A free subscription source of useful links each week

These links below, provided by the wonderful Librarians' Internet Index (LII; subscribe by email or RSS), were forwarded to me by Diana Schuetz, my co-editor on The Wilson's Almanac Book of Days (thanks Diana). They are a good example of what you can get each week with a free sub to LII:

E-Verify
"E-Verify (formerly known as the Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program) is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees." Includes details about employers registering online, and material for employees. From U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Running for Office: Candidates, Campaigns, & the Cartoons of Clifford Berryman
"The political cartoons in this exhibit, drawn by renowned cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman, illustrate the campaign process from the candidate's decision to run for office to the ultimate outcome of the election." Also features descriptions of Berryman's recurring characters (such as the Democratic Donkey, Republican Elephant, and teddy bear), printable downloads of the cartoons, and desktop background images. Companion to a 2008 physical exhibit at the National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Calendars Through the Ages: The Christian Calendar -- Easter
Answers to questions about how the date of Easter is calculated. The site notes that "the calculation of Easter is complicated because it is linked to (an inaccurate version of) the Hebrew calendar." Topics include the "golden number" (representing the relationship of the moon phases to days of the year) and epact. Also includes material about Greek Orthodox Easter. Sponsored by the Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement and public and private supporters.

Encyclopedia of Life (EOL)
This web site "is an unprecedented global effort ... by [n]atural history museums, botanical gardens, other research institutions, and dedicated individuals ... to create the most complete biodiversity database on the Web." As of March 2008 there were about 25 exemplar species pages, covering species such as the yellow fever mosquito, peregrine falcon, death cap mushroom, and cacao. Materials include photos, description, and details about ecology and cultural relevance.

Global Distribution of Poverty
This project's mission is "to enhance current understanding of the global distribution of poverty and the geographic and biophysical conditions of where the poor live." Its web site features maps, datasets (with information about malnutrition and infant mortality rates), papers and presentations, and the 2006 "Atlas of Poverty." From the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University.

Categories: internet-resource