UWSP Libraries

Looking for a unique way to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg? Battle Hymns:  The Power and Popularity of Music in the Civil War By Christian McWhirter Call Number:  ML 3551.4 .M39 2012 Review from the Civil War Monitor Publisher's Description :  Music was everywhere during the Civil War. Tunes could be heard ringing out from parlor pianos, thundering at political rallies, and setting the rhythms of military and domestic life. With literacy still limited, music was an important vehicle for communicating ideas about the war, and it had a lasting impact in the decades that followed. Drawing on an array of published and archival sources, Christian McWhirter analyzes the myriad ways music influenced popular culture in the years surrounding the war and discusses its deep resonance for both whites and blacks, South and North. Though published songs of the time have long been catalogued and appreciated, McWhirter is the first to explore what Ameri

Big Data:  A revolution that will transform how we live, work, and think By Viktor Mayer-Schonberger and Kenneth Cukier   Call Number:  QA 76.9 .D343 M396 2013 Read a review from the New York Times   or learn more on YouTube Publisher's Description:  A revelatory exploration of the hottest trend in technology and the dramatic impact it will have on the economy, science, and society at large. Which paint color is most likely to tell you that a used car is in good shape? How can officials identify the most dangerous New York City manholes before they explode? And how did Google searches predict the spread of the H1N1 flu outbreak? The key to answering these questions, and many more, is big data. “Big data” refers to our burgeoning ability to crunch vast collections of information, analyze it instantly, and draw sometimes profoundly surprising conclusions from it. This emerging science can translate myriad phenomena—from the price of airline tickets to the text o