Extend Your Reach with Public Library Collections

Madison Public Library invites all Madison residents to sign up for its free library card. This additional library card will give you access to the public library system’s materials and resources which include its research databases, job and business resources, magazines, media, and popular reading collections.

Each Madison branch location, and its surrounding network of county libraries, supports a special collection of resources. See the list of libraries and collections. For instance, close to campus, the central branch (201 W Mifflin) boasts a small business collection and Monroe Street (1705 Monroe) a robust collection of audio books.

While campus and public library systems are not set up for mutual book retrieval and return, there are many public branch libraries throughout the city to make for a convenient visit. Within its own network of libraries, resources can be delivered to the branch location nearest to you.

The public library system is a great way to extend your reach to library materials and to supplement that which you obtain from our campus system.

For more information on signing up for a library card, visit one of Madison’s nine public branch libraries or visit its FAQ page for borrowing materials.

Celebrating Forests for People

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests. This effort is intended to raise awareness and to recognize and celebrate people’s efforts to conserve and sustainably manage all types of forests.

Visit the site to read the UN Resolution and to access information regarding news and events. Additionally, consult the FAO Forestry site for links to data, maps and discussion regarding global forestry issues.

For your research needs and local library support, visit the campus libraries’ Research Guide to Forestry.

Digital Salon, Submit Your Projects (Feb 4)

UW Libraries and the Digital Humanities Initiative invite students (undergraduate and graduate) to submit their new media projects for exhibition during the second annual Digital Salon, April 9-15, 2011.

The deadline for submitting a project will be Friday, February 4, 2011. Complete the online form to submit a project to the curatorial committee. Students, whose projects have been selected, will be contacted by February 21 with that confirmation.

The Digital Salon seeks examples of artistic and research-oriented projects that take digital form or rely heavily on digital technologies in the production process. Examples of this work might include podcasts, experimental videos, animations, graphic novels or essays, websites, blogs, multimedia installations, posters, etc.

In addition to the primary exhibition at College Library, projects will be displayed in an online exhibit with some additionally selected for inclusion in the Undergraduate Symposium and for display at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. These events, and a reception for students participating in the Digital Salon, will also take place in mid-April.

With thanks to Sarah McDaniel for the content of blog post.

Get Your Textbooks, Options & Alternatives

Need textbooks? Visit My UW or the University Bookstore Text Department site to see what texts may be required for your classes this semester. In addition to the campus bookstore, you may also be able to purchase necessary texts from your local and/or independent new and used booksellers.

In addition to that which can be purchased, the frugal student may also wish to consult campus libraries and Reserve collections. Depending upon what your required reading may entail, some texts may be available in campus libraries. Search MadCat (or Forward) or expand your search to the UW-System to find items to borrow. Please do realize that while you may be able to renew those items from our campus and UW-System collections, demand for a particular item may initiate a recall in which you would be prompted to return the item so that another library user could also view the text.

Many texts are also placed on Reserve in campus libraries. Visit My UW or Learn@UW to find information about all reserve items that may be available for your class--either in a digitized format or held physically at a library location. (In this latter instance, you can also search for Reserve items using the MadCat Course Reserve search).

Instructors: As our campus library system is committed to supporting the educational needs of students and staff, additional copies of textbooks can be obtained for Reserves use by large enrollment classes. For more information regarding this service, visit the Textbook Initiative page.

Free Library Workshops, Spring 2011

Steenbock Library offers free tours and drop-in workshops for 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 is to harness a citation management product or to search more effectively using Google or the research literature databases.

Plan to attend any of the workshops on the current spring schedule (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!

Graduate Support Series, Spring 2011

UW-Madison campus libraries have teamed to offer a series of free workshops for graduate students. As each workshop is designed to be a "stand-alone" presentation, students can choose to attend any number of them, in any combination.

Please visit the workshop site or view the flyer (PDF) for the listing of workshops in the series. From "Keeping Current with the Literature" to "Using Patents and Technical Reports"--there is something for you.

