American Experience: War Letters
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/warletters/
Based on the book by Andrew Carroll, War Letters is a television special airing on PBS on Sunday, May 26, at 9pm (Eastern Time). Revealing personal correspondence from the Revolutionary War to the Gulf War, War Letters gives accounts of famous battles, intimate declarations of love and longing, heartbreaking "Dear John" letters from home, and much more. The accompanying Web site provides a comprehensive description of the film and a transcript. It also provides a timeline of US military actions and wars from 1775 to the present, excerpts of letters from Carroll's book, and a teachers guide section grouped into categories of history, economics, geography, and civics. Additionally, for those interested in letter preservation, the site also provides tips on how to keep letters safe. [MG]
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American Libraries: US Periodical Prices 2002
http://www.ala.org/alonline/archive/periodicals02.html
American Libraries, the magazine of the American Library Association, has recently released the 2002 edition of US Periodical Prices by Barbara Albee and Brenda Dingley. The price index is based on subscription price information supplied, compiled, and analyzed by divine/Faxon Library Services (formerly Faxon Library Services, RoweCom, Inc.). The report's tables and analysis measure changes in average US periodical prices in an historical context. On the whole, this report may be of use to librarians and others who prepare annual budget serial requests, as well as those involved in the analysis of serial pricing trends over a period of years. [MG]
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2001 Consolidated Federal Funds Report
http://www.census.gov/govs/www/cffr01.html
Provided and maintained by the US Census Bureau, the Consolidated Federal Funds Reports give one an appreciation of just how extensive are the government's outlays and obligations. Accessible by state or county, the reports publish direct federal expenditures and other federally facilitated programs in infinite detail. Making available yearly accounts of federal expenditures to individual states for retirement and disability, among other things, the report also tracks indirect outlays such as wages and salaries, federal grants, procurement contracts, and insurance programs. For instance, just in case you have ever wondered how much the federal government spends to help fill potholes or combat weeds in your neighborhood, this is the place to look. [WH]
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American Museum of Photography
http://www.photographymuseum.com/
The American Museum of Photography (last mentioned in the January 8, 1999 Scout Report ) is presently featuring new and exciting online exhibits covering a range of categories. Viewers can choose to enter the "private universe of photomontage artist" Scott Mutter (creator of Surrational Images) and view some of his most famous photographs, or choose to take a brief glimpse into the faces of slavery and other early images of African Americans. Curious and daring viewers can take a journey through the gallery of ghosts and ectoplasm captured by the camera, or explore the remarkable images by Shotaro Shimomura XXI. Taken from his trip around the world in 1934 and 1935, the Shimomura photographs combine elements of both the pictorialist and modernist styles prevalent in the 1930s. In all, regardless of what gallery one chooses to enter or what collection one chooses to explore, one is sure to be moved and entertained by the remarkable images. [MG]
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Canadian Heritage Information Network: Creating and Managing Digital Content
http://www.chin.gc.ca/English/Digital_Content/index.html
Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) (last mentioned in the May 29, 1998 Scout Report) has recently launched its new Web site and has a completely new and improved look. The site now offers a section entitled Creating and Managing Digital Content, which, among other things, gives information on the planning and implementation of digitization projects. The site also offers an Intellectual Property section, which gives information on rights management as well as licensing issues and guidelines. The Collections Management section provides software reviews and cataloging procedures, while the Reference Library offers a list of museum resources throughout Canada. Last, but certainly not least, the Conservation section gives viewers the opportunity to learn about the proper care and preservation of museum collections. In all, librarians as well as museum catalogers and preservationists are sure to find something of value on this newly enriched site. [MG]
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Virtual Sky
http://virtualsky.org/index.html
The Virtual Sky Viewer is sponsored by The Center for Advanced Computing Research at the California Institute of Technology and the Microsoft Corporation. The Web site allows users to view "stunning, seamless images of the night sky; not just an album of popular places, but the entire northern sky at high resolution". Although reading the help link before attempting to use the viewer is recommend, the powerful application gives fascinating and unique views of the sky that most people have never seen. This site is also reviewed in the May 17, 2002 NSDL Physical Sciences Report. [JAB]
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Silverpoint Drawing Complete
http://silverpointweb.com/index.html
Authored by James M. Glenn, Silverpoint Drawing Complete provides information and materials on and for the silverpoint medium. Mr. Glenn, who is a practicing artist with a MFA from Ohio University, has created a complete resource center for artists and anyone else interested in silverpoint drawing. The site offers a brief history section that includes an essay on writing technology development entitled "From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technology" by Dennis Baron. This site also offers two galleries, one of which links to images of "Old Master" and modern master metalpoint drawings, while the other links to images by contemporary artists on offsite galleries and museums. Additionally, the site has a workshop sections that illustrates the procedure of silverpoint drawing, and a materials section that lists available materials including "points, stylus, grounds, ground materials, plus do-it-yourself alternatives." In short, it is an enriching site for art students and enthusiasts. [MG]
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