Tag Archive for 'books'

New Stuff Tuesday – November 3

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kyle
on November 3, 2009
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Spent

Spent:
Sex, Evolution and Consumer Behavior
By Geoffrey Miller
HB801 .M493 2009
New Book Island, 2nd floor

It seems that we’re on a Darwin kick here (next week, a book about the Darwin Awards?), but this week’s featured title also deals with evolution in a different context. Besides, with the Black Friday ads already starting to pop up here and there, dropping loads of cash is on everyone’s mind.

Miller, a professor at the University of New Mexico, applies the world of evolutionary psychology to the field of marketing with intriguing results. He seeks to prove that there is a connection between buyer behavior and our biological potential as friends and mates. The author examines the Central Six, the major dimensions of variations for human behavior, and what the purchases we make, from cars to music to video games, reveal about them. If you’d like to learn what compels you to buy those suicidal high heels or the ginormous truck, this book’s for you.

Soldiers’, children’s accounts of war

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Barbara
on November 3, 2009
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UWW will honor Veterans Recognition Week (Nov. 3-11, 2009) with several events.

New York Times image of Things They Wrote OP-ED“Letters Home” on Tues., Nov. 3rd, at 7:30pm (Young Auditorium) is a performance of stories of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families. It’s inspired by The New York Times articles, The Things They Wrote.

Mon., Nov. 9, 6-8 pm: Student panel on UWW Veterans’ Firsthand Accounts (location: Involvement Center, University Center).

Wed., Nov. 11, 5 pm: Guest speaker Ben Collins shares his experience as a Green Beret in Afghanistan (location: Summers Auditorium, University Center).

When War Becomes Personal coverThere are also materials in Andersen Library. A search of HALCat, Andersen Library’s catalog, would find titles such as When war becomes personal: Soldiers’ accounts from the Civil War to Iraq (3rd-floor Main Collection, E181 .W565 2008) and Stolen voices: Young people’s war diaries, from World War I to Iraq (2nd-floor Curriculum Collection, Juvenile Non-Fiction, 302.23 Sto).

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

New Stuff Tuesday – October 27

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kyle
on October 27, 2009
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Galápagos at the Crossroads

Galápagos at the Crossroads:
Pirates, Biologists, Tourists and Creationists
Battle for Darwin’s Cradle of Evolution
By Carol Ann Bassett
F3741 .G2 B38 2009
New Book Island, 2nd floor

Back in grade school, I remember learning about the islands off the coast of Ecuador where thousands of species of plants and animals could be found only there. The islands also provided Darwin with the scientific evidence to support his theory of natural selection. This week’s featured book alerts readers that the birthplace of The Origin of Species is at risk due to economic exploitation.

Bassett, writing instructor at the University of Oregon, presents the case that the Galápagos Islands, known for their natural and unique beauty, could (or more accurately, will) be lost forever if something doesn’t change. She tells the history of the islands and their exploration by Spanish conquistadors and adventurous scientists and naturalists. The author then takes a chapter to discuss each stakeholder in the current situation, from the tour companies to fishermen to the pirates. If you are looking for an example of the battle between the natural environment and human encroachment, this book provides the perfect case.

One more thing, which I (as a librarian) thought was cool: Bassett not only includes a bibliography, but breaks up the sources by type, with books, magazines/journals, etc. – makes your life easy when trying to figure out citations!

New Stuff Tuesday – October 20

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kyle
on October 20, 2009
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Our Lot

Our Lot:
How Real Estate Came to Own Us
By Alyssa Katz
HD1375 .K348 2009
New Book Island, 2nd floor

The housing market these days has a lot of people worried and waiting for an economic recovery to make the next move. The real estate bubble and subsequent implosion put individuals and corporations in dire situations. This week’s featured title looks at the factors that contributed to the crash of the American dream of home ownership.

Katz, journalism instructor at New York University, examines the housing market and how we got to where we are now. The author focuses on all of the players involved, from the government to the bankers to community activists, that created the crisis that we’re currently experiencing. She writes about a somewhat complicated subject in a very accessible style and even includes a glossary of real estate terms just in case. Furthermore, she does provide notes and sources for further research.

Homecoming: The ’90s

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Barbara
on October 19, 2009
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It’s Homecoming Week @UWW! “The ’90s: Lived ‘em, Loved ‘em, Never Left ‘em.”

