Larson: Manufacturing Month in Connecticut

 RECEIVED FROM JOHN LARSON OCTOBER 9

"October marks 'Manufacturing Month' for Connecticut. This month, we celebrate the over 4,800 manufacturers who employ nearly 170,000 workers across Connecticut. Our manufacturers play a vital role in Connecticut’s economy, employing one out of every ten in our workforce and accounting for nearly 12 percent of our state’s total gross product. 

Throughout the month, there will be events celebrating the importance of manufacturing in Connecticut. Last week I had the great opportunity to speak to hundreds of students in Hartford about careers in manufacturing during the Dream It, Do It Initiative’s Manufacturing Mania Education Day.

In the spirit of Manufacturing Month, I recently announced that the next round of the Connecticut Manufacturing Job Match will be held on November 15th. At the event, manufacturers from around Connecticut will meet with manufacturing job seekers to match current job openings with candidates that offer a specific set of skills. To date, the  Connecticut Manufacturing Joh Match Initiative has helped nearly 500 workers try to further their careers in manufacturing. 

The industrial revolution was born in Connecticut. The Colt Armory, the first company to export U.S. goods overseas, developed such innovative and unique manufacturing techniques that Henry Ford came to Coltsville to study them. Today, Connecticut is home to world renowned manufacturers, including East Hartford’s Pratt & Whitney.

Manufacturing is in our DNA, and our businesses need skilled workers to help continue that great tradition for Connecticut. That's why events like Manufacturing Mania Education Day and the Job Match program are so important. I look forward to continuing to do everything I can to encourage everyone who's interested to develop the skills they need for a great career in manufacturing."

 

2,200 New Titles in ebrary

ebrary is pleased to announce that they recently added over 2,200 scholarly titles to their database, Academic Complete™ with DASH!™ (Data Sharing, Fast), making it one of the best values in the industry.  An ideal base collection, Academic Complete now includes a growing selection of more than 80,000 e-books from  publishers such as Oxford University Press, Bentham Science Publishers, University of California Press, Editions Rodopi, and more. 

Don’t forget about the recently added Elsevier Science & Technology Titles. which marked the first time these  titles have been available under a subscription model!  

Go to ebrary Academic Complete in the database list on the library page to see the 2,200 new titles.

Three Million Nurses, Three Million Votes

Look Beyond the Rhetoric by Maureen Shawn Kennedy, AJN Editor-in-Chief

Kennedy's editorial in the October issue of the American Journal of Nursing talks about the much needed reform of health care. She stresses "that if nurses are allowed to practice as we've been educated to practice, we will be key players in revamping of the health care delivery system."  She mentions the important IOM's 2010 report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. She also cautions the rest of us not to think that three million nurses will be three million votes for one party. Nurses are as divided as the rest of the American public. It is well worth reading her one page editorial. Here is the last paragraph:

"Like you, we've been bombarded with political ads, campaign phone calls, and the spin from an endless parade of political analysts on television, talk shows, and Twitter, in print and online--wherever "news" is found. We have much to gain in reforming health care, but we each need to do our homework, look beyond the rhetoric, and get the facts for ourselves. You can find the candidates' platforms at www.barackobama.com and www.mittromney.com Read them, decide who offers the best way forward and vote." That's good advice for all of us.

Publishers and Google Settlement

After a seven-year legal battle, American publishers and Google have come to terms over the company's ambitious book-digitizing project. A settlement of the publishers' copyright-infringement lawsuit, announced on Thursday by the Association of American Publishers and Google, "will provide access to publishers' in-copyright books and journals digitized by Google for its Google Library Project," according to the groups' statement, and "acknowledges the rights and interests of copyright-holders."

Litigation over the book project continues, however, between a group of authors and Google.
Under the settlement, American publishers can now opt to remove their copyrighted books and journals from Google's library project or choose to make them available for use and sale. Beyond that, the statement offered few details, not revealing what commercial terms Google and the publishers have reached.

