Valerie B. Edmonds Student Research Award

Tarver Library is proud to announce the inaugural Valerie B. Edmonds Student Research Award. The award honors long-time librarian and student mentor, Valerie B. Edmonds, whose tireless service to students and faculty over a thirty-year career exemplified passion and commitment to scholarship and research.

If you have an inquisitive and analytical mind, value engaging dialogue on intriguing topics, and enjoy discovery through academic inquiry, then this award is for you! All Mercer (Macon campus and Macon RAC) undergraduate student projects are eligible. Submitted projects must contain an element of library research, i.e., demonstrate the use of primary and/or secondary University Library resources.

The application deadline is February 15, 2010. Get your creative juices flowing. Don’t miss this chance to have your research celebrated! The winner and runner-up will be formally announced at the Honors Convocation on April 9, 2010, and further honored during National Library Week, April 11-17, 2010. Last but not least, the winner and runner-up will receive commemorative memorabilia and monetary prizes of $250 and $100, respectively. It is not about the money, though. It is about celebrating your true Mercer spirit,-- that of freedom of expression, steadfast integrity, and academic and personal advancement.

For more information on the application procedure, deadlines, eligibility, and evaluation criteria, please visit the Valerie B. Edmonds Student Research Award page.

We look forward to receiving your applications!

down under @ tarver library workshops begin October 26

Are you a Mercer student? Looking to enhance your research skills and get to know the Library better? Now you can do just that AND win an iPod Nano!

Beginning October 26, Tarver Library is pleased to announce down under @ tarver library, a series of undergraduate student workshops. Throughout the year, we will be offering numerous opportunities for you to learn some tips and tricks about the Library and its collections: from eJournals to RefWorks, from primary sources to government statistics, and more…

You can pick and choose various times and dates to attend any of the five monthly sessions. NB: Attend 3 of 5 “Workshops of the Month” and qualify to win an iPod Nano!!! Drawing is set for April 20, 2010.

Check out our topics for the upcoming months as well as workshop dates and times. The first workshop is right around the corner! And remember: just three out of five of these, and the iPod could be yours!!!

For information about the workshop schedule and agenda, please visit http://tarver.mercer.edu/about/DBofmonth.html

Government Information All in One Place -- USA.gov

Are you looking for one place to get fast answers to your questions about government benefits and services? From Social Security benefits to government jobs to tips on cutting energy costs, USA.gov has you covered. USA.gov is the official portal for all federal, state, and local government information -- all in one easy location.

This official source arranges Government information by topic. Topics cover: Benefits and Grants; Consumer Guides; Defense and International; Environment, Energy, and Agriculture; Family, Home, and Community; Health and Nutrition; History, Arts, and Culture; Jobs and Education; Money and Taxes; Public Safety and Law; Reference and General Government; Science and Technology; Travel and Recreation; and Voting and Elections.

This official web portal also provides direct access to government information by organization, such as A-Z Agency Index, Federal Government, State Government, Local Government, and Tribal Government.

You can easily locate the answers to more than 2500 questions in the FAQs. In addition, you may want to check out some news through links of Today's Government News and What's FREE This Month.

Ready to take advantage of this valuable resource? Please watch USA.gov Tutorials.

Today is Columbus Day

Columbus Day is the annual U.S. commemoration of Christopher Columbus's landing in the New World (at San Salvador Island, also known as Waitling Island, today part of the British Bahamas) on October 12, 1492.

This Day in History on Britannica Online, which Tarver library has access to (Encyclopædia Britannica Online), describes Columbus Day as "the New World was “discovered” this day in 1492 when land (most likely San Salvador) was sighted in the Caribbean from the Pinta, one of the three ships that participated in Christopher Columbus's historic first voyage. "

For more information about Columbus Day, please visit Today in History on Library of Congress American Memory website.

Oxford English Dictionary Online

Tarver Library is pleased to announce the addition of Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Online to our database listing. Access is available from our own database list and from GALILEO Scholar (on 10/6/09). The premier dictionary of our time, the OED:

• provides authoritative definitions of over 500,000 words
• traces the usage of words from their first recorded occurrence to the modern period through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international language sources
• offers the best in etymological analysis and detailed listings of variant spellings
• uses the International Phonetic Alphabet to show pronunciation

These features make OED Online the most comprehensive and up-to-date reference work of its kind for any language.

Hot Document in October

Deschler-Brown Precedents Volume 17 (Chapter 34 and 35)

Deschler-Brown Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives, Volume 17 (Chapter 34 and 35) is now available on GPO Access. Chapter 34 contains Constitutional Amendments and Chapter 35 covers Presidential messages and executive communications.

The early parliamentary precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives were published by Asher Hinds (1907) and Clarence Cannon (1936). The Deschler and Deschler-Brown Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives document the parliamentary precedents and procedural practices of the House from 1936 forward. Please view this page for more information about Deschler's Precedents.

Volume 17 of the Deschler-Brown Precedents incorporates an eclectic mix of chapters not logically placed in earlier volumes: constitutional amendments (ch. 34); presidential messages and executive communications (ch. 35); ceremonies and awards (ch. 36); resignations (ch. 37); deaths (ch. 38); recesses (ch. 39); and adjournments (ch. 40). As chapters 36-40 are completed with indices, each will be made available on the web through the GPO.

Please browse Deschler's Precedents on GPO Access.

Welcome to the Media Center's New Homepage!

The Media Center has a new homepage! Come on in and take a virtual look around! Our website provides links to the many items that we have available for your academic and leisure needs. Located on the first floor of Tarver Library, the Media Center houses scores, sound recordings, DVDs, audio books, and media equipment. We look forward to your visit!