General Interest
http://www.who.int/child-adolescent-health/
Along with groups such as the United Nations and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization’s Child and Adolescent Health and Development (CAH) division is concerned with the health and well-being of those who range in age from the newly born to age nineteen. It is, as they point out on their website, a rather large group of individuals, and all told, it comprises approximately 40% of the world’s inhabitants. From their homepage, interested parties can learn about their primary areas of focus, and also look over a thorough list of their recent publications. Other sections include those dedicated to providing data about nutritional portraits of infants in different parts of the world and neonatal care. Visitors will also be glad to learn that the site and its materials are available in Spanish, Russian, French, and English. [KMG]
Based in Washington, DC, the mission of the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is “to expand access to information, however recorded and preserved, as a public good.” Not surprisingly, they do an excellent job of fulfilling this mission, and persons interested in their work will appreciate learning about their website and its many offerings. The materials on their site are contained within four primary sections, including “Publications”, “Activities”, “Awards”, and “News”. The “Publications” area is a rich source of information for persons working in the fields of archive management, information science, and other related fields. Here visitors will find their annual reports, their in-house bimonthly newsletter, and full-length reports. Visitors can view a chronological list containing all of their reports, or they can look through thematic sections, such as “Managing Economic Challenges” and “Perspectives on the Evolving Library”. Aspiring scholars will also want to look over their fellowships and awards, as there may be one that may be used to further their own scholarly work. [KMG]
Around the world, policy experts and concerned citizens continue to ask: What can be done about the problems of the world’s cities? Of course, the problems of cities differ widely, and simple answers are in short supply, if they are any to be had at all. Based in San Rafael, the Urban Age Institute has been exploring some of these issues over the years, and their website contains some of their various findings and musings on a number of pressing urban matters. On their website, visitors can learn about their various research objectives, some of the events they sponsor, and also consider an extensive list of complementary websites. Finally, clicking on the “Articles” section will take visitors to the current issue of their magazine, “Urban Age”. Additionally, visitors can browse through previous issues at their leisure. [KMG]
In a very real way, Samuel Clemens cut his teeth on the Mississippi River as an apprentice steamboat captain in the late 1850s. Years later he would draw on these experiences for a number of the works he would write under the name, “Mark Twain”. This multimedia website created at Northern Illinois University explores his time in and around Big Muddy through a number of interactive maps, historic images, and audio content. By clicking on the “Twain’s Life and Works” section, visitors can read a number of essays written by Gregg Camfield of the University of the Pacific on such topics as the economic importance of the river during Twain’s life, as well as other pieces on related topics. Moving along, visitors can perform detailed searches across the entire database and also listen to songs from the period, such as “Steamboat Bill”. [KMG]
http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/cinefiles/
The Pacific Film Archives at Berkeley has been collecting all types of film ephemera for decades. Over the past few years, they have worked to place this material online for the use of film historians and persons with a general interest in cinema. The CineFiles site serves as a database of reviews, press kits, festival and showcase program notes, newspaper articles and other documents from their collection. On their homepage, visitors can perform simple searches, or also perform a filmographic search to search for films by title, subject, genre, and so on. To get visitors started, they have included several sample searches that will be most illustrative. From a 1927 Variety review of Buster Keaton’s masterpiece film “College” to an interview with John Cassavetes regarding his 1974 film “A Woman Under the Influence”, the CineFiles collection is quite engaging and useful. [KMG]
http://www2.roosevelt.edu/library/oralhistory/oralhistory.htm
Labor history is a field that has enjoyed a resurgence of interest, including significant attention from journalists, scholars, and curious members of the general public. This particular set of labor history documents is primarily concerned with oral histories compiled by Elizabeth Balanoff in the early 1970s. Three decades later, several librarians at Roosevelt University received a $10,000 grant from the Illinois State Library to digitize these interview transcripts. Interviews include Irving Abrams, who was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World, and Joseph Keenan, who served as the secretary of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. This fascinating collection is rounded out by a number of interview transcripts from conversations with faculty members at Roosevelt University on the subject of faculty participation in university government. [KMG]
As a member of the Museums West consortium, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center is itself comprised of five separate museums, including the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Plains Indian Museum, and the Cody Firearms Museum. For those who may not be able to make it to their location in northeastern Wyoming, there are a number of online features that will provide as a suitable substitute for the actual experience of being there. Visitors can feel free to browse the online guide to their research library, and they will most certainly want to look at some of the online exhibits. Some of these online exhibits include features on Buffalo Bill himself, and others (such as those within the Cody Firearms Museum section) feature information on Winchester collectibles and firearms-related sayings.
[KMG]
http://www.louvreatlanta.org/en/exhibition/Year%201
Great friendships can lead to wonderful partnerships, and the kinship between Michael Shapiro and Henri Loyrette is a fine example. As director of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Michael Shapiro had worked with Henri Loyrette, the director of the Musee du Louvre, on a presentation of Impressionist works in 1999. A few years ago, they proposed a collaborative partnership that would allow different pieces from the Louvre to be displayed in a new wing of the High Museum. Over the next three years, the Louvre Atlanta initiative will do just that, and this website offers some of the highlights from the first year. Visitors to the site can interact with some of the magnificent paintings and sculpture acquired by Louis XIV and Louis VXI, including a very lovely secretary from 1780 and an exquisite vase from the Sevres Porcelain Manufactory.
[KMG]
