Relaxathon Fall 2013!

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Rebecca

Need a break from studying?

Free coloring pages, make-your-own snowflakes, holiday cards, and stress balls will be available! Belly dancing class (12/12, 1:00pm) and Pet Therapy Dog (12/12, 10:00am) available on Thursday!  See image below for more details!

Free popcorn and coffee/hot chocolate will be available at select times:

  • Thursday 12/12: Coffee/Cocoa 8:30pm-2am & Popcorn at 9pm
  • Friday 12/13: Coffee/Cocoa 2:30pm-10pm
  • Saturday 12/14: Coffee/Cocoa all day
  • Sunday 12/15: Coffee/Cocoa all day & Popcorn at 9pm
  • Monday 12/16: Coffee/Cocoa 8:30pm-2am & Popcorn at 9pm
  • Tuesday 12/17: Coffee/Cocoa 8:30pm-2am & Popcorn at 9pm
  • Wednesday 12/18: Coffee/Cocoa 8:30pm-2am

relax

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Breaking News! Teens Do Not Function Well Before 8:00 A.M.

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Ellen Latorraca

Really?

Despite not having been a crack-of-noon riser as a teenager, even I could have told the radio journalist that. (And, in an admittedly sassy moment, I let her know my mind; but who was to hear except for my carpool companions?) To be fair, the journalist, Allison Aubrey, was reporting on a national petition started by a grassroots organization to promote legislation that would prevent public schools from starting before 8 a.m. In the NPR news story, she mentioned a number of polls and a single study carried out by an interviewee, Dr. Judith Owens, who directs the Sleep Medicine Clinic at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

As seasoned researchers know, and as undergraduates are beginning to appreciate, what appears to be “common knowledge” is often fine fodder for a literature review or research project. Is there actually enough evidence at this point to support such a petition?

Assignments often specify a requirement of a certain number of scholarly research articles, making it easy to bypassEncy-of-Adolesc or simply overlook excellent resources such as this December’s feature, the online version of the Encyclopedia of Adolescence, published by Elsevier’s Academic Press. Subject-specific encyclopedias like this one often provide an excellent springboard to the background of research in a field. A simple search for the term “sleep” results in 24 articles from the encyclopedia, ranging from “Adolescent Sleep”, to “Sleep Patterns and Challenges,” to “Adolescent Driving Behavior: A Developmental Challenge.”

In addition to outlining key concepts and the direction of research, each article provides references to additional scholarly work as well as relevant, authoritative websites. Armed with this background knowledge, a student researcher can apply her new understanding to more efficiently seeking and interpreting relevant, scholarly research articles.

Next time you embark on a new research adventure – or need supporting evidence for a one-sided argument with a radio journalist – consider one of Andersen Library’s many print and online subject-specific encyclopedias as your jumping off point.

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Color me stress-free!

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Barbara

Stressing a bit? I know, I know, the end of the semester is rushing toward us and there is too much to get done. Aiieee!!!!

Release that nasty stress! There are crayons and coloring pages available near the Circulation Desk that you can use.

Enjoy.

image of cover of PTSD coloring book pagesAnd you can always find other coloring pages online, too, even from government agencies! For example, the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs’ National Center for PTSD has coloring book pages intended for children of military parents. Or, color online with “Cents of Color” offered by the U.S. Mint. A Google search like site:.gov coloring pages will find more, whether you’re looking for yourself or some children you know (maybe it’ll keep them busy while you study!).

FDLP logo Andersen Library is a federal and Wisconsin depository library with federal and state government documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in various formats (print, DVD/CD-ROM, online). Check out your government at Andersen Library!

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Deck the Library’s Wishing Tree! Fa la la…

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Barbara

treeAre there books, graphic novels, audio books, videos, video games, CDs, etc., that you wish Andersen Library would consider acquiring? Let us know by hanging your wish(es) on the tree!

