People’s historian, Howard Zinn, 1922-2010, dies at age 88

Written by Toné Mendoza, Diversity Specialist Librarian
mendozaac@unk.edu

Howard Zinn, historian

Howard Zinn was known as a liberal American historian, playwright, and activist.  To find Zinn, his famous book A People’s History of the United States, and other related works search the Calvin T. Ryan online catalog (for example, input his name in the form at the bottom of the library home page).

Zinn’s work can also be heard in 53 segments on YouTube, read by Matt Damon. This controversial historian/teacher spent his life challenging ideas, such as the memory of state as being truly reflective of the people’s memory, the notion of an American Empire, and the open and hidden values promoted by American political policymakers.

Recent additions to the library’s collections related to Zinn and his work include the book Voices of a people’s history of the United States, which is the source book for the documentary The People Speak, two copies of which make up part of the library’s DVD collection. The cd soundtrack for the documentary is also included in the library’s collections.

See the following UNK library resources for more information about Howard Zinn and his controversial and literary works:

• A brief biography of Howard Zinn in Biography Reference Bank (note the translation and audio tools available here).

• Read or listen to a brief summary and suggested readings in Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center by Howard Zinn and Ben Shapiro on the topic of American Nationalism.

• A brief biography and bibliography of writings, criticisms and biographies about Howard Zinn, featured in Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series available in the Gale Virtual Reference Library.

• A list of works by Howard Zinn available at the UNK library.

Mobile interface available for EBSCOhost databases

Written by Jon Ritterbush, Electronic Resources Librarian
ritterbushjr@unk.edu

Search for articles on a mobile device using EBSCOhost Mobile

EBSCOhost Mobile is a collection of article databases optimized for display on smartphones and other mobile devices.

Click here to try EBSCOhost Mobile, or find links to this interface from any of the library’s EBSCO databases.

EBSCOhost Mobile has been tested on the most popular smartphones including:

• BlackBerry
• Dell Axiom
• iPhone
• Palm 750

The Web browser on your mobile device must have javascript enabled in order to use EBSCOhost Mobile. Note: BlackBerry users can refer to the following link for information on enabling javascript:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4965723_enable-javascript-blackberry.html

We welcome your comments about using the EBSCOhost Mobile interface on a mobile device.  Please use the comment form provided below to submit your feedback; comments will be moderated by the library Publications Committee.

Access the President’s Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2011 through the library

Written by Diana Keith, Government Documents Librarian
keithdi@unk.edu

The President’s Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2011 has been released by the U. S. Government Printing Office.  The documents are available in PDF format with many tables available for downloading in xls and comma delimited formats.  The PDF versions have been digitally signed by the Government Printing Office to ensure authenticity of the documents.

A record in the Library’s catalog links to the new budget proposal.  The record also provides call numbers for previous budget documents housed in the government documents collection.  The Library will receive the 2011 budget document in paper format at a later date.

To access the catalog record, go to:  http://rosi.unk.edu/record=b1275540~S0

February eBook of the month: The Procrastinator’s Guide to Getting Things Done

Written by Jon Ritterbush, Electronic Resources Librarian
ritterbushjr@unk.edu

NetLibrary is highlighting one eBook title per month with free access (the library owns many other eBooks as well). The selection for February 2010 is The Procrastinator’s Guide to Getting Things Done by Monica Ramirez Basco.

“Do you hold off to the last minute on those less-than-pleasant tasks? Are you typically off by 50% on your ‘that-won’t-take-long-I’ve-got-time’ estimates? Think you are a capital-P Procrastinator for life? With this guide, you’ll get the quick-and-easy shortcuts around all your excuses. You’ll gain the tools to find your personal stall tactics and the repair kit to fix them. When you’re done, get ready for your reward: efficient productivity and more time for fun.”

-Reid Wilson, PhD, author of Don’t Panic

The Procrastinator’s Guide to Getting Things Done will be available via NetLibrary to Calvin T. Ryan Library patrons throughout the month of February, so don’t put it off!

Follow this direct link to access NetLibrary’s eBook of the Month, or from the library homepage (library.unk.edu), mouseover Research Tools and click on Articles & E-resources to access NetLibrary from the alphabetical list of resources. Each month’s featured eBook will appear on the NetLibrary website.

Stay tuned for future announcements on NetLibrary’s eBook of the month.

Super Bowl XLIV–Facts and figures

Written by Diana Keith, Government Documents Librarian
keithdi@unk.edu

Super Bowl XLIV, between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, will be played February 7 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, a Miami suburb.

The U. S. Bureau of the Census gathered statistics about the cities in 2008.

A sample:

• Twenty-five percent of New Orleans residents 25 years old and over had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2008, and 82% had at least a high school diploma.  The same figures for Indianapolis are 28% and 85%, and 25% and 67% for Miami.

• Nine percent of residents over 5 years of age in New Orleans speak a language other than English at home compared to 10% in  Indianapolis.   In Miami, 77% of residents over 5 spoke a language other than English at home.

• The median home value of owner-occupied homes in New Orleans was $194,300, $125,500 in Indianapolis, and $313,300 in Miami.

Additional facts about the Super Bowl cities are on the library’s government document department page: http://www.unk.edu/academics/library.aspx?id=49971.