Group Study Rooms, Meeting Room Space

Did you know that Steenbock Library has study rooms (first floor) and two larger meeting room spaces (Room 240 & Room 340) that you can use to meet with your study groups or organizations?

Reserve a group study room online with the Study Room Reservation system. This online system enables you to search for rooms by date and location, find amenities and policy information regarding use of the rooms, and place reservations, as needed, at College, Ebling, Historical, Memorial Steenbock and Wendt libraries. In order to make that reservation, you will need to log in with your NetID and password.

Should you wish to use our larger meeting rooms, or discover that our other group spaces are occupied when you arrive, speak with library staff at the Circulation or Reference desk. We will check the calendars and make a reservation for you. Additional information about reserving space at Steenbock, can be found at this link.

The Dirty Life

On assignment, writer Kristin Kimball falls in love with a man and an opportunity to cultivate a particular home and family life. In her recently-published book, The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love, she recounts how she and this man, Mark, will combine their energies, tenacity and heart, to restoring a farm--one that, in its smaller scale and traditional, organic methods, will supply them, and a community of share members, with a complete and sustainable diet. While this book is not currently held in our Steenbock collection, it can be obtained from the UW System or from our area public libraries.

Similarly, with intimacy, humor and candor, local Wisconsin authors, Jerry Apps, Dick Cates, Ben Logan, and Michael Perry have shared the dirt on farming and rural life. Enjoy these titles below, among others, from our campus library collections. For assistance finding these and more, consult with your librarians.

Apps, Jerold. Old Farm: A History
Wisconsin Historical Society Press, c2008

Cates, Richard L. Voices from the Heart of the Land: Rural Stories that Inspire Community
Madison, WI: Terrace Books, c2008

Logan, Ben. The Land Remembers: The Story of a Farm and its People
New York : Viking Press, 1975

Perry, Michael. Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting
New York: Harper, c2009

Year of the Rabbit

As February rings in the Chinese New Year, it is worth noting that, according to the Chinese zodiac, it is the Year of the Rabbit. And, should you wonder why I am posting said observation, let me call your attention to any number of rabbit-y resources available from Steenbock Library to satisfy your interest in the little critter—whether seen as pet or pest.

Bennett, Bob. Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits
Pownal, Vt.: Storey Books, c2001

Davis, Susan E. and Margo DeMello. Stories Rabbits Tell: A Natural and Cultural History of a Misunderstood Creature
New York: Lantern Books, 2003.

Logsdon, Gene. Wildlife in the Garden: How to Live in Harmony with Deer, Raccoons, Rabbits, Crows, and Other Pesky Creatures
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, c1999

Sandford, J. C. (John Cecil. The Domestic Rabbit
Oxford ; Cambridge, Mass.: Blackwell Science, 1996

For assistance locating these titles and more, do consult with your librarians.

MACSAC Open House, Save the Date (Mar 13)

The MACSAC organization (Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition) will host an open house at the Monona Terrace, Sunday March 13, from 1:00-4:00 PM.

At the open house, you will be able to chat with growers and 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 2011 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 a job or internship at an area farm or MACSAC event.

Tax Time, Forms and More

While campus libraries do not distribute pre-printed forms and instructions; the IRS Website supplies most federal forms and guides required.

Similarly, the state of Wisconsin Department of Revenue makes forms and instructions available online.

Federal and Wisconsin state tax forms can be picked up at Madison Public Library branches. See branch hours and locations.

The Madison Public Library also hosts tax information and assistance opportunities; see its Tax Help page for details.

Garden Expo (Feb 11-13)

Think Green (if not warm!) at the 18th annual Garden Expo. The Expo will be held at the Exhibition Hall of the Alliant Energy Center, February 11-13, 2011. The Expo features exhibits, seminars and hands-on workshops for the gardener and landscaping enthusiast. Many of the speakers are staff with UW-Extension, Cooperative Extension.

Ticket prices, on-site, are $8.00 for a single day, $11.00 for two days and $16.00 for three days (a discount coupon is available from the website). Admission proceeds support Wisconsin Public Television.

Of related interest, Steenbock Library receives seed catalogs that can be found and browsed near the first floor vending area. Additionally, the library maintains an extensive collection of books about gardening, organic gardening, landscape design, composting, floriculture, and pest management, among other related topics.

Consult with your library staff for assistance locating these collections.

Transfer Students and UW-Madison Libraries, Workshop (Feb 15)

Transferring from another college or university has its challenges, but using library collections and services shouldn’t be one of them!

This workshop, designed for the transfer student who has recently-arrived at UW-Madison, covers an introduction to the many things that UW-Madison libraries offer: MadCat (the library catalog), journal literature databases, convenience services (such as book retrieval and your online library account), and all the means by which to get help finding and using campus library resources. There will be ample opportunity to ask the questions you may have about UW-Madison Libraries.

Transfer Students and UW-Madison Libraries: What You Really Need to Know
Tuesday, February 15 (10:00 - 11:00 AM)
Room 105 (first floor, Steenbock Library)

See the listing of this semester’s library workshops!

Know Thyself, Darwin Day 2011

Mark your calendar for UW-Madison’s 6th Annual Darwin Day(s), February 10-12, 2011.

This year, the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery will play host to a series of lectures and science stations, free and open to the public, that explore the science of evolution. In conjunction with the Darwin Day events, the Wisconsin Union Play Circle Theater will also host a film and panel discussion on "Creation: The True Story of Charles Darwin."

The UW-Madison Darwin Day website supplies the schedule of events, speakers and themes, and a list of education resources.

"There is grandeur in this view of life... from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved."
--Charles Darwin