T3: Your Digital Life

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Diana

Your Digital Life Graphic

Starting next week and continuing through the summer, Tech Tips Thursday (T3) will focus on the theme of Your Digital Life. The summer is a great time to evaluate how, when, and where to create, find, store, manage, and publish information and media in a digital environment. This includes everything from the best place to store photos online to how to keep track of your Twitter account notifications. This 8-part, bi-weekly series will cover the following topics:

  • Passwords: Manage your passwords and keep them secure
  • Storage Space: Store and backup your digital files and archives
  • Social Media: Manage your accounts and maintain your desired level of privacy
  • Photos & Media: Share, manage, and store photos and other media
  • Notetaking: Capture information on the fly
  • Reading & Citation Management: Find and cite what you read both online and in hardcopy
  • Automation: Harness the power of websites and apps to automatically complete tasks
  • Optimize the Web: Make your web experience better using browser extensions, apps, and settings

If you want to keep track of this series, you can bookmark this post to see each post in the series as it appears, subscribe to the blog feed (http://blogs.uww.edu/library/feed) via a feed reader (examples: The Old Reader, Reeder, Feedly), or you can subscribe via your email (subscribe via Microsoft’s Outlook email program).

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Desperately seeking primary sources?

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Barbara

Are you in the Atlantic History course, or some other course for which you are looking up primary sources for periods like 1400-1800?? There are library guides for courses like Atlantic History that list databases to search for primary sources. Here are some tips for using Early English Books Online (EEBO), one of the primary source databases available to UW-Whitewater students and staff:

  1. Use AND between search terms on the search box, e.g., tobacco AND slaves. Another possibility that requires your search terms to be closer together is tobacco NEAR slaves

    2. Remember that you are looking up words used by the people who wrote these documents! They may not have used the spellings you expect, or even the words you expect, so read on to tip #2:

  2. Click the little text right of the search box “Check for variants” to get a list of possible spelling variants on your search terms, click the boxes for the possibilities you’d like to include in your search, and then click the blue “Select” box.
  3. Be sure to adjust the date period to be searched, or it will use the default (which runs from 1473-1900).
  4. Consider using the “SUBJECT KEYWORD(s):” Click “Select from a list” and type the beginning of a word, e.g., tobacc, click the blue “Search for” button, next you can highlight subjects from the list that appears, and then click the blue “OK” button to return to the search page.
    • To select a run of subjects on the list: click the first one that appeals and scroll down to the last one that appeals, hold down the Shift key and then click the last one that appeals.
    • To select scattered subjects, hold down the Ctrl key and click the ones you want to use.
  5. Now click “Search.”

Once you have the results, each one will tell you how many times your search words were found, e.g., “Found: 128 hit(s)”. Click the link below that (the title in blue) to get into the text. Click “-> First hit” to get to the first use of one of your search words in the text. Thereafter, use the arrows to go to the previous or next use of your search words.

The link “View document image” interspersed within the text allows you to see the page images.

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“Search, seizure, and cellphones”

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Barbara

image of smart phoneWould you want your cellphone searched by the police? Should they be able to do that without a warrant? Is your phone protected from that now? What about your privacy??

At 9 a.m. (Central) on Tuesday, April 29, the National Public Radio/WBUR program OnPoint will focus on “Search, seizure, and cellphones.” You can livestream programs from the WBUR (Boston) web site, or listen to the podcast of the program later.

Guests include Jacob Gershman, lead writer for The Wall Street Journal‘s Law Blog; Adam Gershowitz, professor of law at the William and Mary University Law School; Kevin Boyle, general counsel for the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO; and Sheriff Grady Judd, Polk County, FL.

Andersen Library has resources for learning more. Search HALCat for titles such as the book Always on: How the iPhone unlocked the anything – anytime – anywhere future–and locked us in (3rd-Floor Main Collection, HM851 .C45 2011) and the Congressional committee hearing The Electronic Communications Privacy Act promoting security and protecting privacy in the digital age. Search article databases for resources such as “The Fourth Amendment in a world without privacy” (Mississippi Law Journal, vol.81:no.5, pp.1309-1355).

