I often feel that as we navigate the hectic “busyness” of our everyday lives, we take for granted the rights we have as citizens of this great Republic in which we live. Although the Revolutionary War was over and the Constitution was in effect, there were a number of points of contention between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists in the 1780s. One particular point of contention was that the Anti-Federalists felt the Constitution needed a bill of rights to place specific limits on the power of federal government. While the Federalists argued that the people and states kept the powers that weren’t given to the federal government, Anti-Federalists believed “that a bill of rights was necessary to safeguard individual liberty”. James Madison, who was then a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, became involved with this issue of the limits of governmental power. Madison presented the list of amendments to the Constitution to the House and Senate in 1789. It took until December 1791, however, for all the states to ratify the amendments. Virginia’s legislature was the final state to ratify them on December 15, 1791. Take a moment and check out these links for more information concerning the Bill of Rights!
If you love the big band sound of the swing era, then you are familiar with Glenn Miller. He is one of my favorites from that era. Born in Clarinda, Iowa in 1904, his love of music was apparent by the time he joined the high school band and played the trombone. Desiring a band with its own unique sound and “personality”, it took Miller from 1921 to 1938 to accomplish this as he worked with a number of well-known bands and musicians. The Glenn Miller Orchestra achieved great success and had many hit songs. Enlisting in 1942 to serve his Country, Glenn did not leave his music behind. He was appointed a Captain in the Army Specialist Corps and formed the Army Air Force Band which toured to raise the morale of soldiers fighting WWll. Sadly, Miller met a tragic end December 15, 1944 when the flight he took to Paris to make arrangements for his band to embark on a tour of Europe, disappeared and was never recovered. There has been much speculation on this through the ensuing years. While his death was tragic, Miller’s influence and music legacy lives on. Here are some great sites for more information:
Here’s some hints on my next topic: British novelist, romance, social commentary, and works never publicly acknowledged in her own lifetime. Yes, you’ve got it, Jane Austen! Whether or not Austen’s novels are your cup of tea, you are familiar with her name. Born in Hamsphire, England December 16, 1775, Austen was the seventh child of country clergyman George Austen and his wife, Cassandra. She began writing “comic” stories as a child and published her first serious work at 19. While she lived a quiet life, Austen was well educated at home and her development as a writer was supported by her entire family. Every Jane Austen fan has her/his favorite. Emma and Pride and Prejudice are mine. By 1815, as she was finishing Persuasion, Austen’s health began to fail. She died July 18, 1817. The world will never know what other wonderful works she could have written. Two of her works, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, were published posthumously by one of her brothers. It was only after her death that she achieved fame as a novelist.
The Library is very excited to collaborate with the Center for Academic Excellence and Online Technologies here in the Northeast region concerning the Computer Skills Connection program. Having strong computer skills is an essential component of a college student’s skill set, and building these skills is essential for success both academically and in the work place. Stop by either the Library at the Coliseum Campus, the Center for Academic Excellence in Harshman 1610 or Online Technologies in Harshman 1330 on the North Campus to learn more about the resources and support available to you to increase your computer skills here at Ivy Tech. For more information download CSC flyer.
Claude Monet
Claude Monet is my favorite artist. Born November 14, 1840 in Paris, France, Monet is considered one of the founding members of the impressionist style of painting. The “impressionist” style of art was quite controversial in the beginning, and Monet spent periods of his life struggling financially. Fortunately, in Monet’s later years, acceptance for the impressionist style increased.
American artist, Georgia O’Keeffe, is another favorite of mine. Born November 15, 1887 in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, O’Keeffe was the first American woman artist to achieve international recognition. By the age of thirteen, she had already decided to pursue a career as an artist. O’Keeffe was known for her strong independent spirit as a pioneer in American modernism. Her later works were often influenced by southwestern motifs and desert symbolism.
Thanksgiving is a truly American holiday. While Thanksgiving has a long history, it did not become a national holiday until President Lincoln supported it in 1863. Here are some helpful links to learn more about the history of Thanksgiving. (from Library's Britannica database) and from the Smithsonian site. Food has long been a fundamental element of this holiday where we gather to celebrate the harvest and be grateful. If you need some inspiration for your Thanksgiving meal, check out these two links:
Make it ahead : a Barefoot Contessa cookbook (TX714 .G3644 2014) - Ina includes recipes for the biggest cooking day of the year--Thanksgiving!
