tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library/5 2008-07-07T15:57:53Z News, resources, and fun stuff from the Seeley G. Mudd Library at Lawrence University Movable Type 3.32 tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1426 2008-07-07T15:49:19Z 2008-07-07T15:57:53Z

Today Ringo Starr is 68. Yes, 68. Those of you mature enough to know his real name will be feeling extremely ancient and those who have never heard of him will be asking, "Whose grandpappy is that?" In a dastardly...

Antoinette Powell Today Ringo Starr is 68. Yes, 68. Those of you mature enough to know his real name will be feeling extremely ancient and those who have never heard of him will be asking, "Whose grandpappy is that?" In a dastardly bit of birthday irony, it was reported yesterday that his birthplace is certain to be demolished after English Heritage decided not to list it on its register. But Pete Best's home will be preserved only because it was the location of the original Cavern Club, and..., oh, just read the article. Do what Richard requests today: "...everyone, everywhere, wherever they are, at noon on July 7 make the peace sign and say 'Peace & Love.'" And listen to some tunes.]]> tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1412 2008-06-19T16:23:50Z 2008-06-19T16:29:41Z

If ever the Apocalypse was in sight, it's now. That most scholarly of encyclopedias, The Encyclopedia Britannica, is going wiki. But the editors have taken a lot of the fun and adventure out of the wiki experience by only...

Antoinette Powell If ever the Apocalypse was in sight, it's now. That most scholarly of encyclopedias, The Encyclopedia Britannica, is going wiki. But the editors have taken a lot of the fun and adventure out of the wiki experience by only allowing readers to suggest revisions, not make them themselves. So you merry pranksters may not change Winston Churchill's middle name to Bassingbourne or make Inigo Jones the love-child of Elizabeth I and the Sir Walter Raleigh. If you're in the Mudd you can search the Encyclopedia Britannica and even suggest changes. Listen to the report on NPR.]]> tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1408 2008-06-18T15:15:30Z 2008-06-18T15:54:02Z

Once again it's Sir Paul McCartney's birthday. He's been in this music business for over 50 years, and he's still touring. His latest stop was in Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine where he gave a concert sponsored by Victor Pinchuk,...

Antoinette Powell Once again it's Sir Paul McCartney's birthday. He's been in this music business for over 50 years, and he's still touring. His latest stop was in Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine where he gave a concert sponsored by Victor Pinchuk, Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist. Pinchuk said, "One could not imagine this 30 years ago. Nobody could even dare to hope for this 20 years ago. One could only dream about it 10 years ago. 5 years ago we could only envy our neighbors for whom this became a reality. And finally the day has come. For the first time we have the opportunity to hear the songs that changed the world and created a new culture." We couldn't agree more. Sure, we have the Beatles recordings and even one McCartney solo disc. But the library's McCartney collection includes Lennon-McCartney tunes interpreted by vocalists Kiri Te Kanawa, Cathy Berberian and Cristina Zavalloni, double bassists, and a brass quintet. Very versatile.]]> tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1407 2008-06-17T17:59:29Z 2008-06-18T18:59:50Z

It's Reunion Weekend and the Library invites alumni to visit the Mudd. We're open Friday the 20th, 8am to 4pm and Saturday the 21st, noon to 4pm. While you're here (and even while you're not), you can search the library...

Pete Gilbert http://www.lawrence.edu/library/ Reunion Weekend and the Library invites alumni to visit the Mudd. We're open Friday the 20th, 8am to 4pm and Saturday the 21st, noon to 4pm. While you're here (and even while you're not), you can search the library catalog for books by alumni authors or visit the Lawrence Archives Digital Collections to view photos and documents that document Lawrence's past. Stop by and say hello. We look forward to seeing you again. .]]> tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1397 2008-06-03T14:54:01Z 2008-06-03T14:58:51Z

We're heavy on the vocal music today with our latest CD pile. Once again we've dipped into the storeroom of gifts and have emerged with arias, vocalises, songs and voice with instrumental ensemble....

