USF In the World: Japan Spotlight, Photo Contest, & more

November 15th, 2010 by Debbie Benrubi No comments »

At Gleeson Library we’re proud to be co-sponsors of International Education Week at USF, a celebration of international culture and education exchange. Thirty-one wonderful images reflecting this year’s theme of “USF in the World” were submitted to the photo contest by USF students and staff engaged in learning and teaching around the world. Cast your ballot by Thursday at noon; the winner will be announced at Culturescape on Friday night.

Spotlight on Japan

Back at the library, we’re spotlighting new acquisitions from a grant by the Tokyo-based Nippon Foundation, “100 Books for Understanding Contemporary Japan.” As explained in the grant announcement: “The Nippon Foundation set in motion a book program, the first step of which was to ask ten experts with extensive knowledge of the country to select 100 books to serve as useful guides for those who want to understand present day Japan.” From foreign policy and economics to the environment, bushido to new Japanese film, the Tale of Genji to pop culture, this collection examines Japan from every angle. All the books are available to check out so please come to the library to see our new acquisitions from the “100 Books” collection on display. Also see IEW’s Facebook page for updates on International Education Week 2010 at USF.


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Texas State Library & Archives – the Good & the Bad

November 12th, 2010 by Larry T. Nix No comments »

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission is celebrating the completion of a $20 million renovation of the Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building today. Author and historian H. W. Brands will speak at the ceremony, which will take place on the front steps of the de Zavala building, at 1201 Brazos St., across from the east side of the State Capitol. The de Zavala building was dedicated as a national Literary Landmark last year. The State Library & Archives also celebrated its centennial in 2009. A short history of the State Library & Archives is located on its website. The Texas State Library and Archives, A History 1835-1962 by David B. Gracy II was published in June of this year by the University of Texas Press.

The current issue of Libraries & The Cultural Record includes an article by Pamela R. Bleisch entitiled "Spoilsmen and Daughters of the Republic: Political Interference in the Texas State Library during the Tenure of Elizabeth Howard West, 1911-1925". This is a compelling article which paints a picture of an extremely dedicated librarian who is dealt a terrible hand of cards. Paid almost nothing, West promoted county library service, library service to the blind, and accommodated use of the state library by African Americans. Almost destitute after paying for extensive travel with her own funds, West resigned when the Texas State Legislature funded a sinecure on the State Library staff for a daughter of Sam Houston. With little public complaint, West accepted a position as Librarian of Texas Tech University. For her article, Bleisch was awarded the Justin Winsor Prize for the best essay in library history in 2009-10 by the Library History Round Table of the American Library Association.

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Documents from the HELP Committee

November 11th, 2010 by rachel sher No comments »

The U.S. HELP Committee

Gleeson’s Government Documents collection has a number of interesting documents from the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions that goes by the easy-to-remember-acronym, HELP.  The committee presides over the country’s health care, education, employment and retirement policies.

The HELP Committee Reports Affordable Health Choices Act to the Senate.

Here are some examples of HELP documents in the collection:

*If you interested in the health care reform debate, you might start with Principles of integrative health: a path to healthcare reform and move on to Addressing underinsurance in national health reform. The government also recently published a helpful factsheet on the Affordable Care Act.

* Are you interested in Cancer research? Check out the HELP committee’s Cancer: challenges and opportunities in the 21st century, available in print and online.

*Finally, if you followed the recent dramatic story of the 33 miners who were trapped for over 2 months and rescued from a collapsed mine in Chile or the tragic mine explosion in West Virginia, take a look at the HELP Hearing, Two years after the Miner Act: How safe is mining today?, which discusses the 2006 Miner Act to improve health and safety in American mines.


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Soldiers’ Free Library

November 11th, 2010 by Larry T. Nix No comments »





































A library story for Veterans Day. The Soldiers Free Library was founded on October 15, 1862 in Washington, D.C. by Elida Rumsey (1841-1919) and her future husband John Allen Fowle. The library opened with 1,500 books and 800 magazines. Both Rumsey and Fowle were actively involved in relief work for Union soldiers in the Washington, D.C. area. In addition to their relief work they were accomplished singers and regularly entertained the troops. Because of their popularity with the troops, they were allowed to be married in the Capitol in the Hall of the House of Representatives. The wedding took place on March 1, 1863 in front of an audience of 4,000. A new building for the Soldiers' Free Library was dedicated on the same day they were married. They spent their honeymoon raising money for the library. The library was continued to the end of the war after which the books were turned over to the Y.M.C.A. The envelope shown here has an embossed seal on the flap which says "Soldiers' Free Library - 1862 - Washington, D.C.". The U.S. Sanitary Commission shown in the return address location was a major relief organization that served Union soldiers during the Civil War.

Sources: "Elida Barkley Rumsey Fowle", Notable American Women, 1607-1950 (Harvard University Press, 1971), and The Washington Post, March 2, 1913.

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Database of the Week: Ethnic News Watch

November 11th, 2010 by Marissa Litman No comments »

While many of the library’s databases offer mainstream coverage, Ethnic News Watch was “designed to provide the ‘other side of the story.’ ” With the latest bills being passed in Arizona, this database provides a place to find recent articles on issues regarding race and ethnicity in America.

The database contains over 270 publications covering local, national, and international news, culture, and history. The ethnicities being addressed include African American/Caribbean/African; Arab/Middle Eastern; Asian/Pacific Islander; European/Eastern European; Hispanic; Jewish; Multi-Ethnic; Native People.

This interdisciplinary database includes full text articles in both English and Spanish from 1990 to present.

Five choices are offered that let you search articles more effectively: All sources, Scholarly Journals, Magazines, Trade Publications, and Newspapers. This is a useful tool when you want to broaden or narrow your search. After your initial query, topic suggestions are also made to aid you in your search.

You can find the Ethnic News Watch database though the USF library homepage- http://www.usfca.edu/library/ On the right side of the page click on the Databases icon, then choose the Databases A-Z link. From that list you will find Ethnic News Watch.


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