Wednesday, November 17, 2010

How Would You Re-Design the Washington Monument Grounds?

Excerpted from announcement by the Washington Monument (WAMO) and LearningTimes Teams:

The registration deadline for the “National Ideas Competition for the Washington Monument Grounds” has been extended through November 30, 2010. (The deadline for submissions is December 18.) To register and submit an idea, go to the WAMO website.

This competition is open to all ages and backgrounds.  They’re looking for novel and “creative ideas for making the area around the Monument more welcoming, educational, and effectively used by the public.”

You’ll find more information about the history of the Monument and the National Mall, including images of rare maps, documents, and other historical background in the competition section of the site.

Sponsors include LearningTimes, Albert H. Small, George Washington University, the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects, Catholic University, American University, the University of Maryland, Virginia Tech, the University of Delaware, and the University of Texas, among others.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

NewsBank Hot Topics

Hot Topics


Need current events in a hurry? Check out your library subscription to NewsBank, which features monthly
Special Reports and a list of Hot Topics.  You will find these links on the left side of the page when you logon.  The Special Reports assemble links to current and “retrospective” information on the subject in one place, for example
this one on mid-term elections.  The Hot Topics list describes topics and provides you with the correct search terms to use to find relevant newspaper articles.
November Topics and Monthly Themes
     U.S. Mid-Term Elections – 2010
     World Health – Haiti Cholera                Outbreak
     World Environment
     World Economics
      Native American Indian Month


Additional featured Reports covering current issues and events
                                
                                                      Natural Disasters
                                                      Conflict and Terrorism
                                                      Education Around the World
                                                      Science and Health in the News


Biography Reference Bank

WilsonWeb Featured Content 
in Biography Reference Bank
Logon to WilsonWeb  and check mark Biography Reference Bank to read biographies, such as these:

  •  Veteran’s Day is Nov. 11.  There is a great biography of Samuel Lyman Atwood Marshall, military writer, historian, and veteran of both World Wars and the Korean War.  He was the chief combat historian for World War II.  Take a look.
  •  Or, if movies are more to your liking, why not check out the biography of Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook® founder, and the subject of the current movie The Social Network                                                                                 
  •  And, take a look at November’s Current Biography cover subject Sarah Thomas, the first woman to referee an NCAA football game.                                                  




Digital Vault

Digital Vaults
Pamela Thompson, Library Media Specialist from El Paso, TX, has recommended the Digital Vault site. She says, "Students will hit the gold mine for reports when using [it]...You can enter a search term like World War II, for example, and see various images. Click on the image, decide whether to use it or not, save it to your collection, etc." See what you think about the Digital Vault and post your comments here to share with other students at Saint Leo University.