The American Library Association (ALA) has created this excellent resource for those seeking to learn about books that have been challenged around the United States. These lists have been compiled by the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom since 1990. Users can dive in by browsing the listings on the left-hand side of the page including Authors By Year, "Banned & Challenged Classics," and "30...

Friendica is a decentralized, peer-to-peer social network. Users may select one of the 16 recommended public servers or opt to self-host a server on hardware they control. Much like email, it's possible to "friend" users with accounts on different servers. Within Friendica itself, users will find familiar social network features such as public posts, direct messages, hashtags, photo albums, likes,...

Wallace Invented 'New Style, New Comedy' http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94629055 Author created 'Jest' in Syracuse http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf?/base/news-15/122155534751021.xml&coll=1 In Memoriam: David Foster Wallace [pdf] http://www.pomona.edu/ADWR/president/dfw1.shtml Considering David Foster Wallace...

There is much about the Jewish experience in America that is similar to that of other immigrant groups, including the processes of acculturation, discrimination, acceptance, and assimilation, to name but a few. This special online exhibit from the Library of Congress features more than two hundred objects of American Judaica from its extensive holdings, supplemented by other items loaned by other...

Encyclopedia Britannica ends print, goes digital http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-rt-us-encyclopediabritannicabre82c1fs-20120313,0,338011.story After 244 Years, Encyclopaedia Britannica Stops the Presses http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/after-244-years-encyclopaedia-britannica-stops-the-presses/ Encyclopedia Britannica to stop printing...

A fraternity for women, Pi Beta Phi, built a settlement school in Tennessee to honor the 50th anniversary of the fraternity. This website has digital collections of letters, diaries, and scrapbooks related to the founding of the school, as well as historical photos of the surrounding community and an interactive gallery of artwork that resides at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, the...

As the dog days of summer begin to set in, humans tend to flock like seagulls to the sun and sand of the shore and sea. This Topic in Depth examines several topics of interest from food chain on a beach to coral reefs. The first site (1), from the National Park Service, offers a look at the exceptionally beautiful Canaveral National Seashore. The site gives information about the flora and fauna...

The From the Ground Up initiative is an ongoing collaboration between artists living in Lawrence, Kansas and scientists and teachers from the University of Kansas and the Kansas Geological Survey. The project "seeks to capture the imagination of students of all ages who are interested in the landscape around them and exploring the connections between human history, art, geography, biology and...

Close to 1700 veterans of the United States Armed Forces pass away each day, and often many of their stories and experiences are lost before there is time to document them for posterity and future generations. Fortunately, there is the Veterans History Project, which was commissioned by an act of Congress, and which is dedicated to collecting and preserving the experiences of these veterans and...

In the ancient world, the king or a clutch of religious leaders had the final say of what was built in cities, and where it was built. Several millennia later, the situation is governed by a wide range of regulatory bodies and elected councils, and in some parts of the country, it is easier to start work on one's tax returns than taking on the valiant task of understanding local land use...