Check It Out

A Companion to Women in the Ancient World

Edited by Sharon L. James.

Wiley, 2012.

New Books: HQ 1127 .C637 2012

"A Companion to Women in the Ancient World is the first interdisciplinary, methodologically-based collection of readings to address the study of women in the ancient world while weaving textual, visual, and archaeological evidence into its approach. Prominent scholars tackle the myriad problems inherent in the interpretation of the evidence, and consider the biases and interpretive categories inherited from centuries of scholarship. Essays and case studies cover an unprecedented breadth of chronological and geographical range, genres, and themes. 

 Illuminating and insightful, A Companion to Women in the Ancient World both challenges preconceived notions and paves the way for new directions in research on women in antiquity."

from back cover

WoW! Week of Workshops Next Week

Join us for our Week of Workshops (WoW) beginning next week. Pick one or more workshops -- each one lasts an hour. No need to sign up in advance.

All workshops start at 11 am and are held in the LRC classroom L-244.

WEEK OF WORKSHOPS (WoW)

October 21-24

Additional one-hour workshops on Primary Sources will be offered throughout fall semester in Room L-244.

PRIMARY SOURCES – What are they and how do you find them?

Tuesday, Oct. 29 -- 2 pm

Monday, Nov. 4 -- 5:30 pm

Tuesday, Nov. 5 -- 9 am

Wednesday, Nov 6 -- 11 am

See you there!

Website of the Week

The Oxford Dictionary Blog

If you are a logophile -- someone who likes words, words’ origins, crossword puzzles, playing with words, interesting tidbits about words, people, places or objects -- then you will be delighted to read the Oxford Dictionary Blog.

There are several blog categories, such as, “competitions and quizzes,” which entice you to win an iPod Touch or iPod Nano, or “grammar and writing help,” where I learned of correct English use, or “word origins” which was always very interesting for me, to mention a few.

After enjoying several entries, I discovered that the symbol, commercial at, or @ that we use so frequently nowadays, is actually more than 500 years old. It was used as an abbreviation for the measurement of weight, arroba. 

I also enjoyed reading about English in other countries, Welsh English , Australian English, Irish and Scottish English, or Rastafari. I even learned that the word “twerk” was just recently added to the dictionary.

                                                        

The Southwestern Library has a subscription to the Oxford English Dictionary that you’ll find among the databases listed on the Articles and Databases page.

Review by Erika Prange, SWC Librarian

Taking an Online Class for the first time?

Not sure what to expect? Join us for an hour! We will cover information you need to know about being an online student. We'll also show you how to navigate your class in Blackboard, the course management system.

All classes are held in the LRC classroom L-244

Thursday, October 17: 5:30 PM

Friday, October 18: 1 PM

Saturday, October 19: 10 AM

This Week in CQ Researcher

Regulating Pharmaceuticals: Is government oversight strong enough? 

By Peter Katel

"A scandal over mold-contaminated medicine that killed dozens of patients last year has added fuel to a debate over how well federal and state officials are policing the safety and effectiveness of prescription drugs. 

Innovative medicines have helped drive down death rates from such diseases as HIV/AIDS and cancer, but other drugs have spurred concerns about safety, physician prescribing practices and patient abuse. Painkillers known as opioids are blamed for a nationwide wave of addiction, for example, and the growing overuse of antibiotics has led to a surge in deadly, drug-resistant infections. Meanwhile, beginning next year, the pharmaceutical industry, which spends nearly $29 billion annually on product promotion, must disclose an unprecedented level of information about its efforts to market drugs to consumers and doctors."

Source: CQ Researcher

CQ Researcher is one of many academic research databases that the library subscribes to for SWC students.

Read the full report. Or browse other databases the library subscribes to for your research.

Have a question? We can help - ask a librarian, 24/7.

Need help but the library is closed?

24/7 Chat Reference

Real Librarians

Real Help

Check It Out

Eleanor Roosevelt : Transformative First Lady

by Maurine Hoffman Beasley

University Press of Kansas, 2010

New Books Area: E 807.1 .B43 2010

Available for four-week check out with your SWC photo ID card.

"Presiding in the White House longer than any other first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt championed the downtrodden as she traveled the globe, yet she was a maze of contradictions—an idealist who carried on a moneymaking career that depended on her position and a conventional-appearing wife and mother who found emotional succor from intense relationships outside her family. This book cuts through those contradictions to reveal how Eleanor operated, both in and out of public view, to advance the causes in which she believed by participating in the political process.

Although previous books have dealt with Eleanor Roosevelt, this is the first to focus on her White House years. Maurine H. Beasley, a scholar with extensive knowledge of Eleanor’s life and times, provides a detailed examination of the innovative first lady that will enlighten those who think they already know her. Rich with detail, it effectively links her social activism from her early life, through the White House years, and to her work after FDR’s presidency. From the ways in which Eleanor earned a living to the domestic arrangements in the White House, Beasley is an insightful and informed guide to the historical issues surrounding Mrs. Roosevelt’s performance, describing how she took the ambiguous position of first lady and transformed it into an institution of the American political system.

Beasley leaves no stone unturned as she casts fresh light on Eleanor’s relations with Franklin, the people around her, and the causes she championed. She explores how personal relationships led Mrs. Roosevelt to hone political skills that redefined the position of the first lady for years to come. And as she enlarges our understanding of Eleanor’s use of media to disseminate her political views, Beasley illuminates her complex network of personal relationships, finances, contributions to New Deal programs, and extensive publicity commitments.

Here is a book that will reward general readers interested in Eleanor’s historical importance and inform specialists looking for judicious appraisals of her words, her deeds, and the controversies that surrounded her. Anyone interested in the enigma that was Eleanor Roosevelt will discover here a rich trove of essential information for understanding how this dynamic and troubled woman succeeded in transforming the institution of the first lady during a dozen years of activism and commitment."

-Review from publisher