Literary March Madness narrowed to 8

Four heroes and four villains are all that remain in our March Madness.  Voting is open for only a couple of days until Thursday, March 27th at http://bit.ly/1gmYEJc for your favorite characters in the current round.  Once again, you as the voter have not failed to surprise us, and this round looks to be no different.  Choices may be tougher, but now you only have four match-ups in this round.

Surprisingly enough, all of the eight finalists have seen their characters up on the silver screen as well.  Whether you know these heroes and villains best through their books or films, make certain your vote counts and either give us your ballot online or via paper at the library.    The entire bracket is below, to see the paths of each of our heroes and villains up to this point.  

Voting on our Elite Eight Heroes and Villains will continue through Thursday, March 27th, and our next winners will be announced on Friday, March 28th; stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.  Enjoy and vote to make sure your favorites make it to the Final Four!

Sweet Sixteen in our Literary March Madness

We have now arrived at round three in our March Madness Literary Knockdown, better known in the tournament world as the Sweet Sixteen.  Voting is now open until the Monday after Spring Break for the Sweet Sixteen at http://bit.ly/1i87PMJ for your favorite literary heroes and villains.  We are now down to only 8 heroes vs. 8 villains, and oh, how the mighty have fallen.  Narrowing down from 64 to 16 has not been easy, but you have helped your favorites move on to the next match.

Curious as to which hero Charlotte of Charlotte's Web had to beat to get this far? Wondering how Hannibal Lector of Silence of the Lambs got knocked out of contention?   If you want to see the entire bracket, how we got to this point, and which Heroes and Villains are left, find those glasses again for the updated brackets below.

Voting on our Sweet Sixteen Heroes and Villains will continue through Monday, March 24th, and our next winners will be announced on Tuesday, March 25th; stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.  Enjoy and vote to make sure your favorites make it to the next round!

Round Two of Literary Madness

How did your first round choices do in our literary March Madness?  Voting is now open until Wednesday for round two at http://bitly.com/1lGbaGz for your favorite literary heroes and villains.  We are now down to 16 heroes vs. 16 villains, and the match-ups continue to be intriguing, if not down right strange.  Who will get your vote between Tom Sawyer or James Bond?  Do you think Hannibal Lector would get the better of Bellatrix Lestrange?  It is up to you to decide.

If you want to see the bigger picture as to which Heroes and Villains reigned supreme in the early rounds, get your glasses out again for the updated brackets below.

Second round voting will continue through Wednesday, March 12th, and our next winners will be announced on Thursday, March 13th; stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.  Have fun with it, be sure to put in your two cents, and we will have our Sweet Sixteen announcement before Spring Break!

Proof of Heaven

Hello everyone.  Welcome back to the dark recesses of the library where Carl, your friendly cataloger, keeps vigil.  Many books come across my desk that are interesting and, if I had the time, I'd like to read many of them.  Recently, I was cataloging a book titled Proof of Heaven by Dr. Eben Alexander.  It looked like a good and easy read, so I took it home and read the whole book in one night.  

In this text, Dr. Alexander, a experienced neurosurgeon, describes how he faced a rare and life threatening illness.  While in the ICU, he wasn't expected to live because parts of his brain had shut down and he was in a coma. 

While in a coma, Dr. Alexander encountered a Near Death Experience (NDE), which he later described in great detail.  Dr. Alexander goes on to explain that before his experience, he believed that an NDE was something the brain made up when it was threatened.  But in Dr. Alexander's case, the part of the brain that controls consciousness and would generate such an experience was shut down at the time.  After sharing his story, Dr. Alexander goes on to confront the apparent gulf between hard science and spirituality regarding NDEs with clear and concise efficiency. 

Proof of Heaven is an excellent read, and if you have an interest in topics such as the afterlife, I'd suggest checking this one out.  The call # is:  RD592.9.A54 A3 2012

Carl Ziebell
Lane Library

Literary March Madness at the library

Ready for a little bookish March Madness?  Announcing our very own Heroes vs. Villains tournament this March, where you decide who gets to move on to the next round.  Voting is already open in the first round at http://bit.ly/1gHOekd, or stop by the circulation desk at the library and fill out a form there.  With 32 hero match-ups and 32 villain match-ups, the battles will continue to go on until the end of the month, when you decide with your votes who will remain standing.  Heroes vs. heroes, and villains vs. villains until the very last round.

