Each November since 2005 lexicographers (“n., a writer or compiler of a dictionary”) at Oxford English Dictionary announce the word that qualifies as word of the year. After watching word trends to determine what word best illustrates the current zeitgeist, the 2012 winner is GIF. You probably recognize GIF—an acronym standing for graphic interchange format—after [...]
Turkey! Mashed potatoes! Cranberry sauce! Pumpkin pie! Get it all ready! Set the table! Serve it up! Whew! Are you a little overwhelmed with Thanksgiving Day preparations? Whether you are hosting a huge get-together, going potluck or even fixing a small meal at home, TX is the place you should be. No, not Texas—TX is [...]
Promoted as “the war to end all wars,” World War I began the tradition of honoring our nation’s veterans on November 11. According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month saw the end of hostilities between the Allies and Germany. The annual Veterans Day [...]
How you would fare in a post-apocalyptic world? Would you be able to find food, shelter and security? If you were one of a few survivors would you be able to endure the loneliness, boredom and solitude? The Dog Stars, a debut novel by Peter Heller, explores the response of one man to catastrophe. Following [...]
Three debates down and two weeks before the election: are you more confused than ever? For an historical view of presidential debates have a look at these video clips from the library database, Films on Demand. The 1960 debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon is often cited as a turning point in that year’s [...]
Are life sciences getting you down? The library has resources to help you study and learn. Some resources may be just a click away. On the web you can find: Scritable, a web site developed by Nature magazine with information on cell biology, genetics, and other life sciences. DavidRothman.net with links to medical illustrations. Innerbody.com [...]
Journalist Hannah Vogel is in Poland covering the 1938 St. Martin festival when it comes to her attention that thousands of Polish Jews are being deported from Germany. Her reporter instincts kick in and while investigating the death of a deportee she finds herself abducted by SS agents and taken across the border to Berlin. [...]
Hunger Games, The Color Purple and the Harry Potter series are among student’s favorite books. They are also among the most censored books ever published. This week, September 30 through October 6, is the 30th observance of Banned Books week sponsored by the American Library Association. The John Tyler Community College libraries own many books [...]
Time to brush up on your research skills and maybe get a little SDV credit! Learn how to cite with confidence, evaluate web results and take a look at the new library catalog. Join us for some awesome workshops! Midlothian Schedule Tuesday, 10/9 2:30-3:30PM “Is This Any Good? Evaluating Library Research” Thursday, 10/11 6:30-7:30PM “Tyler [...]
“Before I discovered the miracles of science, magic ruled the world.” Imagine living in a place where you are utterly dependent on rain to grow food or having a 7-kilometer walk to buy kerosene just to light your house after dark. That is the world of William Kamkwamba as well as most of the African [...]