Friday fun: Vocabulary Quiz

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Barbara

As if you haven’t taken enough tests! But this one is for fun. It’s just a 10-question quiz to see how good your vocabulary is, compare your score to others in your age group, and maybe learn some new words.

Take the Merriam-Webster Vocabulary Quiz.

If you like word games, this site also links to several others, including a “Name That Thing” visual vocab quiz.

And if you’d like to increase your vocabulary in 2012, but Santa doesn’t give you one of those calendars that give you a word per day, try the Oxford English Dictionary‘s “word of the day!” You can sign up for an RSS feed so you don’t have to remember to go to the site. Also on the database web site you can learn “recently published” definitions so you can keep up with the English language. On December 21st, for example, the word of the day was greenhew. On the same day the recently published terms included earworm.

earworm OED entry

    What’s an earworm?

  • an earwig
  • a counsellor who secretly advises a monarch
  • a catchy tune or piece of music
  • all of the above

If you said all of the above, you’re right! The best part is that the OED provides examples of usage and dates it. These examples can be interesting and even entertaining. OED’s examples of using earworm include these two:

“2003 Windsor Star (Ont.) (Nexis) 23 Oct. b9 He surveyed about 500 students, faculty and staff on campus asking about the type, frequency and duration of earworms and possible causes and cures. Among the songs respondents picked as most likely to become stuck were: The Lion Sleeps Tonight and Who Let the Dogs Out.

2011 Atlantic Monthly Apr. 104/2 The best advice I’ve heard for making earworms go away is to just stop being irritated by them, and come to peace with the fact that you’re humming Britney Spears.”

Is anyone else humming one of those songs from the 2003 example? Or maybe something from Britney? Enjoy.

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Break & Winterim Library Hours

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Barbara

Library hours during the break (Dec. 23-27) are:
Fri Dec 23: 8am-4:30pm, CLOSED Sat Dec 24-Mon Dec 26, and Tues Dec 27: 8am-4:30pm

Winterim starts on Wed Dec 28, when the Library hours will be:
Mon-Wed: 7am-6pm, Thurs-Fri 7am-4:30pm, Sat: CLOSED, Sun: noon-8pm

However, because of New Year’s Day, the Library will be CLOSED on Sat Dec 31-Mon Jan 2.

Please plan ahead! Remember that even when the physical Library is closed, you can:

  • Search the article databases (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 online titles, including ereserves for classes,
  • Renew checked-out books, DVDs, etc. (once) through your Personal Record,
  • Consult online guides for help, including citation guides for APA, MLA, and Turabian format, and class assignment guides, and
  • Ask a librarian for help using email or chat (UWW librarians respond to the emails when the Library is open, but chat is covered 24/7 by non-UWW staff).
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Travel Safely

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Barbara

Plan to drive safely this winter! Look up weather ahead of time (another site is AccuWeather.com).

picture of winter driving Check road conditions ahead of time. The Wis. Dept. of Transportation’s 511wi Travel Information web site can provides a map showing driving conditions on interstates and other major highways in Wisconsin, info on work zones, links to traffic cameras and congestion maps for Madison and Milwaukee, and links to weather sites. Other states may have similar sites, e.g., Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan (or MI Drive.

In WI, you also can dial 511 from landlines or cell phones for information.

And don’t forget to prepare for cold weather by dressing appropriately and having winter weather supplies in your car, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

Government Printing Office logo

Andersen Library is a federal and Wisconsin depository library with many federal and state government 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 Andersen Library!

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New Stuff Tuesday – December 20

Posted on December 20, 2011 by kyle

Reality Bites Back

Reality Bites Back
The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV
by Jennifer Pozner
PN1992.8 .R43 P69 2010
New Arrivals, 2nd floor

With finals taking over your life and the semester coming to an end by Friday, we are coming up with ways to de-stress prepare ourselves for the holiday season. The television has always been a dependable manner frequently utilized to take a break from reality. Of course, that break from reality might be spent watching reality TV, which, as this week’s featured title shows, couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Pozner, a media critic and founder of Women in Media & News, takes aim at the television industry and doesn’t hold back. She targets reality television, unmasking the ulterior motives of financial gain and political agendas. The author primarily attacks the portrayal of gender and race, bringing up examples of the Bachelor and Temptation Island as the downfall of society. Writing in a biting and and engaging style, Pozner presents a solid case for becoming more critical of your entertainment choices.

