Check out the Muntz Library’s new Research Guide on Health Care Reform & Management. With links to statistics, surveys, policies, books, databases, news, etc., it is a great place to start as a point of reference for a research assignment, or to satisfy your personal curiosity about the national debate.

The library offers 51 Research Guides on all subjects—all created by librarians. If you have an assignment for class but are unsure where to start, use one of these guides. Each guide also has a chat widget on the right side of the screen, in which you can ask for help from a librarian. Don’t be shy about asking chatting with us; we like to help and answer questions.

To view all guides, click “Research Guides” from the library’s homepage (http://library.uttyler.edu). Browse by subject with the links on the left of the page, or click “Browse All 51 Guides (A-Z).” Here’s a direct link to the full list of Research Guides.

Also of note, especially for end-of-semester projects and papers, our Citation Guide contains helpful links and information on how to cite sources in APA, MLA, Chicago, and other styles. If you ever have a question about how to cite something, just ask a librarian (email: library@uttyler.edu; phone: 903-566-7343; chat with a librarian from the UT System; or use the Research Guides to access the librarians’ Meebo chat widgets).

The Robert R. Muntz Library has created a book display to honor Veterans Day and those who served. The display features books and images related to veterans and their service.According to the Library of Congress (from the American Memory Project), “the Allied powers signed a cease-fire agreement with Germany at Rethondes, France on November 11, 1918, bringing World War I to a close. Between the wars, November 11 was commemorated as Armistice Day in the United States, Great Britain, and France. After World War II, the holiday was recognized as a day of tribute to veterans of both world wars. Beginning in 1954, the United States designated November 11 as Veterans Day to honor veterans of all U.S. wars.”

Some people confuse Memorial Day, which takes place on the last Monday in May, with Veterans Day. Memorial Day was originally set aside to honor those who died in the service of their country. Veterans Day also honors those who died in the service of their country, but it is also a day to thank, honor, and recognize all those who served honorably in the military in peacetime or during wartime; it is a holiday to thank living veterans for their service.

If you wish to learn more about Veterans Day, here are some websites that may be of interest:

• You can find President Obama’s proclamation for Veterans Day 2009 here. We have placed a copy of the proclamation in the library display as well.
• The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has a website with links and resources for Veterans Day as well as other information on services for veterans.
• The History Channel has a page of information and resources for Veterans Day. Of special interest to communities, and something schools could consider doing is participating in the Take a Vet to School program. Find out more about the program here.
• The U.S. Census Bureau has a sheet of facts and figures related to Veterans Day and veterans. Some of the factoids I feature on the library’s electronic display come from the Census Bureau.
• The Library of Congress has a kids website known as America’s Library. It has a small feature on Veterans Day.
• The National Museum of the American Indian, part of the Smithsonian Institution, had a Veterans Day short film contest. You can see the short films from the contest at the site.
• This is the site for Arlington National Cemetery. You can find out about their special program and service for Veterans Day as well as other information for visitors, photos, etc.
• The National Archives also has content of interest to veterans and their families.
• Also from the Library of Congress, you may be interested in the Veterans History Project. Hear and read oral histories of veterans as well as learn how you could participate.
• Locally, or somewhat nearby, you can get details about the annual Dallas Veterans Day Parade. Some of their photos from past parades  are very moving and can be viewed on the site as well.
• Locally, as in on campus, the university is hosting a Veteran’s Day seminar on “Returning Veterans: Implications for Higher Education”. You can get the details from the press release here.

In addition, if you wish to read about those who served as well as some histories, the following is the list of books, with call numbers, placed in the library’s display case now. Unless noted otherwise, the regular location for these books is the third floor General Collection stacks.

• Ken Burns’s PBS documentary The War, which is a history of World War II. This is usually located in the A/V collection. Ask at Circulation if you wish to check it out. Call number: D811.5 .W37 2007. For more details on the documentary, you can also visit the PBS The War website.
• Eve Bunting, The Wall. This is a children’s book about the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. It is usually located in the CML Room. Call number: CML Easy Fic B9425wa.
• Sal Lopes, The Wall: Images and Offerings from the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial. This is the big book we have open to display some of the photos. Throughout the month, we will turn pages to highlight different photos, so feel free to come over often and have a look. The book’s call number is: F203.4.V54 W35 1987.
• Ronald H. Spector, At War, At Sea: Sailors and Naval Combat in the Twentieth Century. V53 .S66 2002.
• Robert Ackerman, Creating a Veteran-Friendly Campus. UB357 .C735 2009.
• Stephen E. Ambrose, Americans at War. E181 .A34 1998.
• Frederick Downs, The Killing Zone: My Life in the Vietnam War. DS559.5 .D69 2007.
• Lea Ybarra, Vietnam Veteranos: Chicanos Recall the War. DS559.8 .M39 Y23 2004.
• Helen Benedict, The Lonely Soldier: the Private War of Women Serving in Iraq. This is usually located in the Bestsellers Collection in the second floor. Call number is DS 79.76 .B445 2009.
• Kate Blaise, The Heart of a Soldier: a True Love Story of Love, War and Sacrifice. This is usually located in the Bestsellers Collection in the second floor. Call number is DS79.76 .B58 2005.
• David Bellavia, House to House: an Epic Memoir of War. This is usually located in the Bestsellers Collection in the second floor. DS79.76 .B4465 2007.
• Steve Estes, Ask & Tell: Gay and Lesbian Veterans Speak Out. UB418 .G38 E77 2007.
• Megan K. Winchell, Good Girls, Good Food, Good Fun: the Story of USO Hostesses during World War II. D810 .E8 W56 2008.

This display will run until the end of November. As always, the books inside the display case are available for checkout. If you are affiliated to the university (or you have a courtesy card), you can request to check out any book in the display case. Just stop by the reference or circulation desks, and we will be happy to open the case.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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).

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.

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/

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.