Locavore App

You will never be far away from fresh, seasonal produce with the Locavore App. The iPhone Locavore App uses GPS technology to find your location in order to display a list of fruits and vegetables that are in-season and should be available, if not soon, from local farmers’ markets. This App can be purchased from the Apple iPhone App store, as listed under “Lifestyle”. *

Do note, though, that the App draws information from LocalHarvest.org where you, too, can look to source your produce locally—no iPhone required.

*Note: I have supplied this information merely for interest as to how one may obtain the App. I do not stand to profit personally from such endeavors.

Friends Used Book Sale (March 25-28)

The Friends of UW-Madison Libraries will host a used book sale, March 25-28, in Room 116 of Memorial Library.

A preview sale, with $5.00 admission, will be held from 5:00 until 9:00 PM, Wednesday, March 25. The regular sale, which is open to all at no charge, will be held from 10:30 AM until 7:00 PM on Thursday and Friday, March 26-27.

On Saturday, March 28 (10:30 AM – 1:00 PM), you can bring a bag and fill it for $3.00. Between 1:05-2:00 PM, remaining books are free.

Wisconsin Film Festival (April 2-5)

Tickets remain on sale for the Wisconsin Film Festival (April 2-5), hosted at campus, public and independently-owned theaters in the heart of Madison—all conveniently within walking distance of one another. The festival brings Madison audiences some of the finest examples of independent, local and international film-making. Among the highlights of this year’s festival is the special selection of films called The Cream and the Crop: Farming and the Land on Film.

Additionally, the Babcock Hall Dairy has crafted a themed ice-cream for the film festival—namely, “In the Dark” with such tasty ingredients as chocolate malt ice cream, chocolate truffle pieces, chocolate chips, dark fudge swirl, and pecans.

State of Birds Report

While we may speak historically and metaphorically of canaries in coalmines, in actuality, all bird species speak to the health of their ecosystems, remaining an early warning system. The State of Birds Report has continued to document declines in bird populations during its 40 years of reportage. The current 2009 report lists particular species at greatest risk and suggestions for remediation within respective ecosystems.

For more information about bird species, do consult the online edition of Birds of North America. This comprehensive reference tool details the life histories of more than 716 North American species. The online edition, a product of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, supplies descriptive text, image collections, audio and video to illuminate aspects of behavior and habitat.

Showcase 2009

The annual UW-Madison Showcase is slated for Tuesday, March 24 at the Memorial Union. The Showcase is an opportunity to share best practices and to learn from campus colleagues the efforts made to improve work processes, learning environments and campus climate. While all events and programs are free, participants are asked to register. In order to plan your day, preview the draft program. The first Showcase made its debut in 2000.

Look for campus librarians in the Great Hall Exhibits area for a demonstration of the Ask a Librarian service!

Wearing of the Green

Seeing as it is St. Patrick’s Day, I am sporting a green sweater. Not only is it green in color, but it is made from a sustainable fiber. As we look to outfit ourselves, now and in the future, it will be worth considering not only how our clothing is designed, but also how it is produced. The Steenbock collections offer a variety of titles to explore sustainable fashion and design. Should any of the following titles be circulating to other library users, do speak with your librarians for assistance locating additional copies or related titles.

Author: Black, Sandy.
Title: Eco-chic: the fashion paradox / Sandy Black.
Publisher: London: Black Dog, c2008.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: TT497 B53 2008

Author: Crown, Fenya.
Title: How to recycle old clothes into new fashions / Fenya Crown; drawings by Kristine Campbell.
Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, c1977.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: TT550 C76 1977

Title: Ecotextiles [electronic resource]: the way forward for sustainable development in textiles / edited by M. Miraftab and A.R. Horrocks.
Internet Links: Available through ENGnetBASE
Publisher: Cambridge : Woodhead Pub., 2007.
Call Number: Use Internet link(s) in this record.

Author: Fletcher, Kate, 1971-
Title: Sustainable fashion and textiles: design journeys / Kate Fletcher.
Publisher: London; Sterling, VA: Earthscan, 2008.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: TT507 F583 2008

Title: Sustainable fashion: why now? : a conversation about issues, practices, and possibilities / [edited by] Janet Hethorn, Connie Ulasewicz.
Publisher: New York: Fairchild Books, c2008.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: TT497 S87 2008

Spring Break Hours (March 13-22)

Steenbock Library observes the following hours during spring break (March 13–22, 2009):

Friday, March 13: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Saturday - Sunday, March 14 -15: CLOSED

Monday - Friday, March 16 - 20: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Saturday - Sunday, March 21 - 22: CLOSED

Classes and library spring semester hours resume March 23, 2009.

