May 2011: Muntz Library Features Book Display for Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. In honor of the observance, the UT Tyler Robert R. Muntz Library is featuring a book display on the third floor. This year, we have chosen a selection of literature and fiction from Asian Americans as well as Asian authors. As always, the books in the display case can be checked out. If you see a book that interests you, simply visit our Circulation Desk. Our staff will be happy to let you have the book if you have your valid library card (for students, faculty, and staff, that's your P2 card). If you would like to learn more, here are some online resources that may be of interest:

• Here is the official presidential proclamation of the month by President Obama for May 2011.
• The Library of Congress, in collaboration with other agencies such as the Smithsonian, has a website for Asian Pacific American Heritage with images, information, and other resources.
• The Edsitement! site, provided by the National Endowment for the Humanites, also has a website for Asian Pacific American Heritage. This site is very useful for school teachers; actually, Edsitement!, which bills itself as "the best of humanities on the web" is an excellent teacher resource.
• The National Register of Historic Places, part of the National Park Service, has a list of places that "showcases historic properties listed in the National Register and National Park units highlighting important aspects of the Asian and Pacific experience in America."
• The Smithsonian also offers some resources.
• The Law Library of Congress (part of the Library of Congress) has a page with a guide to various legal documents related to the observance such as presidential proclamations and legislative actions.
• The U.S. Census Bureau has put out a set of facts and figures on Asian/Pacific American Heritage. For example, did you know that 50% is "the percentage of single-race Asians 25 and older who had a bachelor's degree or higher level of education. This compared with 28 percent for all Americans 25 and older"?
• The Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (OMHD), part of the Centers for Disease Control, have health facts and information for Asian and Pacific Americans.
• Sometimes, legislators will make a statement related to an observance. This is not on the level of a presidential proclamation, but it is a sign that the legislator recognizes the significance of the event. For example, here are statements by U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi. As of this post, I was unable to locate statements from our U.S. Senators for Texas (if any reader does locate something from our Texan delegation, feel free to share in the comments). This varies. Not all legislators make a statement for every event. This type of statement tends to be pretty short.
• Federal agencies often make statements too, or they take the opportunity to highlight some aspect of interest related to the observance. I have noted some above, but there are others. For instance, the U.S. Department of State is highlighting profiles of their workers who are of Asian/Pacific American descent. For our students, that link also has information on careers at the Department of State.
• Closer to home, the Vietnam Center and Archive at Texas Tech has an online exhibit and information on Asian Pacific American Heritage with photos, narratives, and other items of interest.
• Also, if you are looking for additional books to read on the topic, you can view our previous reading lists here and here that we featured here on The Patriot Spot.
• And of course, if you have any specific questions, or you wish to learn even more, you can always contact your friendly librarian.