The news @ Western Libraries
Learning Commons New Look!
Posted on Fri, 2013-05-10 12:15Check it out!
Western Libraries is proud to announce that the changes to the Learning Commons are coming along nicely! There will still be some exciting new things coming to the Learning Commons, but here's what you can look for now:
- The Wilson circulation desk has been dismantled and replaced by the Learning Commons information desk providing basic information and referrals as needed to all Learning Commons programs and services.
- Additional space has been opened up creating collaborative space for students and faculty, and creating an attractive welcoming focal point for the Learning Commons.
- Research support and consultation has been relocated from the Haggard desk to a dedicated space where professional assistance will be available. This arrangement allows for increased collaboration with the Writing Center as students are developing their research projects.
- The Student Tech Center has expanded their desk presence in Haggard taking over laptop check-outs and providing expert support.
- Circulation Services will continue to operate from the Haggard circulation desk. This includes checkouts, account assistance, course reserves, room and video booking, etc.
These changes are funded with the help of a donation from WWU alumni Dave and Ann Mann, and one-time funding from the Provost’s office. During Spring Quarter and through the summer work will continue to fine tune new service models and implement further physical improvements to the area. By the start of Fall Quarter, the area will be an active and attractive space geared towards student learning.
We know you’ll find these changes as exciting as we do!
Japanese Artist Yuken Teruya (Briefly) Featured in Wilson Gallery One
Posted on Tue, 2013-05-07 10:34Late last week you may have walked past some interesting art pieces that were on display in the library in Wilson Gallery One. The two pieces, were by New York-based artist Yuken Teruya, who was visiting Western last week to give a lecture called “Art Watering the Seeds of Social Change.”
Teruya, who was born in Japan, is known for using everyday materials, like toilet paper rolls, paper bags, and shopping bags as his medium. 
The featured pieces were "Notice-Forest: What Victory Tastes Like, London, 2012," (right) done from a paper bag, and "Heroes – Hirohito,” on canvas (below).
Teruya’s pieces were only on display in Wilson Gallery One for a few days, but there are a lot of works that make their way through Western Libraries Art Galleries. Stop by one for a quick study break!
Wilson Library Hosts Poetry Reading May 14
Posted on Mon, 2013-05-06 11:53On Tuesday, May 14, eight poets, including Western Librarians Paul Piper and Allen Frost, will be hosting a poetry reading.
The featured poets will be: Bruce Beasley, Ryler Dustin, Allen Frost, Nancy Pagh, Suzanne Paola, Paul Piper, Jeremy Voigt, and Mishon Wooldridge.
The event, called Pod of Poets, is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Library Presentation Room, Wilson 164 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Access to the Library Presentation Room is from outside the southwest corner of Wilson Library, off High Street.
Woman Reading in a Rocking Chair
Woman Reading in a Rocking Chair is a carving about four inches high, created by Hermania Anslinger (1915-2011) of Spokane, Washington. Ms. Anslinger was born in Haubstadt, Indiana, lived in North Dakota and Montana before coming to Spokane in 1942. She began carving miniatures out of wood and later created carvings from precious stones and ivory.
Heritage Resources Spring 2013 Newsletter
Posted on Mon, 2013-04-08 13:24Read about recent and upcoming events, the latest news and other features from Western Libraries Heritage Resources.
Take a break: view new art exhibits
Posted on Mon, 2013-03-18 14:14
Artist Statement
Kevin Nielsen
"This is a collection of medium sized surreal/abstract paintings, mostly on plank, with some mixed media. Very few of these items are framed but, honestly, I prefer most of them without the encumbrance of traditional enclosure.
Kevin, an artist from the Bellingham community, paints by whim and by muse, swirling colors and sketching shapes. Sometimes he prints an image that strikes him and paints what he sees. Often the canvas draws him into its own composition.
