Libraries to Host Storybooth; Sterling Hall Bombing

Where were you on August 24, 1970?

Beginning this August 23, the Wisconsin Story Project will install the Wisconsin Storybooth in Memorial Library (west corridor) to collect personal recollections of the Sterling Hall bombing. These personal stories will be added to the collections of the UW-Madison Archives and used as research for the Wisconsin Story Project’s next documentary theater project which will be based on the Sterling Hall event and the era of protest in Madison that preceded it.

The booth will remain in Memorial Library through August 29 and is open to the public. Representatives from the partnering units of the UW‐Madison Oral History Program and the Wisconsin Story Project will be on hand to assist community members with sharing and recording their stories.

About UW‐Madison Libraries & its Oral History Program

The UW-Madison Libraries’ staff and resources are vital to the teaching, learning, and research and outreach mission of the state’s flagship university. The campus oral history program aligns with the libraries’ vision by gathering, preserving, and providing access to audio recordings, transcripts, and other related material to people both on and off campus. The program also works with individuals and groups throughout Wisconsin to assist in the oral history interviews and projects.

About the Wisconsin Story Project

Founded in 2008 by Talish Barrow, Mike Lawler, and Christina Martin‐Wright, the Wisconsin Story Project is a non-profit artist collective dedicated to the gathering and creative-sharing of stories from Wisconsin. WSP recently staged its first full theatrical production, Cancer Stories, in The Playhouse at the Overture Center. It hosts monthly Storyshares, live storytelling events at The Project Lodge in Madison, and also produces a semi‐regular podcast called the Wisconsin Storycast, available on iTunes or at wisconsinstory.org.

About the Storybooth

Built with the generous support of the Spring Green Area Arts Coalition and American Players Theatre, the Wisconsin Storybooth debuted as part of an art installation called Cancer Stories…Art in the Playhouse Gallery of the Overture Center in May 2010. It will next be used at the annual event for the charity organization 4PeteSake in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and then be used to collect local memories of the Sterling Hall bombing of 1970 during the fortieth anniversary of the event.

Of related interest, visit the Campus Voices page (Oral History Program and UW Digital Collections)
and History of 20th Century Protests & Social Action at UW-Madison (UW-Madison Archives)

With thanks to Troy Reeves, Head, Oral History Program, for supplying this blog post.

Graduate Support Series

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

Please visit the workshop site or view the flyer (PDF) for the listing of workshops in the series. From "Compiling a Lit Review" to "Using Patents and Technical Reports"--there is something for you.

Do note date, time and library location. Registration is recommended; register with the GSC (Graduate Student Collaborative).

Save the Date: Employee Bus Pass Distribution

Steenbock Library is pleased to serve as one of the pick-up sites for the UW-Madison Employee Bus Pass. The bus pass from Transportation Services remains fully-subsidized yet this year, 2010-2011. Eligible employees must present a valid UW Wiscard ID* or UW Hospital ID at one of the distribution locations in order to collect a bus pass.

Distribution of the 2010-2011 bus pass will take place between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM at the following locations (do note dates):

• August 16-20, Steenbock Library, Room 240, (550 Babcock Drive)
• August 23-27, Memorial Union, TITU, (800 Langdon Street)
• August 30-September 3, UW Hospital, H4/1 elevator lobby kiosk, (600 Highland Avenue)
• September 7-10, WARF Building, Room 132, (614 Walnut Street)
  (Do note that there will not be distribution on September 6, Labor Day).

If an employee misses the initial distribution period for the complimentary bus pass, he/she can obtain one from Transportation Services.

Steenbock Library will also serve as a distribution site for the ASM Student Bus; visit this link for more information.

* Students, faculty, and staff who need a new or replacement ID card must present personal photo identification such as a driver's license, passport, or state ID to staff with the Wiscard Office. The Wiscard Office can produce a Faculty/Staff ID card once the employee's department has entered the appointment information (and proper authorization has been established) in the database. Visit the Wiscard site for more information.

Truck Farm

It's not just about urban gardening and real food, it's a movement, or shall we say "moving" and proof-positive that one can farm nearly anywhere, given the inspiration.

Metaphor aside, Truck Farm is a non-profit art and advocacy project developed in cooperation with Practical Farmers of Iowa. Take a pick-up truck, outfit the bed with drainage and soil, plant the seeds and watch them grow--all while taking it on the road and bringing information and fresh produce to residents of urban communities (specifically, NYC).

The Truck Farm documentary, from the film-makers who brought us King Corn, joins the tour and chronicles the development of the project and its outreach mission. Visit the site for excerpts.

Comfort Food

I have been savoring that quintessential taste of summer--sweet corn. While, early, it is every bit as crisp and as sweet as I enjoy it and completely evocative of summer dinners with my grandparents where the corn and berries would take center stage. This comforting memory, and the theme of "comfort food," has led me to browse our library collections and to share some titles. Do speak with our staff should you need assistance locating these and more.

Title: America’s Home Cooking: Healthy Recipes
Call Number: TX715 A5082355 2005

Author: Ginsburg, Art.
Title: Home Cookin’ in a Hurry
Call Number: TX833.5 G539 2003

Author Streckert, Toni Brandeis.
Title: Potluck! Home Cooking from Wisconsin’s Community Cookbooks
Call Number: TX715 S895 2007

Author: Vollstedt, Maryana.
Title: The Big Book of Casseroles: 250 Recipes for Serious Comfort Food
Call Number: TX693 V65 2000