resources

Coretta Scott King, who has been called “The First Lady of the Civil Rights Movement,” was born on April 27, 1927 and passed away on January 30, 2006. According to the African American Almanac: King “became increasingly involved in the struggle for civil rights through her husband’s activities. After his death, she quickly became a…

Happy World Book Day! A global tribute to the power of reading. The origins of this celebration date back to 1922, when Vicente Clavel, director of the Cervantes publishing house in Barcelona, proposed the idea. Though the concept was acknowledged in various ways over the decades, it wasn’t until 1995 that the United Nations Educational,…

This Women’s History Month, let’s learn about women in the business world. Above image: Margaret Rudkin (1897-1967). She “built a home bakery business into the Pepperidge Farm Company, a multimillion dollar corporation that produces breads, pastries, and other foods. Her company became the largest independent bakery business in the United States.” Government Resources The official government…

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrated from December 18th to December 26th this year. History of Hanukkah The reference book Cultural Studies: Holidays Around the World describes Hanukkah in this way: “Hanukkah commemorates the successful rebellion of the Jews against the Syrians in the Maccabean War of 162 B.C.E., but the military associations of this festival…

Rosa Parks On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her brave stand against segregation kicked off the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which in turn began the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Selected Library Sources Books and Articles The thunder of angels: The Montgomery Bus Boycott…

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, a holy month in Islam. This year it began on April 2 and will run until May 2 according to the Gregorian calendar. The Islamic calendar follows the phases of the moon. History of Ramadan The reference book Encyclopedia of World Religions: Encyclopedia of Islam describes Ramadan in…

April is National Poetry Month. (Image from Flickr user Dia under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license.) How to Celebrate Here are a few suggestions from the official website for how to celebrate: Tips on Finding Poetry in the WCC Library Poetry in Print Go to the library’s main page and click the button for OneSearch. Search…

Thomas Edison Thomas Edison was the first person to record a sound with the intention of being able to play it back (see his Credo Reference topic page). His Wikipedia biography includes a file of a 1927 re-enactment of his first Dec. 6, 1877 recording–Edison reciting “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” The first version of his…