New Stuff Tuesday – April 1, 2014

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Ellen Latorraca

Flora and Ulysses

Flora & Ulysses :
The Illuminated Adventures
by Kate Dicamillo; illustrated by K.G. Campbell.
F DiC
Curriculum Collection, Juvenile Fiction , 2nd floor

What do you get when a Ulysses Super-Suction, Multi-Terrain 2000X vacuum cleaner – a birthday present gone terribly wrong – ingests and regurgitates a backyard squirrel? Why, a super-squirrel with superpowers, a poetic bent, and a very bad grooming job, of course! Without Flora Belle Buckman, the 10-year-old star, and without her knowledge of CPR gleaned from her careful readings of her favorite comics, “The Illuminated Adventures of the Amazing Incandesto!” and its survival guide companion, “Terrible Things Can Happen to You!”, the hapless rodent would not have lived to entertain us with his tale. Ulysses, which Flora aptly names her newfound friend, needs her continued protection against his arch-nemesis, Flora’s mother Phyllis. Phyllis, always busy typing her romance novels, is perplexed by Flora’s obsession with comics, sees no romance in her daughter’s friendship with a squirrel, and simply misses Flora’s lonliness. Phyllis schemes unsuccessfully to bring about Ulysses’ demise, providing plenty of madcap adventures. Flora finds an ally in William Spiver, her neighbor Tootie Tickham’s blind nephew, whom she reluctantly enlists to help her protect Ulysses.

Alternating between Flora’s and Ulysses’ narration, the reader can begin to appreciate a squirrel’s worldview – albeit that of a supersquirrel with newfound powers of cogitation. This squirrel admires the beautiful things around him, including, “giant donuts and Flora Belle Buckman’s round head and all the wonderful thoughts inside of it” [p. 181]. Just what goes through the squirrel’s brain as he tries his paw at tapping out a poem or two on Phyllis’s electric typewriter? Find out in this sweetly absurd, chapter book adventure.

In honor of National Poetry Month, it is fitting to share a poem – – written by a squirrel:

I love your round head,
the brilliant green,
the watching blue,
the letters,
this world, you.
I am very, very hungry. [p. 65]

by Ulysses (or Kate DiCamillo), Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

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Money Mondays: Investments

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Amanda Howell

We’ve spent a lot of time this semester talking about expenses you’re likely to incur over the course of your life. There are also ways you can make money, in addition to earning a salary. Through investment vehicles (things you invest in) like bonds, stocks, and mutual funds you can increase your net worth. Some investments are riskier than others, so make sure you understand how various investment vehicles work, the risks involved, and which vehicle best fits your personality. Some people are inherently risk-takers, while others or not. This may affect how you invest. There is no one right way, so do what works best for you. Do be aware that risk and financial return are linked; the riskier the investment, the greater the potential return.

Some people invest in bonds, a type of fixed-income security. When you purchase a bond you are lending a company or the government money with the expectation that they will pay back the full loan amount with interest. Payments are made regularly according to a schedule, which is why bonds are classified as fixed-income securities. Bonds are relatively safe investments; therefore, they have a lower expected return than stocks or mutual funds. Here’s how Investopedia explains bonds:

“Say you buy a bond with a face value of $1,000, a coupon of 8%, and a maturity of 10 years. This means you’ll receive a total of $80 ($1,000*8%) of interest per year for the next 10 years. Actually, because most bonds pay interest semi-annually, you’ll receive two payments of $40 a year for 10 years. When the bond matures after a decade, you’ll get your $1,000 back.”

This means that over 10 years, you will receive $800 in interest. That’s almost the full amount of your original investment!

New York Stock Exchange

Stocks are another common investment vehicle. You’re probably at least vaguely familiar with the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, both of which are large stock exchanges in the United States. When you invest in the stock market, you become a shareholder, or part-owner, of a company. Stocks are riskier than bonds because their value changes daily and there is no schedule of payment. However, you have greater potential to profit from your investment. Some companies give shareholders some of their profits, called dividends. Other times shareholders make money only if the stock price goes up.

Another type of investment are mutual funds. One well known mutual fund is the S&P 500 index fund, though many funds exist. To invest in mutual funds, you pool your money with other investors and then have a professional financial advisor invest that money in a variety of stocks and bonds. One advantage to mutual funds is that you save yourself time because you do not have to determine which investments to pursue; you let a professional do the work. Mutual funds do have extra costs, however, such as paying the professional who invests your money.

