Angela Vanden Elzen

Author: Angela Vanden Elzen

Summer 2013 Coffeehouse Series

Coffeehouse
Susan Goeden shares one of her favorites, The Good Earth by Pearl Buck at the 2012 summer reads coffeehouse session.

This Wednesday, July 10, marks the first of our summer 2013 coffeehouse sessions. Join us, and share your favorite summer read. Don’t have a suggestion you’d like share? Come to hear the Mudd Library staff share our favorites! Coffee and delicious refreshments, as well as fun bookmarks, will be available for all attendees. The session will begin at 10 a.m. and last until 10:45 a.m.

Take a look at the other exiting sessions that will be offered throughout the summer:

July 24: Lux!  More Lux!

Lux, a digital repository of scholarly and creative work produced by Lawrence students, staff, and faculty, is now one year old.  Join us as Erin Dix and Colette Lunday Brautigam tell us about recent additions to Lux, including Harrison Symposium papers, archives of The Lawrentian, and faculty publications.  Birthday cake is a distinct possibility.

August 7: Lawrence in the Civil War

At the start of the Civil War, Lawrence University was 14 years old.  Join university archivist Erin Dix to explore the ways in which Lawrence faculty and students participated on the front lines and coped with the effects of the war at home.   This will be a reprise of a presentation given in January – if you missed it then, join us this time around!

August 21: It’s A Visual, Audio, Video World

Your website, publication, blog, or course material would benefit from the addition of some media, but where to begin?  Come and discover sources for legally-acquired sound and images; Antoinette Powell and Colette Lunday Brautigam will lead us.

All coffeehouses will begin at 10 a.m. and last until 10:45 a.m. Coffee and some variety of yummy refreshment will be provided at each session. All Lawrence faculty and staff are welcome to attend.

Visit our coffeehouse guide for more details and to learn about past coffeehouses.

Introducing: The Katie

Upon entering to the Mudd Library, you may notice a 50 foot long boat hanging above the reference collection. The boat (named Katie) was used by the Milwaukee-Downer College crew team. After it was discovered in a barn by Will Evans ’13, a group of Milwaukee-Downer alumnae raised funds to have it refinished to then be displayed somewhere on the Lawrence campus. The selected location, above the Mudd Library reference collection, is right outside the Milwaukee-Downer room. This special collections room contains a number of important artifacts from Milwaukee-Downer College.

To learn more about how the Katie came to be in the Mudd Library, take a look at our webpage. To see just how we got this boat into the library and hanging from the ceiling, see our photo set.

Canine Therapy 2013

Getting stressed out by end of term projects, papers, and pending final exams? To help you relax, we’ve scheduled our annual Canine Therapy event for Monday, June 3rd from 2-3 pm. For those of you who have not yet attended one of these events, Mudd Library and other Lawrence staff and faculty bring their beloved dogs to the library plaza to share some pets and snuggles with stressed-out students.

So, no matter how stressful you fear your finals week will be- remember that you’ll have the unconditional love of a sweet puppy to make things better.

National Library Week and More!

Beginning Sunday, April 14th and lasting through Saturday April 20th, the Mudd Library will be celebrating National Library Week! We have planned a variety of exciting events. Stop in to celebrate with us!

  • Library Student Worker Appreciation Day: Say ‘thanks’ to our library’s excellent student workers. Tuesday, April 16th
  • Make Your Voice Heard! Take part in a quick usability survey about the library’s new website. Pizza and beverages for all participants. Wednesday, April 17th, 6-8 pm.
  • Get a cookie for asking a question at the reference desk Thursday night from 6-10. Yes, may I have a cookie will suffice.

Take part in the following fun events all week long:

  • Enter in our annual Haiku contest for a chance to win an Amazon gift card.
  • Tell us why you love the Mudd Library.
  • Check out our display of staff favorites. We’ll be adding new favorites all week- so check back frequently.

As if Library Week wasn’t enough fun, members of the Mudd Library staff have also been helping to plan the following events around campus and in the community.

  • The Fox Cities Book Festival lasts from April 17th through April 24.  A variety of festival events are scheduled to take place on the Lawrence campus. Take a look at the festival website for more information.
  • Women and Identity in Gaming Symposium, hosted by the Lawrence University Gaming Club, will be held on April 20th on the Lawrence Campus. This day-long event will feature discussions, activities, and presentations from two fantastic guest speakers. See the Women and Identity in Gaming website or Facebook page for more information.

