Share New This Week
| New This Week for February 19, 2009 |
|
This Week This week we have Hawaiian shirts, Eudora Welty, Islamic art, sample books, the future of nuclear power, and pieces of women's history. Bon appetit from librarians Charlotte, Jennifer, Maria, and Wendy. Tip of the Week We really like to hear from you, so please contact us via our web form or suggestion box. Messages sent as replies to the newsletter will languish in a spam bucket; if you tried this and didn't hear back from us, please try again via one of the forms. |
Subscriber Services Subscribe by RSS Subscribe by Email Manage Your Subscription Browse the New This Week Archive |
Arts and Humanities
The Aloha Shirt
Brief illustrated history of the brightly colored and patterned casual Hawaiian shirts known as "aloha shirts." "In the late 1920's and early 1930's tourists, always looking for exotic souvenirs, fell for a fad of the young islanders, unusual prints. Artists and tailors spotted a serious business. The name 'aloha shirt,' registered in 1936, soon labeled a flourishing industry." Includes photos. From a Hawaiian coffee company that also produces a travel and tourism magazine.
URL: http://www.coffeetimes.com/aloha.htm
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27801
A Global Guide to Islamic Art
This guide to art "made in societies where Islam was the dominant religion" describes where to view works (such as "calligraphy, the art of beautiful writing," and figural representations, especially of plants). Features an annotated list and map of major museums of Islamic art in the U.S., Europe and the Islamic lands. Also includes links to related sites. From Saudi Aramco World magazine.
URL: http://saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200901/a.global.guide.to.islamic.art...
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27794
Multiple Choice: From Sample to Product
This exhibit highlights the sample book "and other formats that contain examples of a product or technique ... [to] link together design, technology, and marketing. They have been used for more than 300 years for the merchandizing and recording of design alternatives in many areas of the decorative arts." Browse sections on samples for tableware, art tools and materials, interior decoration, and textiles. Includes a video and introductory essays. From the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.
URL: http://cooperhewitt.org/EXHIBITIONS/multiple_choice/site/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24996
The Ponder Heart
Companion website to a Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of Eudora Welty's comic novel "The Ponder Heart." Features a biography and timeline of the life of Welty (1909-2001), who "is best known as a Southern writer of short stories and novels (although she also worked professionally as a photographer)." Also includes interactive features, background about the novel and film, teacher's guide, and related links (some broken) and bibliography.
URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/americancollection/ponder/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27772
Summer Cool ... Going Vintage Hawaiian!
Article about the evolution of the Hawaiian Aloha shirt. "The reputation of the Aloha shirt has come a long way over the years. What was once a colorful (if not gaudy) tourist memento has evolved into a prized art form combining fashion, style and nostalgia." The site notes that Aloha shirts gained in popularity when Harry Truman was shown wearing one on the cover of a 1951 Life magazine. From a fashion blog.
URL: http://www.lookonline.com/hawaiian_shirts.htm
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27803
University of Hawai'i Virtual Museum: Historic Costume Collection
Compilation of materials about historic clothing held by the University of Hawaii, many of which have Hawaiian connections. Click on "Visit the Collection" to see images from exhibits on batik, beach fashions from sarongs to thongs, the holoku, and surface design in east Asian costume. The "Hawaiian Sub-Collection" includes brief information about the holoku, holomuu, mu'umu'u (muumuu), and Aloha shirt.
URL: http://www.museum.hawaii.edu/collections/costume/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27804
Business
The Economics of Nuclear Power
This January 2009 article considers whether nuclear power production "is cost competitive with other forms of electricity generations." Discusses external costs, the cost of fuel, comparisons of electricity generation and costs of different fuels and technologies, future cost competitiveness, and reprocessing fuel. Also includes a link to their extensive 2005 report on the subject. From the World Nuclear Association, an organization "promoting the peaceful worldwide use of nuclear power as a sustainable energy resource."