Friends DVD set photoSo get into a ’90s mood! Some Andersen Library resources might help, such as the DVD set of the complete Friends series (2nd-floor Browsing DVD–Features, call no. Fri). You can spend a whopping 4800 minutes watching this television series that premiered in September 1994. The Physics of the Buffyverse coverOr read about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a television series that first aired in March 1997. A search of HALCat, the Library catalog, would find titles such as Fighting the forces: what’s at stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (3rd-floor Main Collection, PN1992.77.B84 F54 2002) and The physics of the Buffyverse (3rd-floor Main Collection, QC75 .O84 2006). Magic Eye I, II, III coversI was among many who bought some “magic eye” art. You can see three books on this in Andersen Library (Magic Eye, Magic Eye II, and Magic Eye III, all in the 3rd-floor Main Collection, N7430.5 .M24)

Clone coverThe ’90s were years of many scientific and technological wonders. Who can forget Dolly, the cloned sheep born on July 5, 1996? Read all abaaaaaaht it in Clone: The road to Dolly, and the path ahead (3rd-floor Main Collection, QH442.2 .K65 1998). And think about the ’90s this week as you search the Internet, watch DVDs, play video games, and take pictures on your digital camera…the World Wide Web, HTML, digital cameras, and the DVD format all started during the ’90s. And in the 1990’s video games underwent a major explosion, fueled by the advent of optical storage and 3-D. Games like Final Fantasy, Mortal Kombat, and Pokemon started during this decade. Andersen Library has the video games Final fantasy XII (PlayStation) and Mortal kombat vs. DC Universe, among others (2nd-floor Browsing Video Games). So, you see, we haven’t left the ’90s, we’ve just improved upon them.

Please ask a librarian for assistance in finding additional Library materials, such as the Reference book Day by day: The nineties.

“How to Be Mexican” lecture 10/12

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Barbara
on October 8, 2009
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What does it mean to be a Mexican today? Alma Guillermoprieto, award–winning journalist born in Mexico, will speak on “How to Be Mexican” on Mon., Oct. 12, at 7 pm in Young Auditorium. This is the first 2009/2010 Contemporary Issues lecture.

“Alma Guillermoprieto is considered an authority on the cultural and political life of Mexico and South America, especially as they relate to the United States. For the last thirty years, she has traced the history of Latin America incorporating her personal experiences.” She was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, won the George Polk Award for Foreign Reporting in 2000, and she is a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Heart that Bleeds coverThree of her books are available in Andersen Library:

If Andersen Library’s copies are checked out, UWW students and staff may borrow titles from other UW libraries by using the free Universal Borrowing service. Requested titles arrive in 2-4 weekdays.

Alma Guillermoprieto also writes frequently for publications such as the New Yorker and National Geographic. Search article databases such as Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost) for au Guillermoprieto to find her articles, including “Days of the dead” (New Yorker, 11/10/2008, pp. 44-51) on the violence of the illegal drug trade in Mexico and its social repercussions.

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

Autism

Published
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Barbara
on October 7, 2009
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Earlier this week two government studies indicating increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in children in the U.S. were in the news, including “Autism is more widespread, U.S. studies show, but why?” in USA Today.

The first study, “Prevalence of parent-reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder among children in the US, 2007,” was published online by Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, on Oct. 5.

In response, the Centers for Disease Control issued a statement that similar findings will appear in a report from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network later in the year, and “these data affirm that a concerted and substantial national response is warranted.” CDC recommended the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) web site for more information, such as its “Summary of advances in autism spectrum disoder research: Calendar year 2008.”

Students With Autism coverIn addition, Andersen Library has materials on autism. Search HALCat (Andersen Library’s catalog) to find books titles such as Healing and preventing autism: A complete guide (2nd-floor Browsing Books, RJ506.A9 M4252 2009), Autism spectrum disorders: Psychological theory and research (3rd-floor Main Collection, RC553.A88 B694 2007), and Students with autism spectrum disorders: Effective instructional practices (3rd-floor Main Collection, RJ506.A9 H42 2007). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders coverSearch article databases to find articles such as “Trends in autism spectrum disorder diagnoses: 1994–2007″ (Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, Aug. 2009, v.39, no.8, pp. 1099-1111) and “Timing of identification among children with an autism spectrum disorder: Findings from a population-based surveillance study” (Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, May 2009, v.48, no.5, pp. 474-483).

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

Government Printing Office logo

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!

New Stuff Tuesday – October 6

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kyle
on October 6, 2009
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Paradise Found

Paradise Found:
Nature in American at the Time of Discovery
By Steve Nicholls
QH102 .N53 2009
New Book Island, 2nd floor

How has your hometown changed over the last ten years? Your lifetime? Ever wonder what your hometown looked like before anyone actually lived there? This week’s featured title take a look at our continent and its natural history around the time that Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

Nicholls, known for his work as a wildlife filmmaker, takes the reader on a journey through North America – before the first settlers left their lasting marks. The Europeans that made the voyage across the ocean were met with untouched natural beauty, leaving behind detailed notes of the flora and fauna that they encountered. The author uses his vast knowledge of natural history and experience from directing and writing documentaries to bring the picturesque beauty of the landscape to life. He utilizes the firsthand accounts from the past and scientific research being done today to create portraits of each of the regions of the continent.