Meet the Staff: Holly Tuyls

For our most recent ‘Meet the Staff’ feature, we’ve interviewed Library Secretary, Holly Tuyls. Holly manages a wide variety of tasks here at the Mudd. These tasks include, but are not limited to, assisting in organizing and setting up for many library events, recording the minutes at library meetings, taking care of a variety of paperwork and making sure it gets to the correct department, and spreading cheer and goodwill.

How long have you been working at the Mudd Library?  Since April of 2012.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

I love the fact that my responsibilities include a wide variety of tasks; when I get tired of working on spreadsheets, I can water the plants, or count the copy machine money, or do some writing. Also, I am so lucky to have the privilege to work with such intelligent, hilarious, and interesting people.

Share something you’ve done at work that has made you especially proud.

I enjoy making seasonal displays which show off the variety of our available materials, especially the non-academic stuff. Upon declaring October ‘Scary Movie Month,’ I collected and showcased our scary movies, and it was really fun to watch how quickly they got checked out and what titles seemed to be student favorites.

Where did you get your degree? I graduated magna cum laude with an English degree from an amazing institution called Lawrence University in little old Appleton, Wisconsin.  Maybe you’ve heard of it?

What are your hobbies?  I love to read, cook, garden, and do yoga.  I occasionally and intermittently practice the piano as well.

What’s the last book you read that you couldn’t put down?  Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes, which explores alternatives to living on the planet in a creative, rather than consumptive, way.

What are your favorite bands or performers?  Hmmm.  This is a tough question.  I love all types of music and tend to get very obsessive about a performer for a spell, and then move on to the next. Ryan Adams, Neko Case, and Bright Eyes are always favorites. I love seeing live music. This past summer I brought my daughter to Minneapolis to see her first ‘real’ concert: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

List your favorite blogs and/or magazines. I love Bust!  Available in the Mudd on Level A!  I also enjoy Yoga Journal and Yoga International. Blogs I love include The Art of Non-Conformity, Zen Habits, and becoming minimalist.

What groups and/or organizations are you active in (on or off campus)?

I dabble in all sorts of things. We foster kitties for Orphan Animal Rescue.  We’ve done some work in the SLUG garden, helping to build the hoop house.  I take part in a weekly group meditation and flutter about the community taking yoga classes.

Tell us about your family.  My daughter is 12.  She sings in Lawrence Academy’s Girl Choir.  She also plays the piano and spends a lot of time reading.  She is currently big into a manga and anime series called ‘FullMetal Alchemist,’ and also spends a lot of time imagining.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers? As an alum, I can’t stress enough the amazing powers possessed by our reference librarians. While working toward my degree, I would approach the desk with trepidation and the feeling of not wanting to bother anyone.  These presumptions are so far from the truth! The reference librarians are there for the express purpose of helping students learn to engage in quality research, a skill that is of utmost importance as students advance in academia and in the world at large. When in doubt, go to the reference desk!

Winter Break Library Closure

Have you been planning on stopping by the Mudd Library to do some research, to take a look at the new Lincoln exhibit, or to check out some movies? Make sure to do so by this Thursday. The library will be open this week Monday through Thursday, from 8 am to 5 pm. Beginning Friday December 21st, the library, along with the rest of the campus, will be closed through January 1st. We will reopen with our regular hours on January 2nd.

All of us at the Mudd wish you the happiest of holidays and best wishes for an excellent 2013.

Meet the Staff: Susan Goeden

Today we are starting a new feature to help you better get to know the knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly staff of the Seeley G. Mudd Library. Our first featured staff person is Susan Goeden, who works back in Technical Services as the cataloging assistant.
What exactly does a cataloger do, you may ask? Susan enters a data record for every book and DVD that is ordered by, or donated to, the library into the library catalog. You can occasionally find her searching the library stacks in the midst of a cataloging project. Read on to get to know a little more about Susan.