If you start investing early in life, you will once again discover how powerful compound interest is. Remember that compound interest is “interest on interest,” and over time it can lead to much larger financial returns than simple interest. See the blog post from February 17 to read more on compound interest.

Below are a few more resources on investing. There are plenty of details that we didn’t cover here, so make sure you do your research and talk to a financial advisor before making any final decisions!

In Andersen Library:

  • A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing, Burton G. Malkiel. Call Number: HG4521 .M284 2003, Main Collection
  • The Intelligent Investor: A Book of Practical Counsel, Benjamin Graham. Call Number: HG4521 .G665 2006, Great Minds and other locations
  • How the Stock Market Works: A Beginner’s Guide to Investment, Michael Becket. Call Number: HG4529.5 .B43 2012, Main Collection
  • Everyone’s Money Book on Stocks, Bonds, and Mutual Funds, Jordan Goodman. Call Number: HG4921 .G66 2002, Main Collection
  • Find the Right Mutual Funds. Call Number: HG4530 .F526 2005, Main Collection

Other Resources:

Note: This blog post is for informational purposes only. No content should be construed as financial advice.

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New Stuff Tuesday – March 25, 2014

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Carol

Wheel Fever

Wheel Fever:
How Wisconsin Became a Great Bicycling State
by Jesse J. Gant and Nicholas J. Hoffman.
GV1045.5 .W62 G36 2013
New Arrivals, 2nd floor

Not only have the first robins of spring returned to Whitewater, but bicycles can also be seen flocking back to campus. What better time to turn the pages of Wheel Fever.

Because the “rails to trails” program has turned hundreds of miles of railroad bed into bicycle paths, the Badger State is renowned for its bicycling friendliness. But our state’s bicycling fame began long before that. Wisconsin historians Jesse Grant and Nicholas Hoffman team up to explore the history of bicycling in Wisconsin from its beginnings in 1869 to the present day. Mainly they focus on the mid-1890s when the bicycling bug bit the entire country in earnest and the nation went wild with wheel fever. With the introduction of the safety bicycle (which looks much like modern-day bicycles), bicycling could be enjoyed by the masses — and was no longer confined to daredevils riding high-wheelers.

Amateur bicycling clubs sprang up across the state, attracting thousands of enthusiasts. Indoor skating rinks were turned into “velocipede” riding schools. City and county fairgrounds hosted cycling races and soon velodromes appeared in cities like Milwaukee, Racine and Neenah.

The authors also explore the role of women and various ethnic groups in the rise of bicycling. For instance, Major Taylor, an African American, became one of the most famous racing cyclists in the world in the 1890s.

The plethora of period photographs, advertisements and other cultural objects illustrating the rise of bicycling in Wisconsin are reason enough to catch Wheel Fever and take it for a spin.

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Friday Fun: L’Amour and Patterson

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Barbara

Well, it’s almost Spring Break–Did you check out some fun stuff to read? Did you know that on March 22, both James Patterson and Louis L’Amour were born (in 1947 and 1908, respectively)? Both authors provide lots of fun titles to read!

cover of 11th HourAndersen Library has fun stuff to read, including some of Patterson’s thrillers and L’Amour’s westerns. And Scifi! And romance, even paranormal romance! One good way to find them is to browse the 2nd-floor Browsing Books collection, around the PS call number area. Or, search the catalog for your favorite author.

Good reading, everybody!! Please ask a librarian if you’d like assistance finding some good reading for Break.

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Spring Break! Andersen Library hours

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Barbara

SPRING BREAK! Mmmmm, can you feel the warmth of the sun?
clip art of palm treeAndersen Library’s hours will be:

Sat-Sun Mar 22-23: CLOSED
Mon-Fri Mar 24-28: 8am-4:30pm
Sat Mar 29: CLOSED
Sun Mar 30: 3pm-2am (only 2nd floor is open midnight-2am)

Remember that even when the Library is closed or you are traveling, you can:

  • Search article databases …just login when prompted with your campus Net-ID (same as for your campus email or D2L),
  • Search the HALCat Library Catalog and use links to the titles that are online, including ereserves for classes,
  • Search Research@UWW for articles, books, and more all at one time–it’s best to login to get all possible results.
  • Renew your checked-out books, DVDs, etc., online (once) through your Personal Record,
  • Consult online guides for assistance, including citation guides for APA, MLA, and Turabian format, and class assignment guides, and
  • Ask a librarian for help using email or chat, or phone us at the Reference Desk (262-472-1032) during Reference Desk hours (Mon-Fri 9am-4:30pm, Sunday March 30th 3-5 & 6-10pm).

