Monday, January 22, 2007

GPO FEDERAL DEPOSITORY LIBRARY OFFERS FIRST-EVER DIGITAL COLLECTION OF CIVIL RIGHTS DOCUMENTS

WASHINGTON-As the Nation pauses to remember the achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) teams up with the United States Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) and the Thurgood Marshall Law Library, University of Maryland School of Law, to provide the American public a website of authentic Civil Rights historical publications.

"GPO is honored to be participating in this project," said Judith Russell, Superintendent of Documents. "This is an example of GPO's mission to improve service to the public and assure permanent access to digital collections."

The Thurgood Marshall Law Library, which is a GPO Federal Depository Library, has been scanning hundreds of historical Civil Rights publications to make this digital collection possible. These documents are provided by USCCR. With a couple strokes of the keyboard, Americans can access Civil Rights documents such as The Civil Rights Act. These documents are accessible at: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/usccr/index.asp

"The Commission has continued to play a vital part in the efforts to combat discrimination in America. By providing access to the historical record of this important federal agency, the Thurgood Marshall Law Library will offer the public an opportunity to examine the efforts of the Commission more closely, while aiding the Commission in its role as a clearinghouse for information about civil rights," said Kenneth L. Marcus, United States Commission on Civil Rights.

"In conjunction with the Thurgood Marshall Law Library's strategic plan to enhance its civil rights collection in support of the School of Law's teaching and research mission, the Library has worked since 2001 to create a complete electronic record of United States Commission on Civil Rights publications," said Bill Sleeman, Assistant Director for Technical Services at the Thurgood Marshall Law Library.

The U.S. Government Printing Office is the Federal Government's primary centralized resource for gathering, cataloging, producing, providing, authenticating, and preserving published U.S. Government information in all its forms. GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three Branches of the Federal Government. In addition to publication sales, GPO makes Government information available at no cost to the public through GPO Access (www.gpoaccess.gov), and through partnerships with more than 1,250 libraries nationwide participating in the Federal Depository Library Program. For more information, please visit www.gpo.gov.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is an independent, bipartisan agency charged with monitoring federal civil rights enforcement. Members include Chairman Gerald A. Reynolds, Vice Chairman Abigail Thernstrom, and Commissioners Jennifer C. Braceras, Peter N. Kirsanow, Arlan D. Melendez, Ashley L. Taylor, and Michael Yaki. Kenneth L. Marcus is Staff Director. Commission meetings are open to the media and general public. For more information, please visit www.usccr.gov

The Thurgood Marshall Law Library, the University of Maryland School of Law, boasts over 400,000 volumes of American and foreign legal materials and an outstanding collection of electronic sources. A full range of research support services by experienced law librarians make the Library an excellent research facility for scholars, the judiciary and the practicing bar. For more information please visit: www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

The following new resources were recently added to the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections.

NEW COLLECTION UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ZOOLOGY MUSEUM COLLECTION
The Galápagos Collection 20 volumes / 1,225 pages, added 12/05/2006 The collection of Galapagos materials that includes anatomical specimens, images, and papers at the UW-Madison Zoological Museum (UWZM) is unique and rare. Since 1978, UWZM has been one of only 3 museums granted permission by the Ecuadorian Government to collect, preserve, transport, and maintain scientific anatomical specimens from the Galapagos Islands. The first group of materials to be added to the digital collection includes important texts, both books and journal articles related to the flora and fauna of the Galapagos. Scholars can learn about the giant tortoise, birds, and vegetation of this unique environment, as well as read about early travels to the Galapagos. Soon to be added are stunning photographs of the wildlife and the plants of the Islands, offering researchers a seldom seen view of this important world. This digitization project is funded by a Brittingham Grant.
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/Zoology

NEW RESOURCES WITHIN EXISTING COLLECTIONS FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES
20 volumes / 17,754 pages, added 12/05/2006 The Foreign Relations of the United States series is the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions that have been declassified and edited for publication. The series is produced by the State Department's Office of the Historian and printed volumes are available from the Government Printing Office. New additions cover the years 1955-1957 and span such topics as the Arab-Israeli Dispute, Foreign economic policy, Suez Crisis and much more.
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/FRUS

THE STATE OF WISCONSIN COLLECTION
Appleton Public Library Local History Collection
11 volumes / 3,913 pages, added 12/05/2006 The newest additions to the Appleton Public Library Local History Collection offer views of Outgamie County from the mid-1800s up to 1989 and offer a plethora of resources for genealogists and local historians and of course citizens of the area. Titles include, The Appleton Review. Appleton's 75th Anniversary Celebration and George Washington Bicentennial, 1857-1932, Wright's Appleton City Directory for the years 1887-88, 1891-92, 1893-94, and 1925, and many other books exploring the Fox Valley. The Appleton Library Local History Collection is collaborative project completed by the UWDCC and the Appleton Public Library. The Appleton Library Local History Collection was funded, in part, through a 2005 and 2006 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant. This grant provided financial support for public libraries to digitize and make available online, their local library resources.
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.AppletonPlats

Brown, Door, Kewaunee & Shawano Counties: Historical Atlases, Directories & Plat Maps
1 volumes / 192 pages, added 12/05/2006
This collection of historic materials includes plat books and atlases providing accessibility to early information about Northeastern Wisconsin, specifically Brown, Door, Kewaunee and Shawano counties.
Green Bay and Fort Howard Directory is the most recent addition to this project, completed with Nicolet Federated Library System and funded through a 2006 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant. The
1874 directory includes information on the early settlement of Green Bay as well as a business and street directory.
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.NicoletLocHist

Waterford Area Local History
1 volume / 49 pages, additional images, added 12/05/2006 The early years of settlement are documented here by a collection of historical artifacts digitized from a variety of formats including books, manuscripts, photographs, maps and newspapers. Many Waterford area agencies contributed content to this collection including Waterford Public Library, the Village of Waterford, Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce and descendants of pioneer families. The newest addition to this collection is, A History of the Waterford Graded Schools—District 1, which in the words of the author, "is an attempt to give as simply as possible a history of education in Waterford against historical background and colorful present." This project was completed with Waterford Public Library and funded through a 2006 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant.
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WaterfordLocHist

Neenah Public Library Local History Collection
1 volume / 139 pages, additional images, added 12/05/2006 Neenah, a city of 25,000, is a part of the Fox Cities and located in east-central Wisconsin, on the northwest shore of Lake Winnebago. The Neenah Public Library's digital collection presents the history of Neenah primarily from the early 1800's to the 1950's. The newest inclusion to this collection is, the Neenah Historical and Architectural Survey Project: Intensive Survey Report. The 1982 report lists districts and individual properties potentially eligible to the National Register of Historic Places within the city limits of Neenah, Wisconsin and includes photographs and maps of historic Neenah. This project was completed with Neenah Public Library and funded through a 2006 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant.
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.NeenahLocHist