LII: New This Week

New This Week for June 25, 2009

This Week
LII's longtime editorial staff say good-bye to our subscribers and welcome to the team who will carry on the program. Our thanks to Carole Leita, LII's founder, and Karen G. Schneider, our captain after Carole retired, for their leadership and vision. Many thanks to our former volunteer contributors, with a special tribute to the remaining few: Barbara, Dennis, Julianna, June, Ray, and Sybil. The four of us have enjoyed our years working together and it's been a privilege and a pleasure to be part of this project. To my colleagues, thank you for the professional and social talents and dedication that made it possible to maintain LII's high standards whatever the organizational weather. Best wishes to all from librarians Wendy, Jennifer, Maria, and Charlotte.

Tip of the Week
In July and August LII New This Week will feature websites selected and reviewed by former LII staff, and published by Drexel University. The first newsletter is planned for July 16; look for it in your RSS reader or on our website!

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Arts and Humanities

Rebecca's Pocket: Summer 2009 [Reading Lists]
This extensive compilation of links to 2009 summer reading lists covers a variety of themes and topics in summer reading, such as fiction, thrillers, "chick lit," travel, cooking, gardening, history, and politics. Posts include separate sections for book lists for children and young adults. From a longtime blogger and author of a book about blogging.
URL: http://www.rebeccablood.net/archive/reading_lists/summer_2009/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28406

Sight Unseen
Companion to a 2009 exhibit that "presents work by the most accomplished blind photographers in the world. It is the first major museum exhibition on a rich subject full of paradox and revelation." Features gallery of photos (with audio descriptions), virtual exhibit tour, and text and audio of essay. From the California Museum of Photography, University of California, Riverside.
URL: http://www.cmp.ucr.edu/exhibitions/sightunseen/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28394

Business

Baseline Scenario
This blog, written by economics experts, is "dedicated to explaining some of the key issues in the global economy and developing concrete policy proposals." Some of the topics covered include banking, mortgages, economic stimulus, and regulation. In addition to ongoing blog entries, it features a "Financial Crisis for Beginners" section and links to related content written by the authors for other publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.
URL: http://baselinescenario.com/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28247

Government

Kids in the House
Use this interactive site to help children learn about the United States House of Representatives, the Office of the Clerk, and their roles in lawmaking. Also find historical material on important House events, historical figures, and works of art in the House; take a tour of the U.S. Capitol complex, the House chamber, and Statuary Hall; play games; and more. From the Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives.
URL: http://clerkkids.house.gov/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28069

Our Courts: 21st Century Civics
"Justice Sandra Day O'Connor welcomes teachers and students to the site for civics games, lesson plans, comprehensive resource link, civics-in-action projects, and more." Use the "Learn About Civics" section to find material about current members of the U.S. Supreme Court (and Sandra Day O'Connor), the three branches of government, tribal government, and state resources. Includes lesson plans on the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. From Georgetown University and Arizona State University.
URL: http://www.ourcourts.org/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28067

The Redistricting Game
"'The Redistricting Game' is designed to educate, engage, and empower citizens around the issue of political redistricting." When playing the game, you will learn about redistricting fundamentals, gerrymandering, the Voting Rights Act, and potential reforms. Includes links to related information. From the University of Southern California (USC) Game Innovation Lab, part of the USC School of Cinematic Arts' Interactive Media Division. It was developed for the USC Annenberg Center for Communications.
URL: http://www.redistrictinggame.org/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28068

Health

MedicalMnemonics.com
Students of anatomy and medicine often employ mnemonics to remember complex pathways, algorithms, and symptom groups. This site provides a database of medical mnemonics gathered from a group of contributors (many of them doctors). Search, or browse by topic such as anesthesiology, cardiology, pathology, immunology, and urology. Also includes a version of the database for portable devices and links to related sites.
URL: http://www.medicalmnemonics.com
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28415