Source: Wired Campus October 5

BANNED BOOKS WEEK Sept. 30-Oct. 6

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. Please take a few minutes to look at the display in front of the elevator. We also have a shelf of banned or challenged books in the library. Some members of the Goodwin community have volunteered to participate in the Banned Books Virtual ReadOut. Participants may proclaim the importance of the freedom to read by posting videos that will be featured on a dedicated Banned Books Week Virtual Rea-Out YouTube channel.. If you are interested in participating, please contact the library staff.

Women are Not the Problem, but the Solution

October 1 and 2 at 9 PM
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
by Maro Chermayeff, Jamie Gordon, and Mikaela Beardsley
Presented by POV Documentaries with a Point of View

The library staff recommends "Half the Sky" to the Goodwin Community.

A landmark series based on the book by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide follows six celebrity activists as they travel to six countries and meet inspiring, courageous individuals who are confronting oppression and developing real, meaningful solutions through health care, education, and economic empowerment for women and girls.

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide aims to amplify the central message of the book — that women are not the problem, but the solution — and to bolster the broad and growing movement for change.

POV (a cinema term for "point of view") is television's longest-running showcase for independent non-fiction films. POV premieres 14-16 of the best, boldest and most innovative programs every year on PBS. Since 1988, POV has presented over 300 films to public television audiences across the country. POV films are known for their intimacy, their unforgettable storytelling and their timeliness, putting a human face on contemporary social issues.


The book is available in the library.
Source: Independent Lens: A Film Festival in Your Living Room (POV)

BANNED BOOK WEEK SEPT. 30-OCT. 6

The Hoffman Family Library promotes the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinions even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those viewpoints to all who wish to read them.

A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. As such, they are a threat to freedom of speech and choice.

The American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) promotes awareness of challenges to library materials and celebrates freedom of speech during Banned Books Week. This event is observed during the last week of September of each year. Banned Books Week 2012 will occur September 30 through October 6. See the library page for information and resources from the Hoffman Family Library.

A list of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted to librarians and teachers across the country is available on the library page and in the library. For more about books challenged as well as information about classic novels that have been challenged and/or banned, please see the library staff..

The Fall issue of Diversity & Democracy highlights current research on the connections between civic engagement and student success, defined broadly across a range of outcomes. It shares civically engaged programs and related educational strategies that yield student success by a variety of measures. Issue highlights include:
Leveraging multiple degrees of achievement
Linking high-impact learning with high-impact community engagement
Impact of civic engagement on psychosocial well-being
New results from the diverse learning environments survey
High-impact practices: Promoting participations for all students

Standing ovation for English Majors Please

Let's hear it for all those English majors everywhere (including me)!

Of the six broad curricular categories tracked by the National Center for Education Statistics, the humanities easily grew the most between 1985 and 2010, increasing its share of total degree students by 26 percent. English remains the largest discipline in the fastest-growing sector.

 With the rise of English as the undisputed language of the world economy and the dominant language of global cinema, literature, and the Internet, the discipline has claimed a significant place in practically every university system in the world.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education September 17, 2012

Book of the Week: The Oath by Jeffrey Toobin

The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin

In his new book, The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court, Toobin describes how the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision and the Affordable Care Act ruling from this year show how the Constitution is being reinterpreted — and how Supreme Court precedent is being quickly overturned.

"It used to be that what it meant to be a conservative on the Supreme Court was respect for precedent and slow-moving change," Toobin says. "What's so different about the Roberts court is the way they are burning through many of the precedents they don't like."

The president for the next four years will have an opportunity to solidify the direction of the Roberts court. Put this book on your reading list! It was recommended by Paul LaRocca, Associate Professor of Humanities.

October is Information Literacy Awareness Month

Great news!  Governor Dannel P. Malloy signed a proclamation declaring October to be Information Literacy Awareness Month!There are now 10 states that have proclamations:  Alaska, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Texas.

