Organizer Ellen Jacks (center) and her fellow stitchers

The UW-Libraries’ Charity Knitting and Crocheting group has migrated to a new location for the warmer months—the Terrace! Join organizer Ellen Jacks (Grants and Reference Librarian) and the group for a little fun in the sun as you knit or crochet for a cause.

The group’s main project this summer will be making a variety of comfort scarves that will be distributed to a local shelter for abused women by Handmade Especially for You; the local chapter of this non-profit is run by Lois Anderson from the UW-Foundation. Finished scarves are about 5 inches wide and 60 inches long—perfect dimensions for learning to knit or crochet or learning a new stitch. You are welcome to work on a comfort scarf or your favorite charity project.

This summer, there will be two opportunities to participate. The group meets for a lunchtime session on Wednesdays at noon, and starting on June 21^st the group will also meet on Fridays at 5:15pm for a “Stitchers with Pitchers” get-together. Look for the group near the big orange chair on the top level of the terrace.

You don’t have to be an expert to come—beginners are welcome! A small selection of yarn, needles, hooks, and patterns will be provided, but feel free to bring your own as well.

At a glance:

• Who: You!
• What: Charity Knitting and Crocheting group / Stitchers with Pitchers
• When: Wednesdays at 12:00-1:00pm / Fridays (Starting June 21) at 5:15pm
• Where: Memorial Union Terrace – Rain location: Inside at Lakefront on Langdon
• Why: Fun, friends, and contributing to a good cause

Want more?

• “Hook up” with the group on their brand new Facebook page—you’ll find updates, info on past and current projects, and downloadable patterns
• Not on Facebook? No worries! Check out the publicly accessible MyWebspace page
• If you can’t make it but still want to help, you can donate completed scarves (or other finished objects), yarn, or ribbons for wrapping. Donations can be dropped off at Memorial Library 262A or bring them by the terrace during one of the sessions.

Contact Ellen Jacks for more information: ejacks@library.wisc.edu

Featured presenters at this year’s Symposium include Constance Steinkuehler and John Hawks

UW-Madison Libraries are among the sponsors for this year’s Teaching and Learning Symposium, to be held Wednesday May 22nd and Thursday May 23rd at Union South.  This year’s theme is educational innovation, an idea that reflects the spirit and philosophy of the Year of Innovation, a campus wide initiative to highlight, promote, and celebrate UW-Madison’s ongoing contributions to research, teaching, and service.

This year’s symposium will showcase new and innovative ideas and best practices for enhancing student learning.  Variety of presenters are slated to share cutting edge theories and research into new pedagogical models including MOOCs and Smart Media, STEM initiatives, and more.  Constance Steinkuehler, Co-Director of the Games+Learning+Society initiative at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery is a featured presenter this year, and will share insights into the movement toward Games in Education.

At a glance:

• What: 2013 Teaching and Learning Symposium | Sparking Innovation: Ideas to Impact
• When: Wednesday May 22 + Thursday May 23
• Where: Union South, 1308 W. Dayton Street

For more information on schedules and panels, or to register, check out the links below:

• Keynote Speaker Bios
• 2013 Symposium Schedule (Weds and Thurs sessions)
• 2013 Poster Session
• Registration

Artist Linda Sholand Vander Weele

As part of the multi-part exhibition Text Support: A Library Exhibit About Paper, the Kohler Art Library is currently featuring the exhibit Handmade Paper with Wisconsin Roots. For almost 50 years, Wisconsin has been a remarkable leader in the field of book arts and has played a vital role in the resurgence of handmade paper. Curated by Lyn Korenic and Tracy Honn, this exhibit showcases artists’ books that contain handmade paper made by artists with Wisconsin roots. The artists include pioneers, teachers, students, and practitioners, all of whom have been inspired by the craft and artistic possibilities of paper. The artists utilized a variety of interesting ingredients to craft their pieces, including used clothing, donated UW—Madison hospital sheets, flax, cotton, linen, bird’s nests and iris leaves. Featured artists are Walter Hamady, Jim Escalante, Mary Hark, Joe Wilfer, among many other talented artists!