Patient Privacy Rights
This organization is "dedicated to ensuring Americans control access to their health records" and that "what you say in the doctor's office should stay in the doctor's office." Includes material about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and other legislation on patient privacy, information about electronic health records, links to news and studies, suggestions for consumer advocacy, and related material. This organization was founded by a doctor in 2004.
URL: http://www.patientprivacyrights.org/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28225

TeenGrowth.com
The TeenGrowth site, written by pediatricians specializing in the care of adolescents, is "specifically tailored toward the health interests and general well-being of the teenage population. TeenGrowth offers a secure environment to search for, request and receive valuable health care information on topics such as alcohol, drugs, emotions, health, family, friends, school, sex and sports." Also includes a list of crisis hotlines, an interactive growth chart, and a body mass index (BMI) calculator.
URL: http://www.teengrowth.com/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28416

TeenHealthFX
This site is a "resource for any and all questions regarding [teen] health, your relationships, your body and your sexuality. While this site is informative, it's not a substitute for talking to your doctor and your parents." Includes information and quizzes on topics such as illnesses, sports and nutrition, and drugs. Funded by Atlantic Health's Morristown Memorial Hospital and Overlook Hospital. "The site is maintained with input from teenagers and support from community leaders."
URL: http://www.teenhealthfx.com
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28417

Home & Housing

Butter Through the Ages
Explore the history and making of butter. Topics include recent debates and controversies about health concerns associated with butter and other fats, cooking with clarified butter, the chemistry of butter, historical butter storage methods, the use of butter in selected countries (such as India, Tibet, Japan, and Russia), instructions for making butter, and related material. From the Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement (IDEA), an organization that promotes online learning.
URL: http://www.webexhibits.org/butter/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27990

People

Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn: Jazz Composers
Presentation about "two of the greatest composers of jazz ... Duke Ellington (1899-1974) and Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967), ... [who] collaborated on hundreds of works." Find biographies of Ellington and Strayhorn, and an examination of two jazz standards: "'Caravan,' written in 1936 by Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol, and 'Take the "A" Train,' composed in 1941 by Billy Strayhorn." Includes audio and video clips. From the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
URL: http://americanhistory.si.edu/documentsgallery/exhibitions/ellington_s...
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28280

Ready Reference & Quick Facts

Slate: Explainer
"Answers to your questions about the news." Covers both serious and frivolous topics such as why the color green is so important to the Muslim world, how many balloons would it take to lift a house, how to find a missing plane, why car dealerships are closing, and what is a pandemic health alert. Includes material back to 1998. From the online magazine Slate.
URL: http://www.slate.com/id/1787/landing/1
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28318

Recreation

The National Parks: America's Best Idea
Website for this Ken Burns film series (scheduled to air on PBS in September 2009) that "traces the birth of the national park idea in the mid-1800s and follows its evolution for nearly 150 years." As of summer 2009, website features email postcards, park badges for Facebook and MySpace pages, wallpapers and widgets, filmmaker chat details, and Q&A's and other background about the series. History, park profiles, and other material will be added in September.
URL: http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28407

Regions of the World

Traveler IQ Challenge
Use these online game maps to test your knowledge of locations around the world. Includes games for the world, Europe, Canada, Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America, U.S, world capitals, photos, flags, and more. From TravelPod.com.
URL: http://www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27601

Science

The Liberty Bell: Protecting an American Icon
Special report about the Liberty Bell, focusing on history of this famous symbol of independence and on the move of the bell in 2003 to its current location at the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia. Includes images, videos, a fact sheet, and details about wireless sensors used to monitor the Liberty Bell crack during its 2003 move. From the National Science Foundation (NSF).
URL: http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/liberty/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28408

Society & Social Science

Corporation for National and Community Service
This website provides information about "the nation's largest grantmaker supporting service and volunteering." Find background about the Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, and special initiatives such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and National Mentoring Month. Includes sections for organizations and individuals, links to program pages and to a resource center for volunteer and service programs, stories of service from program participants, and related material.
URL: http://www.nationalservice.gov/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/28260

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 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 (CDL).