Antoinette Powell CD pile. Once again we've dipped into the storeroom of gifts and have emerged with arias, vocalises, songs and voice with instrumental ensemble.]]> tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1396 2008-06-02T17:11:26Z 2008-06-02T17:24:43Z

June IS busting out all over. You may think June is noteworthy only because it is the month of Paul McCartney's birthday (June 18,) but it's also Lane Courtesy Month. Will you be compelled to purchase large women's clothing? Be...

Antoinette Powell June IS busting out all over. You may think June is noteworthy only because it is the month of Paul McCartney's birthday (June 18,) but it's also Lane Courtesy Month. Will you be compelled to purchase large women's clothing? Be polite to Superman's girlfriend? Continuously sing "Mule Train?" No, no, it's the month to yield the left lane to faster drivers. This applies to motorists only. And for those for whom "courtesy" is an alien concept, this site also has links to Fight Your Ticket and Find an Attorney. Get yourself lane-ready with the Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook and Study Guide.]]> tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1394 2008-05-29T15:56:16Z 2008-05-29T16:27:04Z

Today the Mudd and physical plant staff said a fond farewell to Connie Bruner, the Mudd's 1st and 2nd floor custodian for the last several years. We wish her well on the next part of her adventure. Happy travels Connie!...

Julie Fricke http://www.lawrence.edu/library/ Today the Mudd and physical plant staff said a fond farewell to Connie Bruner, the Mudd's 1st and 2nd floor custodian for the last several years. We wish her well on the next part of her adventure. Happy travels Connie!]]> tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1385 2008-05-21T17:41:50Z 2008-05-21T17:53:43Z

After a long, dry spell, here's the latest batch of new-to-us CDs. We have dipped into our treasure trove of gifts and extracted a pile of what we like to call the good ol' M1505's. For you browsers, M1505 is...

Antoinette Powell new-to-us CDs. We have dipped into our treasure trove of gifts and extracted a pile of what we like to call the good ol' M1505's. For you browsers, M1505 is excerpts from operas. To get the whole deal, go to M1500. This batch even has a few selections from musicals.]]> tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1369 2008-05-18T22:26:31Z 2008-05-18T22:30:42Z

Today would have been Don Martin's 77th birthday. And he was not a lounge singer, half of a comedy duo, or a manufacturer of British luxury cars. No, children, Don Martin was a brilliant cartoonist, best known for his work...

Antoinette Powell Today would have been Don Martin's 77th birthday. And he was not a lounge singer, half of a comedy duo, or a manufacturer of British luxury cars. No, children, Don Martin was a brilliant cartoonist, best known for his work in Mad magazine back when it was funny. His comic strips, according to Wikipedia, "featured outrageous events and sometimes outright violations of the laws of space-time." Who else would picture a man who, after inserting a dollar bill into a change machine, was changed into a woman? One cannot think of Don Martin without remembering his great use of onomatopoeia. In his honor, and in the hopes that our gentle readers will make appropriate use of it, we give you The Don Martin Dictionary, an alphabetical archive of all his sound effects. ]]> tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1365 2008-05-15T20:44:55Z 2008-05-15T20:56:34Z

You know how things work. In order to prove anything to some people, you have to have data. And that means numbers. One of our favorite sources of data is the Statistical Abstract of the United States. We just received...

Antoinette Powell You know how things work. In order to prove anything to some people, you have to have data. And that means numbers. One of our favorite sources of data is the Statistical Abstract of the United States. We just received the 2008 edition, which, in reality, gives you stats for 2005 or 2006 and sometimes several years earlier. There's an electronic version on the U.S. Census Bureau's web site that goes all the way back beyond 1878. Compare and contrast the number of post offices (1878: 39,258 - 2006: 36,826) or coal production (1878: 49,130,584 tons - 2005: 1,133,000,000 tons.) Astonish your friends with your storehouse of scintillating factoids. ]]> tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1364 2008-05-14T19:10:48Z 2008-05-14T19:18:49Z

On May 14, 1881 Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about the high cost of gas. If this family had waited just over a year and moved to Appleton, they could have had the benefit of lighting their home with hydroelectric...

