A Summer's Reading

One of the interesting and pleasantly-challenging aspects of our work in libraries is to match a library user with the texts that he or she will most want to read, be it for research or entertainment.

If you intend to read for fun this summer, chat with us, check out our campus libraries’ Pinterest Board to "Summer Reads", revisit the 2014 "Book Madness" selection or try some of the tools, below. Each one of these additional resources enables you to explore a genre or factor a recommendation based upon authors, books or themes you already enjoy.

• Fiction Connection (and nonfiction connection)
• Novelry 
• Which Book?

Locate available copies of books on campus or within the UW-System by using the library catalog and its UW System search feature. The Madison Public Library, as part of the South Central Library System, is also an amazing resource for satisfying popular reading interests--search its catalog to locate items of interest.  (Subscribe to its MadReads Daily for book recommendations).

And, if you haven’t yet discovered it, Steenbock Library hosts its very own "Little Free Library" in which you can also freely exchange popular reading materials.

Look Mom...I'm at the Library!

Tell your friends and family where you study with a free, library postcard! 

Take a break, select and write your postcard, then drop it off in our dedicated drop-box.  We will take care of the postage and send it on its way. 

The original images that inspired each of the four different postcard designs were supplied by University Archives.

Look for our postcard-writing station near the front entrance during finals week.

Vote Now! UW Book Madness

Let the voting begin!  Visit the UW Book Madness Tournament site to vote in Round 1.  Round 2 voting will begin on Saturday (March 22) at noon.

Thank you for submitting your brackets in advance. The most accurate bracket, post-voting in the final match-up, will win a gift certificate to the University Bookstore.  See the rules of play here.

Visit the site to learn more about the books in each division, including fun facts and stats.

Voting fine print:

• One vote, per person, per pairing!
• First round voting begins on Thursday, March 20.
• Voting for later rounds begins at approximately noon on these dates:

• Round 2: Saturday March 22
• Round 3: Tuesday March 25 (Sweet 16)
• Round 4: Saturday March 29 (Elite 8)
• Round 5: Tuesday April 1 (Final 4)
• Round 6: Sunday April 6 (Championship)

Book Madness

Let the Book Madness begin!  Fill out your brackets for the second, annual UW Book Madness Tournament!

Download or stop by a participating library (including Steenbock!) to pick-up and to return your brackets.  The most accurate brackets, post-voting in the final match-up, will win gift certificates to the University Bookstore.

All brackets must be returned by March 18 in order to qualify; one submission per person.  Click here to read the complete rules of play.

Beginning March 20, you will be able to vote online for which book in each pairing will advance.

Visit the site to learn more about the books in each division including fun facts and stats that may influence your picks.  The divisions this year are: Books in the Movies, Books on TV; Glass Half-Full, Glass Half-Empty; Required Readings, Guilty Pleasures; Stars’ n Stripes, Union Jack.

#UWBookMadness

Wicked Reading

Ever wonder what goes bump in the night?  Feed that imagination with a selection of the creepy books haunting the shelves of campus libraries.  The SpookyUW Pinterest board exhibits some popular titles suggested by library staff--and guaranteed to send shivers down your spine.  Click on each cover to pursue the link to campus library holdings.

For more fun library discoveries, follow our boards: UWMadLibraries or Steenbock Memorial Library!

Madison Print & Resist (Oct 19)

College Library will play host this Saturday (October 19) to a special 'zine event in conjunction with the Wisconsin Book Festival.  This "Madison Print & Resist" event will feature the work of more than 25 artists and writers of 'zines and grassroots, political and experimental, print-media.  

Stop by the Open Book Café to browse these publications and to meet with the artists and writers. 
The event will run from 11:00 AM until 5:00 PM.

Mindset List (Class of 2017)

Welcome to college, Class of 2017!

Beloit College has released its annual Mindset List (now in its 15th year). While it is important to note that this list does not wholly account for knowledge and experience, it does serve to capture a state of affairs--be it from popular culture, technology or political situation--within the lifespan of the traditional, incoming college student.

It certainly lends itself well to discussion and to reflection upon where we've been and where we may be heading. Visit the site to learn more about the authors and to explore the project’s media buzz.

And, I am reminded as I sip my own that to this incoming class, "Java has never been just a cup of coffee."

Enjoy!

The Mindset List

Welcome to college, Class of 2016!

Beloit College has released its annual Mindset List. While it is important to note that this list does not wholly account for knowledge and experience, it does serve to capture a state of affairs--be it from popular culture, technology or political situation--within the lifespan of the traditional, incoming college student.

