Libraries Launch New Catalog!

On May 21, UW-Madison Libraries will officially launch its new library catalog.  This new catalog, which has engaged the talents of campus library staff in its design, development and user-testing, will serve as the primary catalog interface.  Catalog users will enjoy a more effective searching experience to successfully retrieve resources from the wealth of campus and UW-System library collections.

The new catalog is also designed for your mobile lifestyle, working seamlessly with iPads and other mobile devices.  Do note that although this new catalog interface has been developed, access to "MadCat" will remain available.

Contact your Steenbock librarians today should you wish to schedule an opportunity to review the new catalog interface. Our librarians can provide assistance with your use of the catalog and supply a customized orientation to your students.

• Search the catalog

• Tell us about your experience

Office Book Delivery Service

Steenbock Library is piloting a new delivery service to offices of faculty and academic staff. Interested faculty and staff can request up to five books per day from the Steenbock collection exclusively. Books will be delivered using Interdepartmental mail.

For more information about this service and to access the online request form, click here. A request form received by 10:00 AM, Monday through Friday, will be processed that same day. Items should arrive to offices within three business days. An email message will be sent to confirm circulation status and anticipated delivery.

Speak with librarians or view the video tutorial on how to limit your library catalog searches to Steenbock collections.

Do note:

• Only faculty and academic staff are eligible for office delivery.

• Service is limited to books from the collections of Steenbock Library. (Books from other campus libraries and non-book material--journals, microfilm--cannot be delivered).

• Only five items may be requested per day.

• There is no return service; please return books to the most convenient campus library.

What to Read Next

One of the interesting--and sometimes challenging--activities in librarianship is matching a library user to the texts that he/she will most like to read, be it for research or entertainment.

If you intend to read for entertainment this summer, you may wish to speak with your librarian or try some of the resources, below. Each resource enables you to explore a genre or factor a recommendation based upon authors or books you already enjoy.

• Fiction Connection

• Which Book?

• Reader’s Robot
  

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

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!

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.

Forward Thinking

On November 1, 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 campus libraries and Steenbock. Set your search for UW-Madison or for the UW System and UW Digital Collections.

As of the November 1st date, two campuses (Madison and Whitewater) can already place requests for UW System items directly within Forward. The development team anticipates that more campuses will be able to do so soon during Forward’s public beta period which runs through December.

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.

Book Retrieval, At Your Service with MadCat

Campus libraries can deliver books to the library locations that are most convenient for you. Search the MadCat catalog for the book(s) you need. From each item record, click the "Place Requests" link (at the top of page) in order to generate the request.

Once you have logged in with your NetID or campus ID number and last name, select "retrieve from shelf." On the following screen, you will be prompted to select a library pick-up location.

Please allow 1-3 days for items to reach their destination. You may check the status of your request by logging in to "My MadCat Account." An email message will be sent when your items are available for pick-up.

Mindset List (Class of 2014)

Welcome to college, Class of 2014!

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.

And, for this incoming class of students, it may be worth noting that "library catalogs have always been online." Be sure to visit UW-Madison's online catalog, MadCat, to find those resources you need for amusement and academic purposes!

Resources on Haiti

In response to the disastrous earthquake in Haiti, Chancellor Martin encourages the UW-Madison community to support relief efforts.

Many resources are available online, and from campus libraries, to help you to learn more about Haiti and current relief efforts. Speak with campus librarians for assistance locating additional resources (articles, books, web sites).

Charitable giving (agencies, organizations):
American Red Cross
Doctors without Borders/Medecins sans Frontieres
Engineers without Borders
Partners in Health
Unicef…, among others.
(In order to evaluate a charitable organization, visit the Charity Navigator site).

News:
CNN Haiti Earthquake
Democracy Now! (headline news and recent shows)
New York Times, Haiti
Relief Web, Haiti

Country Information, Maps:
CountryWatch (Select country, Haiti)
Haiti, CIA World Factbook
Haiti, World Health Organization
Haiti Earthquake, Map, USGS

Health & Disaster Response:
Haiti Earthquake, Disaster Information Management Research Center, NLM, NIH

Books/Documents (campus collections):
Run a MadCat, Words Anywhere search, to flexibly retrieve records to books, documents and audiovisual items from campus collections or browse this index of subject-headings. Click on a heading of interest to pull records to those collection items.

• Haiti: Past and Present Research Guide, UW-Madison Libraries (includes listing of film series event)
  

Blog post inspiration credit to UMass-Amherst librarian, Isabel E. who has generated a “Disaster in Haiti" Research Guide for her campus.

What to Read Next

If you ever struggle to come up with what to read next (apart from required texts), consider a list of titles generated by campus librarians.

While the staff was not able to meet for its annual book discussion given the campus “snow day”, it did manage to compile a bibliography of its recommendations. Use the bibliography to find something to distract you from the local wintry scene or to discover that gift of a “little something” for friends and family.