This proclamation is a result of efforts by library directors in the state and members of the Connecticut Library Association.Congratulations to Carl Antonucci - co-chair Connecticut Library Association Legislative Committee - Director of Library Services Central Connecticut State University; Jay Johnston - co-chair Connecticut Library Association Legislative Committee - Executive Director Farmington Libraries; Carl  DeMilia - President Connecticut Library Association - Director of Library Services New Milford Public Library who led this successful effort!

The Home Encyclopedia

The Homer Encyclopedia

Editor/Author: Editor: Finkelberg, Margalit
Publication Year: 2011
Publisher: Wiley
Category: literature

Represents the first comprehensive reference work encompassing the world and artistry of Homer, the historical and cultural background of the Iliad and the Odyssey, Homeric scholarship, and Homeric reception from antiquity to the present.

This encyclopedia is now available full text in the Credo Reference Database.

Credo Reference New & Updated Titles

Latest Additions from Credo General Reference Database

Credo's General Reference collection continues to grow each month and now has over 600 titles. The following well-regarded titles were recently added.

•           The Italian Renaissance State, Cambridge University Press

•           International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family, Gale

•           The Homer Encyclopedia, Wiley

They have also updated many  titles to the latest available editions. The following updates title were recently released. Expect more soon!

•           CIA World Factbook, OECD

•           The Wisden Archive of Cricketers' Lives 2012, John Wisden & Co. Ltd.

•           The Hutchinson Chronology of World History, Helicon

•           The Hutchinson Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Helicon

CONSTITUTION DAY WITH THE NAVIGATOR

 

The Navigator stopped by to help us celebrate Constitution day! 

America's Constitution: A Biography

 On Display in the Library
America's Constitution: A Biography                                                         
KF4541.A87 2005

In America’s Constitution, one of the most accomplished constitutional law scholars, Akhil Reed Amar, gives the first comprehensive account of one of the world’s great political texts. Incisive, entertaining, and occasionally controversial, this “biography” of America’s framing document explains not only what the Constitution says but also why the Constitution says it.Amar is a member of the Yale Law School faculty.

SEPTEMBER 17: CONSTITUTION DAY

September 17 is recognized in the United States as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. The purpose of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is to commemorate the creation and signing of the supreme law of the land and to honor and celebrate the privileges and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship for both native-born and naturalized citizens. Federal law requires that all schools receiving federal funds provide  educational opportunities for their students on September 17 of each year. At Goodwin College, we call it Constitution Week since we extend our commemoration to more than one day.

On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the last time to sign the document they had created. All Americans are encouraged to observe this important day in our nation's history.. Celebrate Constitution Day this year by learning something about the Constitution that you didn't know before. There will be many opportunities throughout the week.

Here is the link to the Constitution LibGuide that Cynthia Clynes, Goodwin Reference Librarian, created for faculty and students: 

http://goodwin.libguides.com/aecontent.php?pid=377827&sid=3096081. It will also be available on the library page and Twitter.

Re-examining the Constitution: CQ Researcher

"The 225th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution finds Americans in a less celebratory mood than they were during the Bicentennial a quarter-century ago. The Constitution's intricate system of checks and balances and separation of powers is sometimes blamed for the political gridlock in Washington. Some of the basic structural features are also viewed as outmoded, such as the Electoral College, equal representation for each state in the Senate and life tenure for Supreme Court justices. And many conservatives and libertarians, including the Tea Party movement, complain that the federal government has taken on powers beyond what the Constitution was intended to allow. Simmering discontent on both the left and the right has led to efforts to force Congress to call a convention to propose constitutional amendments. Public opinion polls indicate, however, that most Americans view the Constitution favorably."

This is the introduction to the September 7th CQ Researcher report entitled " Re-Examining the Constitution: Are Major Changes Needed?" CQ Researcher is available through the Hoffman Family Library. Please contact the library for user name and password.