Star in Your Own READ Poster!

Do you have a collection of our Bucky READ posters?  Would you like to pose for your own?  If so, bring a copy of your favorite book (and even a friend or two) to MERIT to pose for a personalized READ poster (Room 109 Studio, Teacher Ed 225 N. Mills). 

As part of National Library Week festivities (April 13-18), MERIT Library staff will take photos for posters between noon-6:00 PM, each day. Backgrounds include several campus locations. The posters will be produced at 11x17 in size and cost $5.00 per pose (1 pose per person and/or group; $2.00 each for additional copies).

Do bring exact cash or your campus print/photocopying debit-card to pay for the poster printing. 

For more information, contact MERIT Library.

"Lives Change @ your library."

Digital Salon Exhibition, 2014

Podcasts and Websites and Games, oh my!  Visit the 5th Annual Digital Salon exhibition to see these and more from our creative community of undergraduate and graduate students.

The week-long Digital Salon showcases the artistic and research-oriented projects that take digital form or rely heavily on digital technologies in the production process. The Salon is curated by a committee of UW-Madison faculty and staff.  Look for the "physical" exhibition at College Library, Open Book Café.  The virtual Salon can be accessed by visiting its site, here.  Previous exhibitions can be accessed

The Digital Salon is organized by UW-Madison Libraries and the DesignLab.

Get Out There! (WI Film Festival)

Save the date for the 16th Annual Wisconsin Film Festival (April 3-10, 2014)! The annual festival brings Madison audiences some of the finest examples of independent, local and international film-making. The 2014 festival will also feature many restorations.  Advance tickets will go on sale Saturday, March 8 (online, or by phone or in-person at Union South).  Screenings will take place at four festival venues on campus, the Sundance Theaters, Hilldale Mall and at the Capitol Theater, Overture Center for the Arts (Sunday, April 6).

Look for the festival guide in the forthcoming issue of the Isthmus (Thursday, March 6). The Festival is presented by the UW-Madison Arts Institute and the UW Department of Communication Arts; additional sponsorship is provided by UW-Madison and community businesses and foundations.
Facebook | Twitter

Tales from Planet Earth (Nov 1-3)

Tales from Planet Earth is a 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 the use of film media to capture and to examine those issues.  Attending the festival will be many of the film-makers themselves with whom to discuss their work.

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.  The opening roundtable, moderated by Professor Gregg Mitman, will feature Ruth Ozeki, Alex Rivera, Marie-Hélène Cousineau, and Zach Kunuk in a conversation examining questions of time and culture in the age of the Anthropocene (marking the unprecedented scale of human impact upon the planet).

View film schedule, thematic list; speaker schedule, and ways to connect (Facebook, Twitter).

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.

#UWRightNow Audio Booth (Apr 17)

Come, share your story!  University Archivists are looking to record your experiences of life at UW-Madison.  Visit the audio-booth in Room 240, Steenbock Library from 1:00-3:00 PM.  Your short story and photo will be uploaded to the UWRightNow site.  All students, faculty, staff and alumni are welcome!  And, we look forward to hearing from you.
#UWRightNow

Share Steenbock on Instagram

If a picture is worth a thousand words, I guess an Instagram photo is worth at least a couple of likes. 

At Steenbock Library, we have just created an account on the filter-friendly mobile app, and we're very excited for what its potential can be. Whether you first heard about the newest social media craze being referenced in a rap song, an article in the Huffington Post, or seen a photo on Facebook, it sure looks like Instagram is here to stay.

Now here at the library, not only is the account going to be used to connect students to the library, I believe that it can show the university and the world, that there are more to libraries than we think. Before joining the ISIP Program (Information Specialist Internship Program) which is part of the UW Library System, I was truly unaware of how much work goes into the library.  After being in the program for two semesters now, I can attest to the interesting and important work the librarians at this school do and hopefully our Instagram will shed some light on this.

So if you have any suggestions for photos or just want to follow someone new on Instagram, remember to look up ASK_Steenbock, give us a like, and talk about what you want to see from us next.

With thanks to ISIP Intern, Matthew J, for this blog post.

Green Porno

Are you in the mood?  In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, take a look at how the mating game is played with an amusing, yet informative, series of very short films. 
In each Green Porno film, actress Isabella Rossellini interprets the reproductive behavior of marine and terrestrial animals and insects.  

Challenge your knowledge of the birds and the bees and visit the site to view the films and the creative process behind-the-scenes.

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.

Garden Expo (February 10-12, 2012)

Think Green with the annual Garden Expo! The Expo will be held at the Exhibition Hall of the Alliant Energy Center, February 10-12, 2012. 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. And, see what’s new for 2012.

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, flori-culture, and pest management, among other related topics.

Consult with library staff for assistance locating and using these collections.

