Library news

Tag: Library news

Finals Stress Relief in the Library

We are happy to report that a variety of finals stress relief options will be available for Lawrence students in the library this weekend.

Our friends from around campus will be hosting the following stress relief events on the first floor of the library:

  • Kappa Alpha Theta will be selling cupcakes to raise money for CASA of the Fox Cities:
    Saturday, noon-6pm
  • Asia-A will be encouraging origami as a study break:
    Saturday, 7-10pm
  • The Wellness Committee will be bringing in chair massage and will have healthy snacks:
    Saturday, 1-3pm

We’ve set up a couple of stress relief options ourselves, available during all open library hours over reading period and finals:

  • Cut out a paper snowflake to decorate our tree. We have templates of Anthony Herrera’s awesome Star Wars snowflakes, Doctor Who TARDIS and Cybermen, as well as some more traditional designs. We also have plain paper available for those who’d like to exhibit their own creativity. The paper and tree are located to the right of the circulation desk.
  • Create with LEGO bricks! We’ve set out a collection of LEGO bricks on a table in front of the reference desk for some fun creativity time.

OF course, from group study rooms to individual carrels, the library has whatever type of study space you need.

New Abraham Lincoln Exhibit at the Mudd Library

Abraham Lincoln exhibitThe Mudd Library is currently hosting a new Lincoln exhibit entitled, Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, A Man for All Times.  This exhibit focuses on the life of President Lincoln, following his path from a self-educated young man, to President of the United States and the challenges he faced while President.

This exhibit came to us from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. To learn more about it, see the Gilder Lehrman page– or better yet- come to the second floor of the Mudd Library and see it for yourself! It was installed in the Mudd on October 8th, and will be up through November 5th.

Introducing: The Katie

Upon entering to the Mudd Library, you may notice a 50 foot long boat hanging above the reference collection. The boat (named Katie) was used by the Milwaukee-Downer College crew team. After it was discovered in a barn by Will Evans ’13, a group of Milwaukee-Downer alumnae raised funds to have it refinished to then be displayed somewhere on the Lawrence campus. The selected location, above the Mudd Library reference collection, is right outside the Milwaukee-Downer room. This special collections room contains a number of important artifacts from Milwaukee-Downer College.

To learn more about how the Katie came to be in the Mudd Library, take a look at our webpage. To see just how we got this boat into the library and hanging from the ceiling, see our photo set.

Canine Therapy 2013

Getting stressed out by end of term projects, papers, and pending final exams? To help you relax, we’ve scheduled our annual Canine Therapy event for Monday, June 3rd from 2-3 pm. For those of you who have not yet attended one of these events, Mudd Library and other Lawrence staff and faculty bring their beloved dogs to the library plaza to share some pets and snuggles with stressed-out students.

So, no matter how stressful you fear your finals week will be- remember that you’ll have the unconditional love of a sweet puppy to make things better.

National Library Week and More!

Beginning Sunday, April 14th and lasting through Saturday April 20th, the Mudd Library will be celebrating National Library Week! We have planned a variety of exciting events. Stop in to celebrate with us!

  • Library Student Worker Appreciation Day: Say ‘thanks’ to our library’s excellent student workers. Tuesday, April 16th
  • Make Your Voice Heard! Take part in a quick usability survey about the library’s new website. Pizza and beverages for all participants. Wednesday, April 17th, 6-8 pm.
  • Get a cookie for asking a question at the reference desk Thursday night from 6-10. Yes, may I have a cookie will suffice.

Take part in the following fun events all week long:

  • Enter in our annual Haiku contest for a chance to win an Amazon gift card.
  • Tell us why you love the Mudd Library.
  • Check out our display of staff favorites. We’ll be adding new favorites all week- so check back frequently.

As if Library Week wasn’t enough fun, members of the Mudd Library staff have also been helping to plan the following events around campus and in the community.

  • The Fox Cities Book Festival lasts from April 17th through April 24.  A variety of festival events are scheduled to take place on the Lawrence campus. Take a look at the festival website for more information.
  • Women and Identity in Gaming Symposium, hosted by the Lawrence University Gaming Club, will be held on April 20th on the Lawrence Campus. This day-long event will feature discussions, activities, and presentations from two fantastic guest speakers. See the Women and Identity in Gaming website or Facebook page for more information.

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.

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!