Mad about Fruits and Nuts

Madison Fruits and Nuts, a grass-roots organization interested in planting fruit and nut-bearing trees in public parks, has been working with the city of Madison to identify appropriate sites. The organization is now hoping to be selected by the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation to receive an orchard—that is, trees that would be selected for climate, purchased locally and planted by area volunteers.

You can help by voting for your favorite site (and there are five identified for Madison and Middleton). Visit the Communities Take Root site, browse the list by state and vote for your favorite site. You may vote one time each day, and every day, until voting closes on August 31, 2010.

For more information about the Madison effort, see the Capital Times articles, 2/8/2010 and 3/17/2010.

A Poem in Your Pocket (April 29)

A well-crafted poem, with its message and rhythm, has the power to inspire, provoke or comfort. As April is National Poetry Month, it seems only fitting to suggest some means by which you may add some poetry to your days (this month and in the future), including a Poem in Your Pocket.

Poem in Your Pocket Day is April 29 and it is easy to participate. Select a favorite poem, make a copy, and carry it with you. With a poem in your pocket, you are never far away from an opportunity to read, recite or share. Look for some pocket-able poetry throughout the library today, or download some from the website.

Other sources for poetry follow below; enjoy some today.

• Poem-a-Day (sign-up for email delivery)

• Poems for Every Occasion

• Gaus Collection (Visit this special collection at College Library)

Do you have some favorite poems or poets to suggest? Let us know with a reply to this post!

(As a child, I adored A.A. Milne and Shel Silverstein—still do, in fact. Among my contemporary favorites are Sherman Alexie, Sandra Cisneros, and the late Pablo Neruda).

Farm Fresh Atlas 2010

The 2010 edition of the Southern Wisconsin Farm Fresh Atlas has been released! Pick up your copy from any of several university and area locations, including Steenbock Library (look for stacks at our service desks).

Use the Atlas to locate farms, markets and restaurant partners who bring you fresh, area-grown produce and food products. Do note that many of the area growers welcome visitors with special events, u-pick options, hay-rides and tours.

Should you be looking for options outside of the southern Wisconsin area, consult the site for Wisconsin Farm Fresh Atlases or nationally, using the Local Harvest site.

Think globally, eat locally!

Congratulations to Library Research Award Winners!

In conjunction with the Undergraduate Symposium, College Library awarded library research awards to Richard Qian and Erica Carballo.

The Undergraduate Research Awards are designed to celebrate excellence and creativity in using library resources and services to inform undergraduate research projects. Both award winners received certificates and cash prizes at the Undergraduate Symposium's award ceremony on Thursday, April 15.

Richard received a Library Research Award for his project: "Welfare Effects of Mergers in the Airline Industry: A Quantitative Analysis" (faculty mentor, Raymond Deneckere, Economics Department). Erica received a Library Research Award for her poster project: "Can We Teach Creativity? Developing Play Interventions for Children with Autism" (faculty mentor, Wendy Machalicek, School ofEducation, Rehabilitation Psychology & Special Education).

See the complete story with pics!

Congratulations to Richard and Erica!

Call for Course Reserves (Summer 2010)

Summer is coming (so we anticipate!) and so is the summer 2010 Course Reserves deadline!

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: May 16, 2010.

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.

Commuter Solutions Week (April 19-23)

Care to spare yourself the frustration of driving and parking on campus? Or, would you like to explore the area’s existing network of bicycle and pedestrian routes? If so, then explore your alternatives this week with information tables, prize drawings, snacks, safety checks and tune-ups. UW Transportation staff and area partners will be on-hand from 11:30AM until 5:30PM at the following campus locations:

Monday, April 19: Library Mall

Tuesday, April 20: Engineering Hall (Main entrance)

Wed, April 21: Health Sciences Learning Center (Main entrance)

Thursday, April 22: Animal Sciences Building (Elm and Linden)

Friday, April 23: East Campus Mall (Between University & Johnson)

Additionally, Transportation Services will be hosting a series of open forums (beginning this week) to discuss the future of campus services. Your input is highly encouraged.

Day on Campus Food Summit (April 23)

As a capstone event to the first annual Go Big Read, CALS and the Wisconsin Alumni Association have partnered to continue a “tasteful” (insightful and inspiring) discussion on food with a “Day on Campus” Food Summit. The Food Summit will feature a keynote address from former Senator George McGovern and a series of lectures from food writers and faculty experts in biochemistry, consumer science & economy, food science, law, nursing and nutrition.

This day-long event will be held at Memorial Union. The keynote address and speaker forums are free and open to the public. Tickets to the special luncheon are $25.00. See “Day on Campus” Food Summit schedule for additional information.

UW-Madison Alumni are invited to register for these and other events for the Alumni Weekend.

• Alumni Association Press Release

Taste of the Terrace (April 18)

Visit the Terrace this Sunday evening for free food and entertainment. Participants will be able to sample and judge new menu items created for campus dining venues, demonstrate their prowess at consuming food competitively, and cheer a campus “iron chef”-variety cook-off.

While the Taste of the Terrace event is free, students will need to show a valid UW student ID to pick up tickets that are available from the Memorial Union Box Office (through April 17).

To be guaranteed food, students should arrive early. Some tickets will be available at the event, but quantity may be limited.

When: Sunday, April 18 (6:00-8:00PM)
Where: Lakefront on Langdon, Memorial Union

Gotta Get Your Greens!

It is that time of the year...time when the Dane County Farmers' Market returns to the Capitol Square. I will be there bright and early to look for fresh, early-crop greens, asparagus, cheese, and a few scones to accompany my requisite coffee.
(The market opens at 6:00 AM at the Square, by the way, and runs until 2:00 PM—when you can often find some nice close-out deals)!

