Oklahoma's Top 100 Delinquent Tax Payers.

You might be surprised that many Oklahomans and Oklahoma companies often do not pay their taxes. The outcome could be that taxes will be raised for everyone else to make up the difference.

Click on the blue title above to check out the top 100 delinquent tax payers in Oklahoma.

Indoor Tanning - Risks to College Students:

Tanning beds use UV-B and UV-A rays to penetrate human skin in order to produce more melanin which darkens the skin.

Click on the blue title above to link to the FDA's website on the risks of indoor tanning. See the story of the former Miss Maryland - who stopped tanning at age 20 when she was diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. She had used tanning beds at least 4 times a week from age 17 to 20.

If you still want to tan after reading her story, be aware of the riskiest indoor tanning practices:

1. Failing to wear googles, which can lead to short - and long-term eye injury.
2. Starting with long exposures, which can lead to burning. Sunburn can take 6 to 48 hours to develop, so you might not realize it until it's too late.
3. Failing to follow exposure times recommended for your skin type.
4. Tanning while taking medications which can make you more sensitive to UV rays.

Impact of Video Games on Modern Society

Ten years ago, did anyone realize...

...that children and students of all ages would learn music appreciation and music history from Guitar Hero or Rock Band?

...that kids would learn social and communication skills in a MMORPG?

...adults would use Wii Fit to replace personal trainers?

...adults and kids would play cell phone games to pass the time while waiting for the movie to start?

Stop by the library and check out one of three new displays offering insight into how we as soceity have evolved to include video games in our daily lives.

John Hope Franklin

John Hope Franklin was the James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of History, and for seven years was Professor of Legal History in the Law School at Duke University. He was a native of Oklahoma and a graduate of Fisk University. He received the A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in history from Harvard University. He has taught at a number of institutions, including Fisk University, St. Augustine's College, North Carolina Central University, and Howard University. In 1956 he went to Brooklyn College as Chairman of the Department of History; and in 1964, he joined the faculty of the University of Chicago, serving as Chairman of the Department of History from 1967 to 1970. At Chicago, he was the John Matthews Manly Distinguished Service Professor from 1969 to 1982, when he became Professor Emeritus.

Learn more about John Hope Franklin by stopping by the library display.

2010 Winter Olympics Display

Stop by the Library and check out the 2010 Winter Olympics Display! On display, you will find several interesting books about the history of the Olympics, as well as fun facts and many pictures of past Olympics. A list of the original Greek events and the current winter events have been provided, as well as a daily medal count for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Four time Acadamy Award winning Chariots of Fire (including Best Picture), a true story of the 1924 Olympic Games will be playing, as well.

This year's games will be held in Vancouver, Canada, February 12-28, 2010. For more information about the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, visit their official website!

Law Library of Congress & Google to Digitalize Information

75,000 volumes of Congressional Hearings are being digitalized by Google into Adobe Acrobat PDF files. The three categories are: Census, Freedom of Information/Privacy, and Immigration.

Since the primary objective is to get books online as quickly as possible, there may be occasional duplicate or missing pages. Click on the blue title above to link to website. (After you're there - click on Census, Freedom of information, etc. - then choose your desired PDF.)