It certainly lends itself well to discussion and to reflection upon where we've been and where we may be heading. Enjoy!

To learn more about the "minds" behind the Mindset List, take a look at a 2010 article from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

You Belong@Your Library, DIY READ Posters

As part of National Library Week festivities (April 9-13), bring a copy of your favorite book to MERIT Library to pose for a personalized READ Poster. The library will take photos between noon-6:00 PM, Monday through Thursday and noon-5:00 PM, Friday. Posters will be produced at 11x17 in size and cost $5.00 per pose (additional copies are $1.00). Do bring your campus print/photocopying debit-card to pay for the poster printing.

This year, there are lots of additional backgrounds from which to choose (see examples in flyer) and MERIT staff will use the video studio (Room 109) of Teacher Education (two flights down from library) in which to capture your photo.

For more information, contact MERIT Library.

Find more campus library week activities, here.
"You Belong @ Your Library"

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.

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.

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!

Letters to Santa

Write a letter to Santa to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation! Daily, and until December 23rd, members from the UW Wishmakers organization will stop by its Steenbock letter-writing station to collect letters.
For each letter written, Macy’s department stores will donate $1.00 to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions; the UW-Wishmakers is a student branch of this organization.

Game On @ Your Library

Save the date! On Saturday, November 12, Steenbock Library will host a "gaming day" from 5:00-9:00 PM.

Each year on National Gaming Day @ Your Library, thousands of libraries across the county celebrate the educational, recreational, and social value of board and video games by hosting game-related events. This year, Steenbock Library will have some classic board games on-hand like Clue and Monopoly plus new favorites, too, such as Apples to Apples and Settlers of Catan. We will also have games for Wii and Xbox!

Bring your friends, stop by, and have fun! (Free snacks and beverages while supplies last).

Download and print a flyer!

Social Media Steenbock

Like us on Facebook; follow us on Twitter!

Steenbock Library has launched its new presence on Facebook and Twitter. Keep up-to-date on what’s happening at your library.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Ghastly Fun

Greet your guests this weekend with green slime and glowing pumpkins! Visit the Halloween Science tab on the "Science Projects for Kids" guide for do-it-yourself tips and recipes.

The "Science Projects for Kids" guide is just one of the many online guides created by campus librarians to assist library users with finding useful information--be it books, databases to the research literature, or Websites--available on a particular discipline or topic.

Visit the entire menu of Research Guides.

Fall Foliage Celebration

Every fall, my grandparents would reserve a weekend for a "color tour" during which they would navigate their boat of an Oldsmobile along winding Midwestern roadways to marvel at the foliage. "October is golden" my grandfather would conclude, his favorite month and also my own.

While there is some October to enjoy, I encourage you to crunch along the lake-shore path to Picnic Point, observe the fall palette, and visit the Fall Foliage Celebration Webpage. This Special Features page is a compilation of sites, organized by science librarians with the University of Buffalo, to highlight the science and spectacle of the season.

With thanks to Amanda W for proposing this Web link.

#FindUW, Social Media Scavenger Hunt

Are you ready to play?! New and returning students are invited to take part in the first social media scavenger hunt. Play one or all three days, August 31-September 2, 2011.

In order to play, and to qualify for great prizes, follow @UWMadison on Twitter to receive clues to 17 campus locations. (Be sure to look for the red/white Buckys). Find the location and tweet your response to be entered to win. The more locations you find, the better your chances of winning.

If you do not have a smart phone, visit a campus computer lab to participate.

Visit the #FindUW site for more information and to review the rules for participation.

UW-Madison Libraries are among this event’s campus partners.

Mindset List (Class of 2015)

Welcome to college, Class of 2015!

Beloit College has released its annual Mindset list. While it is important to note that this list does not wholly account for knowledge and experience, it does serve to capture a state of affairs--be it from popular culture, technology or political situation--within the lifespan of the traditional, incoming college student.

It certainly lends itself well to discussion and to reflection upon where we've been and where we may be heading.

Noteworthy on this year’s list is a statement in its introduction to what has become ubiquitous--that being that this is the "first generation to grow up taking the word "online" for granted and for whom crossing the digital divide has redefined research, original sources and access to information, changing the central experiences and methods in their lives."

At the libraries, of course, we, your campus librarians, are not strangers to how online resources have transformed how we find and manage information. Should you need assistance in finding and using these resources, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are happy to supply that assistance.