Her Ultimate Make-Ahead Roast Turkey and Gravy with Onions & Sage
may just change your life. With beautiful photographs and hundreds of
invaluable make-ahead tips, this is your new go-to guide for preparing
meals that are stress-free yet filled with those fabulously satisfying
flavors that you have come to expect from the Barefoot Contessa.
A Healthier Thanksgiving from EBSCO Food Science Source - Recipes for several Thanksgiving cooking including Mashed Rutabaga and Potatoes, Roasted Herb Turkey and Wild Rice Stuffing.
These are just a few resources to perhaps ignite your interest to learn more. There’s so much out there to learn about. Check out the Library’s newsletter as well. It’s is a fantastic information resource.
Affectionately called "First Lady of the world", Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. President. Born October 11, 1884, Eleanor was one of the most revered women of this generation as she worked steadfastly as Franklin’s political helpmate and for the underprivileged of all creeds, races, and nations. She transformed the role of the First Lady as she also worked tirelessly and independently for the issues she was driven to bring awareness of and improve, especially human rights. Late in life, she served as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations and helped write the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Her graciousness, integrity, and candid expression of thoughts and opinions show her true strength of character.
Public libraries have historically championed the ability to access materials and information freely. The Digital Public Library of America “works, along with like-minded organizations and individuals, to ensure that this critical, open intellectual landscape remains vibrant and broad in the face of increasingly restrictive digital options. DPLA seeks to multiply openly accessible materials to strengthen the public option that libraries represent in their communities.” The DPLA is a culmination of materials from libraries, museums and archives made available to the public. The DPLA currently contains 2,412,899 books and periodicals, 11,339,564 images, text, sounds and objects, 11,339,564 informative timelines by map, and a broad scope of themed online exhibitions. This phenomenal site is well worth taking a look at. In fact, bookmark it on your computer. The “Help” tab has good tutorials and introductory videos, and creating an account allows you to save searches and items and create playlists for your own use or to share with others. Check this site out!
Pablo Picasso - Self Portraits in Different Styles
Picasso was born on October 25, 1881, in Málaga, Spain. Picasso is considered one of the world’s greatest artists. He was well known for his Primitivist and Cubist periods but produced a staggering amount of work in a variety of styles and media. Controversial and larger than life, Picasso is not an artist that people are ambivalent about; you are either drawn to his art or not. Take a look at some of his art through the Library’s ARTstor database.
Watch this short episode from our Films on Demand collection describing Picasso's phenomenal impact on all areas of modern art:
The popular movie
version of The Wizard of Oz was released
76 years ago in 1939.Author L. Frank
Baum created many stories and tales for his children, enjoyed writing, and had
been a reporter and editor in Chicago and South Dakota.He published The Wizard of Oz in 1900 and it has been reprinted many times since
then.My oldest daughter so loved
Dorothy and the movie version of this story as a child, that she named her
teddy bear and a neighbor’s dog, Toto.Although
many think of this book as a children’s story, the movie version, starring Judy
Garland, has had a big cultural impact to this day with intriguing popular
urban legends attached.Check out more
information on the Library’s database links in Biography in Context and Bloom’s
Literature.
This national holiday, celebrated the first Monday in September, acknowledges “the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”
I love Gershwin music. The son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn on September 26, 1898. George and his brother, Ira, were a very successful musical team with George composing the music and Ira as the lyricist. Popular songs, orchestral music, Broadway, George could do it all. Sadly, George died at the young age of 38 from a brain tumor. The world can only imagine what the possibilities could have continued to be from this creative genius. For more information about George Gershwin and his music, follow these links to a few of our Library databases.
It’s that time of year! The start of fall is a busy time for college students. Organization is a big key to success and, of course, there are apps to help you get organized from the start. The educational app market is steadily growing. These apps can be helpful tools to manage classes, projects, meeting deadlines and study time.
The Ivy Tech Library even has a link to an Assignment Calculator to help keep you on track.