For those of you living closer to the west side of Madison, do also visit the Westside Community Market which will also celebrates its first day of the market season this Saturday, April 17.

Enjoy your weekend!

National Library Week, Activities and Contests

Celebrate National Library Week (April 11-17) with campus activities, contests and events.

"Picture Yourself in the Library" Photo Contest
Capture an image of yourself in an identifiable library setting and email it to campus libraries. Participants will be entered into a drawing to win a $25 gift card to the University Bookstore.

Contest images will be featured on the National Library Week activities page throughout the week.

Edible Book Festival
See what our area food artists have created during the Edible Book Festival, Tuesday, April 13 (5:00-7:00PM), Memorial Library Commons (Room 460)! An "edible book" is made from edible materials that are crafted to evoke books in either shape or content. Memorial Library will provide light snacks, sodas and coffee during this event.

"Star in your very own READ Poster"
Bring a copy of your favorite book to MERIT Library to pose for a personalized READ Poster. The library will take photos between 3:00-6:00 PM, Monday through Friday, (April 12-16). Posters will be produced at 11x17 in size and cost $3.00 each as charged to your campus print/photocopying debit-card. The library requests one pose, per person or group, and that you allow a week for its creation.

Work a crossword; solve a wordfind.
Should you need answers to the crossword or would like to learn more about the resources in the wordfind, come speak with a campus librarian.

Of related interest:

Listen to Why Neil Gaiman (author and honorary chair for National Library Week) Loves Libraries, Minnesota Public Radio

Go Big Read; Title has been Selected!

Chancellor Biddy Martin and a steering committee of campus staff have selected Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks as 2010’s common book selection for the UW-Madison campus.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks recounts a very personal odyssey to piece together the life story of Henrietta Lacks from whom a particularly-successful cell line was harvested, cultivated, and eventually marketed and distributed to scientists around the world.

While this cell line, known as HeLa, would inform significant discoveries in medicine, Henrietta’s family would suffer for lack of sufficient information regarding how her cells were actually harvested and used. Their story raises essential questions about healthcare and race in the United States and inevitably the ethics of scientific research when requiring the use of human subjects and biological tissue.

For more information about the book and a slice from its introduction, visit the author’s site for the book. And, do consult with campus and area public libraries for available copies.

“Go Big Read” is UW-Madison’s 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.

Chancellor Martin will welcome your participation with this new title during the fall semester 2010.

It Changes You! Wisconsin Film Festival 2010

The Wisconsin Film Festival, April 14-18, brings Madison audiences some of the finest examples of independent, local and international film-making. Tickets remain available for many films—and can be purchased online or at the Festival Box Office (Memorial Union) through April 13. After this date, and during the festival, tickets can be purchased at each theater for films playing at those respective locations. Festival venues-- campus, public and independently-owned theaters in the heart of Madison--are conveniently within walking distance from one another which makes it possible to catch more than one film each evening.

The Festival is presented by the UW-Madison Arts Institute, with the assistance of the UW Department of Communication Arts.

Of special interest this year is a set of films devoted to the theme of Animals (and Beasties).

The Babcock Hall Dairy Store has also rolled out its signature ice-cream flavor for the film festival—namely, “In the Dark” which features chocolate malt ice cream, chocolate truffle pieces, chocolate chips, dark fudge swirl, and pecans.

Science Expeditions (April 10)

Are you looking for something fun to do with friends and family this weekend? If so, then consider Science Expeditions 2010 when UW-Madison hosts an exciting day of hands-on Exploration Stations and "Science Spectaculars"--special demonstrations and lectures.
All events are free and open to the public.

This is a great way to check out campus science venues including the Geology Museum, the Botany Greenhouse and the Primate Center Learning Lobby, among others.

View the Science Expeditions schedule for the day and consult the map for venue.

Portable Energy Meters

Thanks to Madison Gas and Electric, students, staff and faculty can check out "portable energy meters" from Steenbock Library. The model for the two available energy meters is the "Watts Up?" Standard. (These are the same type of meters that are also available from Madison area public libraries). Use the meters to identify the cause, or source, of high-energy use in your home, school or workplace and factor your potential savings by implementing change. Change is often as simple as unplugging your appliances when not in use or shutting off a power strip to which several may be attached.

Madison Gas and Electric supports an energy meter website with a video demonstrating the use of these energy meters.

The meters can be checked out for two weeks at a time, and you can use the "Place Requests" feature in MadCat to have them sent to the campus library of your choice.

The Schwerdtfeger Library (space science and engineering) also has energy meters; these meters are the "Kill a Watt" model.

Of related interest, consult MG&E’s publications (print copies available at Steenbock):

• Energy Saving Tips for Renters

• Appliance Energy Costs

• Public Library Partnership & Greening Our World (in partnership with Madison Public Library and Sustain Dane)
  

Friends Book Sale (April 7-10)

The Friends of UW-Madison Libraries will host a used book sale, April 7-10, in Room 116 of Memorial Library.

A preview sale, with $5.00 admission, will be held from 5:00 until 9:00 PM, Wednesday, April 7. 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, April 8-9.

On Saturday, April 10 (10:30 AM – 1:00 PM), you can bring a bag and fill it for $3.00. (Remaining books are free from 1:05 until 2:00 PM).

For more information on the sales, including how to donate books or volunteer for the spring book sale, please call 608-265-2505, e-mail the Friends, or visit the Friends' book sale page.