The U.S. Department of the Defense has been documenting the Vietnam Conflict from the perspective of the military commanders and now has several publications to offer researchers, former military and interested public.  The latest book in the series is MACV: The Joint Command in the Years of Withdrawal, 1968-1973 (D 114.7/3:J 66).  This is the second volume by the Center for Military History to examine the Vietnam conflict from the perspective of the theater commander and his headquarters. It traces the conflict from the Communist Tet offensive of 1968 through the disestablishment of MACV in March 1973.  Over the years the role of the military evolved beyond military operations to diplomacy and pacification.  Abundant photographs are included, as are a table of troop redeployments, charts and maps.  Other titles by DOD on the Vietnam Conflict include: 

Combat operations : stemming the tide, May 1965 to October 1966 / by John M. Carland.     (D 114.7/3:C 73/2)
Reorganizing for pacification support / by Thomas W. Scoville.    (D 114.2  11/999)
Combat operations : taking the offensive, October 1966 to October 1967 / George L. MacGarrigle.   ( D 114.7/3:OF 3)
Public affairs : the military and the media, 1968-1973 / by William M. Hammond.  (D 114.7/3  96/968-73)
U.S. Marines in Vietnam : the bitter end, 1973-1975 / by George R. Dunham and David A. Quinlan.  (D 214.13:V 67/973-75)
U.S. Marines in Vietnam : the war that would not end, 1971-1973 / by Charles D. Melson and Curtis G. Arnold.  (D 214.13:V 67/971-73)
Records relating to American prisoners of war and missing in action from the Vietnam War / compiled by Charles E. Schamel.   ( D 221.1:SE 1)
Marines and military law in Vietnam : trial by fire / by Gary D. Solis.   (D 214.13:V 67/3)
Public affairs : the military and the media, 1962-1968 / by William M. Hammond.   (D 114.7/3  96/962-68|zD 114.7/3  96)
The war in South Vietnam : the years of the offensive, 1965- 1968 / John Schlight.   (D 301.86/2:V 67)
Advice and support : the final years, 1965-1973 / by Jeffrey J. Clarke.   ( D 114.7/3:Ad 9/965-73 )                           
Military communications : a test for technology / by John D. Bergen.    (D 114.7/3:C 73)
U.S. marines in Vietnam : Vietnamization and redeployment, 1970-1971 / by Graham A. Cosmas and Terrence P. Murray ; edited by William R. Melton and Jack Shulimson.   (D 214.13:V 67/970-71)
Images of a lengthy war / by Joel D. Meyerson.    ( D 114.7/3:Im 1)

These titles are available for checkout or use in the library.   

If you ever had to thumb through a pile of old newspapers to find an article you meant to read or save, you know how frustrating it can be.  What you thought was in yesterday’s State newspaper was actually three days ago, or maybe it was in a different paper altogether.

We have a great solution for you.  Search online through the State Library and get full-text articles for free!  State agency employees with a State Library card have access to the text of over 800 newspapers around the country in the NewsBank database.  Included are nine South Carolina papers:  Anderson Independent-Mail, Bluffton Today, Greenville News, (Rock Hill) Herald, (Spartanburg) Herald-Journal, Newberry Observer, The State (Columbia), Sun News (Myrtle Beach), and Union Daily Times.    You can browse newspapers by date or search for relevant terms in a range of dates.  The years covered varies with each paper, with The State going back the farthest, to December 1987.  Start your search by going to Online Resources, then choose NewsBank: America’s Newspapers.

The (Charleston) Post and Courier is also available online, in another database called  Custom Newspapers.  Custom Newspapers also includes over 100 other newspapers from around the US and the world.

Not a state employee?  Residents of South Carolina have access to Custom Newspapers and to The State and Greenville News on NewsBank through the State Library’s DISCUS program.  Check the website of your local public library for information on how to access the DISCUS databases.  

If you’re having trouble using any of our online resources or would like additional information, call the Information Desk at (803) 734-8026, email reference@statelibrary.sc.gov  or click on Ask a Librarian for live chat.

