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• New Reference Book: The Measure of America

  16Feb

  Categories: General Works, History, Humanities, Research, Social Sciences Click Here To Comment: 0 Comments

  By Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian
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  The Measure of America written and edited by Sarah Burd-Sharps, Kristen Lewis and Eduardo Borges Martins, Columbia U. Press, 2008.

  Find it in Ohrstrom: REF 317 B89M

  A collection of data, statistics and interpretive text that reflects upon and measures the well-being of Americans.  The report focuses, using a variety of different measurements, on three main areas: health, education & standard of living.

  Chapter/Essay Titles Include: The Essential Conditions for Good Health, Health Insurance: The Policy That Unlocks Many Doors, Access to Knowledge: How We Fare Internationally, Factors That Fuel Growth in Earnings InEquality.

  Helpful for: Humanities IV, American History, Social History, Statistics, Gender Studies

  Tags: American History, gender studies, Humanities, Humanities IV, Leadership for Social Justice, New Reference Book, reference, Research, Social History, Statistics, U.S. History

• New Reference Book: Encyclopedia of African American History

  02Feb

  Categories: History, Humanities, Social Sciences Click Here To Comment: 0 Comments

  By Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian
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  Encyclopedia of African American History: 1619 -1895 edited by Paul Finkelman, Oxford U. Press, 2006.

  Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 305.896 F49A

  Throughout three volumes this set discusses the history of African Americans from the earliest American settlements to the close of the nineteenth century corresponding with the death of Frederick Douglass. Entries focus on historical biography, politics, law, culture, religion, and economics.

  Examples include: African Americans and the West, Black Seafarers, Haitian Revolutions, Hair and Beauty Culture, Ida B. Wells-Barnett

  Helpful for: Humanities IV, American History, African American Studies, Social History

  Encyclopedia of African American History: 1896 to the Present edited by Paul Finkelman, Oxford U. Press, 2009.

  Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 305.896 F49A

  In five volumes and 1,250 entries, this set “reflects the trauma, tragedy, hope and accomplishments of black culture and life since 1896” (xxiii).  Entries focus on biography, politics, law, art, music, sport, entertainment, religion, and economics.

  Examples include: Astronauts, Blaxploitation Films, Sean Combs, Family, Oprah, Railroad Segregation, and United Negro College Fund.

  Helpful for: Humanities IV, American History, African American Studies, Social History

  Tags: African American History, American History, Humanities, Humanities IV, New Reference Book, reference, Research, Social History

• New Reference Book: Chronology of American History

  27Jan

  Categories: History, Humanities, Research Click Here To Comment: 0 Comments

  By Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian
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  Chronology of American History by John C. Fredriksen, Facts on File, 2008.

  Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 973 F87C

  A lengthy, four-volume, chronology spanning American History 1400s-2007.  Some events are given a brief mention (1-2 sentences) while others are discussed in more detail (2-3 paragraphs).

  Find a place in time and read about:

  • Hannah Dustin
  • Business, Religion
  • Military and Slavery issues in 1703
  • Music in 1946 (one of the year’s most popular tunes was “Ole Buttermilk Sky”)
  • The Cold War

  Scan political and business highlights from 2004 and find:

  • Democrats nominate John Kerry SPS ’62 for President
  • U.S. Supreme Court upholds Pennsylvania’s 2002 redistricting plan
  • Dow Jones closes the year at 10,783.01

  Helpful for: Humanities IV, Humanities IV Research Paper, American History, Topic Finding

  Tags: American History, Chronology, Humanities IV, Humanities IV Research Paper, New Reference Book, reference, Research

• New Database: American History in Video

  21Jan

  Categories: Databases, History, Humanities, Library News, Research, Web Resources Click Here To Comment: 0 Comments

  By Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian
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  Ohrstrom Library is pleased to announce its subscription to American History in Video.  This database provides access to over 5,000 titles from the 1920s to 2008 including: newsreels, documentaries and government footage.

  

  Every video includes a complete and fully searchable transcript, readable alongside the video.

  

  Videos can be selected from the database by keyword searching, or by multiple categories, including: subjects, historical eras, years, historical events, people, places and topics.  Consider browsing by year to locate primary source videos created during the time period you are studying.

