Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Martin Luther King Jr. 1964
Nobel Foundation [Public domain]
via Wikimedia Commons

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (also known as MLK Day) is a federal holiday commemorating the life and works of Martin Luther King Jr. It is held on the 3rd Monday of January each year, which falls on or near King's birthday of January 15th. 

The push to make this a national holiday was contentious. The first bill was introduced in the US House of Representatives in 1968, just four days after King's assassination. However, it was not brought up for a full vote of the House until 1979, where it lost by 5 votes. The bill finally became law in 1983, and the first MLK Day was celebrated in 1986. 

Tarleton's Dick Smith Library has a wealth of resources by and about Martin Luther King Jr. such as these titles: 

King at the March on Washington in 1963,
where he gave his famous "I Have a Dream Speech."
 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. 
The Radical King
A Lasting Prophetic Legacy
Waking from the Dream
Misremembering Dr. King
Selma to Saigon
Extremist for Love
The Speech
The King Years
Martin's Dream
The Awful Grace of God
Behind the Dream
Hellhound on His Trail
The Trumpet of Conscience
Where Do We Go from Here? 

Independence Day

On July 4th we celebrate Independence Day. On this day in 1776 the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, which formally declared that the United States was free of any connection to Great Britain. However, actual independence was not achieved until the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War and the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

On June 10th, 1776 the Continental Congress designated the Committee of Five to write a declaration of independence.  The five men on the committee were: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. The committee chose Thomas Jefferson to be the author of the document, and the other members of the committee assisted with editing and revisions. The committee approved the final draft on June 28th, and then submitted it to the Congress. The Congress adopted the declaration on July 4th.

1791 portrait of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
Third President of the United States and primary author of the Declaration of Independence.
 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. 

The library has a lot of resources for learning more about the Declaration of Independence. Such as these titles:

American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence by Pauline Maier 

The Annotated U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence by Jack N. Rakove

Collected Works of Roger Sherman by Roger Sherman

The Declaration of Independence: The Evolution of the Text as Shown in Facsimiles of Various Drafts by its Author, Thomas Jefferson by Julian P. Boyd
The Declaration of Independence: A Global History by David Armitage
The Declaration of Independence: Its History by John H. Hazelton
The Declaration of Independence of the United States in Ten Languages by United States
Greatness to Spare: The Heroic Sacrifices of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence by T. R. Fehrenbach
Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence by Benson John Lossing
Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality by Danielle S. Allen

If you have any questions about library resources then please contact us at reference@tarleton.edu or 254-968-9249.

Bill of Rights Day

December is the month we celebrate a very important holiday. You guessed it, Bill of Rights Day is on December 15th! The Bill of Rights are the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution. They were ratified on December 15th, 1791. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed the first Bill of Rights day in 1941. These amendments guarantee our rights to speech, religion, bear arms, trial by jury, protection from unreasonable search and seizure, and more. 

James Madison (who would later become the 4th President of the United States)
was the primary author of the Bill of Rights in the House of Representatives in 1789.
Gilbert Stuart [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Tarleton's Library has a wealth of resources about the Bill of Rights. Such as these titles: 

Digital films by Cambridge Educational available through the Films on Demand database: 

The First Amendment
Amendment 2: Right to Bear Arms
Amendment 3: Quartering of Troops 
Amendment 4: Unreasonable Search and Seizure 
Amendments 5 - 8: Justice Amendments
Amendment 9: Reserved Rights of People
Amendment 10: Powers Reserved to States

Books and eBooks:
The Bill of Rights: Original Meaning and Current Understanding by Eugene W. Hickok 
The Bill of Rights and the Police by Melvyn Zarr

The Bill of Rights Primer: A Citizen's Guidebook to the American Bill of Rights by Akhil Reed Amar
The Birth of the Bill of Rights, 1776-1791 by Robert Allen Rutland 
Founding Rivals: Madison vs. Monroe, the Bill of Rights, and the Election that Saved a Nation by Chris DeRose 
The Future of the First Amendment by Kenneth Dautrich 
In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America's Bill of Rights by Russell Freedman
James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights by Richard E. Labunski 
Misreading the Bill of Rights: Top Ten Myths Concerning Your Rights and Liberties by Robert K. Goidel
Mobilizing the Press: Defending the First Amendment in the Supreme Court by Eric B. Easton
Origins of the Bill of Rights by Leonard W. Levy
Religious Freedom and the Constitution by Christopher L. Eisgruber
Sexual Rights in America: The Ninth Amendment and the Pursuit of Happiness by Paul R. Abramson
Unreasonable Searches and Seizures: Rights and Liberties under the Law by Otis H. Stephens, Jr. 
Whose Right to Bear Arms did the Second Amendment Protect? by Saul Cornell 

If you need assistance finding information about the Bill of Rights, or any other topic, then contact us at reference@tarleton.edu or 254-968-9249. 

