By order of UT Tyler President Dr. Mabry, the UT Tyler campus is closing down at 12:00 noon.

THE ROBERT R. MUNTZ LIBRARY WILL CLOSE TODAY AT 12:00 NOON. We will reopen on Monday, January 4, 2010.

Remember you can always visit our website (http://library.uttyler.edu) any time, and if you are affiliated to the university, you can use the databases and other subscription-based resources.

Have a safe and happy holiday.

President Mabry has ordered that the campus close at noon today in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Robert R. Muntz Library will close at 12:00pm (noon) today, Wednesday November 25.

We will reopen for regular hours on Saturday November 28.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

The Robert R. Muntz Library will have the following hours for the 2009 Thanksgiving Holiday:

Wednesday November 25, 2009: 7:30am-5:00pm

Thursday November 26, 2009: CLOSED

Friday November 27, 2009: CLOSED

The library will reopen for regular hours on Saturday November 28, 2009.

The Robert R. Muntz Library has a book display in observance of National Native American Heritage Month. In the course of putting together that display, I found various links to website and free online resources that may be of interest. Here is the list:

• The Indian Health Service, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has a page honoring National Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. Some of the posters I used on the display come from this page. They have various resources of interest and links to other agencies with relevant information.
• Want some more posters? The U.S. Air Force has a few here.
• This is the federal website for Native American Heritage Month. It is an information portal created by various federal agencies.
• President Obama hosted a Tribal Nations Conference this month. President Obama delivered remarks, and you can view them via the White House blog here. You can view more of the conference and get some transcripts via C-SPAN here.
• Federal agencies often have their own proclamations and statements to go along with a federal observance. For example, from the Administration on Aging, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,  here is the statement from Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for Aging, for National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.
• Jefferson Keel, President of the National Congress of American Indians, has released a statement for the month. The NCAI is a tribal governments association.
• U.S. embassies around the world often highlight federal observances like this as part of their mission to showcase the U.S. around the world. For example, here is page on American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month created at the U.S. Embassy in Japan. These pages are meant for local people, but they make a good way for us here in the U.S. to see how the U.S. presents itself around the world.
• You may want to visit the website for the National Museum of the American Indian, part of the Smithsonian. From the website, “The National Museum of the American Indian is the sixteenth museum of the Smithsonian Institution. It is the first national museum dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans. Established by an act of Congress in 1989, the museum works in collaboration with the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere to protect and foster their cultures by reaffirming traditions and beliefs, encouraging contemporary artistic expression, and empowering the Indian voice.”
  
• The National Park Service has a feature for National American Indian Heritage Month. One of the things the NPS does is highlight places in the National Park System listed for American Indian Heritage.
  
• The U.S. Census Bureau has published a Facts for Features article with facts and figures about Native Americans. I particularly like the Facts for Features series because it compiles in a convenient place all sorts of statistics on any given topic. For example, did you know that there are 160,471 American Indian and Alaska Native veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces in the U.S.?
• The Centers for Disease Control have a page for health issues related to American Indian and Native Alaskans. You can find demographic data, leading causes of death, various informative brochures, and a many other resources.
• Another organization with medical interest for Native Americans is the Association of American Indian Physicians. Here is some of the work they do, from their website: “A major goal of AAIP is to motivate American Indian and Alaskan Native students to remain in the academic pipeline and to pursue a career in the health professions and/or biomedical research, thereby increasing the number of American Indian and Alaskan Native medical professionals in the workforce.”
• This is the official website of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Here is a bit of what they do, from the BIA website: “The United States has a unique legal and political relationship with Indian tribes and Alaska Native entities as provided by the Constitution of the United States, treaties, court decisions and Federal statutes. Within the government-to-government relationship, Indian Affairs provides services directly or through contracts, grants, or compacts to 564 Federally recognized tribes with a service population of about 1.9 million American Indian and Alaska Natives.”
• The Office for Victims of Crime, part of the U.S. Department of Justice, has a listing with resources of interest here. The list is not too prominent, but if you search the website, you can find more information.
• The U.S. Geological Survey has been creating some very nice posters for the observance. You can view and download them here. If you visit the link, you can also learn about the work of the USGS Native American Tribal Liaison Team.
• Various libraries around the nation create websites and resource lists for these observances. For example, the Madison (WI) Public Library has a page with reading lists and links to other resources of interest. If you are looking for some reading ideas, you can look over their lists. You can then check our library’s catalog via our website to see if we have the title or not. This is in addition to the books we have placed on our display case this month. As always, if you wish to find books on this or other topics, you can stop by or contact our Reference Desk.
• The Programming Librarian, a resource from the American Library Association Public Programs Office, offers a post on “Native American Heritage Month” with links to reading lists, other resources, and examples of how other libraries are celebrating.
• Want more reading ideas? Want to learn about perspectives of indigenous peoples in children’s books? There is a blog for that. You can visit American Indians in Children’s Literature, a blog maintained by Debbie Reese, former teacher and now professor in the American Indian Studies Program at UIUC. She has an extensive list of books, but she also writes on other topics related to indigenous peoples.
• And finally, find more resources for teachers and librarians related to native theme from YA author Cynthia Leitich Smith.

