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ledge everything they could possibly desire and more. I spend more than half my week lost in the stacks and rows of carefully cataloged books looking into topics from lectures I want to better understand, or simply to quench my curiosity for a personal project. At the library, we get to hear personal “library stories” every day. We witness the UI undergraduate from Boise, scholarly, personal, and Laura Gray professional relationships that form as diverse members of the university community come together in library spaces to use library resources to inform their growth as scholars and people. It is a pleasure to be able to share just a few library stories with you here in the hope that you can see at least a partial picture of the work your gifts make possible. Your continued support of the University of Idaho Library ensures that our spaces and resources will be here to help people create their library stories for generations to come.
own work as a student. She says: The Interlibrary Loan system is one of the most useful tools for my research- I am consistently pleased by how quickly I am able to access materials and also how the library is able to find what seem to me to be incredibly obscure resources. The reference librarians are approachable and helpful at all stages of the research process. One of my other favorite things about the library is the organization of the books - this may seem obvious, but as a writer, it is always nice to be able to scan surrounding books and find more resources I might not have found simply by author or subject title. We’ve heard from a faculty member and a graduate student, but what about those who are newer to campus and academic life? How does the library work in their lives? Laura Gray is an undergraduate English major from Boise who finds the library indispensible to her studies. She tells us: As a student, especially as an English Major, the library is not only a key resource for my learning and research, but a place to further investigate topics that we have touched upon in class. The University of Idaho Library’s books, journals, and microfilm can be accessed by anyone who asks for it. These resources and our Special Collections that contain history from all over the Western United States give any student with a thirst for know-
Elephant Toothpaste!: Chemistry Magic in the Library On a rainy Monday afternoon in April, six graduate students from the University of Idaho Chemistry Department and our very own Professor Dumbledore (a.k.a. Dr. Tom Bitterwolf ) brought the magic of chemistry to the library. The students provided an amazing show for the enthusiastic audience, which included students, staff, faculty, community members and local children. They demonstrated making “elephant toothpaste” (a foamy substance caused by the rapid decomposition of hydrogen peroxide) and chemical color changes. They also gave a very personal demonstration (see below) of how the human body conducts electricity. Finally, one lucky young audience member got to assist the students in creating a truly magnificent “cloud” with liquid nitrogen. The library hosted these demonstrations to complement the Harry Potter’s World exhibit. The students said they enjoyed preparing and presenting the show and the audience was obviously delighted. The library creates an educational and scholarly crossroads on campus, where ideas can cross-pollinate. Bringing chemistry to the library gave chemistry students a chance to check out a nearby poetry display, and reminded English majors and others who may not have darkened the door of a lab since high school of the wonders of science.
Chemsitry graduate students Temple Warwick, Conner Jeffries, and Rachel Faulkner have an electrifying experience as part of the chemistry demonstrations.
Dumbledore (aka Dr. Tom Bitterwolf) talks to some children in the library before the Elephant Toothpaste! Chemistry Demonstration on April 16th
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