Monday, April 26, 2010

Looking Glass for the Mind: 350 Years of Books for Children

Looking Glass for the Mind: 350 Years of Books for Children
 
The University of Washington Digital Collection of children's books starts off with a wonderful piece that touches on the beloved memories children's books bring back for so many, but also on the reasons why a university library would collect children's books. Several of the reasons given regard what children's books can teach us: printing and book illustration history, the "study of the gradual changes in familiar tales to reflect changes in societal acceptance and sensibilities," social and ethnic history, the historical role of women, and shifting views on education. After the homepage is the index to the exhibit with an introduction, a brief history of the first children's book publishers. To the left is the "Index" of topics that the books cover. Visitors will find a multitude, including "Fables", "Grammar, Spelling, Elocution & Rhetoric", "Math & Money", "Activity Books", and "Prejudice & Bigotry". Under the topic "Fables", visitors should check out The Baby's Own Aesop, illustrated by Walter Crane, who began an illustrating apprenticeship at the age of fourteen. >The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2010. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Ecology of Infectious Diseases

Ecology of Infectious Diseases
With a dramatic image of a bustling city superimposed over a peaceful forest, the National Science Foundation's homepage on the ecology of infectious diseases is quite intriguing. After clicking on the image, visitors will be treated to an overview of this special report that asks: "Is our interaction with the environment somehow responsible for the increases in incidence of these diseases?" The report is divided into five sections, each exploring a different facet of the National Science Foundation's work on this problem. The sections include "Medical Mystery Solved" and "Lyme Disease on the Rise". Each of these sections includes helpful graphics, well-written text, and links to additional sites. Overall, the site will be most useful for science educators and members of the public health community. >The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2010. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Throwaway History: The Broadside in American Culture

Throwaway History: The Broadside in American Culture

Although broadsides may seem like a thing of the past, this Tennessee Virtual Archive mentions they are used still to this day, and have broadsides in their collection that are from the 1980s. Visitors should go to the "About the Collection" link to read some background on what broadsides were used for and how they were distributed. The information disseminated via broadsides was varied, including everything from a recruitment announcement to help fight the Creek Indians in Tennessee to a lecture on the perils of school desegregation to a promotion for an African-American radio station--the very one where Oprah Winfrey got her start. Visitors can view the 90 digitized broadsides by clicking on the "View Collection Images" link. A thumbnail of the broadside is given, along with the title, subjects, and description. Visitors can sort the images by the aforementioned categories simply by clicking the desired heading. Visitors should check out the very well- illustrated broadside, "Columbia Gives to Her Son the Accolade of the New Chivalry of Humanity, World War I", which is dedicated to a fallen soldier. The Historical Note in the full record explains when and how broadsides were used to memorialize fallen soldiers. >From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2010. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Pilgrimage and Buddhist Art

Pilgrimage and Buddhist Art [Flash Player]
 
The Asia Society's website has an exhibit that explores the art that has derived or been inspired by Buddhist pilgrimage in Asia. Visitors unfamiliar with Buddha and Buddhism might want to watch the "Curator's Introduction", in the right hand corner of the homepage. The art objects in the exhibit are divided into three main parts, "The Buddha and the Sacred Site", "The Journey", and "Memory, Memento and Sacred Bond". Each part has several paragraphs explaining the significance of the art, and visitors can click on each image to see it in greater detail and to learn what it's about. There are also short films that accompany each part that are about a specific event in Buddha's life, such as his enlightenment, his first sermon, and his death. The "For Educators" link, near the top of the page, offers many resources from the Asia Society website, and a "Teacher Resource" specifically for the Pilgrimage and Buddhist Art exhibit. >From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2010. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Exploratorium's Origins: From Jungle to Lab: The Study of Life's Complexity

Exploratorium's Origins: From Jungle to Lab: The Study of Life's Complexity
 
The Exploratorium in San Francisco has a smart-looking website that highlights the cooperation between London's Natural History Museum and the Las Cuevas Research Station in Belize. The subject of this joint effort is the complexity of life and why it is studied with such intensity. The website is divided into the sections "People", "Ideas", "Tools", "Place" and "Live". The section entitled "Place" explains the connection between the Natural History Museum and the Las Cuevas Research Station. The "People" section highlights the researchers at the Research Station in the jungle of Belize, and what they study specifically. Visitors can scroll over the pictures of the researchers to read a brief bio. Particularly interesting is the "Tools" section, which shows the level of detail the researchers get at with their tools. "DNA analysis", "Scanning Electron Microscope", hand collecting, and "Geographic Information Systems" are the tools that visitors can learn more about by scrolling over the respective images. >From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2010. http://scout.wisc.edu/
Richard Throssel Photographs
Born in Marengo, Washington in 1882, Richard Throssel entered the world of photography at the age of 20. He had recently moved to the Crow Reservation in Montana, and he quickly became interested in taking photographs of the people and the land around him. Throssel would remain on the reservation until 1911, and he took over 1000 photos of Crow Indian life before he left. This digital collection from the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming presents over 570 of his images. Visitors can browse the collection by subject or date, and each item contains a complete bibliographical record. As one might expect, visitors can zoom in and out around the photo as they see fit in order to look for various details and nuances. >From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2010. http://scout.wisc.edu/