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!

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

Last week, Madison B-cycle unveiled 30 new “Poetic Bikes” into their bicycle lending system as part of a city-wide partnership with Poetry Jumps Off the Shelf, a local organization run by Parallel Press poet Shoshauna Shy.  In the past, Poetry Jumps Off the Shelf has partnered with Community Car in a similar effort to integrate poems and poetry into everyday events– like a commute to work or school.

In order to choose poems, the team sifted through over 300 submissions, searching for work with a Madison theme.  10 poems were selected and were added to 30 of the iconic red B-cycle Bikes.

Several of the featured poets witnessed the release of their poems into the Madison B-cycle bike share program last Friday, including a variety of Parallel Press Authors and editors (linked below).

List of poems and their poets:

• “Tree on Johnson Street” by Jan Chronister
• “the wi film festival” by Amelia Cook
• “Old House on Lake Monona—the Near End of Jenifer ST” by Peg Carlson Lauber
• “It was already clear” by Ralph Murre
• “First Fall Semester” by Andrea Potos
• “Cursive Discarded From Grade School Curriculum” by Shoshauna Shy
• “From my Window” by Danez Smith
• “Orange Custard Chocolate Chip” by Frannie Zellman
• “Arboretum Walk”  and “State Street, Late November” by Rosemary Zurlo-Cuva

Barb Richards at her retirement party on April 23rd

On Tuesday, April 23^rd, a retirement party was held in honor of Barb Richards of the Special Collections Department at Memorial Library. Barb’s last day is today, Thursday, April 25^th.

As Barb has noted, with customary good cheer, her work on campus has gone “from rats to rabies to rare books.” She began working at the Gnotobiotic Laboratory at UW-Madison from 1974 to 1977, and after a short stint working in the rabies lab at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) on campus she came to the Department of Rare Books (now Special Collections) in December 1977.

Barb has helped the Department grow from its original location (the space now occupied by the Microform/Media Center) to its current home on the top two floors of Memorial Library, and she knows every nook and cranny in the Department. She has trained and supervised generations of students in Special Collections, many of whom still stay in touch with her. Working closely with selectors Christine Rom, Gretchen Lagana, Yvonne Schofer, and now Susan Barribeau, Barb has managed the renowned collection of “Little Magazines,” keeping track of publications that defy normal serials practices, following their frequent address and title changes, and cajoling their editors and publishers to fill in gaps. The result is a large and wide-ranging collection that attracts students and faculty from campus as well as scholars from afar, and accounts for much document delivery to researchers elsewhere. Barb has also managed major moves of all of the Department’s holdings with great efficiency, most recently during the installation of compact shelving in the vaults.

Barb’s retirement plans include travel, home projects, and spending time with a new grandchild.

Cards for Barb and envelopes for contributions toward a retirement gift are available in both the GLS administrative office and at the reference desk in Special Collections. Best wishes to Barb as she begins her new adventure!

Andrea Rolich

Our staff spotlight this month is Andrea Rolich, Preservation Librarian at Memorial Library. Although the nature of her work does not typically put her in the spotlight, Andrea was happy to share a wealth of knowledge about the Preservation Department and had some fascinating items to show off. Read on to learn more about Andrea and the vital role preservation plays in the libraries.

News: Can you tell me a little bit about what goes on here in the Preservation Department?

Andrea Rolich (AR): Preservation should be taken into account in every aspect of library and archives operations. Materials in disrepair, mostly from circulation, come to us for treatment. In other cases, materials are chosen for treatment based on their subject matter or their rarity.

When an item enters the department, the first order of business generally consists of sorting in order to determine what type of treatment the material needs and bibliographic and physical control in which the Preservation location of all items are entered into Voyager so that they may be easily located should a patron place a request. Depending on each individual case, the activities we engage in can include commercial binding, hand repair, microfilming, creation of paper facsimiles, replacement with out-of-print copies, mass de-acidification, and digitizing.

