Hello!

We're back into the fall term here at Berkeley--my second full fall term, since I arrived here December 1 of 2005. I remember it took me until my third fall at Oregon to feel comfortable and not too anxious about the sudden upswing in instruction requests, reference questions, and general demand. This year I'm a little insulated by the fact that I'm not a departmental liaison, but the campus is still definitely hopping. It's hard to find anywhere to park my bike!

And yes, the reference desks have picked up...

• I'm looking for articles in old Architect and Engineer journals, as well as other sources of articles, about Piedmont houses and architects at the turn of the century.
  
• I'd like to email myself an article from Agricultural History, but I can't figure out how to do it. (It's a PDF.)
• Where do I look to find these articles about Park Merced and Thomas Church?
• I'm looking for information to support my thesis that the US government should pursue real diplomacy with Iran on the nuclear issue, rather than consider war an option. (PAIS for think tank reports; Melvyl for books.)
• I'm looking for stats on the percentage of American who don't have health insurance, the prices people pay for insurance and healthcare costs, the percentage of annual inflation, etc. (Statistical Abstract of the United States.)
• I have a citation for a New York Supreme Court Case--how do I find the actual court transcript for it?
• Where do I list my rental for students to find it?
• I'm looking for secondary sources on publicists and agents--press agents for actors from the 1920s and 1930s. I.e., articles on the industry/profession of being a PR person, agent, or handler for actors/celebrities. (MLA, FIAF, Melvyl, referred to Variety for time period.)
• I designed this tower (displays balsawood model) and I need to know whether it would stand up in real life. My GSI says it won't. (??? Asked colleague who went to architecture school whether he knew of a source for this. Referred to structural engineering sources.)
• I'm looking for books about Native Americans and sports. I'm interested in mascot and team name debates, as well as in Native American participation in sports.
• I'm looking for books about sustainable design and energy-efficient buildings.
• I'm looking for an article on Barack Obama that was published in Newsweek in February or March. (It was in Time.)