That’s what a friend said after he learned of the recent death of a great writer for the second time in as many days. You’ve probably heard by now that both Howard Zinn and J.D. Salinger passed away this week. Their deaths should not come as a surprise – at 87 and 91 respectively, Zinn and Salinger both lived long lives — but should let us remember their achievements, and the ways they impacted our lives.
Known best for his A People’s History of the United States, Dr. Zinn had a long and accomplished career that included teaching at historically-black Spelman College, universities in Europe, and finally at Boston University. Zinn was called a truth-teller and lover of humanity. He challenged history as often presented in mainstream texts, and believed the experiences of common folks to be at least as important as those of princes and presidents. He was raised in Brooklyn, NY, and before going to college on the GI Bill had worked as a pipefitter and then Air Force bombardier in World War II, which shaped his beliefs about war.
“Bunch of Phonies Mourn J.D. Salinger” is the headline chosen by the satirical The Onion, for its humorous meta-commentary on Salinger and A Catcher in the Rye in particular. If you haven’t read this classic dealing with teenage angst, you’ve missed a great American story (but Preston Library’s copy is checked out – try some of Salinger’s short stories instead ). I learned of Salinger’s death when I saw the New York Times’obituary. The image shown with his headshot is the same book cover as the copy that I read over and over, yet haven’t seen since my early 20s. The small volume, held together by then with a purple rubber band, hardly left my backpack as I alternately tip-toed and ran from childhood to adulthood.
Do you remember reading Catcher, or did Zinn change your perspective?
Have you found yourself ready to start a project but not sure where to go? It can sometimes be a challenge to find the best encyclopedia or dictionary to use for background information. The extensive list of research databases provided by VMI and VIVA (the Virtual Library of Virginia) can be overwhelming.
is a resource on the Preston Library Website that can help you to identify the important resources for your field of study. Librarians have also recently chosen some essential sources, labeled “key resources” in each field. A search for sources can be limited to print, electronic, and full-text, to create a customized study guide.
Stop by the reference desk or contact a librarian if you have questions about using SourceFinder.
These are just two of the many books available in the Recreational Reading section, in the Periodicals Room. Stop by and browse the shelves for something fun to read before leaving Post for the Thanksgiving holiday.
RefWorks can be a real time-saver and big help in your research. It is a useful and versatile bibliographic management software available free through the Preston Library website. Once you’re registered (it only takes a few minutes), you will be able to use RefWorks to organize your references in a personal database accessible anywhere from the Web. It will even generate a bibliography or works cited list, formatted in the style that you choose.
Some features of RefWorks:
Export citations directly from many of the Preston Library databases
Share references for a group project – there’s no limit to the number of accounts created
Create folders to organize your research
Import references from a documents
Search your references
Format a bibliography, choosing from hundreds of output styles including several VMI-specific styles
RefWorks has recently added lifelong account access and a mobile phone interface, so if you’ve got a mobile phone, smart phone or PDA, you can use RefWorks there, too.
Please stop by the reference desk if you want help registering for RefWorks or if you have any questions or send us an email at ReferenceDesk@vmi.edu