We also received a lot of items to “stabilize” for the Google Books initiative, which kept all Preservation-related staff very busy.

In addition to these “behind-the-scenes” activities, preservation staff are also involved with outreach activities like conducting education sessions and workshops for other University staff and libraries of all kinds, acting as guest lecturers for courses at the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS), and setting up exhibits to spread awareness of preservation activities.

Overall, our goal is similar to that of other library departments, which is to maintain and enhance access to all of the great research materials available through the University Libraries.

News: As you are well aware, this week is Preservation Week (April 21-27)! Can you tell me more about that?

AR: Libraries use Preservation Week to connect with their communities through events, activities, and resources that promote awareness of the importance of preservation activities.

There are three free webinars going on this week through ALCTS:

• Tuesday, April 23: The Preservation of Family Photographs—Debra Hess Norris
• Wednesday, April 24: Personal Digital Archiving—Mike Ashenfelder
• Thursday, April 25: Archival 101: Dealing with Suppliers of Archival Products—Peter D. Verheyen

Each of these webinars can be accessed after the fact, too, so if you can’t make it for the live webinar, you can feel free to register and watch it at your leisure.

In the past, we’ve been able to be much more active during Preservation Week by creating local exhibits, setting up group showings of webinars, etc., but this year won’t be quite as eventful simply because our daily operations have kept us very busy lately.

News: What is your favorite part of your job?

AR: I would have to say that working with other staff members who have similar interests is one of the best parts. But also, the type of work we do is quite satisfying. To know that something that is incomplete or fragile and virtually unusable in its current form can be made fully accessible to users is very fulfilling. For example, there was this brittle Chinese book that came to us– it practically crumbled if you touched it.   We were able to restore it by creating a facsimile copy. The new version is now perfectly useable on beautiful, creamy, acid-free paper.

One downside to the work is that there are sometimes instances in which nothing can be done for a book. For instance, we had an item with the imprinting from another page on top of the text. It looked like the ink was still wet and it was laid on top of the already-printed page. Our first option would normally be to get an ILL copy and just photocopy the undamaged page from it and replace the damaged page with that copy. Unfortunately, in this case there were no other copies available as we owned the sole copy registered in OCLC, so we were unable to fix it.

News: Since it was just National Library Week, I have to ask… What is your favorite library?

AR: Well, I of course have to go with the obvious answer, Memorial Library. I have used and loved it from the time I first came here for grad school in the late-1960s. I worked here as a student and later as a half-time cataloger of Slavic and Baltic materials, from 1983-1991. I was lucky to be at SLIS in the later eighties at a time when there was a Preservation track, which is one of the reasons I’m in my current position (since 1991).

Other than Memorial, I also frequent Middleton Public Library from time to time, since I live in Middleton.

News: What are you reading right now?

AR: My favorite authors are Russian and French authors—I have a background in Slavic Languages/Literatures, and actually got my PhD in that before attending library school.

Want more?

Just inside the Preservation Department office doors, display cases feature terribly damaged books and humorously and horrifically botched “home repairs” that have made their way to the Preservation Department over the years. Amongst signs proclaiming quips like “Books are not candle holders” you’ll find books that have been devoured by insects, covered in highlighting, and bandaged with band-aids and electrical tape, to name only a few of the delightfully atrocious specimens. The banner above the display appropriately sums up the Preservation Department’s mission, stating “Great collections deserve great care. You can help!”

• Check out the ALCTS page on ALA’s website for ways you can get involved with Preservation Week
• Look for Preservation Week printouts in the lobby of Memorial Library
• Visit the UW-Madison Preservation Department website
• Attend a preservation webinar!

Click to download / print the full poster

Ebling library is currently hosting the 7th annual Health Sciences Student Art exhibit in the Historical Reading Room and 3rd Floor Gallery.  The show spotlights the artistic talent of Health Sciences students, who are also pursuing degrees in the School of Occupational Therapy, the School of Nursing, Veterinary Medicine, the School of Pharmacy, and School of Medicine & Public Health.

