review in the Earth Sciences

2007-12-17T16:14:00.000-06:00

The Earth Sciences can be a daunting field to research. Lines between disciplines often overlap or blur beyond recognition. This makes it difficult to distinguish between them. Three library faculty willing to help include: R. Philip Reynolds preynolds@sfasu.edu (Geography) Don Richter drichter@sfasu.edu (Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Geology) and Bernice Wright bwright@sfasu.edu (Agriculture, Forestry).

In a guide on how to do literature reviews in the Earth Sciences, librarian Phil Stoffer, of the Western Earth Surface Processes Team, US Geological Survey provides six steps to conducting an exhaustive search in the Earth Sciences. "How to conduct an exhaustive literature review in the earth sciences" on the USGS web site.

We are here to help.

	R. Philip Reynolds preynolds@sfasu.edu rm. 202b 936.468.1453 Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography
	Don Richter drichter@sfasu.edu rm. 202a 936.468.1714 Subjects - Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Geology, Mathematics/Statistics, Music, Physics/Astronomy

Bernice Wright
bwright@sfasu.edu
rm. 202j
936.468.1528
Subjects - Agriculture, Forestry, Human Sciences, Human Services, Speech/Communication

Ask Stupid Questions

2007-12-12T16:56:00.001-06:00

"Ask Stupid Questions": A Collaborative and Solution-Driven Reference Service

Ask Stupid Questions (ASQTM) is a radically new reference enquiry methodology developed by the National Library Board (NLB) of Singapore.... ASQ has transformed the reference enquiry transaction ... where the librarian assumes the role of the host in a game show format which encourages with fun, spontaneity and creative expressions.

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

2007 Pulitzer Prize Winners

2007-12-12T16:40:00.001-06:00

From Bowker's Patron Books in Print at Steen Library
Winner(s):
Native Guard: Poems
by Natasha Trethewey

Rabbit Hole
by David Lindsay-Abaire

The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
by Lawrence Wright

The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher
by Debby Applegate

The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation
by Gene Roberts, Hank Klibanoff

The Road
by Cormac McCarthy

Finalists:

After This
by Alice McDermott

Andrew Carnegie
by David Nasaw

Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness
by Pete Earley

Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq
by Thomas E. Ricks

Interrogation Palace: New and Selected Poems, 1982-2004
by David Wojahn

John Wilkes: The Scandalous Father of Civil Liberty
by Arthur H. Cash

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
by Nathaniel Philbrick

Middle Passages: African American Journeys to Africa, 1787-2005
by James T. Campbell

The Echo Maker
by Richard Powers

The Republic of Poetry: Poems
by Martín Espada

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

One Place Where You Will Probably Never See a Legislator

2007-12-04T13:33:00.001-06:00

Images From Google Earth
See if you can guess the Library.

38*53'19,89"N, 77*00"16.36"W

Interior Photographs by Horacio Arevalo
Panaramio

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

Name the librarian that wore a dress, carried a gun and was one of the most feared men in America.

2007-11-29T13:10:00.002-06:00

"This one time Library worker enrolled in a work-study program for government employees at George Washington University in D.C. To qualify for the program, he got a job working for the Library of Congress....

By working at the Library of Congress, he had a chance to watch Herbert Putnam, a master in the art of bureaucratic empire building. In Putnam's stewardship over the library, he made it one of the most efficient parts of the federal government.

This Librarian did well at the Library of Congress. In his four years and a half years there (1913 to 1917), his pay rose steadily to $70 a month.

Later he found the skills he learned as a librarian invaluable....

Suddenly America faced the menace of Communism and our character took a leading role in fighting it. He responded to this new challenge immediately. "The former librarian set up a card index system listing every radical leader, organization, and publication in the United States...within three months he had amassed 150,000 names and by 1921 some 450,000."(Gentry)

He immersed himself in reading everything he could get his hands on about the Communist movement. To fight this enemy he had to thoroughly understand it and its objectives. He was preparing himself to become the most knowledgeable person in government on the subject. As Powers points out, these growing files on various radical movements gave him "a semi-monopoly over a sort of information so difficult to obtain, so extensive in coverage, and so commonly inaccessible as to make its independent verification almost impossible."

This ultimately provided the power and foundation of the now famous and infamous life of......... J Edgar Hoover :)

Court TV Crime Library

R. Philip Reynolds
preynolds@sfasu.edu
rm. 202b
936.468.1453
Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography

RIS Recommends

The Lord of the Libraries: Return of the Book

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Sending the Wrong Message or Secrets on the Homepage

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Hunt for tech books on Safari

Welcome Freshman

There is a new and easier way to find books at Steen Library.

It's Not "What's New" but "Who's New"

You are now entering "The Quiet Zone"

Argue like a Pro with "Opposing Viewpoints"

Love is in the air.

Tech Talk -- Bullet Points, Begone!!!!!

What to do When “No” is the Wrong Answer

Burn This Book

Erica Lopezz_lopezer@titan.sfasu.edurm. 202j(936) 468-6270Subjects - Anatomy & Physiology, Astronomy, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Limnology, Math/Statistics, Microbiology, Physics, Zoology

Reading, Writing and RECON : Military Professional Reading Lists

The Naked Roommate

"The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" Licensing, Fair Use, and Copyright.

Who Is It?

CRS Reports Congress' not so Secret Weapon for First Class Research

eAudiobooks, NetLibrary and You

What to Read to While Away the Summer Hours?

SFA Internet Books

Pop Quiz. The Alarm Sounds. What do You Do?

Quick Tips for Searching

Guess Who Is to Blame for Punctuation Marks .!:;,"??. . .

Find a 4 Letter Word in the Library: HELP!

How to be Useful (Even When You are not Happy About it)

Ministry Of Truth : Whitehouse Web Site

Thanksgiving: My Favorite Holiday

Was Shakespeare an Identity Thief?

Sweetest Industry on Earth: The Sweet Industry Group

Is the Whole World Going Broke?

Kid's Reading Levels

Beyond the Pale and Toad and the Wet Sprocket

Sarah Palin

Elections 2008

Losing a Friend and Colleague

Would You Like to be an Award Winning Director or Have $1000?

In Memory of Don Richter

Ransom Seaborn: Book Review

If a picture is worth a thousand words, can I turn one in for my English assignment?

We Can Do This The Easy Way Or The Hard Way

Kiss Bow or Shake Hands:

HUMINT, IMINT, MASINT, SIGINT, OSINT: Finding What Shouldn't be Found

From Librarian to Leader

You Can Run but You Can't Hide From an Overdue Fine

Information R/evolution, by Mike Wesch

Super Tuesday and What it Means to be a Citizen

I Prefer My Gadget Porn to My Climate Porn

Who was the Sexiest Librarian to Ever Live

5 Types of Books that Increase Intelligence

"weirdest library design EVAR"

The Color of Money: Fair Use and Copyright or: Free the Bound Periodicals!

10 Ways to Improve Your Mind by Reading the Classics

Reality Check: How Information Flows in a Real Office

The Flow of Information at the Googleplex

1/08/2008 07:37:00 AM

The Cornerstone of a Successful Search

Future Reading: Digitization and its discontents.

They are Finally Adding Ginormous to the Dictionary

I Am Not Making This Up

Librarian's Advice: How to Conduct an Exhaustive Literature Review in the Earth Sciences

Ask Stupid Questions

"Ask Stupid Questions": A Collaborative and Solution-Driven Reference Service

2007 Pulitzer Prize Winners

One Place Where You Will Probably Never See a Legislator

Name the librarian that wore a dress, carried a gun and was one of the most feared men in America.

Erica Lopez
z_lopezer@titan.sfasu.edu
rm. 202j
(936) 468-6270
Subjects - Anatomy & Physiology, Astronomy, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Limnology, Math/Statistics, Microbiology, Physics, Zoology