.

Tagging's Not A Crime: Graffiti In The Library

2009-04-16T09:36:00.004-04:00

My first memories of graffiti as an artistic display originate from the mainstreaming of hip hop culture through theatrical vehicles such as 1984's Beat Street and Breakin'. Graffiti, along with amazing break dancing moves and upbeat characters, seemed to brighten up the urban decay both films displayed as symptoms of a society unsympathetic to the needs of urban adolescents looking for a way out of their less than ideal situations. The graffiti painted on buildings, trains and just about everything else seemed to transcend the more rigid world of art I was taught to appreciate. My appreciation for graffiti and the nuances of the art form continued to grow with seminal documentaries such as PBS's Style Wars, a fascinating study of graffiti artists in New York. My love of graffiti was further fostered by the area I live in. In Atlanta we have some amazing graffiti on display, most notably in the Krog street tunnel located in Grant Park (pictured above).

In the last few years a number of books have appeared to document and celebrate graffiti culture, both in the United States and abroad. Any library wishing to serve the interests and needs of all patrons would be remiss in forgoing books dealing with graffiti art due to negative connotations ascribed to the form. Many people still view graffiti as a visual blight, a contention I would sometimes have to agree with given the lack of creativity displayed by some taggers. However, the continued outsider status of graffiti art allows it to stay fresh, interesting and viable.

Below I have listed graffiti books in the CFL collection and some websites I enjoy.

The Birth of Graffiti / Jon Naar
080 NAAR

Graffiti Paris / Photographs by Fabienne Grévy.
751.7 GREVY

Graphic Design: A New History / Stephen J. Eskilson
760 ESKIL

Piecebook: The Secret Drawings of Graffiti Writers / Sacha Jenkins
751.7 JENK

Postmodern Perspectives: Issues In Contemporary Art
709.04 POST

Art Crimes: The Writing On The Wall
The largest online collection of worldwide graffiti photos

Graffiti Maker
Create your own graffiti on your computer

Banksy
An amazing British graffiti artist!!!

Flickr
Collection of photos on Flickr tagged as "graffiti"

- Krog street tunnel photo courtesy of Glenn Lewis Images.

- Christopher Bishop

Poetry in the Library

2009-04-14T11:57:00.009-04:00

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Main Floor, Carlyle Fraser Library

Drop in to listen to faculty reading favorite and/or original poems. Individuals and Classes are welcome!

Class Periods:

4^th: Mary Heald and a Kenyan guest

5^th: Jen Dracos

6^th: Eddie DuPriest and Nedra Roberts

7^th: Lasley Gober

1^st: Gavin Drummond and Roy Lovell

2^nd: Frances Fondren and Jack Morgan

Reimaging A Crime Scene: Or, How I Found Some Truth In A CSI Episode

2009-03-19T13:10:00.007-04:00

On a recent episode of CSI a crime scene investigator was provided with video for analysis from a party where a murder had taken place. From a surveillance video of the party, the investigator was able to focus in on a man's face and identify him to create a larger image for other investigators. Usually, I try to overlook some of the more outlandish technology and gadgets presented on CSI as possibilities or composites of something else, but this one had me annoyed since resizing digital images, especially from video, can be such a pain with the loss of clarity as images are made larger. I made some remarks regarding the ridiculousness of the technology and tried to continue enjoying the episode.

A few days after I watched the show, a student happened to show me a panoramic picture of President Obama's inauguration speech wherein tiny details could be viewed by panning into selected portions of the image. The effect reminded me of Google Earth and its ability to allow for the viewing of street scenes. After looking at the image some more I thought of the CSI episode and the connection between the panoramic image of the President's inauguration and the video analysis on the show. My suspicion regarding the plausibility of the CSI image exposure was probably still valid but I definitely saw a connection between the two.

The equipment for producing panoramic images is made by a company called Gigapan who produces both a commercial and consumer version of their product. Simply put, the Gigapan device lets you "stitch" together multiple images from your digital camera. The panorama created is then viewable in closer detail since multiple smaller images have been used to create the whole picture. I'm fascinated by the possibilities tools such as Gigapan hold for the future of photography.

Below I have listed a few CFL books on the subject of forensics and digital photography.

Forensics Demystified
Barry A.J. Fisher, David R. Fisher and Jason Kolowski
363.25 FISHER

A Question of Murder: Compelling Cases From A Famed Forensic Pathologist
Cyril H. Wecht and Dawna Kaufmann
363.25 WECHT

World of Forensic Science
K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner
Ref. 363.25 WORLD v.1

Murder at Golgotha: Revisiting The Most Famous Crime Scene In History
Ian Wilson
232.96 WILSON

Advanced Digital Photography: [Techniques & Tips For Creating Professional Quality Images] Tom Ang
775 ANG

- Christopher Bishop

The Newseum

2009-02-18T11:19:00.006-05:00

This is possibly one of the coolest resources that I've come upon. The Newseum, "— a 250,000-square-foot museum of news — offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits."

In addition to its physical presence, the Newseum has a home in cyberspace at: http://www.newseum.org/ This information-packed website includes virtual versions of its permanent physical exhibits including Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs; a 9/11 gallery; Berlin Wall gallery; and a Journalists Memorial.

The gallery that I found the most fascinating is the Today's Front Pages Gallery:
Front Pages From Across America and Around the World. Here's the description from the Newseum's website: "More than 700 newspapers transmit their front pages electronically
to the Newseum every day. Up to 80 are enlarged and printed for display
in this gallery — among them one from every state and the District of Columbia
as well as a sampling of international newspapers. Additional front pages
are displayed outside the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue."

One can access this gallery online at: http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/

More than 700 newspapers from around the world electronically submit their front pages on a daily basis. 10 are chosen for a "Top Ten" each day, but visitors to the site can access the front pages via list or map. As a neat bonus, each front page is available as a PDF, allowing one to enlarge and read the stories. A link to each newspaper's website is provided, as well.

This is obviously not the best way of getting a complete "news fix" each day, but that isn't the point; rather, as the site states: "This daily exhibit is part of the Newseum's mission to promote better public understanding of news and journalism. A front page can reveal as much about a newspaper and its community as it does about the day's news. Some days, one story dominates these front pages. But often the stories on page one reflect communities with different interests."

Fascinating!

Kimberley Barker

Bishop's Book Speak (Tony Horwitz's A Voyage Long and Strange reviewed), Installment 5

2009-02-13T12:44:00.004-05:00

Click here for Mr. Bishop's podcast review of Tony Horwitz's A Voyage Long and Strange, an enthralling exploration and travelogue of discovery in America, including many of the seemingly forgotten who have been lost to the greater mythology of origin and place in America.

The following titles are also suggested:

Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before
Tony Horwitz
910.45 HORW

Confederates In The Attic: Dispatches From The Unfinished Civil War
Tony Horwitz
973.7 HORWITZ

Skeletons On The Zahara: A True Story of Survival
Dean King
916.48 KING

- Christopher Bishop

Google Earth 5.0 Updates: Historical Imager, 3D Mars, Oceans and Narration

2009-02-10T10:21:00.010-05:00

The newest version of Google Earth is out and includes some really cool tools for educators and those who like to play with all things geographic. My favorite addition is the historical imagery slider that allows users to view landscapes over time. For most areas the historical imager reveals about ten to twenty years of change with picture quality generally declining as older views are retrieved. A tool such as the historical imager could be used in tandem with Google Earth's overlay option to highlight resources such as the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, a collection of maps produced from 1884 to 1922 in various parts of the country, including Georgia, for property claims.

Another new feature is the Oceans view that allows users to see thousands of data points including undersea land forms, shipwrecks, ocean expeditions, National Geographic's ocean atlas and a ton of other great options. The inclusion of video and pictures to illustrate life in the ocean makes for a great learning tool. The information presently available is a good start, however, the input of community users and official institutions should lead to some amazing information.

The addition of 3D Mars is interesting but obviously lacks the detail found on Google Earth. I thought the most interesting view to be information and images of various lander and rover missions. Global maps and imagery are also available.

The final item added to Google Earth is the touring feature that allows users to record a narration while leading viewers through some portion of Google Earth. I love the possibilities of the touring feature for everything from class projects to describing your local neighborhood to others. The touring feature is also incredibly easy to use and very intuitive.

The updates to Google Earth, especially the historical imagery tool, remind me of a photo collection link recently sent to me by a friend. The collection includes older photos from the Battle of Stalingrad overlayed on more recent photos of the city. The resulting collages are fascinating and add a new dynamic to past and present. The other photo collections found on the site are equally interesting and focus on Russian subjects.

- Christopher Bishop

Gliffy, Or How I Learned To Love A Visual Organizer

2009-02-09T13:31:00.017-05:00

I love to organize, design and map physical spaces! My need for organization recently led me to create a few maps of the CFL to assist library users in finding physical items housed in the library. Some might say creating maps for a two floor library amounts to overkill, but i noticed a need. Personally, I hate wandering around aimlessly while looking for something despite a nagging feeling I should ask for help. I often wish signs and maps were more abundant for those of us who want to look then ask.

In addition to serving a utilitarian purpose, my endeavour was a first step to creating a map similar to the one for the Lucy Scribner Library. The minimal front page of the LSL map soon discloses an interactive smorgasbord as users delve into the multifaceted finding aid, a resource for locating collections and

connections to additional material. This is truly the Rolls Royce of library finding aids. This is a map for the true library nerd.

All of the above leads me to a cool new tool I found after creating my library maps in Microsoft's Word program, an application called Gliffy that allows users to create floor plans, flow carts and network diagrams in a simple to use online format. Gliffy certainly isn't revolutionary if you are adept at using Word or Paint for simple maps, charts and diagrams, but it does offer some interesting and easy to use features that expand on tools available in Microsoft Office products. The image uploader, collaboration tools similar to Google Docs and limitless proportions are very helpful. I also like the ability to import various shapes, common images for networking diagrams and an interactive toolbar. The program is free and does not entail any software downloading or storage on your computer. If I would of found Gliffy earlier I probably would of saved myself some time and made a more interesting map. I'll redo the maps soon using Gliffy.

For those looking for inspiration, this link leads to a LibrayThing collection including books in the CFL chosen because of their connection to design. The selection process may seem haphazard and some of these may not be obtainable from online sources, however, one of the rationales, in my opinion, for a library should be the joy of browsing, of finding items that may be past their prime or hard to find.

The picture of Giles the librarian from Buffy The Vampire Slayer is completely arbitrary and has no real connection to this entry except to illustrate the connection between my status as a male librarian and Giles fan. Photo courtesy of 2010: A Book Odyssey.

The DESIGN logo was made using Spell With Flickr. A cool tool you should check out.

- Christopher Bishop

Video Making With Animoto

2009-02-06T12:51:00.007-05:00

I recently attended a very informative Web 2.0 presentation by the IT administrator at The Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia. The speaker geared the overview towards librarians with applications for anyone interested in using Web 2.0 tools as a platform for learning and collaboration among colleagues, students and friends. The tool I found most interesting and fun is Animoto, an extremely easy to use application for creating professional looking videos using images, music and text. Pictures can be unploaded from your computer, Animoto's collection, or an online site such as Flickr. After adding pictures the user is prompted to add music, either from their collection or your computer, and any text they need to illustrate the images. The whole process of creating the finished video literaly takes a few minutes from start to finish with an option for publishing the final product to Youtube or a personal site such as a blog. Videos can also be e-mailed to others.

The only drawbacks of the site include a limited selection of music and photos hosted by Animoto. There is also a yearly fee ($30) to create videos of more than 30 seconds and to download videos. The positives of the site certainly outweigh any minor drawbacks.

I created the video below (see next post) using images from the Library of Congress collection on Flickr entitled "1930s-40s In Color." The site is a wonderful collection of vintage photographs.

