Tips for Chicago voters

Whether you're a first time voter this November, or you've been voting in Chicago for years, we have some tips to help you navigate the Chicago polls this election season.

Where and when

The Chicago Board of Elections offers a quick online tool where you can find your voter registration status, polling place, sample ballot and more:

ChicagoElections.com

Enter your street address and last-name to get a map to your polling place, and a sample ballot for your district.

The Board of Elections site also provides a full list of early voting locations and hours.

Sample ballots

Chicago is divided into 50 distinct legislative districts, referred to as city wards. The ward you live in determines which ballot you will see on election day.

To preview a sample ballot from your ward, click on the Sample Ballot tab after finding your voter registration status and polling place on the Board of Elections site:

Download the PDF sample ballot to see exactly which candidates and ballot measures you'll be voting for this election season.

Vetting the candidates

Now that you know who the candidates in your district are, where can you find trust-worthy, non-partisan information about them?

Here are two librarian-approved websites that are a good place to start researching candidates and issues:

• Project Vote Smart
  This volunteer-driven citizens organization offers access bio's, voting records, interest group ratings, and campaign finance info for every candidate and elected official from President to local government.
  
  Project Vote Smart also provides an issues overview that lists and details bills and measures currently on the ballot in Illinois.
  
  
• FactCheck.org
  This project from the Annenberg Public Policy Center checks and reports the factual accuracy of whatever candidates say in their tv ads, debates, speeches, and in the news.
  
  

So many judges, so little time

If you've voted in Chicago before, you're probably already dreading that long list of judges on the ballot.

In the upcoming election, nearly 60 judges are running for retention or re-election. So, how do you know which judges deserve your vote?

Several organizations in Illinois rate and evaluate judges. You can find these evaluations and other information about judicial elections at:

VoteForJudges.org

The Committee to Elect Qualified Judges also offers a judicial voting guide formatted for your phone:
mobilejudges.com

Go Vote!

Now you have all the information you need to head to the polls with confidence.

Don't be afraid to print out sample ballots and judicial voting guides and bring them with you into the voting booth.

And, whatever you do, DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

Take a Tour of the Library

This one’s just for YOU!

Come on…don’t you need to know how the Columbia College Library works?

Sign up for a Library Orientation Tour: http://libcal.colum.edu/tours

Mondays & Tuesdays:

• 11:00am - 11:30am
• 11:30am - 12:00pm

In one swift visit, you’ll hit the main Library hot-spots and learn some snappy-fast moves for navigating the Library Homepage.

Register now! We’re waiting for you!

Haute & Cool: On Shirley's Radar

On my radar for summer:
es·pa·drille/ˈespəˌdril/

1. "Espadrilles are normally casual flat, but sometimes high heeled shoes originating from the Pyrenees. They usually have a canvas or cotton fabric upper and a flexible sole made of rope or rubber material molded to look like rope. The jute rope sole is the defining characteristic of an espadrille; the uppers vary widely in style.
   
   "The term espadrille is French and derives from the Occitan & Catalan name for the shoes, espardenya, which derives from espart, the Occitan/Catalan name for esparto, a tough, wiry Mediterranean grass used in making rope. Espadrilles have been made in Pyrenean Occitan a and Catalonia since the 14th century at least and there are shops in the Basque country still in existence that have been making espadrilles for over a century. Traditional espadrilles have a canvas upper with the toe and vamp cut in one piece, and seamed to the rope sole at the sides. Often they would have laces at the throat that would be wrapped around the ankle to hold the shoes securely in place. Traditional espadrilles are worn by both men and women."
   -From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



2. Espadrille
   A canvas shoe with twisted rope soles, originally worn in Spain, but popular for beach and sportswear for visitors to Spain and France from the 1920s. Expensive designer versions have been made, but the original style, impractical in wet weather, is the disposable summer footwear of choice for many Europeans.”
   -From Berg Dictionary of Fashion History (M & later F) Period: 1920s onwards

Disposable? Not so happy about that…impractical in wet weather…really?

In any case, if you were me, you’d pick some up! Where: at the Columbia College Bookstore or that other store that has the red bulls-eye for a logo! Just look at these beauties!




Fashion musings by Shirley Bennett.

VAST Streaming Video Available!

 

New in the Columbia College Library

VAST:  Academic Video Online 

 http://emils.lib.colum.edu/login?url=http://vasc.alexanderstreet.com/ 

(please use this full URL when adding to syllabus, Moodle, email, etc.)

The Vast: Academic Video Online database from Alexander Street Press currently provides faculty with over 13,000 video titles from a wide range of disciplines, with new titles being added on a regular basis.  By 2013 VAST expects to have over 20,000 films available for faculty and students.

Faculty can easily provide links to high-quality video in their syllabus and embed links or video clips in their Moodle class.

Disciplines covered in VAST include:

• American History
• Area Studies
• Art and Architecture
• Business and Economics
• Counseling and Therapy
• Dance
• Education
• Ethinic Studies
• Ethonography
• Health
• Humanities
• Law & Criminal Justice
• Opera
• Politics & Current Affairs
• Psychology
• Religion & Philosophy
• Science
• Theatre
• Women & Gender Studies
• World History
• World Language & Literature

 With the VAST platform features you can:

• Create and share custom clips and playlists
• Speed-Browse the video with a visual TOC
• View synchronized scrolling transcripts alongside each video, search the transcript while watching, and jump forward and backward to search your term
• Cite whole videos or your custom clips using permanent URLs
• Email, share, and embed links in Moodle
• Access the videos with your mobile device (iPhone, iPad, Android)

To add a specific video to your class:

• Select the video you want to use
• Click on the Embed/Link option

 

• Copy the PERMALINK and past it into your syllabus or Moodle class