Open Campus Forum, Copyright

The UW-Madison Libraries are sponsoring an open campus forum to look at how copyright issues have an impact on faculty, staff, and students. The goal of the forum will be to initiate an institutional discussion of the issues surrounding copyright, and to help identify specific examples of how faculty, staff and students encounter copyright challenges in their work.

Forum on Copyright Issues
December 2, (1:00 - 2:30 pm)

Open to all interested individuals.
Memorial Union (TITU)

Although registration for this forum is not required to attend, you can submit a Registration Form.

Wild about Turkey

Given that the Thanksgiving holidays are often celebrated by feasting—either upon a mythologized spread featuring a signature bird, or upon that which you would rather--I offer up several titles from Steenbock’s cookbook collection so that you may prepare accordingly (ideally amid friends and family).

(For some additional information about all things “turkey”, take a look at the Madison Public Library’s Turkey Resource Page (books and Web pages).

With turkey:

Title: Holiday food fun--creative ideas for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas & more
Publisher: Lincolnwood, Ill. : Publications International, c1993.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: TX739 H6524 1993

Title: Wild about turkey: tantalizing tastes of turkey and all the trimmings, with recipes for Thanksgiving ... and beyond / National Wild Turkey Federation; [recipe editor, Ed Bamberger]
Publisher: Memphis, TN : Wimmer Co., c1996.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: TX750.5 T87 W55 1996

Without turkey:

Author: O'Brien, Susan, 1955-
Title: The gluten-free vegan: 150 delicious gluten-free, animal-free recipes
Publisher: Cambridge, MA: Marlowe & Company, c2007.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: RM237.86 O13 2007

Author: Brill, Steve.
Title: The wild vegetarian cookbook : a forager's culinary guide (in the field or in the supermarket) to preparing and savoring wild (and not so wild) natural foods, with more than 500 recipes
Publisher: Boston, Mass.: Harvard Common Press, c2002.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: TX837 B824 2002

Author: Jaffrey, Madhur, 1933-
Title: Madhur Jaffrey's world vegetarian
Publisher: New York: Clarkson Potter, c1999.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: TX837 J15 1999

And, if you cannot locate one of these titles from the collection or if it is already checked out, do speak with a librarian for assistance; we can help you locate a copy.

Campus Libraries' Holiday Hours

During the week of the Thanksgiving holiday, campus libraries will observe some changes from their regular hours of operation. Do plan ahead should you need to visit the libraries or pick up items from their collections. Steenbock Library hours are posted on our home page and on our hours page. Hours of operation for all campus libraries can be found by browsing the list of libraries at the campus libraries page.

Of course, online resources are available twenty-four hours every day and can be accessed from off-campus as well.

Green Your Holidays

The Horticulture Society is selling poinsettias ($14.00), Norfolk Island pines ($8.00), and Christmas cacti ($8.00)—great for cheering your living space or for giving to the plant-lovers you know and appreciate.

Sale ends November 26; send your purchase request to a Society member through email (uwhortclub@hotmail.com) or by visiting the Horticulture Department main office (1575 Linden Drive).

For more information, visit the Plant Sale page.

As the Snow Flies

What with the dusting of snow we received this week and the anticipation of much more, I thought it would be appropriate, if not fun, to share some recommended book titles—the theme being “snow”.

Charlie English, deputy editor of the Saturday Guardian has generated a books column with his recommendations of those snowy titles.

With the exceptions of English’s own title and Snow by Ruth Kirk, campus libraries have copies of all the books recommended on this list. (Other Kirk titles are in the collections; Snow can be obtained using a UW System search and retrieval!)

Undergraduate Research Awards

College Library invites students to apply for its annual Undergraduate Research Awards. The awards will celebrate excellence and creativity in using the library to complete an undergraduate research project.

(Examples may include a literature review for a lab study, the use of primary sources in a historical research paper, or the background research for a creative arts project).

Up to three Library Research Awards and one Research in Progress Award will be presented at the Undergraduate Symposium. (The Research in Progress Award is intended for projects that will not be completed before the award deadline).

Winners of Library Research Awards will receive a cash prize of $300. The winner of the Research in Progress Award will receive a cash prize of $150.

(Please note: The Financial Aid Office may need to modify your aid package if you were to receive outside aid, such as this cash prize).

Applications are due by April 1, 2009

How to Apply—the process:

• Meet with a librarian or attend a drop-in information session to review and discuss your research.
• Reflect on the various tools and strategies used to locate relevant materials.
• Write a 600-800 word essay describing your research strategies and reflecting on your experience, noting the successes, difficulties, and surprises you encountered.
• Submit an application, a statement of faculty support, a final version of your project, and the essay.
  

Drop-in information sessions will be held at College Library (1193D):

Wednesday, January 28, 2009 (5:00-6:00 PM)

For more information, contact College librarian Kelli Keclik or College Library Director, Carrie Kruse.

Badgers Abroad

The most indelible experience from my undergraduate years was the one year I spent abroad. One step off the plane and my life would never be the same. Not only did I augment my comprehension and fluency with another language but also my ability to cope with change, to go with the flow, and to feel comfortable in my own skin.

During International Education Week (November 17-21), you may wish to explore what programs are available to take you abroad. The Division of International Studies has also launched a blog where faculty, staff, students and alumni share information about their various experiences.

Additionally, it is important to note that there are often internships, loans and scholarships available that can help with defraying the cost of international opportunities. See the Financial Information pages posted on the International Academic Programs site.

Other study abroad opportunities are listed at the CALS Study Abroad site.