- Christopher Bishop

Connections

Animoto for Education

The Library of Congress' Photostream

Public Domain Collection (Government Sources)

Public Domain Music

Video Making With Animoto

2009-02-06T12:48:00.002-05:00

Library Thing

2009-01-30T08:36:00.005-05:00

I like to inform the Westminster community when we add new books to the collection. I used to spend a looooo-ooong time cutting and pasting reviews from Amazon into an e-mail, as well as typing the titles and authors. It was such a time-consuming process and the end result, while informative, wasn't very snazzy.

I first heard about Library Thing last year. I went ahead and made an account, but didn't play around with it that much. Then, about a week ago, I was inspired to play around with it again. The result? Well, read on.

I heart Library Thing :) Now all I have to do is type in the title of a book, click on the correct one, and a record is automatically created in my Library Thing "library". All one has to do is click on the record and one will be taken to a page with, among other entries, a review from Amazon. Library Thing will also post a picture of the book's cover. It is fast, easy to do, and the end result is really nice. Check it out: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/cflibrary !

Kimberley Barker

A Few Notes of Interest Regarding Folk and Punk in Georgia

2009-01-27T09:18:00.016-05:00

This Saturday, January 31st, the Atlanta music label Dust To Digital is hosting a concert in Athens, Georgia to celebrate the release of their new box set entitled Art of Field Recording: Volume II. The concert will host a number of gospel, blues and country artists from north Georgia who are featured on the box set including Sister Fleeta Mitchell, Mary Lomax and a plethora of other artists who are unknown to many. The box set and concert are the culmination of many years of field recordings and research. Many of the musicians are performers who played locally but never had a chance to make an official recording. This is a chance to hear and see a part of Georgia's musical heritage that is quickly being lost to both age and changing tastes.

My music listening tastes run the gamut so I thought a blog entry noting the Art of Field Recordings box set release concert would be a good place to talk about some other local music groups and resources falling outside of the mainstream. Westminster's own Black Lips have gone from being a local garage rock sensation to being hyped by the music press as the wildest thing to come out of Atlanta in recent memory. The Black Lips, along with local groups such as The Selminaires, Mastodon and Snowden, are certainly gaining in national attention as newer groups such as The Balkans step up to fill the local music breach left by bands who have moved beyond the Atlanta circuit. All of these groups, to some degree or another, are products of the Atlanta punk and indie scene that seems to of been overlooked in the past as groups from Athens, Georgia garnered a large amount of local press attention.

To gain a better perspective on the Atlanta independent scene from the mid 1980s to the near present I really like the Beyond Failure blog done by an Atlanta local active in bands and the scene since the early 1990s. The blog has a ton of rare flyers, photos, sound files and interviews from a time that meant a great deal to those of us who sought out an alternative to mainstream culture in the '90s.

Another favorite of mine for independent local music news and information is the now long running Stomp and Stammer. The monthly periodical features lots of insightful interviews featuring local and national acts, coupled with great writing concerning everything from movies to upcoming shows in the Atlanta area. A recent article featuring the history of soul and R & B music in Georgia was especially informative for those of us who had no idea such a scene existed here in the past. The Atlanta edition of Creative Loafing also features some great music writing and lots of information concerning upcoming shows and happenings in the area. I also like the Atlanta Music Blog for timely posts on a pretty diverse array of local musicians.

Atlanta's musical past and present are certainly extraordinary as new and challenging artists emerge to build on the framework laid by older local musicians, many of whom we are only beginning to learn about.

- Black Lips image courtesy of Paste Magazine
- Mary Lomax Image courtesy of Oren Rosenthal's blog

- Christopher Bishop

New Fiction Titles In The CFL

2008-12-12T10:21:00.013-05:00

The Carlyle Fraser Library is always buying new fiction titles for the collection to suit the needs of a wide cross section of readers here on campus. New titles are added weekly to a cumulative list that includes both book covers and a short synopsis. The New book page also features an RSS feed for those who use an aggregator to keep up with sites of interest. Enjoy!

Nystic 2, The Web 2.0 Blogging Source

2008-12-10T10:49:00.007-05:00

Super3boy, the online pen name of a Westminster school student, constantly amazes me with his technology prowess when discussing and exampling Web 2.0 applications. One of his new ventures is the Nystic 2.0 blog wherein he, along with collaborators, shares news and tutorials including everything from Blender to digitizing vinyl records. The Nystic 2 blog is definitely a valuable resource for those interested in finding fresh young voices for staying informed in the Web 2.0 world.

Release The Comic Strip Creator

2008-12-09T13:56:00.011-05:00

I have a severe lack of skill when it comes to drawing despite a life long love of art and comic books. As a child I checked out the instructional drawing books such as the Marvel comics book to the left from my library hoping to recreate the superheroes, animals and crazy cars created through guided steps. My results usually lacked the finished touches of the book examples but I kept on trying into my teenage years. Now, the internet and a host of comic creating websites have alleviated my lack of drawing prowess with ready made drawings, panels, word bubbles, fonts, and other assorted features that allow the most artistically disadvantaged among us to create our own comic strip creations. Below I have alphabetically listed six of the most dependable sites along with some personal observations regarding their pros and cons. The fifth and sixth sites listed below are my favorites.

Comic Life features an easy to use interface with tons of really cool page templates featuring every possible page configuration you can imagine. Once the page templates are chosen, images from your computer or an image sharing site such as Flickr can be uploaded along with varying modifications including word balloons, fonts and colors. The program does not come with ready made cartoon drawings so any artwork would have to be uploaded from your computer. Your final creation can be saved, printed and shared with an online community. The program also requires a sign up fee ($24.95) but does allow for a 30 day free trial period. Final verdict - I love the templates but the lack of ready made art to manipulate limits what you can do. This would be my third or fourth choice from the list.

Comiqs has a very simple interface and features limited editing in comparison to the other comic creators. Images from your computer or sites such as Flickr are uploaded and added to a choice of ten different templates with varying comic strip panel layouts. Word balloons and graphics can then be added to the comic panels from a limited selection. Comiqs is free and only requires a login to share your creations. Comics you create can be shared with an online community, printed, or saved to your computer. Final verdict - Comiqs is fine for adding captions to an image but the lack of editing tools in comparison to other online comic creators really disappoints.

MakeBeliefsComix is great for anyone who wants a selection of already created drawings to manipulate. The drawings include fifteen different characters rendered from the shoulders up. Multiple characters can be added to a panel and adjusted to change their expressions, position and scale. Users also have the ability to change background colors, add various word balloons, change panel prompts and panel layouts. MakeBeliefsComic is free and features a wonderful repository of ideas. Completed comic strips can be printed or emailed. Final verdict - This is a fun and very simple program that would benefit from a little more versatility in the scope and range of already created character drawings.

Pixton includes a "quickie" and an "advanced" version with already created drawings of characters, settings and props. In the quickie version you choose a comic strip with completed art that only lacks text for the word balloons. In the next step you can add dialogue and leave everything the same or manipulate elements such as characters, background, scale, color, et cetera. The advanced version requires users to build a comic panel by panel with the same editing tools available in the quickie version. The site requires a fee but does have a free trial. Completed comics can be saved to an online forum, printed, or saved. Final verdict - The stock drawings have a somewhat generic stick figure like appearance that makes everything seem somewhat one dimensional. The site is good for creating a story with ready made drawings.

ToonDoo is probably my favorite online comic strip creator because of the range of choices presented. After creating a free account users are presented with a wide range of already created and easy to edit characters, backgrounds, props, texts, captions, et cetera to manipulate in a myriad of ways. The site also allows users to upload their own images, making this the only application wherein site generated artwork and personal images can be combined. ToonDo also features a rich collection of user content, forums, groups, and how tos. Final verdict - I wish the site had more layout templates to choose from, however, the range of editable artwork and ability to combine photos from your computer with site generated art makes this the most versatile comic creator site I have encountered.

Toonlet has the look of an Edward Gorey comic strip filled with weird site generated characters rendered in black and white. Users "build" characters from the waste up using a set of options including clothes, hair, facial expressions, et cetera, in a manner similar to a paper doll. After constructing characters users can add text and background color to their comic strips but have limited ability to change anything else. Only one character can be added per panel. Toonlet requires a free sign up to create a comic for online sharing, printing, or saving. Final verdict - I love the look of the comic strips given their Edward Gorey, Robert Crumb feel, but the limitations on editing the drawings can be annoying.

Enjoy!

How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way is a Marvel comics product and copyright

-Christopher Bishop

Google Maps and Google Earth

2008-12-02T16:05:00.008-05:00

Google Maps and Google Earth are amazing resources and tools used by many people for a variety of reasons including everything from finding directions, to locating cheaper gas, or looking up their home address for the fun of it. Transforming users of new tools such as Google Maps and Google Earth into producers of their own content is key to harnessing these tools for truly enriching educational purposes. I am always looking for ways to introduce technology into the classroom as a way to reinforce classroom lessons through the use of what will hopefully be exciting and engaging new tools for displaying student learning. This semester I had a chance to collaborate with history and Spanish teachers as we introduced Google Maps and Google Earth to students as a platform for class projects.

Students in two history classes were assigned to groups with specific questions concerning geographic terms. Both online and print atlases were used by students to locate specific geographic areas that matched the questions. Each group then used Google Maps to illustrate the geography terms and locations through the use of text, pictures and external links. Students then presented their finished Google Map in Google Earth. The research guide and student work are available online.

In the Spanish classes we decided to do something along the lines of Google Lit Trips, a repository for Google Earth "tours" based on locations, characters and themes in varying literary works. Students were divided into groups of two with specific terms to illustrate from Ladrón de la mente, a novel they read in class. Each group used pictures, text, and embedded links to illustrate their assigned terms. Additionally, each student created a VoiceThread using images and their own audio spoken in Spanish for embedding in one of their Google Map posts. The research guide, student examples and VoiceThread directions are available online.

The learning curve with Google Maps and Google Earth is fairly small given the number of resources available to assist with both creating and finding inspiration for your own projects. I find Google Maps to be the easiest resource for creating personalized maps due to the very user friendly interface, however, some people prefer to create maps in Google Earth. Google Maps are viewable in Google Earth. Below I have listed websites containing everything a new user would need to create their own Google Map or Google Earth project.

Google intros Maps mashups for dummies
This site has a very concise and highly informative video explaining how to create a map in Google Maps using the "My Maps" feature.

Google Maps User Guide
Very easy to follow directions and a good place to start.

Google Earth User Guide
Again, easy to follow directions with lots of images for clarification.

Educational Uses
A wonderful repository of class projects and ideas spanning the curriculum.

Google Earth Education Community
Educational ideas divided by discipline.

Ireland in 1898
A fascinating historical project using photography from the turn of the century to recount Irish history.

Google Maps and the exploration of Canada
An ongoing project to map the settlement and exploration of Canada.

- Christopher Bishop

Would you like facts with that?

2008-11-24T11:09:00.005-05:00

One of The Economist's pizza boxes, with a pie chart showing
information on arable and permanent crop land by country.

The British news magazine, "The Economist", recently struck a deal with some Philadelphia pizza restaurants wherein pizzas were delivered in Economist branded pizza boxes-- each of which featured one of several pie charts with information related to world food distribution. This under-the radar advertising is part of the Economist's "Get a World View" campaign, meant to educate the public about various issues and of course about "The Economist" itself.

I call it darn clever guerrilla marketing!

Kimberley Barker

Viewzi

2008-11-19T13:16:00.007-05:00

A screenshot of Viewzi

Fans of visual search engines, take note: Viewzi is here, and it is fabulous!