How long have you been working at the Mudd Library?
I started at the Mudd as the library secretary in December of 2009, and have been the cataloging assistant since January of 2012.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
Having the opportunity see each and every new book and DVD that comes into the library, as well as the chance to stay abreast of what’s new in the publishing world.
Share something you’ve done at work that has made you proud.
I created comprehensive procedure manuals for both the library secretary and cataloging assistant positions. [Note from Holly, the current library secretary: These arduous tasks have benefitted not only Susan in her work, but have served to support the cohesiveness of the entire library and have ensured that all of her successors will be up for the difficult challenge of filling her shoes.]
Where did you get your degree?
I earned a BA in Economics from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.
What are your hobbies?
I enjoy knitting, cooking, and reading (historical fiction, especially). I also admit to an office supply addiction.
What’s the last book you read that you couldn’t put down?
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.
What are your favorite bands or performers?
Yo-Yo Ma, Dar Williams, and Jack Johnson.
List your favorite blogs and/or magazines.
I love magazines. The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and cooking magazines are at the top my list, but, really, I’ll read anything.
What groups and/or organizations are you active in (on or off campus)?
I am the scholarship advisor for the Lawrence chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta. I belonged to the sorority as an undergrad and wanted give back with the little free time I have. It is a lot of fun to spend time with the girls- especially since I live with all boys [see below]. I also volunteer for the Appleton North High School Booster Club.
Tell us about your family
I have been happily married for 21 years to Eric, a manufacturing operations management consultant, and have two sons in high school, Gunnar and Travis.

We hope you have enjoyed “meeting the staff” of the Seeley G. Mudd Library. Stay tuned for our next installment.

Roger Dale Kruse Room

Thanks to a generous gift from Judge D. Michael Lynn, LU class of ’65, the library has a beautiful new space. The Roger Dale Kruse room is a place for quiet study and reflection, as well as a meeting space for students, classes, and student organizations interested in diversity issues. The room was named in honor of Judge Lynn’s late partner.

The art hung in this room is from the personal collection of Mr. Kruse, and includes Post-Impressionist paintings by French artists. A special collection of books has been added to this room, pertaining to diversity and social justice. Additional artwork and books, as well as audiovisual resources will continue to be added to the room’s collection.

For more pictures, including some from an early phase of construction, take a look at the library’s flickr page.

Next time you’re in the library, head up to the fourth floor and take a look at this wonderful space.

Upcoming Library Events

The Mudd Library will be hosting a variety of fun and interesting events through the end of the term. From genealogy to video games- there’s something for everyone!

Professor Erica Scheinberg will talk about the 30th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s, Thriller.

October 18th: Tenth Library Mid-Term Reading Period Smash Bros. Tournament and Opening Gaming

  • Join us for our tenth Smash Bros. tournament and open gaming event! In addition to Smash Bros., we’ll also have open gaming Halo or Mario Kart as well as board games. In celebration of this milestone, we’ll have cake and extra prizes. Open gaming and warm-ups start at 6:30 pm, tournament begins at 7 pm.

October 25th: Things Worth Knowing: Haunted Lawrence

  • Learn about eerie happenings around campus. With Archivist Erin Dix.

November 1st: Things Worth Knowing: I See Dead People: Exploring Geneaology

  • Presented by Music Librarian Antoinette Powell, the library’s foremost forebear fanatic.

November 8th: Things Worth Knowing: Thriller at 30

  • November marks the anniversary of Michael Jackson’s super-smash album. Learn more about the music and MJ from special guest, Professor Erica Scheinberg.

All Things Worth Knowing events begin at 4:30 pm and take place on the first floor of the library. For more information on past topics, take a look at the guide.

We hope to see you at one, or all, of these events!

Political Cartooning: The Guide!

Want to know more about last week’s Things Worth Knowing topic of political cartooning? The library maintains a guide just full of information relating to each weeks’ topic.
Whether you’ve attended the event or not, this guide will give you plenty of useful information that can be found on the web, or in the library’s resources. Every past Things Worth Knowing event is indexed in this guide. For example, the page for our political cartooning session contains links to library resources, such as Harper’s Weekly, and Drawn to Extremes: The Use and Abuse of Editorial Cartoons, as well as links to a variety of web resources, such as The National Cartoonists Society website, and the Pulitzer Prize list of the best in editorial cartooning.

This week, we’ll be discussing the work and life of film great Joseph Francis (Buster) Keaton. Join us, Thursday, October 4th, at 4:30 pm, on the first floor of the library.