The SCOTUSblog talks about the U.S. Supreme Court taking on the “conflict between technology and privacy” in a couple of cases in the post “Court to rule on cellphone privacy” (Jan. 17, 2014). You can see briefs filed for Riley v California and United States v Wurie among the 2013-2014 Supreme Court Briefs posted at the American Bar Association web site. Oral arguments for both cases are scheduled for Tues., Apr. 29. The audio will be posted to the Supreme Court’s web site as well as to the Oyez Project web site, which also offers a video of a law school professor discussing the background of the case and its legal issues in “Riley v. California: Inside the Case.”

FDLP logo Andersen Library is a federal and Wisconsin depository library with federal and state government documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in various formats (print, DVD/CD-ROM, online). Check out your government at Andersen Library!

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New Stuff Tuesday – April 29, 2014

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Carol

Brainstorm

Brainstorm:
The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain
by Daniel J. Siegel
BF724 .S49 2013
New Arrivals, 2nd floor

It’s always interesting (though sometimes uncomfortable) to get insight into one’s own behavior. So here’s a book that will be illuminating for college students who wonder why they think and act so differently from the adults in their lives.

Daniel Siegel is a professor of psychiatry at UCLA and he offers this work as, “An Inside-Out Guide to the Emerging Adolescent Mind, Ages 12-24.” He explores important brain developments that take place during adolescence and help turn kids into adults. Not only does Siegel explain the biochemistry and physiology of what’s happening in the brain, but more importantly, he explores why these changes happen and how they prepare children for adulthood. Siegel writes both to children and their parents and includes a number of exercises designed to help kids work through difficult issues on their own.

Whether you are an adolescent yourself or a parent or teacher of adolescents, this book helps to demystify the adolescent brain and suggests practical ways to smooth some of the rough patches on the journey to adulthood.

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Money Mondays: Retirement

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Amanda Howell

Though it seems like it’s a long way off, retirement is something you have to start saving for early in life. Think back to when we discussed compound interest a few weeks ago. The benefits of compound interest are particularly evident when talking about retirement. Take a look at this infographic from Bankrate, which illustrates the importance of saving for retirement when you’re young. If you start investing in your 20s, you’ll have a lot more money at retirement than if you start investing later in life.

Retirement, by Tax Credits (flickr)

There are a number of different retirement plans out there. Some are offered through employers, while others are not. For the employer-sponsored plans, what you have access to may vary based on where you work. In the private sector, employers may offer a 401(k). In the non-profit and public education sectors, the 403(b) is common. Make sure you understand what options are available to you and how they work. If you have questions, talk to your employer’s Human Resource Department. There are a number of benefits to participating in employer-sponsored retirement programs, the primary one being that employers often contribute to the plan as well, which means free money for you. Another positive is that the money you contribute is deducted from your paycheck before taxes. You don’t have to pay taxes on the money until it is withdrawn.

An IRA, or Individual Retirement Account, is another type of retirement plan. The most common options are the Traditional IRA and the Roth IRA, which are not available through employers. Roth IRA’s are usually encouraged for younger people, because you will probably be in a higher tax bracket when you retire than you are in right now. However, make sure you talk to a financial specialist to determine which account best fits your needs. The IRS has a helpful comparison chart you can look at, as well.

If you’re wondering how much you should save for retirement each month, the answer is as much as you can. Some plans have restrictions on how much you can set aside each year. The closer you get to that limit the better. The more money set aside now, the more that money will grow.

Below are a few resources to give you additional information retirement. Even if it seems like a long way off, it doesn’t hurt to start planning now!

Via Andersen Library:

  • Financial Asset Management and Wealth in Retirement, by Terrance G. Waverly. Available online.
  • Pensions: Backgrounds, Trends, and Issues, by Henry J. Mullen. Available online.
  • Individual Retirement Accounts: A Primer, by Felix R. Burnes. Available online.

Retirement Calculators:

Other Resources:

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Lineage Societies – Are You Eligible??

Posted on April 25, 2014 by the Library

Did an ancestor run a tavern before the American Revolution?  You qualify for The Flagon and Trencher Society, a group established in 1962 for the descendants of tavern, inn and pub owners working in America before 1776.

Did a grandparent fight in World War II?  You qualify for one of the newest lineage societies, The Sons and Daughters of World War II Veterans, established 2011.

