The American Schools of Oriental Research awarded their 2009 Open Archaeology Prize to an interactive, searchable map of Israeli archaeological digs in East Jerusalem and the West Bank hosted by the USC Digital Library. The map enables scholars to explore a database of post-1967 digs compiled by an Israeli, Palestinian, and U.S. team led by USC College professor of religion Lynn Swartz Dodd and Rafi Greenberg of Tel Aviv University. The map was recently featured on the L.A. Times arts blog Culture Monster and Science magazine’s ScienceInsider blog.

Tune in to 60 Minutes this Sunday, November 22 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT as Morley Safer reports on James Cameron’s upcoming 3D movie Avatar and what Cameron learned about special effects at the USC Cinematic Arts Library.

The Sri Lankan journalist gave a brief overview of the island nation’s history from pre-colonial times through the 25-year civil war between Tamil separatists and the Sinhalese-majority government. He also described the humanitarian crisis after the most recent outbreak of violence in 2009 and the suppression of the media by the Sri Lankan government. Keep reading for more about the lecture.

The USC Libraries subscribe to Newsbank, which provides focused information about current events and research topics in everything from sports and people to the arts and humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Keep reading for search tips to help you do in-depth research about key events and issues the media is covering in November.

Matt Gainer, head of the USC Digital Library, is collaborating with USC’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture on a documentary photography and oral history project in Slab City, an informal community located on the remains of a Marine base near the Salton Sea in the Mohave Desert east of Los Angeles. The project explores the impulses that lead people to live “off the grid” and how they create a sense of community and place.

Sanath Balasooriya, the 2009 Feuchtwanger Fellow, will speak at noon on Thurs., Nov. 19, in the Friends of the USC Libraries Lecture Hall in Doheny Library. He also appears on Wed., Nov. 18, at Villa Aurora in Pacific Palisades. At both events, he will discuss the civil strife in his native Sri Lanka, the conditions faced by the Tamil minority, and his experiences as a journalist and human rights activist. Balasooriya is president of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association and a member of the Sri Lanka-based Free Media Movement and Journalists for Peace.

Jon Vidar, photographer and multimedia services consultant for the USC Libraries, won an Award of Distinction at FotoWeekDC last Thursday for his self-portrait in front of the Disney Concert Hall in downtown L.A. Keep reading to see his award-winning photo and read his account of the trip to D.C.

At her Oct. 22 Friends of the USC Libraries Literary Luncheon, novelist Lisa See reflected on sibling rivalries and the nuances of what is for many people the longest relationship in their lives. In Shanghai Girls, sisters Pearl and May Chin have a complicated relationship. In this clip, See shares a funny anecdote about her sister Clara.

The USC Libraries subscribe to the Web of Science and Web of Knowledge databases. To help you get more from these resources, the publisher is offering live and recorded training on topics ranging from basic search functions and citation metrics to specialized classes on EndNote and Reference Manager. Keep reading for a complete schedule of online classes. 

The director of the Harvard University Library and historian of books and print culture will speak at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in the Friends of the USC Libraries Lecture Hall on the second floor of Doheny Library. Presented by the USC-Huntington Early Modern Studies Institute and the USC Libraries, his talk is titled Old Books and e-books.