READ SPEAK KNOW

Celebrate the Freedom to Read during  Banned Books Week , September 26-October 3, 2009. Banned Books Week annually celebrates the importance of the First Amendment, the freedom to read, the freedom to access information and the freedom to express ideas without fear. Intellectual freedom provides the foundation for a free and democratic society to access and express multiple viewpoints regardless of popularity.

Librarians at SDSU are committed to intellectual freedom and unfettered access to information. In celebration of Banned books week, the library features displays on the Main Level and the Lower Level. Check out the Main Level East hallway display case and the Table Display in the lobby near the Information Services Office which includes the 2008-2009 Challenged Books List and examples of books that have been challenged in libraries, schools, bookstores, and communities. The Lower Level display outside the Government Documents Office explores federal publications related to the freedoms protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

See the American Library Association’s Issues & Advocacy pages for more information about Banned and Challenged books http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/index.cfm.

Vickie Mix, Government Documents Librarian

News and Resources on the Supreme Court Justice nomination

In the news…

Supreme Court Justice David Souter has announced his coming retirement.  On May 26, President Obama announced his selection of Sonia Sotomayor to become the newest justice.  Sotomayor now faces hearings in the Senate, which has the authority to either approve or reject Pres. Obama’s nominee.

Here is a selection of resources for further information on this topic:

- For information on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor: http://www.loc.gov/law/find/sotomayor.php
- For information on the Supreme Court including history, the docket, and opinions: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/
- For online access to the text of Supreme Court Nomination Hearings since 1971: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/senate/judiciary/scourt.html
- For a list of Supreme Court nominees since 1789: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/nominations/Nominations.htm
- For information regarding presidential nominations, nominees, and appointments: http://www.senate.gov/reference/Nominations/Index.htm
- For a biographical directory of federal judges since 1789: http://www.fjc.gov/public/home.nsf/hisj

For further information, please ask at the Information Desk or the Government Documents Department. While you are at the library, feel free to check out the displays on the lower level and learn more about our Supreme Court Justices as well as our Justice Department publications.

Laura Plowman, Public Services Library Associate

National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week

Believe it or not stress and anxiety can be a good thing.  If you’re worried about your electricity being turned off, you’ll likely pay your utility bill on time.  If you’re worried about passing your classes, you’ll likely put in some study time. 

 

However, sometimes fear and anxiety go past normal levels and people have trouble coping.  Helping people who experience overwhelming levels of fear and anxiety is the focus of National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week, May 3-9, 2009.

 

Freedom from Fear, a national non-profit mental health advocacy organization, sponsors the week and urges anyone experiencing debilitating anxiety or depression to seek help.  The organization’s Web site can be found at www.freedomfromfear.org and their toll free number is 1-888-442-2022.

 

Resources for SDSU students include Student Health and Counseling Services which offers by-appointment and crisis counseling.  Their offices are located in the Wellness Center or call (605) 688-6146.

 

National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week, coincides with finals week at SDSU.  If you’re in the library studying, check out a display on this issue located in the hallway to your right when you come in the door.

 

If you need more information about depression or anxiety, you will find hundreds of relevant books in the Briggs Library catalog.  In addition, thousands of relevant magazine and journal articles can be found using databases listed on the library research databases page.  EBSCOhost Megafile and ProQuest will each provide a great selection of both magazine articles written for the general public and scholarly research articles written for more scientific purposes.  For even more comprehensive scientific coverage, PsycINFO and Medline would be excellent choices.  You will find that digital versions of many of the articles will be available from these databases. 

 

Best wishes to all students for a healthy and successful finals week.

 

Linda Kott

Information Services Librarian

Earth Day 2009

Happy Earth Day 2009!

The United States has been celebrating Earth Day since 1970, the year the Environmental Protection Agency was created.  These government websites offer more information about Earth Day:

 

http://www.earthday.gov/

This website provides information on conservation and volunteer opportunities.  A special ‘for kids’ section offers many Earth Day and environment-related games and learning activities for kids or kids-at-heart.

 

http://www.epa.gov/earthday/

The Environmental Protection Agency’s website offers news, analysis on a variety of environmental issues, information about Earth-friendly science and technology, and much more.

 

http://www.epa.gov/earthday/history.htm

This page, provided by the EPA, gives a nice timeline of environmental progress from 1970 to today.

 

Also, feel free to visit the lower level of the library to see our Earth Day display full of a variety of government publications regarding the environment. 

 

And, a reminder… the staff at the Information Desk and the Government Documents office are available to help you with your research needs, environment-related or otherwise!

Earth Day 2009 display

Celebrate National Library Week!

 

This week, the over 123,000 libraries around the country are celebrating National Library Week [April 12-18]. In Briggs Library, you will find signs and banners as well as a display outside the Government Documents office on the lower level. The display features information about our nation’s library, the Library of Congress, and also provides a selection of the Library’s publications.

The Library of Congress was founded in 1800 and originally located in the U.S. capitol building. It has grown to be the largest library in the world, currently holding nearly 142 million items in its collection, 32 million of which are in print. The Library also employs a permanent staff of 3,637 employees. In comparison, Briggs Library holds only 926,000 print items and has a staff of 32.

To find more publications by the Library of Congress, feel free to browse the ‘LC’ call number section of the Government Documents shelving. For more information about the Library of Congress, please ask us or visit http://www.loc.gov to browse the Library’s resources, view its virtual displays and collections, and learn more about America’s library.

We’ll conclude this posting about National Library Week with a few facts courtesy the American Library Association:
 Reference librarians in the nation’s public and academic libraries answer more than 7.2 million questions weekly. Standing single file, the line of questioners would stretch from New York City to Juneau, Alaska.
 63% of adults in the U.S. have public library cards.
 There are more public libraries than McDonald’s in the U.S. – a total of 16,549, including branches.
 Americans go to school, public and academic libraries 50% more often than they go to the movies.
 The planned national events for the week include the release of the annual “State of America’s Libraries” report , National Library Workers Day on Tuesday (Libraries Work Because We Do!), the release of the 2008 list of the ‘Top Ten Most Challenged Books’ on Wednesday, and ‘Support Teen Literature Day’ on Thursday.

Get your freaky read @ Briggs Library…

Mid-terms are here!  It’s the time of the semester when students, faculty and staff are feeling harried and could use a nice, relaxing read.  Have we got a deal for you!   Did you know in addition to our plentiful research resources, we also have fiction books for more leisure reading AND a variety of Government Documents?  We’ve pulled a selection of our best creepy, scary, haunting and just plain freaky books and Government Documents for you to peruse the next time you visit the library.  Check out the displays in the lobby on the main level, and in Government Documents on the lower level, and take a good read home tonight as a temporary distraction from the craziness of mid-terms.  Oh, and Happy Halloween!