Libraries@UW-Madison

Newsletter Archive | Library Communications

Issue 39

3/4/2005

News for Staff of UW-Madison Libraries

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LIBRARY NEWS

With the beginning of the spring semester, all library staff working in Memorial Library are required to don ID badges in public areas. This is part of an effort to enhance the public service presence of library staff for those using the libraries. Staff members are expected to either help patrons themselves or refer them to the appropriate service desk.

ID badges should be worn in all public areas but are not required in non-public personal workspaces. Staff members can use lanyards, clips or pins to display the ID badges. For security reasons, staff members can choose whether to have their name on the ID badge or just the word "staff."
Read the Memorial Management Group's notice (Word Document)
To help lessen the burden for students purchasing high-priced textbooks, the libraries may begin purchasing additional copies of high-priced textbooks for course reserves. These additional purchases will be supported by funds from the Parents Enrichment Fund. The pilot program began last fall. Typically, high-priced textbooks for courses with large enrollments would be considered as candidates for the additional purchases.

"Because we are still working through the guidelines for how this program will work, we are in a pilot phase and are currently working with a few classes identified early on as good candidates for this support, primarily in chemistry and math," according to General Library System Director Ken Frazier in an e-mail message to staff.

A brochure detailing alternatives to high-priced textbooks will be available at various library information desks and is posted online through the University Library Committee.
Read the brochure
Three staff members were featured in a national teleconference Jan. 21. General Library System Associate Director Sandra Guthrie, Memorial Library's Head of Public Services Lee Konrad and Memorial Library's Head of Reference Nancy McClements discussed dealing with difficult people and how to resolve problems for library users. The taped interviewed were part of the "Soaring to Excellence" teleconference broadcast from the College of DuPage.
The UW Digital Collections continue to grow. The newest collection, Publishers' Bindings Online, 1815-1930: The Art of Books, was added at the end of February and includes nearly 380 books. This collaborative project resulted from a partnership with the University of Alabama Libraries and focuses on decorative bindings for books bound in the 19th century. See previous coverage about the project in the May 24, 2004, edition of Libraries@UW-Madison.
Read more about recent additions to UW Digital Collections
The Wisconsin Humanities Council continues to offer grants encouraging the exploration of human cultures, ideas and values. The next major grant deadline is April 15, 2005.
Read flyer advertising available grants

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NOTABLES

Jeanne Witte was named manager of the Middleton Shelving Facility. In an e-mail to staff, Director Ken Frazier wrote, "Jeanne's experience with the Science Shelving Facility qualifies her well for overseeing and coordinating the policies and services of both locations."

The Middleton Shelving Facility Advisory Committee will help Witte make crucial decisions and set polices and includes Kerry Kresse, Physics librarian; Nancy Paul, assistant director for Collections and Technical Services, Law Library; Albert Quattrucci, head, Collection Access Unit, Memorial Library; Mary Rader, South Asian bibliographer, Memorial Library; Sarah Calcese, head, Resources Unit, Wendt Library; and Eric Robinson, LSA-advanced assigned to coordinate the transfer of materials.
Christie Brokish retired from the library system Jan. 3 to pursue her passion as a quilt artist. Brokish worked in various libraries including Weston, Middleton Health Sciences, College Library and in CTS. While opting to not have a retirement party, Brokish will continue to maintain her library e-mail account, if you would like to wish her luck.
Jan. 3 was Jeff Kacmarcik's first day as associate information processing consultant at College Library. Kacmarcik previously worked in College Library's Computer and Media Center as he earned his B.F.A. in art. He will continue to work as the primary server technician and will also provide technical support for the computer lab.
Heather Weltin began her position in Memorial Library Feb. 13. She has been named an associate academic librarian in the Interlibrary Loan.
The Multitype Advisory Library Committee awarded Plant Pathology Librarian Steve Cloyd with a scholarship to attend an in-state conference or educational activity. Cloyd will use this scholarship to attend the Wisconsin Association of Academic Libraries 2005 annual conference at the Monona Terrace April 20 - 21, 2005.
UW-Madison School of Library and Information Studies student Alycia Sellie received a Multitype Advisory Library Committee scholarship to attend the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) conference in Minneapolis, April 7 - 10, 2005.
Tom Murray, who recently retired from his post as Wendt Library director, has been hired part-time as an assistant to the library director, focusing on the Digital Publishing Project. He will serve in an advisory position as the libraries work to develop digital publishing initiatives. He will also focus on developing a model for online journal publishing. Murray will be working in room 218 Memorial Library.
Memorial Library's InfoLab Director Henry Huang received The Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Service to the University for 2005. Huang also directs the InfoLab at Union South. According to the award description, staff members nominated for this award "consistently go beyond the responsibilities of their positions and demonstrate outstanding sustained service and dedication to the university as well as to their individual units."