With Viewzi, a searcher enters her keyword (s) into a plain search box and then decides in which "view" to receive the results. The different views are lined up across the top of the page and one need only click on one to see the results for that view. The different views options are:

1) Album View (searches Amazon Music Search, Last FM Album, and Last FM Related)

2) Song View (searches Amazon Mp3, Mooza Mp3, Mp3 Realm, and SeeqPod)

3) Wide Screen Shot View and 4) Power Grid View (both search Yahoo)

5) Simple Text View (searches Yahoo and Google)

6) Google Timeline View (searches Google Timeline)

7)Photo Tag Cloud View (searches Flickr)

8) 4 Sources View (Ask, Google, MSN, Yahoo)

9)Video x3 View (searches BlinkX, Veoh, and YouTube)

10) Photo View (searches Flickr and Smugmug)

11) Weather View (searches various weather sites)

12) Amazon Book View (searches Amazon)

13) Everyday Shopping View (searches Amazon, E-bay, Target, and Wal-Mart)

14) Recipe View (101 Cookbooks Recipes, 101 Cookbooks Search, Epicurious)

15) Celebrity Photo Buzz (searches CelebBuzz and Just Jared)

16) TechCrunch View (searches CrunchBase, TechCrunch, TC by date, TC Posts Info, Yahoo)

17) Celebrity Gossip (searches Just Jared, Perez Hilton Search, Pop Sugar, and TMZ Search)

18) News View ("newspaper-style layout from major news sources")

A search for the keywords "Beethoven biography" returned a YouTube clip from the
BBC's "The Genius of Beethoven"; the book Diagnosing Genius: The Life and Death of Beethoven; the Wikipedia entry on Beethoven; a clip of a performance by the Nicholls Trio; and biographical information from The Classical Archives.

Though library resources such as books and online databases are always the best option for academic research, there's no doubt that search engines are great for answering quick questions, getting an overview of a topic, etc. What I like about Viewzi is that it very definitely separates the various returns on one's search, thereby making one's returns faster and (hopefully) more what one needs.

Give it a try and see (get it, "see") what you think.
Kimberley Barker

Books For Everyone

2008-11-18T11:11:00.008-05:00

I have slowly come around to the idea of reading books online, especially when something I'm interested in is not easily available in print or I do not have a copy of the book I am reading with me. Other than convenience, I also like the idea of reading books online when a community is available to share interests, ideas and book recommendations. One of the coolest resources for reading books online, joining communities based around interest, joining discussions and discovering new titles is BookGlutton. Users can sign up with BookGlutton to create a personal account tracking favorites, books read and group memberships. Visitors do not have to create an account to search and read full-text titles or to look at possible discussion groups. Available titles include everything from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes to the obscure such as Frank Norris' McTeague. Titles can be searched alphabetically or by specific title.

There are a number of other Web 2.0 sites featuring networking and discussion forums for finding new books and reader suggestions that work similarly to BookGlutton, but without the full-text.

goodreads
An attractive and easy to use site for both personal and community interaction that includes a price comparison for online retailers when viewing a title.

LibraryThing
The granddaddy of social networking book sites. Great for book recommendations and cataloging your personal print collection, should the librarian in you find a need.

shelfari
The visually appealing interface and ability to see covers for all of the books you have read is the coolest feature of this site.

StoryCode
The site requires a login for searching but features helpful readalikes and suggestions.

What Should I Read Next
A simple interface allow users to input a title and author to receive recommendations based on users suggestions. I found the returns to be quite accurate.

Whichbook.net
A very interesting site that uses mood questions to compile a list of recommended titles. I think this may be the most interesting recommendation site out there.

Image courtesy of The Guardian UK

- Christopher Bishop

Retro photo fun

2008-11-17T12:58:00.009-05:00

"rotten world" by peatle, on the Poladroid Flickr group

So I can't seem to get away from cool apps lately, lucky me. And lucky you since I feel the need to share-- I'm just nice that way!

This latest one, Poladroid, will provide you with hours of fun and add a kitchy, retro look to your Facebook photos. For those too young to remember, Polaroid cameras spat out photos instantly and you could watch the picture develop-- you can watch a video about the invention of the Polaroid here. These photos were characterized in later years by high color saturation and a white border.

Currently only available for Macs, Poladroid works like this: 1) download and launch Poladroid (it's free!), 2) drag & drop your photos, 3) look at or print your Poladroids. You can see what people have done with this app by viewing examples in the Poladroid Flickr group.

Happy editing!

Kimberley Barker

New Tools For Searching The Internet

2008-11-13T09:30:00.006-05:00

During a recent visit to the Internet Librarian Conference in Monterey I attended an excellent presentation by Mary Ellen Bates called "Super Searcher Shares." Below are the sites mentioned I thought were most interesting and possibly useful to researchers.

Google Translate allows the user to look for translated content from websites in multiple languages using a keyword search. The search interface is great for finding "invisible" content within sites that are not available in a language spoken by the searcher. Google Translate is still in beta so advanced search options such as limiting types of content are not available.

Google News Archive allows a searcher to input a keyword that returns results from online news sources according to a time line. The time line can then be used to isolate trends, look at selected content for specific time periods and to create historical overviews. The site is a nice addition to subscription databases such as Access World News and Proquest Historical Newspapers that lack this degree of date searchability, however, some content requires a fee. Many of the articles requiring a fee are available through library databases for free to patrons.

Google Trends charts the frequency of online searches and use of terms in the news. Regional location and source of language information over time is available. This is a great tool for isolating regional trends and key moments.

Yahoo Glue is a product of IT in India who have created a blended search engine that returns results including news, blogs, images and general sites on one page.

Searchme.com is a visual search engine with a beautiful interface that reminds me of an ipod shuffle. Returns can be isolated according to web, image, video and music results with category suggestions given to the right of the search box. This is a great search engine for those who prefer a visual approach.

Searchcloud.net allows a user to add keywords and then weight the term for importance in the search results according to the size of the cloud you choose. Instead of adding terms in a search box and allowing the search engine to determine the importance of each word, your decision regarding the relevance of each term decides the results.

Twing.com searches online discussion forums and communities for content often buried during regular search queries. This is a great tool for locating obscure experts not readily findable on the web.

Bates.info lists additional sites discussed at the conference.

Image courtesy of Modern Life

- Christopher Bishop

Measuring Your Impact On The Environment

2008-11-12T19:18:00.006-05:00

Awareness concerning human impact on the earth's environment has become a topic of serious discussion as the results of global warming become a reality much sooner than predicted. To help measure an individual's contribution to global climate change National Geographic and GlobeScan have created an instrument called Greendex that includes study results and a personal quiz to measure your environmental impact. The index is based on a study of 14 countries wherein consumer habits and attitudes toward making changes in their daily lives have been recorded and turned into usable data.

The data includes a study of 14,000 consumers worldwide, including findings such as choice of transportation, purchasing of food, environmental attitudes, energy use, recycling and so on. Each country then receives a rating and a ranking based on the results of the data. Measurement is tallied according to the responses of individuals as opposed to national findings based on industry, government, et cetera. I believe this is the first global environmental study to be conducted by looking at the results of individual people's responses.

As expected, the United States leaves the largest environmental footprint due to the level of consumption, while developing countries leave the smallest imprint due to lower levels of consumption. The index will continue to monitor and adjust to changes as environmental awareness is expected to increase in the richest parts of the world. The effects of climate change are expected to hit hardest in the poorest areas of the world.

Personally, I rated a 48 on the quiz section which is similar to that of a Canadian (second worst rating on the global scale) so I guess I'm not on the worst offenders list but I can certainly improve.

A tremendous resource for shopping with increased awareness concerning your environmental impact is The Better World Handbook (303.4 Jones) owned by the CFL. The publishers also maintain a website with a wealth of information.

Related CFL Titles:

Embracing The Earth: Choices For Environmentally Sound Living
363.7 HARRIS

The Global Ecology Handbook: What You Can Do About The Environmental Crisis
363.7 GLOBAL

The Green Lifestyle Handbook
363.7 GREEN

Saving The Earth: A Citizen's Guide To Environmental Action
363.7 STEGER

This Moment On Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision For The Future
333.72 KERRY

- Christopher Bishop

"A souvenir with social feedback."

2008-11-12T11:16:00.006-05:00

The designer at the exhibit.

Designer Sebastian Campion describes himself as, "a creative concept designer with a passion for making experiential, artistic and conceptually strong design that generate new and alternative perspectives on everyday routines and situations." (http://www.guerrilla-innovation.com/about.php)

In my opinion he's certainly done that with his latest project, called "Social Souvenir", an installation piece at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Roskilde, Denmark. Campion conceptualized the exhibit of 300 black t-shirts, each printed with a quote by an artist whose work is featured in the museum, all of which are for sale. Here's the interesting part: when purchasing a t-shirt, you must agree to give your name and address. This information is then entered automatically in Google Maps, allowing the t-shirts to be traced to their new home. As the Social Souvenir website describes it: "During the course of the exhibition, the 300 T-shirts will gradually disappear from the physical museum space only to re-appear on the web."

Ok, so since I'm convinced that stalkers are lurking around every corner I could never do this... but I love the idea of it! Check out the map here.

The paranoid Kimberley Barker

Kimberley Barker reviews The Host

2008-11-11T12:49:00.002-05:00

Cool apps for mobile phones

2008-11-06T11:42:00.005-05:00

I've recently come across a couple of fun apps for mobile phones and thought that I'd share ;) I know, I know: I'm somewhat behind the times on these, but perhaps there are some old fogies like myself out there who haven't heard about these!

One of my colleagues in the History Department who knows about my love for all things Geek recently told me about the Lightsaber Unleashed app for the iPhone. This app would be cool enough in that it allows you to create your own Jedi character-- complete with photo, bio, and a custom lightsaber-- but the truly fun part is that your iPhone makes lightsaber noises when you swing it. No, I am not kidding! I spent 15 minutes last evening jumping out from behind doors and "fighting" my husband and dogs, and thinking about how cool it will be when the baby is old enough to have battles with me :) The original incarnation of this app was called Phonesaber and was a blatant copyright infringement; not suprisingly, it was removed from the iPhone's app store. It was recently re-released, though, as Lightsaber Unleashed by THQ Mobile, which owns the exclusive rights to all Star Wars mobile games. Read more about the Lightsaber app and its history here.

ShopSavvy is a new app available for the Android mobile phone platform. According to the site Big in Japan "Users can scan the bar code of any product using their phone’s built-in camera. ShopSavvy will then search for the best prices online and through the inventories of nearby, local stores using the phone’s built-in GPS." What I love about this is that it's such a timesaver. Instead of running around comparing prices, or calling the stores, or even looking the prices up online, ShopSavvy quickly does it all for you. Of course the accuracy of this app will depend on how often stores update their inventories... Shopping and saving time are two of my favourite things, so I'm definitely intrigued by this idea ;)

What's your favourite mobile phone app?

Kimberley Barker

Our First Library Video - The Day of the Relevant Library: You Are What You Consume

2008-11-05T13:20:00.010-05:00

The Carlyle Fraser Library is proud to announce our first video production entitled, The Day of the Relevant Library: You Are What You Consume, a fun filled adventure featuring Westminster's mascot, The Wildcat, encountering and overcoming a perilous zombie horde with the help of the library.

Zombie themed books in the CFL:

Fic. MARTIN
Gil's All Fright Diner / A. Lee Martinez

Fic. WELL

Monster Island: A Zombie Novel / David Wellington

Fic. BROOKS

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War / Max Brooks

818.602 BROOKS

The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From The Living Dead

The above image is from The Night of the Living Dead.

- Christopher Bishop

Art Reception In The CFL

2008-10-30T14:01:00.005-04:00

Maggie Davis' art class is currently displaying their imaginative and striking work in the CFL. Westminster students, parents, faculty and staff are invited to visit on Friday (11/7/08) to participate in a reception for the artists. Pictures of the work on display are available here.

Maggie wrote the following on here new art blog concerning the project. "The 2D Design students spent the better part of October developing these larger than life imaginary characters. The idea to make such big figures evolved from the face project that Jen-Marie did with her junior high kids. I really admired the freshness of their drawings. She had them start with making a large black charcoal mark in the center of 18 x 24 paper, then she told them it was a nose and they had to create the face based on that mark. A very imaginative way to start a drawing (way to go Jen Marie). So I tried it with the 9th and 10th grade students and it was pretty amazing what they were doing. It was then I realized the drawings need to be attached to bodies and so the project evolved into something much bigger and more complicated than I imagined. To make these figures I had to get large sheets of foam core. The kids spray glued them to the foam core, then I cut the figures out and made stands for them so they would be free-standing. We put them in the high school library last week and will be having a reception for the kids on Friday (11/7/08). They are over-the-moon about their work and have been bringing their friends into the library to see their accomplishments."

- Christopher Bishop

Imaging The Library

2008-10-15T09:51:00.012-04:00

When I was four or five my mother took me to the head branch of my local library to register for a library card. The seemingly enormous confines of the library with all of its wondrous materials opened up a new world for me, a world I would have not experienced otherwise given my family's rather meager means. Visiting the library each week was a high point in my young life as I wandered the shelves finding new and fascinating books on so many things which interested me. I equally loved my school library and the wonderfully patient librarian who assisted me during class visits despite my constant need for materials beyond the scope of my reading abilities. My love affair with libraries grew into my present career as a librarian in a library truly beyond the scope of any high school library I have visited.

Today I took a number of pictures capturing the beauty and breadth of the Carlyle Fraser Library to complement a number of links and books celebrating libraries and their aesthetic beauty. This post is for all the library fiends like myself who grew up in libraries and still find something amazing in both the mission and the beauty of a library.

- Christopher Bishop

Websites:

Red Hot and Filthy Library Smut

A wonderful site collecting library images and links to additional resources

Librophiliac Love Letter: A Compendium of Beautiful Libraries

A wonderful geography and architecture blog with a tremendous post on library images

Beautiful Libraries

An in-progress repository of images with some overlooked libraries in America

Beautiful Libraries In The World

A library image slide show

Books Owned by The CFL:

The Most Beautiful Libraries In The World
027 Laub
Laubier, Guillaume de

An inspirational collection of images featuring some of the most stately libraries from around the world. This is the source for beautiful library images.

Encyclopedia of the Library of Congress: For Congress, The Nation & The World
Ref. 027.57 Ency

Anything and everything you ever wanted to know concerning the largest library in the world.

The library In America: A Celebration In Words and Pictures
027.073 Dickson
Dickson, Paul

A wonderful history of American libraries filled with pictures and broken into time periods to highlight the need and place of libraries in American culture.

Burning Books and Leveling Libraries
025.8 Knuth
Knuth, Rebecca

Examples of libraries and literature destroyed by intolerance and war.

Restructuring Words: Wordle and Concrete Poetry

2008-10-13T18:35:00.015-04:00

I recently discovered a very fun, free and quite easy to use program called Wordle for creating word clouds. After typing in or uploading text Wordle creates a word cloud giving prominence to words that appear most in the entry. Each word is represented once in the finished product. The fun part is changing colors, font, and layout to individualize your creation. Users can upload there finished creations for others to view, print, or save to their own sites. The uses for both personal enjoyment and class lessons are limitless. I really like this classroom lesson using Wordle to dissect meaning in current event articles.

Wordle reminded me of a form of poetry I have loved since discovering the children's picture book A Poke In The I, concrete poetry. Concrete poetry, also known as pattern, shape, and visual poetry, places emphasis on the typographical structure of the written text to relate meaning even more so than the words contained in the poem. For example, a concrete poem relating the design and emotion of a sailboat will allow the words in the poem to outline and create the look of a boat. Anything and everything we see, feel, or imagine can be transformed into a shape constructed from words. The words we use to describe something become a picture in concrete poetry. For a formal definition visit Poets.org.

Concrete poetry has roots in Greek lettering and the works of authors such as Ezra Pounds, E. E. Cummings, and Lewis Carroll's description of a mouse's tale in Alice In Wonderland. The medium's modern popularization and structure comes from Europe and South America, especially Brazil where a manifesto was written to encapsulate the meaning and direction of the art form. Many of the ideas and resulting images have found their way into graphic design, advertising, and art over the years resulting in a broader understanding of concrete poetry by adherents. If concrete poetry interests you follow some of the links below and look for books online and in larger library collections.

Minimalist Concrete Poetry - A wonderful collection of images from various artists

Wikipedia entry - The article gives a brief but encompassing overview of concrete poetry

August de Campos - A leader in the Brazilian movement of the 1950s and 1960s

Concrete Poetry Creator - Site for making a concrete poem directed at children

Concrete Poems - A site with simple but fun examples

***The image above is from The Optimism of Modernity.

- Christopher Bishop

Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book

2008-10-08T11:21:00.005-04:00

The arrival of a new Neil Gaiman book is always a welcome treat for me since I love his writing so much. Gaiman consistently finds a perfect combination between the supernatural and the personal in his writings as he creates characters and settings identifiable to the reader despite situations we may never encounter ourselves. I am always in awe as I read his words, wondering how someone can be so eloquent and witty, so consistently. Thankfully, Gaiman just released a new book.

In a nutshell, Neil Gaiman's new book, The Graveyard Book, tells the story of Nobody Owens, a boy who lives in a graveyard filled with ghosts who guide him and a mentor stuck somewhere between worlds. Nobody, nicknamed Bod, has numerous encounters with supernatural forces in the graveyard while trying to steer clear of the being responsible for him family's death. Gaiman's new book is intended for middle school readers, but anyone who loves both his adult literature and his young adult titles will love the magic and beauty of his writing.

His official young adult website features a video of him reading The Graveyard Book in its entirety. The video is a collection of individual readings he performed on his recent book tour to promote the new title. The man is just as gifted a speaker as a writer so take a look if you can.

- Christopher Bishop

Neil Gaiman Titles Owned by the CFL Include:

American Gods
An amazing study of new culture versus old culture in the guise of Gods living among us.

Anansi Boys
A real page turner examining the contradictions between who we are and who we want to be.

Eternals
An amazing graphic novel adaptation of the classic Joe Kubert comic book dealing with Gods on Earth.

MirrorMask
A wonderful and imaginative exploration of alternate worlds and realities.

Neverwhere
My favorite Neil Gaiman book! A man is sucked into a shadow world and must fight to save both himself and his new guide.

Stardust
Magical perfection.

Collections of Short Stories Including One Neil Gaiman Entry:

Mojo: Conjure Stories
A Quest Lover's Treasury of the Fantastic
Shadows Over Baker Street

Presidential Campaign Misinformation: The Facts and Only the Facts Please

2008-10-06T18:00:00.007-04:00

With the presidential election in the United States quickly nearing an end I'm receiving more and more unsolicited emails from friends and family originating from dubious sources, if sourced at all. The emails started months ago with accusations calling Barack Obama a radical Muslim who was sworn in with a Koran after gaining a seat in the Senate. I've also received the obviously photoshopped photo of Sarah Palin in a bikini with a gun. Whenever I receive one of these unsourced and uninformed emails I politley send a rebuttal using one of two websites that reference credible sources to prove or disprove the accuracy of rumors - Snopes.com and Factcheck.org. Both sites have no party affiliation and cover a gamut of political material. Snopes also includes quite a few urban legends that should entertain for the sheer gulibility of some people concerning what they are willing to believe.

So, the next time someone sends you a ridiculous email claiming their cell phone grew legs or Sarah Palin is secretly a modified pitbull created by Cheney, take a look at the sites above to see where the rumour originated and how to discredit the false information.

Photo (http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/03/)

- Christopher Bishop

Brian Henson Presenting at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta

2008-09-24T12:49:00.007-04:00

I love Jim Henson Company films and television shows such as Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal and Farscape for both their wonderful stories and their amazing puppetry. Couple my love of these films with a childhood spent watching The Muppets and you have a puppetry fan lucky to live in Atlanta where we have The Center for Puppetry Arts, a fantastic resource for puppetry shows spanning varying audiences, both in age and interest, and a standing collection of puppets often augmented with touring exhibitions and classes.

In keeping with their excellent programming The Center will host "Brian Henson: The Future of Digital Puppetry" on Sunday, September 28, 2008. Henson is co-CEO of the Jim Henson Company and Executive Director of "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars." He will present an overview and history of the Jim Henson Company's puppetry legacy while also exploring new advances in voice and puppeteering using computers. Tickets are still available and cost $10 for non-members, while members are free. If you haven't visited The Center yet now is a great time since they are also hosting the exhibit "Jim Henson: Wonders From His Workshop" through September of next year. More than anything, The Center for Puppetry Arts is a multi-generational resource for anyone who enjoys creativity, art, and the general need to see imagination brought to life.

- Christopher Bishop

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE JIM HENSON COMPANY/KERMIT THE FROG ©THE MUPPETS STUDIO, LLC

East Atlanta Strut - Sept. 20th

2008-09-08T19:42:00.005-04:00

I live in the greatest little community imaginable, East Atlanta, an area with lots of eclectic happenings year round. Saturday, September 20th, is the annual East Atlanta Strut, a now eleven year old celebration of all the wonderful things represented by this diverse community. The day starts with a 5k run before transitioning into a fun parade with lots of colorful participants, music, arts and crafts, a giant book sale, and lots of food. I highly recommend the Strut for anyone interested in a historic Atlanta community's take on civic expression.

- Christopher Bishop

Japan Fest 2008 in Atlanta

2008-08-14T19:06:00.006-04:00

The annual Japan Fest celebrating all things Japanese will be held on September 27th and 28th in the Gwinnett Center Convention Center. The festival has really grown over the years and offers everything from authentic Japanese food, music, and dance, to martial arts and workshops for children.

The Carlyle Fraser library owns a large number of books related to Japanese culture and history. Here are a few.

Fodor's Japan
Ref. 915.2 FODOR

Culture and Customs of Japan
952 KAMA
Kamachi, Noriko

Haiku-Vision In Poetry and Photography
895.6 ATWOOD
Atwood, Ann

Hiroshige's Woodblock Prints: A Guide
769.92 STRANGE
Strange, Edward Fairbrother

Japanese Mythology
291.1 PIGGOTT
Piggott, Juliet

Modern Japanese Writers
Ref. 895.6 MODERN

Blogging The Universe: A Weekly Look At Blogs of Interest, Installment 6, The Science of Battlestar Galactica

2008-07-09T18:53:00.008-04:00

I will impartially but emphatically state that Battlestar Galactica (the new series) is the best show on television currently, and perhaps ever. I can say this without bias because so many critics, fans, and people who rarely watch science fiction agree with me and everyone knows the masses cannot be wrong. As the series comes to a conclusion later this year I'm already having withdraw pains. Questions to still be answered include: will the motley assortment of humans find Earth to be a barren wasteland or a refuge, what will happen to the newly exposed Cylons on Galactica, will Adama and the President find true love, is their really going to be a spin off show? I want to know!

In the interum I stumbled upon Patrick Di Justo's fascinating blog The Science of Battlestar Galactica, a blog dedicated to answering questions such as, how can cylons and humans breed, or, what is the mass of Battlestar? The blog is a smorgasbord for those with an interest in science fiction speculation or just a love of Battlestar. Even a science novice like myself can follow along with the explanations so don't let the science in the blog's title dissuade you unless you hate science fiction and Battlestar Galactica, which you hopefully do not.