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Friday fun: Cats

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Barbara

A co-worker passed along a couple of cute cat stories. One is about a cat in the Milwaukee area with 26 toes (that’s 2 extra per paw!) that’s helping raise money for a new facility ($26 dollars at a time), and the other is about a cat in Rome with a large inheritance. Awwww. Yes, the little furry faces tug at my heartstrings. I also am pleased to know that Dr. Oz says cats help reduce a person’s blood pressure (and thus help to prevent strokes and heart attacks). Don’t take just his word for it…read “The therapeutic value of pets” (The Western Journal Of Medicine, vol.144:no.1, pp.103-105) and “Companion animals and human health: Benefits, challenges, and the road ahead” (Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, vol.5:no., pp.226-234).

Dewey coverInterested in cat tails? I mean, tales? Andersen Library has some that might be the purr-fect read for you, and the next best thing to having a real kitty at home! This one is even a true story: Dewey: The small-town library cat who touched the world (3rd-floor Main Collection, SF445.5 .M97 2008). And it inspired another book: Dewey’s nine lives: The legacy of the small-town library cat who inspired millions (2nd-floor Browsing Books, SF445.5 .M974 2010). There are many fiction titles featuring felines; find the ones Andersen Library has by searching HALCAT, e.g., Cat telling tales: A Joe Grey mystery (2nd-floor Browsing Books, PS3563.U7619 C359 2011), The nine lives of Christmas (2nd-floor Browsing Books, PS3618.O31625 N56 2011), and Cat of the century: A Mrs. Murphy mystery (2nd-floor Browsing Books, PS3552.R698 C37 2010). Something to keep in mind for the days off before Spring semester. Enjoy.

Thanks for the news stories, Carol!

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New Stuff Tuesday – December 13

Posted on December 13, 2011 by kyle

Proofiness

Proofiness
How You’re Being Fooled by the Numbers
by Charles Seife
QA99 .S45 2011
New Arrivals, 2nd floor

When it comes to math and statistics, I don’t remember much from those courses in high school and college. I may have even tried to block it out like a bad memory. However, I do remember the instructors’ warning about the power of numbers. Those little digits possess the ability to sway public opinion, whether they reflect the truth or not. This week’s featured title rhymes with a former Word of the Year and describes a similar concept.

Seife, professor at New York University, takes Stephen Colbert’s famous term and applies it to the numbers game. He defines proofiness as the “art of using bogus mathematical arguments to prove something that you know in your heart is true—even when it’s not.” The author contends that the media and government utilize the practice of proofiness to persuade the American people of their political viewpoints. Seife blinds the reader with real mathematics to shed light on the increased deception, and provides plenty of sources for further research.

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UWSAC MEETING

Posted on December 12, 2011 by goldsmid

Special Collections hosted the annual UW-System Archives Council meeting on Thursday, Nov 10th, 2011. 

The Wisconsin Historical Society is in the process of barcoding all their collections to make borrowing between the various Area Research Centers easier.  

Two Civil War sites were discussed.  UW-River Falls shared a blog they have been working on in honor of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War.  They are using their own manuscripts to share what was happening each year as time unfolds.  The Wisconsin Historical Society has put together “Wisconsin in the Civil War”, a digital collection.

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International Year of Forests (2011)

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Barbara

cover of State of the World's Forests 20112011 is the International Year of Forests, designated by the United Nations to draw attention to sustainable forest management and the relationship between people and forests (they aren’t just habitats for flora and fauna, although that’s critical too, but they support peoples’ livelihoods and reduce poverty, if used in a sustainable way).

