Reference Book Update: The United States Government Manual

We featured The United States Government Manual (link to the online edition at GPO Access) as a Reference Book of the Week back in 2008 at this post. If you read the earlier post, you can get a description of this excellent resource, and how it can be useful in getting to know the structure of the federal government. Well, the manual has been updated once again:

• For access to a print version, the Muntz Library has a copy of the 2008-2009 edition. You can find it in the library’s ready reference collection (the small shelves behind the reference desk). It is under the call number JK 421 .A3 2008-2009.
• The federal government has recently released the 2009-2010 edition. You can find a free copy online at GPO Access. The direct link to this edition is here. You can access previous editions at the link provided above.

ATTENTION: LIBRARY CLOSING SATURDAY OCTOBER 31, 2009

Our very capable electrical technician

Due to required electrical maintenance work, the Robert R. Muntz Library will be CLOSED all day on Saturday, October 31, 2009.

Please note that all online library resources (databases, the website, our reference e-mail service, so on) will be unavailable from Friday evening October 30 until we reopen the library on Sunday November 1st.

The library will reopen for regular hours on Sunday November 1st.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

* * *

Photo credit (used by terms of a Creative Commons license):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/suzijane/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Some Resources

The month of October has a few observances. For instance, October  is American Archives Month (see our note on the excellent program our Archivist put together here) and National Hispanic Month overlaps into October (September 15 to October 15; see notes on our programs on that here and here). October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month (link to President Obama’s proclamation for the observance). On October 13 (last Tuesday), there was a campus vigil in rememberance of domestic violence victims and those who work with them. The event took place here in the library.

Here is a small list of resources on the topic freely available on the World Wide Web:

• Here on campus, C.A.R.E. (Campus Assault Response Effort) is an excellent resource.
• For Smith County and East Texas, you can find help at the East Texas Crisis Center.
• Also in Texas, the Texas Council on Family Violence has put together a very good resource kit. You can find statistics, a media kit, sample op-ed letters in case you wish to write to your local newspapers (or maybe you need a little inspiration if you have a blog), and other items. They also provided the image I am using for this post (see below).
• Nationally there is a National Domestic Violence Hotline if you need help. The number is 1−800−799−SAFE (7233) or TTY 1−800−787−3224. The website has some additional resources. I will emphasize that if you are in imminent and present danger to dial 911.
• The U.S. Department of Justice has an Office on Violence Against Women. If you need information, facts, statistics, so on, this is a good resource on the issue.
• The Domestic Violence Awareness Project. These are the folks who promote and maintain activities for the observance. On their site, you can learn about campaigns, find educational materials, and get links, and phone numbers if you need help.

This is not a comprehensive list, but these links should give readers a place to get started if they are researching the topic as well as provide folks who may need help more information and places to get help.

In addition, you can visit the library where a reference librarian will be happy to help you find books, articles, and other materials related to the domestic violence or other topics in our holdings.

If you are at home, and you are affiliated with the university (currently enrolled student, currently employed faculty, currently employed staff), you can use our databases to do research on this and other topics. Just remember you will need your Patriots log-in and password to access our databases from home. You can also find other resources on our website.

“Honk if You Like Ike”: Panel Discussion Highlights new UT Tyler Political Ephemera Collection

Deirdre Joyce, University Archivist, informs us of a new event and exhibit at the library in honor of American Archives Month:

The University Archives and Department of Special Collections (UASC) at The University of Texas at Tyler will be hosting a panel discussion entitled “Honk if You Like Ike: American Political Campaigning in the Twentieth Century” on October 14, 2009 at 6:00pm.  The event will be held on the fourth floor of the Robert R. Muntz Library and will feature a discussion that complements the UASC’s most recent acquisition, the Tim Anthony Jackson Collection of Presidential Campaign Memorabilia. The discussion is being held in conjunction with American Archives Month, which takes place during the entire month of October.

The panel will feature three UT Tyler faculty members:  Dr. Courtney Cullison (Asst. Professor, Political Science), Dr. Marsha Matthews (Asst. Professor, Communication), and Dr. James Newsom (Lecturer, History) each of whom will discuss the nature of American political campaigns and the salient points of analysis that political ephemera lend to their respective disciplines.  The discussion will be moderated by Vanessa Curry, advisor to UT Tyler’s student newspaper, the Patriot Talon. Numerous items of political ephemera from the collection will be on display, including campaign buttons dating back to President William J. McKinley, bumper stickers dating from the 1950s, campaign literature for both winning and losing candidates, and political novelty items, including an actual voting booth from the disputed Florida presidential election in 2000.