Scifipedia - Battlestar Galactica

Nicely summarized history of the show from the original series to now

Forbes.com - The Science of Star Wars

Science Fact or Fiction Quiz

- Christopher Bishop

Experience the Battle of Atlanta July 18th - 20th

2008-07-09T18:39:00.008-04:00

One of my favorite events is the yearly commemoration of the American Civil War's Battle of Atlanta in the neighborhoods of East Atlanta, East Lake, Kirkwood and Cabbagetown. The variety of historical activities, food, and shopping mix well with the great neighborhoods on display. I highly suggest making a day of it if possible.

"July 22nd will mark the 144th Anniversary of the historic Civil War Battle of Atlanta. To commemorate the important event, the neighborhoods in Atlanta’s 5th Council District have teamed up to organize B*ATL on the weekend of July 18th-20th. The battlefield is actually in these neighborhoods where people live and work and play today. This will not only be an event of remembrance but also one with fun for everyone including: a Gala Dinner and House Tour, a 5K run, Van and Walking Tours, a re-creation of the Frontlines with Re-enactment Soldiers and artillery, a Civil War Village with civilian re-enactors, historic music concerts and dramatic performances, shopping and dining in East Atlanta and Kirkwood and more!! Please see the schedule of events below."

- Battle of Atlanta site

- Christopher Bishop

WALL-E: Reviewed and Linked

2008-06-29T22:38:00.011-04:00

Last night I saw the new animated film WALL-E at Atlanta's Starlite Drive-In, my favorite place to see films in Atlanta. I actually went to see Iron Man but thought WALL-E might be a cute distraction before Robert Downey Jr. turned in his surprisingly great interpretation of Tony Stark. Out of nowhere WALL-E floored me with its beautiful, sometimes almost life-like, animation while touching on questions involving the environment and the role of artificial intelligence as seen through the eyes of two robots looking for love. The love story between the film's star WALL-E, a trash receptor, and Eve, an information retrieval unit sent to earth in search of life after humans left the planet 700 years earlier due to an environmental catastrophe, is touching and surprisingly moving. However, the very overt environmental message took me by surprise. Earth is portrayed as a garbage strewn wasteland wherein only WALL-E the trash collector still exists, building skyscrapers out of condensed trash and hanging on to trinkets of the now departed human race. The emphasis on human laziness and dependency on technology to create luxury free of personal responsibility is also very overt and raises a number of questions for those who see technology as an escape from thinking and doing for oneself and those around you. The film's environmental awareness is especially timely given the current questions facing America and the world concerning use of energy sources.

The new and overt environmental awareness exhibited by mainstream Disney films such as WALL-E and conservative politicians such as John McCain seemed unlikely a few years ago, but now seems common with the advent of high gas prices and the questions raised by increasing energy costs and the realities of global warming. A film such as WALL-E serves as a fun but eye opening example of just how much America has changed in regards to environmental awareness. We are truly seeing a paradigm shift in America as the mainstream embraces the realities of environmental degradation. Hopefully the heart tugging love story shown in WALL-E will serve as a model for those who want to further reach out to skeptics through mainstream outlets.

The following books are owned by the CFL and deal in some way with issues raised by WALL-E.

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
394.12 POLLAN
Pollan, Michael

An excellent examination of the food we eat, where it comes from, what it does to us, and how it effects the world we live in.

Artificial Intelligence: A Beginner's Guide
006.3 WHIT
Whitby, Blay

Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming is Changing the World
363.738 BRAAS
Braasch, Gary

-Christopher Bishop

An Old Timer's Lit Picks, Installment 2

2008-06-09T21:58:00.002-04:00

The CFL's Jane Vickers reviews the spy thriller novel Secret Servant by Danieal Silva. Click here to access the podcast from podomatic.com.

Bishop's Book Speak (Rob Sheffield's Love Is A Mixtape reviewed), Installment 4

2008-05-14T15:11:00.006-04:00

Click here for Mr. Bishop's podcast review of Rob Sheffield's Love Is A Mixtape, a truly moving exploration of love set to mixtapes capturing the quickly changing soundscape of the early nineties. I also suggest visiting the following websites...

Muxtape
A site for creating and sharing mixtapes on the internet

Love Is A Mix Tape Official Site

Art Of The Mix
A site for submitting and sharing mixtapes

Mix Tape - Wikipedia entry
This is a great entry detailing the history, culture, and enthusiasm surrounding mixtapes

Lost In The Library, Installment 6, Howard Finster: Stranger From Another World

2008-05-07T13:47:00.009-04:00

I first became acquainted with Georgian Howard Finster, Baptist preacher turned artist, during my teen years while watching a PBS special dealing with folk artists in Georgia. I loved the undisciplined sincerity of his paintings and sculptures often created with objects from his surroundings, works so opposed to the rules often associated with formal art practices and the confines we are taught regarding artistic merit. Here was a man who captured all the wonderful, but quickly changing, aspects of rural life in Georgia including religion, family, and community life in his own unique way. A trip to the High Museum cemented my love of Howard Finster's art after viewing pieces of his work kept on permanent display. I'm always on the lookout for more Howard Finster sources so the discovery of Howard Finster: Stranger From Another World in the CFL was a welcome find.

The book contains a wealth of photos displaying various paintings and sculptures from Howard Finster's entire life. The accompanying text includes Howard Finster's observations concerning his art, religion, and the world as he saw it. Oftentimes art collections are accompanied by a critic's voice describing an artist's intentions and influences, this collection allows the reader to hear Howard Finster describe his work in a way only someone this unique could. An inscription from Howard Finster's painting number "1000 and 48" is appropriately placed before the title page of this collection. The inscription reads, "I am Howard Finster a stranger from another world. My father and my mother, my sisters and brothers, my wife, my children, my grandchildren have really never figured me out for my kingdom is not of this world. Only my father in heaven knows me on this planet and that's why I have been strong and happy. When my work is finished I will go back to my other world." Howard Finster truly was from a world all his own, a world presented fully by Howard Finster: Stranger From Another World.

In addition to a number of well researched and representative sites listed below, the CFL contains an excellent collection of books detailing outsider and folk art.

- Christopher Bishop

Books of Interest in the CFL Collection:
Flying Free: Twentieth-Century Self-Taught Art From The Collection of Ellin and Baron Gordon
Ellin Gordon
709.73 GORDON

Passionate Visions of the American South: Self-Taught Artists From 1940 To The Present
Alice Rae Yelen
709.75 YELEN

Raw Creation: Outsider Art and Beyond
John Maizels
709.04 MAIZELS

Souls Grown Deep: African American Vernacular Art of the South.
Paul Arnett
Ref. 709.73 SOULS v.1

Websites of Interest:

The Official Homepage of Howard Finster

Howard Finster's Paradise Gardens Park and Museum
"The mission of Paradise Gardens is to restore and preserve the work of folk artist Howard Finster; perpetuating his legacy - promoting education in the arts and providing expansive communityinvolvement, and enrichment through its unique spirit, setting, and message."

The David Leonardis Gallery
"The DLG houses one of the finest collections of Howard Finster pieces in the world, including concrete, shelf pieces, wood cutouts, paintings and prints."

The Outsider Art Pages
A collection of works by various outsider artists

Youtube: Howard Finster's Vision House

Getting To Know Atlanta

2008-03-31T12:54:00.003-04:00

Every Thursday I look forward to a new issue of Creative Loafing, Atlanta's free weekly with coverage of everything local including film, music, food, et cetera. The extensive coverage of all things Atlanta (and surroundings) gives me a feeling of connectedness I can't go without. I found this week's issue to be especially useful due to the inclusion of the urban explorer section highlighting parts of town and their respective shops, restaurants, galleries, et cetera. I discovered some new places to visit along with reminders for some locations I have overlooked recently.

- Christopher Bishop

Blogging the Universe: A Weekly Look At Blogs of Interest, Installment 5, Ugly Sheet Cakes and TackyChristmasYards

2008-03-30T10:54:00.023-04:00

The odd and absurd emit an odd attraction for many who cannot help but notice the bizarre creations people seem to come up with as they create for others. This week I would like to highlight two blogs for those who love the tacky side of creativity. The first is Ugly Sheet Cakes, a blog dependent on cakes both disgustingly fantastic and universally revolting. I especially like the Groundhog Day cake on the left. The recent spattering of St. Patrick's Day entries are especially unappealing to my pallet for some reason. Edit: I just found a blog with similar coverage called Cake Wrecks. Take a look.

I know Christmas has passed so the blog TackyChristmasYards may be somewhat unseasonal but it still fits within the odd and absurd tag I'm using for this post. I think we have all passed a humongous Christmas display in someone's yard and felt both wonder and a sense of overkill on the decorator's part. I'll refrain from espousing my own opinion on these displays since a picture is worth a thousand words.

-Christopher Bishop

Lost In The Library, Installment 5, Kites: Sculpting The Sky by Tsutomu Hiroi

2008-03-30T10:54:00.022-04:00

Spring is a time for enjoying beautiful weather while spending time outdoors. Since I was young I've always enjoyed flying kites but never really thought about where they originate from or how I might build one. The CFL's copy of Tsutomu Hiroi's Kites: Sculpting The Sky is an excellent resource for kite enthusiasts, especially those interested in Asian and Japanese kite history and construction. The book begins with a concise history dating the first kites to China around two thousand years ago. The first kites were made of wood and cloth until the invention of paper in China around 105 A.D. Many of the early kites were used for military or scientific purposes due to the knowledge needed to build and fly the contraptions. Around 1000 A.D. the kite became a popular recreational pastime among the Chinese. The popularity of the kite in China caused it to spread to the rest of Asia as a scientific and military tool, and as a leisure outlet. In Europe the first instance of a kite is noted by Hiroi as being 230 B.C. The kite followed a similar path to popularity in Europe as it did in China and Asia.

Hiroi's book is translated from Japanese with a heavy emphasis on the kite's cultural history in Japan. Japan even has multiple contemporary and historical kite centers throughout the country. Hiroi uses images and diagrams extensively to give the reader an idea of the artistry and detail present in kite construction and presentation. The photographs are most extensive when exampling the three types of Japanese kites including the northern which migrated directly from the Asian continent and is examples by the Goto Islands baramon, the south pacific derived Nagasaki hata which is triangular, and the indigenous originating solely in Japan and examples by the Managu.

Hiroi's kite construction section is the highlight of the book with detailed step by step directions and easy to follow diagrams. After a brief introduction concerning aerodynamics Hiroi moves into needed materials and equipment for kite construction including kite line, paper and decorating, frames and glue, and sketching patterns with additioanal ideas included. The step by step portion shows the construction of a box kite, gunya-gunya kite, and building a bamboo frame. There is also a section of what I would call crazy kites including extremely large and ornate examples. The last section of the book examines kites from other parts of the world along with some construction ideas.

If you have an interest in kite flying and construction come by the library for a look at Kites: Sculpting the Sky.

- Christopher Bishop

Websites of Interest:

Google kite directory
Kite links galore

Japanese Kite Collection
Tons of links and images covering the gamut of kite interests

The Drachen Foundation
An organization dedicated to promoting kite culture with excellent links and a bibliography of kite resources

Books of Interest in the CFL Collection:
Wings: A History of Aviation From Kites To The Space Age
Tom D. Crouch
629.13 CROUCH

The Art and Craft of Paper

Faith Shannon

745.54 SHANNON

Freely Accessible Online Periodicals Through The CFL

2008-03-30T10:53:00.009-04:00

The Carlyle Fraser Library uses a program called Serials Solutions to assist users in finding full-text articles from periodicals a patron only has a citation for and cannot find in the database they are searching. The patron version of serials solutions is journal finder. In addition to 19,499 titles already available full-text in the CFL journal finder, we have added 4053 titles which are freely accessible through the portal. Titles include multiple disciplines such as general interest, science, arts and humanities, business, social sciences, et cetera. After you have entered a title in the search screen the database links and coverage are listed below. Unfortunately, we do not have the ability to print a detailed list of all the titles.