Although the Federal Documents Depository Library Program has been fairly successful in making publications of the many federal agencies available in libraries throughout the nation, most of the federal agencies have collections of their own publications that have been available only to their own employees and to the public only onsite.  These publications may be brochures, reports, photos, etc that tell something about a time gone by.  The general public or researchers would not see these unless they made a visit to the agency library.

Recent developments in technology may be changing the inaccessibility of agency publications, however.  There are several federal agencies that are developing digital collections of their publications and are making them available at their websites.  The publications usually present in pdf and, since they are images, are larger than text documents in another format.  However, the resolutions are good and the information is unique.  Some of the agencies with digital libraries include: 

• History of Medicine Digital Collections (National Library of Medicine)  NLM has several historical collections that include digitized material (prints, photographs, films and videos, exchibition material, manuscripts and books) covering a spectrum of centuries and cultures from medieval Islam to contemporary biomedical research.  For instance, there is a collection on patent medicines; innovators in science, medicine and public health; Islamic medical manuscripts at the NLM, rare medical books, and historical anatomical illustrations.  A Prints and Photographs collection of the history of medicine has about 100,000 images dating from the 15th century to the present covering pandemics, portraits, historical images of hospitals and institutions and procedures, drawings, wood cuts, caricatures, etc.
• Wirtz Labor Digital Library (Department of Labor) is a history of labor through trade union and labor history materials, labor leaders’ biographies, statistical abstracts and Department of Labor publications.  The project is in its infancy, so only about 45 documents are available currently.  However, more than 400 items have been scanned and are being added.  The collection is interesting as it presents publications that reflect customs, laws, and policies of times gone by.  A document, complete with drawings, on riding the trains during wartime urged women to be prepared for rough and crowded rides, as passengers often shared trains with military needs. 
• Library of Congress Digital Collections (Library of Congress).  LC is possibly the largest library and has developed several multimedia collections of digitized documents, photographs, recorded sound, motion pictures, and text from the American historical collections of the Library and other institutions. American Memory collections now offer more than 7.5 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections. For a special treat, choose something from the Performing Arts and Music collection and hear sea chanties and view dance steps to ragtime music.
• BEA Digital Library (Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce) has begun its collection with reproductions of the Survey of Current Business publication 1930 to 1999.  These can be browsed or searched by Optical Character Recognition.  Highlighted articles include the introduction of the pollution abatement expenditures series and an explanation of the national income and product accounts from the 1970s.  Other documents in the collection are the Survey of Current Business Annual Reviews (1937 - 1975), which cover economic trends in different sectors, and other documents such as a 1977 report on improving gross national product.

At a recent conference I was intrigued by a presentation on Daniel Pink’s book A Whole New Mind.  So I checked out the State Library’s copy to learn more, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is curious about the skills that will be needed in the 21^st century workforce.

Pink argues that we are moving from an Information Age that is dominated by left-brain thinking to a Conceptual Age that requires more right-brain thinking.  The left side of the brain is sequential, logical, and analytical while the right side is nonlinear, intuitive, and holistic.  Jobs in the United States that reward left-brain skills are being challenged today by three factors: abundance, Asia, and automation.  The abundance of products available means that consumer choice is not made on functionality alone but on features such as design or appeal to emotion, requiring employers to hire people with better design skills.  Many jobs that require left-brain skills, such as computer programming and accounting, are rapidly being outsourced to Asia, where labor is much cheaper.  And automation is replacing jobs requiring logic, calculation, and sequential thinking with computers that work faster than humans.

In the new Conceptual Age we need to supplement our high-tech abilities with abilities that are high concept and high touch.  According to Pink, “High concept involves the ability to create artistic and emotional beauty, to detect patterns and opportunities, to craft a satisfying narrative, and to combine seemingly unrelated ideas into a novel invention.  High touch involves the ability to empathize, to understand the subtleties of human interaction, to find joy in one’s self and to elicit it in others, and to stretch beyond the quotidian, in pursuit of purpose and meaning.”

