In this issue:
In April the Guggenheim Library installed a 3M SelfCheck System,
which uses the latest in library technology to allow patrons to check books
out on their own. A color monitor guides patrons through each step of the
transaction with on-screen prompts and graphics which fully explain the
process. Users place their library card in the unit which accesses the
database. If the card is approved, the first item may be placed on the
unit. The system's internal scanner "reads" the bar code and records the
transaction while desensitizing the book so that it will pass through the
security gates at the library exit. A date due slip completes the transaction.
The circulation staff invites you to visit the library and use our new
system.
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Review of a new government publication: American Women: a Library of Congress Guide for the Study of Women’s History and Culture in the United States. Edited by S. Harvey, J.E. Ruth, B.O. Natanson, S. Day, E. Sinclair. Library of Congress, 2001.
Ref HQ1410 .A47 2001
For anyone ever wondering where to start searching within the Library of Congress (LOC) for books, maps, or sound recordings relating to women in the United States, this book answers many of those questions and more. The full breadth of this work may be appreciated and understood by browsing through its table of contents and index. The table of contents breaks down the areas that users may be interested in by research divisions (eg. Music, Prints and Photographs). Each chapter in this work describes all LOC collections relating to American women in history and culture, specific collections down to the individual level in some cases (eg. Emma Goldman), and where and how those collections may be housed and accessed. Specialists in subject areas at the LOC contributed to this book. The first chapter begins with an introduction to the general collection and also gives some very valuable search tips that might assist even the seasoned researcher! Bibliographies of recommended books relating to each subject area are found at the end of every section and could be helpful for someone in need of a broader overview of the subject before coming to the LOC to do research.
On the visual level one may appreciate this book by browsing its 420 pages for the many sharply-reproduced photographs of women, advertisements from magazines, maps, posters, political cartoons, and newspaper clippings. It is noteworthy that a book of this length has a photograph on nearly every page and sometimes even two, complete with a caption detailing which LOC collection it might be in. The well known photographers Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange have much of their work described and reproduced, but there are also photographs made by anonymous photographers, such as the one on page 417 of Harriet Tubman taken at the age of 90. Although this famous "conductor" on the Underground Railroad appears frail and tiny under a white shawl, one's attention is drawn to the powerful-looking hands gripping each side of her chair.
Because of the logical layout and detailed index, this book could
be useful to most levels of research; it could also assist the student/researcher
who is not able to physically visit the collections. For example, those
with an interest in American folklife may visit the online counterpart
of the American Folklife Center at http://www.loc.gov/folklife.
Some collections that have been digitized include folk music relating to
the Gold Rush and audio recordings made of interviews with migrant workers
coping with the Dust Bowl during the Depression. The general internet
address for the Library of Congress is http://www.loc.gov/
. For those with a special interest in photographs and sound recordings
check out the link called “American Memory Project.” The Guggenheim Library
contains a link to it in its online catalog as well. This book is
recommended for the motivated undergraduate researcher, graduate students,
and professors. A user-friendly format and the unusual photographs
found on nearly every page also makes this book appealing to anyone interested
in U.S. women’s history and popular culture!
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American FactFinder
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet
This new section of the Census website provides
census information with a user-friendly
interface. The Basic Facts option allows the
user to to produce Census 2000 Population and
Housing data for a state, county or town.
The data appears in table format and can easily be
downloaded to Excel. Census 1990 Population
and Housing and Labor data are also available.
The same data can be displayed in Map format.
Thematic maps, available from the menu on the
left-hand side of the Web page, display data by
state, county, or 3-digit Zip Code. These
maps provide a population characteristic, such as
percentage of population under age 5, in an
easily understandable visual format. By selecting the
"Identify" feature, the user can click on
a part of the map and bring up the Zip Code or name of
the county in that area.
American FactFinder puts census data within
the reach of anyone with access to the Internet.
The uses of this demographic information are
limitless, but should be particularly useful to
researchers in the area of business and economics,
social work, and political science.
1930 U.S. Census Records Open to the Public!
http://www.census.gov/pubinfo/www/1930facts.html
http://1930census.archives.gov/
Did you know that in 1930 U.S. census takers found 5,165 people residing in the now-bustling entertainment haven called Las Vegas, Nevada? Did you know that, in the 1930s, the major employers there were railroad companies -- not Caesar’s Palace? On April 1, 2002 the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) released the individual records from the 1930 U.S. Census to the general public. A 1952 law prohibits the data’s release for 72 years from the time that it was collected -- thus the 2002 release date. Find out more about Las Vegas and the rest of the country in the thirties by exploring the U.S. Census Bureau’s website link to the 1930s census information. Click on http://www.census.gov/ and look for the link under “Special Topics.”
