ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 114 / C&RL News ■ February 2004 Recent science an d e n g in e e rin g g ra d u a te s A ccording to a n e w ly re le a se d study, a b o u t 95 p e rc e n t o f 1999 a n d 2000 scien ce a n d engineering baccalaureates w e re U.S. citizens. A m ong m aster’s deg ree recipients, h o w ever, o n ly 75 p e rc e n t w e re U.S. citizens. N early h alf o f re c e n t science a n d en g in eerin g baccalaureate recipients re p o rted that th ey atten d ed com m unity colleges. John Tsapogas, et a t. N ational Science Foundation, Division o f Science Resources Statistics, "Characteristics o f Recent Science and Engineering Graduates: 2001," NSF 04-302. www.nsf.gov/sbe/srsZnsf04302/start.htm. December 23,2003 Trends in In te r n e t usage W h ile o n lin e activity c o n tin u e s to g ro w fo r m u c h o f th e U.S. a d u lt p o p u la tio n , th e grow th in th e n u m b e r e d Americans going online has slow ed. For th e p ast tw o years, the p r o p o r tio n o f a d u lts u s in g th e I n te r n e t in th e U n ite d S tates h a s re m a in e d n e a r 63 percent. Internet users are doing m o re things online. O nline banking sh o w e d th e highest g ro w th o f all In te rn e t activities, in c re a sin g 127 p e rc e n t fo r th e p e rio d 2000-2002. E- m ail co n tin u e s to b e th e prim ary activity o f m o st In te rn e t users. Mary Madden, "America's online pursuits: The changing picture o f w ho's online and w h a t they do." W ashington, D.C.: Pew Interne t and American Life Project, w w w .pew internet.org/reports/toc.asp2R eports106. December 22, 2003 R ead in g to c h ild re n T h e p e rc e n ta g e o f ch ild ren re a d to freq u en tly b y a fam ily m e m b e r in c re a se d fro m 78 p e rc e n t in 1993 to 84 p e rc e n t in 2001. C hildren w h o s e p a re n ts re a d to th e m b e c o m e better readers a n d p erform b e tte r in school. O th e r family activities su ch as telling stories a n d singing songs also encourage literacy skills in children. U.S. D epartm ent o f Education, National Center fo r Education Statistics, "The C ondition o f Education 2003, NCES 2003-067, Indicator 37." W ashington, D.C.: U.S. G overnm ent Printing Office, 2003. J. R. R. T o lk ie n an d th e OED W hile familiar to scholars a n d aficionados, it is n o t w id ely k n o w n th at th e au th o r o f the Lord o f th e Rings trilogy w o rk e d o n th e staff o f th e O x fo rd English D ictionary in 1919 a n d 1920. T olkien w a s an assistant to e d ito r H en ry Bradley. H e w o rk e d o n w o rd s n ear d ie beginning o f die letter ILÇ including waistcoat, w alnut, walrus, a n d w a m p u m . Later, in 1969, h e e v e n con trib u ted to th e entry for th e w o rd hobbit. T h e slips o f p a p e r o n w h ich so m e o f his w o rk ap p e a rs in T olkien’s han d w ritin g survive in th e OED archives. Peter Gilliver, "J. R. R. Tolkien and th e OED," Oxford English Dictionary News, June 2002 newsletter, www.oed.com/ newsletters/2002-06/tolkien.html. December 22,2003 L ite rac y in U.S. cities A re c e n t stu d y u sin g d a ta fro m th e U.S. C ensus, n e w s p a p e r circu latio n rates, library resources, publishers, a n d o th e r public docum ents, profiled th e 64 largest U.S. cities. In th e “Overall” rankings, M inneapolis, Minnesota; Seatde, W ashington; a n d Denver, Colo ra d o ra n k as A m erica’s m o st literate cities. O n e o f th e in d icators w a s a p u b lic library in d e x c re a te d fo r th e study. Miami, Florida; Las Vegas, N evada; a n d Louisville, K en tucky, ra n k e d highest in this indicator. John W. Miller, "America's most literate cities," University o f Wisconsin-Whitewater, www.uww.edu/cities/. Decem ber 26,2003 G ary P a ttillo is re fe re n c e lib r a ria n a t th e U n iv e rs ity o f N o r th C a ro lin a -C h a p e l H ill, e -m a il: pattillo@ refstaff. lib. unc. edu F a G a s r y P t a t t i F l l o acts http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srsZnsf04302/start.htm http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp2Reports106 http://www.oed.com/ http://www.uww.edu/cities/