In addition to materials from the Tim Anthony Jackson Collection, visitors to the library will also be able to view records and ephemera from other manuscript collections that highlight the political campaign theme.  Pieces from the Sarah McClendon papers, the Bill Ratliff papers, the William M. Steger papers, the E.F. Jarrel papers and the University Archives will be on display during the entire month of October in locations throughout the library.

American Archives Month is a collaborative effort by professional organizations and repositories around the nation to highlight the importance of records of enduring value. Archivists are professionals who assess, collect, organize, preserve, maintain control of, and provide access to information that has lasting value, and they help people find and understand the information they need in those records.

The University Archives and Department of Special Collections (UASC), located on the ground floor of the Robert R. Muntz Library, handles materials of historical and/or archival interest to The University of Texas at Tyler and the surrounding community.

Muntz Library Features Book Display for Hispanic Heritage Month

The Robert R. Muntz Library is featuring a book display in observance of National Hispanic Heritage Month.  National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15 annually. This month celebrates “the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period” (from the site linked above).

We are displaying some books and material that may be of interest. The display is located in the library’s third floor. Like other displays, books  on display are available to be checked out. If you look them up in the catalog, and they show as checked out, they are “checked out” to our display case. Just let us know at the reference desk, and we will be happy to open the case so you can take the book and read it. We really want people to read our books, which is why we display them. Books, unless otherwise noted, are usually in the library’s general collection in the third floor. The books are listed, in no particular order, with their call numbers:

• Andrew Garrod, Mi Voz, Mi Vida: Latino College Students Tell their Lives. LC2670.6 .M58 2007.
• Elizabeth Sutherland Martínez, 500 Years of Chicana Women’s History. E184 .M5 M375 2008.
• David T. Abalos, Latinos in the United States: the Sacred and the Political. E184 .S75 A63 2007.
• Gregory Rodríguez, Mongrels, Bastards, Orphans, and Vagabonds: Mexican Immigration and the Future of Race in America. E184 .M5 R587 2008. We have a copy in the Bestseller Collection and a second copy in the third floor General Collection. We placed the General Collection copy in the display.
• Anna Marie Ortiz, Addressing the Unique Needs of Latino Students. LC2670.6 .A35 2004.
• Rosario Díaz-Greenberg, The Emergence of Voice in Latino/a High School Students. LC2670.4 .D53 2003.
• Carlos Fuentes, The Eagle’s Throne: A Novel. PQ7297 .F793 S5513 2006.
• Roberto Bolaño, 2666. PQ 8098.12 .O38 A12213 2008 (Bestseller Collection; this is an English translation).
• Angeles Mastretta, Mujeres de Ojos Grandes. PQ7298.23.A795 M85 2003.
• Alberto Fuguet, Por Favor, Rebobinar. PQ8098.16.U48 P6 1999.
• Mario Vargas Llosa, Death in the Andes. PQ8498.32.A65 L5813 1997 (English translation of Lituma en los Andes).
• Edwin Williamson, Borges, A Life. PQ7797 .B635 Z953 2004.
• Alfredo Bryce Echenique, El Huerto de mi Amada. PQ8498.12 .R94 H84 2002.
• Miguel Angel Asturias, Leyendas de Guatemala. PQ7499.A75 L4 1999.
• Gabriel García Márquez, El Amor en los Tiempos del Cólera. PQ8180.17.A73 A8 1996.
• Gabriel García Márquez. Love in the Time of Cholera. PQ8180.17 .A73 A813 2003 (This is the English translation).

“Voces Americanas/American Voices” Exhibit at Muntz Library

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Robert R. Muntz is presenting “Voces Americanas/American Voices: Latino Literature in the United States.” This is an exhibition produced by Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The exhibit shows a celebratory survey of works by Latinos in the past thirty years, and it presents images of authors, books, movie stills, public presentations, and illustrations. It is based on an original exhibition at the University of Houston Library that documented a quarter century of Hispanic publishing in the United States.

The exhibit is available for public viewing from September 21, 2009 to October 17, 2009 during regular library hours.

Annenberg Classroom

Want to learn more about our Constitution? While this resource is designed for teachers and includes lesson plans and other neat resources, I think this would be a great place for any of us who want a “refresher”.  http://www.annenbergclassroom.org/

Muntz Library Features Book Display for Constitution Day 2009

U.S. Constitution and Quill Pen

The Robert R. Muntz Library is featuring a book display in observance of Constitution Day. Constitution Day is observed each year on September 17 to commemorate the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787. As part of the library’s educational mission and to promote learning more about this important document that is the foundation of the United States, we are displaying some books and material that may be of interest. The display is located in the library’s second floor next to the Circulation Desk.