So how do we become more right brained?  By mastering six high-concept, high-touch senses:

• Design-creating something that is not just functional, but beautiful and emotionally engaging

• Story-persuading and communicating by fashioning a compelling narrative that goes beyond logical argument

• Symphony-synthesizing, seeing the big picture, and putting disparate pieces into a whole

• Empathy-understanding what makes our fellow man or woman tick,  forging relationships, and caring for others

• Play-using laughter, lightheartedness, games, and humor

• Meaning-pursuing desires that go beyond the material, such as purpose and spiritual fulfillment

If you want to read more, A Whole New Mind is available for checkout at the State Library. 

            The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have developed a guide on the fuel economy and fuel-efficiency of the 2008 model year cars, sport utility vehicles, and light trucks.  Information on diesel, hybrid-electric, ethanol flexible-fuel, and compressed natural gas vehicles is included. 

This year’s guide contains fuel economy estimates based on updated EPA calculation methods that better represent current real-world driving conditions.  City and highway estimates will include higher speeds, faster acceleration, air conditioner use, and cold temperature operation. Thus, estimates for the 2008 models will be lower than those for previous years, although fuel economy may be the same.

The guide also provides fuel cost estimates, based upon representative total miles driven, an estimate of cost for fuel, and percentages of city/highway driving.  Of course, individual vehicle fuel economy, use, and costs will vary.

            The guide is available in both print and electronic format.  Print guides may be borrowed from the State Library.  You can also request one or more copies at http://www.eere.nrel.gov/afdc/vehicles/fuel_economy_order_form.html.  Downloadable copies are posted at the Fuel Economy website at www.fueleconomy.gov.

State and County Profiles on South Carolina State Agency Webpages

Many of the state agencies of South Carolina are posting both statistical and narrative profiles of the state and counties for the areas they address.  Once these profiles were only made available in print format, possibly monthly or quarterly, but more often only annually.  Now, however, the information can be posted quickly to the website, so that current information is more readily available.  Usually the data is presented in a format that is easy to print or download.  Some of the agencies that post state and/or county profiles include:

South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

            SC DHEC reports on the status of health and presence of disease or risky behaviors at http://www.scdhec.gov/hs/epidata/county_reports.htm.  The page allows a user to choose a county or region and then view a list of reports.   The disease reports are color graphs for a region or trends in mortality for the state.

South Carolina Employment Security Commission

            SC ESC has three pages of county or labor area profiles.  County Spotlights (http://www.sces.org/lmi/Spotlights/index.asp ) are single page descriptions of the population, labor force, income, location and climate.  Workforce Investment Area (WIA) reports (http://www.sces.org/lmi/Spotlights/WIA/index.asp ) are similar to county spotlights, but are on 12 areas in South Carolina.  Information includes extended demographic and labor statistics.  Summary workforce information is reported monthly at http://www.sces.org/lmi/news/news.asp#Labor_Force_Data_by_Workforce_Investment_Area .

South Carolina Department of Commerce

            SC Department of Commerce has county and city profiles giving information for prospective businesses at http://www.sccommerce.com/SearchCommunityProfiles.aspx.   Simple search yields information by name or county.  Advanced search allows a user to specify ports or interstate locations or to limit reports by population or labor market.  Short reports on labor markets by place are also available (http://www.sccommerce.com/Searchlaborprofiles.aspx ).

South Carolina Department of Education

            SC Department of Education reports on the status of schools in the counties at http://ed.sc.gov/topics/researchandstats/schoolreportcard/ .  Choose the year desired, then the county.  On the county page there will be a links to a Printable pdf Report Card for the County  and to links for specific school reports.  Reports give enrollment and summary reports on annual exams.

South Carolina Office of Research and Statistics

            SC ORS receives information both from the state agencies and from the US Census Bureau.  Their page of Community Profiles (http://www.sccommunityprofiles.org/ ) provides statistical profiles at the state, county, place, zip code, and census tract levels.