Among the resources linked from the UN site is a publication from the Food and Agriculture Organization, State of the World’s Forests 2011. It discusses sustainable forest industries, the role of forests in climate change, and their local value.

Forests matter to Wisconsin, too, which has 16 million acres of forest. The state Dept. of Natural Resources’s Division of Forestry protects our forest land and manages it sustainably. From its web site you can read about the Statewide Forest Strategy and the latest assessment of our forest resources. Wisconsin has worked hard to manage its forest resources for more than 100 years. Read the history from the web site, as well as descriptions of the eight state forests and the experimental state forest near La Crosse that is used for long-term research studies. Here in Whitewater we enjoy the benefits of proximity to the Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit.

Forest Ecosystems coverAndersen Library has additional materials, if you’d like to learn more. Search HALCAT for titles such as Forest ecosystems (3rd-floor OVERSIZE Main Collection, QK938.F6 P46 2008), Human health and forests: A global overview of issues, practice, and policy (3rd-floor Main Collection, RA566 .H86 2008), and Wisconsin’s forests, 2004 (2nd-floor U.S. Documents, A 13.80:NRS-23 or online). Search article databases to find articles such as “Forested Landscapes Promote Richness and Abundance of Native Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) in Wisconsin Apple Orchards” (Environmental Entomology, 2011, vol:40:no.3, pp:621-632), “Parcelization: Forest Change Agent in Northern Wisconsin” (Journal Of Forestry, 2011, vol.109:no.2, pp.101-108), “Lifelong Love Affair with Trees” (American Forests, vol.112:no.4, pp.30-33), “A National Assessment of Physical Activity in US National Forests” (Journal Of Forestry, 2011, vol.109:no.6, pp.343-351), and “What Is a Healthy Forest?: Definitions, Rationales, and the Lifeworld” (Society & Natural Resources, 2007, vol.20:no.2, pp.99-117).

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials if needed.

FDLP logoUWW’s Andersen Library is a federal and Wisconsin depository with many federal and state documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and online. Come check out your government at Andersen Library!

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Can it talk to me yet? Chat/email, texting, or voice?

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Barbara

The Library has been considering the future of its “Ask a Librarian” chat reference service because the grant funding that makes it very affordable for a consortium of libraries all over the state runs out soon. It’s safe until until the end of January. Libraries in the state have been discussing options, including a couple of text reference services. Now, I don’t really grok the advantage of texting over sending an email or using the chat service. Frankly, I’d like to wait for the Next Big Leap, which in my opinion will be voice interface! You see, I never learned to type–correctly, that is, although I am a fairly adept incorrect typist!

So I was interested in an item in Library Hotline about an 8 year old who got frustrated with the voice recognition software on an iPhone 4S and called it stupid. The same item tells me that I can expect students who come here in a few years to be those who are leaving blogs for options that provide more immediate results, like texting (see Pew research findings summarized).

So, would it be useful to you if the Library could offer reference help via texting?

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Extended Hours start 12/15!

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Rebecca
The Andersen Library will extend its hours beginning Thursday, Dec. 15.
All three floors will remain open until 2:00am and popcorn will be served at 9:00pm and 12:00am (* on dates indicated below).  Coffee will also be served on nights and weekends.
Hours
Thursday, Dec.15     7:00am – 2:00am*
Friday, Dec. 16         7:00am – 10:00pm
Saturday, Dec. 17     9:00am – 10:00pm
Sunday, Dec. 18        9:00am – 2:00am*
Monday, Dec. 19       7:00am – 2:00am*
Tuesday, Dec. 20      7:00am – 2:00am*
Wednesday, Dec. 21 7:00am – 2:00am*
Thursday, Dec. 22    7:00am – 4:30pm
Friday, Dec. 23         8:00am – 4:30pm
Closed December 24-26, 2011
Tuesday, Dec. 27      8:00am – 4:30pm
Study hard and remember to get here early! Doors are locked 15 minutes before closing.
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