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Spring Forward During Spring Break This Sunday

Posted by & filed under Special Days.

This Sunday, March 8, 2020, most of the population of the United States will perform the annual chore of setting their time-keeping devices forward by one hour, as we enter the seemingly ever-lengthening portion of the year referred to as Daylight Saving Time—surely an ironic term for the many students who will lose one precious hour of their Spring Break this year! (Usage note: don’t ever call it Daylight Savings Time, even if you’re a congressman. It’s not a bank account.)

Historical Background

World War I poster advertising the first daylight-saving lawBenjamin Franklin is credited with first conceiving the idea for a daylight-saving law, which he proposed (perhaps as a joke) in an anonymous and humorously-worded letter to the editor published in the Journal de Paris in 1784.

The first serious proposals for such a law came from the entomologist/astronomer George V. Hudson in New Zealand in 1895 and 1898, and from the builder William Willett in England in 1907. (Willett, incidentally, was the great-great-grandfather of Chris Martin of Coldplay, the band responsible for the songs “Clocks” and “Daylight.”)

Franklin’s whimsical idea was not taken seriously in the United States until Congress passed the Standard Time Act of 1918 to economize on fuel during the First World War. By then, several European countries had already adopted some version of a daylight-saving law.

The law turned out to be quite unpopular in the U.S., especially among farmers, who found it unnatural and disruptive, and it was abolished immediately after the war. It was reinstated during the Second World War, then abolished again after that war, then reinstated inconsistently by various state and localities. It has been a continual source of controversy up to the present day.

A 2019 Congressional Research Service Report for Congress summarizes the contentious history of this law over the decades.

Observance

The most recent change to the dates of observance of Daylight Saving Time was implemented as Section 110 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Under current law, Daylight Saving Time (DST) is observed in the United States from 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March until 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday in November, theoretically saving energy during the longer days and keeping children safe (and candy companies in business!) during the prime trick-or-treating hours of Halloween.

A few U.S. states and territories do not observe DST:

Controversies

Among the advantages that have been imputed to DST are that it saves electricity and the money spent on lighting during the evening hours; it offers more daylight hours for recreation after our jobs, studies, or chores and encourages people to spend more time exercising and socializing; it stimulates tourism and business; and it reduces crime and traffic accidents during the evening hours.

Opponents to DST have objected that changing the clocks twice a year is inconvenient, unnatural, and confusing; the extra cost of air-conditioning at night negates any savings in reduced lighting; the extra driving drives fuel-spending up and generates pollution; the extra hour of darkness in the morning leads to more traffic accidents and endangers children on their way to school; and the jolt to our inner circadian clocks is unhealthy.

Many of these assertions for and against have been based more on hunches than on proven facts, but there have been several studies of the effects of daylight-saving laws in various places around the world.

A 1975 study by the U.S. Department of Transportation indicated that extending DST from a six-month period to an eight-month period might have modest benefits in the areas of energy conservation, traffic safety, and reduced violent crime, although their conclusions were not asserted with much confidence.

A 2008 report by the U.S. Department of Energy indicated a small savings in electricity during the daylight saving period, while a study of daylight saving time in Indiana suggested that a reduced demand for lighting is negated by an increased demand in electricity for heating and cooling, especially in the southern states.

Perhaps most disconcertingly, several studies have indicated that there is a spike in the rate of heart attacks, an increased risk of stroke, and even a rise in the rate of suicides, following the spring time shift. (A later study challenged the conclusion that there is an increase in heart attacks following DST.)

A recent telephone survey showed that the number of Americans who believe that the advantages of daylight saving time are worth the trade-offs may be dwindling, but a White House petition to have the law abolished expired before receiving enough votes to elicit a response. For now, it seems, the law—and the controversy—will continue.

Would You Like to Know More?

Clock being set forward during World War IThe National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers to several frequently asked questions about Daylight Saving Time, as well as information about the current DST rules.

For a list of government documents and other publications at the UNT Libraries related to daylight saving time, search the subject heading “daylight saving” in the Library Catalog. More titles can be found in the Library of Congress catalog.

Visit the Daylight Saving Time WebExhibit to learn more about the history of daylight saving time, about the reasons for it and the controversies surrounding it, and about how other countries around the world observe—or don’t observe—Daylight Saving Time, often referred to as Summer Time outside the United States.

Timeanddate.com also has a helpful compilation of articles about Daylight Saving Time, including tips on how to minimize the health risks encountered when we shift the clocks forward, and a chart summarizing how DST is observed around the world.

Share Your Thoughts

What is your opinion of Daylight Saving Time? Has it affected you in a positive or a negative way? Would you like to leave our government policy as it is, change the days we observe DST, see DST go away completely, or perhaps extend DST hours through the entire year?

Article by Bobby Griffith.

Photos from Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002722591/ and http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/hec.13949/

Happy Birthday to Texas

Posted by & filed under Local Doings, Special Days.

Texas Declaration of Independence

On a cold first day of March in 1836, even as a handful of brave Texas were desperately fending off General Santa Anna and his troops at the Alamo, a convention of delegates sent by the provisional Texas government huddled in an unfinished building in Washington (today better known as Washington-on-the-Brazos), where by March 2 they had drafted and adopted a Declaration of Independence from Mexico.

During the next couple of weeks, the delegates signed the Declaration, hurriedly cobbled together a new Constitution (which incorporated large chunks of the U.S. Constitution, along with a few Mexican laws), and elected a few ad interim government officials. Then, during the early morning of March 17, with no time to lose, they skedaddled, joining the mass exodus known as the Runaway Scrape.

The battle for independence continued until April 21, when the Mexican army was defeated and Santa Anna captured. For the next decade Texas existed as an independent republic, until on December 28, 1845 it was admitted into the United States as the 28th state of the Union.

Here are some ways you can celebrate the anniversary of Texas Independence:

Article by Bobby Griffith.

Banner image of the Texas Declaration of Independence from the Texas State Library and Archives Web site.

Super Tuesday Early Voting

Posted by & filed under Local Doings, Make a Difference, Special Days.

image of vote button

March 3, 2020 is Super Tuesday, the election day in the presidential primary with the most states voting or caucusing. Texas is a Super Tuesday state, meaning you can cast your vote in the presidential primary on that day, but you can also cast your vote EARLY.

Here are some benefits of voting early:

  • You can vote at any designated polling location in the county where you are registered to vote. On election day you can only vote at your designated precinct polling location; and, for primaries these are also divided by party (Democrat or Republican [listed alphabetically]).
  • You have more flexibility of when you can vote. Early voting polling locations are open Feb 18-21 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Feb 22 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, Feb 23 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Feb 24-28 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • If you’re on or near the UNT campus on Thursday, Feb 27 at 11 a.m., you can meet-up at the Eagle Commons Library at Sycamore Hall and walk to the polling place in the UNT Gateway Center with fellow voters in honor of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote.

In addition to the presidential primary, there are several local offices on the March 3 ballot. Here are a few resources to help you locate your nearest polling location, view sample ballots, and learn more about the candidates:
  • The Denton County Election Office offers information about early voting and Super Tuesday polling locations and hours. Visit VoteDenton.com for information.
  • Vote411.org, a service from the League of Women Voters, provide sample ballots and information about the candidates. Simply search by your address for helpful information.
  • Ballotpedia offers information about candidates and current elected officials as well as information and news about voting.
  • Texas requires specific forms of ID in order to cast your ballot. The UNT Libraries Election Portal has a list of acceptable IDs.
  • Still have questions? Stop by the Eagle Commons Library at Sycamore Hall to talk with a deputy voter registrar.
Remember to meet up at the Eagle Commons Library at Sycamore Hall to walk to the polls on Thursday, September 27 starting at 11 a.m. or join us for a post-voting Liber-Tea.

Susan B. Anthony Day

Posted by & filed under Inside Sycamore Library, Special Days.

Susan B Anthony illustration

Saturday, February 15 marks what would have been Susan B. Anthony’s 200th birthday. 2020 also marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Although she may be best known for her work on woman’s suffrage, during her life Ms. Anthony worked as an activist for a number of social issues, including temperance, anti-slavery, labor, women’s rights, African-American rights, and universal suffrage.

In 1869, Ms. Anthony and her long-time friend and collaborator Elizabeth Cady Stanton co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), which worked for women’s suffrage, divorce reform, and equal pay for women. Despite Anthony’s support of universal suffrage, she opposed the 15th amendment, which prohibited denial of suffrage based on race. Ms. Anthony’s opposition to the 15th amendment was the result of the law’s failure to recognize women as citizens with voting rights. In 1872, after ratification of the 15th amendment, Anthony was arrested for voting illegally. She fought the charges unsuccessfully and was fined $100—a debt she never paid.

From 1892 to 1900, Susan B. Anthony served as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (created by a merger of the NWSA with the competing American Woman Suffrage Association). In this role she canvassed the county giving speeches, gathering petition signatures, and lobbying Congress in support of women’s suffrage.

In August 1920, fourteen years after her death, the Susan B. Anthony Act was ratified as the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Though she did not live to see the results of her life’s work, she played a crucial role in securing female suffrage at the national level. In 1979, the U.S. Treasury minted the Susan B. Anthony dollar, making her the first female to be represented on U.S. currency.

To help celebrate Susan B. Anthony Day and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, we invite you to visit the Eagle Commons Library at Sycamore Hall and take a selfie with Ms. Anthony.

Article by Robbie Sittel.

Welcome to the Sycamore Stacks!

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

Welcome to the Sycamore Stacks. This blog will share information about the collections, services, and interests of the staff and librarians at the Eagle Commons Library at Sycamore Hall. We invite you to visit the library and stay tuned to this space for a variety of information and updates.

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