In September 1961, Congress passed Public Law 87-293 authorizing the Peace Corps. It was signed into law by then-president John F. Kennedy on September 22nd, although prior to this Congressional authorization he had established the Corps by Executive Order 10924 on March 1st.
Today Peace Corps volunteers are in over 70 countries, working with local people in areas of education, business and community development, technology, agriculture, youth outreach, health, and the environment. Learn more from the Peace Corps web site, which provides the quarterly Peace Corps Times newsletter, its mission, statistics (94% of volunteers have their bachelor’s degree), and application information for those considering volunteering. There also is an opportunity on Wed., Sept. 30th, to chat online with a returned volunteer and recruiter (preregistration required).
You also can find digital images and text (including the public law and executive order noted above) from the National Archives (search the Archival Research Catalog for “peace corps” (the “Digital Copies” button should be highlighted), and search HALCat (Andersen’s Library’s catalog) for the keyword phrase “peace corps” to find titles in our collection such as Crossing cultures with the Peace Corps: Peace Corps letters from the field (online), 
A life inspired: tales of Peace Corps service (2nd-floor Federal Documents collection, PE 1.2:L 62), and So, you want to join the Peace Corps–what to know before you go (3rd-floor Main Collection, HC60.5 .B34 2000).
Please ask a librarian for more assistance with finding materials.
The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!
Sept. 11 is a National Day of Service and Remembrance, as authorized by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act (Public Law 111-13).
I remember the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 very well. I was working at the Reference Desk when my colleague arrived and asked if I knew planes had hit the World Trade Center towers. I had no idea what she was talking about until I checked a news website. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. Today I looked again at 9/11 images preserved in the October and November 2001 issues of The Digital Journalist, and I can still hardly believe it.
The Library of Congress has an extensive September 11, 2001, Web Archive preserving images and statements of individuals, groups, the press and institutions in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
Andersen Library also has material on 9/11, including titles that you can find by searching HALCat (Harold Andersen Library’s Catalog), such as Tower stories: An oral history of 9/11 (3rd-floor Main Collection HV6432.7 .T69 2007) and The 9/11 Commission report: Final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (online or 2nd-floor U.S. Documents Y 3.2:T 27/2/FINAL).
Of course there also are many articles in newspapers, magazines, and journals that can be found by searching the Library’s article databases. Use ProQuest Historical Newspapers™–The New York Times, for example, to see articles at the time of the attacks.
If you would like assistance with finding materials, please ask a librarian.
The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!
On August 10, 1846, President James Polk signed legislation that created the Smithsonian Institution. It all started in 1826 when James Smithson, a British scientist, named his nephew as his beneficiary, but stipulated that if the nephew died without heirs (which he did) the estate would go to the United States to found the Smithsonian Institution, “an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” Read more about it on the Smithsonian web site.
So happy birthday, Smithsonian! It exists now as a complex of 19 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo. I’ve visited several of the museums, and I can enthusiastically recommend them. My favorites are the National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of the American Indian. But if you can’t travel there, the museum web sites have wonderful content. The Natural History Museum, for example, has a virtual tour that I’ve enjoyed.
The Smithsonian Magazine (also on Twitter) is full of interesting articles on all kinds of topics. Andersen Library receives it in print and puts the most recent issue on the 2nd-floor magazine racks.
The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!
I am going to shock my coworkers by blogging about sports! I just like to keep them guessing sometimes.
On August 3, 1949, the Basketball Association of America and National Basketball League merged to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). You can read more about it on both the NBA’s web site and the History Channel’s web site.
Andersen Library also has materials on the history of basketball (and sports in general) if you’d like to read more about it. A search of the Library Catalog would find titles such as They cleared the lane: The NBA’s Black pioneers (3rd-floor Main Collection, GV885.7 .T46 2002) and A Century of women’s basketball: From frailty to final four (3rd-floor Main Collection, GV886 .C45 1991). Encyclopedia of world sport: From ancient times to the present (2nd-floor Reference Collection, GV567 .E56 1996) has information on the Basketball Association of America, National Basketball League, National Basketball Association, and the National Wheelchair Basketball Association.
Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.
“Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. The first steps by humans on another planetary body were taken by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969.” – NASA’s “Apollo 40th Anniversary” web pages (Didn’t see it? You can watch NASA’s videos of the 1969 event).
Andersen Library has many related materials for children and adults. Search the library catalog for children’s materials such as the pop-up book Moon landing (2nd-floor Curriculum Collection, Oversize Juvenile Nonfiction, 629.45 Pla) and Buzz Aldrin’s autobiography Reaching for the moon (2nd-floor Curriculum Collection, Oversize Easy Book, E Ald). 
Adults may be interested in items such as the 29-minute NASA video The Eagle has landed (2nd-floor Browsing VHS, TL799 .M6 E2x), Michael Collins‘ autobiography Carrying the fire: An astronaut’s journeys (3rd-floor Main Collection, TL789.85 .C64 A33 1974), or The moonlandings: An eyewitness account (3rd-floor Main Collection, TL789.8.U6 A5844 2003).
There also are many articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers about Apollo 11, and spaceflight in general. For example, read articles from the New York Times using the ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times database (pictured at right is part of the front page from July 21, 1969).
Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding additional materials.
The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!
Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) is the anniversary of the 1862 Battle of Puebla, in which outnumbered Mexican troops defeated Napoleon III’s invading French army (despite this defeat the French weren’t actually stopped until 1867). The date is observed today by many in the U.S. and other countries as a celebration of pride in Mexican heritage.
UWW observance:
The Interested Ladies of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority will host UWW’s “First Annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration” May 5th, 2008, from 7-8 pm in the UC Summers Auditorium. The UWW community is invited to this opportunity to learn the importance of the events that took place on Cinco de Mayo, 1862 in Mexico. A pinata celebration will follow after the program outside the UC.
More information is available from the University Library:
Books include The Latino holiday book: from Cinco de Mayo to Dia de los Muertos– the celebrations and traditions of Hispanic-Americans (3rd-floor Main Collection, GT4803 .M45 2000) or The Oxford encyclopedia of Latinos & Latinas in the United States (2nd-floor Reference Collection E184 S75 O97 2005, v.1, pp.345-346). For the very serious, there are related books such as The French experience in Mexico, 1821-1861: a history of constant misunderstanding (3rd-floor Main Collection, DC59.8 .M6 B37).
Articles may be found in a variety of library databases, including Academic Search Premier. Here’s an example: “America’s growing observance of Cinco de Mayo” published in the Journal of American Culture (vol. 21, no. 2).
