Monday, November 23, 2009

MLK Oratorical Contest Deadline, December 1st

***Update***

This news from Robert L. Robinson, Coordinator of Multicultural Affairs:

The auditions for the MLK Oratorical Contest have been moved to Friday, December 4, 2009 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm. The location is the Multicultural Office (east wing of Main Hall aka the old Caf Office )

Photo credit: Creative Commons license


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UM's Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honor Society are sponsoring a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratorical Contest. Participants in the contest must submit their application by Tuesday, December 1st. Contest participants will give a two-minute summary of their speech exploring the theme "How Can My Generation Fulfill King's Dream" on Wednesday, December 2nd.

The top five finalists will receive a cash prize and must agree to present their speech at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Program in the spring semester.

For more information visit the Multicultural Affairs website.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Adam Kamerer Gets Caught Reading

Photo and graphics by Joel Bullock

Adam Kamerer joined the Carmichael staff as a Reference Assistant in May of this year. His appearance on our blog marks the first time we've featured a member of the library staff in our Get Caught Reading segment. Adam, 24, graduated from Montevallo in May 2008 with a Bachelor's degree in History with a minor in Writing. Adam worked as a student assistant at the circulation desk during his undergraduate studies. Adam describes himself as an avid supporter of independent artistry, especially the Weblit movement. Adam himself is a Weblit author who publishes most of his writing on the Web under the pen-name Gabriel Gadfly.

We caught up with Adam before a shift at the Ask Here Desk.

Carmichael Library: What are you reading?

Adam Kamerer: World War Z by Max Brooks

Carmichael Library: Why did you choose this book?

Adam Kamerer: I'm a big fan of zombie culture. Movies, books, games, you name it. Max Brooks is one of the more well-known authors in that niche and his book World War Z is a collection of anecdotes from survivors of a fictional zombie apocalypse -- the characters come from all walks of life: soldiers, Buddhist monks, Girl Scout counselors, even an unscrupulous Colombian transplant surgeon.

Carmichael Library: We know it's a strange question to ask one of our own, but how do you use your campus library?

Adam Kamerer: Aside from a paycheck? [laughs] Actually, I use the library a lot even when I'm not on the clock. I don't have internet access at my apartment, so the free WiFi is a big help, and I like checking out the DVD collection. As a writer, I've found the reference collection and various academic databases really helpful -- if I need to check a fact (with more accuracy than Wikipedia provides), I can usually find a text in the reference collection to help me out. I used one just the other day to look up some info about some Jewish folk myths.

Stay tuned for another edition of Get Caught Reading coming soon!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Our New Facebook Address



It's now easier than ever to connect with Carmichael Library on Facebook. Just point your browser to http://www.facebook.com/umlibrary. There you'll find all of our latest news and photos. You can even ask us a reference question from Facebook! It all happens at http://www.facebook.com/umlibrary.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Thank You Veterans

Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislation that was passed in 1938, November 11 was "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.

In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress -- at the urging of the veterans service organizations -- amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

In 1968, the Uniforms Holiday Bill ensured three-day weekends for federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. Under this bill, Veterans Day was moved to the last Monday of October. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holiday on its original date. The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971.

Finally on September 20, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed a law which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. Since then, the Veterans Day holiday has been observed on November 11.

The Difference Between Veterans Day and Memorial Day

Memorial Day honors service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day but the day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military -- in wartime or peacetime.

Photo taken from Creative commons user uhuru1701. Information found at military.com.