URL: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf02.html
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27895
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Equal Pay and Compensation Discrimination
Background about federal equal pay and compensation laws "enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990." Includes a notice about the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, signed into law in January 2009. From the EEOC.
URL: http://www.eeoc.gov/types/epa.html
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27882
Government
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
"NNSA is responsible for the management and security of the nation's nuclear weapons, nuclear nonproliferation, and naval reactor programs. It also responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad." Its website provides information about defense programs, nuclear nonproliferation (including detecting and disposing of dangerous nuclear and radiological material), naval reactors, emergency operations, nuclear security, and related topics. From the U.S. Department of Energy.
URL: http://nnsa.energy.gov/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27897
Recovery.gov
"Recovery.gov is a website that lets you, the taxpayer, figure out where the money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act [ARRA] is going." Includes text of this economic stimulus plan (signed by President Barack Obama on February 17, 2009), FAQ, timeline of the plan's operation, details about how the money will be used and estimated job effects, and related material. From the White House.
URL: http://www.recovery.gov/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27975
People
Eudora Welty House
Website for this National Historic Landmark in Jackson, Mississippi, that was the home of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eudora Welty for 76 years. Features a virtual tour of the house and garden (with a monthly flower bloom chart), a brief biography, and event listings (mostly in Mississippi) for the 2009 centennial of Welty's birth. From the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
URL: http://www.mdah.state.ms.us/welty/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27771
With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition
Website companion to a 2009 exhibition that "commemorates the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the nation's revered sixteenth president," Abraham Lincoln. Features essays and digitized items on the themes of his rise to national prominence, his presidency, and his assassination. Also includes Lincoln vignettes and interactive presentations from the artifacts. From the Library of Congress (LOC).
URL: http://myloc.gov/exhibitions/lincoln/Pages/default.aspx
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27958
Writers: Eudora Welty
Special feature on author and photographer Eudora Welty (1909-2001), who won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for "The Optimist's Daughter." Includes a tribute, bibliography, list of Welty's awards and honors, links to lesson plans and other websites (some broken), and an audio program. From Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
URL: http://www.mpbonline.org/television/series/writers/101-welty/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27773
Regional: California
Hollywood Movie Posters
Small online exhibit of movie posters that "date from 1913 to 1943 and reflect developments in movie history." Features an introductory essay and annotated images of posters for films such as "An International Sneak" (1917), "The Mark of Zorro" (1920), "Doctor X" (1932), and "Krakatoa" (1933). From the Los Angeles Public Library.
URL: http://www.lapl.org/virgal/movieposters/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27870
Regions of the World
Barack Obama's Hawaii
Details about activities and places in Hawaii associated with Barack Obama, who "was born ... at the Kapiolani Hospital for Women & Children in the city of Honolulu on the island of Oahu." Describes places from his childhood, such as a Baskin-Robbins where he once worked, a golf course Obama has used, and places to get food such as shave ice as eaten by Obama and his family. From the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.
URL: http://www.gohawaii.com/about_hawaii/explore/obama
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27304
Science
Charles Darwin After the "Origin"
Companion to a 2009 exhibition celebrating "the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of the 'Origin of Species.'" It focuses on "a significant period in Darwin's life that has thus far received little attention -- the twenty-two years following the publication of 'Origin.'" Features annotated images on topics such as mating displays and expression of emotions. Also includes links. From Cornell University Library and Museum of the Earth.
URL: http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/darwin/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27955
The Future of Nuclear Power
This 2003 report "discusses the interrelated technical, economic, environmental, and political challenges facing a significant increase in global nuclear power utilization." The report finds "prospects for nuclear energy as an option are limited, by four unresolved problems: high relative costs; perceived adverse safety, environmental, and health effects; potential security risks stemming from proliferation; and unresolved challenges in long-term management of nuclear wastes." From the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
URL: http://web.mit.edu/nuclearpower/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27898
The Future of Nuclear Power
This special report notes that the "U.S. -- and the world -- is gearing up to build a potentially massive fleet of new nuclear reactors, in part to fight climate change," and considers whether nuclear power can handle the load. Includes articles on topics such as balancing the risks and rewards of a power source, world uranium supplies, the economics of nuclear power, and uses for nuclear waste. From Scientific American.
