Go Big Read! Get your Copy!

“Go Big Read 2009” will be UW-Madison’s first common book program where students, staff and the community are invited to read the same book, then participate in a variety of related programs in-and-out of the classroom.

The inaugural year selection is Michael Pollans’ In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.

Your options for obtaining a copy to read include the following:

Library Copies:

Campus Libraries and Madison Public Library have ordered additional copies for check-out.

Student Copies:

First Year Students who wish to participate can get a free copy. Copies will be available following the Chancellor's Convocation on September 1st at the Kohl Center. Any First Year Student not attending the Convocation, can pick up a copy at the Center for the First Year Experience Office.

Students enrolled in courses that are using the book will get free copies. Copies will be delivered to courses during the first weeks of class. Should students miss their in-class delivery, their copies can be requested from Circulation desks at participating libraries (Chemistry, College, Ebling, Memorial, Steenbock and Wendt).

Other students can purchase a copy of the book for $5.00 at Newell's Deli, Memorial Union, and Breese Terrace Union. After August 25th, copies can also be purchased at Carson's Carryout in Carson Gulley Commons and Ed's Express in Gordon Commons.

University Community Copies:

University staff, Wisconsin Alumni Association members in current-standing, Wisconsin Union members, and Friends of UW-Madison Libraries can purchase a copy for $8.00 at Newell's Deli, Memorial Union, and Breese Terrace Union. After August 25th copies can also be purchased at Carson's Carryout in Carson Gulley and Ed's Express in Gordon Commons.

Campus and community bookstores offer the title for purchase (many at a discounted rate).

Other formats/accessible copies:

Should you need access to an alternative format for the book, do note that College Library loans copies of the book in audio format and that other accessible editions can be requested by contacting the Go Big Read program (email: gobigread@library.wisc.edu)

Free Library Tours and Workshops!

Steenbock Library offers free tours and drop-in workshops to students and staff!

Come learn about library resources and services that can make your work easier. We offer a variety of workshops to satisfy many interests, whether that be that to harness a citation management product or to search more effectively using Google or the MadCat Catalog.

Plan to attend any of the workshops on the current fall schedule (and printable PDF). If you cannot attend one of these particular workshops, we can arrange individual or small group sessions. Send us your request using our online form.

All workshops are free and include hands-on time to explore the resource. No reservations are necessary. We look forward to seeing you there!

Ride the Drive (Sunday, August 30)

Grab your bike (walking shoes or rollerblades, too) and explore a bit of downtown Madison with this Sunday’s Ride the Drive event!

Ride the Drive will feature a car-free, six-mile loop (8:00am-2:00pm) from John Nolen Drive to East Washington, around the Capitol Square to State Street and back. As there will not be any particular start or stop, you will be able to join the fun at any location.

Live music, “comfort stations”, food venues and more will line the route.

Enjoy!

National Community Gardening Week (Aug 23-29)

The US Department of Agriculture has declared August 23-29 to be "National Community Gardening Week"!

According to Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, “Community gardens provide numerous benefits including opportunities for local food production, resource conservation, and neighborhood beautification… But they also promote family and community interaction and enhance opportunities to eat healthy, nutritious foods. Each of these benefits is something we can and should strive for."

Get to know your community gardens! The Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, works with more than thirty-one community gardens in the Madison area.

If you are interested in learning more about community gardening initiatives, consider browsing Steenbock Library collections. Run a MadCat catalog search to find these resources (HINT: try using “community gardens” or “community gardening” as a search term).

Among these resources are the following:

City Bountiful: A Century of Community Gardening in America

Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty

Community Garden Book: New Directions for Creating and Managing Neighborhood Food Gardens in Your Town

You can also learn more, or find a community garden in your area, by visiting the American Community Gardening Association’s web site.

Do also explore links from the USDA's People's Garden Project.

With thanks to Amanda W for selected titles. For additional library resources, see her original blog post.

Get Your Fall ASM Bus Pass!

ASM bus passes for the fall semester can be picked up at Steenbock Library.

Collect your pass, weekdays (August 24-September 11), 10:00 AM until 5:45 PM in Room 240 (across the room from the main entrance).

While most UW students qualify for an ASM Bus Pass, there are some conditions. See the ASM FAQ page to learn more.

If you are not able to pick up your pass during this three week period, you will be able to pick one up from ASM StudentPrint Offices, beginning September 14, 2009. StudentPrint is located on the third floor of the Student Activity Center, 333 East Campus Mall.

MindSet List, Class of 2013

Welcome to college, Class of 2013!

Beloit College has released its annual Mindset list. While it is important to note that this list does not wholly account for knowledge and experience, it does serve to capture a state of affairs—be it popular culture, technology or political situation—within the lifespan of the traditional, incoming college student.

