Connecting the Native Americans of New Mexico to Quality Health Information

Native American Health Information Services at the University of New Mexico, Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center is connecting the Native Americans of New Mexico to Quality Health Information.  Native services are focused on health information delivery, health information training and collection development consultation.

Native Health Databases
The Native Health Databases contain citations and abstracts of health-related articles, reports, surveys, and other documents pertaining to the health and health care of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Canadian First Nations.  If available, a copy of the article will be sent to the requestor free of charge.

Tribal Connections Four Corners Go Local
Links Tribal Communities in northwestern New Mexico, northeastern Arizona, southwestern Colorado, and southeastern Utah to Reliable Health Care Information.  This is an online directory of health services linked from the National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus web site for consumer health information.  It lists hospitals, clinics, dialysis centers, nursing homes and other health-related services in the Four Corners.

For more information contact:
Patricia Bradley, MLS
Native American Services Librarian
505-272-0664
pbradley@salud.unm.edu

Mining on the Navajo Nation

Recently, the Los Angeles Times published a four part series about mining on the Navajo Nation: “From 1944 to 1986, 3.9 million tons of uranium ore were dug and blasted from Navajo soil, nearly all of it for America’s atomic arsenal. Navajos inhaled radioactive dust, drank contaminated water and built homes using rock from the mines and mills. Many of the dangers persist to this day. This four-part series examines the legacy of uranium mining on the Navajo reservation.”

The Navajo Nation Museum is hosting the Indigenous World Uranium Summit 2006 in Window Rock, November 30-December 2. Summit Goals: Organize Resistance to Current and New Uranium Mining in Native Communities; Support Enforcement of the Diné Natural Resources Protection Act of 2005; Stop Nuclear Waste Dumping on Native Lands; Develop National and International Collaborations on the Nuclear Fuel Cycle; and Promote Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy for Native Peoples.

Marley Shebala, “Undaunted Muckbreaker”

The October 2 issue of High Country News features independent newspapers throughout the West including the Navajo Times and it’s longtime reporter Marley Shebala.  Read the full-text article at http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=16586.
Ethnic NewsWatch, a UNM Libraries database, indexes and provides the full-text to the Navajo Times.  Dates of coverage: Feb. 8, 1995 to the present with a five month embargo period.  For example, as of today, coverage includes Feb. 8, 1995 to May 18, 2006.

Contact me, paulita@unm.edu, if you have any questions about using Ethnic NewsWatch.

American Indian Mascot News

“The Last Dance for Chief Illiniwek?” - article from the Chicago Sun-Times about the demise of Chief Illniwek at the University of Illinois.

UNM Assistant Professor, Chris Sims, to Testify

“Assistant Professor to Testify on Native American Language Preservation” - “College of Education assistant professor Christine Sims will testify before a congressional committee in Albuquerque. The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce will hold a hearing on “Recovery and Preservation of Native American Languages” Thursday, Aug. 31 at 2:30 p.m. at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th Street NW in Albuquerque.”

UNM Daily Lobo Article

“American Indians’ Graduations on the Rise” - an article about rising graduation rates from 2000-05 at UNM main campus and its branches.

Fall 2006 Semester Starts @ UNM

Fall semester hours for all libraries on campus: Centennial Science & Engineering, Fine Arts, Parish and Zimmerman.

Check out the latest information about Zimmerman Library since the fire on April 30: ulupdatefall2006.pdf

For information about journals and magazines lost in the April fire, read about it at http://elibrary.unm.edu/firejrnls.php.

Do you have a reference question? Ask a Librarian!

Do you have questions about American Indian/Indigenous materials at University Libraries? Contact the Indigenous Nations Library Program Librarian: paulita@unm.edu, 277-4243.

Happy Fall Semester!

Article About American Indian Financial Aid

The article from Diverse Online is titled, “Solving the Funding Riddle,” by Gary Boulard. It is about getting information about financial aid sources out to American Indian students. Fall semester is about to start at UNM and it may be a little late for this semester, but this article can get students to start thinking about future funding sources. I also provide below links to various organizations mentioned and give print resources that students at UNM can use.

Sources mentioned in the article:

American Indian Graduate Center
American Indian Science and Engineering Society

Sources available to UNM students:

Financial Aid for Native Americans, 4th Ed., 2003-05. Location: Zimmerman Library, LB2338 F5646. The 2001-03 ed. is also available electronically through Netlibrary.

Third Floor in Zimmerman to Reopen Monday, July 17

The Second Floor will remain closed, but patrons can access books via the paging system. Zimmerman is open Monday through Friday, 8:30-4:30 pm, and these hours will be effect until the entire fire alarm system is operational.

See the Zimmerman Services Updates page for more information.

Indigenous Planning Bibliography

A bibliography created by Savannah Gene, UNM student, under the direction of Professor Ted Jojola of the Community and Regional Planning Department, is available online.  It includes articles from books and journals, as well as theses and dissertations.  It is organized by subject, and includes architecture, land use, community development, etc.