Allison Wray

Author: Allison Wray

Wisconsin Collection & Wisconsin Documents, Together at Last

Over the summer, an important shift of materials took place- the Mudd’s collection of Wisconsin documents moved from the second floor to the fourth floor of the library, next to our Wisconsin Collection and the Roger Dale Kruse Room.

The Wisconsin Collection contains over 2,500 titles and features books covering a full range of topics about Wisconsin or by Wisconsin authors. As a collection that we purchase into, we have been able to acquire unique holdings of local and regional writers with a special emphasis in poetry. Because Lawrence University was started as a territorial college, we also have early state government documents and early histories of the Fox River Valley and Appleton. We are also a “Selective Depository Library” for State of Wisconsin documents, which means that we receive a portion of the thousands of documents published by Wisconsin state agencies.

Formerly, the Wisconsin Documents were housed on the second floor along with the Federal Documents, but now both collections have been brought together to form a cohesive and impressive collection of Wisconsin history and legacy.  Be sure to head up to the fourth floor to check it out!

 

Display Highlights History of the Conservatory

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As part of a project for an independent study, graduating senior Dakota Williams has put together a display on the library’s first floor.  Titled “A Brief History of the Lawrence Conservatory of Music,” the display chronicles the extensive history of the Conservatory, exploring its different ensembles, noteworthy deans and professors, and the different buildings that have housed the Conservatory.  With aid of the Lawrence University Archives, Williams has assembled an intriguing display exploring some of the rich history of Lawrence.

The project is on display in the cases on the first floor of the library, and will be up until June 13th.

Canine Therapy at the Library!

The term is coming to an end and finals are looming closer…must be time to pet some dogs!

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For the past few years, the Mudd has hosted canine therapy for students to de-stress for a bit and take their minds off the pressure of spring term finals.  Faculty, staff, and students bring their dogs for Lawrence students to get some puppy love!

It’s a whole lot of fun and this year it will be on Monday, June 9th from 2-3pm, outside of the Mudd. Pictures from past years’ canine therapy events can be found on our Flickr page!

Pianist Catherine Kautsky Concludes the 2013-2014 Convocation Series

Professor of Music Catherine Kautsky was chosen to speak as the recipient of Lawrence’s Faculty Convocation Award, which honors a faculty member for distinguished professional work. Her address, “Whispered Doubts and Shouted Convictions: What are These Composers Saying?” will explore the ways in whDSC02325ich composers speak through their music.

As the final convocation in the 2013-2014 series, the Honors Convocation publicly recognizes students and faculty for excellence in many different concentrations.  The convocation will be held Thursday, May 29 at 11:10AM, free and open to the public.  It will also be livestreamed here.

On display in the library is a selection of Kautsky’s work, along with other ensemble recordings.

Highlighting Lawrence’s Architecture

The newest display on the Mudd’s first floor features photos and information about the architecture and design of Lawrence University buildings.  The buildings featured are the design of architect George Mattheis, who has worked on the construction and remodeling of campus buildings from 1971 to his retirement in 2008.

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On display is information on Briggs Hall, Björklunden Lodge, the President’s house, and the Lincoln Reading Room (which can be found in the library). There are also many photographs to view. In addition to these buildings, Mattheis was instrumental in working on the majority of prominent campus buildings- especially the Seeley G. Mudd Library!

Make sure to stop by the display and to learn more about Lawrence’s architectural history!

Update: Miss the display? Take a look at our Flickr album, George Mattheis Architecture Displays, to see detailed images of the display content.

Senior Experience Addresses Wisconsin Mine

For her senior experience project, geology major Steph Courtney ’14 decided to approach an issue that hits close to home.  In a series of four posters and tangible display accessories, Courtney explores the geology and hazards associated with GTac’s planned taconite mine near Mellen, Wisconsin.  The goal of the posters is to provide an information source about these topics because it is fairly difficult to find accessible scientific information from scientists in today’s political climate.DSC022381

In her project’s mission, Courtney states, “In my time at Lawrence, I’ve discovered that I have a passion for science public outreach, education, and communication.  Coupled with my interests in conveying information visually, I’ve found that one of the ways I most enjoy working on this passion is through museum-type displays, such as this one.  I’ve found a number of ways to exercise and refine that passion through LU-garnered opportunities, but feel that…public engagement and feedback is always helpful.”DSC022401

Courtney isn’t the sole part of the geology department who is addressing this topic, professors Andrew Knudsen and Marcia Bjornerud have been working on this issue as well, and collaborated with another geology student to write a paper about it.  In addition, Bjornerud has been working with the Bad River tribe and has testified to the state legislature about the planned mine.

Steph Courtney’s display can be viewed on the second floor of the Mudd Library through May 9th, 2014.  There will be a public reception (with snacks!) on May 4th from 3-5pm.

Alumni Librarians: Kirstin Jansen Dougan, ’95

Editor’s note: We invited Lawrence alumni who have gone into library work to share with us what they do and how they got there. Here’s another in a series.dougan_photo

Even as a small child, I loved the idea of investigating things—Harriet the Spy and the Hardy Boys were my heroes. By junior high, the idea of collecting information was extremely appealing. Crush on the new boy in school? Research! Where did he come from, what did his parents do, what kind of car did they drive? Silly, yes, but it carried over to school. I loved researching school projects (the writing, not so much). In high school, my youth orchestra director tasked me with being the group’s librarian, since he thought I was responsible and organized. I also started a love affair with technology—computers—especially.

