UWSP Libraries

Black History Month  is a time to reflect on the past and look ahead to the future. It’s also a time to share and learn about Black stories and history. The theme this year is Black Resistance - African Americans resisting all forms of historic and ongoing oppression and to call everyone “to study the history of Black Americans’ responses to establish safe spaces, where Black life can be sustained, fortified, and respected.” Please stop by our Circulation area (CCC 130) to see our display and titles that relate to this year’s theme.  We also invite you to explore our virtual  Research Guide for more sources.   Kanopy has also curated a collection of streaming films honoring Black History.  In addition, please check the UWSP Website for more events and programs. Here are a few select titles in our Featured Display Area in Circulation (CCC 130). These are available for check out.   Seasonal Book Display (CCC 130) E185.615 .S245 2022   Seasonal Book D...

Butts: A Backstory  By Heather Radke Call Number:  QL950.39 .R33 2022   (New Book Shelf - CCC 130) "Heather Radke considers how women’s backsides have been described, displayed and fetishized — and what that says about gender, race and more. Don’t be fooled by the cheeky peach emoji on Radke’s cover. Despite her sporadic and careful sense of humor on the subject, the author’s account of the female butt is in many cases a narrative of physical suffering: from the tightly cinched waists of the Victorian bustle to the later “confinement” of diets that “demanded masochistic self-control, or even self-harm,” the  “Buns of Steel”  fitness craze of the 1980s to the risk of fatal embolism during  Brazilian butt lift  surgery." Full Review here from the New York Times 

The Libraries now has a new featured collection called New Purchases in the library, which includes three sub-collections: New Print Books, New E-Books, and New Media.   To get there, from the library homepage ( https://www3.uwsp.edu/library/Pages/default.aspx ), click on Featured Collections and scroll down to the bottom.           The collection will be updated at the beginning of each month. Besides just browsing, you can also search for specific titles, subjects, or keywords within each subcollection (see an illustration below).  

Welcome back, Pointers!  The Library Staff wishes you all the best in the spring semester and encourage you to explore our libraries' resources and services.  Let us help you succeed in 2023! 

All the Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People who have Made Death their Life's Work.  By Haley Campbell Call Number: HD999.U52 C36 2022  " Conceptually, death is mere tragedy. But in reality, it also comes with a particular pain many people are unequipped for: the scourge of logistics and bureaucracy. There are documents to fill, possessions to ship, professionals to hire, ceremonies to organize. Many of us prefer not to think about the mundane details of death, and entire industries exist to help people in avoiding those procedural needs, waiting out of sight until called upon, then springing into action to help protect the living from encountering the dead. "By living in this manufactured state of denial, in the borderlands between innocence and ignorance, are we nurturing a fear that reality doesn't warrant?" Haley Campbell asks in her new book, All the Living and the Dead." "I wanted unromantic, unpoetic, ...

Killer Underwear Invasion! How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation & Conspiracy Theories  By Elise Gravel Call Number:  PN4784.F27 G73 2022 Review from Publishers Weekly  In a useful, funny graphic novel guidebook, Gravel (the Arlo & Pips series) offers examples of how disinformation can prove high-stakes, adversely affecting the environment, democracy, and even individuals’ health. But with vigilance, practice, and some self-awareness (“Never forget that you have confirmation biases,” Gravel writes, providing an easy-to-grasp explanation of this concept), the book shows how readers can navigate disinformation. In six chapters rendered in the creator’s signature cartoon style, a pink creature tutors a blue one—and readers—in why disinformation is so powerful and how it works, explaining that it preys upon vulnerabilities (one character becomes deathly ill after being convinced that shampoo is a cure-all and “doctors are evil”) and offers big economic rewards to thos...

100 Animals That Can F*cking End You By Mamadou Ndiaye  Call Number: QL100 .N48 2022  Review from Library Journal (July 2022): "Environmental science field technician Ndiaye has gained over 14 million followers on TikTok by sharing his knowledge of obscure animals. His new book provides humorous descriptions of deadly animals, along with a rating of how likely they are to kill based on multiple factors. Ndiaye calls this the merk rating, on a scale of one to 10. Some of the animals are expected: the Bengal tiger scores a 10 with a bite force twice as intense as the lion’s and an ability to imitate the mating calls of other animals. Others are more unexpected. The cone snail, a tiny creature with a beautiful shell, earned a merk rating of 7.5 as its venom induces muscle paralysis and difficulty breathing. This alphabetical listing of animals “likely to put an  R.I.P.  in front of your name” is periodically broken up with factoids like “Four Bugs You Should Social Dist...