Hi all,

Recently I read an interview of William D. Adams, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).  Last month, while on a trip to Seoul, South Korea, he made a case for study of the humanities and its importance in the education process. The STEM field, (science, technology, engineering, and math) has been promoted as the way to go for students seeking careers that are growing and in-demand. But, the value of humanities is often lost in that conversation.  He stated in part, "We under-sell the vocational relevance of humanities…”  Successful students and employees are effective communicators. “One of the key communication skills is what he called the "cultural competence," the ability to understand and work with partners with different values and ideas.” 

This got me thinking about coverage of the humanities in the MeL Databases and websites.  Are we achieving our goal of providing access for Michigan residents to a balanced core collection that includes (among other things) coverage of humanities topics?  I think the answer is yes. Britannica School, Gale Virtual Reference Library, Michigana, and Research in Context are some of the resources where students can research human culture as we experience, understand and record our world. So whether it’s philosophy, cultures, languages, or literature, MeL databases are there to help.  

MeL Minutes are brought to you by the Library of Michigan.  Want more information on MeL?  Stay tuned for next week’s MeL Minute available on many Michigan library listservs, email us at contact@mel.org  or visit http://mel.org. We encourage you to share MeL Minutes with your colleagues and networks.

Eunice

Eunice C. Borrelli

Michigan eLibrary Internet Librarian

Library of Michigan/Michigan Dept. of Education

517-241-4996

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