Discovering Countries and Cultures at UC Libraries

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On November 15 UC Libraries hosted an event focused on exploring  countries and cultures. Librarians Pam Bach and Olya Hart engaged students in planning the event. During brainstorming sessions students suggested discussing the phenomenon of culture shock and sharing what surprised, puzzled, or scared them when they came to the U.S. At the suggestion of Srinivasa “Sid” Thatham, President of the Indian Students Association, we started the event with the video American culture shock for international students, which inspired a lively discussion. Continue reading

A Display of Human Rights and Human Wrongs

Basic RGBIn celebration of International Education Week, the Marx Law Library and UC Libraries collaborated on a display in support of UC’s First-Year Student Common Reading Program and the book Justice. The display, titled “Justice Around the World: Human Rights and Human Wrongs,” features the College of Law’s Human Rights Quarterly and the Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights.  Both are edited by Bert Lockwood, Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Director, Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights. The display, on view through the end of the semester, is located on the 4th floor lobby of  Langsam Library. Continue reading

The Right Thing to Do: Cite Your Sources

During the month of October designated as National Information Literacy Awareness Month UC Libraries invites students to think about scenarios that have to do with the way we use information and decide what is the right thing to do. Earlier this month we posted the following prompt:

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Continue reading

Travel the World with UC Libraries! Destination for Today: Bolivia

Bolivia_flag_smFeatured country: Bolivia.

Red on the Bolivian flag symbolizes valor (e.g., the blood of patriots spilled in battle); green, hope and the fertility of the land; and the yellow band in the center represents the country’s vast mineral resources.

Point of interest: Tiwanaku (Tiahuanaco/Tiahuanacu).
This pre-Columbian archaeological site in la Paz is a UNESCO World Heritage

Sacred Statue in Tiwanaku - Bolivia

Sacred Statue in Tiwanaku – Bolivia

Site. Tiwanaku is believed to have obtained its name from an Aymara term, taypikala (“Stone in the Center”). Founded around 200 BC, this ancient city is  considered an important predecessor to the Inca Empire. Tiwanaku has outstanding stone carvings and ancient buildings that exemplify the Andean pre-Hispanic civilization.

 Source: Global Road Warrior.

Featured library resource: Collins world atlas : clear, detailed, and up-to-date mapping, latest stunning satellite images, UNESCO world heritage sites.  London : HarperCollins, 2010.
Langsam Reference Oversize G1021 .H59846 2010  

Posted by Olga Hart

Travel the World with UC Libraries! Destination for Today: Belarus

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Featured country: Belarus.
The Republic of Belarus is situated in north-eastern Europe. The official languages are Belarusian and Russian.

Interesting fact about Belarus: The Belavezha forest reserve is home to the zubry (European bison), which became extinct elsewhere in Europe long ago.

Source: CultureGrams

Featured library resourceEthnologue: Languages of the World

Posted by Olga Hart

Travel the World with UC Libraries! Destination for Today: Bangladesh

_51528592_bangladesh_mapFeatured country: Bangladesh.

Fact: Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh came into being only in 1971, when the two
parts of Pakistan split after a bitter war which drew in neighboring India.

Source of the country information and image: BBC News Profile – Bangladesh.

Featured resource: Foreign Information By Country (prepared by the University of Colorado Government Documents Department).

Posted by Olga Hart

Travel the World with UC Libraries: Destination for Today: Bahrain

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Featured country: Bahrain

Bahrain is nestled on the western side of the Arabian Gulf, between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It is connected to Saudi Arabia by a causeway.

Interesting facts about Bahrain:

  • Bahrain consists of 33 islands, only 3 of which are inhabited.
  • Bahrain’s al-Khamis Mosque is the oldest Islamic structure in the Gulf region.

Source: CultureGrams

Featured library resource: Background Notes/Country Fact Sheets. See a report on Bahrain at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/26414.htm.

Posted by Olga Hart

Travel the World with UC Libraries! The Destination for Today: Azerbaijan

This post continues the series featuring library resources about the countries represented by the UC international community.

9flagFeatured country: Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan is located in southwestern Asia between Iran and Russia, it has a 713-kilometer (443-mi) coastline on the Caspian Sea.
Interesting fact about Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan features 9 of the Earth’s 11 climatic zones in various locations throughout the country, making it unique from a climatological perspective. Azerbaijan’s climatic zones range from a semi-desert to a moderate area by the Caspian Sea.
Source: Global Road Warrior
Feature resource: Climate (in the Country Information CampusGuide).

Posted by Olga Hart