In the News: Claude Lévi Strauss (1908-2009)

Week of November 9, 2009

News Item: French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, one of the fathers of “structuralism,” died on October 30. Educated in law and philosophy at the Sorbonne, some of Lévi-Strauss’ major works include Tristes Tropiques, The Savage Mind, and Myth and Meaning. Through the years, structuralism has influenced studies in philosophy, film, and literature.

Anthropology and Myth: Lectures, 1951-1982
Claude Lévi-Strauss; translated by Roy Willis. Blackwell, 1987
Call Number: GN362 .L4613 1987

Claude Lévi-Strauss
By Denis Bertholet. Plon, 2003
Call Number: GN21 .L4 B47 2003

Claude Lévi-Strauss
By Roland A. Champagne. Twayne Publishers, 1987
Call Number: GN21 .L4 C48 1987

Digital Collection of the Month: Department of Music

The Digital Library celebrates November with a brand new digital collection from the Department of Music. All of the Department’s 2008 performances, concerts and recitals are available online for your listening pleasure.

November is a notable music month with the births of legendary composers Aaron Copland, Scott Joplin, and Manuel de Falla.

To access the collection, please click here.

In the News: Afghanistan

Week of November 2, 2009

News Item: On Monday, November 2, Afghan officials declared President Hamid Karzai the winner of the presidential runoff elections after his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, dropped out of the race a day earlier. Dr. Abdullah believed a transparent election was not possible if changes were not made in the Independent Election Commission. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama continues to contemplate whether or not to send as many as 40,000 additional military personnel to Afghanistan. Lastly, October marked the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war began eight years ago.

Afghan Women: Identity and Invasion
By Elaheh Rostami-Povey. Zed Books, 2007
Call Number: HQ1735.6 .R67 2007

Afghanistan’s Uncertain Transition from Turmoil to Normalcy
By Barnett R. Rubin. Council on Foreign Relations, 2006
Call Number: DS371.4 .R82 2006

After the Taliban: Life and Security in Rural Afghanistan
By Neamatollah Nojumi, Dyan Mazurana, and Elizabeth Stites. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009
Call Number: HN670.6. A8 N65 2009

Dance in Video – November Database of the Month

Dance in Video features more than 200 videos on 20th century dance productions and documentaries, and covers genres such as ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, experimental, and improvisational dance. Users can browse video selections by character role, choreographer, ensemble name, and venue, or utilize the “Quick” or “Advanced” search options. They can also create playlists that contain whole videos, tracks, or segments (clips). Playlists have their own unique static URL and can be shared with others. Dance in Video is periodically updated by the publisher and will eventually feature more than 500 hours of video material.

In the News: Reality TV

Week of October 26, 2009

News Item: Fort Collins, Colorado – A six-year-old boy, his parents, and their homemade balloon recently made headlines after it was reported that the balloon floated away with the boy trapped inside its chamber. Not surprisingly, “Balloon Boy” received widespread media attention. Local law enforcement officials eventually declared the incident a hoax and said the family concocted the elaborate plan in order to achieve reality TV stardom. A popular genre among television viewers, reality shows often garner high Nielsen ratings. Why are they popular among television viewers? What is their allure? Pick up one of these books and see what the academics have to say.

Arresting Images: Crime and Policing in Front of the Television Camera
By Aaron Doyle. University of Toronto Press, 2003
Call Number: HM1206 .D69 2003 (At Jupiter)

Better Living through Reality TV: Television and Post-Welfare Citizenship
By Laurie Ouellette and James Hay. Blackwell Pub., 2008
Call Number: PN1992.8 .R43 O84 2008

Big Brother: Reality TV in the Twenty-First Century
By Jonathan Bignell. Palgrave MacMillan, 2005
Call Number: PN1992.8 .R43 B54 2005

Impact of the Visual: Discover Graphic Novels

‘”The thing about a visual form like a graphic novel is that so much of what you need to describe is done through art. It’s the impact of the visual that conveys the story to the reader.” Terry Brooks, “A very Graphic Interview,” Publishers Weekly, 07/07/08.