Call for Projects, 3rd Annual Digital Salon

UW Libraries and the Digital Humanities Initiative invite students (undergraduate and graduate) to submit their new media projects for exhibition during the 3rd annual Digital Salon, April 15-20, 2012.

The deadline for submitting a project will be Friday, March 5, 2012. Complete the online form to submit a project to the curatorial committee.

The Digital Salon seeks examples of artistic and research-oriented projects that take digital form or rely heavily on digital technologies in the production process. Examples of this work might include podcasts, experimental videos, animations, graphic novels or essays, websites, blogs, multimedia installations, posters, etc.

Additionally, undergraduate students who want to participate in the Undergraduate Symposium can elect to have their projects displayed at the Digital Salon Exhibition at the Symposium (in addition to the main Digital Salon exhibition in College Library's Open Book Cafe and online). The Undergraduate Symposium is Wednesday, April 18 at Union South. To do this, students should fill out an application to the Undergraduate Symposium and check the "Digital Salon" box on their application.

Two previous exhibitions can be visited online: Digital Salon 2011, Digital Salon 2010.

The Digital Salon is organized by the Digital Humanities Initiative and UW-Madison Libraries, with additional support from DesignLab.

For more information, contact digitalsalon-l@library.wisc.edu.

Top 100 Women, Writing and Academia

Continue your reflection upon International Women’s Day (yesterday, March 8) with a review of the accomplishments of 100 women making their way in writing and academia. This list, and reflection upon the contribution of each woman, has been compiled by editors and contributors to the Guardian.

Speak with your librarians should you need assistance locating the texts produced by these remarkable women.

And, visit the Top 100 page for additional content about inspiring women in other fields of endeavor.

Digital Salon, Submit Your Projects (Feb 4)

UW Libraries and the Digital Humanities Initiative invite students (undergraduate and graduate) to submit their new media projects for exhibition during the second annual Digital Salon, April 9-15, 2011.

The deadline for submitting a project will be Friday, February 4, 2011. Complete the online form to submit a project to the curatorial committee. Students, whose projects have been selected, will be contacted by February 21 with that confirmation.

The Digital Salon seeks examples of artistic and research-oriented projects that take digital form or rely heavily on digital technologies in the production process. Examples of this work might include podcasts, experimental videos, animations, graphic novels or essays, websites, blogs, multimedia installations, posters, etc.

In addition to the primary exhibition at College Library, projects will be displayed in an online exhibit with some additionally selected for inclusion in the Undergraduate Symposium and for display at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. These events, and a reception for students participating in the Digital Salon, will also take place in mid-April.

With thanks to Sarah McDaniel for the content of blog post.

Snack Radio

Author, Clotilde Dusoulier, who pens one of my favorite food blogs, Chocolate & Zucchini, recently shared a list of favorite food and food culture podcasts. As I am often not able to catch a live broadcast of many radio programs, these links enable me to catch up, at leisure, on a program of interest. Download programs to your MP3 player or use your media player of choice to listen from the site.
Give them a try today!

• Good Food, KCRW

• The Splendid Table, American Public Media

• Edible Radio

• Spilled Milk

And, additionally...

• Food, NPR

• Here on Earth, WPR (food-themed Fridays)

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.

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

Voices and Visions (April 14)

In conjunction with the broadcast of the PBS series, “We Shall Remain” (first episode to air, Monday, April 13, 8:00 PM, WHA-TV), College Library will host Voices and Visions, a program featuring personal stories, discussion and reflection with faculty members, Roberta Hill, Richard Monette and Patty Loew. The program will be held in the Ethnic Studies Collection Room (Room 1193), College Library, Tuesday, April 14 (5:30-7:00 PM).

The Voices and Visions program is free and open to the public. Supporters include the General Library System, Wisconsin Public Television, American Indian Studies Program, Wunk Sheek , American Indian Student Academic Services, and Wisconsin Historical Society.

GROW with CALS

CALS has transitioned its Grow magazine, to a new online presence—one with opportunities to discuss its stories and to share them via email or in social networking spaces. Additionally, the new Grow site will serve as a model for reinventing the CALS Web presence; your feedback will be much appreciated by its Web team.

Grow, published by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, features interesting research, teaching and outreach performed by staff from its departments in the areas of agriculture, food, health, environment, energy, and community development.

Top 10 of Everything

What a year it has been! For those of you who like to reflect on the past year, have some fun with a look at Time magazine’s Top 10 Lists of Everything from 2008—albums, food trends, news stories, movies, video-games, etc.

Wonder what 2009 has in store?!

UW Sues Sesame Street....

…For using the letter “W”—or so reports The Daily Cardinal.

Enjoy some lighter reading today with April Fools’ Day treatment from area news sources. In addition to the Cardinal, check out the Badger Herald’s Dirty Bird and the Onion—where every issue is good for a laugh.

All three papers are also available on newsstands near Steenbock’s front entrance, second floor.

Enjoy!