Do note date, time and library location. Registration is recommended; register with the GSC (Graduate Student Collaborative).

10 Days of Career Services (Jan 17-28)

CALS Career Services is pleased to offer ten days of career-oriented events in anticipation of the Spring Career and Internship Fair, Tuesday, January 25 at the Kohl Center (4:30-8:00 PM).

Visit the CALS Career Services site (or its flyer and blog) for a listing of each event designed to make you comfortable with the resume-writing and interviewing process.

The Spring Career and Internship Fair is a collaborative effort between CALS, the Wisconsin School of Business, the College of Letters and Sciences, the School of Human Ecology and the Wisconsin Alumni Association. This fair is free and open to all UW-Madison students.

For more information, contact CALS Career Services (116 Ag Hall), phone 608-262-3460 or email.

Forward Thinking Redux

Earlier this fall, library staff from UW-Madison and the UW System launched a beta edition of "Forward"--a reinvention of our library catalogs and a fresh approach to resource discovery.

Find links to Forward from the Websites to UW-Madison Libraries and Steenbock. Set your search for UW-Madison or for the UW System and UW Digital Collections.

While you give it a try, be sure to send your thoughts and suggestions to the development team by clicking on the Feedback button links.

View the flyer and instructional video clips to learn more about how to use Forward effectively or speak with your campus librarians.

• Choosing a Campus in Forward
• Searching Forward
• Item Records in Forward
• Placing a Request in Forward
• Toolbar in Forward
• Your Account in Forward
• Digital Collections in Forward
• Browsing Forward

ASM Bus Pass, Get Yours for Spring (Jan 10-)

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

Collect your pass, weekdays January 10-14 (10:00AM - 5:00PM) and January 18-28 (10:00AM - 6:00PM) in Room 240 (across the room from the main entrance). The bus pass can also be picked up, during these dates, at the Student Activity Center (333 East Campus Mall).

While most UW students qualify for an ASM Bus Pass, there are some conditions. See the ASM FAQ page to learn more. Do note that you must have a valid WisCard with you and be registered for spring semester classes before you can pick up your pass. If you have a brand new WisCard, you may need to wait overnight before your records are completely updated.

If you are not able to pick up your pass during this period, you will be able to pick one up from ASM StudentPrint Offices, after January 28, 2011. StudentPrint is located on the third floor of the Student Activity Center, 333 East Campus Mall (9:30AM – 6:30PM, Monday-Friday).

Data Curation, What is Your Plan?!

Do you need to describe your data-management plan in your NSF grant application? Are you frustrated by losing your research data to disk failure, laptop theft, or record-keeping issues? Would you appreciate an unbiased review of your lab's data-management practices?

If so, then Research Data Services is available to help.

Research Data Services is a team of librarians, IT professionals, and research-support staff who help researchers with answering data-management questions. For instance, the team can help with addressing the following concerns:

• Data-management plans for the NSF and other funding agencies
• Best practices in digital-data preservation and data sharing
• Process and workflow evaluation and assessment
• Connections with helpful experts and other campus resources

Learn more about data management and arrange for individual consultations by visiting the Research Data Services Website.

Research Data Services is a pilot collaboration between UW-Madison Libraries, DoIT, the CIO office, the Graduate School, and the School of Library and Information Studies to assist researchers with data curation needs. Digital data curation has been identified as a campus IT strategic initiative.

With thanks to Dorothea Salo, Research Services Librarian, for this blog post.

Suggest a Title!

There is still time to suggest a title for the next Go Big Read. What have you read lately that you have found insightful or inspiring? An ideal book for this program will possess 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 deadline for submitting a recommendation is Thursday, January 6, 2011.

The Go Big Read Review Committee will sort through the nominations for the Chancellor’s sub-committee, which will then make the final selection.

See the list of suggested titles as it grows...(updated daily!)

Suggest your book here.