Those of us who did not grow up with comic books, may dismiss the burgeoning graphic novel form as strictly focused on fantasy and super-herosim. In fact, graphic novels can convey themes of adult proportions, creating emotional complexities and plot subtleties through “sequential images.” You can search “graphic novels” in the library catalog to discover resources on collecting, education, and the novels themselves, or use the Graphic Novels Core Collection: A Selection Guide to find recommended titles including reviews. The Libraries’ Jaffe Center for Book Arts Collection also has a selection of carefully chosen graphic novels.

Below, are titles from the circulating collection that will introduce you to a new aspect of this literary form. Continue reading

In the News – Cooking and Food Culture

“In the News” is 2 Years Old! – Past Topics

Week of October 19, 2009

News Item: Food lovers across the country were shocked with the announcement that Gourmet, the 69-year-old “magazine of good living,” will cease publication after its November issue. Publisher Condé Nast cited the current state of the economy and losses in ad pages as major reasons for shutting down Gourmet‘s presses. Although not necessarily a substitute for the magazine, here are a few titles related to foodways, cooking, and cuisine that Gourmet readers can “devour” after their subscriptions expire.

African American Foodways: Explorations of History and Culture
Edited by Anne L. Bower. University of Illinois Press, 2007
Call Number: TX715 .A2428 2007

American Cookery, or The Art of Dressing Viands, Fish, Poultry, and Vegetables, and the Best…
By Amelia Simmons. 1798
Call Number: Available online via Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans 1639-1800

Bento Box in the Heartland: My Japanese Girlhood in Whitebread America
By Linda Furiya. Seal Press, 2006
Call Number: F534 .V34 F87 2006

Finding Government Information Just Got Easier

The Government Printing Office (GPO) has developed a new platform called FDsys -Federal Digital Systems– which facilitates the discovery of some important information resources. Users can locate the Congressional Record, Congressional Hearings, Compilation of Presidential Documents (includes Daily & Weekly), Federal Register, and much more. Search options in this new discovery tool allow for easier identification of items of interest to users. In addition, GPO has incorporated the important abilities to authenticate and preserve official information in this new platform.

Check out the Government Resources web pages for access to popular federal, state, and local resources, or contact FAU Libraries Government Documents Department.

In the News – The Nobel Prizes

“In the News” is 2 Years Old! – Past Topics

Week of October 12, 2009

News Item: The Nobel Committee announced that President Barack Obama would receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway on December 10. Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, and Literature, and the Prize in Economics will be awarded in Stockholm, Sweden later this year.

The Art of Peace: Nobel Peace Laureates Discuss Human Rights, Conflict and Reconciliation
By Jose Ramos-Horta et al. Snow Lion Publications, 2000
Call Number: JZ5538 .A78 2000

Banker to the Poor: The Autobiography of Muhammad Yunus, Founder of Grameen Bank
By Muhammad Yunus and Alan Jolis. Oxford University Press, 2001
Call Number: HG3290.6.A3 Y869 2001

A Century of Nobel Prizes Recipients: Chemistry, Physics, and Medicine
Edited by Francis Leroy. Marcel Kedder, 2003
Call Number: Q141 .C252 2003

In the News: The Wizard of Oz

Week of October 5, 2009

News Item: The Wizard of Oz, a 1939 MGM classic based on the book by L. Frank Baum, recently turned 70. Here are titles related to the culture of Oz.

The Age of William A. Dunning: The Realm of Myth Meets the Yellow Brick Road (FAU Dissertation)
By Kathleen P. Barsalou. Florida Atlantic University, 2008
Call Number: NX001.5 .B377 2008 (Also available online)

The American Musical and the Performance of Personal Identity
By Raymond Knapp. Princeton University Press, 2006
Call NUmber: ML2054 .K6 2006

The Annotated Wizard of Oz: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
By L. Frank Baum. Edited by Michael Patrick Hearn. Norton, 2000
Call Number: PS3503 .A723 W59 2000