Chinese New Year - January 28th

The biggest holiday of the year for Chinese families will soon be upon us: Chinese New Year (also known as Spring Festival) is happening this Saturday January 28th (New Year's Eve is the 27th). To compare the significance of this holiday for the American context, it would be like combining Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's all in one. Click here to learn more about Chinese New Year. 

There are many different foods that are typically eaten on this occasion, and they are often symbolic of  increasing your chances of long life or wealth. One favorite is dumplings (like the ones pictured below), eating them on New Year's is supposed to bring increased wealth.

Dumplings (shui jiao 水餃) - Joshua Wallace, photographer and copyright holder, 2015.

Chinese New Year is based on a lunar calendar, and therefore doesn't happen on the same day every year on the solar calendar that we use. It fluctuates between mid-January to mid-February. According to the Chinese zodiac the new year will be the year of the chicken, and we are leaving the year of the monkey.  The Chinese zodiac consists of twelve animals, so the same animal reoccurs every twelve years. Click here to learn more about the Chinese zodiac. 

A common part of the Chinese New Year holiday is for the adults of the family to give red envelopes full of money to the children of the family. 

A Red Envelope (hong bao 紅包) - Joshua Wallace, photographer and copyright holder, 2017.
Roughly translated the words on the envelope mean "wish you prosperity, money is coming your way" (gong xi fa cai, gun gun er lai). 

A legend associated with the Chinese New Year is that of the Nian monster (nian shou 年獸). This creature comes out of hiding on New Year's Eve to eat people. Luckily, this monster is afraid of firecrackers and the color red, and that's why you see plenty of both this time of year. Typically, families will stay up late into the night to guard against the nian shou. According to some, this monster can eat a whole village in one bite. 

Some Chinese phrases for New Year's: 

• Xin nian kuai le (新年快樂) - "Happy New Year"
• Gong xi fa cai (恭禧發財) - A common expression heard during Chinese New Year, roughly translates to "Wishing you increased prosperity." A comical reply to this phrase is hong bao na lai (紅包拿來) which means "hand over the red envelope." 

If you want to learn Chinese or another language, then you should check out the Mango Languages database. It's available on the library website's A-Z database page. 

The library has several books about Chinese New Year in the Curriculum Collection, which is located on the lower level at our Stephenville location: 

• Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin
• Celebrating Chinese New Year by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith
• The Dragon Year: A Chinese Legend by Dave Bouchard 
• Happy New Year!: Kung-hsi fa ts'ai! by Demi 
• Long-Long's New Year: A Story About the Chinese Spring Festival by Catherine Gower
• Moonbeams, Dumplings, & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities, and Recipes by Nina Simonds 
• The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

Click here to listen to some Chinese New Year's music. That link takes you to the library's catalog, from there click on the "Online Access Click Here" link. 

Click here to watch a documentary about how modern Beijing families celebrate New Year's. 

International Programs will be hosting a Chinese New Year celebration on Friday January 27th from 6PM - 8PM at the Thompson Student Center. There will be food and activities. Click here for more details. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Photo courtesy Bluebells 2008- https://flic.kr/p/bqPgA7 - CC BY 2.0

Don't forget to wear green today- it's St. Patrick's Day! Want to learn more about Ireland? This encyclopedia entry should get you started. We also have many resources relating to Saint Patrick's Day that you can find in this Discovery search.

Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day responsibly!

Christmas Books

Are you looking for books relating to Christmas? 

We have several here in the library for all age groups; here's a few of the ones we own:

 A Bad Kitty Christmas by Nick Bruel
 PZ8.3 .B8253 BAD 2011        
 Curriculum Collection

   



A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens;            Illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger.
PZ7.D55 CEW 2000B                               Curriculum Collection

 





Scout, the Christmas dog
by Andrew Sansom
SF429.L3 S26 2006                             Curriculum Collection

 



American Christmas Cards, 1900-1960
by Kenneth L. Ames
NC1866 .C5 A44 2011
General Stacks

       





Christmas Poems 
selected by Myra Cohn Livingston.
PN6110.C5 C59 1984                           Curriculum Collection

Come take a look! We're open all this week from 8AM-5PM. 

Need helping locating any of these books? 

Ask a libary staff member at the Reference Desk or Circulation Desk for assistance. 

You may also 

call (254)968-9249 or 

email reference@tarleton.edu for assistance. 

*All images pulled from our Discovery@Tarleton service; these books may not have the same cover as the images shown above. 

