Read This Book!

Richard Moe presents Roosevelt's Second Act: The Election of 1940 and the Politics of War on November 18, 2014 at the Paul and Joan Nagel Lecture in Cowles Auditorium at the University of Minnesota. 

About Richard Moe

Richard Moe served as Chief of Staff for Vice President of the United States Walter Mondale, was a partner at the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell, and served as President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation from 1993 to 2009. He is a native Minnesotan and a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School.

Moe's other books are, “Last Full Measure: The Life and Death of the First Minnesota Volunteers,” the story of the Minnesota regiment that played a crucial and tragic role in the battle at Gettysburg; and “Changing Places: Rebuilding Community in the Age of Sprawl.”

In this episode of "Read This Book!," Megan Kocher, curator of the Doris Kirschner Cookbook Collection at the University of Minnesota, discusses books with holiday cookie recipes.

These include:

* “Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book," by Betty Crocker

* ”Pillsbury Best Cookies Cookbook,” by Pillsbury Company

* “Jewish Holiday Cooking,” by Jayne Cohen

* “The International Cookie Cookbook,” by Nancy Baggett

* "Christmas Recipes," by Central Electric & Gas Company

The books are available in Magrath Library in the Doris S. Kirschner Cookbook Collection at the University of Minnesota. 

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Exhibit runs through January 16, 2015

Exhibit Reception

December 8, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Elmer L. Andersen Library

Online Reservations

Exhibit Hours

Monday, Tuesday, Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday and Thursday: 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

A special reception to celebrate the University Libraries exhibit, "Ralph Rapson: A Legacy in Architecture and Design," will be held Monday, December 8, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Rapson, former dean of the University of Minnesota School of Architecture (1954-1984), was the designer of iconic Twin Cities buildings such as the original Guthrie Theater, Cedar Square West, and the Rarig Center for the Performing Arts.

"Not only did he design a number of buildings, he taught an entire generation of architects to design buildings — so his influence is deep and far reaching," said Jane King Hession, curator of the exhibit and author of "Ralph Rapson: Sixty Years of Modern Design." 

Behind the scenes look at the process of architecture 

Exhibit designer Darren Terpstra, University Libraries, said visitors to the exhibit will get a behind the scenes look at the process of architecture. 

"You'll see simple, hand-drawn sketches that are very fast and rudimentary and then you see cleaner drawings and then you see elevations and models and photographs and finally, the finished product."

"He could draw like nobody else and Ralph's drawings are very engaging," Hession said. "Not only do they clearly show what his architectural visions were, but they show how people would use these buildings. 

Rapson's legacy is 'all around us'

Still a practicing architect when he died in 2008 at the age of 93, Rapson’s modernist style influenced generations of architects. This exhibit is a retrospective of his many building and furniture designs.

"The thing about Ralph Rapson's architecture is that it's all around us in the Twin Cities," Hession said. "So, we hope that people will come to the exhibit and make connections with what's in the environment in Minneapolis." 

In this episode of "Read This Book!," Science Librarian Carolyn Bishoff recommends three books that relate to scientific milestones to celebrate that occurred in October.

The books are:

* "Much Ado About (Practically) Nothing" by David E. Fisher

* "Live from the Moon" by Michael Allen

* "Nobel Prize Women in Science," by Sharon Bertsch McGrayne - Access as eBook

All three books are available at the University of Minnesota's Walter Library and "Nobel Prize Women in Science" is also available as an eBook. 

* Watch all Read This Book! episdoes

In this special Back to School episode of "Read This Book!," Lisa Von Drasek discusses the following books:

* “The Pilot and the Little Prince," by Peter Cis

* “Park Scientists,” by Mary Kay Carson

* “The Story of Buildings" by Patrick Dillon (Author) and Stephen Biesty (Illustrator).

Von Drasek is curator of the Children's Literature Research Collections at the University of Minnesota Libraries. She also writes the "Early Word Kids" blog and is active on Twitter, @lvondrasek.

University Libraries took part in Respect U Day, part of Welcome Week for incoming students, on August 29. Students who attended learned about programs, resources, and tools to help them succeed and also about resources to support equity and diversity on campus. 

Watch the video and see what incoming students think about libraries. 

Kaia Sievert, University of Minnesota Libraries, discusses books that are being turned into movies, in this episode of "Read This Book!" 

The books recommended by Sievert include: 

* “Gone Girl” By Gillian Flynn

* “In the Heart of the Sea” By Nathaniel Philbrick

* “The Hobbit” By J.R.R. Tolkien

* “The Jungle Book” By Rudyard Kipling

* “Unbroken” By Laura Hillenbrand

Read This Book! Recommendations

In this installment of “Read This Book!” science librarian Carolyn Rauber recommends books about space. They are:

* “Rocket Girl” By George D. Morgan

* “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth” By Col. Chris Hadfield

* “The Seven Secrets of How to Think Like a Rocket Scientist” By Jim Longuski

* “Space Odyssey: The First Forty Years of Space Exploration” By Serge Brunier

It's summer grilling season in Minnesota and a perfect time for Megan Kocher, curator of the University Libraries Kirschner Cookbook Collection, to make recommendations on books about grilling.

In this episode, Kocher discusses the following books:

* "The River Cottage Meat Book," by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

* "Smoke & Spice," by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison

* "Barbeque'n with Bobby," by Bobby Seale

* "The Home Kebob Cookbook," by Beth Merriman

* "The Playboy Gourmet," by Thomas Mario.

Wendy Lehr, the celebrated Twin Cities actor, director, and teacher presented "My Life in the Theater: I Always Said Yes!" at the University of Minnesota Friends of the Libraries Annual Celebration on May 12, 2014 at the University of Minnesota Rarig Center.