  

  Click HERE to access the database.

  To cite this source, be sure to give credit to both the creator of the video and to the database.
  Example:

  Burns, Ken, dir. Civil War. Episode 3, Forever Free (1862). PBS, 1990.

  American History in Video. Web. 12 Dec. 2009. <http://ahiv.alexanderstreet.com/Playlists/326964>.

  Tags: American History, Databases, History, Humanities, Humanities IV, primary sources, reference, Research, U.S. History, Web Resources

• Fourth Form Paper: Go with the Flowchart!

  13Jan

  Categories: Humanities, Library News, Research, Web Resources Click Here To Comment: 0 Comments

  By Lisa Laughy - Library Web Services
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  You’ve received your assignment and had your class with Ms. Sanborn in the library, but where do you go from there?  Go with the flowchart – the Fourth Form Paper Flowchart, that is.

  

  The Fourth Form Paper Flowchart was developed as a companion to the Fourth Form Paper Research guide – as an easy way to visualize the process of writing your Humanities paper.   The flowchart is available as a one page PDF document (click HERE) that can be downloaded, saved to your computer desktop, printed out for ready reference, and/or hung on the wall as a constant guide.  Hypertext links have been embedded into the PDF for the online elements, making it possible to click through to the resource described.  Following the flowchart step-by-step will help you see where you are in the research process and what still needs to be done – assisting with time management so you can avoid a last minute crunch.

  Save it, print it, post it, bookmark it, or favorite it, just be sure to take advantage of this great new reference resource!

  Tags: American History, Databases, flowchart, History, Humanities, Humanities IV, reference, Research, U.S. History, Web Resources

• New Reference Book: Daily Life through World History in Primary Documents

  12Jan

  Categories: History, Humanities, Research, Social Sciences Click Here To Comment: 0 Comments

  By Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian
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  Daily Life through World History in Primary Documents edited by Lawrence Morris, Greenwood Press, 2009.

  Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 909 M832D

  Each volume in this three-volume set features worldwide primary source documents from a different time period.

  • Volume 1 – The Ancient World
  • Volume 2 – The Middle Ages and the Renaissance
  • Volume 3 – The Modern World

  
  Examples include:

  • An excerpt from the first-century A.D. text Jewish Antiquities: “Jewish Laws on Marriage and Family.”
  • A passage from Lankavatara Sutra, a Buddhist religious text estimated to be from the fourth century B.C.: “Do Not Eat Meat.”
  • A document written by a third-century Egyptian lentil merchant, requesting tax relief.
  • A poem by Chinese poet Po Chu-I (A.D. 772-846): “The Charcoal-Seller.”
  • An excerpt from the writings of a millworker, Harriet H. Robinson: Loom and Spindle, or Life Among the Early Mill Girls.
  • An excerpt about fast food from Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation: the Dark Side of the All-American Meal.

  Helpful for: Humanities III, Humanities IV, Humanities IV Research Paper, Humanities V, Humanities V Research Paper, Topic Finding, Global Studies

  Tags: American History, Global Studies, History, Humanities III, Humanities IV, Humanities V, New Reference Book, primary sources, reference, Research, Topic Fining

• New Reference Book: Census Atlas of the United States: Census 2000 Special Reports, U. S. Census Bureau

  07Jan

  Categories: Geography, History, Humanities, Research, Social Sciences Click Here To Comment: 0 Comments

  By Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian
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  Census Atlas of the United States: Census 2000 Special Reports, U. S. Census Bureau, 2007.

  Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 912 Un3C

  Over 250 pages of maps and data reflect characteristics of the United States.  Comparative historical data is often included.

  Compare the percentage of foreign born residents from in England in 1900 to 2000 (pg 151), look at a map of the U.S. presenting commuters leaving home before 6 a.m. in 1990 and also 2000 (pg 191), consider the child-to-woman ratio across the U.S. in 2000 (pg 81) or examine multi-generational households across the U.S. in 2000 (pg 81).

  View the online version HERE.

