UW Local Food Event & Panel Discussion (Dec 3)

What are the benefits of buying local? Where can one find local foods? What businesses support local growers?

Inspired by the ‘Go Big Read’ initiative, student volunteers have organized a panel presentation to examine these questions and to learn how to become more conscientious consumers in a discussion of local food.

Come to this event to ask questions of local growers, restaurant owners, farmer’s market vendors and other groups committed to supporting local agriculture such as Buy Fresh, Buy Local, Willy Street Co-op, and F.H. King Students of Sustainable Agriculture.

The panel event and discussion will be held in the Open Book Café, College Library, Thursday, December 3rd at 5:00pm.

Call for Course Reserves (Spring 2010)

It’s that time of year…the course reserves deadline for spring 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: December 20, 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.

Cranberry Consciousness

The cranberry, a fruit native to North America and ubiquitous during this time of year given its association with traditional Thanksgiving holiday feasting, is Wisconsin’s leading fruit crop.

Today, growers in 18-19 Wisconsin counties can account for nearly 60% of the nation’s cranberry harvest.

Visit the following links to learn more about cranberry production, its contribution to the state’s economy and its versatility as a food product (recipes!).

Library Resources:

• Cranberry Research Guide (Agnic, Steenbock Library)

Cookery:

There are several cookbooks available from the Steenbock collection to feature cranberries. Run a MadCat, “Words Anywhere” search to view those titles.

Agricultural Statistics:

• 2008 Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics (see page 45)

• Cranberry Forecast (for 2009), NASS USDA

• Facts for Features (Thanksgiving), US Census Bureau
  

Wisconsin Cranberry Industry:

• Wisconsin’s Cranberry Harvest, 2009 brochure

• Wisconsin Cranberry Crop Management Library (UW Horticulture)

• Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association

• Cranberry Discovery Center
  

United States Cranberry Industry:

• Cranberry Institute

• Cranberry Marketing Committee

Thanksgiving Week 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 to pick up items from their collections. Steenbock Library hours are posted on its home page (lower right on screen) and on its detailed hours page. Hours of operation for all campus libraries can be found by browsing the list of libraries at the campus libraries page.

Do note that this year the campus will be closed during the Friday following the Thanksgiving holiday (November 27) to observe mandatory furlough.

Online resources, with the exception of chat and immediate email contact, will be available twenty-four hours, every day, and can be accessed from off-campus as well.

We wish you well on your travels and for a pleasant long weekend.

Behind the Scenes...

Ever wonder what’s going on behind the scenes with your search engine? Take a look at this clever ad (from Weetabix, admittedly) for some amusing insight.

And, once you’ve had a chuckle, do consult with your librarians--accomplished search engines in their own right--for satisfying your information needs.

We look forward to working with you in person or via our email and chat services. It never hurts to Ask!

Food Systems at War (Nov 19)

In conjunction with Go Big Read, Kellen Backer, History of Science dissertator, will present a public lecture, “Food Systems at War: Canned and Frozen Food Production during World War II” in the HSLC Auditorium 1335, Thursday, November 19 (noon – 1:00 PM). A question and answer session will follow the lecture. Those who attend are invited to donate a canned good item to benefit area food pantries.

Of related interest:

UW Digital Collections has released “Recipe for Victory: Food and Cooking in Wartime” a digitized collection of books and government documents that highlight the national campaign to promote gardening and food preservation on the home-front--instrumental to the plan for victory during World War I. Many of the documents and texts that have been digitized for this collection can be found at Steenbock Library.

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.

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.

Photo courtesy of University Communications.

International Education Week (Nov 16-20)

The most indelible experience from my undergraduate years was a 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 and to feel comfortable in my own skin.

During International Education Week (November 16-20), you may wish to explore what programs are available to take you abroad. The Division of International Studies also has a blog (Badgers Abroad) where staff, students and alumni share information about their various experiences.

Wisconsin Public Radio program “Here on Earth” will also explore what it means to demonstrate “global-competence.” Be sure to listen to its Tuesday (November 17) broadcast.

Additionally, it is important to note that there are often internships, loans and scholarships available that can help to defray 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.

C is for Cookie

This week marked Sesame Street’s 40^th Birthday (November 10th, to be precise). In order to celebrate this noteworthy achievement in children's programming, and likely the fact that many of us did come to associate the letter “C” with “cookies” (thanks to one shaggy, blue muppet), I encourage you to bake a few for yourself this weekend (cookies not muppets!) from recipes gleaned from Steenbock’s cookbook collection.

Use the MadCat catalog or speak with your librarians for assistance locating titles. Should a title be checked-out to another library user, do consider a UW-System search or visit one of our area public libraries. Again, campus librarians are happy to help you find available copies.

