Book Review: Lost & Found: Legendary Lake Michigan Shipwrecks

We recently added another title to the Water Library's collection of books on the subject of Great Lakes shipwrecks.   Accomplished diver and author Valerie Van Heest uses her extensive experience and Great Lakes contacts to allow readers the tragic sinking of these ships.  Spanning the ages of sail, steam and diesel, the book details discoveries shared with the author by some of the lake's most prolific wreck hunters.

The book describes "the many shipwrecks that became even more famous after their discoveries than at the time of their losses, gaining notoriety as historic attractions, archaeological sites, and in some cases, over bold salvage attempts or precedent- setting legal battles."

 For more information about Wisconsin's Great Lakes Shipwrecks, visit the UW Sea Grant and Wisconsin Historical Society site, wisconsinshipwrecks.org. The Water Library also has a reading list of books about Great Lakes Shipwrecks.

If you are a Wisconsin resident and would like to check out this or any other book, please fill out our book request form. If you are a UW student, faculty or staff, please request books through the Library Catalog.  

Book Review: The Where, The Why, And The How: 75 Artists Illustrate Wondrous Mysteries of Science

We recently added this book to our collection, The Where, The Why, And The How: 75 Artists Illustrate Wondrous Mysteries of Science. It presents informative essays on "wondrous mysteries of science" matched to illustrations by a bevy of talented artists. Artist include such contemporary luminaries as Lisa Congdon, Jen Corace, Neil Farber, Susie Ghahremani, Jeremyville, and many more. 

Appropriate to this visual treat is the video book trailer shared above. Watch it and consider checking this newly acquired visual feast from our collection soon!  It truly is "a science book like no other"!

If you are a Wisconsin resident and would like to check out this or any other book, please fill out our book request form. If you are a UW student, faculty or staff, please request books through the Library Catalog. 

Plan Your Spring Getaway With The Wisconsin Coastal Guide

 

As we welcome the Spring Equinox and find ourselves on the precipice of warmer weather and longer hours of daylight, our thoughts are on planning our Spring getaways.  We have the perfect tool to aid you in your vacation planning.  David Hart, UW Sea Grant's staff GIS Specialist was instrumental in developing the Wisconsin Coastal Guide, an amazing resource to help you plan a Great Lakes excursion.  

The Wisconsin Coastal Guide website provides useful information about the Great Lakes Circle Tour, a tour that connects many coastal access sites with natural and cultural attractions to be found along Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan and Lake Superior coasts.  Tour planners can access schematic maps and descriptions of each lake’s circle tour route.  The website also provides information on each of the coastal cities and towns found along the way; including attractions, lodging, parks, and general tourism resources.

The maps featured on the site also offer links to external web content about individual Great Lakes attractions. Panoramic photos were taken at hundreds of public access sites and scenic vistas on Great Lakes shores, so you can preview today where you will hope to visit later.

Spend these last few weeks of blistery cold weather planning your warm weather Great Lakes vacation!

Other Great Lakes region tourism resources:
The Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN)
Great Lakes Commission: Great Lakes Circle Tour

Further resources for planning your Great Lakes tourism route:
WisconsinHighways.org
MichiganHighways.org
OntarioHighways.org

Book Review: Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed The Seas

A recent picture book addition to our library's collection of children's books shows the sustaining force behind the life cycle found within our oceans.  Authored and illustrated by Caldecott-award winning illustrator Molly Bangs and co-authored by award-winning M.I.T. professor and leading expert on ocean science, Penny Chisholm; Ocean Sunlight does not disappoint with its beautiful illustrations and clear, simple science.  Booklist's starred review exclaims "If a good picture book does what it sets out to do, a great one sets out to do something huge and succeeds" and concludes it's "an outstanding book to read and absorb."

We hope you'll take an opportunity to check it out and share it with any young readers who might appreciate it.

For further information on the book and other titles on "oceans":
Wisconsin's Water Library's Book Suggestions for Kids: Oceans
Molly Bang's website provides a great "About the Story" summary
 
If you are a Wisconsin resident and would like to check out this or any other book, please fill out our book request form. If you are a UW student, faculty or staff, please request books through the Library Catalog. 

