film. farther. Wisconsin Film Festival

A is for Audience; B is for Buzz; C is for Cinema. The annual Wisconsin Film Festival, April 18-22, brings Madison audiences some of the finest examples of independent, local and international film-making. Advance tickets will go on sale beginning March 31 (online or at the Festival Box Office, Memorial Union) and running until April 17. After this date, online ticketing will no longer be available but tickets to some shows may 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.

This year’s international feature roundup includes special salutes to Iranian Cinema and films from the Quebec region of Canada. See the guide to all films.

The Festival is presented by the UW-Madison Arts Institute and the UW Department of Communication Arts; additional sponsorship is provided by UW and community businesses and foundations.

Spring Break 2012

Library staff wishes you a terrific spring break! Be sure to check out the UHS site, "Do Spring Break Right" with tips on how to exercise a good time responsibly, no matter how far away you venture.

And, should you still need to work on a paper or project (thinking of that responsible behavior!), do note, with our off-campus access service, you are never far away from the campus library resources you know and love.

Campus libraries will be open during the break but with abbreviated hours. Confirm hours of operation by visiting the list of library locations and note the "Who’s Open" tab.

Spring Recess, Hours at Steenbock (March 30 - April 8, 2012)

Friday, March 30: 8:00am - 6:00pm

Saturday, March 31 - Sunday, April 1: CLOSED

Monday - Friday, April 2 - 6: 8:00am - 6:00pm

Saturday, April 7: CLOSED

Sunday, April 8: 6:00pm - 1:00am

Congrats to Contest Winners, Cool Science Images

The 2012 winners of the "Cool Science Images Contest" have been announced. The contest, which was open to UW-Madison students, faculty and staff invited entries that depict objects or phenomena from any discipline in the sciences.

See the slide-show of winners and honorable mentions (as selected from a field of 82 submissions!)

2012 entries are to be incorporated into a slide-show to be featured on the media wall of the Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery during the 2012 Wisconsin Science Festival. Images have also been posted to the Why Files site.

See the original press release.

The Loving of the Land (April 13)

Save the date for a benefit concert! UW-Madison’s Agroecology Master’s Program will present a "rousing night of class-grass music". What is "class-grass" you might ask? This concert fusion of bluegrass and classical music traditions will feature Graminy and The Blue Dog Consort (aka: faculty, staff and students in performance with band-mates). Proceeds from the concert will benefit graduate student research in sustainable agriculture and food systems.

Concert-goers will be welcomed to the event by Stephanie Elkins, Host of Simply Folk on Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR).

Date: Friday, April 13
Time: Doors open at 7:00 PM; Show begins at 8:00 PM
Place: Mills Hall, (445 N. Park Street)

Ticket prices: $9.00 ($6.00 students) in advance; $12.00 ($9.00 student) at the door

For more information, visit the Agroecology Department Website.

Print a flyer.

Hoe, Hoe, Hoe!

Spring has apparently sprung--and the unnaturally high temperatures have had many green-thumbs assessing their gardening spaces and deciding what, and when best, to plant.

If you are similarly inclined to indulge this interest, come browse Steenbock’s gardening collections.

The library has books suitable for the novice and practical gardener as well as academic texts examining garden history and landscape design.

The library also has a collection of seed catalogs useful for recording ideas to particular garden products and locating suitable vendors. Current issues of these seed catalogs can be browsed in-house and are located on the first floor near the rear stacks and vending area (older copies are in filing cabinets).

To get you oriented to the stacks, you can generally find gardening books shelved in the vicinity of call numbers SB300…and SB400…on the first floor of the library.

Otherwise, do speak with our librarians to assist you with using the campus library catalog to determine specific titles and call numbers within your topics of interest.

Have your cake and read it, too!

Sink your teeth into a good book--an edible book, that is, with UW-Madison’s Annual Edible Book Festival! The festival, which is free and open to the public, will be held, Tuesday, April 10 from 4:30-6:30 PM (Memorial Library Commons, Room 460).

As part of the fun, the libraries encourage all aspiring "food artists", (bakers and book enthusiasts) to participate by crafting their own edible books. An edible book is an entry made of edible materials, with the subject pertaining to books in shape or content. In the past, those participating have worked with cake, Jell-O, cheese, matzo and more.

If you are interested in contributing an "edible book", please complete and return the application form found on the festival page.

The deadline for submitting this application form is Monday, April 2, 2012.

This event is sponsored by UW-Madison's Memorial Library and the Librarians’ Assembly.

Comments/questions? Please send e-mail to the Edible Book Festival Committee.