URL: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-nuclear-option
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27891
In-Depth Reports: Science and the Obama Administration
Collection of news, features, and blog entries concerning science, health, and technology topics and the Obama administration. Some of the issues covered include climate change, health care reform, economic stimulus investments in science, and the U.S. space program. From the website for Scientific American magazine.
URL: http://www.sciam.com/report.cfm?id=obama-science
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27857
Union of Concerned Scientists: Nuclear Power
Collection of material about Union of Concerned Scientists activities relating to "monitoring the performance of nuclear plants and their regulators." Features sections on how nuclear power works, nuclear power technology (including cooling-water needs), nuclear power risks (safety and terrorism), and nuclear power and global warming. Also includes links to material on nuclear weapons.
URL: http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear_power/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27896
Society & Social Science
Aloha Friday
This short article describes the tradition of "Aloha Friday" in Hawaii. "The concept of Aloha Friday has spread even to the Mainland, as 'casual Friday,' when office workers are allowed to dress down a bit, and in some places the trend has moved to wearing Hawaiian-style shirts. Which is only appropriate, because the whole idea of Aloha Friday grew out of early efforts to promote locally manufactured aloha shirts." From Maui Magazine.
URL: http://uhcc.hawaii.edu/aloha/alohaFriday.php
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27802
The Library of Congress: Digital Preservation
This website features background and news about the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP), a collaborative initiative of the Library of Congress, which collects, archives, and preserves digital content. The site includes a number of tools and publications of interest to librarians and archivists, and a section on personal archiving. Includes links to related Library of Congress resources.
URL: http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/25187
Voices of Feminism Oral History Project
This project "documents the persistence and diversity of organizing for women in the United States in the latter half of the 20th century. Narrators include labor, peace, and anti-racism activists; artists and writers; lesbian rights advocates; grassroots anti-violence and anti-poverty organizers; and women of color reproductive justice leaders." Features biographical sketches and abstracts of interviews for each narrator, and transcripts of all but a few of the interviews. From the Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College.
URL: http://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/vof/vof-intro.html
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27486
Wednesdays in Mississippi: Civil Rights as Women's Work
Exhibit about a 1960s Civil Rights movement program called "Wednesdays in Mississippi," where weekly interracial and interfaith teams of northern women were sent by the National Council of Negro Women to Mississippi. "Competent, well connected, and educated, these women would work with Freedom Summer and the Freedom Schools." Read about race relations, program beginnings, two trips in 1964, and effects of the program. From the Virginia Center for Digital History in collaboration with other groups.
URL: http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/WIMS/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27493
Women's Education Evolves, 1790-1890: Selected Primary Sources From the William L. Clements Library
This exhibit illustrates "aspects of women's education from the Early Republic to women's entrance into colleges and universities." Browse digitized items (such as letters and diaries) on subjects such as colonial heritage, female curriculum, student life, teaching, academies and seminaries, and religion, race, and culture. From the William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.
URL: http://www.clements.umich.edu/womened/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27497
 |
Thanks for reading LII New This Week!
Jennifer English, Liaison to Califa Library Group
Wendy Hyman, Senior Editor
Maria Brandt, Associate Editor
Charlotte Bagby, Senior Weeder
| Copyright Notice Use of the annotations from this list must be accompanied by: Copyright 2009 by Librarians' Internet Index, LII. We encourage you to cite our records, to forward all or part of New This Week to colleagues and other discussion or announcement lists, to include citations to our resources in your pathfinders and training materials, and to otherwise leverage this publicly-funded resource. |
|
| Funding and Support Primary financial support for LII (Librarians' Internet Index) from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. LII is also supported by the IPL Consortium, and hosted by The iSchool at Drexel, College of Information Science and Technology. Other sources include California Digital Library. |