These profiles of the state and counties provide valuable information.  However, in most cases only current information is available, as reports are merely updated as new information is acquired.  Because the agencies opt to update existing documents instead of creating new documents that can be saved for comparison, they create the risk that vital information about the state may be lost.  Agencies are encouraged to cooperate with the South Carolina State Library Depository System in efforts to identify and preserve the information about South Carolina and its residents.

Join in the South Carolina Arts Commission’s 40 Anniversary celebration by adding your favorites to the 40 Lists Project!  Visit 40 Lists Project to submit ideas for such lists as:

- an arts organization that has enhanced the quality of life through the arts

- a “non-arts” business that supports the arts

- an outstanding arts educator

- your favorite S.C. writer or poet

- your favorite place to enjoy or buy visual art

- your favorite way to express your creativity

A few lists generated by Arts Commission staff are already posted. Other lists results will be revealed in stages beginning in late November.  Don’t miss this chance to have your say about your favorites!

Winter is on its way, and with it comes thoughts of warm fires, hot chocolate, and maybe even snow here in the South. But for people working with the homeless, winter is an even more stressful time, making sure everyone has someplace warm to sleep on cold nights.

 The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration (SAMSHA) has a new website called the Homelessness Resource Center, designed to share ”state-of-the art knowledge and promising practices to prevent and end homelessness through”:

•    Training and technical assistance.
•    Publications and materials.
•    On-line learning opportunities.
•    Networking and collaboration.

The website currently has a Knowledge Base of over 2,000 articles, reports, research, and resources on many different aspects of homelessness.  They also have newsletter you can subscribe to and a list of upcoming training opportunities and events.

The Homelessness Research Center also has a rotating feature section, which highlights news, current research, tools and assessments, and other resources for specific topics. Features have included youth, trauma, self-care, and health.

Homelessness Research Center: http://homeless.samhsa.gov/

Are lists taking over your life? Can’t seem to get started on your next project, lecture, or assignment? Need a different way to take notes?

Mind maps might be an effective way for you to organize your thoughts and concepts-and even make note-taking fun!

A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks or other items linked to and arranged radially around a central key word or idea. There is a good article from Wikipedia with the basic history and idea behind mind maps.

Useful for:

• Taking notes during a lecture
• Brainstorming
• Group discussions
• Problem solving
• Notes while reading
• Outlining talks or reports

Reasons to use a mind map:

• Visual representation and key words make important concepts stand out quickly.
• Associative quality of map helps reinforce memory-the brain remembers associations and links, not lists of items.
• You can work in all directions when you start in the middle.
• Lots more information can fit on a page (one page of notes for a presentation)
• Using color and drawing helps use creative side of the brain
• Mind Maps are fast to create and no effort is wasted
• Hierarchy and categorization are visually and clearly defined

Examples:

• Flickr has lots of pictures of different kinds of mind maps
• Here is a directory of mind maps organized by subject

Directions:

• How to make a Mind Map
• Make a Mind Map on paper
• How to Mind Map

Mind map software:

Some people like to make mind maps online using free or bought software or websites. Here are a few to try out for free!

• Mindomo-Web-based mind mapping tool with a free account option
• FreeMind - A free and open source project
• MindJet - A commercial desktop tool with free trial
• Bubbl.us – Free web-based tool

If your job involves managing technology, you may want to sign up for a free e-mail newsletter from Governing magazine.  The monthly Managing Technology Letter includes brief news about technology issues in state and local government, as well as links to lengthier articles and reports.

The October 2007 issue features efforts by the state of Colorado to consolidate technology operations, as well as the results of a recent survey done by NASCIO (National Association of State Chief Information Officers) on pending retirements and the IT workforce in state governments.

Sign up for the free Managing Technology newsletter at

 http://web.omeda.com/cgi-win/gov.cgi?mode=tnlet

Some other good sources for keeping up with technology news are

Government Computer News, especially the State & Local section

NASCIO’s web site and their newsbriefs on Enterprise Architecture and on Cyber Security