A few selections from the collection:

Author: Baggett, Nancy, 1943-
Title: The All-American Cookie Book
Call Number: TX772 B25 2001

Author: Desaulniers, Marcel.
Title: Death by Chocolate Cookies
Call Number: TX772 D47 1997

Author: Zenker, John J., 1900-
Title: Cookie Cookery
Call Number: TX772 Z45 1969

Title: Blue Ribbon Cookies / edited by Maria Polushkin Robbins.
Call Number: TX772 B58 1988

Title: Cookies: Step-by-Step Techniques / by the editors of Sunset Books and Sunset Magazine.
Call Number: TX772 .C658 1985

Nominate a Title! (Go Big Read)

If you have enjoyed sinking your teeth into Go Big Read’s inaugural title, In Defense of Food then now is the time, and your opportunity, to suggest a good read for year two!

An ideal book selection will have the following qualities:

• Be readable (relevant, engaging, and well-written)
• Appeal to individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences
• Encompass sufficient depth and scope to generate discussions from different points of view
• Be conducive to teaching and learning with opportunities for integration into academic programs
• Lend itself to a variety of activities and programming (maybe even an author visit!)

The tentative deadline for submitting a recommendation is November 18 (although this deadline may be extended).

The Go Big Read Steering Committee will sort through the nominations for the Chancellor’s sub-committee, who will then make the final selection. (Incidentally, In Defense of Food was selected from among nearly 400 nominated titles).

What goes Where?

When you enter Steenbock Library this week, you will notice a sign, survey form and box inviting you to submit your suggestions and ideas regarding building services and facilities—where they are and how you may find and use them in-house. Specifically, and for starters, the survey form will ask you to tell us how you would like to see our entrance floor arranged (furniture, work-spaces, etc.)

Use symbols (some we’ve created for the form) and others you create to illustrate elements on a floor plan.

Thank you for your time and assistance. We value your feedback in making our Steenbock spaces work for you.

Annie Get Your Glue Gun!

Craft is hot and the pleasures of DIY (Do It Yourself) are beyond measure. Take stock of the trend by reviewing such texts as Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft and Design with its accompanying, soon-to-be-released-on-DVD documentary (by two Milwaukee artists/film-makers). Of related interest, check out Craft in America (and accompanying video series) and the insightful broadcast from Wisconsin Public Radio’s “To the Best of our Knowledge” program “Reconsidering Crafts”.

For the DIY crowd (Do It Yourself) and indie craft artisans, there are any number of titles from campus library collections (many to be found in Steenbock stacks) that can inform your creative endeavors. Run a search of the MadCat catalog (try a “Words Anywhere” search) on your craft or hobby-of-interest or speak with your librarians for assistance. Should titles from our campus collections be out to other users, do consider searching the UW System or Madison public library.

Should you be looking for that fun and original item for yourself or for a gift, save the date for Madison’s own Craftacular. Many of these craft artists, in addition to others nationally and internationally, also enjoy a Web shop presence through Etsy.*

*Note: I have supplied this information merely for fun and interest. I do not profit personally from such endeavors.

Got Comments, Suggestions?

Did you know that Steenbock Library has a suggestion box? Feel free to drop a note there anonymously should you wish to share information with us regarding your experiences with our facility, collections and services. Recently, we received a very kind note from a student who indicated that despite the long hours he/she had needed to spend studying; it was nonetheless a pleasant experience at Steenbock. We are grateful and pleased that this student found our library accommodating and comfortable.

A while back, we had received the suggestion to adopt a cat for the library. While many of us would enjoy the comfort of a pet, we need to be mindful of the many people who visit the library--and the extent to which a cat, or other pet, could create distraction and/or aggravate any health concerns is the reason we cannot pursue this particular request. But, we may be able to do other things to make your experience here a satisfactory one.

In addition to our suggestion box (located on the small table across from entrance, beneath display monitor) or even replying to this blog post, there are other means by which to share information with us.

If you wish to make a purchase recommendation for books and journals, be sure to complete our online recommendation form.

Additionally, you may send us email (particularly if you would like a reply), phone or speak with a staff member or liaison to your academic department. Contact us with your questions, concerns and suggestions!

Managing Citations with RefWorks (Today, Nov 4)

Have you discovered RefWorks?! Use this citation manager to organize a personal database and to format bibliographies with ease.

The drop-in workshop will cover RefWorks’ essentials, including organizing, searching and sorting records, importing records from MadCat and journal databases, and preparing bibliographies. Hands-on practice will be encouraged.

Managing Your Citations with RefWorks
Wednesday, November 4 (3:00-4:00 PM)
Room 105, Steenbock Library

No registration is necessary in order to attend, and all workshops are free to students, faculty and staff.