At a glance:

• What: Exhibit of artists’ books containing handmade paper made by artists with Wisconsin roots
• Where: Kohler Art Library
• When: April 15th – June 30th, 2013

Want more?

• Visit the other components of the exhibition, History of Handmade and Commercial Paper and Wisconsin-related Industry, Department of Special Collections (976 Memorial Library) and Paper Engineering, Silver Buckle Press (2^nd floor, Memorial Library)
• Join co-curators Tracy Honn and Lyn Korenic for a gallery talk in the Department of Special Collections on Thursday, May 30^th from 3:00-4:00pm.

Victor Gorodinsky with his beloved cat, Asya

Our staff spotlight this month is Victor Gorodinsky, Memorial Library’s Slavic Languages Cataloger. Although his work keeps him very busy, Victor participates in a diverse array of unique activities and hobbies. Read on to learn more about Victor and the many roles he plays within and outside of the library.

News: Let’s start with the University of Wisconsin Russian Folk Orchestra, since you just recently had a concert. Can you speak a little about your involvement with founding and conducting the group?

VG: I am a professional musician—I was born in Russia and got my Master’s Degree in Music there. When I moved to the United States in 1982, I first settled in Chicago where I lived for three years. I was happily surprised to discover that there was a Russian Folk Orchestra at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I certainly did not expect to find something like that in the United States, but it was there! So I started traveling to Champaign to perform with the orchestra, which was founded and directed by one of the music professors at the University. In 1985 I moved to Champaign to be closer to the orchestra and ended up becoming sort of the “unofficial assistant conductor,” until the current conductor retired and I took his place. We did concerts and traveled a bit—it was fun. And that is how my “library life” began: I received my MLS there and worked as the Slavic Languages Cataloger at the University for ten years.

In 1995, I followed the job market to Madison where I was hired as the Slavic Languages Cataloger here at Memorial Library. I had this ambitious idea to start a Russian ensemble here but had to kind of settle in first and learn the music scene in Madison, which is incredibly rich! About a year later, I started talking with CREECA (Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia at UW—Madison); I introduced my idea and although I had no experience whatsoever with starting a group from scratch and didn’t know much about finding money for such an endeavor, somehow the plan began taking shape.

The first thing was to find instruments. Russian instruments, such as balalaikas and domras aren’t like guitars or pianos that you can simply purchase at the local music store. I luckily had some connections for obtaining the instruments and with CREECA’s help was able to get a grant to purchase them. Once we got the instruments, we of course needed to find players. We distributed flyers around campus and about eight people showed up (better than nothing!). I brought a boom box and a few instruments so I could introduce the musicians to them, and most seemed genuinely interested. So now we needed a place to rehearse. The Slavic Department offered their conference room at 1418 Van Hise for practice after hours, and we’ve been rehearsing there ever since. During the first rehearsal, I had to basically teach the musicians how to play their instruments. I’m not an expert on all the instruments, but was able to instruct them somewhat. The musicians were very talented and some of them were able to pick it up very quickly.

In 1997 we had our first public performance, which was very short with a “whopping” repertoire of about five pieces and only eight people making up the “orchestra” (it was more of an ensemble at that point). But we did it, and it seemed to get a good reception. Sometimes I look back and can’t believe I actually pulled it off! The orchestra grew each year and is now at 37 members, four of whom are original members. The orchestra is mostly made up of students, but we are not exclusive to UW—anyone is welcome! Madison residents and retired UW professors are also among the players. We have some truly dedicated members; one of them travels from Milwaukee for rehearsals every Tuesday. We just released our fourth CD and are doing another recording session this Saturday (May 11). In the past, we used to only record live performances but we are now recording in a professional studio, which is a great accomplishment.

Victor and the Russian Folk Orchestra

The Russian Folk Orchestra takes up a lot of my time and energy. It’s become a really big part of my life. I don’t just direct; I do almost everything. I arrange the music and organize the concerts. Last summer, we did a big Russian music festival, and I got a lot of help from my orchestra members, but with them being primarily students, they are very busy so I end up doing most of the day-to-day work on my own. In June we are traveling to Stratford, WI to perform at their annual festival, and we have concerts booked already for next fall. We were also recently invited to play in Germany! The only thing standing in our way is the funds. Hopefully someday we’ll be able to go there. I love traveling with this group. The farthest we’ve traveled together is Minneapolis, which was a lot of fun. So to be able to fly to Germany together would be fantastic! We have an incredible group… It’s like a family. We love each other, have parties during the year, and we share lots of laughs.

