The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online

Now for the first time, the entire set of 10 print volumes of The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music is available as a single, integrated online collection. From the Southwestern College Library website, you can use this online resource to stream and listen to over 300 hundred audio music examples from around the world.

The encyclopedia, also includes more than 9,000 pages of music research of all the world's peoples.

For off campus use of the Garland encyclopedia, you must be a currently enrolled students here at Southwestern College.

Check it out

Russia
Editor: Viqi Wagner
Call number: New Book Shelf DK 510.76 O55 2009
Reviewer: Sidney Laramie, SWC Librarian

Doing a Pro and Con Paper and looking for an interesting subject which your instructor isn’t sick of? Look no further….

When the Soviet Union disintegrated Russia was largely written off. However, it is now playing an increasingly important role on the world stage and an increasing number of people are now asking, “What’s going on with Russia?”

Published as part of the “Opposing Viewpoints Series”, this work contains three chapters in which authors give the pros and cons of various issues, and a summary chapter. Chapter 1 covers Russia’s role in international politics and contains debates on whether Russia’s role in the Middle East is increasing or decreasing and whether Russia will be the world’s next energy superpower. In Chapter 2 the discussion is centered on whether Russia is moving towards or away from a democracy, and in chapter 3 authors give their opinions on how western culture is influencing Russia and what Russians think about its influence. In the summary chapter “Russia’s biggest problem” is discussed.

This Week in CQ Researcher

Vanishing Jobs by Peter Katel,
March 13, 2009

Will the president’s plan reduce unemployment?

The news is grim and getting grimmer. The jobless rate recently hit 8.1 percent – the highest level in a quarter-century. American workers lost 651,000 jobs in February alone. All told, more than 12.5 million Americans are jobless – including 2.9 million who have been unemployed for at least 27 weeks. The nation is banking on the Obama administration’s newly enacted, $787 billion “economic stimulus” bill to spark job growth through government spending on infrastructure projects and other programs.

Conservatives argue that the spending won’t help, and some liberals say the magnitude of the crisis calls for still more stimulus money. The huge spending measure also includes funds to encourage states to expand eligibility for unemployment insurance, though some governors are resisting on the grounds that their states will wind up footing future bills.

• Will the economic stimulus bill create or save 3.6 million jobs, as promised?
• Is retraining for new skills the best option for laid-off workers?
• Should unemployment insurance be extended beyond what the recovery act allows?

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

Meet the Author of the 2009 College Book!

Wednesday, March 18th, 7 p.m.
Room L238 North/South
Library/Learning Resource Center

Join us in welcoming Patricia Santana, author of Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility, which is our College Book for 2008-2009. As a published work, Motorcycle was selected as a Best Books for Young Adults 2003 by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), and was also San Diego Magazine’s 2003 Book Award winner in fiction. Ms. Santana was born and raised in South San Diego. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of California, San Diego in English and Spanish Literature, and a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Orientations for Online Students

Enrolled in on online class? Spend 60 minutes with us first.

Attend a one-hour intro session and learn about SWC’s Blackboard Online Learning System. For a complete schedule of orientation sessions, visit the Online Learning Center help site:
http://www.swccd.edu/~olc/OnlineOrientations.htm

Free, no signup necessary. Please be on time.

Currently Featured Display in the Library

President Barack Obama has proclaimed March Irish-American Heritage Month. Stop by the third floor of the Library this month to see a display of books honoring the struggles and contributions of Irish-American settlers, as well as the President's proclamation.

A Crime So Monstrous

Guest Author E. Benjamin Skinner
“Modern Day Slavery”

Thursday, March 19th
9:30-10:45 a.m., Southwestern College Gymnasium

E. Benjamin Skinner, guest speaker and author of A Crime So Monstrous: Face to Face with Modern Day Slavery, spent years of reporting in such places as Haiti, Sudan, India, Eastern Europe, The Netherlands, and, even suburban America, where he has produced a vivid testament and moving reportage on one of the great evils of our time.

There are more slaves in the world today than at any time in history. After spending four years visiting a dozen countries where slavery flourishes, Skinner tells the story of individuals who live in slavery, those who have escaped from bondage, those who own or traffic in slaves, and the mixed political motives of those who seek to combat the crime. Skinner infiltrates trafficking networks and slave sales on five continents, exposing a modern flesh trade never before portrayed in such proximity. From mega-harems in Dubai to illicit brothels in Bucharest, from slave quarries in India to child markets in Haiti, he explores the underside of a world we scarcely recognize as our own and lays bare a parallel universe where human beings are bought, sold, used, and discarded.