MORE DATABASE TRIALS

Folks, we have still more great database trials for you.

1. APA Books E-Collections: Scholarly and professional books published by the American Psychological Association;

2. Image Quest: High-quality images from over 40 of the best collections in the world, fully cleared for academic use.

Please visit the library "trials" page to explore and enjoy

DR. VIVIEN THOMAS-SURGICAL PIONEER

Born in New Iberia, Louisiana, Vivien Thomas was an aspiring medical student when the stock market crash wiped out his education savings. The lack of funding forced him to drop out of college, and in the absence of other types of work during the difficult time, he took a job sweeping floors at Vanderbilt University. There, Dr. Alfred Blalock, took notice of him and hired him to work as a laboratory, and eventually, surgical assistant. Blalock was in charge of the surgical research laboratory, and was working to research and develop methhods of treating hemorrhagic and traumatic shock.

Thomas very rapidly learned to perform surgery and physiologic studies, and to carry out chemical determinations. He developed into a highly skilled technician capable of conducting complicated experimental cardiac operations and devising new surgical methdods completely unassisted. He remained Blalock's principal technician and laboratory chief for the rest of Blalock's career. When Blalock was offered a pretigious position at the then-segregated Johns Hopkins University in 1941, he accepted on the condition that Thomas accompany him.

In 1976, Thomas was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Johns Hopkins University and was made a member of the medical school faculty in recognition of his contributions to the practice of cardiovascular surgery and to the education of young surgeons. Today, his portrait hangs in the lobby of the Blalock Building on The Johns Hopkins Hospital campus.

Dr. Levi Watkin, of Johns Hopkins University, described Thomas as, "the most un-talked about, unappreciated, unknown giant in the African American community. What he helped facilitate impacted people all over the world." Recently, Vivien Thomas' story has been the inspiration for the PBS documentary, "Partners of The Heart" and the HBO film, "Something The Lord Made."

You can read more about Dr. Vivien Thomas here and here.

ELLA FITZGERALD-THE FIRST LADY OF SONG

My family is on a first-name basis with Ella Fitzgerald. Not because we knew or even met her, but because my father has always been in the habit of referring to her--with great reverence--simply as "Ella." When he says, "I've been listening to Ella," or "I watched a documentary about Ella," we know exactly what he's talking about. Because there is only one Ella. Her gifts were completely unique. There was no one like her.

When my nephew came home from school one day singing "A-Tisket A-Tasket," my brother naturally asked him where he had heard it. He told my brother that his music teacher had played the song, sung by Ella Fitzgerald, in that day's music class. My brother phoned my father immediately to tell him the news--and this sort of thing definitely qualifies as news in my
family--about the wonderful music teacher and the latest addition to the Gold family Ella fan club.

A 2007 NPR segment describes the career and gifts of the great Ella. And in honor of Jazz Appreciation Month in 2008, NPR made available for streaming five Ella classics, including "Something's Gotta Give" and "It Don't Mean a Thing." Make your day by taking some time to listen.

STATE OF SEIGE: MISSISSIPPI WHITES AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

February is Black History Month, and it's just as well that the event spans an entire month, because we have a lot to cover. The Civil Rights Movement is just one element, and a central one to be sure. We will also be posting material covering the visual and performing arts, science, medicine, and political & public life.

This item was provided by the Internet Scout Project:

"American RadioWorks is always looking for compelling topics to explore, and this recent radio documentary looks into the role that certain groups of white people played in combating the civil rights movement in Mississippi. Here visitors can listen to the complete program, or take a look at some of the separate sections, which include 'The March Backward' and 'The Citizens' Council.' The program includes interviews and commentary from a wide range of persons, and there is particularly good coverage of one well-known race riot at the University of Mississippi and the Citizens' Council, whose goal was to maintain white supremacy. The site is rounded out by a selection of links and resources and social media buttons designed to allow users to share the program with others."

SOUTHERN INTELLECTUAL HISTORY CIRCLE

The Southern Intellectual History Circle will be gathering in Tuscaloosa from February 24-26. Registration for this event is free and can be done online at http://tinyurl.com/sihc-register. The deadline is Tuesday, February 1.

More information about the conference can be found at the Summersell
Center for the Study of the South website, http://www.scss.ua.edu.

SPRINGER TRIAL--BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS

We have another great trail database to offer you. Enjoy free access (denoted with a green icon) to over 20,000 ebooks from Springer covering subjects such as Architecture & Design, Behavioral Sciences, Biomedical & Life Sciences, Business & Economics, Chemistry & Material Science, Computer Science, Earth & Environmental Science, Engineering, Humanities, Social Science & Law, Mathematics & Statistics, Medicine, Physics & Astronomy, Professional and Applied Computing. Click here to view the "Trials" page and view the link to this new Springer trial.