Ken Miller @UWW M Oct. 4

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Barbara

Ken Miller, Royce Family Professor for Teaching Excellence at Brown University, will present “Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for the Soul of America” @7pm on Mon., Oct. 4 (location: Irvin L. Young Auditorium). It’s the start of the fall 2010 College of Letters and Sciences Contemporary Issues Lecture Series.

book cover Miller’s research on cell membrane structure and function has resulted in more than 50 scientific papers and reviews in leading journals, including CELL, Nature, and Scientific American. He is the author of high school and college biology textbooks, as well as Finding Darwin’s God: A Scientist’s Search for Common Ground between God and Evolution (available from Andersen Library) and Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America’s Soul (available from other UW campus libraries; UWW students and staff may request it via the free Universal Borrowing service).

Dr. Miller has received many honors, including being named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2007, receiving the 2005 President’s Citation Award from the American Institute of Biological Sciences, and the Exploratorium‘s Outstanding Educator Award in 2007.

According to his biographical information on the San Francisco Exploratorium’s web site, Dr. Miller is “an active proponent of the teaching of evolution as the organizing principle of biology.” He was a lead witness for the plaintiffs in the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District case (400 F.Supp.2d 707), which successfully defended the teaching of evolution in public schools. You can read the case by using one of the legal research databases, LexisNexis Academic or Campus Research (click on the Law tab and then use search forms on the left to search by the citation or case name).

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding or requesting materials.

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New Stuff Tuesday – September 28

Posted on September 28, 2010 by kyle

Art Instinct

The Art Instinct:
Beauty, Pleasure and Human Evolution
by Denis Dutton
BH39 .D84 2010
New Book Island, 2nd floor

Artistic expression, and the appreciation of it, is a gift that certain individuals possess. Some people can spot ‘good’ art when they see it or recognize ‘great’ literature when they read it. While this may seem like a subjective classification, this week’s featured title contends that artistic taste exists as an evolutionary trait.

Dutton, professor of the philosophy of art in New Zealand, delves into the world of art through the lens of evolutionary science. He begins by explaining how Darwin’s ideas apply to art and the human instinct, and then continues into seemingly ‘universal’ aesthetic preferences. The author also examines the problems associated with aesthetics, including intention, forgery and dada. Dutton’s critique offers an intriguing perspective that goes against current art theory and criticism.

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Think for Yourself- Read Banned Books!

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Rebecca

Banned Books Week is September 25- October 2, 2010, and the theme for this year’s celebration is “Think for Yourself, Read Banned Books.”

I love banned books.  Drawing attention to a book by banning it or challenging it is the best way to drive my desire to read something. Some of my favorites have secured positions on the ALA’s list of the Top 100 Banned/Challenged books of 2000-2009. Out of the 100 listed, I have only been able to read 16 of the 100. What’s your number?

I challenge you to celebrate your freedom to read by picking up a banned book from Andersen Library.

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Try Out Google Docs for File Storage

Posted on September 23, 2010 by kolde

Are you always misplacing your USB drive? Looking for an easy way to collaborate on documents for group work? Google Docs is a convenient way to store and edit presentations, documents and spreadsheets.  Because items are created completely online, they can be accessed and edited from any computer or workstation with an internet connection. You can then download these documents as common file formats such as Word. Another interesting feature is that more than one person can edit a document at the same time and view the changes being made in real time.

This is especially handy considering the amount of lost flash drives and USB devices that are turned into the Circulation desk each semester.  It is also convenient as files saved to My Documents on any campus workstation are deleted after 48 hrs.

Best of all, an account is free! As a UWW campus community member all you need is your Net-ID and password to begin: http://docs.google.com/a/uww.edu

If you want to know more, check out these video tutorials created by iCIT: http://www.uww.edu/icit/training/googledocs.html

Here is iCIT’s blog entry about Google Docs: http://blogs.uww.edu/icit/2010/08/17/google-docs-now-availabe-on-campus/

If you have any questions, please feel free to stop by the Reference or Circulation desks!

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New Stuff Tuesday – September 21

Posted on September 21, 2010 by kyle

Diversity Paradox

Diversity Paradox:
Immigration and the Color Line
in 21st Century America
by Jennifer Lee & Frank Bean
JV6475 .L38 2010
New Book Island, 2nd floor

Diversity is very much a part of our society, including our campus. The convergence of individuals with different backgrounds enriches the dialogue for all those involved. However, the diversity that we currently enjoy has not come to fruition without struggle. Underrepresented groups have endured their share of hardship along the way. This week’s featured title looks at the current issues relating to the rise of the Latino and Asian communities in the United States.