Nat’l Alcohol Awareness Week @UWW

Published
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Barbara
on October 2, 2009
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UWW will observe National Alcohol Awareness Week with several events:

  • Mon., Oct. 5, 6:45 pm: The “Day of Dialogue” program will include stories from students, faculty & staff about alcohol and other drug experiences. Thomas Farley, brother of the late comedian Chris Farley, will speak at 7 pm about his brother’s struggles with addiction. (Hamilton Center, James R. Connor University Center)
  • Tues., Oct. 6, 6:30 pm: Former UW-Whitewater prof. Dan Sable’s video presentation will chronicle his wife’s battle with alcoholism. Sable lost both his wife and son to alcohol-related circumstances. (Room 1303, Hyland Hall)
  • Wed., Oct. 7, 8 pm: Party without drinking–root beer pong, simulated sobriety testing through UW-Whitewater Police Services, a pouring station to illustrate the amount of alcohol in one serving, and musical guest De La Buena. (Down Under, James R. Connor University Center)

College Drinking book coverInterested in research about alcoholism? Andersen Library has materials. Searching HALCat (Andersen Library’s catalog) could find titles on various aspects of alcohol and alcoholism, such as College drinking: reframing a social problem (3rd-floor Main Collection, HV5135 .D69 2009) which explores why students binge drink, what are links to campus crime and sexual assault, and what are effective prevention programs and countermeasures. Another title that could be found is Secondary effects of heavy drinking on campus, an online government publication from the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention. A search of the Library’s article databases will find many articles as well.

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

Int’l Day of Older Persons (Oct.1)

Published
by
Barbara
on October 1, 2009
in around the world and info.gov
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The 10th annual International Day of Older Persons, a United Nations-sponsored observation, is Oct. 1, 2009. Each year has a theme, which in 2009 is “Towards a Society for All Ages.”

Graph of aging population increases 1900 to 2050Why is this important? The introduction to the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing (1982), the first international instrument intended to guide the formulation of policies on aging, commented on the “social, economic, political and scientific questions raised by the phenomenon of ageing on a massive scale” unknown in previous years, and the trend toward increasing numbers of people living longer is continuing. Since I am, ahem, slowly but relentlessly approaching membership in the “older person” group, since most if not all of us know and care about people who are “older persons” already, and since (with a little luck) most of us will one day be “older persons’ ourselves, these issues affect all of us.

At the second world assembly on aging in 2002, a plan of action was adopted that had three priority directions: older persons and development; advancing health and well-being into old age; and ensuring enabling and supportive environments. The report states that the increase in persons over 60 years of age

“will be greatest and most rapid in developing countries where the older population is expected to quadruple during the next 50 years. This demographic transformation challenges all our societies to promote increased opportunities, in particular opportunities for older persons to realize their potential to participate fully in all aspects of life.”

World Alzheimer's Report 2009 coverUnless we are hiding under a rock, we all hear about a number of issues facing our aging populations, such as financial concerns, nursing home quality control, and many age-related health issues. Recently, for example, I was listening to a segment on NBC’s Today show about one of the health issues related to aging: Alzheimer’s. The cases of people with this dreadful condition are increasing faster than was predicted; according to the World Alzheimer Report dementia cases will nearly double every 20 years, and by 2050 it will affect a “staggering 115.4 million people.” The implications are rather staggering as well. How would we provide decent care for so many? In the meantime, the National Institute on Aging has some information online for this and other age-related health issues. Continuing research on these issues is important so that our increasing numbers of older persons can enjoy a high quality of life for as long as possible. And it will benefit all of us (eventually). It’s also important to consider how our treatment of our older population reflects on us now, and how it will impact the way we are treated as we ourselves age.

Social Policy and Aging book coverIf you are interested in doing research on topics related to aging, Andersen Library has materials you can use. Searching the HALCat, Andersen Library’s catalog, would find titles such as Exploitation of seniors: America’s ailing guardianship system: hearing before the Special Committee on Aging, United States Senate (online or 2nd-floor Federal Documents, Y 4.AG 4:S.HRG.109-753) and Social policy & aging: a critical perspective (3rd-floor Main Collection, HQ1064.U5 E76 2001). Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

Government Printing Office logo

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!