This year, students have submitted photographs, ceramic work, paintings, leather work, prints, and jewelry for the show. Some of the pieces are also for sale.

At a Glance:

• What: Health Sciences Student Art Exhibit
• Where: Ebling Library Historical Reading Room and 3rd Floor Gallery
• When: April 11th to May 9th 2013

This year’s artists:

Theo Howard | Alyssa Walker | Krista Jo Carlson | Yang He | Peter Polewski | Jonathon Fricke | Michelle Katz | Trisha Pedone | Andrea Jones | Cecile Resop | Natalie Weisensel | Sumit Kar | Aos Karim | Nathan Zapolsky | Liz Robinson | Christina Nussbaum | Elizabeth Abbs

A preview of the show:

Questions about this event? Contact Micaela Sullivan-Fowler for more information at msullivan@library.wisc.edu or 262-2402

Participants thought outside the “cake box” when it came to choosing their edible materials. Entries were crafted using a wide variety of ingredients including Jell-O, Triscuits, candy bars, rice noodles, artichoke hearts, herbs and spices, daikon radishes (believe it or not, two creations included this unique vegetable), and Wisconsin’s state fruit—cranberries.

A Bus Called Heaven

One entry that really embraced the “Communities Matter” theme was “A Bus Called Heaven,” created by Katelyn Martens and Ashley Guy of MERIT Library. A funky, vibrant bus, sculpted from Rice Krispie Treats and fondant, represented the picture book by Bob Graham. A Bus Called Heaven tells the inspiring and whimsical story about a community of neighbors from all walks of life coming together to refurbish an abandoned bus.

“The Green Truck Garden Giveaway” was an impressive and highly-detailed garden landscape, made by Lesley Wolf and Marion Ceraso, of the Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute. The creators were inspired by The Green Truck Garden Giveaway: A Neighborhood Story and Almanac and used seasonal ingredients to represent each of the four seasons. The outcome was a lovely (and fragrant!), meticulously hand-crafted panorama.

We Are In A Book!

One of the “punny” entries was Stephanie Unertl’s cake featuring a spot-on reproduction of author Mo Willem’s lovable characters, Elephant & Piggie. The book it paired with was We Are in a Book!, so naturally the characters on the cake declared “We Are On a Cake!” Stephanie knew she wanted to represent a children’s book because she was inspired by their colors and illustrations, but wasn’t sure which book to use, so she turned to her fellow SLIS classmates and the elementary school students she teaches for their opinions. “Elephant & Piggie” was the answer, hands down.

When asked about her creative process, Stephanie spoke about the virtue of patience and the challenges she encountered working with food as a medium. “You have to wait for your cake to cool or you’ll crumble it, and butter cream frosting can get too warm and might have to go back in the fridge until it has a better consistency for piping. And if you goof, frosting and cake are fairly unforgiving—it’s hard to cover errors when working with frosting on frosting unless you scrape it off and completely recover the area you were working in.” But the best part about working with cake? “You get to eat it! Cake is ephemeral—it doesn’t last… but it’s made to be eaten and appreciated.”

The edible books were ogled by library staff, students, and community members who had the opportunity to cast votes for the People’s Choice award. The entries were then analyzed by four very qualified judges, the 149 votes were tallied, and prizes were awarded in six different categories.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… the winners!

• People’s Choice- Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute, “The Green Truck Garden Giveaway: A Neighborhood Story and Almanac”
• Most Creative Use of Ingredients- Jacobsen Primate Library, “Ham the Astrochimp”
• Best Visual Presentation- Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute, “The Green Truck Garden Giveaway: A Neighborhood Story and Almanac”
• Funniest/Punniest- Stephanie Unertl, “We Are On a Cake!”
• Best Entry Based on a Children’s/Teen’s Book- MERIT Library, “A Bus Called Heaven”
• Best Literary Mash-Up- Memorial Library Reference Department, “One Book, Two Book, Red Book, Blue Book”

Want more?