News: Can you tell me a little bit about the work you do as a Slavic Languages Librarian?

VG: I do a lot… My official title when I started here in 1995 was Slavic, Eastern European, and Central Asian languages Cataloger; among other things, I’m a language specialist. But over the years, my duties have expanded. Cataloging is my primary thing but I also perform other duties related to cataloging and technical services. The adoption of RDA has generated a lot of work that has to do with converting pre-RDA records to the new format. You would not believe how busy we are right now! I love doing this, though. We strive to keep our database perfectly clean and up-to-date, and I’m very proud of it, but it is exhausting. At the end of the day I’m dead—not physically, of course, but… brain dead! When I get home, I collapse onto my couch, to the delight of my cat; she loves cuddling with me (and vice versa). The work is never done. I love doing it—it’s fascinating work, but it is brain-tiring.

News: What is your favorite part of your job?

VG: Cataloging is all about organizing materials in a way that makes them accessible to the people who need the information. It’s funny because I’m not the most organized person (if you see my living room you’ll know what I’m talking about), but I really enjoy the work. It’s what I love. Although computers have become an integral part of all our lives and I use them every day, I still get excited about using them. I just really enjoy working with computers—organizing the materials, making sure people can find what they’re looking for… Not just the people like me, but those who probably couldn’t care less about the cataloging side of it, who just need the materials! I’ve been doing it for such a long time and I still love it.

I also love working for the University. My first job in this country was in a business in downtown Chicago, and I have learned to appreciate the benefits of working in an academic environment. Plus, UW really is a first class University!

News: It’s hard to believe with the work you do at the library and with the orchestra that you have time for hobbies, but I hear you are quite the magician!

VG: Yes, magic has been a big part of my life since I was probably five. I don’t have the time for it much lately, but I have done a few small shows for the library in the past for Halloween and things like that. At this point I’m kind of a “passive magician.” Once or twice a year, I go to International Magic Conventions. I might go to one in Michigan this year. I have a lot of magic at home that I get from these conventions, but just don’t have time to do it much lately. I’m not a professional magician by any means, but it has always been a big hobby for me. Most people think of magic as a form of entertainment, which it is, but it is also a very ancient art. Magic is mentioned in Egyptian papyruses from way back before Christ. I know a lot about the history of magic, and have attended lectures at magic conventions discussing magic history and theory, which is fascinating. I also love to watch magic being performed—magicians usually don’t like the word “tricks”. I consider it to be a very unique and beautiful art. It’s a different art, not like painting or music or sculpture, of course, but it is still an art. It requires a lot of practice, so I don’t have much time for it now, but I guess you could say I’m the resident magician at Memorial Library. I have this sign in my office in CTS that says “Magician’s parking only—all others will disappear.”

Another passion of mine is traveling. I have been all over the United States, Canada, and Europe, and even Japan and Kazakhstan. My most favorite place? Probably Montréal, Québec; I have been madly in love with that city for years! Since I moved to the U.S. I’ve only ever lived in the Midwest, so it is nice to be able to travel and see other parts of the States as well. Sometimes I think it would be nice to live on the coast—California or Oregon, or the New England area. It is beautiful out there. But I truly love Madison. It’s a great city, there’s always something going on—I love the farmer’s market… It’s been seventeen years and I still discover new neighborhoods, new restaurants. So I am grateful to fate for putting me here.

News: So between the orchestra, your work at the library, your hobby as a magician, and traveling… I don’t suppose you still have time for reading, do you?

VG: I do somehow manage to make time for reading still, although these days I read less, but I watch a lot of movies; over the years I have become a real movie-buff. I read and speak several languages, but when I read for pleasure I mostly enjoy reading in Russian, particularly the well-established classics.

As for movies, I usually stick to serious movies, often foreign. I subscribe to Netflix and I probably watch two to three films a week. I haven’t been out to the movie theater in probably seven or eight years, though. I prefer to watch them at home because I can cuddle up with my cat and also I don’t have to deal with the guy next to me laughing loudly during the most inappropriate moments, it happens all the time! Oh, and I hate the smell of popcorn!