August 24th - Peach Pie Day
Food and cooking are hugely popular topics of interest these days. John-Bryan Hopkins began his food blog called Foodimentary about national food holidays in 2006. It’s a fun mix of food facts and food history. Hopkins states,
“My belief is that quick, accurate, food information has a place in social media. In a world where food blogging is communicated through personal experiences, often ego driven or recipes laden prose, I focused strictly on a niche in the marketplace. A nifty name helps too. I truly believe in my “Just the facts Ma’am” approach to blogging.” Check it out.
August is National Coffee month. Anyone who knows me knows that coffee is a life force for me. I don’t function effectively before my first morning cup. I thought this would be a great opportunity to explore coffee and its interesting history.
These are just a few resources to perhaps ignite your interest to learn more. There’s so much out there to learn about. Check out the Library’s newsletter as well. It’s is a fantastic information resource. The possibilities are unlimited. See you soon at the Library.
A portion of “Declaration of Independence,” by John Trumbull, 1818
Independence Day is such an important celebration for our Country. The 13 Colonies wished to server ties with the British Crown and establish themselves as free and independent States. They were tired of the burden of taxation, lack of representation, and domination.
A unanimous Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence and the road to independence began. Congress made July 4th an official holiday in 1870. Check out the primary documents on the Library of Congress website. I really like the Library Congress site because it also provides links to Washington’s, Madison’s and Jefferson’s papers, links to external websites and exhibitions along with selected bibliographies, some of which are geared to young readers.
One of my favorite shows to watch every 4th is A Capitol Fourth Concert on PBS. This beautiful patriotic concert always brings my focus back to what this great holiday is about. Test your knowledge of our history by taking the quiz at the bottom of the Capitol Fourth’s homepage.
Apollo 11 Official Crew Portrait
Speaking of exploring history, your next exploration for July takes place at NASA. President John F. Kennedy declared a national goal in 1961 to perform a crewed lunar landing and return to earth. In July, 1969, NASA launched Apollo 11 to accomplish this objective. Apollo 11 launched with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin on July 16, 1969. Four days later on July 20th, 530 million people watched their TVs as Armstrong walked on the moon. I was one of them. It was a big deal for me as a young kid. It was such a great historical event that my parents let me stay up past my bedtime to watch it. I didn’t even have to sneak out past my brothers’ bedrooms to the family room that night (sibling humor). NASA’s Apollo 11 site is the place to go for the whole scoop on the details of this historic event. The Overview is a great place to start but the images and videos are a must see because they are so COOL.
If the Cold War and the Space Race intrigue you, check out these links for more information:
After your exploration of the moon, how about exploring what your carbon footprint is here on earth? The Nature Conservancy carbon footprint calculator is a helpful tool to bring awareness of how we humans affect the earth in our daily lives.
The site has helpful tabs about home energy, travel, food and recycling information. Using the carbon calculator really makes you think about the impact we have on our environment.
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has an interactive student’s guide to Global Climate Change that also has a carbon calculator along with helpful educator resources, and a fun global expedition journey that engages students.
Check these sites out and do some exploring. The possibilities are unlimited. See you soon at the Library.
The observance of Memorial Day has a long history which dates back to 1868, three years after the Civil War ended. The Grand Army of the Republic established Decoration Day to honor those who fought and died in the Civil War by decorating their graves with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30.
After World War l, the day of remembrance was expanded to honor those who died in all American wars. Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday in 1971 and it was then placed as a federal holiday on the last Monday in May. It is still sometimes called Decoration Day. The Department of Veterans Affairs has a helpful link to informational resources about Memorial Day.
The well-known poem In Flanders Fields, written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, is a poignant expression of his grief over the loss of his close friend Alexis Helmer on May 2, 1915 during the second battle of Ypres, Belgium. McCrea was a surgeon with Canada's First Brigade Artillery, and his poem became a rallying cry to all who fought in World War l. The poppy has become a symbol of perpetual tribute to those who have given their lives for the nation’s freedom. I liked this website about Flanders Fields http://www.flandersfieldsmusic.com/thepoem.html because it provides a bio of McCrae, some basic history about Word War l, and because it provides some educational lesson plans.
There is an actual In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres, Belgium. On Monday May 25th take a moment to reflect and remember all those who have given their lives for our Country.
Best Free Reference Tips
I always enjoy exploring recommended “best” or “best of” lists. The March issue of Library Journal contained their “Best Free Reference of 2014". Free always catches my eye.