Kevin starting painting in 1997, after a fire
destroyed all his material possessions, with an
empty canvas and a few tubes of paint. Hundreds
of paintings later, he still paints for pleasure, ever
evolving his talent and styles. From the
“psychological pieces” (as his partner calls them)
to landscapes, from oil on canvas to glue and
coins on boards, the body of Kevin’s work ranges
across medium and style (not to mention across
the WWU campus to offices where friends have
happily hung his work).
See http://voidblossom.com/photos/thumbnails-2.html for more of his work.
New Dean of Libraries at WWU!
Posted on Tue, 2013-02-26 16:19
Dr. Greenberg, who will start as Western’s new Dean of Libraries on June 1, was hired following a national search. As Dean of Libraries, Greenberg will be responsible for the overall leadership, management and direction of Western Libraries and their programs.
"I am very excited to join such a talented group of faculty and staff at the Western Libraries as the new dean. Working together with the entire university community, I am confident the Libraries will continue to thrive as an essential component in Western's national reputation for excellence in teaching, research, and learning,” Greenberg said.
Valentine's Manual of Old New York
Special Collections holds many treasures, each with its own special story. Some of these stories we know, some we can only guess at. One of these is the Valentine's Manual of Old New York, no. 6, New Series 1922, edited by Henry Collins Brown. What makes this volume particularly "special" to Special Collections is the inscription on one of the prelimiinary pages, "To our friend, Dr. C. H. Fisher, from Mr. and Mrs. J.
Campus Protest on display
Posted on Wed, 2013-02-06 15:09
"Diverse Reactions: Campus Protest, Student Unrest, and Radical Thought
at Western Washington State College, 1965-1970".
A display by Heritage Resources
The nation’s legacy of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s is one of defiance, protest, discord, and tumult. The U.S. involvement in Cambodia and the unpopular war in Vietnam led to an eruption of protest movements, largely held on college campuses across the nation. Western was not immune to these effects. With an astonishing 14 campus protest in the 1969-1970 academic year, Western Washington State College proved itself to be a politically active campus, rife with student unrest. Students from diverse backgrounds came together to speak out on a wide range of issues, either as individuals or student groups – such as Students for a Democratic Society, the Black Student Union, and Students for Peace. Anti-hitchhiking laws, the Vietnam War, the Kent State shooting, and ethnic diversity were all issues that Western students rallied around. Amid the chaos and often radical rhetoric, campus staff and faculty were faced with dilemmas on how to manage the conflict and disruption. College president, Jerry Flora, had the difficult task of leading the school through one of the most difficult eras in 20th Century U.S. history. Ultimately, Flora’s lenient consideration for student led protests, teach-ins, sit-ins, and other demonstrations quelled any potential violence that may have occurred on campus, as was experienced by other colleges and universities at the time.
This display features duplicate copies of archival material from Western Washington University Libraries’ Heritage Resources programs. Heritage Resources comprises the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Special Collections, and University Archives. For more information about these programs or to view their collections, please send an email to Heritage.Resources@wwu.edu . You may also check out this handy research guide for additional resources on the history and impact of student movements.
The display was created by WWU History graduate students Kristi Roberts and Megan Garbett.
Tax Time! We have forms U need!
Posted on Tue, 2013-02-05 13:14The Western Library has the 2012 federal tax forms & instruction books you need - in paper!
For paper copies of tax forms and instructions, ask at the Reference Desk in Haggard Hall.
It’s everyone’s favorite time of year, the period between the end of January and the middle of April, when many of us should really be thinking about filing our taxes. We certainly aren’t tax experts, but here are a few online resources you might find useful.
On campus help: (WWU Chapter) Theta Phi Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi /Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
IRS.gov – Find the federal form(s) you need through the Internal Revenue Service web site. Many forms can be printed from the web directly.
Do I Need to File a Federal Tax Return? - An excellent question, and one that really should be answered before you start filling out that 1040! This section of the IRS site should provide the answer.
Students Page- Higher Education – Find information about common tax questions.
Tax Benefits for Education - If you’re wondering whether the scholarship you received this year counts as taxable income, and other questions.