Lee and Bean, professors at the University of California, Irvine, examine the booming Asian and Latino populations due to immigration. The authors look at the plight of African Americans from the years of slavery and investigate whether the ‘new kids’ will experience the same sort of battle for societal integration. They also analyze the “color line” and the blurring of that line, what it means for multiracial individuals like the nation’s President. And if the text isn’t enough, there are plenty of references at the end for further research.

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Sept.: Nat’l Yoga Month

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Barbara

Now we’re into the 4th week of fall semester…feeling stressed? Did you know that September is National Yoga Month? Yoga is one way to combat stress; there are many other ways like meditating, running, listening to music, or even just getting enough sleep! I like spending quality time with my kitties, myself.

But if you’re interested in trying yoga and you didn’t sign up for Health Education 341 (Yoga/Stress Reduction), Andersen Library has materials that can help.

Office Yoga coverSearch the HALCat library catalog to find books such as Complete guide to pilates, yoga, meditation & stress relief (3rd-Floor Main Collection, GV481 .C66 2003) and Office yoga: Tackling tension with simple stretches you can do at your desk (3rd-Floor Main Collection, RA781.7 .F75 2003), as well as videos such as Total yoga (2nd-floor Browsing DVDs, Academic, RA781.7 .T685 2004). Ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials in Andersen Library.

The campus Wellness Resource Center, located in the lobby of the Ambrose Health Center, also has materials that can be used, such as the DVD Yoga for Every Body, which provides 45 workouts for beginner, intermediate and advanced students.

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As If You Needed Another Reason…

Posted on September 18, 2010 by kyle

The New York Times is reporting that changing scenery when studying benefits the student. The article discusses study habits and the current research being done by cognitive psychologists that is challenging age-old notions of the ‘right way to learn.’ Investigators have found that varying the ‘where’ when it comes to studying aids in the retention of information.

What does that mean? It’s just another excellent reason that you should come to the library to study.

Read the article: Mind: Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits – New York Times (via Lifehacker)

Thanks to Patty for the link!

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Ultimate History Quiz

Posted on September 17, 2010 by Barbara

The History Channel dares you to try its “Ultimate History Quiz.”

Screen shot of Ultimate History Quiz Ten questions to every game. Twenty seconds to answer each question. The faster you answer, the higher your score. But no pressure. Really.

Need to brush up? Andersen Library has LOTS of books and articles on history, politics, and current issues, including many newspapers and news magazines. Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding them!

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Constitution & Citizenship Day

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Barbara

Image of U.S. Constitution's first pageFri., Sept. 17, is Constitution Day, anniversary of the day Constitutional Convention delegates signed the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Once ratified by the states, it established the federal government we know today. I’ll bet there’s a lot about this document that you don’t know. See “10 fast facts on the Constitution” from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Constitution of the United States: Questions & Answers from the National Archives. Sept. 17 is also Citizenship Day, honoring all who have attained U.S. citizenship and reminding all of the rights, responsibilities, and privileges of citizenship.

There are many federal government web sites with additional information, including:

There are also many materials in Andersen Library about the Constitution, including the four-volume Encyclopedia of the American Constitution (2nd-floor Reference Collection), and there are also materials about citizenship, such as A new engagement? Political participation, civic life, and the changing American citizen (3rd-floor Main Collection) and Civics flash cards for the new naturalization test (2nd-floor U.S. Documents collection and online).

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

Government Printing Office logo

UWW’s Andersen 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 online. Come check out your government at Andersen Library!

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Play the Quiz Whiz

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Barbara

LN Quiz Whiz graphicUWW students are eligible to participate in the LexisNexis Quiz Whiz competition from now until Nov. 15, 2010.

Register for a quiz account, then correctly answer multiple choice trivia questions (on news, legal & business topics, etc.) posted once or twice each week to earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards from national chains like Starbucks or Target. Questions have different point values, e.g., this week’s first question is worth 50 points. A minimum of 250 points is needed to redeem points for a gift card. Better get started! Good luck!

Hint: The LexisNexis Academic database should help you answer the questions…and when you’re in that database you should see an invitation to enter the competition.

LN Academic database invitation to Quiz Whiz

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