Change is in Order

The office of President-Elect Barack Obama offers an interactive Web site where you can read news and learn more about the new administration’s transition process.

An additional site—Presidential Transition Resources--also describe this process—with organizational charts and links to documents explaining the duties of the executive, legislative and judicial branches, laws regulating the orderly transition of the executive office, inauguration practice, and requirements for conduct and record-keeping.

The White House Transition Project is a site that attempts a non-partisan approach to information-sharing regarding the challenges of the transition process and some strategies for overcoming them with analysis provided by university scholars and policy analysts.

Google Flu Trends

Using statistics gathered from searches entered into its search engine, Google is exploring its ability to predict outbreaks of the flu. In other words, Google is measuring the trend, so to speak, to use the Web to seek information or guidance regarding health issues—perhaps by searches that query ‘flu symptoms’ or similar. For some additional information, see the Guardian article.

Of course, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also track the flu virus. See the Flu Activity and Surveillance page.

NIH Policy Workshop (Nov 13)

As of April 7, 2008, all investigators who are funded by NIH must submit their accepted, peer-reviewed manuscripts to PubMed Central upon acceptance for publication. These manuscripts will be made available to the public on PubMed Central within 12 months of the publication date.

UW-Madison Libraries have agreed to help campus implement this initiative. This workshop will answer questions regarding this policy and supply researchers with assistance for compliance.

For more information, see:

Campus Libraries NIH Public Access Policy page
NIH Public Access Policy site


Complying with the NIH Public Access Policy

Thursday, November 13 (noon-1:00 PM)

Steenbock Library, Room 340

No registration is necessary in order to attend.

Visit the calendar for a listing of other library workshops offered this fall.

Job Hunting Workshop (Nov 13)

Discover resources and strategies for job hunting on the Internet/Web. The workshop will cover resume writing resources, databases for job postings, tips for finding non-advertised jobs, and methods for researching potential employers. There will be time for hands-on exploration.

Job Hunting on the Internet

Thursday, November 13 (3:30-5:00 PM)

Steenbock Instruction Lab, Room 105

No registration is necessary in order to attend.

Visit the calendar for a listing of other library workshops offered this fall.

Short Course Welcome

Steenbock Library welcomes CALS Short Course students to campus. The Farm and Industry Short Course, founded in 1885, is a 17-week program of study designed to prepare its students for great careers in agriculture.

(For more information about this program’s history, take a look at A History of the Farm and Industry Short Course, 1885-1985 that was issued during its centennial. This publication and more can be found by visiting the University Archives).

The library with its collections, staff and proximity to the residence halls is prepared to assist students with finding and using resources to complete class projects. The library also supplies lab and group study spaces and access to recreational materials from our entire campus library system.

Art Reception, Open Book Cafe (Nov 11)

The Open Book Café (College Library) will host an art exhibition of student work contributed to Illumination: The Undergraduate Journal of Humanities. Mingle with the artists and Illumination staff over cider, popcorn and cookies, tonight, at its opening reception from 6:00-7:00PM. The art will remain on display through February.

Keeping Current

Make those library databases work for you! Many of the databases to the research literature permit you to save a search that will pull citations, either weekly or monthly (you choose), and email you that retrieval—provided there is new content that matches your saved search. These alerts are easy to set up and are especially useful for ongoing research where you will want to keep track of a particular topic over time.

For more information about email alerts (and RSS feed options), see the Libraries’ Alerts and RSS page. Steenbock librarians are also happy to assist you with selecting a database and constructing the search.

Managing Your Copyright?

Scholarly publishing is rapidly changing as new technological developments are made in the publishing industry. To expand the reach of research and to maximize its value in this new environment, many researchers are taking a more active role in managing their copyright. In support of these efforts, the UW-Madison Libraries encourage you to be aware of your rights as an author and can help you to navigate and to manage your copyright.

If you are interested in exploring ways to negotiate these rights, need assistance using the endorsed addendum or have any questions related to issues of fair use or the re-use of materials in your teaching, please contact the Libraries for assistance. Visit the UW-Madison Libraries’ Scholarly Communication and Publishing Web site or contact your library liaison.

Test Prep Online

Do you need to prepare for an entrance or professional exam? If so, take a look at the following resources:

Testing and Education Reference Center (or find this resource using the E-Resource Gateway)

Use this resource to access full-text practice tests and study guides. These practice tests and guides enable you to prepare for college and graduate entrance exams (ACT, SAT, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT), college credit exams (AP, TOEFL), and civil service and licensing exams (clerical, law enforcement, postal, etc.)

LearningExpress Library (access via the Madison Public Library, Research & Reference Services page)

Use this resource to access interactive practice tests, e-books, and courses/tutorials in such areas as reading, writing and math skills, college and professional school entrance exams, and more. Log in by entering your public library card number.

Additionally, many campus libraries have study guides to entrance and professional qualification exams in their collections. Run a MadCat search or speak with a librarian for assistance.

(With thanks to Wendt Library for inspiring this blog post).

One More Day!

Election Day is tomorrow, November 4! Are you ready to cast your vote?

The polls are open from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM. In order to vote in Wisconsin, you need to be registered and you can still do that at your polling place on Election Day.

Use the following links to find your polling place.

Where Do I Vote? (City of Madison)

Voting on campus (dorm polling locations)

Additional information:

Voter Information, FAQs (Elections Division, State of Wisconsin Government Accountability Board)

Wisconsin, Election Information You Need (VOTE411.org)

Sources for information about the candidates and issues:

Wisconsin Vote

For a bit of fun, be sure to stop by Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shops for a free scoop during its Democracy Never Tasted So Sweet campaign!