Have a Salem witch among your ancestors?  Learn more about the Associated Daughters of Early American Witches (membership by invitation only).

Lineage societies are groups of people organized around a genealogical heritage they have in common.  The heritage may be as common as being of Scottish ancestry – many cities have St. Andrew’s Societies, including Milwaukee.  It may be as esoteric as the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, established in 1638 (oldest in North America) and still going strong.  Societies number in the hundreds, see Cyndi’s List – Societies & Groups – Lineage Societies for lists.  All societies limit membership to those who meet the heritage criteria established for the group.  Many organizations also limit membership by gender and may require an invitation to join from current members.  Prospective members will be asked to supply genealogical proof of the heritage requirement.  Most maintain libraries of genealogical research on the families of their members and the history of their topic of interest.

Some of the better known societies include the Daughters of the American Revolution, the General Society of Mayflower Descendants (commonly called the Mayflower Society), the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Descendants of the Illegitimate Sons and Daughters of the Kings of Britain (aka “The Royal Bastards”).

For more information on joining lineage societies, see the staff in Special Collections, 1230 Andersen Library.

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Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Kate

Did you know there are free library services for people who have a visual impairment or reading disability? Wisconsin’s Talking Book and Braille Library, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has many services and resources available to those who are visually impaired or who have physical limitations due to cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s, arthritis, and strokes.

The program offers free access to magazines, newspapers, and best selling books from the classics to current trends in literature and popular fiction, including Spanish language and other languages for everyone.

If interested or know of someone who would benefit from these services and resources, here is a link to an application to get signed up for these services: Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library

Searching Andersen Library’s catalog, using the keyword “braille” will give you many results, including several books and government documents that are solely in braille.

FDLP logo Andersen Library is a federal and Wisconsin depository library with many federal and state government documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in many formats, including online. Check out your government at Andersen Library!

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New Stuff Tuesday – April 22, 2014

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Martha

Claiming Tribal Identity book cover

Claiming Tribal Identity:
The Five Tribes and the Politics of Federal Acknowledgment
By Mark Edwin Miller
E78.O45 M56 2013
New Arrivals, 2nd floor

The Office of Federal Acknowledgment is charged with establishing that an American Indian group exists as a federally recognized Indian tribe, and therefor eligible for certain rights as sovereign Indian nations. They review, verify, and evaluate groups’ petitions, and make final recommendations. As of November 2013 the U.S. OFA lists 344 tribes waiting for federal acknowledgement. Of these, 269 groups have submitted only letters of intent or partially documented petitions, and are not ready for evaluation. Seven petitions under active consideration, while two petitions are ready and waiting for active consideration. The others are somewhere in between.

In Claiming Tribal Identity: The Five Tribes and the Politics of Federal Acknowledgment, Miller (History, Southern Utah University, Cedar City) deals with the issue of federal acknowledgement of “new” tribal entities of the southeastern United States from the point of view of the Cherokees, Chicasaws, Choctaws, Creeks (Muscogees), and Seminoles, known collectively as the “Five Civilized Tribes.” In particular focusing on the histories of those five tribes, stories and histories of groups originally from that area who try to maintain or create tribal identity, and other local groups that, for a variety of reasons, are not currently federally recognized and wish to be. These are divided into groups of vetted tribes, contested tribes, and fraudulent tribes for the purpose of organization in the book.

One of the things I find fascinating about this book is how many groups, 68, are trying to gain federal recognition claiming ancestry with one of the Five Civilized Tribes and with part of their name containing Cherokee, Chicasaw, Choctaw, Creek (Muscogee), and Seminole. That’s over 20%, and it’s easy to see how the Cherokee Nation might want to investigate this and separate out the wheat from the chaff by eliminating the acknowledgement prospects of wannabes and fraudulent tribes. They are also against state recognition as that process tends to not be nearly as rigorous as the federal one, and many of those state “approved” tribes have not continued on to pursue federal recognition, which gives pause. The Cherokee Nation believes that only federally acknowledged tribes should be considered Native Americans, and other’s should not. It would be interesting to read more about other tribal nations’ points of view on this point.

Mark Edwin Miller has produced a well-documented book worth hours of pondering, and I think it’s worth the effort. Now if he would only write a follow-up book on other parts of the country I’d be even more happy.

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Earth Week 2014!

