HOMEWORK ALABAMA

Homework Alabama is a statewide homework service that uses the Internet to connect students with expert tutors for live, one-on-one help with school assignments.

Homework Alabama's target audience is students in junior high through first-year college and university. For information about hours and access, please visit http://www.homeworkalabama.org/.

Also, please remember the excellent variety of resources available for both students and non-students through the Alabama Virtual Library: http://www.avl.lib.al.us/. Note that users will need to acquire an access card from their public library. Details about access to AVL is available here: http://www.avl.lib.al.us/authcheck.phtml.

CENSUS DATA ATLAS

Interested in census data? Visit the Government Documents department on the second floor of the University Library! We have recently acquired the Census Atlas of the United States: Census 2000 Special Reports, which enhances the data with colorful visual images. If you do not have time to come by the library, you can still view the book online: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS92179.

GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY SUED BY PUBLISHERS

This is an important item for everyone involved in using electronic versions of copyrighted materials for their courses. Articles in The New York Times and The Chronicle of Higher Education discuss a lawsuit brought by publishers against Georgia State University. The lawsuit is directed at the university's creation and distribution of coursepacks.

JARED DIAMOND, AUTHOR OF GUNS, GERMS AND STEEL, TO SPEAK ON EARTH DAY

Dr. Jared Diamond, author of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Guns, Germs, and Steel, will be the keynote speaker at the Alabama Environmental Education Consortium (ALEEC) Earth Day conference at Samford University Saturday, April 19.

The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) professor will speak on lessons from the environmental collapse of societies. He wrote about this in his 2005 book, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.

A prolific writer who speaks 12 languages, Diamond is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards for his books and scholarship. He has written on fields as diverse as molecular biology, linguistics, physiology, genetics, archeology and history.

The ALEEC conference-hosted by the Vulcan Materials Center for Environmental Stewardship and Education-is free and open to the public, beginning at 9 a.m. in Samford's Wright Center. Diamond will sign copies of his books at the close of the conference, as will two other authors also on the program.

Of special note: The library owns the DVD Guns Germs and Steel, a National Geographic production based on the book. It is on reserve at the University Library circulation desk.

BIG READ: PROJECT MOCKINGBIRD

The Jefferson County Library Cooperative has launched a county-wide reading initiative called "Big Read" focusing on To Kill A Mockingbird. Project Mockingbird is encouraging the Jefferson County community to read, review, and discuss this classic book, whose themes continue to resonate almost 50 years after its publication.

There is a great variety of activities, including several Samford-based events, associated with Project Mockingbird. For a complete listing of programs, please stop by the reference department and pick up a copy of The Reader (the Public Librariese of Jefferson County magazine), or visit http://www.projectmockingbird.org/.

MILLENNIUM CELEBRATION

The new library system is a reality. Please join us on Thursday March 13 at 2:00 p.m. in the University Library for an interactive open house to learn about the Millennium library system at Samford. This is a great opportunity for members of the university community to ask questions and enjoy some mid-afternoon treats.

If you have any questions, please call Naomi Gold at ext. 2770, or email ngold@samford.edu.