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The Olive Tree |
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The Olive Tree |
A Guide to the Financial Crisis
by Stephen Fadel, Business Reference Librarian
As a new Business Reference Librarian here at Fogler Library, the last few
months have been interesting and educational. Like many people, I watched as my
retirement account fell 10, then 20, then over 30%. In October 2008, following a
suggestion from Nancy Lewis, the head of the Reference Department, I
created a web-based guide on the financial crisis to help students learn more
about this popular news story.
I began by gathering information on resources that might be useful. These
included books, reports, and government agencies. To help me further, I reviewed
financial crisis guides created by other librarians throughout the United States
such as LibGuides: Financial Crisis from Colorado State
University Libraries.
The Financial Crisis guide hosted by Fogler Library covers a variety of sources including books such as Chain of Blame: How Wall
Street Caused the Mortgage and Credit Crisis by Paul Muolo and Mathew Padilla
(accompanied by links to book reviews when available). Reports from the
Congressional Research Service, the International Monetary Fund, and other
agencies provide further documentation on the crisis. A section on news special
reports provides crisis information from news agencies based not only in the
U.S. but also overseas, reflecting the global expansion of the economic
downturn. Examples include "Credit Crisis – The Essentials" hosted by The New
York Times and “Global Financial Crisis” from China Central Television.
The Financial Crisis guide also covers congressional hearings, magazine and
journal articles, speeches, current economic data, and for a Maine perspective,
articles from local newspapers such as the Bangor Daily News. Some resources do
require a MaineCard barcode for off-campus access.
Many economists predict that the current economic downturn will continue through
2009. So, I’ll be busy. One of the challenges will be to keep the guide relevant
and up-to-date as the crisis continues to evolve. It looks like 2009 will be
another educational and interesting year.
Materials to Support Native American Education
by Cynthia Crosser, Social Science and Humanities Reference
As the subject specialist for education, I work on getting library resources to
support pre-service teachers and those already in the field who are working
towards graduate degrees in education. This summer I attended a conference
sponsored by the Penobscot Nation and the Division of Lifelong Learning to
support 2001’s LD 291: An Act to Require the Teaching of Maine Native American
History and Culture in Maine Schools. This conference provided useful information
on integrating material on Maine’s Native Americans with the Maine Learning
Results.
The conference provided a unique opportunity for me to identify additional
resources for Fogler to buy to support teaching for LD 291. Relevant resources
were then purchased or donated and added to existing Fogler collections. These
included In the Shadow of the Eagle: A Tribal Representative in Maine (2008) and
Unsettled Past, Unsettled Future: The Story of Maine Indians (2004). Resources
relevant to LD 291 are located in the Learning Materials Center, Special
Collections, the Media Resource Center and the stacks.
Fogler Library Releases Music Video
Fogler Library, in collaboration with the Maine Channel, has produced its first
music video. Featuring The Renewals, Fogler Library’s band, singing My Library,
the video is a student - staff collaboration. Band members from the Library
staff wrote the lyrics and musical arrangement for the song, students Cassie
Alley and Erin Keim provided vocals, and production was handled by students from
the Maine Channel. My Library is now playing on the Maine Channel; it is also
available for download from the Library web site.
The Renewals band includes students Cassie Alley and Erin Keim as lead vocalists
accompanied by library staff musicians and singers, Thomas Jones, Larry Corbett,
Kjerste Christensen, Albie Dunn, and Gretchen Gfeller. The production team at
the Maine Channel includes: David Nickerson, producer and editor, Jacob Davis,
sound recording, Thomas Haraden, camera and filming. The Renewals will be back
in the spring with a new song.
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