Africa’s challenges in articles

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Barbara

Image of AfricaAre you interested in learning more about Africa and its challenges? Andersen Library has resources you can use.

The  Journal of International Affairs Spring/Summer 2009 issue’s theme is “Africa in the 21st Century” (available in Andersen Library’s 1st-floor Periodicals Collection current issues & online through the Academic Search Premier database). Articles include: “Obama and Africa,” “U.S. Foreign Assistance to Africa,” “The United States and China Court the Continent,” “Maritime Piracy in East Africa,” “The African Union,” “Governance and Leadership in Africa,” “Zimbabwe’s Cyber-Guerrilla Warfare,” and more.

There also are many journals devoted to Africa, such as African Journal of International Affairs, Africa Today, African Studies Quarterly, and many others. To identify other journals that are specifically about Africa, try searching the Journal Holdings List for africa.

Africa in World Politics coverThere are also books: Search the Library Catalog to find titles such as the 2009 book Africa in world politics: Reforming political order (3rd-floor Main Collection, DT30.5 .A3544 2009).

Please ask a librarian for help with finding resources.

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Universal Borrowing down until Aug. 17

Posted on August 5, 2009 by Barbara

Universal Borrowing (UB), the service that allows UWW students, staff, and faculty to borrow books and videos from other UW campus libraries, will be down during a software upgrade:

Stout and Superior: unavailable for UB requests July 13-August 17.
All UW campuses: unavailable for UB requests July 27-August 17.

During this period, to obtain materials from all campuses except Stout, please use ILLiad interlibrary loan request form.

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New Stuff Tuesday – August 4

Posted on August 4, 2009 by kyle

Txtng

Txtng:
The Gr8 Db8
By David Crystal
TK5105.73 .C79 2008
New Book Island, 2nd floor

It’s those darn kids – you know, the ones with their electronic devices and unlimited text plans and super-fast fingers. They reward skill for speed and accuracy with a $50,000 prize purse at the US National Texting Championship, conveniently sponsored by LG. Yet, with the emphasis on speed, abbreviations and acronyms rule and can leave people not in the know completely lost. Does this shortening of language cause any other effects, such as hindering literacy or promoting laziness? This week’s featured title takes on the great SMS debate.

Crystal, honorary professor at the University of Wales, Bangor, offers his knowledge and expertise in the area of linguistics to tackle the texting phenomenon. He examines the origins of this ‘weird’ form of communications and how/why it’s used. Although most of the media attention is devoted to adolescents’ addictive habits, the author also investigates who texts (hint – it’s not just the kids). Furthermore, Crystal addresses the criticisms of (mainly) adults that predict that texting has contributed to decreased literacy. Included in this book are two handy appendices with definitions to common abbreviations, not only in English, but also in eleven other languages.

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Happy Birthday, NBA

Posted on August 3, 2009 by Barbara

I am going to shock my coworkers by blogging about sports! I just like to keep them guessing sometimes.

image of basketball and hoopOn 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.

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The Library gets a plug

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Barbara

For all the hardworking staff in the Library…a Friday present to reward your efforts all year long. There is a plug for the Library in a video on YouTube, produced by the 2008 Hawk Squad (skip to 2:24)![youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66YD8sTQz_8[/youtube]

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Eastman & color for everyone

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Barbara

On July 30, 1928, George Eastman demonstrated his “kodacolor” process that allowed anyone to make color motion picture films. He was 74 at that time and had never even finished high school. But his inventions, such as roll film, brought photography to the masses. I even remember my parents having a cheap Brownie camera. One wonders what he would have done with the technologies we have now.

It was front-page news in the New York Times of July 31, 1928 – you can read it by searching for “home movies in colors” in the ProQuest Historical Newspapers – The New York Times database.

There is more relevant material in Andersen Library’s collections; please ask a librarian for assistance.

Cover of Reader's Companion titleCover of They made America title For example, the Library Catalog lists books with entries for Eastman such as The Reader’s companion to American history (2nd-floor Reference Collection, E174 .R43 1991) and They made America: From the steam engine to the search engine: Two centuries of innovators (3rd-floor Main Oversize Collection, T39 .E83 2004).

