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100 Years of Keeping You in the Know

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Great Moments in American Life, History, and Culture:
An Essay Contest

Entry Form - 24 KB Word file | 32 KB PDF file

Entry Deadline: November 26

All UT students are invited to enter our essay contest as part of the University of Tennessee Libraries’ celebration of its 100 years of participating in the Federal Depository Library Program.

The contest is an opportunity to discover and explore government publications that have contributed to a better understanding and appreciation of people, places and events that helped to shape America’s rich and varied history.

With the essay contest, we seek to encourage and challenge students to broaden their understanding of the research process through creative discovery of primary source materials, both print and digital.

Essay Requirements:

  1. Choose a milestone document from the LexisNexis Congressional Database that reflects a great moment in America. It can be a law, hearing, report, committee print, regulation or statement from the Congressional Record, but it must be a primary source publication taken from the database. Write a 500 word essay, telling why and how the document has influenced life, history, and culture in America.

    To access the LexisNexis Congressional database, visit www.lib.utk.edu/databases and enter "lexisnexis" in the search box.

  2. Essays must be typed and double spaced. Entries can be submitted as a Word document or pdf by sending as an email attachment to govdocessay@utk.edu. Entries can also be printed and hand-delivered to the reference desk, 1st floor, Hodges Library. The entry form must be submitted with the essay.

  3. You must attach your essay to an entry form. Entry Form - 24 KB Word file | 32 KB PDF file

  4. The essay must be solely the work of the entrant. Brief quotations, if properly documented, may be included in the essay.

  5. Only one essay may be submitted by each entrant.

  6. Winning essays may be used in the University Libraries publicity and will also be shared with the LexisNexis Corporation, sponsor of the contest.

Eligibility:

  1. Entrants must be registered students of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

  2. Full time staff who are also students and employed by the University Libraries are not eligible.

Entries:

  1. Essays must be submitted with the entry form and signed.


  2. Essays must include the full citation of the government document that is the subject of the essay.

Judging:

  1. Essays will be judged both on style and content.


  2. Judges will look for writing that is clear, articulate, logically organized and that makes a compelling argument.

Winner Notification:

  1. The winners will receive one of the following prizes:
    • 1st prize - $300
    • 2nd prize -$200
    • 3rd prize - $150
    • 4th prize - $50

  2. The first 100 entrants will receive a gift for participating

The University of Tennessee Libraries gratefully acknowledges the support provided by the LexisNexis Corporation.

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About Periodicals/Government Documents and Microforms

Phone:865-974-6870; 974-6886
Fax:865-974-3635

120 A Hodges Library
1015 Volunteer Blvd.
Knoxville,TN 37996-1000

Librarian: Janette Prescod