David Rhodes will read from his novel Driftless on April 23rd at 7 p.m. at the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library (Whitewater’s public library, at 431 W. Center Street). Read a review from the California Literary Review.
A copy of Driftless is in Andersen Library’s 3rd-floor Main Collection (PS3568.H55 D75 2008). If UWW’s copy is checked out UWW students and staff can request copies available from other UW campus libraries using the free Universal Borrowing service (online video of how to do it).
Celebrate National Poetry Month, an annual observance started by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. Read some poetry, write some, and give poems away (especially on April 30th, aka Poem In Your Pocket Day).
Where, oh where, can one find poetry?!
Search the Library Catalog for your favorite poet, or for collections of poetry. A subject keyword search for poetry collections would find titles such as Poet’s choice: poems for everyday life (3rd-floor Main Collection, PN1016 .H37 1998), A book of luminous things: an international anthology of poetry (3rd-floor Main Collection, PN6101 .B585 1996), and Beneath the wide wide heaven: poetry of the environment, from antiquity to the present (3rd-floor Main Collection, PN6110.N2 B4 1991).
A catalog search for “children’s poetry” would find titles such as Animal crackers: a delectable collection of pictures, poems, and lullabies for the very young (2nd-floor Oversize Easy Books, E Ani) and Hip hop speaks to children: a celebration of poetry with a beat (2nd-floor Juvenile Non-Fiction, 811.008 Hip). You can use the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database to find titles, and then search for them in the Library Catalog to see if they are available at UWW. For example, on the right side you can limit to “Genre” poetry and then select a grade level. I tried it with grade 5 and found among the titles listed A world of wonders : geographic travels in verse and rhyme, which is available here (2nd-floor Oversize Juvenile Nonfiction, 811.54 Lew).
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!
For those of you anxiously awaiting the “first dog’s” arrival at the White House, the wait is over. In case you haven’t heard yet, the Obama’s black and white 6-month-old Portuguese water dog has arrived in the White House. Check out the White House blog for photos and more details.
If all this news about the country’s “first dog” has gotten you more interested in dogs in general, you might want to learn more about the history of canines.
The book, Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History (call# QL737.C22 W36 2008) is a recent library purchase located in the New Book Island.
The library has plenty of children’s books about dogs as well in the Curriculum Collection on the 2nd floor. Education majors in particular might be interested in the children’s books, The Leanin’ Dog by K. A. Nuzum (call# F Nuz) or Cracker, the Best Dog in Vietnam (call# F Kad). 
There are many more children’s books about dogs in the Curriculum Collection including novels, nonfiction, and picture books. Search in the library catalog using “dog” as a keyword, and use the Quick Limit to choose “Curriculum Collection” from the drop down menu.
Measuring Up:
What Educational Testing Really Tells Us
By Daniel Koretz
LB3051 .K667 2008
New Book Island, 2nd floor
I wish that I had a longer name for only one reason. When I was doing the achievement tests in elementary school, I only got to fill in eight lettered circles. I was jealous of the Christophers and Elizabeths in my class because they got more of a challenge when spelling their names in bubbles. Yet, as a young student, I didn’t realize that the stakes are higher than just making a pretty design with the scantron sheets. These tests place a lot of weight on teachers and schools to ensure that students are learning ‘what they should’ and performing in line with their counterparts in other districts in their states and across the country. This week’s featured title addresses what standardized testing really does and what it means for all involved.
Koretz, education professor at Harvard, takes a hard look at educational testing and its effects on the school system. Rather than take sides, the author presents both sides of the coin by examining the strengths and weaknesses of achievement testing. He provides a background of the history of testing in the United States and analyzes the major controversies surrounding the subject, like high-stakes testing and inflated scores, cultural bias and the evaluation of aggregate scores. The work also includes references for further investigation on the topic.
The University Library’s annual book sale is starting this week! There will be over 3,000 items for sale including new and used books (fiction, non-fiction, biography, mystery, children’s books), videos in various academic subjects, LP’s, magazines, cassettes, and more.
The presale, which is for UWW faculty, staff, students, and members of the Friends of the Library, takes place this evening from 6-8 p.m. Beginning tomorrow, the sale is open to everyone and runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and again on Wednesday. On Thursday, remaining items will be sold for half-price until the sale ends at 4 p.m. Proceeds will be used for library purchases.
See you at the sale!
Some people kill time by watching YouTube videos or your favorite television shows on Hulu for hours. And if Alec Baldwin is correct, then your brain will turn to mush. What if there was a place where you could watch interesting videos and expand your mind?
There is. Academic Earth provides thousands of videos of lectures done by today’s greatest minds. With six of the most prestigious universities in the country participating in the project, you can listen to individual lectures, such as To Get an MBA or Not? from Stanford, to entire courses like Introduction to Solid State Chemistry from MIT. In true Web 2.0 fashion, you can even grade instructors on their presentations as well.
Check it out – you might just learn a thing or two.
The Library’s Browsing collections of feature movies in VHS or DVD formats includes 96 of the titles on the American Film Institute’s “AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies” 10th anniversary list. Most of them are available in DVD format.
This list has something for everyone, including sci-fi classic Blade Runner (one of my personal favorites), Casablanca (go ahead and hum “As Time Goes By“), and Bringing Up Baby (it’s not every day you see the subject “Leopards as pets” in the Library Catalog).
When you search for a movie title in the Library Catalog, click on “Full View” to see more information such as plot summary, original motion picture date, stars, and running length. You can also get additional information from web sites such as Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes.
Of course, the Library has movies that are not on the AFI list too. Try a title search in the Library Catalog if you’re looking for something specific. Feature films in DVD format are on the shelf alphabetically by title, so you can browse too. Looking for videos on a topic or titles appropriate for children? There are ways to search the catalog, such as a keyword search for “juvenile films” or “children’s films” with the “Quick Limit” video collection. Please ask a librarian for assistance.
Wisconsin Eye provides broadcast coverage of all three branches of the Wisconsin State Government—legislative, executive, and judicial. This public affairs network, available on the Internet and on cable television, is a nonpartisan source of information, covering legislative floor proceedings, committee meetings, and oral arguments in the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In addition, Wisconsin Eye provides coverage of some civic events around the State of Wisconsin.
More information, including the current schedule, links to live and archived video, and links to political news is available online at http://www.wisconsineye.com.
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!
