General Interest
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/?collection=SeeingIsBelieving700&col_id=197
Brought together originally in 1999 for an exhibition held at the New York Public Library's Gottesman Exhibition Hall, this set of intriguing images covers the fields of astronomy, chemistry, geology, medicine, and physics taken from different engravings, lithographs, and manuscript illuminations. The images here range from the 16th to the 19th centuries, and they are culled from works such as the 1798 volume "Elemens de la philosophie de Neuton" and the important 1830 volume "Principles of Geology" written by geologist Sir Charles Lyell. All told, visitors can browse through ten crucial texts in their entirety, and they are all wonderful meditations on the skills and talents of unique scientists (and artists) throughout the ages. Finally, visitors looking for specific materials can also search through the entire collection, or even click on the "See all Images" button. [KMG]
http://www.lib.unc.edu/dc/mackinney/
Medievalist scholar Loren C. MacKinney spent much of his academic career at the University of North Carolina, and long before he passed away in 1963 many of his peers were quick to acknowledge his preeminence in the field of the history of medicine. MacKinney was also renowned for his impressive slide collection which documented key moments in the history of medical illustration. With funding from UNC alumnus Howard Holsenbeck, the University Libraries were able to digitize over 1,000 of these unique materials. First-time visitors will want to look closely at the rather haunting and eerie image on the site's homepage, which is an illustration of two men confronting a standing skeleton. After that, they can click on the "About the Collection" section to learn more about the nature of the collection and the digitization process. Moving on, visitors can browse through the items here by illustrator, date, language, and subject. The site is rounded out by a collection of related resources including other digital collections of note and a chronological breakdown of the Middle Ages. [KMG]
http://www.sfmoma.org/pages/multimedia
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art website has a wonderful feature that aims to help visitors of the online exhibits (or the physical museum) understand what was going on in the mind of the artist, the curator, or art historian when they created, chose or studied a work of art. The "Explore Modern Art" link provides a multimedia resource which helps visitors better understand this often misunderstood mode of artistic endeavor. Visitors can click on "Interactive Features" on the left side of the page to go to the archive of multimedia presentations released by SFMOMA, which covers more than 50 artists, such as Sol LeWitt and Betye Saar. To hear the musings of curators on exhibits at SFMOMA, visitors should click on the "Audio" link on the left side of the page. If you are not familiar with the artwork featured in the audio, most of the audio features provide a link to a biography of the artist featured, as well as to a few of their works. Visitors shouldn't miss watching the time-lapse video of "SFMOMA installs Ann Hamilton's indigo blue", which can be found in the "Video" link on the left said of the page. [KMG]
Created by and for war veterans, this website contains poetry and short stories that are not only written about war veterans, but they are also written by them. The submissions can be from veterans of any nation, but must pertain to war, veterans, or the consequences of war. The website also includes resources for veterans who want to connect with other veterans and for those saddled with the unique challenges associated with being a veteran. "The Index of Authors" section at the top of the page will lead visitors to author pages and their writings. Some have photos, and others have extensive biographical essays. Visitors can find everything new added to the site, by month and year, going all the way back to 2001, by clicking on "Recent Additions" at the top of the page. The "Writing Resources" link at the top of the page has some great links to general writing sources, and to specific veteran writing resources, such as "Voice of the Vet: Veterans Writing Project", which takes place weekly at the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago. "Recommended Links", found at the top of the page, offers a slew of sites that honor veterans, help veterans, inform veterans, remember veterans, and tell the stories of veterans. [KMG]
http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/
Natural England has a very comprehensive website which explains not only the goals of the environmental conservation organization, but also provides a slew of scientific data, maps, free downloadable publications, and images that have been produced from their research and work. As the amount of information available can be overwhelming, the website offers the option of viewing the information based on the category of visitor, such as farmer, teacher, volunteer, and so on. On the far left side of the page, under the "Information for..." section, visitors can click on links for information that is relevant to "Farmers and Land Managers", "Researchers, Students & Teachers", "Local Authorities and Policy Makers", "Countryside Visitors", and "Volunteers". In the center of the homepage, there are links to the nine environmental regions of England. Clicking on any of the region's links will take the visitor to a menu that includes links to a "Map of the Region", "Nature on the Map", an interactive feature that allows one to see the nature in any area in England, "State of the Natural Environment", and "National Nature Reserves In Your Area". Clicking on the "Publications, Data & Forms" link on the far left side of the page will take the visitor to the "Publications Catalogue" link that can be browsed or searched, and offers well-written, appealing, and free downloadable publications about a dozen environmental topics of England, including "Wildlife Species", "Farming", "Habitats", and "Coasts & Seas". [KMG]
http://www.fsi.uiuc.edu/content/library/IFLODD/
Over the past 150 years, almost 800 Illinois firefighters have died in the line of duty. This remarkable and thorough online database provides historical background information and digitized images related to this subject. The funding for this project was provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and first time visitors can get started by reviewing the online tutorial offered here. After that, they can use the customized search engine to search the records by last name, first name, agency, gender, rank, age range, and year of death. While the information for each firefighter varies, many of the records contain details about the cause of death, the location, and other relevant details. On the right-hand side, users can look at the "Today's Line of Duty Deaths" and check out photographs of the Illinois Firefighter Memorial and provide feedback on their experience using the site. [KMG]
Created as an initiative by the College Sport Research Institute (CSRI) the Journal of Issues in Collegiate Athletics is "intended to foster an atmosphere that encourages personal and intellectual growth for faculty and students, demands excellence and professional integrity from faculty and student affiliates, supports independent critical college-sport research, and advocates for college athletes' rights and education." Visitors to the site can look over information about their editorial board and staff, their complete mission statement, and then make their way to the actual journal. The publication was started in 2008, and visitors can view articles such as "Collegiate Sport Chaplaincy: Problems and Promise" and "Can the Faculty Reform Intercollegiate Athletics? A Past, Present, and Future Perspective". The site is rounded out by a listing of links to related organizations, conferences, and online resources. [KMG]
http://www.sil.si.edu/Exhibitions/ArtofAfricanExploration/
Especially for the armchair explorer, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries has selected materials for this web exhibition from its Russell E. Train Africana Collection. Documenting European explorations of Africa from the late 18th through the 19th century, some of the artifacts pre-date photography. At that time, it was important for expeditions to include an artist, who could record what was seen. For example, Samuel Daniell was the artist for a British expedition into the Cape interior in 1801. The web site includes printed plates from a book based on his field drawings of the African rhinoceros, in contrast with examples that look quite different, drawn by Dutch naturalists who had never been to Africa. In the 19th century, David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley became celebrities for their African adventures, and a section of the web site includes items produced for armchair explorers of that era - a souvenir teacup, lantern slides, book jackets, and photographic cartes de visite (photographs mounted card stock that were popular in the 1860s) - with images of Dr. Livingstone and Mr. Stanley. [DS]