Want more?

• Visit the University of Wisconsin Russian Folk Orchestra website
• Listen to some sample clips of the orchestra or download their latest CD, Candlelight 
• Check out this sneak peek from the May 11th recording session
• Take a look at this video of the magician in action!

Know a librarian or library staff member with a cool skill or interest? They belong in the spotlight! Submit your suggestions to news@library.wisc.edu.  We’d love to learn more about you!

Click the screenshot to watch the whole video on Vimeo

Though the Census Bureau ultimately dropped this title, citing budgetary reasons, students, researchers, journalists and lovers of trivia can rest easy: commercial publisher ProQuest has taken up the challenge of continuing this venerable work.  In the process, ProQuest has created a more versatile online product than the Census Bureau was able to provide.  (Bernan Press has also published a print version based on the ProQuest product.)

In creating this new edition, ProQuest updated nearly all the tables in the 2012 edition (a few tables couldn’t be updated because new data had not been published), and plans to update selected tables throughout the year.  ProQuest used the same sources that the Census Bureau did to create tables.  These sources include national and international governmental agencies, as well as many private associations.  As in the Census Bureau’s version, the ProQuest version points users to these sources, so users can see if more detailed data is available from those original sources.

In recent years, the Census Bureau had maintained electronic versions of the Abstract, but users had to decide whether to search a PDF version OR an Excel spreadsheet one.  ProQuest’s interface allows users to search the entire publication, then choose whether to view a table in PDF or Excel format.  Users can also break down results by time period covered, source of data, geographic level the data is presented at, or whether the tables break down data by such factors as age, race, or gender.  Every table includes a citation in APA and MLA formats.

And what content will you find in this Statistical Abstract?  The same eclectic mix as in the preceding versions:  over 1,400 tables on 30 broad topics, from health and nutrition, to arts, travel, and recreation; education to transportation.  A sampling of tables available:

• Percent Of Adults Who Own Electronic Devices By Age
• Persons With And Without Health Insurance Coverage By State
• Households And Persons Having Problems With Access To Food
• Top States And Cities Visited By Overseas Travelers
• U.S. Firms–Ownership By Gender, Ethnicity, Race, And Veteran Status
• Vote Cast For U.S. Representatives By Major Political Party–Congressional Districts
• Sales And Household Participation In Lawn And Garden Activities

Many thanks to Government Documents and Reference Librarian Beth Harper for providing this write-up! 

If you have library news, press releases, event announcements, or resource profiles to share, please send an e-mail to news@library.wisc.edu.

The Marketing Committee dove into the Archives and the Digital Collections to find vintage images for this year’s black-and-white postcards, which include thought bubbles that students can personalize.  Of course, there is also a color design featuring Bucky Badger at his most studious!

Postcards will be available at the big study hubs around campus, and each participating library will also be posting a set number of postcards for students during Finals Week.

Look for all four postcard designs at these participating libraries, and ask a librarian about how to send them home!

• College Library
• Memorial Library
• Wendt Commons
• Ebling Library
• Steenbock Memorial Library

One title included in Steenbock Library’s Seed Saving collection

Librarians at Steenbock Memorial Library are participating in this year’s UW Family Gardening Day on May 11 on the UW-Madison campus.  The annual showcase of gardening ideas runs from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the university’s D.C. Smith Instructional Greenhouses and Allen Centennial Gardens.

Steenbock Library, which is located between the two gardens, invites visitors to explore the library’s extensive gardening collections.

Librarian Karen Dunn outlined some of the exciting ways Steenbock will participate in this event: “In addition to staffing a library information table highlighting library access, gardening collections, and Cooperative Extension publications,” she says, “we will also have a book display and  play host to an information table staffed by Master Gardener volunteers.”

The social media crew at Steenbock also pulled together a series of Pinterest boards to show off the broad range of gardening-related collections at the library, from seed-saving resources to books on therapy gardens.