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FEATURES AND EVENTS

More than 15,000 books went on sale during Wisconsin's largest used book sale Wednesday through Saturday, March 2-5, in 116 Memorial Library, 728 State St. The sale, sponsored by the Friends of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries, is the 19th of its kind and draws visitors from all over the Midwest.

Right: Jim Dast, volunteer coordinator of the Friends book sales, is interviewed by WKOW-TV reporter Marc Lovicott.
The Friends of the Cooperative Children's Book Center is holding their booksale Saturday, March 5, in 4207 Helen C. White Hall. Hardcover books will be sold for $3.50 and paperbacks for $1.50. Friends of the CCBC receive a discounted price of $3 per hardcover and $1 per paperback. During the last hour of the sale, 1-2 p.m., buy four hardcover books and pick out a fifth hardcover book at no charge.
The Center for Instruction Materials and Computing organized story hour in Allied Drive for last week. They took a unique approach of showing children how to express their emotions by using the story hour theme "Play with your Food." CIMC staff members took various food items and encouraged children to make their own snack, similar to the classic "ants on a log" idea using celery, peanut butter and raisins.
Curators Robin Rider, Tracy Honn and Bill Reeder discussed their spring exhibit "Paragraphs on Typography" during a Gallery Talk Jan. 20. Each curator discussed different aspects of typography, relating to their personal experiences with the art. Rider, curator of Special Collections, comes from a family of printers and spent many hours at her father's print shop. Her contributions to the exhibit focused on mathematical and special characters. Honn, director of the Silver Buckle Press, is a printer herself and focused on materials and tools involved in printing, including wood type. Reeder, president of the Friends of the UW-Madison Libraries, was originally inspired to coordinate this exhibit by Bruce Roger's Paragraphs on Printing. Reeder's contributions to the exhibit included examples of manuscripts printed throughout history and a profile of Rogers.
John O'Brien, founder of the Center for Book Culture, lectured Feb. 17 as part of the Friends events this spring. O'Brien discussed publishing contemporary fiction in relation to readers, bookselling, technology and philanthropy. His lecture, which outlined about 25 trends in publishing, dealt heavily with the role of the Internet in the publishing industry.

O'Brien has been a professor at Illinois State University since 1992. In addition to having written book reviews for The Washington Post and
the Chicago Sun-Times, he is currently the publisher of Review of Contemporary Fiction, the Dalkey Archive Press and CONTEXT magazine.
The UW System Women's Studies Consortium will host their 29th annual conference on the UW-Madison campus this spring. "InterACTIONS: Activism, Research, Scholarship, Teaching" will be at the Pyle Center April 15-16. The Women's Studies Librarian's Office is part of the consortium.
The School of Library and Information Studies has organized various events for the spring semester ranging from course advising and research presentations to lectures by prominent librarians.
See a list of SLIS spring events
Parallel Press titles published in the past year will be on display in a showcase exhibit at Poets House in New York City. In honor of National Poetry Month, this exhibit will display works throughout the month of April. Parallel Press publications on display will include The Promised Land by Harriet Brown, The Heart of War by Carmine Sarracino, A Little Dinner Music by Stephen Murabito, when gertrude married alice by Eve Robillard, Wild Apples by Timothy Walsh, Virgins on the Rocks by Karla Huston, Considerations of Earth and Sky by Temple Cone and Bruised Totems by Kwame Dawes.
The Wisconsin Association of Academic Librarians 2005 conference will be held at the Monona Terrace April 19-22. The theme will be "Our Capitol Convergence" and programs will help demonstrate how to effectively use convergence in every library department. Many UW-Madison library staff will be speaking at the conference, including Bob Sessions of Steenbock Library, Michael Cohen of CTS, Aimee Glassel of CTS, and Helene Androski of Memorial Library.

