http://www.canary-project.org/

More groups and organizations are thinking about creative and thoughtful ways to raise awareness about global warming, and The Canary Project is one such group. Through their use of visual media, events, and artwork the Project aims to visualize global warming in compelling ways, investigate questions about current ecological crises, and also cultivate media attention. Visitors can learn more about their work via their website, and they will want to start by looking over the "Photos" area of the site. Here they can look at photographs of disrupted ecosystems like the barrier reefs off the coast of Belize and evidence of the rising sea level as it manifests itself around Venice and Bangladesh. Afterwards, visitors can move along to their "Projects" area. This area offers a diverse range of documents on their public art projects, their supported works and collaboration, and their outreach efforts, which include school visits and television spots. The site is rounded out by a section where visitors can learn about their past and current exhibitions. [KMG]

http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/cdm4/index_ictcs.php?CISOROOT=/ictcs

Despite the peaceful sounding phrase "town-gown" relations, the relationship between universities and their surrounding region (town or otherwise) have often been fractious. The St. Scholastica Riot of 1355 pitted the townspeople of Oxford against a few young scholars from the University of Oxford, and it was a matter that was not forgotten for four centuries. Happily, the residents of Iowa City and the University of Iowa have enjoyed a peaceful and productive relationship and this lovely digital collection from the Iowa Digital Library documents both the "town" and the "gown". The collection brings together the photographic talents of Professor Samuel Calvin and Frederick Wallace Kent. Combined these two men were snapping photos for well over a century, and visitors can browse over 3,400 of their photographs here. The pictures include shots of fraternity houses, prominent members of the faculty, laboratories, and pedestrian bridges. Visitors will want to make a few leisurely sojourns to this site, and it may even inspire a road trip. [KMG]

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/buckaroos/

In the life and cultural landscape of northern Nevada in the 20th century, the Ninety-Six Ranch looms large. It seems quite appropriate that the ranch forms the core of this very fine online collection from the Library of Congress' American Memory project. The collection includes 41 motion pictures and 28 sound recordings that tell the story of life and work on the Ninety-Six Ranch from the 1940s to the 1960s. Additionally, visitors can also browse through 2,400 still photographs, which portray the sites, traditions, and people of other ranches in the area. Visitors will also want to read some of the thematic essays here, which include "Buckaroo: Views of a Western Way of Life" and "Haying, Irrigation and Branding: Tradition and Innovation". Overall, the collection is one that will intrigue and delight not only those who have a curiosity about ranching, but also those with an interest in the myths and realities of the American West. [KMG]

http://www.portraits.gc.ca/index-e.html

From Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, there are many faces that represent the nation of Canada and its diverse heritage. The goal of the National Portrait Collection is document those "historical personalities important to Canada's development." Their work is designed to have a broad appeal, and it contains over 4 million paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, photographs, films, and caricatures. First-time visitors can make their way through the sections of the site which include "Collection", "Exhibitions", "Learning" and "News & Events". Clicking over to the "Exhibitions" area is a good way to start a peripatetic journey through the site, and visitors can view eclectic offerings such as "Portraits in the Street: Quebec 400" and "Portraits in the Courtyards", which features images of Canadians who are both "known and unknown in downtown Ottawa." The exhibition area also includes "Talking Portraits", which contains video interviews with Canada's first female official war artist and the artist Jin-me Yoon. Heading back over to the "Collection" area, visitors can view a few highlights, take in their recent acquisitions, and also learn about their portrait commissioning program. [KMG]

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/?collection=ABCsofCigaretteCards&col_id=161

Back when smoking was a bit more socially acceptable, it was fairly easy to find elaborate cigarette or tobacco cards attached to premium tobacco products that depicted film stars, the sporting life, plants, animals, monuments, and military-related ephemera. For the most part, these cards featured illustrations on one side with related information and text on the other. This rather amazing digital collection from the New York Public Library features thousands of these cards, culled from over six decades. Visitors can start their journey through the collection by reading the brief introductory history and then by browsing through the various series. Using the source guide, visitors can take a look at series that include "children with rosy cheeks", "caricatures of famous cricketers", and "fortune telling". [KMG]

http://www.chicago-l.org/

Scout Report readers with a penchant for urban transportation (past and present) will find much to catch their attention while visiting the Chicago "L" site. Created by transportation history guru and expert Graham Garfield, this site provides videos, historical and contemporary photographs, essays, and other items related to Chicago's elevated transit system. Under the "What's New" banner, visitors can check out the latest station photographs and profiles and then move on to the ""L" News Headlines", which cover the latest and greatest news regarding the Chicago Transit Authority. Visitors can then look over to the left-hand side of the page to perform a closer investigation into various "L" routes, track maps, articles, chronologies, and past, present, and future transit plans in the Windy City. Those persons planning a visit to Chicago will want to read up on Garfield's historic station tours and also learn more about the specialized argot that describes and defines the "L", which can be found at the bottom of the homepage. [KMG]

http://www.mocp.org/

Founded in 1984, the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College (Chicago) works to collaborate with artists, photographers, communities, and institutions throughout the region and across the world. On their homepage, visitors can peruse information about their upcoming events and lectures, learn about their classes, and also view some selected materials from their collection. The "Collection Highlights" contains works by Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Dave Jordano, and Mark Klett, and each photographer profile includes a brief biographical essay and a selection of their images. Finally, visitors can also read up on the Museum's visiting hours and current gallery exhibitions. They may also want to look over their online shop, which features fine prints, books, and exhibition catalogues. [KMG]

http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/exhibition_pages/bourgeois/index.html

The Guggenheim Museum presents this online version of its retrospective exhibition of the work of the French-born, American artist, Louise Bourgeois, who is aged 97, and still working. The works on the website are arranged in categories, some reflecting Bourgeois's major series, such as Femme Maison. Other groupings include Bourgeois's smoothly perfect, anthropomorphic marble sculptures, which, even in small digital images, seems almost to breathe. Visitors can also peruse examples of her drawings, and fabric sculptures. There is also a video documenting the current installation of Bourgeois's piece "Confrontation", a combination of site-specific sculpture and performance art, at the Guggenheim Museum. The video also includes archival footage of the first showing of the work at the Hamilton Gallery of Contemporary Art in 1978. [DS]