The tree is located near the Circulation Desk and the Food for Thought Café. Paper “ornaments” on which you can write your wishes are provided.

Thanks!

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New Stuff Tuesday – December 3, 2013

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Diana

Child Ballads

Child Ballads
by Anaïs Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer
POP Mit Chi
Browsing CDs, 2nd floor

The Child Ballads, a set of over 300 English and Scottish popular ballads collected by Francis James Child in the late nineteenth century, continue to provide inspiration to musicians around the world with their haunting melodies and lyrics that tell stories of knights, ladies, royalty, fairies, witches, and all manner of creatures. Anaïs Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer, two American folk musicians, are the latest to record a collection of these ballads and draw upon past renditions of the ballads by Fairport Convention, Andy Irvine, Pentangle, and others. Mitchell and Hamer have created a beautiful, atmospheric album that showcases their unique voices and guitar playing. This music is very relaxing and would be a great accompaniment to a study session or a break from studying.

Andersen Library also has the five-volume set of the Child Ballads in print. Find it on the third floor in the Main Collection at PR1181.C5 1965.

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Sociology and Hip Hop: How Musical Genres Impact Social Movements

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Barbara

Dr. Julius Bailey, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Wittenburg University, will talk about “Sociology and Hip Hop: How Musical Genres Impact Social Movements” on Tues., Dec. 3, from 3:45pm-4:45pm in UC259A. It’s part of the African American Heritage Lecture Series.

The book Jay-Z: Essays on hip hop’s philosopher king, edited by Dr. Bailey and containing his essay, “In search of meaning : sign, symbol, and Shawn,” can be requested from other UW campus libraries by UWW students and faculty/staff via the free Universal Borrowing service. Requested materials arrive in 2-4 weekdays.

Cover of Putting Popular Music in its PlaceAndersen Library has additional materials to learn more. Search HALCat to find titles such as Performing identity/performing culture: Hip hop as text, pedagogy, and lived practice (3rd-floor Main Collection, E185.86 .D55 2005), Stand and be counted: Making music, making history: The dramatic story of the artists and causes that changed America (3rd-floor Main Collection, ML3477 .C76 2000), America’s musical pulse: Popular music in twentieth-century society, and Putting popular music in its place (3rd-floor Main Collection, ML3470 .H35 1995). Search article databases to find articles including “Language in Action: Funk Music as the Critical Voice of a Post–Civil Rights Movement Counterculture” (Journal Of Black Studies, vol.42:no.1, pp.71-82) and “The Push and Pull of Hip-Hop: A Social Movement Analysis” (American Behavioral Scientist, vol.48:no.11, pp.1482-1495).

If you’d like assistance with finding additional materials, please ask a librarian.

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December 2013 Book Sale

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Martha

People were chomping at the bit this morning waiting to get the “good stuff” from this month’s book sale. The books are now out. This month the selection runs to about 75% fiction, including all types of titles, from contemporary fiction like Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who Blew the Whistle (we actually have about 10 of her books this month) to older more classic titles. As for the nonfiction, it includes popular titles like Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation, reference books, such as The American Heritage Dictionary (2nd College Edition), cook books, and large format art books suitable for the coffee table.

Some of the “good stuff” is of higher value than the usual, so a portion of the books are going for $2 instead of the typical $1 per volume. (Still a tremendous deal I think.) These include various and sundry volumes, mostly hard cover fiction and nonfiction, including English dictionaries and large format art books, to mention a few. These are marked with pink $2 flags. Unmarked books are $1 each.

We hope you find some books for yourself or to give your loved ones as gifts. Come and find some new treasures now!