If you are interested in viewing the brackets, get your glasses on because below is the image with our first round characters.

If you want a copy to print out for filling out your brackets for a friendly wager between friends, here is the link:  http://bit.ly/1luMEId

First round voting will continue through Thursday, March 6th, and our first winners will be announced on Friday, March 6th; stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.  Best of luck to the good and bad, and may the best character remain win at the end of the month!

Digital Makerspace Workshop Schedule

Another semester of Digital Makerspace Workshops at the library and we have a lineup of new topics.   This spring semester we have been focusing more on the digital end of things and finding new tools that will help you succeed.  Also with the campus transition to Gmail this semester, we have a few more Google-oriented workshops to get you familiar with how to get the most out of Google education apps you now have access to through Ripon College.  We have already held workshops on Google Drive, Gmail, and WeVideo Editing.

Some things don't change, and as always the workshops are free and with no advance registration required, and we try and do two sessions of each workshop. The content covered in each of the two sessions is the same, so you only need to attend the one that fits into your schedule.  The workshops last about 30 minutes, and are generally held in the Waitkus Computer Lab in Lane Library, unless otherwise noted.

Below is a list of our remaining Digital Makerspace Workshops this semester:

Basics of the 3D Printer        

Tuesday, February 18 @4:15pm in the North Reading Room

The Makerbot 3D Printer is available for you to be innovative and release your creativity for your coursework.  Want to find out what the printer can do?  Professors Bob Wallace and John Dalziel will be leading the workshops, demonstrating how the printer works and the guidelines for use.

FreeCAD for designing with 3D printer   

Tuesday, February 25 @4pm                                                      

Now you know that you have a 3D Printer available to you, how are you going to go about designing a new project?   Guest Stephanie Prellwitz will take you through the basics of FreeCAD to get you started in 3D printing.

eBooks  

Monday, March 3 @noon / Tuesday, March 4 @4pm        

Thousands of eBooks are available for your use through the library.  Are you looking for help on where to find eBooks or maybe how to use and download them to your own personal device?  Stop by for a hands-on workshop and get some answers to your questions.

What is Scalar?   

Monday, March 10 @noon / Tuesday, March 11 @4pm        

Scalar is an open-source publishing tool that allows user to create born-digital scholarship online, as simply as traditional blogging, but a lot more powerful.   Learn more about what Scalar is, how you can and why you would want to use it.   See why you might want to add some visual and interactive spice to your book, chapter or online project.

Google Sites:  Create Wikis and your own Webpages   

Monday, March 24 @noon / Tuesday, March 25 @4pm        

Learn to create a wiki or webpage for yourself, your student organization or class project.  Find the tips and tricks necessary to navigate and create your own web presence from Matthew Bolwerk at ITS.  

Advanced Google:  new search strategies  

Monday, March 31 @noon / Tuesday, April 1 @4pm

Want to find out how to do a better, faster search with Google?  All searching is not equal; learn how to take advantage of the Advanced Google search to find what you are looking for the first time.

Budget Friendly Software Alternatives   

Monday, April 14 @noon / Tuesday, April 15 @4pm        

The life of a student and discounted software does not last forever, but that does not mean that you will only have high cost options.  Stop by for a tour of some of the free software options available to you, regardless of your student affiliation.   

If you have any questions, comments, or any suggestions for future Digital Makerspace workshops, please let us know! 

Happy Birthday Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln the Dreamer was given to the college by Waupun sculptor, Clarence Addison Shaler in 1939.

Presented to Ripon College by the Artist Clarence Addison Shaler

Represents the man Lincoln as he was at the outset of his public career. His character formed by his early hardships in the wilderness, partakes of the strength of the oak tempered by the warmth of his sympathies.
He is leaving that early environment in pursuit of an unknown destiny. Untouched as yet by tragedy, betrayal and disillusionment. A man at the noon of his powers, which his high resolve has already dedicated to the good of his country and of mankind.

--Dedication Plaque