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Barbara

It’s Earth Week from April 21-25, 2014. There are campus events planned Monday-Thursday…what will you be doing? At various events you can at least recycle your plastic bag collection and maybe even buy a spider plant.

photo of UW-Whitewater greenhouse taken Sept 29, 2012

  • Monday April 21
  • Tuesday April 22
    • Birds of Prey Exhibit 10am-3pm in front of Upham Hall (in the atrium if it rains), with demonstrations at 10:30am, 12noon, and 1pm
    • Bicycle Recycle (free bike checkups and some basic maintenance) 10am-2pm outside the UC’s north side
    • Start Your Own Herb Garden! noon-4pm in Andersen Library
  • Wednesday April 23
    • Garden Volunteering and Greenhouse Tour 9am-noon in the Upham Greenhouse
    • ECOFair in UC Hamilton Room noon-3pm
    • Recyclable Fashion Show 4-5pm in Hyland Hall’s Timmerman Auditorium: build an outfit out of recyclable materials
    • Food Patriots Documentary at 6pm in UC Summers Auditorium
  • Thursday April 24
    • Pinterest Upcycling Workshop 7-9pm in UC259B (bring your toilet paper rolls and large cereal boxes)

Andersen Library has related resources, e.g., search HALCat to find titles such as the book, Bottled lightning: superbatteries, electric cars, and the new lithium economy (3rd-floor Main Collection), the Congressional committee hearing Opportunities and challenges presented in increasing the number of electric vehicles in the light duty automotive sector (online), and even a copy of the video Revenge of the electric car (2nd-floor Academic DVDs TL220 .R48 2011).

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials, if desired.

FDLP logo Andersen Library is a federal and Wisconsin depository library with federal and state government documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in various formats (print, DVD/CD-ROM, online). Check out your government at Andersen Library!

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Money Mondays: Understanding Your Paycheck

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Amanda Howell

For some of you, starting a full-time job may be just around the corner. The prospect of a salary is likely very exciting, but there are some things you should understand about your paycheck. A few weeks ago we discussed how the cost of living affects how much you make. A more expensive city (like Manhattan) will have a higher salary simply because it is more expensive to live there. You have to take this into account when deciding whether or not to accept a position. You also have to consider the value of the benefits offered to you by the employer.

Employee benefits, sometimes called perks, can make a job with a slightly lower salary more valuable overall. Examples of benefits may include the following:

Kimbo Latte Art, by rooracer (flickr)

  • Insurance (including health, dental, vision, disability, and life)
  • Retirement plans
  • Paid and unpaid leave (including holidays, vacation, and sick days)
  • Child care
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Relocation assistance (to help with moving costs)
  • Wellness programs
  • Stock purchase plans
  • Latte art classes

The benefits listed above, among others, have monetary value. In addition to your salary, the employer is paying all or part of the cost for benefits. There are benefit calculators like this one from Calc XML available online that can help you determine the total value of your salary and benefits package. Make sure you understand exactly what you’re getting before you accept a position.

When you receive your first paycheck, you may find that you are receiving less than you anticipated. This is likely because of taxes and any required employee contributions to the benefits listed above. Here are the taxes you’re likely to see listed on your paycheck:

  • Fed OASDI/EE: This is your contribution to Social Security. Every employee contributes 6.2% of his or her paycheck.
  • Fed OASDI/ER: This is your employer’s contribution to Social Security. They match the amount you were required to pay.
  • Fed MED/EE: This is your contribution to Medicare. Every employee contributes 1.45% of his or her paycheck.
  • Fed MED/ER: This is your employer’s contribution to Medicare. They match the amount you were required to pay.
  • Fed Withholding: This is your income tax. Rather than paying the tax once a year, a portion is withheld from your paycheck each month. The amount withheld is determined by what information you filled out on your W-4 (which is completed at the start of employment). When you file your taxes each year, you either receive a refund (if too much was withheld) or you send a check to the IRS (if not enough was withheld).
  • State Withholding: This is your income tax paid at the state level. It functions much like the Fed Withholding.

Other taxes may vary by state, so if you see something you don’t understand on your paycheck ask the Human Resource Department at your workplace.

Find books about employee benefits available in Andersen Library by doing a keyword search in Research@UWW.

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