News from the Mudd

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!

Eating Disorder Resources

The library has recently acquired many new resources regarding eating disorders. These include workbooks, books about communication for family and friends, and even a book about the neuroscience behind eating disorders. Finding up-to-date information was not an easy task, as eating disorders are still misunderstood and under-researched.

These books are not meant to cure a person with body image issues, nor are they meant to replace professional help. If you or someone you know has body image or disordered eating issues, please consult the Counseling Center. There are no better resources available to you than the counselors.

To learn more about eating disorders and how to talk to someone about their eating disorder, please stop by the library’s new book shelf to pick up a brochure and browse the new arrivals (most start with call number RC). For more information please visit the National Eating Disorder’s website.

Mindfulness

In an effort to support the Lawrence community in their quest for wellness, we invite you to to come to the library and check out some of our new mindfulness resources. We have two audiobooks, Mindfulness for Beginners and Guided Mindfulness Meditation, and one book, Full Catastrophe Living all by Jon Kabat-Zinn. You can find them on the New Book Shelf.

Mindfulness is a conscious effort to be aware of your present experience or moment and accept your thoughts or emotions in a way that is non-judgmental. It is said to be useful for people dealing with stress, chronic pain, or anyone hoping to improve their happiness and well-being.

Psychology and psychiatry started paying attention to mindfulness in the 70’s. Jon Kabat-Zinn, an American doctor, opened the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program at the University of Massachusetts in 1979 after seeing Thich Nhat Hanh at a retreat. He recognized that mindfulness could be useful in treating patients with chronic illnesses. His program received interest from many people both healthy and ill, and has grown over the years. He’s written several books on the subject.

Here is the man himself explaining the what mindfulness meditation is: Jon Kabat-Zinn explaining Mindfulness Meditation.

Meet the Staff: Amanda Lee

This installment of ‘Meet the Staff’ brings us deep into the hidden recesses of Technical Services, located on the East end of the library building, just beyond the Media Center. There, amidst vast piles of the latest titles to grace the Mudd,  you will find Amanda Lee, our Acquisitions Assistant, who orders and receives all of our new materials. She is also available to help faculty assess and improve the collection to better serve the voluminous intellectual needs of the university.  This is a hefty task, which Amanda fulfills with grace and aplomb.  She’s been known to brave the mean streets of Appleton to painstakingly accrue faculty-requested materials as quickly as possible. Amanda is also a compassionate animal lover; in fact, in lieu of wedding gifts for their recent nuptials, Amanda and her husband selflessly requested donations for the local Humane Association.  We are so glad to have this driven, talented Acquisitions expert here at the Mudd.

How long have you been working at the Mudd Library? Since March of 2005 – almost 8 years!

What’s your favorite part of your job? Seeing all of the material that comes into the library; it’s really interesting to see what professors and students are studying.

Share something you’ve done at work that has made you especially proud. I’m proud every time someone thanks me for getting a book into their hands quickly.

Where did you get your degree? From UW Green Bay, an English degree with a Creative Writing emphasis.

What are your hobbies? Reading, writing, and running.

What’s the last book you read that you couldn’t put down? IQ84. I love Haruki Murakami.

What are your favorite bands or performers? It depends on the day!  The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground, Iggy and the Stooges, The Ramones, The Cure, Opeth, and on and on and on.

What groups and/or organizations are you active in (on or off campus)?  I try to take food or supplies to the Fox Valley Humane Association every couple weeks.

America’s Music is Coming

Lawrence University, through the Seeley G. Mudd Library, is presenting a 6-week program on the genesis and influence of American popular music and how it is deeply connected to the history, culture, and geography of the United States. Told through award-winning documentary films, each program will feature an introductory talk by Visiting Assistant Professor Erica Scheinberg, the film screening, and a discussion afterwards.

This weekly series is free and open to the public and will begin Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. All programs will be held in the Warch Campus Center Cinema except the February 28th program which will take place at the Appleton Public Library.

For complete information, go to the America’s Music web page. And join the Lawrence University America’s Music Facebook page for updates and a chance to chat with scholars and music fans. Think of it as that popular music class you always wanted to take, but with no homework or grades.

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!