Diana Gabaldon and That Highlander

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Martha

School is out and summer is practically upon us. What better time to instigate a course of summer reading. First on the list should be the English/Scottish time travelling Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Set primarily in the mid-20th and the mid-17th centuries, Gabaldon does her best to suck you into this paranormal romance series from the get-go. Passion, honor, adventure, and more are incorporated into the story of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser who come from different centuries, but despite vast differences still have much in common. Plus it has kilts and who doesn’t love kilts? I’ve only read the first one, but loved it and will read the second soon. I hope you get as much enjoyment out of this series as I have.

We don’t have all eight to 12 (depending on how you count) novels in the series, but we do have five of them and the others you can get using UW Request (formerly Universal Borrowing) from other UW System libraries for free.

The Outlander series is also a Showtime television series that began in 2014 and has been renewed for a third season next year. I’ve seen one episode of that and it was quite enjoyable and faithful to the book. Unfortunately it is not available through the UW System yet, but if you have Netflix or another similar video service you can get it that way.

Another option for enjoying Outlander is to investigate the graphic novel series. There’s one out so far, The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel, that covers the first third of the first book. Hopefully another one will be forthcoming. The graphic novel can also be borrowed from UW-Milwaukee using UW Request.

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Dairy Month!

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Barbara

If it’s June, it’s time to celebrate dairy! Wisconsin is a great state to do that. If you’re looking for a dairy breakfast, check out Breakfast on the Farm, a web page from Travel Wisconsin.

Learn more about dairy and Dairy Month at other web sites from the International Dairy Foods Association, Midwest Dairy Association, National Dairy Council, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, and others. Some of these pages also feature lists of events, including Cows on the Concourse in Madison this Sat. (June 6th), Dairy Day at the “Moo”-seum on Sat. (June 13th) at the Hoard Historical Museum & the National Dairy Shrine in Fort Atkinson, and the 39th Annual Walworth County Farm Bureau Dairy Breakfast on Sat., June 20th.

cover of Holy CowAndersen Library can help you learn all kinds of things about dairy! Search Research@UWW to find a wide range of things, from fiction like Holy cow: A modern-day dairy tale (2nd-floor Browsing Books, PS3604.U343 H65 2015) and A thousand acres (2nd-floor Great Minds collection, PS3569.M39 T47 1992) to serious titles like Pure and modern milk: An environmental history since 1900 (3rd-floor Main Collection, QP144.M54 S65 2014) and Milk Money Cash, Cows, and the Death of the American Dairy Farm (online). Articles are available also by searching the articles databases, e.g., “Dairy products, yogurts, and bone health” (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2014, vol.99:no.5, pp.1256S-1262S), “Continuity and change: Amish dairy farming in Wisconsin over the past decade” (Geographical Review, 2014, vol.104:no.1, pp.52-70), and “Pair housing and enhanced milk allowance increase play behavior and improve performance in dairy calves” (Journal of Dairy Science, 2015, vol.98:no.4, pp.568-2575).

Please ask a librarian (choose email or chat, or visit or call the Reference Desk at 262.472.1032 for assistance with finding additional materials.

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New Stuff Tuesday – June 2, 2015

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Amanda Howell

Economics of the Undead

Economics of the Undead:
Zombies, Vampires, and the Dismal Science
edited by Glen Whitman and James Dow
HQ801 .E334 2014
New Arrivals Island, 2nd floor

If you’re a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood, or The Walking Dead and you have to take an Economics class at some point, you should definitely check out Economics of the Undead. The book explains basic economic concepts through the lens of popular books, movies, and television shows about vampires and zombies. Be a step ahead of your classmates and learn about the role of choice in economics by analyzing Buffy’s relationship with Angel. Get a better grasp on the broken window fallacy by relating it to the zombie apocalypse. Twenty-three chapters look at subjects like this while referencing Zombieland, Twilight, The Vampire Chronicles, and more.

Whether you’re completely new to economics or an expert, this book is guaranteed to be a fun read. But be warned: spoilers abound.

Buffy Dusting Vampires

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May 29: Wisconsin enters the Union

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Barbara

Celebrate May 29th! On this day in 1848, Wisconsin became the 30th state. Did you know that the people voted against statehood four times? And then it took a while to agree on a constitution. Read more about “The State Constitutions of 1846 and 1848” (part of of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s (WHS) online “Turning points in Wisconsin history”).

If you’d like to learn more about our great state and its history, Andersen Library can help! Search Research@UWW to find books such as the classic single-volume history Wisconsin: A history (3rd-floor Main Collection, F581 .N47 1989), The Indians in Wisconsin’s history (3rd-floor Main Collection, E78 .W8 D6), Wisconsin in the Civil War: The home front and the battle front, 1861-1865 (3rd-floor Main OVERSIZE Collection, E537.9 .K54 1997) or the many books on more specific topics such as specific immigrant groups in Wisconsin’s history, e.g., Germans in Wisconsin (3rd-floor Main Collection, F590.G3 Z44 2000), Norwegians in Wisconsin (3rd-floor Main Collection, F590.S2 F36 2001), and Finns in Wisconsin (3rd-floor Main Collection, F590 .F5 K5). The 2nd-floor Wisconsin Documents collection holds treasures such as the Chronicles of Wisconsin series at Wis HIS 3:C 4, which includes titles such as Wisconsin defies the fugitive slave law: The case of Sherman M. Booth, Wisconsin agriculture: The rise of the dairy cow, The British leave Wisconsin: The War of 1812, and Wisconsin grows to statehood: Immigration and internal improvements. Or, browse articles in WHS’s Wisconsin magazine of history (in print in Andersen Library’s 1st-floor Periodicals Collection, or online).

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

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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New Stuff Tuesday – May 26, 2015

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Ellen Latorraca

Introduction to Intercollegiate Athletics

Circus Maximus:
The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup
by Andrew Zimbalist
GV721 .Z56 2015
New Arrivals Island, 2nd floor

With Rio gearing up to host the 2016 Olympic Games to the accompanying hue and cry rather than cheers of many of the city residents, this timely title provides an economist’s interpretation of the potential impact of hosting the games.

Author Andrew Zimbalist studies the effect of the Olympics and other sports mega-events on such urban economies. In this work, he argues that while shorter term impacts on tourism industry and construction are heavy considerations, these rarely offset the long-term effects on economy and culture for the majority of residents. He outlines the factors that detract from sound decision-making on the side of the bidding cites as well as on the side of the commissions that award the events.

The title holds more than a bit of irony; Rome’s Circus Maximus served many noble – and ignoble – purposes for over six centuries. Zimbalist shows little evidence which offers hope that the venues constructed for games in places such as Barcelona, London, Rio-Brazil and Sochi will provide such enduring value to the public.

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Andersen Library Memorial Day, Summer Hours

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Barbara

Andersen Library is closed for the Memorial Day weekend (Sat.-Mon., May 23-25).
clip art of sunSummer Session hours begin Tues., May 26:

M-TH: 7:30am – 9pm
F: 7:30am – 4:30pm
Sat: CLOSED
Sun.: Noon – 8pm*

*EXCEPTION: Closed Sun., July 4th

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 Andersen Library’s holdings of Books, Media, and more, and use links to the titles that are online,
  • Renew your checked-out books, DVDs, etc., online (once) through My Account online,
  • 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 summer session Reference Desk hours (Mon-Tues 9am-9pm, Wed-Thurs 9am-5pm + 5-9pm on Ask a Librarian chat, and Fri 9am-4:30pm when the Library is open).
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My Account, E-shelf, UW Request ready to use

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Barbara

All UW System libraries, including Andersen Library, have completed the migration from one library management system to another. These systems are used to perform tasks related to circulation, cataloging, resource sharing among the UW campus libraries, etc.

“My Account” now displays all of your checkouts and due dates, including any new activity, and you can renew materials online too. If you have borrowed materials from other UWs, you will see the lending campuses listed on the left side (in grey). Click on each campus to see what you have checked out from there and when it is due.

New requests for books or DVDs at other UW campus libraries may be done using the free UW Request (search all UW campus libraries and make requests) function within Research@UWW. You must be signed in with your UWW Net-ID. All requested materials will arrive at Andersen Library in 2-5 weekdays, and you will receive an email when items are available at the Circulation Desk. You no longer need to select a lending library! That will happen ‘behind the curtain.’ If you live near another campus (e.g., Rock County) and want to see materials available there, go to our “Other Libraries” web page and select that campus (select UW-Colleges for any 2-year campus). Then search the portion of Search@UW that is books, media and more at that campus. For two-year campuses, you search all of them together and then, while displaying the results of a search, scroll down to “Library” on the left to filter results by campus.

In addition, the e-shelf in Research@UWW is usable again. So you can mark search results to put them on your online shelf, save queries, etc.

Please bear with us! We’ll all be learning to navigate the new and improved system and Research@UWW together.

Questions? Please ask a librarian via email or chat, or contact the appropriate department:

  • Borrowing/returning Andersen Library materials: Circulation 262.472.5511
  • Borrowing from other libraries: 262.472.5524 or 262.472.5673
  • Other questions: Reference 262.472.1032

Screenshot of My Account:
Screenshot of My Account

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New Stuff Tuesday – May 19, 2015

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Carol

The Sea and Civilization

The Sea & Civilization:
A Maritime History of the World
by Lincoln Paine
CB465 .P34 2013
New Arrivals, 2nd floor

Since water makes up more than two-thirds of the Earth’s surface, it makes sense that the sea looms large in human history. Maritime historian, Lincoln Paine, peers deep into the watery past to document humans’ interactions with the sea — for hunting, fishing, migration and conquest — and shows how those endeavors shaped their world. His investigation begins with ancient societies across the globe and extends through the Twentieth Century and contemporary military, trade and fishing issues.

Whether you’re a land-locked Midwesterner or a coastie, this book will open a fascinating window for you on how water has shaped our world.

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Book Sale

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Martha

For the remainder of the month we will be selling off our “second chance” books and less-than-beautiful, yet totally functional, binders at the bargain basement price of $.25 each or $1 per bag.

I hope your semester ends well and your summer is grand.

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