Regular Spring Semester hours resume on Monday, March 31st. We are expecting the pet therapy dogs that Monday, for those of use who find the return to Spring Semester a bit stressful. Woof!

FYI – The Food for Thought cafe closes for Spring Break as of Thurs., Mar. 20, at 2pm, so plan to bring in your snacks or lunch, or go out to eat. There are vending machines outside the Library, on the lower level.

Enjoy the break safely, everybody. And don’t forget: You can get audio books or popular novels or feature films from Andersen Library to help enjoy your week off from classes!

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New Stuff Tuesday–March 18, 2014

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Ronna

Yellowstone's Wildlife in Transition

Yellowstone’s Wildlife in Transition
edited by P.J. White, Robert A. Garrott, and Glenn E. Plumb
QH104.5 .Y44 Y45 2013
New Arrivals, 2nd floor

The subject of this week’s book, Yellowstone National Park, holds a special place in my heart. My two best friends and I took a road trip out to Yellowstone a couple of years after we graduated from college, and my husband and I also drove out there for our honeymoon. One of my favorite memories is driving into a small town near the edge of the park with my husband, and discovering that the town was FULL of elk. Everywhere. Laying in people’s yards, on the lawns of buildings, walking down the streets. Apparently they come to that town every year during the fall and we just happened to be there at the same time. It. Was. Awesome.

How does that story relate to the new book? Because Yellowstone’s Wildlife in Transition is about (hold on to your hats) the animals, flowers, and plants–i.e., wildlife–of Yellowstone National Park. The book includes sections on the background of the park, population dynamics and interactions among species, and communities and landscape-scale processes. The expert contributors to the book also discuss three “overriding stressors” to the park: invasive species, a warming climate, and development of unprotected lands.

The book contains photos, but unfortunately they’re all in black and white, so you don’t get the full effect of Yellowstone’s beauty. For that, view the Yellowstone webcams on the National Park Service website. For other books about Yellowstone, try a keyword search on “yellowstone national park” in the Library’s online catalog.

Even if you don’t read this book, put “take trip to Yellowstone” on your bucket list. I promise, you’ll love it.

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Money Mondays: Credit Cards & Credit Scores

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Amanda Howell

If the past few Money Mondays posts have taught you anything, it should be that life presents us with a number of fairly necessary expenses. Many individuals utilize a credit card to cover some of their expenses. Credit cards are not inherently bad, but you have to understand how they work and how they ought to be used.

There are a variety of credit card types around. If you’ve ever made a purchase at a retail store like Gap, you’ve probably been asked if you have a Gap Card. This kind of card can often only be used at a specific store. There are also secured credit cards. You make a money deposit to the card issuer, and this deposit serves as collateral and the source for your credit. These cards are ideal for individuals with no credit or bad credit. Finally, there are unsecured credit cards, which are the most common. Your credit score largely determines the credit limit for unsecured cards.

You might be wondering just what a credit score is. Your credit score lets lenders (like car dealers and banks) know how likely it is that you will repay your debts. Fair Isaac’s Corporation is the most common credit scoring system, often referred to as FICO. A FICO score considers several things:

Credit Card, by 401(K) 2012 (flickr)

  • Payment History – Have you consistently paid bills on time? This is the largest component of your credit score.
  • Amount Owed – How much debt do you have?
  • Length of Credit History – How long have you had credit accounts, including loans? The longer the better.
  • New Credit – Have you opened up several new lines of credit in a short period of time? This may decrease your score.
  • Types of Credit Used – What kinds of credit accounts do you have? Credit cards, car loans, student loans? Having several kinds of credit can be a good thing, as long as you pay your bills on time.

After factoring in each of these items, your score is determined. Credit scores fall between 300 and 850; the higher the number, the better the score. As mentioned above, lenders often use your credit score to determine your credit card limit. When you receive a credit card, it means that a bank or credit union has given you the ability to borrow a given amount of money. They want to know you will be able to repay that money.

One thing that can improve your credit score after you have received your credit card is keeping your credit card balance low. Many individuals suggest spending less than 30% of your credit limit. This means if your limit is $5,000, you should never have a balance of more than $1,500. It can be tempting to spend up to your limit, so it is important to remember that your card doesn’t give you free money. Everything you spend is loaned to you with the expectation that you will pay it back. Once again, you need to revisit your budget and determine how much you can afford to spend.

