Resources

Category: Resources

Enjoying the Mudd from Afar

Are you a current student, faculty, or staff member of Lawrence University?

Are you away from campus for the summer?

Do you miss us?

No worries, friends, the Mudd Library is still here for you!

Whether you’re relaxing at a cottage up north, working hard at an internship across the country, or furthering your research in another country, we’re here to support you.

Here are a few ways you can use our resources, no matter where you are in the world:

You may not be here, but we are! Andrew explains our new ILL system at a recent staff meeting.
Login to our video resources with your LU ID to access thousands of streaming videos.

If you need help or have any questions, a reference librarian is on call throughout the summer, from 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday. Feel free to ask a librarian if you’re having trouble accessing our resources or if you have questions about using them.

No matter where you are in the world, you can still enjoy the Mudd!

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New Interlibrary Loan Software

New to Interlibrary Loan
As of June 30, 2017, the interlibrary loan department began using new software! What does this mean for you?

  • All in-process requests have transferred over to the new system- don’t worry!
  • Completed request history did not transfer from our old system. If you would like a list of your old requests,
    • contact the ILL office to have a spreadsheet generated and sent to you
    • or, log in to your ILLiad account (old system) by July 30th to copy your history from the All Requests option on the left side menu.
  • The new software makes it much easier for you to track your requests and request renewals. It also has a more modern look and navigation.

Contact our interlibrary loan department with any questions!

Student Research in the Library: Sierra Parker

We are so grateful when our hard-working students take time out of their busy schedules to share what they’re up to in the library!

Sierra Parker has been spending an awful lot of time in her student office this term. The Linguistics and Russian Studies major is from Michigan’s Upper Penisula and will be graduating in June. Sierra plans to attend graduate school to study communication disorders after taking a year or two off to work with FoodCorps (a branch of AmeriCorps that helps start school gardens and educates kids about healthy foods) or the National Park Service.

Sierra, what are you researching?

I am researching aphasia, a language disorder.  People with aphasia lose the ability to find words and/or use them coherently.

More specifically, I am looking at how aphasia was studied by two Soviet psychologists: Alexander Luria and Lev Vygotsky. I am interested in what they believed about aphasia, as well as the chain of thought that led them there.

What are you hoping to learn or gain from this research?

I am fascinated with how people with aphasia experience the world. I am hoping to gain some insight by learning more about conceptions of aphasia that differ from the modern Western approach.

Why do you think this research is important?

I believe it is always important to step into someone else’s shoes (in this case: people with aphasia, Vygotsky, and Luria) and try to see the world from their point of view. Also, Western histories of aphasiology tend to overlook the groundbreaking work done by Vygotsky, Luria, and other Russian/Soviet psychologists.

How did you become interested in this line of research?

I took the class Brain & Behavior, which introduced me to aphasia. As someone who has always been interested in language, I was stunned by the implications of losing it. I instantly wanted to know more about the disorder, as well as the lives and minds of those who live with it every day.

What library materials and resources have been the most useful to you in pursuing this research?

The library created a research guide specific to my senior seminar, which has been extraordinarily useful. The PSYCInfo database has been helpful, as well as the fact that the library owns four volumes of Vygotsky’s Collected Works!

What would you like your fellow students to know about the Mudd Library?

Apply for an office! They are a big help, especially if you are planning on using many books from the Mudd’s collection.

Also, do not be afraid to ask the librarians for help. That’s what they’re there for!

Thanks, Sierra. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. See you around the Mudd.

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ICPSR

ICPSRAs I’m sure you know, Lawrence is a member of something called the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). As part of that cool and geeky group, Lawrence joins with approximately 700 colleges and universities in the acquisition, preservation, and distribution of social science data.

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Are you interested in determining the average age at which men versus women begin smoking? What if you need to know whether age at marriage differs between your region of the country and other regions, or about differences in political attitudes based on age, gender, education, race, or ethnicity? These and many other questions can be answered by studies in the ICPSR data holdings. Note that ICPSR does not provide publications, reports, or ready-made statistics. What ICPSR does supply are the numeric raw data used to create publications, reports, and figures.

ICPSR, established in 1962, provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction and offers training in quantitative methods. To ensure that data are available to future generations of scholars, ICPSR preserves data, migrating them to new storage media as changes in technology warrant. ICPSR also provides user support to assist researchers in identifying relevant data for analysis to conduct secondary research and write articles, papers, and theses.

