Introducing WUpedia

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Did you know?

  • How the Bearcat became the mascot of Willamette University?
  • Which WU president lost his contract renewal due to tobacco use?
  • That the Quad was once an athletic field, and the theater building used to be a gymnasium?
  • A Freshman class challenge in 1909 sparked an annual Glee competition that lasted nearly 90 years?

WU Archives is excited to announce the launch of WUpedia, an online encyclopedia dedicated to exploring the people, organizations, places, events, and history of Willamette University. The site showcases student-written entries, with fresh content added each semester. Stay tuned as we continue to grow this resource, preserving and sharing fun stories, fascinating people, memorable events, and quirky campus history!

Checkout the Hatfield Library’s “Library of Things”

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At this point in the semester, many students are trying to figure out how to complete all their coursework that is due before the Fall/Thanksgiving break, and then survive the sprint into finals. This often requires long hours of study or other academic work, and can engender quite a bit of stress. We all relieve stress in our own ways, but one great way is to indulge in a hobby or other activity that relaxes us. The Hatfield Library hopes to contribute to stress reduction and relaxation through the magic of our new “Library of Things.”

Partially funded with a University CAFES grant, the Library of Things (LOT) has items to lend that are targeted toward hobbies, crafts, home improvement, outdoor recreation, etc.  Examples of items in the LOT include; a sewing machine, coloring supplies, a digital video projector, a Circuit Air Explore 2, a tent, a hammock, a massage gun, and a Nintendo Switch. To find out about additional items in the LOT as well as the borrowing rules, please check out our Library of Things online guide. If something interests you, stop by and borrow it. And you never know–the items in our LOT collection might just help you relax or discover a brand, new hobby!

While we’re on the topic of stress reduction and relaxation, don’t forget our collection of puzzles and games.  And of course, our Popular Reading collection is full of recent genre fiction such as mystery/crime, science fiction, thriller/suspense, historical, young adult, fantasy, as well as biographies, self-help, and a whole lot more. 

If you’re feeling stressed out or just need a break from studying, come visit the library and explore our new Library of Things.  And best wishes for a successful conclusion of the semester from the staff of the Hatfield Library.

Personal Librarians for CAS First Years and Transfer Students

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With the Autumn Equinox behind us, and as the weather turns brisk with some rain, we all start thinking about the seasons ahead. For some it will be pondering Halloween festivities, for others a break and a chance to go home and have some family time, or whatever else brings happiness into our lives. Personal Librarian LogoFor first year and transfer students at Willamette, it also means the initial rounds of tests and papers. If you need help as you prepare for these academic events, there are many places you can turn including the Hatfield Library. Among other programs, the library has a Personal Librarians program.

Personal Librarians are your go-to person in the library. First-year and transfer students of the College of Arts and Sciences are paired up with a librarian so that students have a name, face, and specific individual to help with any questions about the library, research, or collections. Your Personal Librarian will reach out to you a few times a year via email. Please feel free to stop by the library to meet them or any of the librarians and ask for help.

Who knows–in October we might even have a special treat for you!

New Library Website

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Our University libraries staff has been working diligently over the past five months to bring the Hatfield library website and the PNCA Albert Solheim library website together. The team considered the needs of all communities in order to create something that would increase access, simplify workflows, and allow for greater collaboration between libraries. 

New Hatfield Website

The fruits of that labor has paid off with this sparkling new website. This homepage will be the central hub for patrons’ needs on both campuses. Many thanks to Michael Spalti, Associate University Librarian for Systems, for coordinating this effort and implementing the new site. Also thank you to Shaleigh Westphall, Reference & Instruction Librarian (PNCA), for the design work on the background. We hope you will spend some time getting familiar with the new site and we encourage you to send your feedback on the changes to our email: library@willamette.edu

Most Influential Books

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This fall, the Hatfield Library offered our first-year and transfer students free ghost mugs stuffed with candy and other items such as pens and stickers. We also conducted a voluntary, informal survey– included in each mug was a slip of paper with a QR code to a survey question: “Which two books have influenced your life the most?” 

A special thank you to all those who participated in this survey! Here are the results:

  • Witches by Roald Dahl; Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy
  • Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien; The Shining by Stephen King
  • All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven; and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins!
  • Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell; and The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
  • The Stranger by Albert Camus; Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
  • Warrior Cats by Erin Hunter; Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
  • Demian by Herman Hesse; 1984 by George Orwell
  • The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls; The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
  • The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver; A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Recycled and Improved?

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A slightly belated welcome back from the Mark O. Hatfield Library. With the Claremont School of Theology leaving this summer and removing their book collection, we have made significant changes to the first floor.  If you look behind the “Art Wall,” you will see that in the last few weeks we removed much of the shelving where the CST collection had been located and created a new seating area that is a mix of tables and comfortable seating.  This area has a spacious, open feel to it and benefits from wonderful lighting from nearby windows.  We are excited by the opportunity to establish a new, creative, mixed-use space for all to enjoy.  Come on by, check it out, and let us know what you think.

In the future we hope to provide other kinds of furniture and/or services in this area, so please feel free to share any ideas you have with us at library@willamette.edu.

For those of you who are budget or sustainability minded, please note that the removed shelving was recycled and the current furnishings came from existing furniture already in the Hatfield Library that was simply relocated.

Evolution of the change

Empty Shelving:  After the removal of the CST titles.

 

The shelving is almost gone:  Notice the interesting stripe pattern on the carpet–the dark stripes were where the shelving was located and the light stripes were the aisles.

 

Opening Days: A few stray items of furniture have wandered into the space.

 

Day after Labor Day: Movers brought more furniture from upstairs. 

 

 

Later in the Day: It didn’t take long for students to find the new seating.

 

 

 

Coming Soon to a Library Near You

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The University Libraries aspire to a number of goals as we develop services, collections, and library spaces.  These goals include ensuring that you have access to high quality information as easily and efficiently as possible.  Means of doing this include providing access to our catalog, online periodicals, and databases, or simply communicating when you have items waiting, and when we are open.  It also includes sharing news like this blog entry. There are many ways to accomplish our goals; our web presence and using email are among the most prevalent methods we use. Mobile Phone Interface

As smart phones and tablets have become more sophisticated and ubiquitous, we see that most individuals on campus own one or the other (or both).  A national trend shows that many users of these devices would prefer to use a downloaded App rather than view a website in a mobile browser to accomplish their transaction goals such as checking a bank balance or seeing if a requested book is ready to be picked up.  The individual Apps that many of us use for banking are a perfect example of this behavior.  While the University Libraries have long tried to make our websites accessible to smaller devices, we have decided to take the next step and roll out a Library App using Ex Libris’ Library Mobile service.

The App will be available on iOS and Android devices, and it will allow you to choose your home library (Law, PNCA or MOHL), access many of our resources and services including the catalog, find our hours, read our blog, sign up for notifications, allow us to inform you of your account status, and much more.  We anticipate going into beta testing in the next couple of weeks so watch for further announcements, download the App, try it out, and let us know what you think.  We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions!