Jack Tarver Library Intercession Hours

Jack Tarver Library will be open the following hours from January 5-January 12:

Monday, January 5
7:45 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tuesday, January 6
7:45 a.m.-5 p.m.

Wednesday, January 7
7:45 a.m.-5 p.m.

Thursday, January 8
7:45 a.m.-5 p.m.

Friday, January 9
7:45 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday, January 10
Closed

Sunday, January 11
Closed

Monday, January 12
7:45 a.m.-7 p.m.

Jack Tarver Library Closing

Jack Tarver Library will be closed from December 24, 2009 through January 4, 2009.

Public Access to the GAO Reports and GAO Comptroller General Decisions Databases

The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to provide permanent public access to the GAO Reports and GAO Comptroller General Decisions databases that are available on the GAO Web site.

The GAO Reports database contains reports on audits, surveys, investigations, and evaluations of Federal programs conducted by GAO. The content in this database dates back to 1970 and earlier.

The Comptroller General Decisions database contains decisions and opinions issued by the Comptroller General in areas of Federal law such as appropriations, bid protests, and Federal agency rulemaking. It also contains historic material dating back to 1970.

GAO is actively working on digitizing its legacy collection so historic material will continue to be added to the two databases.

Hot Document in December

Black Americans in Congress 1870 - 2007

Black Americans in Congress, 1870–2007 (House Document No. 108-224) is the most comprehensive history available on the 121 African Americans who have served in Congress since 1870 to present. The book chronicles African Americans’ participation in the federal legislature and their struggle to attain full civil rights.

Contents include:

PART I: FORMER BLACK MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

• Chapter I: “The Fifteenth Amendment in Flesh and Blood”: The Symbolic Generation of Black Americans in Congress, 1870–1887
• Chapter II: “The Negroes’ Temporary Farewell”: Jim Crow and the Exclusion of African Americans from Congress, 1887–1929
• Chapter III: Keeping the Faith: African Americans Return to Congress, 1929–1970
• Chapter IV: Permanent Interests: The Expansion, Organization, and Rising Influence of African Americans in Congress, 1971–2007
  

PART II: CURRENT BLACK MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

APPENDICES

Black Americans in Congress, 1870–2007 is available online via GPO Access. A print copy of this featured document is available in the Government Documents collection at Tarver Library.

EBSCO pre-populated ILL Forms

We are currently experiencing some issues with our EBSCO pre-populated ILL forms and are working as fast as we can to have them fixed. Where the form asks you to choose a Center location please go ahead and do so. This should have no impact on your request being filled. If you encounter any problems please contact Andrew Shuping at 478-301-2251 or Cecilia Williams at 478-301-2102. Again thank you for your patience.

Online Value Line Investment Survey and Historical Reports Since 1997

Great news for business students and faculty as well as anyone who is interested in investment research and studying stocks. Tarver Library recently subscribed to the Value Line Research Center and its Historical Reports dating back to 1997. You can access this database from Tarver Library's alphabetical database listing on the library web site, through GALILEO, or through the business Subject Librarian page.

The Value Line Research Center provides on-line access to Value Line's leading publications covering stocks, mutual funds, options and convertible securities as well as special situation stocks. It includes:

• The Value Line Investment Survey (covering 1,700 equity issues from 100 industries)
• The Value Line Investment Survey – Small and Mid-Cap Edition (covering approximately 1,800 additional, mostly small-capitalization, issues.)
• The Value Line Mutual Fund Survey (full-page reports on about 700 leading equity funds, and abbreviated reports on over 1,200 additional equity and bond funds, plus summary data for 13,000 mutual funds)
• The Value Line Daily Options Survey (daily evaluations and ranks on over 130,000 options, on about 2,000 stocks, and 11,000 longer-term options)
• The Value Line Special Situations Service (emerging companies )
• The Value Line Convertibles Survey (analysis and evaluation of over 700 convertible issues)

Tarver Library also subscribes to the Value Line Historical Reports Service. This service provides access to the Value Line Investment Survey or the Value Line Expanded Edition dating back to 1997. To get to the historical reports, select "Plus Edition" under Quick Index on the left and then choose "Historical Reports".

Hot Document in November

2008-09 U.S. Government Manual

"As the official handbook of the Federal Government, the United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies; international organizations in which the United States participates; and boards, commissions, and committees. The Manual begins with reprints of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

A typical agency description includes:

• A list of officials heading major operating units.
• A summary statement of the agency's purpose and role in the Federal Government.
• A brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority.
• A description of its programs and activities.
• Information, addresses, and phone numbers to help users locate detailed information on consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, publications, and other matters of public interest.

The Manual is published as a special edition of the Federal Register (see 1 CFR 9.1). Its focus is on programs and activities. Persons interested in detailed organizational structure, the regulatory documents of an agency, or Presidential documents should refer to the Federal Register or one of its other special editions." (Source: GPO Access website)

The current edition of the U. S. Government Manual 2008-2009 is available at the Tarver Library Reference desk. The online version is available both as ASCII text and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files.

GPO Access contains the U.S. Government Manual for 1995-96 and all subsequent editions to the present.

Graphic Novels invade the library! Check it out!

Do you enjoy reading alternative forms of literature, such as graphic novels? Enjoy seeing a story told in a new way through the use of pictures? Then come and check out the new book section at Tarver Library! We now have some great graphic novels that we know you'll enjoy reading. Here's a sampling:

Watchmen








Persepolis vol1 and 2!








American Born Chinese








The Contract with God Trilogy


(images all courtesy of Amazon.com)

Mercer Faculty Only! E-journals Locator/RefWorks Instructional Workshops

What: A-Z e-journals Locator/RefWorks Instructional Workshops

Where: Tarver Library or Your Office!

When: November 2 – December 3, 2008 three sessions a week:

Monday: 3:00 – 4:15

Wednesday: 2:00 – 3:15

Thursday: 10:00 – 11:15

Individual sessions available upon request and at mutually convenient times.


Dear Mercer Faculty,

Tarver Library is preparing to launch a series of brief, interactive A-Z e-journals Locator / RefWorks Instructional Workshops. The workshops, taught throughout the month of November, offer continuing education for those of you seeking to understand how to best utilize our online journal collection, select resources relevant to your research and teaching needs, and efficiently manage citations.

Each workshop will consist of two 30-minute modules. Module I will focus on the Tarver Library page with emphasis on searching print vs. electronic journals followed by a closer look at the A-Z Journal Locator tool. To facilitate the discussion, sample searches will be performed using some major titles in your field.

Module II is designed to highlight the essential features and capabilities of RefWorks citation management software, including importing your search results to create ready-to-use bibliographic citations.

There will be a 5-10 minute break between the modules. You may choose to attend either part of the presentation based on your particular interest and familiarity with the material.

Please mark your calendars for any of the times suggested above. If you would like to schedule an individual session, do not hesitate to contact us:

Stan Trembach at trembach_sa@mercer.edu; x5334
OR Liya Deng at deng_l@mercer.edu; x2934.

We will do our best to accommodate your requests.

Thank you and we look forward to working with you!

Science Direct Freedom Collection Trial

Tarver Library has implemented a trial of Elsevier's Science Direct Freedom Collection, a substantial selection of online academic journals primarily in the sciences, biomedical sciences, business, and economics. Browse the title list for specific title details.

This trial runs until 11/30/08. Please take a look at the database, test it, and take a moment to evaluate it.

Two Extended Database Trials

Tarver Library has been given access to two one-year database trials by EBSCO Publishing. Research Starters - Business and Research Starters - Education are databases which assist you with starting your research in broad topics related to either business or education.

Key Features of Research Starters - Business:

• Convenient 3,000-word topic overviews with concise, yet comprehensive content
• Overview information on 500 topics parallel to course offerings of major business schools at colleges and universities, with links to key articles in associated EBSCO databases
• Content designed to be appropriate for advanced high school and two/four-year college students, public libraries and selected schools
• Quality study guides written by subject matter experts holding advanced degrees in business, law, political science, psychology and economics

Key Features of Research Starters - Education:

• Convenient 3,000-word topic overviews with concise, yet comprehensive content
• Overview information on 500 topics parallel to course offerings at major colleges and universities, with links to key articles in associated EBSCO databases
• Content designed to be appropriate for advanced high school and two/four-year college students, public libraries and selected schools
• Quality study guides written by highly qualified professors, school administrators, consultants, educators and professional writers

These trials will run until 10/23/09

Campus Network Maintenance and the 24 hr study room

On Friday October 24 at 11PM thru Saturday October 25 at 2AM Campus IT will be doing network maintenance. This will affect, among other things, the BearCard readers. As a result you may not be able to access the Tarver Library 24 hour study room during this time. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Grove Music Online

Jack Tarver Library has added Grove Music Online to its E-Resource repertoire.

Published by Oxford University Press, this multi-award winning resource includes the full text of the 29-volume New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd edition), the 4-volume New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and the 3-volume New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2nd edition). Grove Music Online also includes 50,000 articles, sophisticated search and browse capabilities, Sibelius-enabled musical examples, and extensive links to musical sites on the Internet.

Library Systems Maintenance - Service Interruption

Access to the Internet, Databases, and Printing will be unavailable in Tarver Library on Wednesday, October 22, from 5pm until late due to a system upgrade.

The library catalog will also be unavailable, regardless of user location, during this time.

Access to Microsoft Office products will be available on library computer work stations while the system upgrade is being performed.

We apologize for any inconvenience experienced while we upgrade our system in order to serve you better.

Library Dean's Forum

What: Library Dean's Forum

Where: Tarver Library Thigpen-Parsons Seminar Room (2nd floor)

When: 5:30 pm October 15, 2008

Do you want the library to be a better place to study and/or socialize? Then take advantage of this opportunity to share your ideas and suggestions with Beth Hammond, Dean of University Libraries. This is your chance to let the Dean know what's on YOUR mind about the library and how we can improve our work.

Come to the Thigpen-Parsons Seminar Room at 5:30 pm October 15 for an honest, open conversation! We are eager to find out what you think about us!

Refreshments provided.

Grand Reopening: 24-Hour Study Room

What: 24-Hour Study Room Reopening

Where: Jack Tarver Library, 1st floor

When: 4:00 pm October 15, 2008

Looking for a safe and comfortable place to study all night? We now have the answer. You are cordially invited to the Tarver Library

24-Hour Study Room Reopening!

Stop by the library at 4:00 pm, October 15th, 2008 and see the renovations funded by the Class of 2008 and the Student Government Association. Also, check out these before and after pictures.

You won't want to miss an exiting event like this!

Refreshments and door prizes provided.

Hot Document in October

Guide to House and Senate Members

U. S. Government Printing Office published the online Guide to House and Senate Members 110th United States Congress on its website GPO Access.

"This online Guide to the House and Senate Members of the 110th Congress is intended to be a single point of access for Member information from several different official sources. Both congressional offices and the public will be able to:

• Access data concerning House and Senate Members from various publications including: the Congressional Pictorial Directory, Congressional Biographical Directory, and the Congressional Directory.

• Search for and retrieve individual Members by Name, Hometown, State/Territory, District, Term Count, Bio Data, Birth Date, Place Of Birth, WebSite, Zip Code, Counties/Parishes, Office Building or groups of Members by state, party affiliation, or number of terms.

• Link to individual Member's corresponding information in the Biographical Directory maintained by the House and Senate and link to individual member web pages."

Search the blog!

Did you find a cool post on our blog, but don't remember where? Can't remember when it was posted? Fear no more! If you scroll down a bit on the right hand side of the blog you can now find a search box to search just this blog! So now you can quickly and easily find the information that you need with just a quick search. Try it out and let us know what you think.

Election 2008 Resources

Welcome to our second posting on Election resources! This post comes from Liya Deng, our Government Documents Librarian. She's put together some great resources. Did you know that YOU can find the following information in Government Documents?

According to the United States Constitution, a presidential election is to be held once every fourth year. The process of electing a President was set up in the United States Constitution. The 2008 Presidential Election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, 2008. As Election Day is closer, the library has set up a display for Elections 2008. Here are some government online resources about elections for voters and people who study elections.

USA.gov, the U.S. government's official web portal, has one section of Voting and Elections offering information about voter registration, contact elected officials, and volunteering and contributing to the election process, etc.
Voting and Elections at USA.gov

U. S. Department of State (DOS) provides a comprehensive list of links and articles on the 2008 Elections, including election process, election calendar, public opinion polls, role of the media, election trivia, and mainstream media blogs, etc.
2008 Elections at www.State.gov

Federal Election Commission (FEC) provides Presidential Campaign Finance data by state via Campaign Finance Maps.
Campaign Finance Map for Presidential Election at FEC.gov

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) provides information about 2008 presidential election, how electors vote, electoral college calculator, historical election results, and FAQS, etc.
2008 Presidential Election: U.S. Electoral College

There are some useful additional sites about the elections:
Project Vote Smart - directory of political candidates, calendar of events, voting records, interest group ratings, and issues and legislation.

Election Center 2008 - CNN Politics

Presidential Election 2008 - Yahoo News

Voting America United States Politics, 1840-2004 - cinematic & interactive maps, and analysis of the Presidential elections in the US from 1840-2004. This unique resource developed by the Digital Scholarship Lab at the University of Richmond focuses on election data to the county level.

Elections 2008 - a very comprehensive site listing elections resources by the University of Michigan Documents Center

In addition, the CQ Researcher database has several in-depth reports about campaign and elections.
CQ Researcher Reports:
Political Conventions 8/8/2008
Race and Politics 7/18/2008
Campaign Finance Reform 6/13/2008
Changing U.S. Electorate 5/30/2008
Women in Politics 3/21/2008
Electing the President 4/20/2007

Make sure you check back again next week for even more resources!

Macon Telegraph Archive (1826-1908)

Tarver Library's latest database, The Macon Telegraph Archive (1826-1908), is now available online. You can access this database from Tarver Library's alphabetical database listing on the library web site, or through GALILEO.

The Macon Telegraph Archive provides online access to early issues of the Macon Telegraph ranging from its inception as a weekly newspaper in 1826, through the daily issues of the early twentieth century. Consisting of over 50,000 newspaper pages, the archive provides historical images that are both full-text searchable and can be browsed by date.

Launched just three years after the city of Macon was incorporated, the Macon Telegraph provides an inside view into the initial years of the city's growth. Macon's central location within the state provided the paper with a unique perspective of the news through a period when middle Georgia was both geographically and politically a focal point of the state. During the early publication of the newspaper, Macon and its surrounding areas were guided politically, economically, and racially by the growth of cotton. Through that lens the paper provides historical insight into the development of the state during the sectionalism of the antebellum period, the devastation of the Civil War, and the rise of the "New South" in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The Macon Telegraph Archive is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia as part of the Georgia HomePLACE initiative. The project is supported with federal LSTA funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Georgia Public Library Service, a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.

GALILEO Search Problems

If you are using GALILEO Search, which is powered by WebFeat, you may encounter intermittent problems accessing or "viewing" full text and citations.

WebFeat has reported that the problem will be corrected when they add new servers to their system. They are working diligently to add the servers, but until they are added, this problem will remain.

If you encounter problems viewing results, please try accessing and searching within the databases individually. You can locate specific databases in many ways:

1. Browse by Subject
2. Select the "Articles and Databases" tab (to the right of search)

This will provide you with a ranked listing of databases associated with
a particular subject.

--or--

1. Click on the main "Databases A-Z" tab.
2. The "All Databases" link will take you to a listing of all databases
associated with your Mercer campus.
3. Search for a database by keyword or browse by letter associated with database name.

Again, thank you for your patience while this problem is being corrected.

Constitution Day

Merer University Celebrates Constitution Day

A federal law (Public Law 108-447) enacted in 2004 designated September 17 as “Constitution Day” to commemorate the signing of the United States Constitution Sept 17, 1787.

Mercer University will celebrate the Constitution Day with a lecture entitled "The Spirit of '76 and the Spirit of '87: One Founding or Two?" given by Dr. Will Jordan, Associate Professor of Political Science. The lecture will be given from 12:00-12:50 today in Stetson 251. Feel free to bring a brown bag lunch.

We also have a display of library resources for Constitution day. So please stop by the library and check it out.

Also check out some of these online government resources on U. S. Constitution.

National Archives & Records Administration: Constitution
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/charters.html
The National Archives provides information on how the Constitution was created and ratifies, including Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, Bill of Rights, and biographies of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787,

Library of Congress
http://thomas.loc.gov/teachers/constitution.html
In celebration of Constitution Day, the Library of Congress has compiled a variety of materials from across its collections. Explore these rich resources and features to learn more about one of America’s most important documents.

GPO Access
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/index.html
GPO Access provides the Analysis and Interpretation of the U.S. Constitution: 1992 Edition Plus Supplements, and other U.S. Constitution publications.

National Constitution Center
http://constitutioncenter.org
Resources to help you celebrate Constitution Day – the birthday of your government – featuring over 200 activities, lessons, books, DVDs and more from over 30 different providers.

Questions & Answers Pertaining to the Constitution from “Charters of Freedom” ARCHIVES.GOV
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_q_and_a.html

Ben’s Guide to U. S. Government for Kids - U.S. Constitution
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/documents/constitution/index.html

Constitution Day Lecture 9/17

Mercer University will help celebrate Constitution Day, September 17, with a lecture given by
Dr. Will Jordan, Associate Professor of Political Science. The lecture, titled "The Spirit of '76 and the Spirit of '87: One Founding or Two?" will consider the question of whether the Constitution embodies or rejects the spirit and political principles of the revolution.

The lecture will be given from 12:00-12:50 in Stetson 251, on Wednesday, September 17. Feel free to bring a brown bag lunch.

7 years ago today...

Today is a day of remembrance across the country. Many people were effected by what happened 7 years ago today in many different ways.

As you think of this day take a look at the September 11 Digital Archive. This website collects memories from across the globe on the tragedy that happened.

Elections 2008!

It's election time here again in the United States and electing a new president is foremost on everyone's list. This has been an exciting and interesting campaign as it has featured some ground breaking people. While the Tarver Library is apolitical, we do believe that EVERYBODY needs to get out and vote. To that end over the next few weeks we'll be sharing some resources that provide information ranging from voting to information about the electoral process in general, many of which are library resources! Did you know we have books on McCain and Obama? Well we do! So, please stay tuned and enjoy the resources.

Check out this link for a great collection of voting resources, even gives you information on where to register to vote if you haven't done so already.

Need even more information on wide variety of election 2008 resources? Check out the Librarian's Internet Index! Full of great resources and information on the election. These are specially chosen websites by, you guessed it, librarians from across the country.

News and analysis about the 2008 presidential election. This site, from the Chicago Tribune, includes profiles, photos galleries, comparison of stands on selected issues, and quizzes to test how well you know candidates John McCain and Barack Obama.

This is a website for "a joint project from The Brookings Institution and American Enterprise Institute, [which] joins leading demographers, geographers and analysts in examining the impact of seven trends on the 2008 election and the future of American politics." It features project papers on topics such as the decline of the white working class and immigration and America's changing electorate, and more!

Stay tuned next week for even more information and resources from the library! Remember to stop in and see us if you have any questions.

Hot Document in September

Career Guide to Industries 2008-09 Edition

The Career Guide to Industries provides valuable information from an industry perspective for persons making career decisions. It is a companion to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which provides information on careers from an occupational perspective.

For dozens of different kinds of industries—such as educational services, health care, and motor vehicle and parts manufacturing - the Career Guide to Industries tells you about:

• occupations in the industry
• training and advancement
• earnings
• expected job prospects
• working conditions

In addition, the Career Guide gives you links to information about the job market in each State and more.

Get on track with Tarver Tours

Tarver Tours - Fall 2008

Join a library staff member for a thirty (30) minute walking tour of the Tarver Library on Tuesday and Thursday at 3:00 during the month of September. No reservations required! Just show up at the Reference Desk on the main (2nd) floor in time for the 3pm departure.

Faculty requiring their students to attend a tour can ask the students to present their tour "ticket" as proof of their participation. Depending on participation, the tours may be extended into other months.

Orientation Sessions for Tarver

New to the Macon Campus? Want to learn more about Tarver Library and how to use it? Well don't fret and come by on one of these days to our Orientation Sessions

Thursday	August 21, 2008	1:00 - 1:50 PM
Friday	August 22, 2008	2:00 - 2:50 PM
Monday	August 25, 2008	9:00 - 9:50 AM
Tuesday	August 26, 2008	7:00 - 7:50 PM
Wednesday	August 27, 2008	1:00 - 1:50 PM
Thursday	August 28, 2008	9:30 - 10:20 AM
Wednesday	September 3, 2008	6:00 - 6:50 PM
Thursday	September 4, 2008	12:30 - 1:20 PM

They are in the classroom located on the main floor of the library. Just ask at the Circulation or Reference Desk and our friendly staff will point you in the right direction. So come on by and find out more about what the Tarver Library has to offer!

Welcome Back!

We at Tarver Library just wanted to take a moment and say welcome to all students, returning and new!

The Tarver Library is here to help you with all of your research needs. Take a look at some of the resources below on how we can help you:

Need to come into the library? Take a look at the hours page to see when we're open!

Our library catalog. From here you can find out what books and media items the library owns. Make sure you notice which library the item is at, since there are five libraries in the catalog! You want it to say Macon.

Check out our DVD collection! That's right two, different DVD collections just for you. The bearDVD collection is provided by your Student Government Association. It contains some of the popular new releases and is located on the 2nd floor. You can check out up to one of these at a time for 3 days. Be careful though, as there are fines of a $1.00 a day. The second collection is located in the Media Center on the 1st floor. These DVD's you can check out for up to 7 days.

Have a question and need help? Take a look at the AskUs page. From here you can contact the reference librarian's by IM, e-mail, phone, or even in person!

As always just come on in and let us know what we can do to help you!

Hot Document in August

Digest of Education Statistics 2007

The 2007 edition of the Digest of Education Statistics is now available online. This edition is the 43rd in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The Digest's primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from pre-kindergarten through graduate school. The Digest contains data on a variety of topics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances, and federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons. This book is published by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Hot Document in July

Memorial Tribute to Lady Bird Johnson

U. S. Government Printing Office distributed the congressional serial set no. 15075 - First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, 1912-2007: memorial tributes in the One Hundred Tenth Congress of the United States to all federal depository libraries in July.

"Wife, mother, grandmother, conservationist, businesswoman, philanthropist, First Lady. LADY BIRD JOHNSON holds claim to all of those titles and more.""

"Today, LADY BIRD JOHNSON’s legacy lives on in the millions of blooms planted in the Nation’s Capital, in the sweeping banks of wildflowers lining U.S. highways, and in the charm of Austin’s revitalized Town Lake....."

First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, 1912-2007 is available online via the GPO Access web site. A print copy of the book is available in the Government Documents collection at Tarver Library.

EBSCOHost 2.0 Release

EBSCO has announced that the new EBSCOhost 2.0 interface will be released tomorrow, July 16th. This means that some of our most widely used databases will have a new look and will have some new features in the search interface. If you have any questions about using the new interface, please AskUs!

In addition, with such a significant upgrade there may be unforeseen technical problems. If you have any technical problems with EBSCO databases, please let us know.

Thanks, and happy searching!

Proquest Civil War Era Database

Tarver Library has added the Civil War Era database from Proquest's Historical Newspapers collection to our database listing. Following is an excerpt from the vendor's description of this product:

"ProQuest Civil War Era was developed in conjunction with librarians and expert Civil War scholars to meet valuable research needs as no other resource can. It combines complete runs of regional newspapers, as well as pamphlets covering a wide range of topics. It's a deep set of primary sources, with documents that encompass the buildup to and evolution of the war that shaped the Nation's identity, all in original article and page image. ProQuest Civil War Era focuses on the entire era, from Manifest Destiny through the end of the Civil War--enabling researchers to investigate not just the battles, but also the rising tensions that led the country to war.

Newspaper and pamphlet sources--never before available online Researchers will get the full story from nearly 2,000 pamphlets and complete runs of eight newspaper titles, covering 1840-1865, that were specifically selected for the regional and diverse perspectives they offer. The pamphlets expand on individual perspectives of government officials, clergy, social reformists, and others. Newspapers are a perfect complement to these sources offering insights on a broader range of events. The newspapers included in Civil War Era provide a variety of editorial perspectives reflecting different regions and political orientations."

Hot Document in June

Glenn Brown's History of the United States Capitol

The new edition of Glenn Brown's History of the United States Capitol, prepared by the Architect of the Capitol for the United States Capitol Preservation Commission, includes the introduction and annotations by William B. Bushong. This publication is part of the celebration of the Bicentennial of the United States Capitol.

"In this new one-volume edition, William Bushong sets the original publication in context by the introductory essay on Glenn Brown and his place in the story of the Capitol and the city of Washington. Extensive annotations provide the reader with information regarding Brown’s sources and offer valuable perspective on his viewpoints and limitations. They also note twentieth-century publications on topics that Brown discussed. Many of the drawings that Brown published are preserved in the records of the Architect of the Capitol and newly photographed for this edition."

"The purpose of this annotated edition is to revive a classic work of American architectural history that not only provides important information on the development of the Capitol but also is a remarkable visual record of the building and the art collection at the turn of the century."

Glenn Brown's History of the United States Capitol is available on the GPO Access web site. A print copy of this annotated edition is available in the Government Documents collection at Tarver Library.

Hot Document in May

Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-09 Edition

Occupational Outlook Handbook published by U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a nationally recognized source of career information describing the job duties, working conditions, training requirements, earnings, and job prospects in a wide variety of occupations.

The Handbook describes the job outlook over a projected 10-year period for occupations across the Nation; and it is designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The Handbook is revised every two years.

Occupational Outlook Handbook is available on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site. A print copy of the Handbook is available in the Government Documents collection at Tarver Library.

EBSCO GreenFILE

Tarver Library has added EBSCO's GreenFILE, an open source database of Environment-related materials, to our database listing.

"GreenFILE offers well-researched information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles includes content on the environmental effects of individuals, corporations and local/national governments, and what can be done at each level to minimize these effects. Multidisciplinary by nature, GreenFILE draws on the connections between the environment and a variety of disciplines such as agriculture, education, law, health and technology. Topics covered include global climate change, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. The database provides indexing and abstracts for approximately 384,000 records, as well as Open Access full text for more than 4,700 records."

End of the semester notes..

The faculty and staff at Tarver Library would like to wish all Mercer University students, faculty, and staff best wishes on final exams and hope that you have a great end to the semester and a great to start to the summer.

The Tarver Library will be open all summer so please stop by and let us know how we can help you.











photo from: http://flickr.com/photos/sorarium/2447986415/

Your opinion counts!

Tarver Library wants to hear from you!

This survey has now concluded. Thank you for your responses. Please stay tuned for survey feedback.

Please take a few minutes to fill out either the “Student Survey” or the “Faculty & Staff Survey”. After you have completed the survey, there are instructions for entering a drawing for a gift basket. We want to know how well our services are meeting your needs and where we can improve.

Job hunting tips

Are you about to graduate and looking for a job? Or just want to get a head start? I know its scary, but here are some resources that can help you land that job you're looking for!

Resume Tips: Know when to trash or rewrite your resume
Find a job with RSS Feeds
Communicating your weaknesses--yes it is scary, but can be done
Places to find jobs

and battles for Comp Sci majors!

and as always, your library! We have an entire section here at Tarver devoted to Career Resources. Stop by and take a look! If you have any other places that have been helpful to you please let others know in the comments.

Hot Document in April

County and City Data Book (CCDB): 2007

The U.S. Census Bureau has published the County and City Data Book 2007. The new edition contains essential data for any economic development official, regional planner, and urban researcher. It is the most comprehensive source of information on the social and economic structure of the individual counties and cities in the United States.

This updated edition includes:

• More than 175 data items for all states and the nation’s 3,142 counties
• Approximately 80 data items for 1,265 incorporated places with populations of 25,000 or more
• Nearly 80 additional items from the American Community Survey for 242 incorporated places with populations of 100,000 or more
• A complete list of metropolitan areas and their component counties with 2006 population estimates
• A complete set of state maps showing all counties and incorporated places with populations of 25,000 or more
  

Numerous figures and tables are included, along with five appendices. The County and City Data Book (CCDB) is a local area supplement to the Statistical Abstract of the United States.

The County and City Data Book is available on the Census Bureau Web site. A print copy of the CCDB is available in the Government Documents collection at Tarver Library.

Economic Stimulus Payments

Being a participant of Federal Depository Library Program, Tarver Library received Economic Stimulus Payment related informational materials. The Economic Stimulus Payment materials we received include:

• Tax Package 1040A-3, Information About Economic Stimulus Payments for Social Security, Veterans, and Other Beneficiaries

• Publication 4670, Economic Stimulus - General Information Flyer

All materials are displayed in the government documents area. Please come by the library to pick up the informational materials.

Please visit the Economic Stimulus Payments Information Center on the IRS web site for detailed information about the Economic Stimulus Payments.

New JSTOR Interface Release

This Friday, April 4, JSTOR will release its new search interface for our use. We currently subscribe to three collections of quality academic journals through JSTOR and the new-look interface should improve the ease and effectiveness of searching these titles. A summary of new features is available, along with a search tutorial and a MyJSTOR (personal customization) tutorial, on the JSTOR Sandbox portion of JSTOR's web site. You may need to be located on a Mercer campus to preview these features.

JSTOR anticipates no interruption in services during the transition on Friday, but should you encounter problems while using JSTOR, please contact us for assistance.

New books in the library!

Many of you may not know this, but the folks over here in the library have been working hard on a new plan to get books. This plan allows us to place the books on the shelf faster than before. We started working on this in July(yes there were a lot of steps to get this going), and the first shipment of books appeared this week on the new book shelves!

We have an agreement with a library vendor to automatically send us titles published by university presses (with some exceptions) according to a profile we have established. All these books will appear on the New Book Shelves so that folks can come and browse the new titles as they arrive.

So, come on over and see us!

Finding Trade Data in TradeStats Express

Do you want to get the latest annual and quarterly trade data from the U.S. government? TradeStats Express, a powerful government database, is a great resource to import and export statistics for the U.S. and its trading partners.

TradeStats Express displays the latest annual U.S. merchandise trade statistics -

* At national and state levels.
* In maps, graphs, and tables.
* As exports, imports, and trade balances.
* Custom-tailored to your year and dollar ranges and display preferences.

It is divided into two main sections: National Trade Data and State Export Data. For each section, the basic tools (for example, choosing product classifications, downloading the data, seeing a print preview) are the same.

The National Trade Data are available as full year totals for 1989 through 2007 and Year-To-Current-Quarter for 2007 and 2008. This section offers two options:

• Global Patterns of U.S. Merchandise Trade
• Product Profiles of U.S. Merchandise Trade with a Selected Market
  

The State Export Data are available as full year totals for 1999 through 2007 and Year-To-Current-Quarter for 2007 and 2008. This section offers three options:

• Global Patterns of a State's Exports
• State-by-State Exports to a Selected Market
• Export Product Profile to a Selected Market
  

You can access the database through Tarver Library government documents statistics web page.

Tarver Library now on Twitter!

Do you use Twitter? If you do, you can now find us on there as well! Follow our main blog and quick updates on Twitter. Here's the link: http://twitter.com/TarverLibrary

Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month and we'd like to share with you these features from the Librarian's Internet Index

A Daring Experiment: Harvard and Business Education for Women, 1937-1970

This exhibit tells the story of business education for women at Harvard, which "began in 1937 with a certificate program in personnel administration at Radcliffe College." Accompanied by oral histories from graduates of the of the Harvard Business School and Radcliffe College's certificate program, and research links. From the Baker Library Historical Collections, Harvard Business School.


Enterprising Women: 250 Years of American Business

Companion to an exhibit that "brings to life the stories of some 40 intriguing women who helped shape the landscape of American business." Use the timeline to view background about women such as Lydia Pinkham, Madam C.J. Walker, Martha Stewart, and Oprah Winfrey. Also includes mentorship stories, games, and classroom material. Organized by the Schlesinger Library of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, Massachusetts.

GPO And Depository Libraries Partner To Offer Online Reference Assistance

Do you want to get answers to all of your questions about government resources? Check out this online reference service provided by the joint efforts of U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and Federal Depository Libraries.

Government Information Online (GIO):Ask a Librarian

GIO is a free online information service supported by nearly twenty public, state and academic libraries throughout the United States. All participants are designated Federal depository libraries in the U.S. Government Printing Office's Federal Depository Library Program.

Questions are answered by government information librarians who are experts at finding information from government agencies of all levels (local, state, regional, national international) on almost any subject.

You can get access to GIO via the Tarver Government Documents web page.

Easter Hours!

We at Tarver Library would like to wish you all a happy Easter. Please make sure you note the library's hours over Easter. We will be closing at 7:00PM on Thursday March 20 and reopening at 6:00PM on Sunday March 23. As always if you have any questions please be sure to let us know!

Saint Patrick's Day

We at Tarver Library wish you a happy and safe Saint Patrick's day.

If you're interested in knowing a little bit more about the history of Saint Patrick's day check out some of the resources below:
From the History Channel a history of the day, Saint Patrick, and other fun facts.

Books in the library:
Who was Saint Patrick? (an eBook from NetLibrary)
Saint Patrick: His origins and career: BX4700.P3.H27

There are also other materials available through our library in Atlanta. If you're not sure how to request books from Atlanta stop by the reference desk and we'll be glad to show you.

Hot Document in March

Census Atlas of the United States

The U.S. Census Bureau has published the Census Atlas of the United States. The new Atlas is an authoritative reference work that paints a fascinating and dynamic portrait of the American nation. It includes more than 700 full-color maps derived from 210 years of official Census data.

“This volume is the first comprehensive atlas produced by the U.S. Census Bureau since the early twentieth century. It highlights demographic, social, and economic conditions and changes for both people and housing in the United States and Puerto Rico. The atlas illustrates the wide range of data collected by the U. S. decennial censuses of population from the first in 1790 to the latest in 2000.”

The Atlas interprets population and housing data through maps organized by:

• States
• Counties
• Cities of more than one million
• Major metropolitan areas of more than 4 million

Census Atlas of the United States is available on the Census Bureau Web site. A print copy of the Census Atlas is available in the Government Documents collection at Tarver Library.

The Dulcimer Art Show

The Dulcimer Art Show
March 17-28, 2008

Main floor of Tarver Library
Please submit your artwork now!

The Dulcimer's annual art show will begin next week on Monday, March 17th and will run through Friday, March 28th. Student artwork will be displayed for two weeks in the Tarver Library. A reception will be held at the end of the show to honor those who participated.

If you are interested in submitting your artwork to the show, please contact Whitney Gray (whitney.gray@student.mercer.edu OR thedulcimer@gmail.com). The art show is a great opportunity to show off paintings, photography, sculpture, pottery and more!

Quick Search fixed!

The issues surrounding Quick Search in Galileo have been resolved. Please let us know if you experience any problems.
Thanks!

GALILEO Quick Search

At the present our GALILEO Quick Search interface is down. This just means you can't search the multiple databases at one time through the GALILEO interface. You can access each database individually through GALILEO or through our databases page. If you have any questions please contact the reference desk at 301-2055. We'll let you know when the Quick Search is back up.

2007 Tax forms are here!

Tax season is upon us. Do you need federal or state tax forms and the instructions on how to fill them out? Please visit the tax display at the Government Documents area in the Tarver Library or use the links below to find the forms that you need.

Most standard IRS federal forms, instructions and schedules in paper are available at Tarver including the IRS 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ and instruction booklets. We also have the Georgia State tax forms 500, 500EZ, and there instructions.

You can also download federal or state forms in PDF format using the links below.

Federal Forms and Publications

http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/formspubs/index.html

Internal Revenue Service Home Page

http://www.irs.gov/

Georgia Tax Forms and Information

http://www.etax.dor.ga.gov/inctax/individual_income_tax_forms.aspx

Georgia Department of Revenue

http://www.etax.dor.ga.gov/

Other State Tax Forms - Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA)

http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/link/forms.html

Please visit the Tarver Library Government Documents website for more information.

http://tarver.mercer.edu/gov/govRes.php

Thanks!

If you have any questions please contact:

Liya Deng (Documents Librarian) deng_l@mercer.edu

or

Whitney McArthur (Documents Assistant) mcarthur_ws@mercer.edu@mercer.edu

Are books moving?

Nope you're not going crazy. We are moving books around, both at the new book shelves and up on the 3rd floor. Why?

With the new book shelves we've cleared out books that have been sitting on the shelf for a while and we are getting ready for new shipments of books to arrive! So make sure you check back on a regular basis to see whats new on the new book shelf.

Up on the 3rd floor we had to create space for all of the new books coming in. So over the week of Spring Break worked hard to create some space upstairs for the new books coming in. We moved books in the A-E ranges. So if you have a favorite book in that section it might have moved to another shelf since you last saw it. So take a look at the endcap to know where you favorite book is!

New Database---EBSCO Images

EBSCO Images, an interface for searching images contained in multiple EBSCOHost databases, has now been added to our database listings on the Tarver and Regional Academic Center web sites. EBSCO Images is also available through the GALILEO interface.

"EBSCO Images consists of over 100,000 images from Academic Search Premier, Academic Search Elite, MasterFILE Premier and Middle Search Plus, in the following categories:

• 70,000+ photos
• 30,000+ images from Canadian Press
• 1,200+ maps from MapQuest
• 500+ photos from public domain sources

The images consist of a wide array of photos and maps, with an emphasis on world news and events. Other areas of coverage include contemporary and historical photos of people, places and the natural kingdom.

Results can be filtered by various categories including:

• Photos of people
• Natural science photos
• Photos of places
• Historical photos
• Maps
• Flags"

February is African American History month

Check out this cool web site from the Library of Congress, with numerous exhibits highlighted on African American History, including one featuring a local Georgia college.

Who are some heroes of yours? One of mine is, Dr. Charles Drew, who developed improved techniques for separating and storing blood. Share some of yours with us.

Do you have any favorite websites to share? Let us know!

Georgia Official and Statistical Register

A new database, the Georgia Official and Statistical Register, has been added to Tarver Library's database listing.

"The Georgia Official and Statistical Register was published from 1923-1990 by the Georgia Archives. Considered an important reference work for historical research, the Register covers Georgia's executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, providing biographical sketches of elected and other state officials. Georgia members of U.S. Congress and federal judges are included, as are county officials and regents of the university system. The Register contains election returns, provides basic reference data on Georgia counties, and covers Georgia miscellany, such as the state flag, state flower, state song, rosters of Georgia governors, and legal holidays."

Please pardon...

Please pardon our construction on the blog. You may see posts appear and disappear over the next few days as we test out new features to better communicate with you. Thanks!

The Chinese New Year is today!

Today, February 7, is the Chinese New Year. The Chinese Lunar New Year is the most important festival in the Chinese lunar calendar. The Chinese year 4706 begins on February 7, 2008, the Year of the Rat. The Rat is the first sign of the Chinese zodiac, and it begins a new 12-year-cycle. The rat symbolizes speed, hard work, and change.

“Kung Hei Fat Choy” is a greeting and means “wishing you luck and prosperity.”

Take a look at this site for more information on how the Chinese New Year is determined.

Take a look at a few of the resources that we have in the library:
Lion dancer : Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year/ by Kate Waters and Madeline Slovenz-Low ; photographs by Martha Cooper

China A to Z : Everything you need to know to understand Chinese customs and culture

Red Brush

The art of Chinese calligraphy

If you're celebrating the Chinese New Year, please leave comments below to let us know how you plan to celebrate the holiday.

Check out our new feature!

Don't have an RSS Reader or aren't familiar with what RSS is? Do you still want to keep up with our blog? Well now there's a simple way to do so! You can sign up to have posts delivered by e-mail!

Over on the right is a box to that says "subscribe by e-mail." Enter in your e-mail address, press submit, and make sure you go to the activation account sent to your e-mail....and then you're ready to go!

If you want to know more about what RSS is drop us a line or come on over to the reference desk. We're more than happy to help you.

Did you know?

Do you know how Interlibrary Loan (ILL) works?

This post will give you a brief play by play on what happens and how it works

Here's what you, the user does:

• You find a citation.
• Check the citation in the library catalog to see if we subscribe to it in print or check Online Journals to see if we have it in another database.
• If not, you head to the ILL page (or use the prepopulated ILL forms in the EBSCO or Wilson databases) to make your request.
  