Consult with your campus or public libraries to find available copies.

Handy links:

MadCat
Don’t forget UW System search and borrowing options!

LinkCat, South Central Wisconsin Library System

WorldCat (find library copies nationally, some internationally)

Career Collections

As you begin your search for an exciting career opportunity, do consult the library’s online guide to Job Hunting on the Internet.

This guide supplies links to resources for helping you prepare your resume and cover letter, tips for networking and interviewing, sources to help you research potential employers and sources for retrieving current job listings—including those opportunities that may not be advertised.

College Library also maintains a Career Collection of more than 1,000 books on writing resumes and cover letters, preparing for interviews, job hunting, and choosing and preparing for a career. This collection is located in the center area of the third floor of College Library.

In addition to College Library’s Career Collection, there are many other career guides to particular fields that can be found in the various libraries. Steenbock Library has career guides in its book stacks that are in keeping with the other collections we support for CALS, SOHE and VetMed. Speak with your librarians for assistance locating these resources OR try using the MadCat catalog, “Words Anywhere” or “Title Words” searches. Example searches may include combining the term (with wildcard) “career?” or “job?” with specific discipline. (For example: career? fashion)

C is for Cookie

This week marked Sesame Street’s 40^th Birthday (November 10th, to be precise). In order to celebrate this noteworthy achievement in children's programming, and likely the fact that many of us did come to associate the letter “C” with “cookies” (thanks to one shaggy, blue muppet), I encourage you to bake a few for yourself this weekend (cookies not muppets!) from recipes gleaned from Steenbock’s cookbook collection.

Use the MadCat catalog or speak with your librarians for assistance locating titles. Should a title be checked-out to another library user, do consider a UW-System search or visit one of our area public libraries. Again, campus librarians are happy to help you find available copies.

A few selections from the collection:

Author: Baggett, Nancy, 1943-
Title: The All-American Cookie Book
Call Number: TX772 B25 2001

Author: Desaulniers, Marcel.
Title: Death by Chocolate Cookies
Call Number: TX772 D47 1997

Author: Zenker, John J., 1900-
Title: Cookie Cookery
Call Number: TX772 Z45 1969

Title: Blue Ribbon Cookies / edited by Maria Polushkin Robbins.
Call Number: TX772 B58 1988

Title: Cookies: Step-by-Step Techniques / by the editors of Sunset Books and Sunset Magazine.
Call Number: TX772 .C658 1985

A Novel Way to Travel

According to Susheila Nasta, editor and founder of Wasafiri magazine, "reading is a passport to travel elsewhere. “

In the spirit of that adventure, she has recommended several of her favorite titles (with plot synopsis) in a recent article from The Guardian. I am pleased to note that all ten of the recommended titles are available from campus libraries.

Use the MadCat catalog or speak with your favorite librarian to confirm availability. Should one these titles be checked-out to other library users, do consider a UW-System search or visit one of our area public libraries. Again, campus librarians are happy to help you find available copies.

1. The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon

2. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (other editions, multiple copies on campus)

3. Baumgartner's Bombay by Anita Desai,

4. Austerlitz by WG Sebald

5. Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah

6. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (other editions, multiple copies on campus)

7. Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh

8. Mr. Potter by Jamaica Kincaid

9. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

10. The Emperor's Babe by Bernardine Evaristo

MindSet List, Class of 2013

Welcome to college, Class of 2013!

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 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. Of interest to those of us who work in libraries is the statement that incoming students have probably never used a card catalog to look for a book (that is, of the traditional cabinet & cardstock variety). While this may well be the case, the essence of the catalog has simply migrated to an online form—in our case, MadCat. Come speak with campus librarians with your questions about how to use MadCat and other library collections; we are here to make that experience a positive one.

Call for Course Reserves (Fall 2009)

The course reserves deadline for the fall semester is fast approaching!
To ensure that your reserve materials are available in time for the first day of class, we invite you to submit your course reserve materials by our deadline date of: August 10, 2009.

For more information, visit the Steenbock Course Reserves page, phone 263-8331 or email.

If you are a student, do note that you can access your e-reserve content by logging in to your MyUW and selecting the Library/Reserves link listed with your registered classes. Similarly, you can access these same library links from within Learn@UW. Should your instructor have placed materials for you to use at one of our campus libraries, visit the MadCat catalog to run a Course Reserves search.

Children of the Corn Belt

As corny as it may seem, we really should spend some time thinking about corn.

As a child, a corn field could frighten me. Once it surpassed "knee high by the Fourth of July" and my diminutive height, the rustle of the stalks and the greenish cast of the field would set my imagination on high alert—running wild with thoughts of that lurking beyond the first row. (Weirdly, as an adult, though, I enjoy Shyamalan’s movie, "Signs" for how brilliantly he captures that eeriness of a stand of corn).

