http://smarthistory.org/

Under the headline "Art. History. Conversation.", Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker started the Smarthistory site in 2005 as a weblog that featured free audio guides. Since that time, the site as grown into a multimedia web-book "designed as a dynamic enhancement (or even substitute) for the traditional and static art history textbook." Visitors to the site will find several hundred artworks (along with videos and podcasts) organized thematically and by time period. Additionally, visitors can also use the drop down menus on the homepage to look for certain styles, artists, and themes that include "Image and Power", "The Artist as Professional", and "Bronze Casting". The videos are a real treat, and they include offerings like "Magritte's treacherous pipe" and "Mies's corporate classicism". Finally, visitors can also learn about making a donation to their group. [KMG]

http://www.oecd.org/document/57/0,3343,en_2649_33723_42440761_1_1_1_1,00.html

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has always maintained a strong interest in the educational state of affairs among its member nations, and this report from March 2009 offers a bit of insight into their work on everything from student performance to educational spending and equity in education. The 99-page report is based on results from OECD work produced since 2002, and the work is divided into nine sections. These sections include those dealing with early childhood, schooling, higher education, adult education, and lifelong learning. The format of the report is quite modular, as each section contains a bit about their key findings and conclusions and policy directions, along with various tables and charts. [KMG]

http://collections.stanford.edu/bucky/bin/page?forward=home

It is hard to classify R. Buckminster Fuller, but at the very least, it is fair to say he was an architect, a planner, an engineer, an inventor, and a Renaissance man in the best sense of the phrase. With support from the Save America's Treasures Program, Stanford University has seen fit to digitally reformat a wide range of very valuable audio and video materials culled from their R. Buckminster Fuller Collection. First-time visitors will need to create a login password before accessing the materials, but never fear, as it only takes a moment. After that, they will have complete access to all the materials within the collection. It's not a bad idea to start by looking through the "Browse" area first, and here they will find interviews with Fuller, along with the "Being with Bucky" seminars. Those who are completely unfamiliar with Fuller's work may wish to start by clicking on the "Exploring Bucky" area. Here they can read over brief answers to "Who was Bucky Fuller?" and "What is a geodesic dome?" For architects, engineers, and many others, this collection will be quite a find. [KMG]

http://www.nih.gov/science/nanotechnology/index.htm
Visitors who are wondering what nanotechnology is and what it can be used for, will find this website from the National Institutes of Health very helpful. If visitors have wondered what a nano looks like they can check out the video on the right side of the homepage for a 30-second animated view comparing the size of a nano to everyday objects. To learn more about the use of nanotechnology in the area of medical research, visitors should click on the link to the pdf "Innovative Medical Research at the Molecular Scale", which is located near the middle of the page. The twelve-page document briefly highlights some of the areas of research being conducted around the country, and page eight has a list of online Nanotechnology Resources that address the regulations and potential concerns of the use of nanotechnology. If, after a thorough examination, a deeper understanding of nanotechnology is desired, visitors are provided with links to further research by clicking on "Learn more about Nanotechnology at NIH". [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and science visit Scout's sister site - AMSER, the Applied Math and Science Educational Repository at http://amser.org.

http://sounds.bl.uk/Browse.aspx?category=World-and-traditional-music&collection=Music-from-India

The ethnomusicologist Rolf Killius has recorded traditional Indian music for the British Library for more than a dozen years, and the Archival Sound Recordings website for the Library has samples of some of the folk, devotional, and ritual music of India that he has recorded. The website allows the visitor to listen to the music by location and the locations to choose from are in the middle of the page. Visitors who click on a location will be shown all the songs available, and then clicking on the + sign next to the name of the song will reveal some of the details about the musicians, when the song is played and sung, and how it's played. To view the remaining details of the song and also listen to it, visitors should click on the song's description to be taken to a full text description and the player that allows visitors to listen to it. Visitors shouldn't miss the "Sora Healing Song" from the Orissa location, which is an almost 10 minute long recording of a repeated three note beat that accompanies a healing ritual that uses trance. The repeated beat is definitely conducive to falling into a trance-like state. [KMG]

http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2009/03_metro_demographic_trends/03_metro_demographic_trends.pdf

Some of our long-time readers (and new arrivals) might be wondering: "What's going on in metropolitan America?" Well, the Brookings Institution has provided some compelling information on that timely subject in their March 2009 report on recent demographic trends across the United States. This 28-page report authored by William H. Frey, Alan Berube, Audrey Singer, and Jill H. Wilson looks into topics such as migration, immigration, aging, educational attainment, and poverty. Visitors with a limited amount of time may wish to turn directly to pages two and three within the report, as they offer a brief summary of their findings. These findings include the observation that migration across states and metro areas has slowed considerably in the past two years due to the housing crisis and that the next decade "promises massive growth of the senior population, especially in suburbs unaccustomed to housing older people." [KMG]

https://secureapps.libraries.psu.edu/content/pageo.cfm

Three decades after it was published, the Second Geological Survey of Pennsylvania was described as "the most remarkable series of reports ever issued by any survey." Considering the diversity of other geological reports, this was no small compliment. Drawing on support from the Marion and Kenneth Pollock Libraries Program Fund, the Pennsylvania State University Libraries' Digital Preservation Unit was able to digitize not only this fabled Survey, but also the Third and Fourth Surveys as well. Visitors can use the search engine on the homepage to look for items of interest, or they can just browse through the collection at their leisure. The surveys include various maps and illustrations that track mineral deposits and the disposition and location of other natural resources. Additionally, users can look through a miscellaneous set of publications from the early 20th century related to survey work performed by the U.S. Geological Survey. [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and science visit Scout's sister site - AMSER, the Applied Math and Science Educational Repository at http://amser.org.