You can check out the boards at the UWMadLibraries Pinterest account, or click on the links below:

Seed Saving | Enabling Gardens | Community Gardens

Directions & Parking: The D.C. Smith Greenhouse is located at 465 Babcock Dr., across the street from Babcock Hall. Allen Centennial Gardens is a block north at 620 Babcock Dr. Free parking is available in Lot 40 behind Babcock Hall and in Lot 36 just west of Steenbock Library.

More events: Check out the lineup for all of the UW-Gardening Day events HERE.

In his books, Shawn Sheehy’s images of plants, animals, and even landscapes literally move. Sheehy made his first pop-up book as a design student at Madison Area Technical College, and for the past fifteen years, he has developed a series of pop-up books that bring attention to ecosystems, resource allocation, and species adaptability.

His talk, Concept to (Political) Action: Pop-Up Artists’ Books, will be held on Tuesday, May 14, noon–1:30 p.m. in 126 Memorial Library on the UW-Madison campus. Sheehy’s lecture will include many images from his books and the stories that inspire him.

At a glance:

• What: Concept to (Political) Action: Pop-Up Artists’ Books, an Artist Talk with Shawn Sheehy
• When: Tuesday, May 14, 12:00–1:30 pm
• Where: 126 Memorial Library, 728 State Street

Book artist Shawn Sheehy

This lecture is sponsored by the Friends of the Libraries and is part of Text Support: A Library Exhibit About Paper. Text Support is a multi-library exhibit on the history and artistry of paper, and is co-curated by Tracy Honn of Silver Buckle Press and Lyn Korenic of the Kohler Art Library.  The exhibit will run from April 15 through June 2013, and includes display cases at the Kohler Art Library and at Silver Buckle Press and the Department of Special Collections in Memorial Library.

All exhibitions and events, including Sheehy’s Artist Talk, are free and open to the public.

Questions? For more information about the lecture and exhibits visit the Friends’ website, e-mail  friends@library.wisc.edu, or call 608-265-2505.

“The Lawyer Who Died in the Courthouse Bathroom,” a chapbook by Thomas J. Erickson.

Parallel Press is pleased to announce the publication of The Lawyer Who Died in the Courthouse Bathroom, a new collection of poetry by Thomas J. Erickson ($10.00, Parallel Press, 2013).

In The Lawyer Who Died in the Courthouse Bathroom, Erickson’s muscular poems perform a post-mortem on the titular lawyer with unflinching honesty, digging into personal life failures, the noble work defending indigent clients, and the ugly compromises made in order to do so.

The result is a complete and complicated portrait of the human condition, one that circles back on itself to the title poem and demands re-reading. “The Lawyer Who Died in the Courthouse Bathroom,” reads as both obituary and elegy, at once acknowledging the futility and necessity of a life’s work: ‘As a young man, he read Camus and resolved / that if God did exist it wouldn’t make any difference… The hundreds of people he represented; / their dramas not worth one whit. / The files waiting in his briefcase / the combination set to open.”

Thomas J. Erickson was born in 1960 and grew up in Kohler, Wisconsin.  He received a BA from Beloit College in English Composition and a law degree from Marquette University.  His poems have appeared in numerous publications including The Los Angeles Review, Quiddity International Literary Review, Mad Poet’s Review, The New Poet, and Slant.  He is an attorney in Milwaukee where he is a member of the Hartford Avenue Poets.  He is the proud father of Charles and John

How to order

The Lawyer Who Died in the Courthouse Bathroom  is available for purchase through Parallel Press for $10.00. Discounts are provided for libraries, booksellers, and non-profit organizations.

Questions? Contact Parallel Press: 608-262-1433 or parallelpress@library.wisc.edu

Dr. He then screened the top 62 university libraries’ Chinese collections in the United States.  The University of Wisconsin—Madison Chinese Collection is delighted to announce that they came in fifth place. What an honor!

Here’s how the top-ranked Chinese Collections stacked up:

The success of the collection can be attributed to the dedication and effort of the four China studies librarians who have worked to build the collection over the years. Congratulations to Chester Wang (1965 to 1997), Thomas Hahn (1998 to 2001), Victoria Chu (2002 to 2005), and Dianna Xu (2006 to present). Thank you for all your hard work!

Dr. He’s article can be accessed at http://www.bookdao.com/article/46574