Each decennial census adds or drops questions
to keep up with societal changes, and the 1930 census saw four new questions
added. They were:
--Value of home, if owned, or monthly rental,
if rented.
--Radio set in home
--Age at first marriage
--Veteran
The 1930 census was the last time that respondents
were asked if they could read or write -- just as the radio and telephone
were becoming affordable. From the 1930s census site one can also
read the fact sheets about the 1930 census for a general overview as well
as the actual questions, find out which regional offices to contact for
procuring census information, and view historical photos of census takers
and respondents -- or, in some cases, non-respondents! NARA
also maintains a website devoted to information about the 1930 census,
searchable at http://1930census.archives.gov/.
The NARA site may help individuals interested in doing family history research.
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Chandler, Tomasita M., and Heinzerling, Barbara M. Children and
Adolescents in the
Marketplace: Twenty-five years of Academic Research. Ann
Arbor, MI: The Pierian
Press, 1999.
Ref. HF5415.2 C382 1999
This important reference work covers articles from academic journals
and proceedings
published from 1970 through 1995. While the authors modestly describe
it as an annotated
bibliography, it is actually an exhaustive review of the interaction
between children aged three to
eighteen and the marketplace. The book is divided into four chapters:
1. Learning the Consumer
Role, 2. Economic and Financial Expenditures, 3. Shopping
Behavior and Brand Preferences,
and 4. Consumer Behavior Determinants. Each chapter has an introduction
which deals with the
research areas to be covered in that area, such as toy-based programming
in Chapter 3. The
introduction is followed by an annotated bibliography. The bibliography
for toy-based
programming consists of five research studies, each of which is
described in great detail in
summaries at least a page in length, covering all aspects of the
research process and results.
This book should be useful to researchers in the areas of psychology,
business, and education.
It should help in reviewing the literature on children and the marketplace,
suggesting or
narrowing topics, or planning marketing strategies.
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New Access Tools for Communication Journals
Progress is being made toward identifying and increasing access to
the most important journals in the field of Communication. The addition
of the ComAbstracts database
has given communication researchers an indexing/abstracting tool more closely
aligned with the Department's list of core recommended journals.
With the guide, Communication
Journals: Full Text Availability, Rachel Gardner has increased access
to the full text of many journal articles in the field. Locate the list
on the Electronic
Resources Gateway (see suggested databases for Communication) or from
the Communication
Research Guide. Opening multiple windows allows researchers to simultaneously
compare database search results with full text journal availability.
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Nursing School and Guggenheim Cooperative Effort
The Library and Nursing School have teamed
up for the team-teaching of a graduate course,
NU509 (Nursing Informatics), which is
being taught this term. Coordinating their efforts,
Professors Cira Fraser and Barbara Paskewich
of the School of Nursing and Health Studies, and Hugh Holden,
Assistant Librarian, are each responsible
for leading a portion of the classes, creating and grading assignments,
and assisting students outside of class. Because librarians are, by definition,
experienced researchers practiced in finding and evaluating information
sources in "digital forms," and because this course involves the students
(all of them employed in the medical field) in intensive use of the Internet
and online resources, the deans of these two areas agreed that the situation
presented an opportunity for close collaboration. Hugh volunteered
for this "experiment" and every interested party is keen to see how it
works out. This may set a model for the future.
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Using Electronic Library Resources from Off-Campus
Access to more than 40 electronic databases
licensed by the Library is now available from off-campus. Many of these
resources include select full text of journal, magazine and newspaper articles
as well as other important research materials. (See Electronic
Resources Information page for more information). To use this service
you must have Internet access, a web browser, and a Hawkmail account. Click
on Remote Access Help
from the Library home page for detailed instructions on how to configure
your computer.
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Contributors to this issue: Sandi Epstein, Hugh Holden, Aurora Ioanid, Susan Kadezabek, Maria Larson, Dawn Popoff, and Sue Stehle.
Questions or comments - Please contact Rachel
Gardner, Associate Librarian, Information Services & Collection
Development.
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