Social Science sites of the week
King Center Digital Archive launched
Fabulous full text digital library providing free access to thousands of items relating to the life, times and political legacy of civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King. It is hosted by the The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change with financial support from the JPMorgan Chase’s Technology for Social Good. Browse the site by themes: these include non-violence, economics, notable sermons, and politics. It is also possible to browse by type of material including letters, photographs, oral histories, letters, sermons, speeches.
Haiti Earthquake after Two Years. Facts, Figures, and Photos- UN Dispatch feature.
UN dispatch links to some official United Nations facts and figures. These are good for a quick overview. Also useful is the MINUSTAH United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti English language details.
Office of the Special Envoy for Haiti And Haiti Standing which was created to commemorate the work of peacekeepers from the UN and includes photographs. the Haiti Quake archive contains more oral history testimonies, pictures and online video. It has been compiled from a variety of sources including: UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), OCHA, UNICEF, World Food Program, UN Foundation, and the UN. Material collected between 12 January and 1 May 2010.
DevInd
Useful graphic display of statistical data from the Indian government which has been developed using figures from various government ministries. It includes useful state profiles It is a useful supplement to the Ministry of Information website which has a full data catalogue, plus free access to some reports. Another good source of data is the Indian Census website which has some free downloads see the options on the left of the page.
Of course general facts about India can also be found in publications from international organisations including the Human Development reports and the general World Bank data site which has a country section on India.
The Economist launches free app for 2012 presidential elections.
See the explanation on the Guardian blog.explains its Electionism HTML5 app for iPad and Android. It will take content from The Economist and CQ Roll Call. It also has a noted elsewhere feature which will include twitter.
Another app (for purchase) from iTunes is the New York Times. Maclife blog has a list of other apps which it has noted.
United Nations Oral History website launched.
The Dag Hammarskjold Library now provides free access to sound recordings of its collection with key figures involved in UN history from 1945-2005. This includes insight into the founding of the UN and its peacekeeping work. The thematic index includes Cuba, anti-apartheid and conflicts in Iraq, Middle East, Korea and the Second World War. Technical and copyright information displayed on the website.
East Anglian Film Archive
Free access to clips of over 200 hours of historic film via the website. The content mainly relates to the East of England region (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk).Highlights for economic and social historians include films of garden and New towns (e.g. Harlow) War time home front.
The Atwater collection of AIDS Education Posters University of Rochester.
Free access to one of the world’s largest collections of health promotion campaigns regarding HIV aids. Includes materials from 1981 to the present day. Over 2300 can be viewed. Search or browse by keyword, date, there is also the facility to browse the collection by language or country. Holdings cover Africa, Asia, Latin America as well as Europe and North America. Copyright information is displayed on the website.
The Wellcome Library provides free access to 1980s UK government public health campaign films on this topic.
ESRC creates riots: research sub-site.
The UK Economic and Social Science Research Council has created a subsection on its website for you to quickly locate materials, projects and research outputs. Topics include: causes, community development, policing and anti-social behaviour. The Guardian also has a good section which highlights recent research
The Mexican Digital Library (BDMx)
Free access to treasures, from the Prehispanic, Colonial, Independent and Revolutionary periods. Includes Códice de Yanhuitlán.Of value to anthropologists and students of Mexican colonial history.
The US Department of State has released Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XV, Soviet Union, June 1972–August 1974.
It covers communications between President Richard Nixon and Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev critical to understanding of cold war history. Includes SALT talks on nuclear weapons. Other sites useful for this are George Washington University National Security Archive which has free electronic briefings books of declassified materials covering a wide range of cold war history topics. Cold war International History Project also has an excellent digital archive with papers and reports as well as details of ongoing research.