By the time I got to Lawrence as a viola performance major, I was ready for the wonders that awaited me in the Seeley G. Mudd. When I wanted to learn the origins of a word, I went to one of the reference librarians (now director) Pete Gilbert. He showed me how to use the Oxford English Dictionary (just in print at that point). Shortly after that, my sophomore music history class had a session with the music librarian, the great Eunice Schroeder, and was assigned a follow-up scavenger hunt using the DOS based library catalog to find music materials. It was so much fun! The power to know how to search correctly and find what I needed—my investigative and information collecting tendencies were thrilled. If I remember correctly, one of the other students who did well on that assignment was Colleen Rortvedt, now director of the Appleton Public Library.

Sophomore year also saw me taking on the job as librarian for the LUSO. I loved the duties, ordering, marking, and organizing the music for each season. But I didn’t care for the deadlines and eraser bits that permeated my wardrobe. Since I knew I wasn’t likely to make a full-time living as a performer, and I wasn’t interested in teaching, I started wondering what else I could do with a music background and a love for information. I knew I didn’t want a job where I sat at a desk all day (no, librarians don’t do that!). I talked to Eunice, who suggested that working in an academic library would be a good fit. I was already taking German and French in addition to my music history and theory classes, lessons and such), so I kept at it until it was time to think about graduate school. I’m not sure I knew that I would need a second masters in music to be a good candidate for many academic library positions, but I knew I wasn’t ready to stop my viola education. So long story short, I went to grad school for viola performance and paid my way by being the orchestra librarian—still couldn’t get away from the eraser bits! After a year off to work in an office, in which I learned I really didn’t want to do that, I enrolled in UW Madison’s SLIS. Given the different paths my classmates had taken, I felt a bit conspicuous as one who had wanted to be a librarian early on. But I was fortunate to get various GA positions, first in the University Records Office (part of the Archives), then at College Library, and finally with the Digital Content Group, where my love of technology and data structures grew. Throughout I held an hourly position at the music library, working at the reference desk, processing archival collections, and other tasks.  I took several independent studies with the music librarians to supplement my classwork.

After graduating I stayed with the Digital Content group for a year and half, before taking a job as a music librarian at Duke University. I was responsible for reference, instruction, collection development, web site maintenance and staff supervision. After two years my boss retired, so I became the interim head for two years. I then left to take the job I have now as the Music and Performing Arts Librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. We are one of the largest libraries in the country and I love my job. I (along with the head of our branch library) do many of the same things I did at Duke, but in addition, librarians here are on the tenure track. This means that I also research and write articles. I focus on information seeking behavior in music and the tools used in music research, as well as the collections and services that connect these. My love of research and information gathering has come full circle.

by Kirstin (Jansen) Dougan, Class of ’95

National Library Week 2014!

Come celebrate National Library Week here at the Mudd from April 13-19! The festivities will begin Monday, some highlights include:

National Library Week 2014

  • Hidden prizes all over the library! Plastic eggs containing a slip redeemable a prize have been hidden around the library. Bring the egg to the reference desk to pick a prize!
  • Enter the annual Library Haiku Contest!
  • Library Student Worker Appreciation Day on Tuesday, April 15th- make sure to say thanks for all the hard work they do!
  • Ask a question at the reference desk, get a cookie on Wednesday, April 16th from 6-10 PM!
  • Tell us your favorite thing about the library, and see why the staff and students love it too!

Take a look at our Facebook album to see photos of the library staff sharing what it is that we love about working at the Mudd Library.

We hope to see you here!

Fox Cities Book Festival Authors at Lawrence: Bruce Machart and Matthew Batt

As part of the Fox Cities Book Festival, Bruce Machart and Matthew Batt will present on the Lawrence University campus on Friday, April 11 at 4pm in the Pusey Room in the Warch Campus Center.

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Bruce Machart is the author of the award-winning novel, The Wake of Forgiveness (2010), and the collection of short stories, Men in the Making (2011), both published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Reviewers have called The Wake of Forgiveness mesmerizing, evocative, and a dazzling tale of retribution, redemption, and morality. The novel won the Texas Institute of Letters Steven Turner Prize for fiction and the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association’s Reading the West Prize. It was also named to several “top ten title” lists for 2010.

Both of Machart’s books are available in the Mudd, and more information on the author can be found on his website and the Fox Cities Book Festival author page.

Matthew Batt is the author of Sugarhouse, tumblr_n3f5nrKijx1rhgrsso1_500a nonfiction account of renovating a Salt Lake City crack house and his life along with it. He’s the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the McKnight Foundation, and his work has been featured in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Huffington Post, and elsewhere. He teaches creative writing at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota and has lately been finishing work on a collection of essays and a novel set in Milwaukee.

Sugarhouse can be found in the Mudd Library, and more information on Batt can be found on the Fox Cities Book festival author page.

 

Fox Cities Book Festival Authors at Lawrence: Shawn Sheehy

As part of the Fox Cities Book Festival, Shawn Sheehy will present on the Lawrence University campus on Thursday, April 10 at 4:30 in the Wriston Art Center.
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Shawn Sheehy is a pop-up book artist whose work is a unique blending of image, message, and structure. He combines paper engineering with his interest in biology and cultural evolution to produce limited-edition pop-up books. His artist books are inspired by the dynamic ecologies that operate in both wild and cultured environments. Counting on the Marsh: a Nighttime Book of Numbers, for example, is a book with a marsh environment for its setting, contains intricately constructed pop-ups, and uses the simple text of a counting story — all to create a work of art and science.

Sheehy’s work is featured in 500 Handmade Books Vol. 2, which can be found in the Mudd Library (Call Number: Z246 .A14 2013).

Visit Sheehy’s website and the Fox Cities Book Festival author page to see more images and information about his work!