In addition to the general archive, ICPSR hosts a number of special topic archives, including the Health and Medical Care Archive (HMCA), Child Care and Early Education (Research Connections), Data Preservation Alliance for the Social Sciences (Data-PASS), Data Sharing for Demographic Research (DSDR), the Resource Center for Minority Data (RCMD), the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA), the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD), Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN), the National Addicition & HIV Data Archive Program (NAHDAP), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive (SAMHDA). Data from all of these topical archives are conveniently available at the ICPSR website.
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All Lawrence University staff, students, and faculty have access to these extensive ICPSR data holdings via any campus computer. Access is direct and quick: Connect to the ICPSR website at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu. First-time users will be asked to create an ICPSR MyData account; thereafter, you’ll just need your email address and password to download data. Need assistance in locating, accessing and analyzing ICPSR data?  See our ICPSR LibGuide or ask a reference librarian!

Welcome, Andrew Solomon!

         Everyone at the Mudd is very excited for the upcoming convocation by  Andrew Solomon, a writer, lecturer, and activist. Solomon’s work explores everything from psychology to LGBTQIA+ rights. In addition to being a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Columbia University Medical Center and the President of PEN American Center, he is also an accomplished author. Solomon has written several books including, The Noonday Demon : An Atlas of Depression which received the 2001 National Book Award. His most recent book, Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity, for which his convocation address is named, explores issues associated with parenting exceptional children and ultimately concludes that its diversity that unites us all.

Andrew Solomon’s insightful works are available at the Mudd and can be found in the library catalog. Solomon is also a renowned speaker, having giving multiple TED Talks, including: “Love No Matter What“, “Depression, The Secret We Share“, and “How the Worst Moments in Our Life Make us Who We Are“.

We look forward to seeing you at the convocation on Thursday, February 2nd at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel- and in the Mudd if you need any help at all!

Update: View the recorded convocation on the Lawrence University Livestream.

Streaming Video Databases

Did you know that the Mudd Library subscribes to multiple streaming video resources? These resources cover theatre, opera, newsreels, documentaries, and much, much more.  Like many of our databases, these can be accessed on campus or off campus with a Lawrence University login.

Digital Theatre Plus is a collection of British performances, cast and crew interviews, learning resources, theory and criticism, and more. Plays and productions range from theatre to film to dance, covering many genres and time periods. The number of performances and resources available in this database has greatly expanded since we subscribed a couple of years ago, so now’s a great time to take another look!

Met Opera on Demand contains video and audio access to over 600 performances from the Metropolitan Opera. Performances date up to the current year, and can be searched by opera title, composer, or artist.

Academic Video Online is a vast collection of videos that covers an extensive range of subject areas and video types. This collection contains news reports, documentaries, music & performing arts, newsreels, instructional materials, health sciences resources, and more. Database features include the ability to clip and share videos, searchable transcripts, and the option to send to mobile.

Be sure to take a look at these amazing resources brought to you by your friends in the Mudd Library!

Have questions, ask a librarian.

The Mudd Welcomes Natasha Trethewey to Lawrence!

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Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey will be at Lawrence November 1.

The Seeley G. Mudd Library is pleased to welcome poet Natasha Trethewey to Lawrence!

You can read more about Natasha and her work at the Poetry Foundation. Ms. Trethewey is also a professor at Emory University. Check out the links provided to learn more about her numerous accomplishments and honors.

The library has many of Natasha’s works available in our collection, including:

Native guard

Beyond Katrina : a meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Bellocq’s Ophelia : poems

Domestic work : poems

Black nature : four centuries of African American nature poetry

In addition, we’ve created a display featuring her poetry for your reading pleasure. Stop by the library to enjoy an assortment of Ms. Trethewey’s work before what is sure to be an interesting and thought-provoking convocation.

Natasha Trethewey’s talk, titled “The Muse of History: On Poetry and Social Justice,” will take place on Tuesday, November 1, at 11:10 am in the Chapel.  We’ll see you there!

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Stop by the Mudd to read some of Natasha Trethewey’s work!

Using Your Library Wisely

The library offers so many resources and services, it can be hard to keep track of all the ways in which we can help you succeed at Lawrence.

Below you’ll find a handy list of just a few ideas for optimizing your experience in the Mudd. How many have you employed?

