Check It Out: Beyond the Fields

Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW, and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century

by Randy Shaw

San Francisco lawyer and activist Randy Shaw doesn't dwell on the decline of the UFW. Instead, he focuses on numerous successful organizing efforts of the past decades and attempts to show how they can trace their roots back to Cesar Chávez and his union. The UFW may have lost a lot of talented people, but, as Shaw demonstrates, they went on to have a major impact on public life in other ways.

Mr Shaw retells the story of Cesar Chavez and the UFWs unprecedented success in mobilizing a broad coalition as well as winning political clout and material gains for workers through such tactics as boycotts, appeals to spiritual values, fasting and community-centered organizing. Shaw describes a generation of young activists passing through the UFWs crucible of idealism, sacrifice and individual initiative, and into a lifetime of service to social justice causes.

Shaw's book is the product of extensive research, and it's invaluable for anyone interested in the evolution of unionization over the past forty years.

Check out Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW, and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century , available on the library's New Book Shelf

Friends of the Library essay contest

Once again the Friends of the SWC Library are sponsoring an essay contest for currently enrolled SWC students. There will be two prizes of $250 each. The essay prompt is based on this year’s College Book, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.

Here is the essay prompt:
In The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch is critical of our educational system. What does he identify as a key factor? Do you agree or disagree? Support your answer from your own experience.

Please note that only original submissions that are the student's own work will be considered. Please do not research or use any sources other than The Last Lecture. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in disqualification.

Essays must be no more than three pages and submitted electronically to essaycontest@swccd.edu before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3, 2010. Late entries will not be accepted! A separate page (not counted in the three maximum) must give the student’s name, SWC ID #, email address, and telephone number. This page will be separated from the essay and a code assigned to the essay so the judges will not know the identity of the student. No identifiers (name, ID #, etc.) are to appear in the essay itself.

Prizes will be given at the Student Awards Ceremony in May.

Questions? Contact Diane Gustafson at 482-6433 or dgustafson@swccd.edu

ARTstor: Latin American art images

Nearly 170 images of modern and contemporary Latin American art from Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, and Uruguay are now available in the Artstor Digital Library. The artists represented include: Willys de Castro, Lygia Clark, Carlos Cruz Diez, Gego, Alfredo Hlito, Alejandro Otero, Hélio Oiticica, Lygia Pape, Mira Schendel, Jesús Soto, and Joaquín Torres García, among others.

To view the Latin American Art collection: go to the ARTstor Digital Library, select the GO button and login if you are accessing Artstor from off campus, then browse by collection, and click "Latin American Art." Or search the keywords: "latin american art" "private collection".

To view ARTstor from off campus locations you need to create an ARTstor account at http://www.artstor.org/index.shtml from any computer on the Southwestern College campuses.

January e-book of the Month

Ten Years Thinner
Six Weeks to a Leaner, Younger-Looking You

by Christine Lydon
Da Capo Press, 2009

Dr. Christine Lydon has developed an innovative diet and exercise regimen to burn fat and alter one’s body chemistry, resulting in rapid, dramatic results that you will begin to see and feel within the first week.

Governed by ten simple dietary guidelines and ten easy, at-home exercises, Ten Years Thinner emphasizes healthy eating from protein, carbohydrate, and fat sources and demands only twenty to twenty-five minutes of hand-weight exercises a day. There is no calorie counting, messy measuring, or complicated points to calculate; start the new year out by improving your own health.

Ten Years Thinner
Six Weeks to a Leaner, Younger-Looking You will be provided with free, unlimited access January 1-31, 2010.

If you have already established a NetLibrary account through Southwestern College Library, visit http://www.netlibrary.com/and log in to read "Ten Years Thinner
Six Weeks to a Leaner, Younger-Looking You" or any of our other 21,000 electronic book titles from your home, work or any other off campus location.

If you do not have a NetLibrary account, you can create your own account from any computer on the Southwestern College campuses. Visit our NetLibrary information page .

This Week In CQ Researcher

Animal Rights

by Marcia Clemmitt, January 8, 2010

Is the treatment of animals improving?

The passage of dozens of tough state animal-protection laws last year reflects growing public interest in animal welfare. Today, many Americans view pets as family members, and some even leave bequests to pets in their wills. Vegetarianism has gone mainstream as people have become concerned about the conditions on factory farms, and many scientists say farm animals have feelings.

Fifteen years ago, only 10 of the country’s law schools offered animal-law courses; today about 130 do. At the same time, however, billions of animals are slaughtered for food each year in our meat-eating society, and live-animal research is a major tool of biomedicine. The food industry, researchers and others who depend on using and killing animals are fighting back against what they call overblown concerns about animal rights. Last November, for example, Ohio voters approved an amendment to the state’s constitution barring the legislature from approving any animal-protection laws that would apply to farms.

• Do animals have rights?
• Are we doing enough to protect farm animals?
• Is animal research necessary to achieve medical progress?

To read this article and others visit our Articles and Databases webpage and click on CQ Researcher. Select the Off Campus Access link for information on how to access this resource from off campus locations.

Spring Semester Library Hours

Welcome back for the spring semester.

Spring Semester - Main Campus
January 13 - May 21, 2010
Monday - Thursday: 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Closed: Sunday


Higher Education Center at Otay Mesa - Librarian Available
January 13 - May 21, 2010
Monday & Thursday 12:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday & Wednesday: 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Higher Education Center at National City - Librarian Available
January 13 - May 21, 2010
Monday 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Thursday: 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Higher Education Center at San Ysidro - Librarian Available
January 13 - May 21, 2010
Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

New Electronic Books

Over 2,900 new NetLibrary e-books have been added to our library collection. You can search and read our entire collection of over 21,000 e-books by searching our library catalog at http://swcclibrary.swccd.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=main--4#focus" .

You will also need to create a User Account from any on-campus computer to access the NetLibrary e-book collection from off campus locations.

For additional help, visit our NetLibrary help page or view this tutorial on how create a NetLibrary user account. Next time your in the library ask about how you can access electronic books at the Southwestern College library.