Lab Lit

What do you get when you infuse creative writing with lab culture of the micro-and-macroscopic kind? If you are suitably curious, then browse Lab Lit—intended for scientists and non-scientists alike—that, through fiction and non-fiction, looks to shed light on the world of science, scientists and their creative spaces—be that the research lab, library, office or anywhere that inspiration happens.

Lab Lit is edited by Dr. Jennifer Rohn, cell biologist with University College, London. She is also a part-time novelist and science communicator. The site welcomes material from interested readers and writers (see the guidelines for contributors). Be amazed and amused!

Pi Day (March 14)

Mathematicians, among others, observe Pi Day due to Pi being 3.14 (or extended as, 3.1415926535...) or otherwise, as March 14. While you could commemorate the occasion with some clever calculations, I suggest another formula. Check out some "pie" from Steenbock’s cookbook collection!

A few slices, among others:

Author: Chattman, Lauren
Title: Icebox Pies: 100 Scrumptious Recipes for No-Bake, No-Fail Pies
Publisher: Boston, Mass. : Harvard Common Press, c2002.

Author: Clarkson, Janet, 1947-
Title: Pie: A Global History
Publisher: London: Reaktion Books, 2009.

Author: Cherkasky, Lisa, 1956-
Title: The Artful Pie: Unforgettable Recipes for Creative Cooks
Publisher: Shelburne, Vt.: Chapters Pub., c1993.

Author: Olstein, Judi.
Title: Desserts: Pies, Cakes, Puddings, Tarts, Crêpes, Sorbets, Ice Creams & Cookies for the Sweet Tooth in All of Us
Publisher: New York: Triangle Group, 1993.

For assistance finding these and others, speak with your librarians.

Tales from Planet Earth, March 28-31

Tales from Planet Earth is a week-long film festival featuring environmental films from around the world. From the fanciful to the profound, the films selected should engage audiences in thoughtful discussion of environmental issues and film media to capture and to examine those issues.

The festival is a public outreach event from the Center for Culture, History, and Environment (CHE) and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.

All festival events are free and open to the public as space/seating accommodates.

View film schedule; speaker schedule, Facebook page.

This year's film festival runs in conjunction with the meeting of the American Society for Environmental History (ASEH), March 28-31, 2012. Visit the Registration and revised session schedule for more information.

How do you Steenbock? Tell us your stories!

Steenbock staff seeks your feedback about how you use our library collections, services and spaces.

Please reply to this post, reply to us on Facebook, or email us with your comments, reflections and stories.

By way of example, a reflection from one of our staff:

"Years before I ever imagined a career working in libraries, I studied here, even though by academic department and major classes were not in this neighborhood. Thanks to a search in the catalog and a visit to Steenbock to pick-up a book, I knew instantly that I liked the look and feel of the place. I would return to make it my study space, reading and writing papers in "my spot" on the third floor at tables near the windows facing Babcock Drive. Funny, how life is--two degrees later and a return to Madison, I now work here--and smile whenever I pass "my spot" on third."

Help keep Steenbock vital!

Madison Reads Leopold, March 3

Come visit the UW Arboretum for a special public reading from Aldo Leopold’s seminal treatise on life in the natural world and conservation ethos, A Sand County Almanac, Saturday, March 3 (beginning at 9:30 AM).

Scheduled readers include Kevin McSweeney (Director of the Arboretum), Madelyn Leopold, Ray Guries, Ron Seeley, Marie McCabe, and Chuck Quirmbach, among other students, naturalists and leaders from community organizations.

The "Madison Reads Leopold" events are free and open to the public with light refreshments to be served in the visitor center lobby.

The Arboretum Visitor Center is located at 1207 Seminole Highway.

On Sunday, the Arboretum will host a "Walk with Leopold" tour beginning at 1:00 PM.

For more information about these events, phone the UW-Arboretum Visitor Information Desk (608-263-7888) or visit the Website.

View the campus press release.

Campus Blood Drive, March 8

Less than a year ago, campus library staff lost one of its own to unexpected and tragic circumstance. In memory of this colleague, Maureen Grant, the libraries will host a blood drive--a cause that was near and dear to her. The libraries invite eligible donors to stop by Memorial Library, Room 116 (from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM) on Thursday, March 8 to donate a pint through the American Red Cross.

For additional information about how to donate, phone 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit the Red Cross Website. All blood types are desired and necessary. Donors will be asked to present a blood donor card, driver’s license or two other forms of ID to check-in.

Thank you for making a difference in the lives of those needing your donation.

Blood Drive in Memory of Maureen Grant
Date and Time: Thursday, March 8 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Place: UW-Madison Memorial Library, Room 116, 728 State Street

View the press release.