• That's it for you! What you've done is found the citation, checked the library catalog, and checked online journals. You then made your request with the citation information and your information.
  

What happens next:

• Interlibrary Loan staff receive and review your request. We make sure that we have all of the information that we need to process your request.
• Our ILL staff then check to see who has the book or article and are they in one of the groups that we belong too. Why can't we just get it from a library that you found that has it? Well we may not belong to the same group or they don't have that exact issue. Or they want to charge us too much money. Why is this important? Because we don't want to have to pass on the cost of ILL onto you.
  
• We then choose a grouping of libraries that has the material that you requested.
  
• Then its up to these libraries that we've asked to borrow from. That's why it takes a while for your books and articles to come. We have to wait just like you for the materials to arrive. We have no control over the time it takes a lending library to get us the articles or books.
  
• Once we receive your item(s) we will notify you that it is ready for pickup.

That's the basics of how ILL works. If you have any questions during these steps make sure to get in touch with one of the reference librarians.

Movies, TV, and more online--for free!

Have you ever missed an episode of you favorite TV show? Don't feel like paying iTunes $2.00 to watch it? Well fear no more! If you're not already familiar with it, check out Hulu.com a collaboration between NBC, Fox, and other networks, you can find some of your favorite shows online and watch the episodes that you missed! Wanting to watch a show from CBS? Check out TV.com or CBS.com for your favorite TV shows.

Interested in some classic movies such as Ghostbusters? Well guess what, Hulu has that and other movies as well. So if you need entertainment and the library and movie stores are closed, check out these sites online!

New JSTOR e-Journal Collection

Mercer University Libraries have added a new JSTOR online journal collection to our repertoire. The Health & General Sciences collection is now available to all Mercer campuses and access to these additional journals has been integrated into the familiar JSTOR interface. A title list is available at http://www.jstor.org/about/gs_content.html

Library of Congress on Flickr!

One of the worlds largest libraries has decided to partner up with Flickr to share some of its treasures with the rest of the world.

Browse photos in this collection that is a collaboration between the Library of Congress and the online photo management and sharing application Flickr. Users are invited to view photos and help describe the photos by adding tags and comments. Free account required to comment or tag photos. Initial photo sets include "1930s-40s in Color" (with photos from the Farm Security Administration and the Office of War Information) and "News in the 1910s."

Librarians Internet Index week of January 28, 2008

Why should you know about this? Because you no longer have to travel to Washington, DC to see images related to the history of the United States. It's a unique partnership that will hopefully open doors for other institutions to share their treasures with the rest of us.

EBSCO Databases Back

Access to all EBSCO databases has been restored.

EBSCO Databases Down

All EBSCO databases are currently inaccessible. The vendor has been notified and is working to rectify the outage. We will post again to this blog to let you know when access has been restored. Other Mercer databases should be functioning as normal.

Did you know?

Did you know that the library gets new books in almost every week? The library is always acquiring new materials from books to movies to expanding our coverage in our databases. Some of these books make it to the new book shelf, others however make there way up to the stacks first. So how can you tell what's new? You can take a look at this page to see some of the different areas new materials are arriving in.

You can also suggest new materials that the library should purchase on this page or through any of the staff.

Please remember that bearDVD's you need to contact the Student Government Association on.

Study skills

Looking for some tips on how to improve your study habits? There are a number of different routes that you can take:

1st Talk to your adviser or professor. Believer it or not, but they've been through studying before and can offer you the best advice on how to prepare for their tests.

2nd Talk to the Academic Resource Center. It's what they are there for. They can help you find tools and offer advice on everything from writing a paper to studying for a test.

You can also take a look at this website on study skills, but try the other options first.

Young vs. not so young in technology

An article was released today on young adults vs. the not so young and "tehcnological turf." More young adults are finding not only their friends on Facebook and Myspace, but their parents and grandparents. Gone are the days where they had to walk their parents through how to use a computer, now they want to be "friends" on Facebook or IM. This has raised some issues for young people interviewed in the article, as they try to find a space that adults can't see every move they make.

What do you think? Are your parents using some of the same webtools you are? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Did you know?

Did you know that you can access databases from off campus? That's right when your writing that paper from home you still have access to the resources that you need. If you're asking how you can do this, look no further than following these simple steps.

The situation:
You've gone home to your parents house in Hawaii, but you've got a paper due first thing when you get back. You don't have time to go to the library and your professor said no Google, only library databases! What are you to do?

Here's what:
1st you're going to need your Galileo password and you're MUID, so grab you BearCard. You can find out your Galileo password by going to your Library Account off of the Tarver home page. You can also use this page for other things, like seeing when your books are due.

2nd Go to our databases page and choose the database that you want to search. Not sure which one it is? Go to our subject librarians pages to give you a start. Once you select the database that you need it will ask you either for your Galileo password or your MUID. That's it! Just put in the correct password and your good to go.

3rd Now you can find those articles that you need for research.

Please note that the Galileo password changes on a regular basis, so don't worry if you forget it, just go back and take a look.

If you need any help during this process check with one of the reference librarians, who will be glad to help you with your searches. Please do note our hours we're open and the days that we're closed. If you need help when we're closed check with your local public library they may be able to offer some help. Or start your research as early as possible!

Did you know?

Did you know that the bearDVD's are provided by Macon's Student Government Association? This collection is found on the main floor of the Tarver Library right next to the popular fiction. They are available for three day checkout, LIMIT ONE, with a $1.00 a day late fee. So don't be late! SGA provides these newer releases for your viewing pleasure.


The bearDVD's are limited to Macon campus undergraduate students.

Welcome back students!

We just wanted to take a moment here at Tarver Library to say, Welcome Back! We hope that you all had a good holiday and we look forward to helping you be successful in the upcoming semester. Please let us know what we can do to best help you with your projects.

Please be sure to take a look at our hours to come visit us or contact us by one of these alternative methods.

As always good luck this semester!