- Christopher Bishop

Citizendium and Authoritative Wikis

2008-03-25T15:23:00.014-04:00

Many librarians and classroom teachers have serious reservations when students want to use wikipedia for school assignments given the lack of academic credentials for authors, uncited information, and poor grammar. I find the site to be useful for explaining technical jargon or pop culture topics, but I always advise students who want to use wikipedia to view the site as a possible introductory site for information on a topic, not as a citeable resource. However, the debate over whether students should use wikipedia is nearly a mute point since so many do.

I find the newish citizendium site to be a hopeful tool for those who desire a community generated resource with more rigid oversite regarding authorship and editing of articles. In the about section citizendium states, "The Citizendium (sit-ih-ZEN-dee-um), a 'citizens' compendium of everything,' is an open wiki project aimed at creating an enormous, free, and reliable encyclopedia. The project, started by a founder of Wikipedia, feels that we can achieve this crucial improvement over Wikipedia through measures such as adding 'gentle expert oversight' and requiring contributors to use their real names. We already have over 5,800 articles and hundreds of contributors." The site features a registration form for possible contributors and a list list of topics by discipline.

I do have to wonder if citizendium will ever become a universaly known resource in competition with wikipedia since so many people are reliant on convenience and prior knowledge when looking for quick information. Hopefully, additional attention will arise with free yet authoritative resources such as citizendium which counter sites such as wikipedia and offer a resource more educators would be willing to accept from students.

- Christopher Bishop

How To Assistance: From the Mundane to the Mandatory

2008-03-25T15:23:00.010-04:00

The other day I found myself needing some assistance with a household project I had no prior experience with and knew absolutely no one who would be knowledgeable enough to help. I did some searching online and found my new favorite one stop help site, eHow. Topics range from the mundane to the practical and extend to the ridiculous. Everything finds a home on the site which features written steps and video tutorials with an easy to use search box and browsing categories.

Another how to site I find helpful is monkeysee featuring thousands of helpful video tutorials on a wealth of topics. Some of the content is humorously done while other segments are more straightforward. Monkeysee has fewer inane topics than eHow and seems to be a little more rigid in what they will accept. For me the break dance basics and beat box introduction were most helpful ;).

- Christopher Bishop

Svalbard Seed Vault

2008-03-06T11:51:00.004-05:00

Ok, so have you heard about this? The Global Crop Diversity Trust is an organization devoted to fighting hunger and it is its mission to "ensure the conservation and availability of crop diversity for food security worldwide."

To this end, the idea for a sort of ark for seeds was conceptualized back in the 1980's. However, due to various squabbles and disagreements about the best methods for seed preservation, etc, the GCDT was only able to move forward once the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources went into effect.

Here's the idea: when disaster strikes (whether natural in the form of droughts, etc, or manmade in the form of war, civil unrest, or mismanagement) and unique varieties of the world's most important crops may be lost. The purpose of the seed vault is to ensure that specimens of as many seeds as possible are preserved for a day when they might be needed, and it can actually hold 4.5 million specimens.

Why Svalbard?

Svalbard is a group of islands north of Norway. The lack of tectonic activity and extremely cold conditions (think permafrost) make it an idea location for seed storage: if for some reason the electricity fails, the seeds will have little chance of warming up as the vault is sunk deep in the mountainside and surrounded by that permafrost. Clever, yes? Yet another reason is that the Norwegian government paid for the vault, as a service to the world community... and it wasn't cheap!

(This whole thing reminds me of the movie "Titan AE", which I loved. The premise is that the earth has been destroyed by an alien weapon and those humans who managed to escape become refugees, dispersed throughout the universe and considered outcasts because they have no homeworld. One young man sets out on a journey to find the Titan, an earthship which was designed with the ability to create a new Earth. It is also stocked with DNA samples of

Earth species, including animals and plants. )

Librarian Barker

Donnie the Genius Doberman

2008-03-04T10:27:00.010-05:00

So I was watching National Geographic Channel last night (yes, I am a nerd. I'm fine with that), and they were airing a show called "Genius Dogs". One of the featured canines was a Doberman Pinscher named Donnie, who was about four years old when he was adopted from a local shelter. After living with his new family for a while, Donnie began to exhibit some unusual behavior: he began arranging his 80+ stuffed toys in specific patterns and sequences. Some of these included triangles, circles, all frogs, all monkeys, all face up, all face down, etc.

Donnie's owners began documenting his arrangements through photos and eventually contacted Barbara Smuts, a psychologist who researches social behavior among dogs. You can see what happened in this YouTube clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGQ0n0A71xQ

Is it random? Is Donnie a doggie genius? Is this his method of artistic expression?
You decide.

Want to know if your dog is a genius? Interested in dogs and pets in general? Then check out these books in the CFL :)

Cesar's Way : The natural, everyday guide to understanding and correcting common dog problems / Cesar Millan with Melissa Jo Peltier
636.7 MILLAN
Pets in America : a history / Katherine C. Grier
636.088 GRIER
The Lost Pet Chronicles : Adventures of a K-9 cop turned pet detective / Kat Albrecht with Jana Murphy
363.28 ALBRE

Librarian Barker

A New Banner

2008-03-03T14:25:00.004-05:00

The Carlyle Fraser Library would like to gratefully thank Christopher Bishop's friend Laura for creating the new library blog banner. We think it adds a great deal to the site.

Digital Photography for Everyone

2008-02-28T12:59:00.022-05:00

I love to take pictures despite feeling somewhat disapointed when I compare the results to professional images or the work of others highlighted on sites such as Flickr, or another great resource, Betterphoto.com. To alleviate this feeling I've completed some research and thought I would share it with anyone else feeling photographic inadequacy or a desire to improve their digital photography skills. A number of the sites were also mentioned in the February 2008 issue of The Connected Newsletter.

Camera Reviews
I've made the mistake of impulsively buying a digital camera based on cost, number of megapixels, and aesthetic considerations which seemed promising in the moment, but later resulted in a camera that failed to do what I wanted. I've learned my lesson and found the sites Buying A Digital Camera and Digital Camera Reviews to be very useful. Each offers side by side comparisons of hundreds of digital cameras with both the novice and advanced photographer in mind.

Capturing Great Pictures
My first inclination with any new piece of technology is to play around with it and see what I can learn on my own. However, I appreciate the guidance and expertise a manual or online resource guide can provide as I try to improve my skill set. The following sites offer a wealth of information concerning photography basics, tips, lighting, et cetera.

Digital Photography School
Using Your Digital Camera: A Guide To Great Photographs
Taking Better Picture: Composition
Practice Makes Perfect in Close-up Photography
Basic Rules of Photography
Tips, Tricks, & Technology to Improve Your Photography
Getting The Most from Your Digital Camera

Online Editing
My first challenge after taking a picture I want to share usually involves editing it for size or adjusting something. The site Picnik offers an easy to use online editor for photos you can upload from your computer reducing the need for purchasing photo editing software.

Classroom Use
For educators or those thinking of using digital photography in the classroom I suggest the sites Digital Photography in the Regular Classroom and The Digital Camera In Education. Both offer a wealth of information with tons of practical advice.

CFL Photography Collection
Don't forget the CFL's collection of photography books including collections and how to guides.

The photo above was taken by me on February 15th of this year. The picture was taken at an abandonded bank on Moreland Ave.

- Christopher Bishop

GroPak: The Future of Food?

2008-02-26T13:12:00.003-05:00

Ok, people, file this under "Green and oh, so cool!"

Recent Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Agata Jaworska is responsible for creating packaging for mushrooms that will eliminate the wastefulness of the transit process. When shipping mushrooms from the farm to the store they must be kept cool or they will begin to rot. This is bad for the environment as a lot of energy is used to cool these very warm trucks. But Jaworska's brilliant re-thinking of the supply chain has changed that!

She has designed biodegradable packaging that has been treated with a growing medium innoculated with fungi spores. So, instead of wasted time and energy, these packages are loaded onto trucks and the mushrooms actually grow IN TRANSIT. By the time they reach the stores, you have fresh, beautiful mushrooms.

I call that brilliant!

You can see an animation of the process on YouTube.

Go forth and be green!

Librarian Barker

Blogging The Universe: A Weekly Look At Blogs of Interest, Installment 4, atlantalarry

2008-02-25T12:46:00.008-05:00

I live in East Atlanta, a culturally and economically diverse area of the city undergoing a number of changes. Until the 1970s the area was predominately Caucasian and middle class. An influx of African-Americans to the area resulted in white flight to the suburbs and a downturn in the economic prosperity of the area as social ills such as unemployment, crime, and lack of development overtook East Atlanta. In the middle 1990s young families, bohemians, and others seeking all the culture and amenities of downtown living began moving to East Atlanta and surrounding areas of Atlanta once forgotten, resulting in the diversity present in the area now. The development and changes in the area have brought about a number of questions and concerns on the part of long time residents and those who question the ramifications of gentrification in Atlanta.

Someone addressing some of those concerns while presenting an informative and colorful resource for Atlanta living is atlantalarry, a long time resident of East Atlanta and deeply informed source of knowledge for Atlanta civics and history as a whole. Larry's easy to navigate blog contains information concerning everything from riding Cobb County Transit, to local resources for gardening and history, to a unique collection of photography documenting areas of Atlanta such as East Atlanta, Grant Park, and downtown Atlanta (the image of the Flat Iron above is from Larry's blog). Blogs like atlantalarry are some of the richest resources available for understanding Atlanta as it undergoes some of the most dramatic social and economic transformations ever experienced by the city.

For additional resources on Atlanta and issues including gentrification, Grady Hospital, The Beltline, et cetera, I would like to guide readers to Westminster's School for the Common Good Wiki, a resource Vicki Norman and I prepared for the class to create an interactive learning experience. The link will take you to the library's guide with a link to the wiki at the bottom. Since the wiki was introduced students have added a number of resources. Those with additional resources to add are invited to do so.

- Christopher Bishop

Lost In The Library, Installment 4, Ventriloquism: Magic With Your Voice by George Schindler

2008-02-25T12:45:00.029-05:00

A look through the sports section of the CFL collection uncovered this lost gem, George Schindler's Ventriloquism, a guide many practitioners still hold high regard for despite an original publishing date of 1979. My initial interest in the book originated from the odd depiction of ventriloquist and dummies on the cover, an image surely meant to relate humor, further exploration of the book's content relates a thorough and fascinating understanding of how one can become a ventriloquist for fun and profit (if such a market still exists).

The author begins the book with an explanation of what ventriloquism is, making others believe your voice is emanating from somewhere other than yourself, and how one can begin to develop the skill of throwing your voice. A concise but informative history of the art of ventriloquism relates origins in Egypt with the use of puppets beginning in the 1800s in Europe. Our current understanding of ventriloquism was popularized by the Vaudeville circuit in America, children's show star Charlie McCarthy, and various comedy routines with ventriloquists speaking through puppets.

The majority of Ventriloquism details sound techniques, exercises, and methods for learning to throw your voice. The detail and coaching given by the author is detailed enough for anyone who may need extra help or varying approaches. The extensive substitute sounds section for working with a closed mouth is especially helpful as is the secrets of the trade section. Another chapter explains what to look for when choosing a puppet, how to work a puppet, and alternatives to traditional dummies. The photos and illustrated steps found throughout the book also lend a level of understanding and context needed for those learning the art of ventriloquism.

The last third of the book deals with scripting, booking a show, and writing comedy material for a performance. There are even some scripts ready to perform.

I have to wonder if there is an audience for ventriloquist acts in a time when puppetry in film and television is replaced by computer graphics and comedy has changed so much, but the artistry of watching a person speak through a puppet is still something entertaining to me when done well. Every few years kids pick up on an old trend and make it new again (the yo-yo, origami, scooters, et cetera). Perhaps ventriloquism will undergo a revival with small children obtaining their own portable dummies for neighborhood talent shows? One can only hope!