Antoinette Powell On May 14, 1881 Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about the high cost of gas. If this family had waited just over a year and moved to Appleton, they could have had the benefit of lighting their home with hydroelectric power. Read all about the world's first hydroelectric power station.]]> tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1345 2008-05-01T16:54:44Z 2008-05-01T18:16:49Z

Hey kids! May 1st is RSS Awareness Day! What's RSS, you ask? Check out this Lawrence University page about it and subscribe to Lawrence University RSS feeds. You'll especially want to subscribe to the feed for this blog, of...

Pete Gilbert http://www.lawrence.edu/library/ Hey kids! May 1st is RSS Awareness Day!
What's RSS, you ask? Check out this Lawrence University page about it and subscribe to Lawrence University RSS feeds. You'll especially want to subscribe to the feed for this blog, of course...]]> tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1342 2008-04-30T16:07:56Z 2008-04-30T16:11:20Z

Appleton. England. Not the same. This was proven by a little item in Monday's New York Times. The main reading room of the British Library, formerly a stodgy bastion of serious researchers, relaxed its admission policy in 1998 when it...

Antoinette Powell Appleton. England. Not the same. This was proven by a little item in Monday's New York Times. The main reading room of the British Library, formerly a stodgy bastion of serious researchers, relaxed its admission policy in 1998 when it moved into a new building. Now the tweedy, suede-patched-elbows set must rub shoulders with "anyone who has a relevant research need," which includes college undergraduates. Here, we LOVE college undergraduates. One regular user complained of the raucous behavior he witnessed: "The worst is that they actually answer their phones...The phone vibrates and they go, 'Hold on a minute, Nigel,' and then they run out of the reading room and take the call." For the record: 1. Setting you phone to vibrate is a lovely and wondrous thing 2. Answering it and saying only "hold on" will endear you to us forever 3. And finally, walking outside to carry on a conversation makes our hearts go pitter-patter with delight The Mudd: We're Not the British Library]]> tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1335 2008-04-25T14:14:23Z 2008-04-25T14:46:22Z

For Earth Day 2008. we asked visitors to suggest ways to make the Mudd Library more environmentally friendly. As usual, we got a bunch of good suggestions (the number of times something was mentioned is in parentheses): Make all...

Pete Gilbert http://www.lawrence.edu/library/ For Earth Day 2008. we asked visitors to suggest ways to make the Mudd Library more environmentally friendly. As usual, we got a bunch of good suggestions (the number of times something was mentioned is in parentheses):

• Make all student/faculty printers double sided and make this the default setting. (3)
• Make the urinals flush themselves less often.
• Turn down the heat. (3)
• Motion sensor lights in the bathrooms. (3)
• Turn off the lights at night. (2)
• Turn off the computers at night. (2)
• Use energy efficient light bulbs... the lighting is horrible here.
• Bring your own thermos/coffee mug to go at Lucy's Breakfast.
• Solar panels and/or gardens on the roof.
• Charge for printing (or give each student a quota). 3 agreed, 5 disagreed to the idea of charging directly.
• Replace bathroom fixtures/toilets with more water efficient models.
• Get a copier that works. (2)
• ID swipes for elevator use - encourage students to take the stairs for less than two floors. (2)

Do you have other ideas? Post them in the comments!]]> tag:thor.lawrence.edu,2008:/blogs/library//5.1326 2008-04-24T23:37:22Z 2008-04-24T23:42:49Z

Citations for awards given to faculty members at Commencement each June are now available on the Archives website. Citations for honorary degrees awarded to retiring faculty are located at http://www.lawrence.edu/library/archives/honfac.shtml Citations for the Excellence in Teaching Award are located at...

Julia Stringfellow http://www.lawrence.edu/library/archives/honfac.shtml Citations for the Excellence in Teaching Award are located at http://www.lawrence.edu/library/archives/univaward.shtml And citations for the Young Teacher Award can be found at http://www.lawrence.edu/library/archives/youngteacher.shtml Citations go from 1978 to the present year, and additional years will be added in the future. For questions or information, visit or e-mail the University Archives. ]]>