http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/

The Asia for Educators Project at Columbia University has produced a number of important resources for educators and the general public, and this latest resource serves as a great addition to the project's archive. This particular resource deals with the role of Mongols in World History, and covers the period from 1000 to 1500 A.D. With the assistance of faculty consultant Professor Morris Rossabi, the site is divided into four primary sections which contain detailed perspectives on major figures in Mongol history, the pastoral nomadic life of the Mongols, and their substantial influence on China's Yuan dynasty. Complemented by a selection of historical images, the short essays offer some important new insights into the world of the Mongols, including an exploration of the popular misconception that the Mongols were merely barbaric plunderers. Finally, there are some nice online readings that may be viewed on the site or downloaded for reading at a later date. [KMG]

http://www.herbalsafety.utep.edu/

In the past decade, there has been an increased interest in herbal medicines and treatments, both from the mainstream medical community and the general public. One need look no further than the cold drink section of the local supermarket to see the various herbal supplements that are prominently displayed on many drink labels. In an effort to provide critical evaluations of these various herbs and related products, the University of Texas at El Paso has created this important website in order to disseminate information about research findings related to herbal use and to provide these findings in both English and Spanish. There are a number of very helpful fact sheets presented here, including those that the deal with such commonly used medicinal herbs and plants, such as ginseng, chamomile, pumpkin seeds, and St. John's Wort. The Herbal Safety site also contains information on recent medical studies that examine the effectiveness of such medicinal treatments. [KMG]

http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/civilwar/

Produced by the Brooklyn Public Library's Brooklyn Collection, this engaging and interactive website lets students learn about that most famous city of "homes and churches" during the Civil War through the use of primary documents and other secondary materials. The overall goal of the site was to provide both students and teachers with online access to primary and secondary historical materials, and this admirable goal has been achieved quite effectively. Visitors will want to take a look at the interactive map which details the experiences of one James W. Vanderhoef, a Union Army soldier and officer who wrote letters during the war back to his sister in Brooklyn. Peppered with primary documents (such as digitized pages from his letters), the interactive map takes visitors through his travels. Besides this one fine feature, visitors may also explore the contents of the site through its four primary themes, which include soldiers, women, and slavery. The site is rounded out by a detailed timeline and a glossary of terms. [KMG]

http://www.highschooljournalism.org/

As part of its efforts to help high school journalism flourish, the American Society of Newspaper Editors has created this site to assist the efforts of both teen journalists and their teachers. Visitors unfamiliar with some of the terms that are used in the argot of the journalism world will want to take a look at the "What is That?" area, which contains definitions of such terms as "desk assistant" and "photo editor". Aspiring journalists will want to take a look at the "Ask a Pro" area, where a host of working journalists provide answers to how they got involved in the business, and what they do and don't enjoy about the everyday work of being a journalist. For those seeking to keep tabs on the world of high school journalism, the news section of the site digests recent news and opinion pieces that have appeared in various periodicals. Rounding out the site is a database of high school newspapers that have an online presence so that fellow journalists and educators can take a look at what others are doing. [KMG]

http://www.forcedmigration.org/

Designed to function as a comprehensive website that provides access to various resources on forced human migration, this site is provided through the courtesy of the staff at the Refugee Studies Centre at the University of Oxford. While the users of this site will encounter a seamlessly integrated resource, the site contains four separate components. These elements include a searchable digital library, a searchable catalogue with descriptions of and links to Internet-based resources, and a series of geographic and thematic research guides. The homepage offers users access to all of these resources, along with a sidebar that features relevant upcoming events as the International Day of Older Persons. The site also affords visitors access to the full-text of three important publications in the field: Disasters, Forced Migration Review, and International Migration Review (some archived journals are several years behind the current issue). It is worth noting that the homepage also contains a link to a nice introductory essay by Sean Loughna titled "What is Forced Migration?" [KMG]

http://ipl.si.umich.edu/youth/

The Internet Public Library (IPL) is the product of a graduate seminar at the School of Information and Library Studies at the University of Michigan to explore "the interconnections of libraries, librarians, and librarianship with a distributed networked environment." The website offers library services via the Internet, including digital reference service and collection management. The project is also "an experiment, trying to discover and promote the most effective roles and contributions of librarians to the Internet and vice versa." The KidSpace section is designed with kids in mind and offers links to an annotated bibliography of Internet resources on various topics including The World, Computers/ Internet, Math & Science, and Sports & Recreation. A separate section for parents and teachers provides links to educational resources. Other features include a section where children under age 13 can ask the librarian a question, a Culture Quest highlighting various regions of the world, text and audio files of stories, facts about U.S. presidents, basics on HTML, and ideas for science fair projects. [VF] This site is also reviewed in the October 22, 2004_NSDL MET Report_.

http://www.yourdiseaserisk.harvard.edu/

The Harvard School of Public Health is renowned for its fine outreach programs, and in recent years has also initiated a strong online presence. That presence includes this well-designed site (created by the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention) which allows users to determine their potential risks for various diseases, including diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, and strokes. By answering a few questions, visitors can learn about their various risk levels for these diseases, and also peruse a list of nine ways to stay healthy. Another section of the site answers such commonly-asked questions as "What is prevention?" and "What is a screening test?". The "Community Action" section of the site offers helpful tips on achieving some personal wellness and preventive goals through fact sheets on reducing tobacco use, promoting physical activity, and limiting alcohol consumption. [KMG]

http://www.folklife.si.edu/resources/pdf/InterviewingGuide.pdf

Oral history is in some ways the oldest form of expression, as people have told one another stories since the time of the first human societies. People have continued to grow more interested in recording the voices and experiences of others throughout the past few decades, and the works of such popular authors as Studs Terkel have kept oral histories in the limelight. For those persons interested in learning more about how to conduct such interviews, this guide from the Smithsonian Institute will be quite intriguing and useful. Authored by Marjorie Hunt, this 35-page guide offers a broad interview on how to conduct effective oral history projects and interviews. The guide also offers information on how to present the findings that are collected through such a project (such as a scrapbook), along with providing a list of web-based and print resources. [KMG]