These musings aside, the transformation from successful grass to commodity crop generates another kind of awe and proves to be an interesting history--and one that is well-documented within library collections. Among these collections are the titles listed below. Speak with your librarians for assistance locating these and related titles. Additional search terms, for use in the MadCat catalog and the journal indexes, include: maize, teosinte, and zea mays.

Title: Handbook of Maize: Its Biology / edited by Jeff L. Bennetzen, Sarah C. Hake.
Publisher: New York: Springer, 2009.
Description: ix, 587 p.: ill. (some col.) ; 25 cm.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: SB191 M2 H3 2009

Title: Corn: Origin, History, Technology, and Production /editors, C. Wayne Smith, Javier Betrán, E.C.A. Runge.
Publisher: Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, c2004.
Description: xi, 949 p., [8] p. of plates: ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: SB191 M2 C6 2004

Author: Fussell, Betty Harper.
Title: The Story of Corn / Betty Fussell.
Publisher: New York: Knopf, 1992.
Description: 356 p.: ill. ; 25 cm.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [335]-344) and index.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: SB191 M2 F87 1992

Community Gardening

Did you know that there are over thirty community gardens in Madison? If you are not familiar with community gardening, it is an excellent way to unite and beautify the community, conserve resources, and produce nutritious food. Although community gardening is by no means a new phenomenon, it has become quite prevalent in South Central Wisconsin over the past few years. The Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, Inc, works with more than thirty-one community gardens in the Madison area, and, according to their website, those gardens produce more than a quarter million pounds of produce a year.

If you are interested in the history of community gardening in the U.S., you might want to visit the first floor of Steenbock Library and have a look at Laura Lawson’s work, City Bountiful: A Century of Community Gardening in America (or its electronic edition). For a another, practical take, you might want to borrow Elizabeth Henderson and Robyn Van En’s work, Sharing the Harvest: A Guide to Community Supported Agriculture.

To find more titles about community gardening, you can do a MadCat catalog search (HINT: try using “community gardens” or “community gardening” as a search term). You can also learn more or find a community garden in your area by visiting the American Community Gardening Association’s website.

With thanks to Sam B for this blog post.

New to MadCat: RefWorks Export

MadCat has upgraded in such a way that a reference may be directly exported to a RefWorks account. Simply go into MadCat and do a search as you usually would.

Next, select a specific reference to view and click on the “Export” icon located above and to the right of the item’s descriptive information. (By doing this, you will be supplied with a pared-down version of the item record).

Your next move would be to select the “Export Record” link which is located above the item’s descriptive information.

Lastly, select the “Export to RefWorks” icon. This is an easy and reliable way of exporting your references to RefWorks directly from MadCat. Enjoy!

Want to see how to do it? Watch this Jing video clip!

With thanks to Tierra G for this blog post.

Arbor Day Resources

Is your backyard looking bare? Go out and plant a tree!

If you didn’t know, National Arbor Day is Friday, April 24. First observed in Nebraska in 1872 with the planting of more than a million trees, the holiday is now observed throughout the nation and the world. To learn about the history of the holiday, environmental considerations, or to find out how to celebrate, stop by Steenbock Library.

Get a historical perspective by checking out Nathaniel Egleston’s 1896 work, Arbor Day: Its History and Observance. More current works dealing with all things trees include, Plant for the Planet: The Billion Tree Campaign: An Album and Shaul E. Cohen’s work, Planting Nature: Trees and the Manipulation of Environmental Stewardship in America. You can locate these books by asking a librarian at Steenbock library or by doing a MadCat catalog search.

Another great way to learn about the history, facts, and ways to celebrate the holiday is by visiting the National Arbor Day Foundation’s web site.

With thanks to Sam B for this blog post.

Cooking with Local Flavor

There is growing interest in local food, and Dane County is no exception. Every Saturday, Madisonians flock to the capitol square to find good deals on a wide variety of food, including locally raised produce, meats, and dairy.

If you are looking for great recipes or ideas for preparation, be sure to stop by Steenbock Library to browse the cookbook collection. The unique collection, housed on the first floor, boasts over 5000 titles. Check out Ivy Manning’s, The Farm to Table Cookbook: the Art of Eating Locally for interesting information on farmer’s markets and natural cookery.

The Farmer’s Market is also a great way to save money. If eating healthy and saving money is your style, have a look at Dede Hall’s, The Starving Students’ Cookbook. The collection has something for just about anyone. Vegetarians will delight in the Wild Vegetarian Cookbook: a Forager’s Culinary Guide. For those of you interested in maintaining Wisconsin’s natural flora, come see, The Invasive Species Cookbook: Conservation through Gastronomy.

Stop by Steenbock to browse the cookbook collection or search from home through a MadCat library catalog search (tip: try using “cookery” as a search term). For more information on the Dane County Farmer’s Market try visiting their website.

With thanks to Sam B for supplying this blog post!