Everyday Life and People
The images in this group offer a glimpse of daily life in California during the mid-1800s in big cities like San Francisco and in smaller, rural towns like Dixon and Nevada City. These photographs show some of the everyday people of the time, as well as the shops, saloons, and other establishments that served them.
Many people who came to California to strike it rich eventually abandoned their dreams of gold. They stayed in California and worked as farmers or merchants, relaxing in saloons or
Environmental Impact
The Gold Rush, positive for California in so many ways, had a devastating effect on the state's environment. Many of these problems were directly related to gold-mining technology. The process of hydraulic mining, which became popular in the 1850s, caused irreparable environmental destruction. Two images show California's largest hydraulic mine ? Malakoff Diggings, in Nevada County ? in action. (Malakoff Diggings is now a state park and open to visitors.) Dams (such as the English Dam in Nevada
Early Advertising
The modern advertising industry really began in the early 1900s. These early advertising images show how companies approached the business of selling products, places, and ideas in the early 20th century.
Overview
The promotion of products, particularly national brands, began to become more prevalent in the early 1900s. Some categories of advertising shown in this group of images are still with us today: cars, cigarettes, and products aimed at homemakers. In California, car dealers and garages
Dust Bowl Migration
In 1931, a severe drought hit the Southern and Midwestern plains. As crops died and winds picked up, dust storms began. As the "Dust Bowl" photograph shows, crops literally blew away in "black blizzards" as years of poor farming practices and over-cultivation combined with the lack of rain. By 1934, 75% of the United States was severely affected by this terrible drought.The one-two punch of economic depression and bad weather put many farmers out of business. In the early 1930s, thousands of Dus
Diversity in the Changing State
The Gold Rush had a tremendous impact on the population and culture of California. Before the Gold Rush, the population consisted mainly of Native Californians and Californios (settlers and landowners of mixed Spanish, Native Californian, and African descent). But gold fever brought people to California from all over the country and world. The Anglo Americans (of English, Irish, or Scots descent), other Europeans (including Italians, Russians, and others), Chinese, Asians, African Americans, and
Disaster
The people who came to California in search of gold were faced with the threat of disaster in every step of their journey. Many came by ship, even though shipwrecks were commonplace ? one set of lithographs depicts four shipwrecks that occurred within 60 days. Earthquakes were another fact of life in California. Sensational newspaper illustrations like "Earth Quakey Times," and photographs showing buildings in shambles, helped build the state's reputation as an "earthquake capital." Earthquakes
Chinese Exclusion Act
Starting with the Gold Rush, Chinese migrated to California and other regions of the United States in search of work. As several photographs show, many Chinese found work in the gold mines and on the railroads. They accepted $32.50 a month to work on the Union Pacific in Wyoming in 1870 for the same job that paid white workers $52 a month. This led to deep resentment by the whites, who felt the Chinese were competing unfairly for jobs. White labor unions blamed the Chinese for lower wages and la
California Cultures
California Cultures documents California's rich history of diversity and multicultural contributions. This collection including photographs, documents, newspaper clippings, political cartoons, works of art, oral histories, and other primary sources draws from Calispheres total content, and also features more than 20,000 specially digitized primary sources from special contributors.
Building Bridges, Dams, Power Plants
The large development projects of the 1930s, designed to serve a growing population, helped shape California in many ways. Most are still integral today. Photographs show the progress of two massive Northern California projects: the Golden Gate Bridge, which links San Francisco and Marin County, and the Bay Bridge, which connects San Francisco with Oakland and the East Bay. The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most recognized bridges in the world. It is unique not only because of its vermilion o
Peace Games: Prisoners of War
Play a game and find out about a Nobel Prize awarded discovery or work! Can people behave as they like during times of war? No, they can't. The Geneva Conventions of written rules and articles make some acts unlawful. Nearly all countries in the world have promised to follow these rules by signing up. The Red Cross ensures that these rules are followed. Among the Red Cross's tasks are to visit prisoners of war (POWs) who are protected by the Geneva Conventions, and provide them with assistance
Peace Games: Peace Dove
Play a game and find out about a Nobel Prize awarded discovery or work! Several people and organizations have received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts concerning nuclear weapons disarmament. Worldwide, the white dove is a symbol for peace. Take on the mission to disarm the world of nuclear weapons! You have eight "Peace Doves" to help you, each able to disarm one of the eight countries possessing nuclear weapons.