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IN THE NEWS

A story in the Wisconsin State Journal discussed activities on campus between semesters. The article mentioned the libraries, describing the end-of-semester pressure on Circulation with return and re-shelving.
The Feb. 22 issue of Wisconsin Week featured the "Art of the Printed Book" exhibit in Memorial Library. The exhibit showcases various books made in an art class of the same name taught by Tracy Honn during the fall 2003 semester. Honn is the director of the Silver Buckle Press which is also in Memorial Library and is a working letterpress museum.
The Capital Times will be running excerpts from the Parallel Press America 's Founders chapbook George Washington: "The Man of the Age." The first of eight weekly excerpts was published February 22. This chapbook is the first chapbook of the America's Founders series which will explore the founding fathers of our nation using biographies written by UW–Madison historian John P. Kaminski. Kaminski reveals the character, mannerisms and physical appearances of America 's founders as seen through the eyes of their contemporaries. Future chapbooks will highlight Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Thomas Paine, the Marquis de Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Patrick Henry, John Adams, Samuel Adams and Abigail Adams.
The Capital Times reported on a small flood in Ebling Library over winter break. A pipe burst in an outside wall, causing water to flood into the library and damaging some carpet. Library staff responded quickly and prevented any damage to books or library materials by moving items from lower shelving in the area.
Wisconsin Week's Jan. 11 issue recognized Memorial staff members David Henige and Jan Behn for their contributions to the Create the Future fund, part of the Wisconsin Campaign. Henige and Behn both work in Memorial Library and together formed the David Henige Endowment Fund, donating $10,000 for processing costs. Henige and Behn were also featured in the UW Foundation's Insights spring issue.
Wisconsin Week highlighted Tom Garver's efforts as a library liaison in its Jan. 25 issue. The article discussed Garver's plans to help artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude as they installed "The Gates" in New York's Central Park.
CCBC Librarian Merri Lindgren published another article in the Wisconsin State Journal in the beginning of February. The article discussed the rising trend of children's books that have gay or lesbian themes. The article suggests a few titles for reading, including Mom and Mum are Getting Married!, So Hard to Say and Orphea Proud.
The UW-Madison Business News Wire highlighted library information services on their front page this semester. It links to the libraries Information for Business and Industry page.

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FYI: National Library News

In early December, the Associated Press featured the Wisconsin Historical Society's efforts to expand digital collections, making resources available to more people via the Internet. The article touches on the Turning Points in Wisconsin History.
At the end of December, Associated Press reported the public libraries in the hometown of author John Steinbeck are closing. The closings have sparked public outrage across the globe and helped fuel more debate about trimming services to fix budget problems.

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SNAPSHOTS



	New compact shelving

Workers installing rails for compact, moveable
shelving in the vaults in Special Collections in
Memorial Library last month.

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PUBLISHED

Ebling Library published a spring newsletter in late January. The issue highlights Ebling' Grand Opening Ceremony, Historical Services' "Casualties" exhibit, Library Instruction workshops and new resources and services available.
Read Ebling News
Steenbock Library added some news items to their What's New list on the Steenbock Library Web site. New items include Geographic Information Systems workshops and updates on the Microbial Sciences building construction which blocks part of Babcock Drive.
The UW–Madison Libraries' Parallel Press has released the first chapbook for 2005. Considerations of Earth and Sky is a collection of 27 poems by Temple Cone, an assistant professor English at the United States Naval Academy whose poetry has been widely published in literary reviews throughout the South and Midwest.

Considerations of Earth and Sky, the 35th chapbook published by the Parallel Press, retraces straightforward experiences and reflects on timelessness, work, perseverance and rejuvenation. Through poems that evoke the thalassic beauty of the mid-Atlantic, Cone considers not only his relationship to nature, but to the way in which experience has shaped him.
Read more about Considerations of Earth and Sky
The Wisconsin State Law Library's March e-newsletter is now posted online. This issue includes tips for writing legal briefs, advice for using PowerPoint during presentations, notable or historical dates in March and a feature explaining why Wisconsin restaurants are not allowed to serve margarine instead of butter.

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25 YEARS AGO IN THE LIBRARIES

The Feb. 15, 1980 issue of Added Entries announced College Library's new system of bar codes instead of punch cards for checking out reserve materials.

"College Library spent the month of January getting ready to use bar codes in place of punched cards to check out books in the Reserve Book Room. Bar code labels containing the call numbers for each of the 50,222 items in the collection were produced using the RBR database. College Library staff matched the labels to the books, pasted one label on the back cover of each book, one label inside the book, and then covered the outside label with a clear plastic protector."

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Quotation

"To be a book-collector is to continue the worst characteristics of a dope fiend with those of a miser."

—Robertson Davies (1913-1995), Canadian author

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Libraries@UW-Madison is written by the staff of Library Communications.
Managing Editor: Kristin Knipschild

Please send questions, comments or story ideas to:
Don Johnson, 608.262.0076, 330C Memorial Library,
Kristin Knipschild, 608.262.2853, 348 Memorial Library, or
e-mail Libraries@UW-Madison.