Monday, April 16, 2012

Thinking About Summer School?

Are you thinking about taking (or even teaching) classes during one or both of the university’s two summer sessions this year? Good for you! Just remember that Rice Library is here to serve you with the same range of services, same great resources, and same helpful staff as you’ve come to expect throughout the academic year. Although the library’s hours will be reduced somewhat during the summer months, so much of what it offers is available 24/7. Electronic books, electronic journal databases, online book renewal, LibGuides, electronic reserves, online tutorials, interlibrary loan requests, e-mail and chat reference, and so much more—they’re all available whether you are in the library or studying at the beach.


Here are some more good reasons to use and enjoy Rice Library this summer:
  • Cool place to study; great place to get out of the summer heat!
  • Growing media collection for leisure time, including classic films, music, and books on tape.
  • Just steps from Starbucks.

We wish the best to all those participating in this year’s summer school and hope that we can be a part of your academic success. And if you’re attending USI for the first time this summer, stop by and introduce yourself. Have a great summer, everyone!


For more information about summer programs and classes, go to www.usi.edu/summer.

PO

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, April 13, 2012

A New Window Into America's Past

On April 2, the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States released for the first time the 1940 census.  This is the most recent of the decennial censuses to be made available to libraries, researchers, genealogists and the general public, and the first to be issued initially in a digital format.  For more than three years the National Archives has been digitizing over 3.9 million images of records which will give a clearer picture of Americans and American life during the decade of the Great Depression.  Access to these important records can be gained at:  http://1940census.archives.gov/.  A brief video introduction to the project is also available on the site's "Getting Started" page at:  http://1940census.archives.gov/getting-started/.  Finally, an excellent summary of information related to the release of these records is available in a post entitled "1940 Census Goes Digital" on the Government Printing Office's GovernmentBookTalk blog.

PO