Although some of you may be sad that the summer is ending (I am a little bit), I hope that you’re all glad to be back here in Whitewater. You’ve got your friends, your classes, and of course, you’ve got the Library. If you haven’t been here in a while, you should definitely come by and see what we’ve been up to. I’m sure that it doesn’t look exactly the same. For a sneak peek…
Check out our flickr account for more photos!
Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys:
True Tales of Love, Lust and Friendship Between Straight Women & Gay Men
Edited by Melissa de la Cruz & Tom Dolby
HQ76 .G55 2007
New Book Island, 2nd floor
When you hear the title of this book, you really can’t help but laugh. The editors compiled this volume of essays to pay homage to one of the most-cherished friendships because they hadn’t seen one of its kind. Although the cliché of the straight girl and her male (not-so-straight) shopping companion gallivanting around the mall (think Clueless) is one manifestation of this friendship, it’s certainly not the only one. The book features personal accounts from both sides sharing their experiences about growing up and coming out, falling in love with each other (well, the women do anyway), and confiding every little secret with the other person. For more information about the book and the authors, check out their promotional website.
As I was browsing the New Book Island, this massive volume jumped out at me because I lived in Barcelona. The cover is boring, but the book is fantastic!
Barcelona and Modernity:
Picasso, Gaudí, Miró, Dalí
by William H. Robinson, Jordi Falgas, Carmen Bellon Lord
N7109 .C3 R63 2006
New Book Island, 2nd floor
Barcelona and Modernity represents the published version of an art exhibition of the same title at the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The purpose of the exhibition was to “introduce the American public to the vitality and complexity of Catalan modernism,” which featured works by Pablo Picasso, Antoni Gaudí, Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí. The exhibition places their works within that of lesser-known Catalan visionaries that also made an impact on Barcelona. The installation included a variety of items from roughly one hundred lenders, captured in the 500+ pages of this beautiful book. If you’re interested in modernist art or Barcelona, this is definitely something to check out (or just browse, it’s kind of big).
As a follow-up to the August 6 post about Cambridge University Press and their libel lawsuit, it turns out that libel does not equal a death sentence for books in question.
Yale University Press (YUP) faced a lawsuit from a charity organization that raises money for Palestinian children and families, KinderUSA. The group alleged that Matthew Levitt, author of Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad, insinuates that KinderUSA “funds terrorist or illegal organizations” in the book about the militant ruling party of Palestine.
Unfortunately for KinderUSA, Yale came out swinging, countering with an “anti-SLAPP suit” motion, which is a defense mechanism in some states to protect nonprofit organizations and publications from being silenced by groups with more financial resources. The university press stated that the charity organization had been the subject of federal investigations, which had already been heavily publicized, and that editors at YUP had not found any incorrect information within the work. According to the lawyer for the losing side, “Yale came at us hard.”
There are some distinct differences between the CUP and YUP suits, which are pointed out in the full news story from Insider Higher Ed.
I’m guessing that you got to the blog from the Library’s home page - probably looks a little different than how it did the last time you visited the site, eh? We hope that you like the changes that we’ve made and hopefully you’ll let us know what you like and dislike. Just to highlight some of the new features that we’d added:
So what do YOU think?
With all this commotion about the upcoming election, which - minor detail - is still SIXTEEN months away, I thought that I’d feature this book.
Spanking the Donkey:
Dispatches from the Dumb Season
by Matt Taibbi
E905 .T35 2005
New Book Island, 2nd floor
Matt Taibbi, a columnist for the New York Press and contributor to Rolling Stone and the Nation, puts forth a book that was meant to be a campaign diary but ended up as a “compelling, and somewhat chaotic, mix of reporting, anecdote, social commentary and rant.” (Publishers Weekly review via Amazon) I would definitely identify Taibbi as left-wing, but he hates on Democrats just as much as Republicans - basically, no one is safe with this guy. He takes a hard look at the current state of American politics and the journalists that cover it. As James Wolcott, cultural critic for Vanity Fair, eloquently states, this book is “the funniest angry book and the angriest funny book since Hunter S. Thompson roared into town.”
With the endless hot days of summer come the excited calls of fans cheering on their favorite baseball teams. Barry Bonds recently broke the home run record held by Hank Aaron. But did you know Hank Aaron once played for the Milwaukee Braves?
In the summer 2007 issue of the Wisconsin Magazine of History, the history of the Milwaukee Braves is remembered. The magazine highlights the glory days of baseball, recalling the history of the game from its early days before the Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta, the beginning of a new era with the Brewers in 1982, and memorable pictures of County Stadium and photos of famous players and events. The Wisconsin Magazine of History covers many issues related to Wisconsin and the people and places and events of this wonderful state. The magazine is published by the Wisconsin Historical Society four times a year and is shelved in the Periodicals Department located on the first floor of the University Library. Check it out and learn all about the fascinating history of Wisconsin!
The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!
In honor of the fact that today marks my one-year anniversary here in Whitewater, I’ve decided to feature a book about careers.
The Career Mystique:
Cracks in the American Dream
by Phyllis Moen & Patricia Roehling
HD4904.25 .M638 2005
New Book Island, 2nd floor
The Career Mystique (think Feminine Mystique) questions whether or not the hard work really does pay off in the long run. Authors Moen and Roehling, professors of sociology and psychology respectively, contend that although the American Dream did exist and had a good run, the realities of today prevent many from reaching it. They examine the origins and historical perspectives, as well as the future of the “lockstep life course.” The book, althoughly scholarly (it has a HUGE list of references), is incredibly easy to read, interspersed with personal accounts of surveyed individuals.
The Chronicle of Higher Education reported online today that Cambridge University Press (CUP) has settled a libel lawsuit with Khalid bin Mahfouz, a Saudi banker. Mahfouz cried foul when CUP published Alms for Jihad by Robert O. Collins and J. Millard Burr, which contained allegations that the businessman financed terrorists around the world in the 1990s. This shouldn’t be a surprise, as Mafhouz has successfully sued for libel against three other publishers for works with similar accusations.
You might be thinking, “What does that have to do with the library?” Well, CUP’s settlement included that the press will destroy all unsold copies of the books and attempt to persaude libraries to take the book of their shelves. The University Library does not own Alms for Jihad, but one of the other titles under fire by Mr. Mahfouz. A librarian from Virginia Tech assessed the situation by saying, “If we were to remove this book, would we by implication be saying that we stand behind the factual accuracy and fairness of the remaining 1,999,999?”
So what do you think? What should libraries like UW-Madison that own Alms for Jihad do with the book?
For more information, you can read the original article from the Chronicle or check Mr. Mahfouz’s website.