National Groundwater Awareness Week is March 10-16

The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) has organized this week-long event, devoted to raising the public's awareness of groundwater.  Some facts gained by reading the NGWA's press release about the event are definitely worth sharing:

• 99% of all available freshwater in the world is groundwater, according to the USGS. That means all the world’s rivers, lakes, and streams make up only 1%.
• The USGS also reports that on average, 30% of all streamflow in the U.S. is from groundwater.
• Perhaps 90% of the population in rural areas would have no reliable water source if it weren’t for private household water wells that tap groundwater.

Considering the impact of these facts on our day to day lives, this week is about raising public awareness and increasing stewardship for our groundwater resources.  So take a moment to learn more about groundwater, appreciate its value, and discover ways to protect it!

Suggested resources for further reading on the topic of Groundwater:
Wisconsin's Water Library's Water Research Guide: Groundwater
University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute
USGS Water Science School: Groundwater
NGWA: About Groundwater
NGWA: Groundwater Stewardship, Protection and Conservation
Wisconsin DNR: Groundwater

Library Journal's Best Books 2012: Science & Technology

Always on the lookout for good selections of science related reading, we are sharing some of Library Journal's Best "Science & Technology" Books for 2012.  Each of the books highlighted here are available to check out through the UW Catalog with the links provided.

Let us know your favorite science themed book!  We'd love to hear about them.

Design in Nature: How the Constructal Law Governs Evolution in Biology, Physics, Technology, and Social Organization by Adrian Bejan and J. Peder Zane
Explains how all designs in the world from biological life to inanimate systems evolve in a sequence of ever-improving designs that facilitate flow.
Available via UW Catalog: http://search.library.wisc.edu/catalog/ocn727610563

The Song of the Ape: Understanding the Languages of Chimpanzees by Andrew R Halloran
Documents the astonishing experiences that inspired the author's work in chimpanzee communication.  Available via UW Catalog: http://search.library.wisc.edu/catalog/ocn740628834

America’s Other Audubon  by Joy M. Kiser
America's Other Audubon chronicles the story of Genevieve Jones, her family, and the making of an extraordinary nineteenth-century book, Illustrations of the Nests and Eggs of Birds of Ohio.
Available via UW Catalog: http://search.library.wisc.edu/catalog/ocn749869403

Eating Aliens: One Man’s Adventures Hunting Invasive Animal Species by Jackson Landers
North America is under attack by a wide range of invasive animals. This adventure narrative describes Landers' quest to hunt twelve invasive animal species and turn them all into delicious meals.
Available via UW Catalog: http://search.library.wisc.edu/catalog/ocn798131625

The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds by Julie Zickefoose
A wild bird rehabilitator and nature artist describes her painstaking efforts to rescue injured birds and her experiences when those birds come back to visit.
Available via UW Catalog: http://search.library.wisc.edu/catalog/ocn666239992

Read all of Library Journal's Best Books of 2012

Book Review: Eco Literate

Educators, environmentalists, activists, and students will be interested in this recent addition to our library's collection, Eco Literate: How Educators Are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence.  Readers are told how education can engage students to develop knowledge of living systems, through stories, and by using lesson plans and professional development guides. The book includes in-depth discussions  that outline stories from the field including: Standing Strong on Coal Mountain, From Anger To Action In Oil Country, Shared Water: Moving Beyond Boundaries, and Nourishing Communities With Food.  

"Eco Literate provides a veritable how-to guide for educators to creatively engage young people in the most important ecological issues of the day, helping them gain knowledge of and empathy for all living systems, which is bound to enrich their lives and protect the future of our planet."
(Gail Connelly, Executive Director, National Association of Elementary School Principals)

Goleman, Daniel, Lisa Bennett, and Zenobia Barlow. Eco Literate : How Educators Are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2012.

View Center for Ecoliteracy's Eco Literate Web Page
You Tube Clip - Dan Goleman speaks about the book Eco Literate (2:18)

If you are a Wisconsin resident and would like to check out this or any other book, please fill out our book request form. If you are a UW student, faculty or staff, please request books through the Library Catalog.