Library Blogs

This blog post was written by Faith Weis, a second-year graduate student in the University of Michigan School of Information.

I work at the library both as a User Information Services Assistant, staffing the Ask a Librarian service, as well as the Shapiro Collections Intern in Shapiro Library Reference Services. These two roles allow me to put into practice much of what I learn in the classroom as a master’s student at the School of Information. I can happily say that working at U-M Libraries has been the best, most rewarding part of graduate school these past two years.

Are you interested in computer & video games, board games, comics and related geekery and are looking for student organizations on campus that support your hobbies? We thought we'd list a few to give you some ideas.

The Special Collections Library is pleased to announce a new online exhibit: "Curiouser and Curiouser!": Exploring Wonderland with Alice. This exhibit features a selection of materials from the physical exhibit celebrating 150 years of Alice, which was on display in the 7th floor Exhibit Space of Hatcher Graduate Library, August 25, 2015 - December 17, 2015.

The Design-o-Matic 4000 is the new art and information project from the Shapiro Design Lab. It houses a variety of stuff from both the Library and campus organizations (all free at the push of a few buttons) and we want your help filling it!

Celebrate Banned Books Week 2016 by exercising your freedom to read. For more than 30 years the American Library Association's Office Intellectual Freedom has been celebrating and protecting our freedom to read with Banned Books Week. With the library's strong support of intellectual freedom we provide collections that cover a diversity of perspectives and viewpoints. You can find most of the frequently challenged/banned books in our collection.

In Habitual Offenders, historian Craig A. Monson tells the true story of the murder of two former prostitutes turned nuns who fled from their convent in 17th century Italy. This is a compelling historical whodunit. Although it is non-fiction, it reads like a novel, with dialogue taken from the actual transcript of the trial of the prime suspects: the nuns' supposed lovers and the right-hand man of a powerful cardinal. Eventually, the web of intrigue stretches as far as Cardinal Mazarin and the court of Louis XIV.

If I wasn’t so psyched to be an academic librarian I’d definitely try my hand at tour guide. I love showing friends around my favorite places or leading my family through a new city while on vacation. It combines my love for education and natural inclination towards both showmanship and gregariousness. I’ve also never been accused of being shy or soft-spoken.

That’s why I jumped at the chance to lead some of the hour-long parent tours of the Hatcher and Shapiro Libraries that are given during the summer to coincide with student orientation. Taking on the responsibility allowed me to combine my passions, and the experience has led me to rethink some of my career plans.

SPQR is a history of ancient Rome, from 753 BCE, the supposed date of its founding, to 212 CE, when the emperor Caracalla granted Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of the empire. Historian Mary Beard combines the political history of Rome, with famous names such as Julius Caesar and Augustus, with the lives of ordinary people, including women and slaves. She writes in a compelling style that makes the history of ancient Rome come alive.

Ever wonder which games are played the most often in the CVGA? Here's a list of popular games played this Summer that you'll definitely want to check out while you're here.

Shoes (and dancing shoes in particular) return again and again as a central motif of fairy tales - from the glass slipper that declares Cinderella to be the Prince’s ballroom crush to the red hot iron slippers in which Snow White’s evil stepmother is forced to dance till she dies. However, perhaps no fairy tale contains quite so many shoes as “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.”