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Monday Musing: Reader’s Digest

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Barbara

As I was walking through Periodicals and letting my eye browse the current issues, I was stopped by the cover of Reader’s Digest‘s November 2013 issue: “Are you normal or nuts?” it asks. Well, of course I’d like to know. So I had to look at it.

cover of Reader's Guide Nov 2013 issueAnd once I had the issue in my hands, I found that I was interested in reading about “How to die on Facebook” and “Humble beginnings of 5 big ideas.” I was surprised (as perhaps you will be, too) to learn that “unfriend” is an ancient word, dating back to at least 1659 (See the Library database Oxford English Dictionary if you are skeptical)! Yes, I was reminded how much I used to enjoy the Reader’s Digest, with its vocabulary builder (It Pays to Increase Your WordPower), humor, and short articles and excerpts. For several years I also enjoyed a subscription to its cousin, Utne Reader, which also offers many brief articles in every issue on a variety of topics.

So the next time you have a little time, or need a little break, try a magazine like the Reader’s Digest. It might give you conversation for the next party or lunch with a friend. The most current issue is on the magazine racks on the 2nd floor, near the Reference Desk.

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Plastic: A Toxic Love Story

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Barbara

Susan Freinkel will talk about “Plastic: A Toxic Love Story” at 7pm on Mon, Dec 2 (Young Auditorium). This is the last Fall 2013 Contemporary Issues Lecture.

Cover of PlasticAndersen Library owns a copy of Freinkel’s books, Plastic: A toxic love story (3rd-floor Main Collection, TP1120 .F74 2011) and American chestnut: The life, death, and rebirth of a perfect tree (3rd-floor Main Collection, SD397.A48 F74 2007), but if they’re checked out UWW faculty/staff and students may request copies from other UW libraries via the free Universal Borrowing service.

If you’d like assistance with finding additional materials, please ask a librarian.

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New Stuff Tuesday – November 26, 2013

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Ellen Latorraca

Harry Potter and the Millennials

Harry Potter and the Millennials:
Research Methods and the Politics of the Muggle Generation
by Anthony Gierzynski; with Kathryn Eddy
PR6068.O93 Z675 2013
New Arrivals, 2nd floor

There is no question that Harry Potter’s story, spanning seven hefty volumes, still keeps many of the generation that grew up with the trio of friends entranced. And why shouldn’t they? They are simply good fun. However, as University of Vermont political science professor Anthony Gierzynski and author Kathryn Eddy note in their introduction to Harry Potter and the Millennial, no story is “just a story,” but a potentially powerful vehicle for learning cultural values and perspectives.

No, don’t scoff – this is serious business. The researchers set off on a weighty quest* led by the questions, “what impact did a generation’s growing up as fans of Harry Potter have on that generation’s politics?” and “How does one find evidence for such an effect?” In their literary analysis, they identify six “subtle (and not-so-subtle) political lessons of Harry Potter,” my personal favorite being Lesson 3: Don’t Be an Authoritarian Git. The authors then devise several ways to measure exposure to these lessons among respondents beginning with a survey of 1,141 college-aged Millennial in 2009 taken at a diverse set of institutions. In the process of revisiting each of the lessons, illuminated by their questions and research data, they build a complex model of what they call the Potter Effect. It will be no surprise to the introspective Millennial that the model encompasses values ranging from feelings about diversity, tolerance, and the use of violence and torture, authoritarian dispositions, cynicism, political participation, and skepticism.

Gierzynski and Eddy have snatched the elusive snitch. They have grappled with the “methodological issues of measuring entertainment media’s political effects”; and while a peer researcher in political science or sociology might observe points where the authors may have teetered on their Cleansweep Eleven broomsticks, I hazard to say that they and the general reader will be as entertained as I was by the story of their research.

 

**The “quest” reference provides evidence that I am a product of the Tolkien era. It can’t be helped. I will, nevertheless, request the newly released USPS Harry Potter Forever stamps next time I visit the US Post Office. My courier newt didn’t fare so well in the owlery, so I must resort to using Muggle mail delivery. And if you aren’t sure what that was all about, look it up in the Harry Potter Lexicon and Muggle Encyclopedia.

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