  Helpful for: Humanities IV, American History, Social History, Statistics

  Tags: American History, Humanities IV, New Reference Book, reference, Research, Statistics

• New Reference Book: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of World Popular Culture

  03Dec

  Categories: History, Humanities, Research, Social Sciences Click Here To Comment: 0 Comments

  By Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian
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  Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

  The Greenwood Encyclopedia of World Popular Culture edited by Gary Hoppenstand, Greenwood Press, 2007.

  Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 306.03 G85W

  Each volume in this 6-volume set  discusses popular culture from a particular area of the world.

  Included are:
  • Volume 1 – North America
  • Volume 2 – Latin America
  • Volume 3 – Europe
  • Volume 4 – North Africa and the Middle East
  • Volume 5 – Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Volume 6 – Asia and Pacific Oceania

  Each volume then discusses the following topics:
  •    Architecture
  •    Art
  •    Dance
  •    Fashion and Appearance
  •    Film
  •    Food and Foodways
  •    Games, Toys and Pastimes
  •    Literature
  •    Love, Sex and Marriage
  •    Music
  •    Periodicals
  •    Radio and Television
  •    Sports and Recreation
  •    Theater and Performance
  •    Transportation and Travel

  Helpful for: Humanities III, Humanities IV, Humanities IV Research Paper, Humanities V, Humanities V Research Paper, Topic Finding, History, Middle Eastern Voices, Global Studies

  Tags: Africa, American History, Asia, Europe, Global Awareness, Global Studies, History, Humanities, Humanities III, Humanities IV, Humanities V, Latin America, Middle East, Middle Eastern Voices, New Reference Book, North America, popular culture, reference, Religion, Research, TV, U.S. History

• New Reference Book: The Eighties in America

  29Oct

  Categories: History, Humanities, Research, Social Sciences Click Here To Comment: 0 Comments

  By Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian
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  Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

  The Eighties in America edited by Milton Berman, Salem Press, 2008.

  Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 973.927 B45E

  Almost 700 essays span this 3-volume set.  Essays focus on important people, ideas, and innovations of the 1980s.  Volume three also contains several lists pertinent to the 1980s including: Major films, Academy Awards, Broadway plays, TV Shows, Legislation, and Best-Selling Books.  Following this selection of  lists is a year-by-year breakdown of key events that occurred during this decade.

  Read about: Fax machines, The Empire Strikes Back, Cyberpunk literature, Nintendo and the 1980’s Environmental Movement.

  Helpful for research and fun for browsing!

  Access the online version of this Reference set  (and the 1960’s decade version as well) by clicking  HERE.

  Helpful for: Humanities IV, Humanities IV Research Paper, Popular Culture, Topic Finding

  Tags: 1980s, American History, fax machines, Humanities IV, Humanities IV Research Paper, New Reference Book, popular culture, reference, Research

• New Reference Set: Statistical Encyclopedia of North American Professional Sports

  02Apr

  Categories: History, Research Click Here To Comment: 0 Comments

  By Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian
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  Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

  

  Statistical Encyclopedia of North American Professional Sports: All Major League Teams and Major Non-Team Events Year by Year, 1876 through 2006 2nd ed. Edited by K. Michael Gaschnitz. McFarland, 2008.

  Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 796 G21S

  Use this set to locate statistics related to Major League team sports of the U.S. and Canada including: baseball, hockey, basketball, soccer and football.   Browse or search by date or team.

  Use this set to determine the number of wins by the Boston Red Caps in 1876 (39); to find  that in 1959 Jean Beliveau lead the National Hockey League with 45 goals; and discover that in 1998 the Women’s National Basketball Association named Suzie McConnell Serio of the Cleveland Rockers the Newcomer of the Year.

  Helpful for: Sports Fans, North American History.

  Ohrstrom Library staff wishes best of luck to our spring SPS sports teams as they begin the new season: baseball, crew, lacrosse, softball, tennis and track!

  Image above: Bennett, James E. Baseball Catcher. Patent 755,209. 22 Mar. 1904. United States Patent and Trademark Office. 14 Feb. 2009 <http://patft.uspto.gov/>.

  Tags: American History, baseball, basketball, Canadian History, football, history of sports, Hockey, Major League sports, New Reference Book, soccer, Sports, U.S. History