Fun

Category: Fun

Jorge Luis Borges: Poet, Short Story Writer, Essayist, Librarian

April is National Poetry Month and this week is National Library Week, so who better to feature than Jorge Luis Borges? Borges was born in Argentina and contributed much to Latin American literature. In 1955 he was appointed the director of  La Biblioteca Nacional (The National Public Library) in Buenos Aires. He imagined “that Paradise will be a kind of library,” and we couldn’t agree more! The Seeley G. Mudd Library has many Borges-related resources including video, audio and many, many books in both Spanish and English.  If you’re interested in Borges’ works head up to the 3rd floor and look under call numbers PQ7797.B63. If you’re interested in other materials on his life and/or works please ask one of our Reference Librarians who would love to help you find more information on this fellow librarian. In the meantime here’s one of his poems. Enjoy!

That One

Jorge Luis Borges

Oh days devoted to the useless burden
of putting out of mind the biography
of a minor poet of the Southem Hemisphere,
to whom the fates or perhaps the stars have given
a body which will leave behind no child,
and blindness, which is semi-darkness and jail,
and old age, which is the dawn of death,
and fame, which absolutely nobody deserves,
and the practice of weaving hendecasyllables,
and an old love of encyclopedias
and fine handmade maps and smooth ivory,
and an incurable nostalgia for the Latin,
and bits of memories of Edinburgh and Geneva
and the loss of memory of names and dates,
and the cult of the East, which the varied peoples
of the teeming East do not themselves share,
and evening trembling with hope or expectation,
and the disease of entymology,
and the iron of Anglo-Saxon syllables,
and the moon, that always catches us by surprise,
and that worse of all bad habits, Buenos Aires,
and the subtle flavor of water, the taste of grapes,
and chocolate, oh Mexican delicacy,
and a few coins and an old hourglass,
and that an evening, like so many others,
be given over to these lines of verse.

(http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/jorge_luis_borges/poems/2927)

Things Worth Knowing

A few weeks ago, we began a new tradition in the library: Things Worth Knowing. Our patrons may not know this, but the denizens of the Mudd Library have a vast knowledge on a wide variety of topics.  What kinds of topics?  Check out our Facebook page, or take notice of the fliers around campus to find out.  We begin advertising Tuesday or Wednesday for the topic that will be shared on that Friday.

Amanda Lee reads "Shirt" by Robert Pinsky

Our first program happened to take place on the one hundredth anniversary of the Triangle shritwaist factory fire.  Music Librarian Antoinette Powell discussed the workers’ rights movements of the time, Acquisitions Assistant Amanda Lee shared a poem on the tragedy of the  Triangle fire, and Gretchen Revie introduced a short film about the fire.  Our second program was on April 1st, so the topic chosen was the history of April Fool’s Day.  Gretchen Revie discussed the history, and Archivist Erin Dix shared some April Fool’s issues of The Lawrentian.

Tomorrow, April 8th, we will geek out as Interlibrary Loan & Circulation Assistant Angela Vanden Elzen discusses the history and impact of Dungeons & Dragons, and Gretchen Revie delves into the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

All Things Worth Knowing events take place from 4:30-5:00 p.m. on the first floor of the Mudd Library. Of course, cookies are always available.

Let us know if you have any suggestions of topics you’d like to hear us talk about!

Take a look at all previous Things Worth Knowing events on our Facebook events page.

March Madness

March Madness is upon us in every way possible! Here in the library we have several basketball resources available in  our collection. Books including Play Their Hearts Out, a look at youth basketball in America, or Perfection Point, a collection of what humans might actually be capable of in many sports, are available and waiting to be checked out. DVDs such as Hoop Dreams and the classic Hoosiers, are just a couple available in the Media Center. Don’t forget that we also have popular magazines and newspapers on the first floor.

What’s in the Mudd?

You know that we strive to provide you with the best resources available for all of your research needs, but did you know that there’s more to the Mudd library?

Today, we begin a new series called “What’s in the Mudd”.  Stop in the library and take a look at our display of interesting and unusual resources.  Better yet, take one to the circulation desk and check it out.

Our display includes:

  • Pincus and the Pig: A Klezmer Tale– You know and love Peter and the Wolf. Here it’s performed by the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra.  Includes a helpful Yiddish glossary.  As a bonus, includes Klezmer versions of Brahms, Satie, and Mahler.
  • The Ramones, Anthology– The accompanying booklet says “loud and fast.” We think that sums it up nicely.
  • Airplane!– The “Don’t Call Me Shirley” edition.  A hilarious homage to disaster movies.  Technically, there is a plot, but mostly it’s a string of one-liners. A classic.
  • Super Smash Brothers Brawl– The back of the game case claims, “There’s no end to the smashing fun.” It’s true- ask a friend.
  • Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat– Read it in English or attempt it in Russian.
  • Perfect Hips: Belly Dance Workout– Need we say more?
  • Caribbean Cooking for Pleasure- The Mudd library has scads of cookbooks.  You can find them by using the term “cookery” as a search term in LUCIA.
  • AC/DC Rockband Trackpack– Tired of playing the same songs on your Rockband setup? Why not totally rock out with “the majestic power of AC/DC?” (from game case)
  • International Sound Effects Library, volume 1-28- We are featuring volume 3, which contains such sounds as rat squeaks and baboon barks.
  • And more!

All this month, we will continue to delight and surprise you with some of the Mudd library’s hidden gems.

Wellness Resources at the Mudd

Did last week’s spring-like days motivate you to get outside and get active?  Even though the ground is once again covered with snow, the Mudd Library can help you maintain your exercise and healthy living motivations.  We have a growing collection of exercise videos available to check out.  Some of our newest titles include, Yoga for Beginners, Step-by-Step Strength Training, and Perfect Hips: Belly Dance Workout.  The Mudd Library staff can tell you that Wii Sports Resort can be a great workout, as well as a lot of fun to play.  If you don’t have your own Nintendo Wii console, the library has one available for loan.

If you’re interested in researching wellness, our reference librarians have put together a Wellness Resources library guide.  This guide includes information about wellness related electronic databases and websites, as well as tips for finding wellness related books in our catalog.

Of course, the library is not the only place on campus for those interested in wellness.  WelLU, Lawrence University’s committee on wellness, has been actively encouraging wellness on campus.  Take a look at their web page, or visit the newly remodeled Buchanan Kiewit Wellness Center.   The student organization, LU Wellness Committee, focuses on wellness related issues of particular interest to students, such as sexual health/body image and stress management.

Google Art Project

If you thought that Google was so busy digitizing every book they can get their hands on that they couldn’t be working on any other major projects you will be surprised to hear that they have been working with some major museums to bring you Google Art Project.

Explore museums from around the world, discover and view hundreds of artworks at incredible zoom levels, and even create and share your own collection of masterpieces.

It’s BubbleWrap Day!

Bubblewrap!

We get a lot of mail here at the Mudd and so we see a lot of packaging material. Our favorite, of course, is bubblewrap so we were delighted to discover that today, Monday, January 31 is BubbleWrap Appreciation Day!

There’s nothing like popping a pristine sheet of bubblewrap to relieve the stress of, say, a Freshman Studies midterm. So: have at it!

Now — back to work….

Fox Cities Reads


Fox Cities Reads has announced the books for this year’s community read. They are Into the Beautiful North and The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea. The Fox Cities Reads is a program sponsored by local libraries to start a conversation within the community about a common book. This year there are two books to choose from so that you can read fiction or non-fiction. To find out more go to