Concert at Chemistry

The Science, Arts, and Humanities Program of the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy presents a Concert at Chemistry. This musical performance will feature UW-Madison faculty, students and colleagues, including the following with their respective instruments:

• Chemistry professor John Berry (viola)

• Chemical engineering professor John Yin (cello)

• Pre-med undergraduate Krista Stewart (violin)

• Graduate students Stephanie Frye and Kirstin Ihde (tuba and piano)

• Music professor Marc Fink (oboe)

• Music professor Christopher Taylor (piano)

The concert will be held, Thursday, March 12, (1:15 - 2:10 PM) in Seminar Hall (Room 1315) of Daniels Chemistry Building.

For more information about the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy and its programs, visit its site at: www.scifun.org.

Poetry Open Mic (March 10)

College Library will host an evening of Illumination’s talent with an open mic reading in the Open Book Café (Room 1250) beginning at 7:00 PM. Participants are invited to bring a poem or short prose selection to share—be it from their original work or from the collections of a favorite writer. Coffee and hot chocolate will be served.

Illumination: the Undergraduate Journal of Humanities provides a terrific publishing venue for students to showcase their talents in art/design and creative writing.

Pandora Internet Radio

As a research librarian, I must confess that I am charmed by search engines—particularly ones that can be customized or that can run nifty algorithms to tease-out related records or files to the query I have entered, often prefaced by such phrases as “find more like this one” or ‘find similar or related’ records. While a hallmark of such products as Amazon and other commercial sites, this feature is making its way into many of the libraries’ subscription databases, including Academic Search and Web of Science, among others.

Music fans, though, may be interested in the fun and free, Pandora Internet Radio site, where the site user can enter an artist or song in order to discover similar music as codified by the Music Genome Project. Essentially, each song in the Music Genome Project has been analyzed and assigned a set of attributes, fleshing out a particular identity for that song, be it by such attributes as genre, recording artist, instrumentation, vocals, lyrics, etc. Searches by a favorite song or artist/album will produce a list of attributes and similar music that you may also enjoy and can listen to instantly. By choosing “create a station” you can listen to selections of that similar music, as you would a radio station, thereby identifying other artists/music of interest.

Signing on to a free account enables the user to save and to customize his/her “station” of suggested music. See Pandora's FAQ for more information.

Women's History Month (March)

What began as a grassroots movement in the late 1970s to raise awareness of women’s history with, what was then, “Women’s History Week,” now enjoys month-long reflection with a collection of informative sites from the Library of Congress and other government agencies—including the US Census Bureau with its Facts for Features data column.

Should you wish to find research literature on any number of topics within women’s history and/or gender studies, do consider using the following campus library databases, accessible via the E-Resource Gateway (SubjectBrowse, Choose Category "Social Sciences", then Sub-Category "Women's Studies").

• Contemporary Women’s Issues

• GenderWatch

• Women’s Studies International

Additionally, the Women’s Studies Librarian’s Office supplies a rich listing of online resources and bibliographies.

Speak for the Trees

Today, March 2, would have been the 105th birthday of one of the most beloved among authors, Dr. Seuss (aka Theodor Geisel, 1904-1991).

And, in musing upon his enormous contribution to the canon of children's literature, I cannot help but think fondly of my favorite character amidst his work--the Lorax, whose message proves the most enduring, in light of our real world awareness of the price paid when immediate gain diminishes common sense, sustainable practice.

I was raised among people who planted trees, with one of my earliest memories being that of casting soil upon the roots of one planted for me. I saw the oaks that surrounded my home as benevolent, worldly creatures with which I would carry on conversations.

And, today, as then, the Lorax, in his attempts to defend his ecosystem, can move me to tears.

If you are so given to conversing on all things Seuss, do consult with your favorite librarian to locate one of the several biographies and critical works available in campus library collections.

Additionally, Steenbock Library has many titles devoted to arboriculture, biodiversity, forest ecology, and sustainability in its many aspects, among other topics. Again, consult with library staff for assistance locating these and more from the collections.

Do you have a favorite character from Dr. Seuss? If so, reply to this post.

Good Eating with CSAs

Despite the chill in the air, it is not too early to consider your options for getting terrific fresh produce from area growers.

The MACSAC organization (Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition) will host an open house at Olbrich Gardens, March 28, from 1:00-4:00 PM.

At the open house, you will be able to chat with growers and to evaluate the different share options—often weekly or every-other-week deliveries of seasonal produce, eggs, cheese, honey or meat depending upon share plan and CSA farm. (And, many of these same growers also participate in the area farmers’ markets).

In order to plan ahead, take a look at the MACSAC 2009 Farm List to consider farms and share options that will best satisfy your appetite for produce and level of participation. Many of the farms have application forms that you can submit now.

In addition to supporting a local economy and savoring the fresh produce, there are some other incentives. Many health plans furnish rebates for CSA participation. Shares can also be donated to assist families in our community in need. And, less we forget, there are opportunities to volunteer and to learn more with an internship at an area farm or MACSAC event.