Books and Now Magazines Too!

Posted on December 15, 2008 by kyle

We’ve talked about the Google Book Search and its partnership with libraries – you know the one where Google is scanning millions of books and making them searchable. All in all, a pretty sweet project.

Well, they haven’t stopped with just books. They announced last week that they’re working with magazine publishers to digitize their backfiles and making them freely available. They’ve got titles like the Vegetarian Times, Jet and my personal favorite, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. If you use the advanced book search, you can limit your results to only magazine articles. You can then view the content as it was originally published, ads and all.

Of course, the University Library has tons of magazines, journals and newspapers for your research, both online and in print. Just use the Journal Holdings List to find a title’s availability.

Thanks to Renee Pfeifer-Luckett in the Marketing Department for the story!

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Broader Reach, Narrower Focus

Posted on December 11, 2008 by kyle

As I was browsing my Facebook mini-feed, I noticed a link that a librarian friend had posted from the Very Short List about online scholarship. There has been a study done by James A. Evans, University of Chicago, and published in the July 2008 issue of Science Magazine that says that although the ability to access scholarly scientific literature has increased reach to a broader audience, it has also in turn caused scientists to continually cite the same studies. Dr. Evans utilized Web of Science, a database to which we subscribe, to analyze over 34 million citations to come up with his conclusion (taken from the abstract):

The forced browsing of print archives may have stretched scientists and scholars to anchor findings deeply into past and present scholarship. Searching online is more efficient and following hyperlinks quickly puts researchers in touch with prevailing opinion, but this may accelerate consensus and narrow the range of findings and ideas built upon.

Source: Lazy Minds (Very Short List) via Facebook

Study: Electronic Publication and the Narrowing of Science and Scholarship
James A. Evans, Science Magazine

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Make your wish for new Library titles

Posted on December 11, 2008 by Barbara

image of evergreen treeThe Library has a “Wishing Tree” where you can use paper ornaments to tell us what DVDs, books, graphic novels, CDs, or video games you wish we would consider adding to our collections! Make your wishes known!

The Wishing Tree is near the Food for Thought cafe, Circulation Desk, and the Mitten Tree.

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Mitten Tree in Library ’til 12/19

Posted on December 10, 2008 by Barbara

image of mittensThe Gamma Omega sorority is hosting its third annual Mitten Tree fundraiser, now through Dec. 19th. Please donate new and/or gently used winter hats, gloves and scarves on the tree, which is located just inside the University Library, near the Food for Thought cafe and the Circulation Desk. Donations will go to the Whitewater Food Pantry.

Thank you!

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Women in Islam & Jihad 12/11 5pm

Posted on December 10, 2008 by Barbara

On Thurs., Dec. 11, at 5pm the Muslim Student Association is sponsoring a lecture on Women in Islam and Jihad (location: Winther Hall 1001).

“Learn about women in Islam and jihad from Janan Najeeb, director of the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition and co-director of the Muslim-Catholic Women’s Dialogue.”

Muslim Women in America coverYour University Library has resources if you’d like to learn more. Search the Library Catalog to find titles such as Muslim women in America: the challenge of Islamic identity today (3rd-floor Main Collection E184.M88 H34 2006) and Islamism: A Documentary and Reference Guide (2nd-floor Reference Collection, BP161.3 .C35 2008), which includes a section on women and family. Searching the Library article databases would find additional information.

Please ask a librarian if you’d like assistance finding materials.

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Library Exam Hours

Posted on December 10, 2008 by Barbara

Starting on Saturday, December 13th, the Library will have special extended hours for your exam studying pleasure (Good luck everyone!):

pictures of people studying
Sat. Dec. 13: 9am-10pm
Sun. Dec. 14: 9am-2am
Mon. Dec. 15: 6am-2am
Tues. Dec. 16: 6am-2am
Wed. Dec. 17: 6am-2am
Thurs. Dec. 18: 6am-2am
Fri. Dec. 19: 6am-6pm
Sat. Dec. 20: 9am-5pm
Sun. Dec. 21: 1pm-10pm

After that we go into special hours for the break/Winterim period. See Library Hours online for details.