• Visit the Edible Book Festival website 
• Check out ALA’s page about National Library Week and how you can celebrate!

Cover image of “Tricks of Light,” by Jeanie Tomasko. Parallel Press, 2011.

April is always a busy time for the poetry community because it’s National Poetry Month. National Poetry Month provides a great opportunity to listen to (and share!) favorite poems and to discover new work. Many Parallel Press chapbook authors are participating in local events and poetry readings throughout April in honor of this celebration.

Here are just a few of the many events going on in the area:

• April 17-24, Fox Cities Book Festival Many wonderful poetry-related events will be happening throughout the week including a reading by WI Poet Laureate Max Garland! Max is the author of the poetry chapbook Apparition (Parallel Press, 1999). Check out the whole schedule of events here!

• Tuesday, April 23, 6:30pm at Appleblossom Books in Oshkosh Jeanie and Steve Tomasko of Middleton, WI will each read a selection of their own poetry, followed by an open mic session where participants may read one or two of their own poems or favorites. Jeanie is the author of Tricks of Light (Parallel Press, 2011).

For more ways to celebrate, check out the UW-Madison Libraries Pinterest board, dedicated to all things National Poetry Month!

One of MERIT’s group study areas

The Library of the Month for April is MERIT Library, the library for the school of education! “MERIT” stands for Media, Education Resources, and Information Technology. The library provides services and resources to the faculty, staff, and students of the School of Education, UW-Madison, the Wisconsin education community, and beyond.

MERIT is the result of a collaboration between three well-established units within the School of Education—the Center on Instructional materials and Computing (CIMC), the Instructional Media Development Center (IMDC), and the School of Education’s Information Technology office (SoEIT). In 2005, Jo Ann Carr assumed the dual role as director of both the CIMC and the IMDC. In an effort to streamline services to faculty, staff, and students, CIMC and IMDC merged with SoEIT to create MERIT in 2008, under Jo Ann Carr’s direction.

MERIT’s mission is to provide “creative and personalized solutions that make your work possible.” MERIT’s librarians train future educators to use and incorporate the latest technology, like iPads and SMART boards, into their classrooms. Access to education databases and subject/resource guides are among the multitude of resources available through MERIT. The library also offers a variety of technology workshops from “Using Google for Academic Research” to “Designing and Printing Posters with PowerPoint.”

The library collection supports the School of Education’s Teacher Certification Programs and includes scholarly and PreK-12 print, media, and electronic information sources. MERIT is composed of the following collections:

• MERIT Library Professional Collection
• PreK-12 Collection
• MERIT Library Journals Collection
• MERIT Library Reference Collection
• Testing Resources, which includes hundreds of standardized education and psychological tests related to PreK-12 education.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar puppet and book

With over 33 spaces, including classrooms, teaching and open labs, study spaces, and meeting rooms, MERIT is a great spot for studying or working on group projects. Its work spaces are nearly as important as the collection itself, because they create a social and interactive learning area. Plus, the 60 staff members are always friendly and eager to help. Everyone at MERIT says their favorite part of working there is the people. What’s not to love?

A cheerful laminator user

The shelves are full of fun picture books, but MERIT carries more than just books–you’ll find games (including bean bag toss!), puppets, xylophones (yes, you read that correctly!), and a laminator. There is even a special area for toys you’d find in a kindergarten or pre-K classroom. As you can imagine, being a center for Media, Education Resources, and Information Technology, MERIT also has all sorts of techie toys to play with and check out. The circulating equipment includes iPads, projectors, and digital voice recorders.

As if these features aren’t reason enough, if you visit MERIT Library, you might even stumble upon one of the 35 M&Ms dispensers or one of the 12 Mr. Potato Head dolls hidden amongst the stacks.

Some of the friendly MERIT staff members

Want More?

• Follow MERIT Library on Twitter (@MERIT_Library)
• Like MERIT Library on Facebook (MERIT Library)
• Find great pictures of Bucky goofing around on the School of Education’s photostream on Flickr