Websites of Interest:

Center for Puppetry Arts
Atlanta's amazing home for both adult and youngster puppetry shows

Ventriloquism In A Month
An exhaustive ventriloquism how to

Ventriloquist Central
An excellent tribute with lots of great photos

Books of Interest in the CFL Collection:

Voice and Speech In The Theatre
784.95 TURNER
J. Clifford Turner

The Human Voice: How This Extraordinary Instrument Reveals Essential Clues About Who We Are
Anne Karpf
808.5 KARPF

Lost In The Library, Installment 3, Japanese Colour Prints

2008-02-25T12:45:00.023-05:00

I have always found Japanese water-colours to be a fascinating form of art representing a very distinct style and culture. Thankfully for myself and others who enjoy Asian art in general, and Japanses art specificaly, Westminster''s CFL owns a wonderful collection of Asian art books including J. Hiller's wonderful collection of water-colours entitled Japanese Colour Prints, a concise collection suitable for those wishing to forgo the often overwhelming art collections available detailing Japanese art.

Many examples of the style are familiar to Americans because of the widespread popularity and disemination of water-colour images in Japan and abroad after the country was opened to interaction with the West. The style gained prominence in 17th and 18th century Japan with its own school of art called ukiyo-e, translated as "pictures of the floating world." The rise of the Japanese color-print contrasted greatly with Western traditions which detailed reality and the telling of a story, whereas ukiyo-e placed emphasis on technique involving lines and brushstrokes. In his introduction Hiller notes, "The Japanese genius was for the expressive line, for pattern and design, the representation of natural objects as a means to an end, not an end in itself." Japanese Colour Prints and other books dealing with Japanese art (see below) are available in the CFL. In addition, the websites listed below should offer wonderful collections of images in the ikiyo-e style and tradition.

Websites of Interest:
Viewing Japanese Prints
"Illustrated essays on the artists, designs, and techniques of traditional and modern Japanese woodblock prints."

Connecticut College Japanese Prints
A large collection of Japanese prints from Connecticut College

Books of Interest in the CFL Collection:
Hiroshige's Woodblock Prints: A Guide
Edward F. Strange
769.92 STRANGE

Primitive Ukiyo-e From the James A. Michener Collection in the Honolulu Academy of Arts
Howard A. Link
769.952 HONOLULU

- Christopher Bishop

Blogging The Universe: A Weekly Look At Blogs of Interest, Installment 3, P.I.P. (The Post-It Project)

2008-02-17T18:00:00.009-05:00

I count myself among those who believe the post-it note rivals only the home computer as the most important invention of the 20th century (actual statistics to back this belief are unavailable and unnecessary to the entry you are about to read). I remember once running out of post-it notes at work and having to wait a few days for more to arrive with a regular office supply order, leading me to nearly go crazy as I stuck pieces of torn paper on my computer/work area with tape trying to recreate the post-it note's utility. The habit of sticking post-it notes everywhere could not be broken. My love for post-it notes brought me to P.I.P. (The Post-It Project), a blog whose creator has transformed the post-it note from functional communition tool, to art canvas. On display are both the blog author's original works, and a host of contributions, including some representing little more than scribbles, and others with quite intricate drawings. This is folk art at its best.

My love of folk art and small things also reminds me of Willard Wigan's very miniature art pieces which must be seen to be believed. The link above also contains a small gallery (no pun intended) of his work. Enjoy! - Christopher Bishop

Lost In The Library, Installment 2, India: Art and Culture, 1300-1900

2008-02-12T09:12:00.004-05:00

This week's choice for Carlyle Fraser library's hidden treasure was influenced by the recent Indian art exhibit at Emory's Carlos Museum. Previously, I knew little about Indian art but appreciated the rich colors and detail present in many of the works I had seen. After the exhibit I wanted a collection of images representative of the works on display at Emory. I found such a resource in our library's copy of India: Art and Culture, 1300-1900, a collection of images from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art which hosted an extensive exhibition of Indian art in 1986. The book features two hundred ninety-six illustrations in vivid detail along with sectional overviews of various periods In India's art history including "The Great Tradition," "Tribe and Village," "The Muslim Courts," "The Rajput World," and "The British Period." The accompanying text also highlights the historical context of the works with rich detail and a comprehensive bibliography. This collection serves as a rich introduction and overview of one of the most beautiful collections of art found in the world.

Websites of Interest:

Indian Circle
Portals for every aspect of Indian art

Art of India
A rich collection of images from various time periods

Books of Interest in the CFL Collection:

Hindu Art and Architecture
George Michell
704.9 MICHELL

Indian Court Painting, 16th-19th Century
Steven Kossak
751.7 KOSSAK

Vampires!

2008-02-12T08:21:00.000-05:00

Ok, so who DOESN'T love a good vampire novel? I know that I do, and my favourite series at the moment (and for the past couple of years) is the Twilight Series, by Stephenie Meyer. This series includes:

Twilight

Eclipse

and

New Moon

Here's the basic premise, taken from the author's, Stephenie Meyer, website:

"TWILIGHT tells the story of 17-year-old Bella Swan who moves to the small town of Forks, Washington to live with her father, and becomes drawn to Edward, a pale, mysterious classmate who seems determined to push her away. But neither can deny the attraction that pulls them together... even when Edward confides that he and his family are vampires. Their unorthodox romance puts her in physical danger when Edward's nemesis comes to town and sets his sights on Bella."

The two subsequent novels tell of their deepening relationship and the dangers that continue to surround Bella, a mortal who knows too much about the undead. The 4th and final novel, Breaking Dawn, is scheduled for release on August 2, 2008.

The Carlyle Fraser Library owns all three of the first three novels in the series and will OF COURSE pre-order Breaking Dawn!

In other Twilight-related news, I read that the Twilight movie is in production!

Kristen Stewart has been cast as Bella Swan.

Robert Pattinson has been cast as Edward (If he looks familiar, think Cedric Diggory from "Harry Potter").

Here are a few other vampire novels that I've enjoyed. The CFL owns them all, so if you're interested, stop by and check them out! (Reviews courtesy of Amazon.com)

Blue Bloods, by Melissa De la Cruz

From School Library Journal

De la Cruz has revamped traditional vampire lore in this story featuring a group of attractive, privileged Manhattan teens who attend a prestigious private school. Schuyler Van Alen, 15, the last of the line in a distinguished family, is being raised by her distant and forbidding grandmother. Schuyler, her friend Oliver, and their new friend Dylan are treated like outsiders by the clique of popular, athletic, and beautiful teens made up of Mimi Force, her twin brother, and her best friend. What they have in common is the fact that they are all Blue Bloods, or vampires. They don't realize that they aren't normal until they reach age 15. Then the symptoms manifest themselves and they begin to crave raw meat, have nightmares about events in history, and get prominent blue veins in their arms. Their immortality and way of life are threatened after Blue Blood teens start getting murdered by a splinter group called the Silver Bloods.

The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause

From Publishers Weekly

Zoe is 16 and facing bereavement: her mother is dying of cancer, and her father seems to be excluding her from her mother's hospital bedside. No one dares speak to Zoe about the family tragedy, and she is isolated by grief, anger and fear. Then she meets the alluring, enigmatic Simon ("His eyes were dark, full of wilderness and stars"), who has an uncanny ability to recognize her feelings. After a series of nocturnal meetings, Zoe learns that Simon is a vampire kept alive by his thirst to avenge the death of his own mother three centuries ago. Drawn to him by an empathy charged with both longing and fear, Zoe agrees to participate in a dangerous scheme to trap Simon's mother's supernatural killer. The two emerge from their encounter able to mourn and acknowledge their losses. First-novelist Klause is excessively ambitious in her juggling of genres and themes; as a result, her suspense is uneven, her love story inadequately rooted and her resolution just a bit pat. Nevertheless, the use of the vampire figure to exorcise Zoe's complex feelings and often striking prose attest to an intelligent and original eye.

The Historian: A Novel by Elizabeth Kostova

If your pulse flutters at the thought of castle ruins and descents into crypts by moonlight, you will savor every creepy page of Elizabeth Kostova's long but beautifully structured thriller The Historian. The story opens in Amsterdam in 1972, when a teenage girl discovers a medieval book and a cache of yellowed letters in her diplomat father's library. The pages of the book are empty except for a woodcut of a dragon. The letters are addressed to: "My dear and unfortunate successor." When the girl confronts her father, he reluctantly confesses an unsettling story: his involvement, twenty years earlier, in a search for his graduate school mentor, who disappeared from his office only moments after confiding to Paul his certainty that Dracula--Vlad the Impaler, an inventively cruel ruler of Wallachia in the mid-15th century--was still alive. The story turns out to concern our narrator directly because Paul's collaborator in the search was a fellow student named Helen Rossi (the unacknowledged daughter of his mentor) and our narrator's long-dead mother, about whom she knows almost nothing. And then her father, leaving just a note, disappears also.

-- Kimberley Barker

Bishop's Book Speak (Neal Bascomb's Red Mutiny reviewed), Installment 3

2008-02-11T08:38:00.010-05:00

The mp3 file above plays Mr. Bishop's podcast review of Neal Bascomb's historical study of the 1905 Russian battleship Potemkin uprising, Red Mutiny. For additional podcast book reviews by Mr. Bishop click here. Red Mutiny is owned by the Carlyle Fraser Library. Additional titles owned by the CFL that may be of interest include:

Blue Latittudes

King Leopold's Ghost

Germs, Guns, and Steel

Blogging The Universe: A Weekly Look At Blogs of Interest, Installment 2, Splendid Pictures Around The Net

2008-02-10T18:05:00.001-05:00

So, I'm innocently surfing the internet for interesting photography, images, art in general, and what do I find, photos of Star Wars origami that amaze me. Some of the origami figures are incredible (see Yoda to the left for instance), and others are respectable works which fail to fully dazzle the viewer, but still serve as inspiration for those who seek the power of the force through paper crafts. The Star Wars origami images are collected on the blog Splendid Pictures Around The Net, a site collecting images including the hilarious "Security Guard At Work" which features sleeping security guards on duty, the outlandish "Japanese Extreme Modified Vans," and the unexpectedly inspiring "Fork Art" wherein forks are transformed into works of art. No matter your visual medium of choice, each visitor will find something on interest in the blog.

- Christopher Bishop

Steampunk: The World of Tommorow, Yesterday

2008-02-06T09:58:00.001-05:00

Steampunk the term is a combination of steam denoting the steam powered era of the 19th century, and punk, referring to cyberpunk's speculative interpretation of the future as exampled in literature such as William Gibson's Neuromancer. Speculative fiction writers such as Jules Verne, authors who offered a future beyond the means of their immediate present, are also sources of inspiration. A subset of steampunk has emerged to include the alteration of modern technology to reflect the aesthetics of older technology. For example, a new laptop is modified to look as though it existed in the Victorian era. The modifications to existing technology are truly amazing, both creatively, and in the dichotomy between new and old existing as one. The following links are fascinating portals to a new understanding of design, innovation, and historical connection. The image above is taken from The Steampunk Workshop site linked below.

WSJ.com

An excellent video peak into a steampunk workshop

NPR

Overview and podcast

Weta Rayguns Informercial

Steam punk inspired "commercial"

The Steampunk Workshop

An excellent collection of images, ideas, and resources

Voyages Extraordinaires

Blog encompassing all things steampunk

Lost in the Library, Installment 1, Prop Art

2008-01-31T07:39:00.001-05:00

And so begins the weekly installment I call, Lost in the Library, wherein overlooked treasures hidden away in the CFL collection are unearthed for all to see. Our first installment focuses on Gary Yanker's fascinating study of political posters, Prop Art, published in 1972 with an introduction by NBC news anchor John Chancellor.