The following books and materials are inside the display case. Like other displays, books and A/V material on display is available to be checked out. If you look them up in the catalog, and they show as checked out, they are “checked out” to our display case. Just let us know at the reference desk, and we will be happy to open the case so you can take the book and read it. We really want people to read our books, which is why we display them. Note that A/V material is usually kept behind circulation. If you wish to check it out (after the display), jot down the call number and request it at circulation. Books, unless otherwise noted, are usually in the library’s general collection in the third floor.

DVDs:

• You Can’t Say That: “Politically Correct” Free Speech. JC 591 .Y68 2004.
• Key Constitutional Concepts. KF 5130 .S9 K3.
• Our Constitution: A Conversation. KF 4550 .O87 2005.

Books:

• Peter Spier, We the People: The Constitution of the United States. 342.73 S755w (CML-Dewey).
• Ellen Alderman and Caroline Kennedy, The Right to Privacy. KF 1262 .A97 1997.
• Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution. KF 4541 .R35 1997.
• Craig R. Smith, To Form a More Perfect Union. KF 4541 .S58 1993.

In addition, the display features highlights of the following online resources. Both are freely available online:

• The Electronic Frontier Foundation.
• Reporters Without Borders‘ Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents.

For more information about Constitution Day, you can visit the library. You can also check out these other websites:

• From the Law Library of Congress, part of the Library of Congress, information about Constitution Day. This includes links to the various pieces of legislation that have led to the observance as we know it today.
• The National Constitution Center. Here is their page on Constitution Day. Their page for the observance has some good educational resources including a challenge: can you pass the citizenship test?
• Resources for observing Constitution Day, from the National Archives.

Additional Reading Suggestions on Islam and the Middle East

When making a book display, I often pick out more books than I can fit in the display case. I still think these books are worth reading. This second list includes the books that did not make it into the display case for the “Learn about Islam and the Middle East” book display we have running until the end of September, which is part of our September Project celebration.

The books on this list are located in the third floor stacks of the library unless noted otherwise. They are listed in call number order. I would like to invite our library patrons to pick up any of these books, and if they do, to let us know what they think and about what they read. Feel free to leave us a comment here on the blog.

• Joseph E.B. Lumbard. Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition: Essays by Western Muslim Scholars. BP 60 .I7848 2004.
• Robert Spencer. The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World’s Most Intolerant Religion. BT 1170 .S657 2006.
• Frederick Quinn. The Sum of all Heresies: The Image of Islam in Western Thought. DS 35.74 .E85 Q45 2008.
• Michael Scheuer. Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam after Iraq. DS 35.74 .U6 S34 2008.
• Maxine Rodison. Europe and the Mystique of Islam. DS 36.855 .R613 2002.
• Albert Hourani. A History of the Arab Peoples. DS 37.7 .H67 1991.
• François Massoulié. Middle East Conflicts. DS 62.8 .M3213 2003.
• Roger Owen. State, Power and Politics in the Making of the Modern Middle East. DS 63 .O94 2004.
• Robert B. Silvers and Barbara Epstein, eds. A Middle East Reader: Selected Essays from The New York Review of Books. DS 63.1 .M490 1991.
• Kenneth M. Pollack. A Path Out of the Desert: A Grand Strategy for America in the Middle East. DS 63.2 .U5 P67 2008.
• Jimmy Carter. Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. DS 119.7 .C3583 2006.
• Arthur P. Clark and Muhammad A. Tahlawi, eds. A Land Transformed: The Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Aramco. DS 204 .L36 2006. (located in Oversize Collection, third floor stacks).
• Jonathan Curiel. Al’America: Travels Through America’s Arab and Islamic Roots. E 169.1 .C853 2008.
• Edward E. Curtis IV, ed. The Columbia Sourcebook of Muslims in the United States. E 184 .M88 C65 2008.
• Mahmood Mandani. Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror. E 840 .M346 2004.
• Aslam Syed, ed. Islam: Enduring Myths and Changing Realities. H1 .A4 v.588 (part of the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences).
• Valérie Marcel. Oil Titans: National Oil Companies in the Middle East. HD 9578 .M628 M37 2006.
• Tarek S. Zaher and M. Kabir Hassan. A Comparative Literature Survey of Islamic Finance and Banking. HG 173 .F52 v.10 no.4 (this is part of the Financial Markets, Institutions and Instruments series).
• Rosemarie Skaine. Women of Afghanistan in the Post-Taliban Era: How Lives Have Changed and Where They Stand Today. HQ 1735.6 .S385 2008.
• Gilles Kepel and Jean-Pierre Milelli, eds. Al Qaeda In Its Own Words. HV 6431 .A4613 2008.