It certainly lends itself well to discussion and to reflection upon where we’ve been and where we may be heading. Of interest to those of us who work in libraries is the statement that incoming students have probably never used a card catalog to look for a book (that is, of the traditional cabinet & cardstock variety). While this may well be the case, the essence of the catalog has simply migrated to an online form—in our case, MadCat. Come speak with campus librarians with your questions about how to use MadCat and other library collections; we are here to make that experience a positive one.

Arthropods in Art

It’s not too late to catch the exhibit at the Kohler Art Library. The current exhibit, “Arthropods in Art”, features a selection of art and artists’ books that incorporate the imagery of butterflies, beetles, bees, wasps, flies, ants, cicadas and more—either as primary feature or as decorative element of the texts.

Enjoy this treatment of insect life, now, until August 31.

Tour the Library

Come see what Steenbock Library has to offer with a tour of our facility. During an hour-long tour, Steenbock librarians will introduce tour participants to collections and service points.

Each tour will depart from the Information Services/Reference desk, second floor, near the library’s main entrance.

Schedule:

Thursday, August 27: 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM

Friday, August 28: 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM

Monday, August 31: 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM

Tuesday, September 1: 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM

If you are unable to attend any of the scheduled tours, above, or wish to schedule a tour for a particular group, (class, research unit, new staff or dorm residents), do complete an online request form or phone 262-9635 for referral.

Forest Products Oral History

The UW-Madison Oral History Program, in collaboration with the Forest Products Laboratory and the UW Digital Collections Center has launched a new web presentation of oral histories that celebrates the centennial anniversary of the lab and documents its history as a leading research facility dedicated to the study of wood and its judicious use as a renewable resource.

Through audio recordings and transcripts, the narrators (current and former staff) share their anecdotes and perspectives about the history and research of the lab. Visitors to the site will be able to browse or search the oral histories and listen to the recorded interviews.

US Forest Products Lab Centennial Oral History Project

Smokey Bear's Necessities

In order to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Smokey’s message of fire safety, staff from Wisconsin DNR will be distributing free samples of a Babcock Dairy Plant special ice-cream during the Dane County Farmer’s Market (capitol square), Saturday, August 8th. This special ice cream, “Smokey Bear’s Necessities” features a tasteful blending of all that a bear could love--honey, cinnamon, cranberries and pecans.

In addition to the ice-cream sampling, Smokey and staff will be on-hand to demonstrate the equipment used to battle wildfires. To learn more about the DNR’s fire programs, visit the Forest Fire Program site.

Call for Course Reserves (Fall 2009)

The course reserves deadline for the fall semester is fast approaching!
To ensure that your reserve materials are available in time for the first day of class, we invite you to submit your course reserve materials by our deadline date of: August 10, 2009.

For more information, visit the Steenbock Course Reserves page, phone 263-8331 or email.

If you are a student, do note that you can access your e-reserve content by logging in to your MyUW and selecting the Library/Reserves link listed with your registered classes. Similarly, you can access these same library links from within Learn@UW. Should your instructor have placed materials for you to use at one of our campus libraries, visit the MadCat catalog to run a Course Reserves search.

Employee Bus Pass Distribution

UW-Madison employees are eligible for a complimentary bus pass from Transportation Services.

Distribution of the 2009-2010 bus pass will take place between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM at the following locations (do note dates):

August 10 - 14: Memorial Union, TITU
August 17 - 21: Steenbock Library
August 24 - 28: WARF, Room 132
August 31 - September 4: UW Hospital Elevators, near the cafeteria (H 4/1)

To collect and use your pass, you will need to present a valid UW ID Card. *

If you miss the initial distribution of the complimentary bus pass, you can obtain one from Transportation Services offices.

For information about the ASM Student Bus Pass Distribution, visit this link.

* Students, faculty, and staff who need a new or replacement ID card must present personal photo identification such as a driver's license, passport, or state ID to staff with the Wiscard Office. The Wiscard Office can produce a Faculty/Staff ID card once the employee's department has entered the appointment information (and proper authorization has been established) in the database. Visit the Wiscard site for more information.

Writing Contest, REAP Food Group

The REAP Food Group has announced a writing contest as part of its 2009 Food for Thought Festival.

The contest solicits entries, now, through September 4th in the categories of Poetry (500 words or less), Memoir (800 words or less), and Short, Short Fiction (1,200 words or less). Winners in each category will be announced at the festival and invited to read their prize-winning entries. Each winner will also receive a cash prize and be published by Madison Magazine.

You must be at least 18 years of age to enter. A registration fee of $12.00 will be used to support REAP's programs.

Details about the contest and the online entry form can be found at the REAP festival site.