Yanker is first and foremost a collector of posters, a passion he explains as originating from his lack of funds for more conventional, and pricey, works of art. Both left and right wing propaganda posters are represented in an effort to show balance and free the presentation from endorsing any ideological belief system.

The most striking observation I came away with as I read through this twenty-five year old collection, a study of then current propaganda, is the amount of artistic effort and creativity present in the presentation. The posters depicted were ephemeral, serving a cause often completed or lost soon thereafter. Whereas propaganda in the form of posters once served as a viable form of communication for spreading ideas, the internet and television have now supplanted poster, and print in general, as the most widely available sources for propaganda. There is something almost quaint in the amount of faith the poster makers seemed to place in the messages on display.

Yanker's analysis of political poster design begins with the renaissance for the medium during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and the 1968 Paris student riots. He also discloses the popularity of posters as a propaganda tool - low cost, freedom from censorship, and the ability to implant ideas. Yanker also looks at how political posters are created with particular audiences in mind. Posters can be emotional or rational in their appeal, abstract or representational in their artistic approach.

The author's lack of judgment regarding the political merits of messages represented in the propaganda posters he so loves is a refreshing break from the often opinionated positions of those presenting the ideas and imagery of far left or right groups. Prop Art is certainly no longer a contemporary study of political posters as was meant when published, but it does present a beautiful collection of images filled with creativity, artistic merit, and conviction.

Websites of Interest:

International Poster Gallery
An excellent collection of propaganda posters from around the world

DPRK
North Korean propaganda art

Stefan Landsberger's Chinese Propaganda Poster Pages

Books of Interest in the CFL Collection:

A Concise History of Posters: 1870-1970

Barnicoat, John

769.5 BARNICOA

The Poster: An Illustrated History From 1860

Harold F. Hutchison

Ref. 769.5 HUTCH

Propaganda and Mass Persuasion: A Historical Encyclopedia, 1500 To The Present

Nicholas J. Cull

Ref. 303.375 CULL

- Christopher Bishop

Blogging The Universe: A Weekly Look at Blogs of Interest, Installment 1, Antipixel

2008-01-29T15:57:00.002-05:00

In celebration of the vast world of blogging and those who bring you these often brilliant sites highlighting both the mundane and the extraordinary, I bring you Blogging The Universe, a weekly installment including both description and points of connection. These are blogs I find to be of interest, either for the aesthetics of the site, sensational prose, or some combination thereof. Suggestions are always welcome.

I'm a sucker for anything Japanese so Jeremy Hedley's Antipixel blog has fascinated me since I discovered it a few months ago. He compiles beautiful photography and print imagery from Japan courtesy of his residence there as a tech worker. His photography, usually capturing local scenery and objects, is amazingly beautiful, something he also adds to in words as he describes his take on the images. He also has an interest in local art, especially art used to advertise products. The appeal of what was once a disposable wrapper or gift card (see the image above) in Japan certainly highlights the often overlooked beauty of print advertising across time. Enjoy!

- Christopher Bishop

George Lamplugh "The Book That Changed My Life"

2008-01-28T10:41:00.001-05:00

History teacher Dr. George Lamplugh shares his experience with a book that profoundly impacted him.

"Many years ago, in grad school, I was reading the preface to a book about Kentucky politics after the American Revolution and noted that the author had good things to say about Kingsley Amis's Lucky Jim, a novel set in a backwater college in England after World War II. Amis follows the stumbling academic career--and love life-- of the title character, a historian who has very little good to say about either college teaching or historical research. I was so taken by the description of the novel that I found a copy, read it--and laughed myself silly. Then I put it down and forgot about it until I had been at Westminster for a few years.

At that time, the politics of this place were pretty brutal, and each year brought a series of bizarre events. Trying to navigate these conflicts and crises proved very stressful. One summer, anticipating with dread the crazy events the new school year would no doubt have in store for me, I picked up Lucky Jim and re-read it. Once again, I could hardly stop laughing; then it occurred to me that, having experienced in Amis's fictional academic setting a place that made Westminster seem almost "normal" by comparison, I might now be better prepared to return to work in the Fall. And I was! Pleased with the results of this literary therapy, I made it a practice over the next decade or so to re-read Amis towards the end of every summer. It never failed to prepare me to cope with the new school year!"

Thanks to George Lamplugh for sharing this! If you're interested in contributing a post on the topic of "The Book That Changed My Life", please contact Librarian Barker: KimberleyB@westminster.net

Roy Lovell "The Book That Changed My Life"

2008-01-28T10:33:00.001-05:00

"The way Jay Leno acquires motorcycles, I acquire books: excessively, unceasingly, unapologetically, driven by some mysterious internal force that aligns me with these particular material objects and hounds me until I possess them. I have boxes and boxes of books in my attic, too many to display, too many to read, yet I keep buying more. Asked to name one "book that changed my life," my first impulse is to compile a lengthy list. But one book, not a list, is requested here. So…

When I was a senior in high school, I was taking physics from a nice gentleman-chemistry major-who had earlier taught me a solid chemistry course. Pressed into service as a physics teacher, and being therefore out of his area of expertise regarding "subject matter knowledge," he was soldiering on, teaching a course that was fairly shallow, uninspired and tentative. Nevertheless, I was intrigued by physics.

Before there was internet commerce, there were (and in some places, still are) used bookstores-places where, for the price of one new book, one could walk away with an entire armful of "finds." It was in such a place I found a little paperback that had been published in 1946. The title page identified the author as a "professor of theoretical physics" (whatever that was) named George Gamow. The book was called One, Two, Three…Infinity. This book opened up a whole new world for me, heretofore undreamed of-the world of advanced mathematical and scientific reasoning. In this book, I encountered for the first time, expressed in lively, lucid prose, numerous mathematical and scientific ideas that have continued, ever since, to puzzle, amaze, and challenge me: Cantor’s transfinite arithmetic, Euler’s imaginary numbers, "pure" vs. "applied" mathematics, number theory, "geometry without measure" (i.e., topology), "curved space," "four-dimensional distance," relativity of spacetime, presocratic atomism, subatomic particles other than protons, neutrons and electrons, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, Bohr’s Complementarity Principle, quantum superposition, matter waves, positive electrons (i.e., antimatter), cosmic ray showers, nuclear fission and fusion, "atom smashers," entropy, absolute zero, statistical fluctuations, the "riddle of life," the galaxy of stars, the universe of galaxies, stellar evolution, the expanding universe, and the cosmic singularity, to name a few.

I asked my physics teacher to explain some of these topics to me, but he only shrugged and said he didn’t know about any of that. At that time I resolved to learn about these things, and I am still doing so. Along the way I acquired a passion for the work of passing on the profundities of math and physics to the next generation. I am still doing that too. The book is yet in print from Dover Publications, though the enclosed photo depicts the original cover."

Many thanks to Roy Lovell for sharing this experience with us. If you're interested in writing a post about a book that changed your life, please contact Librarian Barker: KimberleyB@westminster.net

Maggie Davis "The Book That Changed My Life"

2008-01-28T10:06:00.000-05:00

Art Department Chair Maggie Davis shares several books.

"There are three books that had a lasting impact on my life. Two revolve around water, one released the writer within.

The Phantom Deer, author escapes me. I was about 10 when I checked it out of the Sayville Public Library on eastern Long Island, my refuge from home. I checked it out because there was a hand colored photograph of the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys. The bridge spans seven miles over the most beautiful azure blue water I had ever seen. The story was captivating, about a young boy who finds an orphaned Key deer and raises it then releases it. The word images of the Florida Keys captured my imagination. I thought they must be the most perfect place on earth and it set up a longing to go there one day. Which of course I did, long after the book had been returned and I had grown up.

Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. I was in my 20's when I read it. Having grown up on Great South Bay and the north Atlantic, spending time with my father fishing on the rock jetties on Fire Island, Hemingway's description of the struggle of this fisherman rang true for me as a young person. The story recognized the power of nature and the fragility of life, something that has been a life theme in my work as an artist.

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (just celebrated 20th anniversary of the publication of this book). I collect books about writing but never thought I was a writer until I read Nate's book. Read it cover to cover on a flight from Miami to New York City. When I got off the plane I knew I wanted to be a writer. I took the book with me to the Metropolitan Museum and followed her writing practice while sitting in the Temple of Dendur. I spent the day writing in different rooms of the msuseum, stopping only when my stomach was growling loud enough to be noticed by passers-by. That book led me to study with Natalie in New Mexico on a sabbatical 2004-05. I started a writing group using her technique. We self-published a small volume of stories and poetry called " Evenings at Lily's". Lily was my white standard poodle who listened patiently to all the many stories that unfolded in my living room that winter and spring.

And then there is A Death in Venice by Thomas Mann; The Time it Takes Falling Bodies to Light by William Irwin Thompson and many more "change my life books", books that kept me breathing when I didn't really want to. To this day I still look forward to bedtime when I can curl up with plump pilows, soft light and the "I can't wait to get back to that book" on my night stand (currently The Prince of the Marshes, Rory Stewart which I will donate to the library when I am finished)."

Many thanks to Maggie Davis for sharing her thoughts with us. If you're interested in writing a post about The Book That Changed Your Life, please e-mail Librarian Barker: KimberleyB@westminster.net

Book Review Beret-- Episode 3-- "Breakfast with Buddha"

2007-12-19T13:23:00.000-05:00

Librarian Barker reviews "Breakfast with Buddha" by Roland Merullo. She likes it, she really likes it!

Book Review Beret, Episode 2, Pandora's Daughter

2007-11-28T17:03:00.000-05:00

Kimberley reviews Iris Johansen's monumental waste of time, Pandora's Daughter.

Bishop's Book Speak (Michael Ondaatje's Divisidero reviewed), Installment 2

2007-11-28T11:08:00.002-05:00

The mp3 file above plays Mr. Bishop's podcast review of Michael Ondaatje's book Divisidero. For additional podcast book reviews by Mr. Bishop click here. The book is owned by the Carlyle Fraser Library. Books owned by the CFL that may be of additional interest include:

The English Patient

A Thousand Splendid Suns

The Yiddish Policeman's Wedding

Water For Elephants

Bishop's Book Speak (Brad Meltzer's Identity Crisis reviewed), Installment 1

2007-11-28T10:37:00.002-05:00

The mp3 file above plays Mr. Bishop's podcast review of the graphic novel Identity Crisis. For additional podcast book reviews by Mr. Bishop click here. The book is owned by the Carlyle Fraser Library. Other books owned by the library that may be of interest include:

Green Lantern: Rebirth
Superman On The Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us About Ourselves and Our Society
Eternals
The Sandman Presents Thessaly: Witch For Hire
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay: A Novel

An Old Timer's Lit Picks, Installment 1

2007-11-27T13:56:00.000-05:00

The CFL's Jane Vickers reviews the book So Big by Edna Ferber. Click here to access the podcast from podomatic.com.

For more books with a glimpse of American life in the past I suggest O Pioneers and My Antonia by Willa Cather.

Book Review Beret, Episode 1, Ghostwalk

2007-11-27T11:40:00.000-05:00

Features a review of Ghostwalk, by Rebecca Stott.

Welcome!

2007-11-26T12:10:00.000-05:00

Hey, everybody!

Welcome to our very first post on BoMuStu, the Carlyle Fraser Library’s alter ego. BoMuStu stands for "Books. Music. Stuff.", and is devoted to informing you about fun and interesting resources on a variety of topics, technology, and of course books and music. We’ll also highlight materials in the CFL’s collection and tell you how you can get your hands on it. Further, the library staff will provide reviews of their favorite reads and music via podcast for your listening pleasure. The site will continue to grow, and our goal is to update daily. So, keep checking back to see what cool stuff has been added. Also, please leave us comments! We’d love to hear what you like and want to see more of.

Have a great day!
Your librarians