The UT Tyler Robert R. Muntz Library is featuring a display to honor National Native American Heritage Month (link to the 2009 Presidential Proclamation) which takes place every year during the month of November. The display can be viewed on the third floor of the library. In addition, we are also featuring a series of facts about Native Americans, their contributions and achievements in our monitor display in the second floor.

We are featuring the following books in the display case. All books are available for checkout. If you wish to check out a book in the display case, simply stop by Circulation or Reference. We will be glad to open the display case for you to get the book. The list includes call numbers, and all books are located in the General Collection (third floor stacks) unless otherwise noted:

• Collin G. Calloway, The World Turned Upside Down: Indian Voices from Early America. E77 .W883 1994.
• Al Carroll, Medicine Bags and Dog Tags: American Indian Veterans from Colonial Times to the Second Iraq War. E98 .M5 C37 2008.
• Vine Deloria, The Nations Within: The Past and Future of American Indian Sovereignty. E98 .T77 D44 1998.
• R. David Edmunds, The New Warriors: Native American Leaders Since 1900. E89 .N48 2004.
• John Canfield Ewers, Plains Indian History and Culture: Essays on Continuity and Change. E78 .G73 E928 1997.
• Donald Lee Fixico, The Urban Indian Experience in America. E98 .U72 F57 2000.
• Peter Iverson, When Indians Became Cowboys: Native Peoples and Cattle Ranching in the American West. E78 .W5 I94 1994.
• David Rich Lewis, Neither Wolf Nor Dog: American Indians, Environment, and Agrarian Change. E78 .W5 L48 1994.
• Carter Jones Meyer, Selling the Indian: Commercializing and Appropriating American Indian Cultures. E98 .P99 S45 2001.
• Joseph B. Oxendine, American Indian Sports Heritage. E98.G2 O94 1988.
• Linda S. Parker, Native American Estate: the Struggle Over Indian and Hawaiian Lands. E98.L3 P37 1996.
• Roy Harvey Pearce, Savagism and Civilization: a Study of the Indian and the American Mind. E98 .C89 P43 1988.
• Andrea Smith, Native Americans and the Christian Right: the Gendered Politics of Unlikely Alliances. E98 .R3 S54 2008.
• Robert Marshall Utley, Indian Wars. E81 .U74 2002.
• Anthony F. Wallace, Jefferson and the Indians: the Tragic Fate of the First Americans. E93 .W18 1999.
• J. McIver Weatherford, Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World. E59.I53 W43 1990.
• Philip Weeks, Farewell My Nation: the American Indian and the United States in the Nineteenth Century. E93 .W39 2001.

The display will be open for viewing through the month of November.

Read the Fall 09 Muntz Library Musings online at http://library.uttyler.edu/newsletters.html.

Some of the topics in this issue include:

• The library director discusses library assessment and how it helps us serve the campus community
• A recap of the University Archives’ fall event and display
• New library zoning for quiet and group study
• The library has two new librarians

Printed copies of the newsletter are available on the 2nd floor of the library. You can read all previous issues at the link above or by going to the library’s homepage and clicking About > Newsletters.

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.