Here are three great sites to visit:
The Great 1906 Earthquake
Recently, earthquakes have been in the news and one of them occurred very close in Southwest Michigan. The U.S. Geological Survey site is a great place to explore. Go to http://earthquake.usgs.gov/ to find more information concerning hazard areas, data, maps, monitoring and research.
https://weatherspark.com/ WeatherSpark is a new type of weather website. It offers interactive weather graphs of historical data from approximately 4,000 weather stations which the user can pan and zoom through. Along with forecasts and historical information, this site has a dashboard that is pretty cool. You can set graph options for the sun and moon, cloud ceiling, visibility, wind speed and direction, precipitation, dew point, humidity, pressure and more. If you are a weather buff, check this site out.
http://www.taxifarefinder.com/rideguru If you have been keeping up on the latest State news, you know that Gov. Mike Pence recently signed into law House Bill No. 1278 opening the door for Uber, the popular app-driven ridesharing transportation service, to offer its services locally. Rideguru’s site offers a ground-breaking fare calculator that brings transparency to the taxi and the on-demand rideshare industry. It is capable of calculating potential fares for various rideshare services including local taxis, Uber, Lyft, Sidecar, Hailo, Flywheel, and Curb in the area. Rideguru/TaxiFareFinder also offers rideshare guides, news, links to popular taxi blogs, and even pinterest pics from TaxiFareFinder.
Check these sites out and do some exploring. The possibilities are unlimited. See you soon at the Library!
National Library Week always occurs in April so I thought this month would be a great opportunity to introduce myself and start a conversation with all of you in our Ivy Tech Northeast community!
Hi, I’m Diane Randall your Library Director here at Ivy Tech. I am so happy to be here at Ivy Tech and living back home in Northeast Indiana. A little personal information about me, I grew up in Churubusco where my parents still reside. If you are of a certain age or know anything about Churubusco, you will know about the Oscar the turtle mystery and Turtle Days. My children, grandchildren and most of my extended family live in the area. I love spending time with them.
I am passionate about libraries, of course, and what libraries are supposed to do and be. My key focuses are providing everyone in the Ivy Tech Northeast Region community with access to information; information resources available in multiple various formats; information literacy skills instruction; reference and research assistance; comfortable spaces equipped to study, learn and collaborate; and skilled professional staff ready to assist you with great customer service.
My hope with this blog is to offer thought provoking ideas and information that will spark your interest or desire to learn more about them, or to just make you more aware. So let’s begin. April 12-18 is National Library Week. The American Library Association first began sponsoring NLW in 1958 to promote library use and support, and to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians. This year’s theme is “Unlimited possibilities @ your library” and author David Baldacci is this year’s Honorary Chair. Love this year’s theme!
David Baldacci
Mr. Baldacci’s Wish You Well Foundation “fosters and promotes the development and expansion of literacy and educational programs”. You can view the Founders message and the programs his foundations has funded here. He is a wonderful supporter of libraries.
Earth Day is April 22.
The first Earth Day took place back in 1970 and since then this modern environmental movement has worked on groundbreaking environmental laws and promoting a global green economy. Learn more about their programs at http://www.earthday.org/.
Call #: TS227 .G23 2014
April is National Poetry Month. It’s the largest literary celebration in the world. If you love poetry or just want to learn more about it check it out at http://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/stanza/national-poetry-month-2015. In honor of National Poetry Month, the Library is sponsoring a Student Poetry Contest. Click here for submission requirements, criteria for judging and deadline information.
These are just a few resources to perhaps ignite your interest to learn more. There’s so much out there to learn about. Check out the Library’s newsletter as well. It’s is a fantastic information resource.
The popular movie
version of The Wizard of Oz was released
76 years ago in 1939. Author L. Frank
Baum created many stories and tales for his children, enjoyed writing, and had
been a reporter and editor in Chicago and South Dakota. He published The Wizard of Oz in 1900 and it has been reprinted many times since
then. My oldest daughter so loved
Dorothy and the movie version of this story as a child, that she named her
teddy bear and a neighbor’s dog, Toto. Although
many think of this book as a children’s story, the movie version, starring Judy
Garland, has had a big cultural impact to this day with intriguing popular
urban legends attached. Check out more
information on the Library’s database links in Biography in Context and Bloom’s
Literature.
This national holiday, celebrated the first Monday in September, acknowledges “the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”
