News from the Mudd

“Do you guys have a video camera I can check out?”

Media Center, located on the first floor of the library.

You may already know that the media center is the area of the first floor where we house our CD, DVD, and VHS collection, as well as several listening stations, viewing rooms, group study tables, and a scanner. Did you know that we also have a variety of equipment available for loan? In need of a video camera for a project? Check out one of our Flip cameras. Planning a group activity or residence life program? Check out our Nintendo Wii system and one of our fun games.  For a list of the items available for loan, as well as a link to the reservation form, take a look at our media services equipment page. Do you need help editing your audio/video project? We also offer media-related support.  Take a look at our media support page for details.

 

 

New DVDs!

We’ve received many new DVDs just in time for the weekend! Documentaries, dramas, action-adventure, comedy, animation, horror, and even the first seasons of Office Space and Glee. Check out the New Bookshelf. And a special thank you to our student workers who keep us up-to-date on what interests students.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Lawrence

MLKMonday, January 16, 2012 is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Learn, volunteer, serve, and celebrate by participating in Day of Service events and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration, “Martin Luther King Jr.: This Life and Legacy” at 6:30 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. The keynote speaker will be Dorothy Cotton, the only female member of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s, executive staff and one of his closest confidants.

 

Learn about Martin Luther King, Jr.:

Some Great New Resources

Like elves in a workshop, your friends at the Mudd Library have been busily preparing all kinds of great new stuff during winter break.  We’d like to take a moment to highlight a few.

JSTOR Arts & Sciences VIII: This set has been added to our existing JSTOR electronic database collection.  By adding this collection, we have increased our JSTOR access to core humanities journals, as well as new titles in philosophy, classical studies, and music.  In addition to modern journals, it also contains “a group of rare 19th and early 20th century American Art periodicals digitized as part of “a special project undertaken with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frick Collection, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art.”

Interested in watching some classic musicals?  We now have DVDs of some of the best, including (but not limited to) Fiddler on the Roof, Bye Bye Birdie, and Annie Get Your Gun. Speaking of classics, we have also just added the entire set of the original Japanese Godzilla movies.

We’ve recently acquired some very interesting books from a wide variety of genres. Read Tonight No Poetry Will Serve, written by one of the “essential voices of our time,” Adrienne Rich.   Our collection of dance resources has been greatly expanded with titles such as, Envisioning Dance on Film and Video. Learn about the archaeological field of prehistoric warfare with Warfare in Prehistoric Britain. Need something to reinforce your fears of a zombie apocalypse?  Check out the most recent volumes of the terrifying and amazing, The Walking Dead.

We’ve also added some new video games, including what has been referred to as, “the Wii game we’ve been waiting for,” The Legend of Zelda : Skyward Sword.   Three Xbox 360 games have also been purchased, and will soon be ready for checkout.

Of course, this is just a small sampling of some of our new acquisitions.  After you’ve enjoyed your winter holiday festivities, stop by the library and take a look!

Attend the Convo!

Alex Ross Here at the Mudd we’re all about the learning, so when University Convocations come around, we make sure to attend. We even close the library so no one has an excuse for missing out on a chance to hear from someone with interesting things to say.

This week we encourage you to attend the Alex Ross convo on Thursday, November 3 at 11:10 in the Chapel. If you’ve read his writing, you know he has a way with words and will be well worth hearing. If you haven’t read his writing, your friends at the Mudd have created a webpage with links to some of Ross’ books and articles, his blog and Twitter feed, and more.

Attend the Convo. You’ll be glad you did….

Time Again for Things Worth Knowing!

Audience members enjoying a Things Worth Knowing presentation and cookies.

The beginning of the school year marked the start of a new series of Things Worth Knowing presentations in the library.  For those of you who do not know what these events are, I will explain.  Each week, we draw on the expertise of a member of the library staff, the greater Lawrence community, or someone not otherwise affiliated with Lawrence.  Last school year, we hosted presentations on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Buffy the Vampire Slayer,  superstitions, and more.  So far this school year, special guests have presented on the Gutenberg Bible, fall hijinks of Lawrence past, and the history of Stonewall.  Take a look at our guide for a complete list of topics, along with additional information.  Feeling sad about having missed these awesome events?  Don’t fret- we have many more interesting topics and special guests lined up!  All Things Worth Knowing presentations take place on Friday afternoon and last from 4:30 pm to 5 pm.  Oh- and we always have cookies for our guests to enjoy while listening to the presentations.  The remainder of the fall term presentations are scheduled as follows:

October 14—Cooperating for Change: The Co-op Movement: With special guest Cathy Statz, LU 1996, Education Director for the Wisconsin Farmers Union

October 28—Public Art & the Statue of Liberty: With special guest Professor Rob Neilson

November 4—King Tut: In honor of the anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922

November 11—The Armistice: Recalling World War I and the 85th anniversary of Armistice Day/Veterans Day

Do you have a hidden (or not so hidden) area of expertise you would like to share at a Things Worth Knowing event? If so, contact Gretchen Revie by email or at 920-832-6730 to inquire about arranging a presentation.

Dance in Video

Dance in Video Dance as an art form is ephemeral, making a live performance vital for study and research. Dance in Video is an easy way to watch hundreds of hours of streaming video files of dance productions and documentaries by influential performers and companies of the 20th century.

Selections include video of Memoria, composed by Keith Jarrett and choreographed by Alvin Ailey, Dances of Bali, Maria Tallchief dancing Swan Lake as well as a wide variety of ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, experimental, and improvisational dance.

Dance in Video can be searched or browsed by people, role, ensemble, genre, and venue. Creating a free account allows you to make your own custom playlists and video clips for presentations or just for convenience. If you want to watch on the go, all videos can now be viewed on iPhone or Android smartphones.

Check it out on the library’s electronic resources page and get your dance on!

Constitution Day!

On Saturday, September 17, 2011 (Constitution Day), Lawrence University will once again join in the national commemoration of the adoption of the Constitution of the United States (on September 17, 1787). As part of this celebration, we’ve created a web site with links to information on the Constitution, its content, its creation, and its relevance.

In addition, the Mudd Library is offering a display on the U.S. Constitution from the library’s collections. Items in the exhibit include various facts about the Constitution, a copy of what the Constitution looked like in its handwritten form, a selection of books about the Constitution from the library’s collection, and microfiche with the Constitution in various languages. Don’t miss it!

Harry Jansen Kraemer ’77 kicks off school year, convo series

Harry Kraemer

Harry M. Jansen Kraemer Jr., former chief executive officer of the multibillion-dollar global health care company Baxter International, joins President Jill Beck in opening Lawrence’s 163rd academic year and 2011-12 convocation series Thursday, Sept. 15 with the annual matriculation address. The theme for this year’s convocation series is “Liberal Arts and the Life of the Mind.”

A 1977 Lawrence University graduate, Kraemer presents “Becoming a Values-Based Leader” at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. The convocation is free and open to the public.

Read the press release: “President Beck Welcomes Business Leader, Author Harry Jansen Kraemer Jr. ’77 for Annual Matriculation Convocation”

Library and Web resources: