http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/tc/

Before the days of the Internet, television, and the wireless radio, there was the Chautauqua. These massive meetings promised "uplift and education", and their heyday in the United States was from the late nineteenth century to the end of World War I. They went from state to state, and during a gathering, interested and curious patrons might see a play, listen to a Metropolitan Opera star, check out a glee club, and listen to a political pundit speak. Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt praised these gatherings, while philosopher and writer William James found it "depressing from its mediocrity." This collection from the University of Iowa Libraries brings together promotional materials, musical and spoken word recordings, and programs from the Records of the Redpath Lyceum Bureau. The Bureau was the largest booking agency for circuit Chautauqua, and visitors should start their visit here by reading the essay "What was Chautauqua". Afterwards, visitors can look over the sample searches they have provided here, or take a look at the finding aids. To get a sense of what it might have "sounded" like at one of these confabs, listen to Corinne Morgan sing "Old Folks at Home" or take in Princess Watahwaso's version of "By the Weeping Waters". [KMG]

http://libraryphoto.cr.usgs.gov/

Over its long history, the U.S. Geological Survey has taken many, many, photographs. In the course of their various geological studies and explorations, persons in their employ have documented volcanic explosions, mining projects, and dams. This website contains 30,000 photographs from 1868 to the present, and many of these images have never been published in any form. New users can get started by clicking one of the subject areas on the left-hand side of the homepage. These areas include "Earthquakes", "Mines, Mills, Quarries", and "Mount St. Helens". Visitors can also perform basic keyword searches, and they might wish to try out words like "dolomite", "karst", or "Colorado". Also, the site has an excellent "Portrait Gallery", which contains images of famed geological pioneers, such as Chares Van Hise. [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://www.unm.edu/~rheggen/UndergroundRivers.html

Professor Emeritus Richard J. Heggen of the University of New Mexico has a deep and abiding interest in underground rivers. As a professor civil engineering, he has performed many intricate studies of such systems, and from a diverse set of perspectives which include the humanities, natural history, philosophy, and of course, geology. In the introduction to this fascinating book, Heggen notes that "…hydrology is more than science; it's the study of our relationship to water. We draw water to live, of course, but we as well draw upon water for intellectual sustenance." The book is presented into separate parts, and all told, it contains 25 chapters. Chapters in the book include "Greek Mythology", "Subterranean Engines", "Waters of the Hollow Earth", and "Groundwater Science". It is a fine read, and one that will complement any formal study of such matters. [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://dl.lib.brown.edu/cultural_correspondence/index.html

In the early 1970s, Paul Buhle and Dave Wagner began to think about creating a new and unique journal. They were both veterans of the journal Radical America, and they were both interested in popular culture. As August 1975 came around, they published the first issue of "Cultural Correspondence", a journal intended to serve as a critical review of popular culture. As the journal was published in Providence, it's not surprising to learn that the Brown University Library Center for Digital Initiatives (CDL) has created this most engaging archive of this publication. Visitors to the site can read the entire contents of each issue, browse around as they see fit, and also check out their virtual "Magazine Stand". First-time visitors may wish to start out by reading the Spring 1977 issue titled "Television". [KMG]

http://aleppocodex.org/

As the oldest complete Hebrew Bible in existence, the Aleppo Codex is a sacred text for a number of key reasons. The Codex was written in the year 930 CE and it made its way through a number of places in the Near East before arriving in Israel in 1958. In the past few years, the Ben-Zvi Institute (working with funds provided by George S. Blumenthal) has digitized this remarkable document. On the homepage, visitors can read a brief introduction to the Codex, and also read articles that include "Testimonies on the Text" and "The Bible and Its Transmission". Visitors who click on the "View Aleppo Codex" button on the homepage can choose a book and chapter to view, and they also can zoom in and out around the page as they wish. The materials on the site are also available in Hebrew, and visitors can also contact the Institute with any queries they might have. [KMG]

http://ica.princeton.edu/metcalf/

The Index of Christian Art at Princeton University is where the Gertrude and Robert Metcalf Collection of 11,000 Kodak slides of stained glass from Europe resides, and thousands of the slides have been digitized for the benefit of the scholarly community and the interested public. The Metcalf were scholars who had the foresight to travel to Europe at the start of World War II to attempt to capture images of stained glass before they could be moved for safe keeping, and in some cases, these works were later destroyed due to war-time activities. Visitors can start looking at the thousands of images by searching by country: "Austria", "England", "France", "Germany", or "Switzerland". Visitors can "Browse Entire Collection" or "Browse Collection by Country", and both links are located at the bottom of the homepage. The slides capture the enormity of the windows as well as the cathedrals and churches in which they are located. Some of the buildings have dozens of slides that were taken of them, whereas others have as few as one. The Notre Dame Cathedral in Amiens, France section offers a very impressive array of slides of the stained glass, as well as some of the architectural features of the building. [KMG]

http://www.nature.com/nature/videoarchive/index.html

Nature is an international, interdisciplinary, weekly peer-reviewed journal of science that has an impressive website that conveys its information in written, audio or video formats. The video offerings here "feature interviews with scientists behind the research and analysis from Nature editors." Nature also has a YouTube channel that can be used to "upload and share our videos across the Internet through websites, mobile devices, blogs and email." Visitors will note that most, but not all, of the videos in the video archive have "free access" next to the title of the video. Some of the pay videos are available via iTunes. When visitors click on a video in the video archive, they will find that they can choose to watch the video in high or low quality and they can download the required Flash Plugin, if needed. Additionally, visitors will find a section entitled "Background Information", which gives links to Nature podcasts and articles about the research presented in the video. [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://www.whitney.org/WatchAndListen

As 2010, the Whitney Biennial, approaches, the museum has mounted Watch & Listen, a collection of both current and archival online audio and video. There is a wide selection of material to browse, including previews of 2010, such as Ari Marcopoulos: FIFA 10 - a movie showing one of the 2010 curators, Gary Carrion-Murayari, visiting Marcopoulos at home, where they play FIFA 10, while ambient noise plays in the background. Other materials include a video of artist Aki Sasamoto talking about the ways in which Japanese fishcakes and donuts inspire her art, filmed at a Brooklyn coffee shop, Building on Bond and curators Francesco Bonami and Gary Carrion-Murayari announcing the artist list. Videos not related to the Biennial include interviews with photographer William Eggleston on the opening of his retrospective Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, 1961-2008, conducted between late 2008 and early 2009; and footage of recent events and performances at the Whitney Museum. [DS]