Lots of seating for lots of studying.
  • Grab a study buddy and a rolling whiteboard to parse out those tricky formulas.
  • Head for the quiet solitude of the fourth floor and hide out in the stacks to read.
  • Contact a reference librarian for research assistance or make a research appointment: visit the desk, call, email, or text!
  • Watch a movie for class or relaxation in one of our five viewing rooms.

    Books and art and standing desks!
  • Browse the fiction and graphic novels on the third floor during a study break.
  • Wheel one of our standing desks to your favorite spot to focus.
  • Lounge on one of the comfy couches in the Milwaukee-Downer Room (1st floor) or in the Roger Dale Kruse Room (4th floor) while doing your class reading.
  • Reserve a group study room on either the 2nd or 3rd floor by signing your name on the clipboard outside the door. Invite your friends for an intensive study session.
  • Practice your PowerPoint presentation in the group study room on the 2nd floor.
  • Check out the art in the Mudd Gallery on the 3rd floor during a study break.
  • Cozy up to read or nap in one of our beanbag chairs! There are three spread out across the upper floors.
  • Browse the free book shelf on the 2nd floor. You can find some great music there as well!
  • Catch up on domestic or international current events with a newspaper.
  • Hide away for some quiet study among the bound periodicals on level A.
  • Visit the Circulation Desk to check out a locker for your research materials. Or check out the Wii for the weekend!
  • Gather some friends for a game break: everything from Candyland to Catan can be found on the 2nd floor.
  • Pop into the Archives on Level B one afternoon and visit with Erin Dix, our friendly and informative archivist. Find out the answers to your burning questions about the history of Lawrence and Milwaukee-Downer.

Are there any other ideas that you would add to this list? How do you use the Mudd? We’d love to hear from you!

Regardless of how you use the Mudd, we look forward to seeing you soon.

The beautiful and serene Lincoln Reading Room.

Celebrating Diversity in the Mudd Library

Banned Books Week display celebrating diverse books.

At a recent library staff meeting, we were honored to welcome Kimberly Barrett, Lawrence’s new Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Dean of the Faculty. Vice President Barrett shared her vision for diversity and inclusion at Lawrence and helped us to discover ways in which the library can show the students, faculty, and staff that we are dedicated to celebrating and exploring diversity.

As a result, we’ve compiled many of these efforts and made them available on the library website:

Diversity Efforts in the Mudd Library
Library Diversity Resources

And on some Pinterest boards:

Diversity and Inclusion: Books, Journals, and Media in the Mudd
Diversity and Inclusion: Reading Lists and Resources

September is National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Is your department or student organization interested in collaborating with us on a library display or event? Fill out our form and share your ideas!

Your friends in the Mudd Library are happy to be a part of the diverse and welcoming community of Lawrence University.

Start Spring Term Strong in the Mudd!

We just love the feeling of a new term, when minds and notebooks are fresh and the work feels manageable. Staying abreast of readings and assignments and spending quality time with coursework from the very beginning of the term will go a long way toward avoiding stress later, when papers and projects and finals are looming.

Are you feeling motivated to start your spring term strong?

We can help!

We offer group study spaces throughout the first and second floors, including helpful tools like moveable white boards and standing desks. Why not create a study group during the first week of the term and begin meeting regularly to discuss readings and to further analyze ideas presented in class?

For more group study options, check out a private group study room on the second or third floors, where you will find large blackboards and whiteboards for parsing difficult concepts or formulas.

The second floor group study room has a computer and a large screen monitor, prefect for practicing presentations or compiling and sharing large amounts of data.

For times that you’d rather study alone, the third and fourth floors offer quiet space and individual study carrels perfect for deep reading, research, reflection, and writing.

Speaking of research, we offer a plethora of books, over 20,000 music scores, 103,000 microforms and a digital microform reader and scanner, tons of electronic resources organized by subject, periodicals and newspapers, videos, and many government documents.

Becoming familiar with the stacks and with our online resources and digital collections before midterm madness is a great way to ensure your academic success and to mitigate stress later.

If you need assistance navigating all of our resources or are in need of research guidance of any kind, our friendly reference librarians are available to assist you. You can even schedule a research appointment and meet with a librarian one-on-one! The earlier you start a dialogue with the librarians about a particular project, the better. And even without a project on the horizon, the librarians would love to take a few moments to get to know you. Stop by the reference desk to say hello.

The Mudd is here to help you succeed! We can also help to reduce your stress and maximize your experience at Lawrence. Start your spring term strong by spending some time with us. Come tenth week, you’ll be glad that you did.