This week Merriam-Webster Inc, the company responsible for producing that venerable dictionary announced its top 10 "words of the year" list, with the immensely popular "blog" taking the number one place. The company compiles the list each year by taking the most researched words on its various Web sites, and of course, always omits such consistently favored profanities. Interestingly enough,...

The materials here explore the history of the Armenian literary tradition, and are among the finer additions to the Library of Congress's online exhibits. These items complement an in site exhibit at the Library which included the first complete Armenian-language printed Bible and a finely illustrated 1962 Soviet edition of the Armenian national epic. The items here are collected into four primary...

The Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN) recently added a section to their site that features an archive related to victims, survivors, and commemoration in post-conflict Northern Ireland. The University of Ulster received funds to tackle the task, and it took them two years to complete it. Visitors interested in an enlightening read about who is considered a victim of 'the Troubles' should...

Librarians might read the title of this website and think, "Huh, 1000 journals, my library subscribes to lots more than that," but these are the type of journals that contain stories, writings, and drawings by people all over the world. The site documents a project that consists of 1000 physical, paper and print journals that have been travelling at random throughout the world since August of...

Last mentioned in the July 9, 2004 Scout Report, 1000 Journals is a Museum 2.0 project (where the audience participates in as well as views the project) from SFMOMA. Organized by Someguy, a San Francisco-based artist and designer, 1000 journals were circulated beginning in August of 2000, initially only to people who asked for them, these people then added something to the journal - writing,...

5 Minute Librarian is a frequently updated blog founded by public librarian Jess Bacon that may appeal to librarians, educators, and anyone who works closely with young readers. Authored by a team of librarians, 5 Minute Librarian's tagline is "All you need to know in all the time you have." In keeping with this mission, this blog offers helpful tips and ideas related to collection development,...

Senator J.W. Fulbright served the United States and the state of Arkansas in the Senate for four terms in the period after World War II. He was an astute student of American foreign policy, and he remained a "voice of calmness in the halls of congress, counseling international cooperation, the exchange of information, and support for the United Nations." The University of Arkansas's Special...

The 4th of July brings out orators of all stripes, and over the past two centuries many distinguished Americans have seen fit to offer their own encomia on this day. This lovely collection from the University of Missouri's Ellis Library brings together published pamphlets made on Independence Day from 1791 to 1925. The speeches take a look at crucial topics from this time period, including civic...

Sure, you might know that Longfellow was a member of the literati who called Maine home, but did you know that Robert McCloskey was one as well? In case you might have forgotten, McCloskey was the author and illustrator of those children's classics "Make Way for Ducklings" and "Blueberries for Sal". It's easy to learn about dozens of Maine authors via this delightful website created as part of a...

Back in the salad days of the British Empire, there was a Queen named Victoria. She defined an age in a way that few could do today, and certainly not for sixty years. While her writings are not represented in this fine online collection, it contains writings of many who flourished during her long reign. Bartleby.com recently placed the complete "A Victorian Anthology, 1837-1895" here, and...