International Literacy Day, celebrated annually on the 8th of September since it began in 1965, is an opportunity for governments, civil society, and stakeholders to highlight improvements in world literacy rates, and reflect on the world’s remaining literacy challenges. The issue of literacy is a key component of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This year’s theme, ‘Literacy and Skills Development,’ explores integrated approaches to support literacy and skills that will ultimately improve people’s lives and work, and contribute to equitable and sustainable societies. International Literacy Day specifically focuses on skills and competencies required for employment, careers, and livelihoods, particularly technical, vocational, and digital skills.

Get involved in supporting literacy efforts where you live through the Alaska Literacy Program or the Literacy Council of Alaska.

–adapted from the International Literacy Day website.

Determining whether a given source is primary or secondary can be difficult sometimes.  And, just to make things more confusing, in a few cases a source can be both!

Consult the Library Guide, Primary or Secondary?, listed on the Get Help page to help you decide.

Also check out this blog post from the Library’s Archives and Special Collections about the Odlin Letter, a source that is both primary and secondary.

If you need more help, ask us!

Often considered among the most important scientists in history, Linus Carl Pauling, famous chemist and two-time Nobel prize winner, was born on February 28, 1901.  He is the only person (so far) to win two unshared Nobel prizes, for chemistry in 1954, and the peace prize, for his opposition to nuclear weapons, in 1962.

Read more about Pauling’s life and the many books and papers he published, including his peace activism efforts, in these sources available in QuickSearch.

This year, the Great American Smokeout will be on November 16, 2017, when smokers across the country take part in the American Cancer Society’s annual event. The Smokeout began nationwide in 1977, so this year will be the 40th anniversary.

Take a look at these resources from the Library Catalog that encourage people to stop smoking and take an important step toward a healthier life.

Take a look at the new arrangement of the Library’s Research Guides.  Many are new, others have been completely revised, and the rest have been rearranged to make them much easier to find and access.

A special section called Get Help highlights selected How-to Guides, where you’ll find step-by-step instructions and other helpful information on many of the tasks you may encounter as you do your research.

We welcome suggestions for other Guides to add, so feel free to let us know what else you’d like to see on the list.