Library features book display: “Learn About Islam and The Middle East”

As part of its activities for the International September Project, the Robert R. Muntz Library has created a book display on “Learn About Islam and the Middle East.” The September Project is “a grassroots effort to encourage events about freedom and democracy in all libraries in all countries during the month of September.” With that goal in mind, and as part of our educational mission, we have created the display. In addition, the display gives us a small opportunity to recognize the Muslim observance of Ramadan and provide complementary readings to go along with the “Legacy of the Middle East” exhibit which runs until September 11, 2009.

Though Islamic societies are present around the world, we have chosen to highlight the Middle East to coordinate with the traveling exhibit. We could have created an exhibit of Islam around the world as well (maybe this can be a project for next year). For instance, did you know that Indonesia has the largest national Muslim population? We recognize that the diversity of Islamic societies is more than what we reflect in our small display.

This display will run through the month of September. It is located in the library’s third floor.

This is the list of books featured in the display case. When not in our display, these books are usually located in the third floor stacks, unless otherwise noted. They are presented in LC call number order:

• Rukhasana Khan, with illustrations by Patty Gallinger. Muslim Child: Understanding Islam Through Stories and Poems. 297 K4535 MU (CML-Dewey).
• Philip Wilkinson. Islam. 297 W6873IS (CML-Dewey).
• Joseph E.B. Lumbard, ed.. Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition. BP 60 .I7848 2004.
• The Qur’an. (Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik, translator. English Translation of the Meaning of Al-Qur’an). BP 109 .K45 1997.
• I.A. Ibrahim. A Brief Guide to Understanding Islam. BP161.2 .I27 1996.
• Thomas W. Lippman. Understanding Islam: an Introduction to the Muslim World. BP161.2 .L56 1995.
• Ira G. Zepp. A Muslim Primer: Beginner’s Guide to Islam. BP 161.2 .Z46 1992.
• Reza Aslan, No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam. BP 161.3 .A79 2005 (Bestseller Collection).
• Paul Findley. Silent No More: Confronting America’s False Images of Islam. BP 170 .F56 2001.
• M.R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. Islam and World Peace: Explanations of a Sufi. BP 170 .M83 2004.
• Bernard Lewis. The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror. BP 182 .L48 2004.
• Roy P. Mottahedeh. The Mantle of the Prophet: Religion and Politics in Iran. BP 192.7 .I68 M67 2000.
• Justin Marozzi. Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World. DS .M37 2007.
• P.M. Holt, et.al., eds. The Cambridge History of Islam. DS 35.6 .C3 1977 V.1A.
• Ira M. Lapidus. A History of Islamic Societies. DS 35.63 .L37 2002.
• Hugh Kennedy. When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World: the Rise and Fall of Islam’s Greatest Dynasty. DS 38.6 .K463 2006.
• Zachary Lochman. Contending Visions of the Middle East: the History and Politics of Orientalism. DS 61.8 .L63 2004.
• Martin Sicker. The Pre-Islamic Middle East. DS 62.2 .S54 2000.
• William L. Cleveland. A History of the Modern Middle East. DS 62.4 .C53 2004.
• David Fromkin. A Peace to End All Peace: the Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East. DS 63.2 .G7 F76 2001.
• Jimmy Carter. The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East. DS 119.7 .C358 2007.
• Hooman Majd. The Ayatollah Begs To Differ. DS 318.9 .M35 2008 (Bestseller Collection).
• Benazir Bhutto. Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and the West. DS 389.22 .B48 A3 2008 (Bestseller Collection).
• David R. Farber. Taken Hostage: the Iran Hostage Crisis and America’s First Encounter with Radical Islam. E 183.8 .I55 F37 2005.
• National Geographic Atlas of the Middle East. G2205 .N34 2008. (Reference).
• Elsa Marston. Figs and Fate: Stories About Growing Up in the Arab World Today. M3744FI (CML-Young Adult).
• Marjane Satrapi. Persepolis. PN 6747 .S245 p4713 2003.
• Marjane Satrapi. Persepolis 2: the Story of a Return. PN 6747 .S245 p4713.

Note that the books on the display case, except for the atlas (a reference book), are available for check out. If you see a book you wish to read, feel free to visit the reference or circulation desks, and we will be happy to open the display case for you so you can check it out. We do want people to check out and read these and other books in our library.

As always, if you need assistance locating other books or finding further information on these or other topics, feel free to stop by our reference desk or visit our website.