Top Ten Tuesday - Ready for Halloween?

Tomorrow is the big day!  I have my candy, and my jack-o-laterns are made.  I thought I would give you a list of fun movies you might watch as you wait for the trick-or-treaters. (Sorry I don't do scarey.)

• Beetle Juice - 1988
• Hocus Pocus - 1993
• The Goonies -  1985
• The Nightmare Before Christmas - 1993
• Corpse Bride - 2005
• Casper - 1995
• Monsters, Inc. - 2001
• Ghost Busters - 1984
• Young Frankenstein -1974
• Germlins - 1984

Hope you all have a GREAT Halloween!

Black History Month

Every year since 1976, the U.S. president has designated February as Black History Month.  It celebrates the achievements of black Americans. Many other countries around the world devote a month to celebrating black history.

Here are some resources to find out more about Black History Month including biographies, timelines, quizzes & games, even some lesson plans.  Take a look!

• African American History Month 
• History.com
• Wikipedia
• Infoplease
• TeacherVision

New Year's Resolutions

Do you regularly make (and break) New Year's Resolutions?

If not, take heart. You're not alone.

Here are some tips to make it more likely you'll follow through this year.

1. Visualize the end result.
What is the positive outcome of each resolution?Find a motivating image or quote to keep you going.

"Money" by 401K on flickr.com, under a Creative Commons license.

2. Be specific.

Urgent news by rambergmedia on flickr.com under Creative Commons license.

For example, instead of "Lose weight", try "Lose 20 pounds by June 14, 2012."

3. Break it down.

Calendar module and iCal data by m.gifford on flickr.com under a Creative Commons license.

To track your progress on smaller milestones, try a goal-oriented social network like "43 things" to keep yourself accountable and seek advice from others. Or, you might download a reminder app, use an Outlook calendar, or carry a notepad and paper.

4. Keep reminders nearby.

"Think about it Thursday" by Rhonda Gibson on flickr.com under Creative Commons license.

Post your list in an unavoidable place. Moving the list frequently will prevent it from becoming part of the scenery.

5. Enlist support.

"Team Spirit" by jheffie on flickr.com under Creative Commons license.

Find a group of like-minded people (online or off) who are trying to accomplish the same goal. For example, here is a list of
popular money management blogs.

Fun Halloween Facts

Have you ever wondered why we celebrate Halloween? Where did the idea come from? Why do we carve pumpkins? Since Halloween is right around the corner, I thought a fun Friday post would be about the origins and facts surrounding our common day celebration of Halloween.

According to the website, holidayinsights.com, “Halloween's roots can be traced back to Celtic culture in Ireland. According to their "Druid" religion, November 1st was New Years' on their calendar. The celebration would begin on October 31st and last into the following day. The spirits of all who died in the prior year would rise up and roam the earth on this night…The Irish carved Turnips and put coals or small candles inside. They were placed outside their homes on All Hallow's Eve to ward off evil spirits. They were also known to use potatoes and Rutabagas. When Irish Immigrants came to America, they quickly discovered that Jack O'Lanterns were much easier to carve out and began using them. This truly neat tradition quickly spread to the general population in America and elsewhere”.

If you would like to learn more about Halloween and the traditions surrounding it, you can check out the following books that we have here at the Dick Smith Library:

Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night
GT4965.R634

A Little Book of Halloween
GT4965.S45

Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween
GT4965.S58 2002

Stories and Tales of Halloween

It's almost that time of year, to read tales and stories of Halloween, to name a few:

• The Legend of Sleepy Hallow, by Washington Irving
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson
• The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe
• Rip Van Winkle, by Washington Irving 
• Ulalume, by Edgar Allen Poe

http://www.halloween.com/halloween-stories.php

Constitution Day

Constitution Day - Find out more!

On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the last time to sign the document they had created. Since the anniversary is actually tomorrow, it is celebrated today September 16th. We encourage everyone to observe this important day in our nation's history by attending local events. There is a brown bag lunch today in library's multi-purpose room. Free Pizza!

Today is.... "Read a book day!"

I personally have never heard of this holiday, and there is not much information out there about it. But, what a great way to spend a day! Maybe it should be read "anything" today! Or, read "something" today?

Why not take some time out and read today? It's going to be a great day outside; take a book out and read on your break. Inhale that pre-fall air, get into the spirit of school and read something today.

Check out the following article about "Read a book day."

http://www.examiner.com/holidays-in-national/it-s-read-a-book-day-celebrate-with-a-good-read

Tarleton Thursdays: Did You Know?

