Founders' Day Treats, Feb 6

The Wisconsin Alumni Association and University Housing wish UW-Madison a Happy Birthday with free cupcakes for students. UW-Madison held its first day of class on February 5, 1849 and celebrated its first Founders’ Day events in 1924.

On Monday, February 6, UW-Madison students can celebrate with free cake (cupcakes, etc.) beginning at 10:30 in front of Social Sciences OR in the dining halls at Frank’s, Gordon Commons and Rheta’s beginning at noon and continuing while supplies last. Bucky will be helping to celebrate at the dining halls.

Should you be looking to "sweeten your day" more, then tweet using the hashtag #HappyBirthdayUW, or post a birthday message on the WAA Hookup's Facebook page. The WAA will pick three people to win a gift certificate to a local business.

New! BookScan Stations

During the spring semester, the campus library system is piloting a new, self-service book scanning system. Three, public stations have been distributed to the libraries, one each to College, Memorial and Steenbock Libraries. Steenbock’s book-scanning station is located on its second floor (entrance level) and to the immediate right as one enters the building.

By means of an easy, step-by-step, touch-screen, one can scan the content from books (or other materials) to a variety of formats (PDF, searchable PDF, jpeg, text and Word) then save to flash drive or Google Docs, email, or print. The equipment includes flatbed and sheet-fed scanners capable of rendering images in color, grayscale and black/white. The printing feature (now only black/white) will communicate with the current "Go Print" release stations.

Come, give it a try and tell us what you think! Need assistance? Speak with staff at our service desks.

FARE (Forum on Animal Research Ethics)

Mark your calendar for two programs that will lend themselves to thoughtful discussion regarding the use of animals in research.

"Prosocial Primates: Empathy in Animals and Humans"
Who: Dr. Frans de Waal, Director of the Living Links Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center
When: February 3, 2012 (7:00 PM)
Where: Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, Forum

"Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Lessons Learned from Monkeys"

Who: Dr. David Abbott, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center
When: April 12, 2012 (7:00 PM)
Where: Biotechnology Center, Auditorium 1111

Print a flyer.

Free Voter IDs for Students

Don't miss an opportunity to exercise your right to vote! Given recent changes in state law that affect voter identification and registration, UW-Madison students who intend to vote and do not otherwise have Wisconsin state identification will be issued a free, supplemental ID for voting purposes. A student needing this card can obtain one from the Wiscard Office at Union South by presenting his/her Wiscard.

Do note that students who are Wisconsin residents and have a state-issued driver’s license, identification card, US passport, or US military ID will not require this supplemental identification and will be able to register and to vote using these other forms of identification.

Consult the campus Voter Information site for more information regarding eligibility, registration, and polling locations.

See the campus press release regarding Voter IDs.

ASM Bus Pass for Spring 2012, Where to Go...

PLEASE NOTE: Union South and the Student Activity Center are the pick-up sites for the ASM Student pass this spring semester 2012.

Distribution for the spring pass began on Tuesday, January 17 at Union South and the Student Activity Center, (333 East Campus Mall, 3rd Floor). With the first day of classes, January 23, and running through February 3, 2012, the hours of distribution will be from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM at both locations.

After February 3, the StudentPrint office will be the only location from which to obtain a new or replacement bus pass. The StudentPrint office is located on the 3rd floor of the Student Activity Center. Hours of operation during the spring semester are from 9:30 AM until 6:30 PM.

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.

10 Days of Career Services!

CALS Career Services will host "10 Days of Career Services", January 23 through February 3, 2012. These ten days of walk-in events, services (resume printing!) and workshops are designed to prepare students for two upcoming career fairs, the Public Service Fair (January 26) and the UW Spring Career Fair (January 31).

Visit the Career Services site and flyer for the schedule of events, services and workshops.

CALS Career Services thanks it sponsors Covance and the Office of State Employment Relations (OSER).

Graduate Support Series, Spring 2012

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

Visit the library workshop site or view the flyer (PDF) for the listing of workshops in the series. From "Keeping Current with the Literature" to "Data Management Planning"--there is something for you.

Do note date, time and library location. (Click here to view Steenbock Library offerings in the series).

Registration is recommended; register with the GSC (Graduate Student Collaborative).

Moving Forward

Earlier this year, library staff from UW-Madison and the UW System launched a beta edition of a new library catalog. This new catalog, initially named "Forward" and which will now become known simply as THE library catalog, has been designed to facilitate easier discovery and retrieval of resources from Madison and the UW System.

Find links to the catalog 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.

What should be the next Go Big Read?

The Go Big Read selection committee is now accepting your recommendations. Interim Chancellor David Ward has suggested that the next selection engage the theme of "innovation".

What have you read lately that evokes that theme? 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 Friday, February 3, 2012.

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

Suggest your book (fiction or nonfiction) here.