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New Stuff Tuesday – July 28

Posted on July 28, 2009 by kyle

Al' America

Al’ America:
Travels Through America’s Arab and Islamic Roots
By Jonathan Curiel
E169.1 .C853 2008
New Book Island, 2nd floor

They don’t call the America the “melting pot” for nothing. As the land of opportunity, we have traditionally been a place of refuge from those struggling in their homeland, whether that may have been. Therefore, in wake of all of the turmoil with the “outsiders” and closing the borders, this week’s featured title reminds us about all of the different heritagess that have been woven into this country’s fabric.

Curiel, writer for the San Francisco Chronicle recognized for his reporting of Arab and Muslim culture, takes a trip through the United States and examines the influences that the Arabs have had on our society. Some are to be expected – for instance, words in English with Arabic roots (did you know that giraffe originated from Arabic? I didn’t!). Others are less obvious and/or well-known, such as the Muslim roots in American blues music. The author writes in an easy-going tone, making this a quick and enjoyable read for a sometimes tense and sensitive topic.

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Bugs Bunny’s debut anniversary

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Barbara

A Wild Hare was released on July 27, 1940, and it’s considered the first appearance of both Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny in their mature forms. It’s also the first time Bugs pops up and asks Elmer, “What’s up, Doc?”

The illustrated “biography” Bugs Bunny: Fifty years and only one grey hare is available to UWW students and staff from UW-Oshkosh’s library (use ILLiad interlibrary loan to make requests while Universal Borrowing is down for an upgrade July 27-August 17).

Andersen Library has materials on the history of cartoons. Search the Library Catalog to find titles such as Cartoons: One hundred years of cinema animation (3rd-floor Main Collection, NC1765 .B4213 1994) and the DVD Looney tunes (2nd-floor Browsing DVD, Feature Film, Call Number Loo).

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

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Robots

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Barbara

OK, I wasn’t planning to blog today until I saw something on the Today show about a “lifelike” Japanese robot modeling a bridal gown at a fashion show. Oh, my. I wouldn’t call it very lifelike, myself, but to judge for yourself read “Here comes the cybernetic bride” at the CNET news site and see it for yourself at YouTube: [youtube width=”212″ height=”178″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r2_y6BdC8E[/youtube]

The Robot book coverIf you’d like to read more about robotics, Andersen Library’s catalog can help you find titles such as The robot: The life story of a technology (3rd-floor Main Collection, TJ211 .N63 2007).

The Library’s article databases could be used to find such articles as “Computational Models to Synthesize Human Walking” (Journal of Bionic Engineering, vol.3:no.3, Sept. 2006, pp. 127-138).

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

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Dillinger d. July 22, 1934

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Barbara

John Dillinger was killed as he left Chicago’s Biograph Theatre after attending the gangster film Manhattan Melodrama on this date (July 22nd) in 1934.

You may have seen the currently-playing film Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp (I did!), which was partially filmed in Wisconsin. It’s based on the book Public enemies: America’s greatest crime wave and the birth of the FBI, 1933–34. The book is available to UWW students and staff from other UW campus libraries by using the free Universal Borrowing service (requested materials arrive in 2-4 weekdays). Other titles, such as Dillinger: The untold story, are also available.

Madison newspaper image day after Dillinger's deathMore information is available from Library article databases and reference materials, such as full-text newspaper databases including NewspaperARCHIVE or ProQuest Historical Newspapers – The New York Times.

Other article databases provide access to articles such as Public enemies keystone cops (American History, Aug. 2009, vol. 44:no. 3, pp. 34-39).

You can also read a 20-page entry (with several photos) on Dillinger in the 2nd-floor Reference Collection title Bloodletters and badmen (Ref HV 6785 .N37).

FBI book coverAnd check out The FBI: A Centennial History, 1908-2008 which details Dillinger and other gangsters as well as other intriguing cases encountered by the FBI in its history. It’s in our 2nd-floor Federal Government Documents collection (call number J 1.14/2:C 33/3) and available online at http://fbi.gov/book.htm. Dillinger is on the cover. Can you spot him?

Please ask a librarian for assistance in finding materials.

Government Printing Office logo

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!

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