Sons of Tarleton Society - 1936
A.W. S. Council - 1936

Miss Westbrook Gives Easter Hunt for SOTS

Seventy five years ago Miss Mary Hope Westbrook, Associate Professor of English, and faculty advisor of the Sons of Tarleton Society (SOTS) and the Association of Women Students (A.W.S.), took the SOTS and their dates on an Easter egg hunt at Stephenville State Park. The eggs, including three prize eggs, were hidden in a large area. The students and guests had almost given up hope of finding the prize eggs, but eventually they were all found and the winners, David Bryant, Paul Claunch, and Mrs. George Davis were each awarded a large basket of divinity candy.

Miss Westbrook, second from left on top row, was also instrumental in making it possible for five Tarleton students to attend the Memphis, Tennessee, Southern Federation of College Students and Press Representatives Convention in April 1936. This was the first year that Tarleton students had gone to the convention. Attendees were Edwin Dyess, president of the Student Council, William Paul Jones, editor of the Grassburr, Wayne Cowan, editor of the J-TAC, Edwina Sparks, vice-president of the A.W.S., and Ora Nichols, secretary-treasurer of the Student Council. Miss Westbrook was also instrumental in organizing both the A.W.S. and the Student Council.

After the Easter egg hunt everyone was treated to a fried chicken dinner, complete with plenty of fried chicken, gravy, fruit salad, rolls, bread and butter pickles, tea, coffee, and pecan pie. Tommy Gordon ended up with the biggest pile of chicken bones!

This Tuesday morning Easter eggs appeared around campus to get us all in the spirit! Hope you have a fantastic Easter weekend!

Grassburr, 1936.
J-TAC, April 11, 1936.
J-TAC, April 18, 1936.

Hispanic Heritage Month

Stop by our Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) display at the library.

And don't forget to enjoy the free food, music and games at the Hispanic Heritage Fiesta outside the Dining Hall at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 21!

Happy President's Day

Today is President's Day, or more officially Washington's Birthday. It's one of the eleven permanent holidays established by Congress.

But how much do you know about President George Washington?

If you're curious to learn a little about our first President, check out Rare Facts and Curious Truths about or First President from George Washington's Mount Vernon Estates and Gardens.

Or peek inside the mind of Washington by reading his diary and papers.

Top Ten Tuesday - 10 Days to Celebrate

Today is February 2 – Groundhog Day! Check out this really great information by National Geographic about Groundhog Day & Punxsutawney. Here is a Top Ten List of strange and unusual days that we might celebrate this year. You can find even more holidays on the Holiday Insights website.

• Groundhog Day – February 2
  
• Ides of March – March 15th
  
• April Fool's Day – April 1
  
• Earth Day – April 22
  
• Cinco de Mayo – May 5
  
• Flag Day – June 14
  
• Grandparents Day – September 12
  
• Boss's Day – October 16
  
• Great American Smokeout – November 18
  
• National Fruitcake Day – December 27
  

Do you have a special day? Post a comment and share.

Happy Holidays!

Wishing everyone a
Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year!

The library is closing at 5pm on December 23rd. It will reopen at 8am on January 4th.

While the library is closed, remember many library resources are available from home!

Check out the library's web site at http://www.tarleton.edu/library

Top Ten Tuesday – 10 things to do while on Thanksgiving break

Yeah! It is almost break time. I'm very excited for the time off. I thought I would post a list of ten things that I consider a must "to do" over the Thanksgiving break. Please post a comment and share your feedback and ideas on how you plan to enjoy the holiday!

• People – visit your friends and family
• Food – indulge in both cooking and eating
• Give – Share the holidays with those who need it, donate to a homeless shelter, serve in a food line, etc.
• Shop – get a head start on the Christmas season
• Research and homework – remember library resources are available 24/7 from anywhere!
• Decorate – time to deck the halls
• Football – it is a Thanksgiving tradition
• Desserts – more pies and cakes please
• Travel – be careful on the roads; there is lots of traffic
• RELAX - get ready for the hectic end of the semester

Post a comment and share your ideas on how to celebrate Thanksgiving!

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month

In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, major hostilities of World War I ended. This is referred to as Armistice Day.

In 1954, the celebration was modified to honor all veterans, and became known as Veterans Day.

Since we are many years away from the beginnings of this day honoring our soldiers, it can seem unreal. Here, to make it more real, are links and reminders of celebrations:

Live! From Tarleton!
Veterans Day
Wednesday, 2:30 pm
November 11, 2009
Hydrology Rm 115

Hear firsthand true tales of World War II from men who lived them.


This one from NPR:
WWII Vet: Happy To Leave 'Worst Place You Can Be'.

This from YouTube:
WWII: The Lost Color Archives

In a complete aside, if you want to be more aware of the passage of time, consider that Sesame Street turned 40 yesterday! Read
40 Years of Lessons on 'Sesame Street'.