When you receive your credit card bill each month, consider paying as much as you can rather than just paying the minimum amount. Ideally, you should try to pay off the balance of your card each month. Credit card interest rates are much higher than other loans, ranging anywhere between 6% and 20% (sometimes more!). If you have an interest rate of 20% and a balance of $200 at the end of the month, you’ll pay $40 in interest. That’s almost a full tank of gas. According to the US Census Bureau, the median household credit card debt was around $3,500 in 2011. That 20% can add up really quickly. You can see why managing your credit is so important. If you use a credit card wisely, though, it can be helpful in increasing your credit score. This will make lenders more likely to loan you money, which will become important when you want to buy a car or a house. Below are a few resources that give more information on credit cards and credit scores so you can charge responsibly!

In Andersen Library:

  • Borrow: The American Way of Debt, Louis Hyman. Call Number: HG3756.U54 H95 2012, Main Collection
  • Credit Card Nation: The Consequences of America’s Addiction to Credit, by Robert D. Manning. Call Number: HG3755.8.U6 M36 2000, Main Collection

Other Resources:

Note: This blog post is for informational purposes only. No content should be construed as financial advice.

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Reminder: Treats 4 Our Troops!

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Rebecca

By Andrew E.

UW-Whitewater is joining up with the non-profit “Treats 4 Our Troops” to send needed items to American soldiers overseas. From now until March 17th, you can donate to “Treats 4 Our Troops” by bringing your items in to the Andersen Library Circulation Desk. The main donations being accepted are foot powder, hand/body lotion, and fruit/nut bars. Along with this, razors, toothpaste, and writing utensils are also being accepted. Get those donations in before March 17th to show your appreciation for the American soldiers!

Over conversation through a few emails, I was lucky enough to ask the “Treats 4 Our Troops” founder, Yael Roggen, a few specific questions about the organization and its progress through 2014. “This year close to 10,000 pounds of treats, magazines and toiletries were distributed to the troops, including wounded warriors at Walter Reed and Fort Belvoir.” What is even better about this massive number is the amount of soldiers Israel says the organization has reached over the years – “Close to 1,000 by now … sent to Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Africa, and many US Naval Ships.” It is incredible to see how the charitable ideas that some have can span out and become bigger, reaching more people with their support every turn of the year.

Slide1[1]

What do you think is the most rewarding thing about Treats 4 Our Troops?

“Personally to pay it forward and serve those that serve. It’s such a small gesture, but so appreciated. I feel it’s the least we can do to thank them for our freedom.”

What is the biggest difficulty to overcome?

“Money! If I had the funds to mail all the treats at once it would be much more efficient, however since I updated guidelines in 2012, we are reaching more troops faster.”

Heading a successful national non-profit has its obstacles, but is largely rewarding. Often the victories overcome through difficulty are the most rewarding. I can only imagine the immense satisfaction that Yael receives after sending off all the donations to the troops – Especially after those troops return the favor by sending a picture or testimonial of them enjoying what she sent them.

Please get any donations you wish to contribute to Treats 4 Our Troops to the library circulation desk by Monday, March 17.

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T3: Doing More with Excel

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Diana

excelKnowing how to efficiently use Microsoft Excel is a skill that will benefit you throughout your life. Need to do a statistics project for a class? Track your personal or campus group spending? Track your writing, fitness, or other life goals? Excel is a great tool for all of these situations.

Using keyboard shortcuts (on the Mac or the PC) will help you become faster and better in Excel even if you already are familiar with the program. Exceljet, an online Excel training website, compiled a list of over 200 keyboard shortcuts (with both the Mac and PC keyboard commands displayed). Memorize just a few of these shortcuts for the commands you use the most and you’ll manipulate your spreadsheets with ease.

In addition, make sure to check out the guide to using Excel that Amanda Howell, our Business Librarian, put together. This guide gives you a refresher on the basics and demonstrates how to work with formulas and create charts and graphs.

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Global Cafe 3/12

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Rebecca

Ever wanted to travel around the world but don’t have enough money to do it? Now is your chance! Global Café makes its return to the Andersen Library just in time to showcase Germany, Australia, and Indonesia.global

Come learn about the widely diverse world we live in as culture experts share knowledge about their respective country. Presentations will be held on Wednesday, March 12  from 5:30-6:30PM by the big screen TV on the main floor of the Andersen Library.

Love learning about culture through music?  We have some great CDs such as:

  • Indonesia (WOR Ind)
  • Australia songs of the aborigines and traditional music of Papua, New Guinea (WOR Aus)
  • Oktoberfest in Germany (WOR Okt)
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