Nobel Prize: Educational Games
Play a game and find out about a Nobel Prize awarded discovery or work! These educational productions do not require previous knowledge. A central thought or issue is explored during 10-20 minutes of activity, using a specific Nobel Prize-awarded work as a springboard for the whole exercise. Students, teachers and non-professionals of all ages will enjoy testing and building their knowledge in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, peace and economics.
Individualized Reading Instruction in the Elementary Grades, Winter 2008
Explores techniques for assessment of reading and writing skills and for development of individualized instruction in classroom settings; develops strategies for meeting the needs of individual students through the evaluation, utilization, and adaptation of commercial reading materials and through the formation of principles and techniques for producing effective teacher-prepared materials.
Contracting and Signaling, Winter 2008
Course prepares you to advise clients or your own organization on the design of contracts and screening policies when one of the parties has an information advantage over the other. For example, students study the design of patent licenses (the licensor knows more about the market), the design of social systems to reduce spam (the spam sender knows more about the content before the recipient decides whether to read), and the design of performance contracts for professional services (e.g., consul
Professional Practice in Libraries and Information Centers, Winter 2009
Builds on the conceptual framework of information needs and the use of information provided in SI 501. In that course the focus is on techniques that information professionals use to understand the needs of people who employ a wide variety of information systems.Emphasis is on professional practice. Professional practice occurs both in institutional settings (including public, academic, special, and school libraries and information centers) and directly between information professionals and clie
Digital Libraries and Archives, Winter 2009
This course focuses on the current state of "digital libraries" from a multidisciplinary perspective. Its point of departure is the possibilities and prospects for convergence of professions and cultures around the notion of digital media and content. The course covers the history of the idea of the digital library and the digital archive, especially its manifestation as projects and programs in academic, nonprofit, and research settings, and the suite of policy issues that influence the develop
Management of Libraries and Information Services, Winter 2009
Information practice demands knowledge of all aspects of management and service delivery. This course introduces selected theories, principles and techniques of contemporary management science, and organizational behavior and their application to libraries and information services. Students develop skills in planning, organizing, personnel management, financial management, leading, marketing, stakeholder management, and coordinating functions in libraries and information services. Students also
Outcome-based Evaluation of Programs and Services, Winter 2009
Course provides an overview of the purposes and uses of outcome-based evaluation approaches and methods, and provides an opportunity to conduct a focused outcome evaluation of a user-focused service in a library, a nonprofit organization, an archive, a museum or other service-focused organization.
Objectives are to:
* Learn about approaches to outcome-based evaluation
* Identify and use context-centered methods for evaluating public information services
* Examine the role of evaluat
Digital Libraries, Winter 2008
This is a special topics seminar focusing on the current state of “digital libraries” broadly defined. The seminar is multi-disciplinary in focus and in method, covering the history of the idea, its manifestation as projects and programs in academic, non-profit, and research settings, and the suite of policy issues that influence their development and growth. The concept of the digital library will serve as an intellectual construct within which to explore the related concepts of scholarly c
Understanding Records and Archives: Principles and Practices, Winter 2009
Provides an understanding of why societies, cultures, organizations, and individuals create and keep records. Presents cornerstone terminology, concepts, and practices used in records management and archival administration. Examines the evolution of methods and technologies used to create, store, organize, and preserve records and the ways in which organizations and individuals use archives and records for ongoing operations, accountability, research, litigation, and organizational memory. Parti
