jan09c.indd I n t e r n e t R e v i e w s Joni R. Roberts and Carol A. Drost The American Presidency Project. Access: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu. Established in 1999 at the University of Cali­ fornia­Santa Barbara, The American Presidency Project is an impressive resource for the study of the Presidency, complete with a searchable database of more than 84,000 records. This project offers a rich combination of both cur­ rent and historical information on American Presidents from 1789 to 2008. The homepage includes current presiden­ tial information, such as the 2008 newspaper endorsements, with some historical refer­ ences such as a “Today in History” feature. From the homepage are three search options for locating documents in the archive. The first option offers a basic Boolean search with limits for date range and document category, as well as the ability to exclude documents from the Office of the Press Secretary. The second option allows users to search by Public Papers document number, Executive Order number, and Proclamation number and limit by date range. The third option allows visitors to browse by Document category or by President and to search by specifi c date. The archives are not only searchable using the database, but can also be found through the navigational links on the page. On the “Data” page, the documents are grouped into categories. The “Documents” section links to items such as Inaugural addresses from 1789 to 2005 and documents related to the 2000 election dispute. Using colored maps, the “Elections” area of the project offers a highly visual representation of the country’s party allegiances over the decades. Included in the “Media” section is an audiovisual archive that has documents such as Richard Nixon’s re­ marks on departing the White House, George Joni R. Roberts is associate university librarian for public ser vices and collec tion development at Willamette University, e-mail: jroberts@willamette. edu, and Carol A. Drost is associate university librarian for technical services at Willamette University, e-mail: cdrost@willamette.edu W. Bush’s address to the nation following the September 11 terrorist attacks, and a news conference from John F. Kennedy. In addition to the audio files having text equivalents, visitors to the site have the op­ tion of using del.icio.us, Digg, Facebook, and more. Lastly, each Presidential library Web site can be found on the links page. The American Presidency Project contains a wealth of information that is presented through an attractive, yet highly functional, Web site. Researchers, students, and trivia buffs alike will find themselves exploring these primary documents for just one more piece of his­ tory.—Debbi Renfrow, University of California­ Riverside, debbir@ucr.edu Calisphere. Access: http://www.calisphere. universityofcalifornia.edu/. Of the multitude of exciting possibilities created by the Internet, one of the most useful is the access to unique resources where avail­ ability would previously have been physically restricted to a single library or archive. With digitization, all sorts of primary sources have become available through virtual representa­ tions of archives, papers, photographs, and other artifacts. Produced by the University of California (UC) and the California Digital Library, Cali­ sphere provides a free public gateway to a world of primary sources, which include documents, photographs, diaries, oral his­ tories, and newspapers. More than 150,000 items concerned with California history and culture have been digitized. These resources were drawn from collections in the libraries and museums of the various UC campuses, as well as from other organizations dealing with California’s heritage. The primary sources that Calisphere has collected have been gathered into a browse­ able A–Z list, and three sections: a themed collection arranged by historical period, with overviews providing context; a collection entitled “California Cultures,” capturing im­ C&RL News January 2009 58 http:universityofcalifornia.edu http://www.calisphere mailto:debbir@ucr.edu http:del.icio.us mailto:cdrost@willamette.edu http:http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu ages of African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic Americans; and the “Japanese American Relocation Digi­ tal Archive,” which includes transcribed oral histories, public documents, photographs, and art works that portray this dark episode in U.S. history. These collections are all searchable by keyword. The sections and the alphabetical list sup­ port the California Content Standards in His­ tory­Social Sciences, English­Language Arts, and Visual Arts, for use in public elementary and secondary school classrooms. Information and links to sample lesson plans, source analysis sheets, and other teach­ ing aids are included. Calisphere also provides links to more than 300 UC­affiliated Web sites that showcase the diverse collections and interests represented at the various UC campuses. Subjects covered in this list of Web sites include history, math, literature, anthropology, fi lm, contemporary art, and architecture, as well as other topics. The Calisphere site states that its audience is elementary and secondary school teachers and students, but the resources included can be useful to anyone seeking primary sources that deal with topics related to California history and its relationship to the United States and world history. This is a valuable resource for those doing research in history and American studies and is highly recom­ mended.—Ford Schmidt, Willamette Univer­ sity, fschmidt@willamette.edu Pew Hispanic Center: A Pew Research Center Project. Access: http://pewhispanic.org/. Finding statistics and other research on Hispanic experiences in the United States is greatly enhanced by a visit to this site. The Pew Hispanic Center (PHC) strives to improve understanding of Latinos and their growing impact on the nation by il­ luminating views on a range of social and public policy issues. Reports, fact sheets, press releases, surveys, and datasets from the various studies and public opinion polls conducted and commissioned by PHC since 2001 as well as links to related resources find a home here. The visually attractive presentation not only enhances one’s ability to navigate the site, but also to absorb all the information. Interactive maps, charts, and other images on the homepage help to simplify and bring alive complex and potentially dry data. A regularly changing “Featured Research” section dominates the homepage, followed by recent reports. A “Topic Index” on the right side includes links to nine major categories: “Demography,” “Economics,” “Education,” “Identity,” “Election ’08,” “Im­ migration,” “Labor,” “Politics,” and “Remit­ tances.” Multiple access points provide broad ac­ cess to the many documents available here. In the style of other Pew Research Center projects, each publication includes a short paragraph with highlights and a PDF of the complete report. Surveys also offer links to full research datasets. Connections to related Pew Hispanic ma­ terials appear strategically, funneling visitors to content throughout the site. An archive provides chronological access to more than 100 publications. Finally, searching the site via the Google box helps dredge up documents less visible through more linear means. For instance, a search on “high school” retrieved fact sheets, press releases, full reports, and other data not found browsing the pages. The site is text dense, but worth the effort. The Pew Hispanic Center brings bal­ anced reporting to Latino issues in education, health care, voting, finance, immigration, and related trends in the United States that will af­ fect us all. Highly recommended for students, political scientists, marketers, researchers, policy makers, or just interested citizens who desire greater insight into the Hispanic experience in America.—Barbara Valentine, Linfield College, bvalen@linfi eld.edu January 2009 59 C&RL News http:http://pewhispanic.org mailto:fschmidt@willamette.edu