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New Stuff Tuesday – December 9

Posted on December 9, 2008 by kyle

Geek Speak

Geek Speak:
How Life + Mathematics = Happiness
by Graham Tattersall
QA93 .T38 2008
New Book Island, 2nd floor

Numbers are all around us. They’re unavoidable. You’ve got gas prices, interest rates, caloric intake, time spent working, the prison sentences of OJ Simpson and Rod Blagojevich… all kinds of numbers. But how do you quantify the seemingly unquantifiable? This week’s featured book explains how.

Tattersall, a self-proclaimed Geek, believes that numbers are the path to knowledge and wants to teach you how to be a “nice, thoughtful, sweet-smelling Geek, the kind you’d like as a friend.” The author uses everyone’s favorite subject, mathematics, to answer some of the more important mysteries known to humanity, such as ‘How heavy is my house?’ and ‘What are the best words to use in a personal ad?’. This lighthearted and enjoyable read also has the purpose of causing you to think critically about the statistics and ‘expert statements’ made in our society. Just because an ‘expert’ in the field makes a claim that you should be able judge its validity by looking at the raw data yourself. All in all, you should be speaking Geek in no time.

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Folk Singer Odetta

Posted on December 5, 2008 by Barbara

Folk singer Odetta died on Tuesday, December 2nd, according to NPR:

Odetta’s folk songs made her a symbol of the civil rights movement. She performed at the Civil Rights March on Washington in 1963 and sang “O Freedom.” Her ballads and songs became, for many, the soundtrack to the American civil rights movement. Manager Doug Yeager says Odetta died Tuesday of heart disease at the age of 77.

Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues CD coverIf you’d like to hear her sing, your University Library has some recordings, including Odetta sings ballads and blues (1st-floor Media Center CDs, M1630.18.O43 O43 2005). It includes “O Freedom.” Just search the Library Catalog to find other recordings.

You can learn more about Odetta using the Library’s article databases and reference sources. For example, search Biography Reference Bank (H.W. Wilson) database via Ebscohost to get Odetta’s entry in Current Biography. Search the Reference Universe database to find resources in the Reference Collection that have information about Odetta, such as the Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History, 2nd ed. (2nd-floor Reference Collection, E185 .E54 2006).

Please ask a librarian for assistance in finding additional materials.

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Be green all the time

Posted on December 4, 2008 by Barbara

green earth imageI know it’s starting to look white out, but “green” is a mindset we can have all the time. It might take a little effort and research, though.

A web site mentioned during a morning news show recently is green.yahoo.com. It has a lot of info in one place, including how to measure your carbon footprint, tips on living and buying green, links to blogs and other web sites such as Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics, etc.

Your University Library also has resources. Hot Flat and Crowded coverSearch the Library Catalog to find titles such as Green collar economy: how one solution can fix our two biggest problems (2nd-floor McNaughton books, call no. JON) in which the founding president of Green For All introduces a “Green New Deal,” Green Book coverGreen: your place in the new energy revolution (3rd-floor Main Collection, HC110.E5 H625 2000), Hot, flat, and crowded: why we need a green revolution-and how it can renew America (2nd-floor McNaughton Collection, call no. FRI), and The green book: the everyday guide to saving the planet one simple step at a time (2nd-floor New Book Island, call no. TD171.7 .R64 2007) with practical suggestions for all of us such as turning off the tap while brushing teeth to save up to 5 gallons of water per day.

Another useful web site is provided by Recycle More Wisconsin, an organization that was featured on Milwaukee’s WTMJ program “The Morning Blend” on Friday, November 14th. Their web site provides a tips on recycling and lets you look up details about what can be recycled in various Wisconsin communities.

Please ask a reference librarian if you’d like assistance finding more materials.

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Ten MORE Tips for Taking Better Photos

Posted on December 3, 2008 by kyle

Charles Cottle Photography

On Friday (December 5), the Friends of the Library is sponsoring a follow-up to the successful workshop led by Professor Cottle last year to a standing room-only crowd. Cottle continues his discussion of the grammar of photography with (at least) ten ideas for better photographs. In this session, he moves beyond simple compositional matters to the selection of subject matter and other conceptual issues. The workshop will be held in the International Education Conference Room, Andersen Library, Room 2254, from 1:30 to 3:00 PM.

If you weren’t able to attend last year’s workshop, you can the presentation available on Professor Cottle’s website – cecfoto.com.

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