The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina, Lessons Learned

The Federal Depository Library Program announced in March, 2006 the completion of "The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina, Lessons Learned", which is online.

The title tells the subject of this publication. It's about the mistakes the Government made and what they plan on doing differently if the problem comes up again. One of the most interesting items is the comparison chart located in the back which gives the dollar value (in billions) of various hurricanes and natural disasters. While most hurricanes in recent years cost about $12 billion each, hurricane Katrina came in at a whopping $97 billion! While Katrina resulted in 1,330 deaths, the 1900 hurricane in Galveston (before hurricane were given names) was responsible for 8,000 deaths. Click on the title above to access the full 200+ page article!

The printed versions (of the subject above) have just arrived in Government Documents: Y 1.1/8: 109-377 is "A Failure of Initiative - Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurrican Katrina." The companion to this book is Y 1.1/8: 109-396 "A Failure of Initiative, Supplementary Report and Document Annex".

Learn How to Win a Da Vinci Code Movie Poster

Da Vinci Code Revealed!

To celebrate the popularity of Dan Brown's novel, the Da Vinci Code, and the upcoming release of the motion picture by Sony Pictures, the Al Harris Library is displaying materials that highlight the novel, the movie, the video game, Da Vinci's achievements, and the mysteries of codes and hidden messages.

For the duration of this library display, faculty, staff and students can submit contest forms for a chance to win a movie theatre quality poster for the motion picture, the Da Vinci Code.

There are no restrictions on how many chances you submit. Contest chances will be available at the library display only.

Neither cast ye your PURLs...

Okay, Matthew was talking about pearls, not PURLs.
For those of you in the know, a PURL is a persistent uniform resource locator. This means it's a kind of URL which doesn't disappear when you need it most.

There are thousands of PURLs linked to the Government Documents in our library catalog. If you'd like to quickly skim through these and get an idea of the the vast number and variety of titles, go to the SWOSU Library website. Simply click on "Find books, reserves, and journals" located under the word catalog. Then, under "Search for", type in PURL and hit the enter button. You'll see several thousand PURL titles. Click on one, scroll down and select "Click here for online access."

Just a few of the titles:
13. Anabolic Steroids, 23. Central and Southern Iraq, 46. DNA in Minor Crimes, 59. Healthy start, grow smart. Your 3 month-old, 70. Highway 12: A long and winding road, 271. Federal Law Enforcement at the Borders and Ports of Entry, 380. NADS: National Advanced Driving Simulator, 975. NAEP Writing State Report for Oklahoma National Assessment Educational Progress, 1171. Online Scams: potholes on the information highway, 1180. Residential Solar Heating Collector.

This is just a fun way to quickly get an idea of the vast amount of information available to students and the public from Government Documents free of charge.

Change a Child's World @ Your Library

In celebration of National Library Week, the Al Harris Library and Multi-County Youth Services are co-sponsoring a children’s book drive: Change a Child’s World @Your Library. The book drive will run from March 20 to April 7, 2006.

For more details on how you can give to this cause, click on the title above.

American Memory Workshop at SWOSU on April 4

Steve Beleu from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries will conduct a free workshop in the Al Harris Library on April 4, 2006 in the Instruction Room on 2nd floor. The morning session will be from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. The class will teach you how to access data from the Census Bureau's American Factfinder and American Community Survey web pages. You will also learn about the Census Bureau's homepage and School District Demographics web page. The focus will be on data and maps which feature Oklahoma.

The afternoon workshop (1:00- 4:00 PM - same day) will cover the American Memory website provided by the Library of Congress. The afternoon session will explain three of the most popular sites: Native Americans, Literature, & Music. These will be two very interesting workshops. You don't have to sign up or reserve a computer, but you need to show up early for each session to ensure a place. The photographs in American Memory are truly amazing and unforgettable. There are also thousands of copies of sheet music available free from this website - if you know where to look! If you have any questions regarding the workshop, please contact Dale Evans at 774-7069.

Click on title above to link to American Memory website.

Books That Changed Your World Exhibit

Have you seen the new exhibit, Books That Have Changed Your World, at the Al Harris Library? The purpose of the exhibit is to celebrate National Library Week which is April 2-8 and to focus attention upon the important role that books have played in the lives of SWOSU faculty. Come and discover what books your faculty have been reading and how these books have influenced them and changed their worlds!

USATODAY.com - What you say online could haunt you

"As more and more students turn to websites such as Facebook and MySpace to chronicle their lives and socialize with friends, they also are learning that their words and pictures are reaching way beyond the peers for whom they were intended."

See how universities, employers, students, and law enforcement officials view Facebook, MySpace, LiveJournal, and other social networking sites via this article from USA Today.