Remembering John Hope Franklin

One of the giants of recent African-American history has left us.  John Hope Franklin died on March 25, 2009.

According to Paul Finkelman in the Encyclopedia of African-American History, 1896 to the Present, “Much of his scholarly life could be measured in barriers that he broke and firsts that he accomplished.”

The American Historical Association has posted a tribute to his life and work: http://blog.historians.org/news/753/john-hope-franklin-scholar-and-mirror-to-america-dead-at-the-age-of-94 . Another source, an article in the New York Times , gives a more personal view of his life.

For a more complete listing of biographical sources on this important historian and scholar, try searching his name in the Oxford African American Studies Center database.

Library Workshop Offerings for Spring

      

Sign up for a free 60 minute library workshop to improve your: research skills, grades, overvall academic achievement, and lifelong learning. Workshops still being offered this Spring Semester include:

• Research the Smart Way 
  General introduction to the services and resources available at JSRCC Library. Topics covered include sources for topic ideas and overviews, strategies for searching the library catalog and online databases, how to access licensed library databases from off-campus, how to obtain the full text of an article, and the differences between Internet and licensed library databases.
• Cite it Right – MLA Style
  Learn how to identify parts of a citation; how to cite a variety of print and online resources in MLA style using: database citation tools; the WorldCat Cite this Item tool; and various other online resource examples and citation generators.
• A Smarter Search Experience with EBSCO 2.0
  The library’s new collection of EBSCO databases provides access to millions of full-text journal, magazine, and newspaper articles as well as books on a wide variety of topics. Find out how quick and easy it is to search for information with EBSCO 2.0. Topics covered will include: search tips and techniques for precise results; how-to save articles and searches; how-to use the Cite this Article tool to automatically generate article citations in various formats including MLA and APA.
• Google Tips and Tricks
  Highlights some of the features included with the school’s use of Gmail, including Gmail tips and tricks, Google chat, Google docs and Google books.

Click here to register online.  Use can also click on Library Workshops, from the JSRCC Library’s home page.

If you would like further information on any of the workshops offered this semester, contact the Reference Desk.

Books on Shelves

Interestingly, the UK newspaper, The Guardian, has an article out discussing a poll that says the book someone is reading (and the books on their shelves) impress potential significant others. While the poll is not scientific by any means, the results are interesting.  Not only are bookshelves great places to find similarities and differences between people trying to learn more about each other, but also great places to start conversations. 

With the release of Amazon’s Kindle 2 and its Kindle app for the iPhone, the media has recently been praising electronic books, but as the guys from the popular (but not always work-appropriate) web-comic Penny Arcade point out, we shouldn’t necessarily forget ‘old technology’. 

Click on the image below to enlarge cartoon:

Penny Arcade - Progress

Though I highly doubt electronic books will wholly replace the tactile experience of a real book any time soon, as technology advances, will the print book survive? And if it does not, how will that impact the way we communicate and find common ground (especially on first dates)?

Financial Crisis Resources on the Web

Are you interested in researching issues related to the current economic crisis?  Check out the resource links that Stephen Fadel put together for the article, A Searcher’s Journey Through the Morass:  Researching the Financial Crisis, from the February 2009 issue of Searcher magazine.

For more information or assistance in finding resources related to current economic issues, contact the Reference Desk.