Have you noticed library staff roaming the stacks making mysterious notations in three-ring binders?  Don’t worry, we’re not stalking you.  In fact, we’re trying to make the library an even better place to do homework, find research materials,  meet with a group, and use a computer. For most of November, the library is conducting a space study to find out how you use our spaces and what we can do to enhance that experience.  So next time you see a library employee making notes in a binder, relax- nothing creepy going on here at all!  And if you have a suggestion for how to improve our spaces go ahead and tell her, she’ll mark it down in the binder.

It’s a rodeo … in the library … ’nuff said!

This year’s Bash in the Stacks welcome back party for students is sure to be a rootin’ tootin’ good time. Get out your cowboy hats and boots, because we’re having a rodeo!

Thursday, September 12 from 7-11pm at Cofrin Library

We’ll have Nerf Tag, an obstacle course, line dancing, and an old time photo booth! Test your knowledge at our trivia contest to win tickets to the General Store. Food and beverage for the night is provided by the Chancellor’s Office. So bring a friend and come on down to the Cofrin! This event is brought to you by FOCUS, Student Life, and Cofrin Library.

For more information check out our Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/447074178724731/.

By: Paula Ganyard, Library Director

What will the library of the future look like? Won’t everyone walk around with all of the information in the palm of their hand? Will there still be a need for libraries in the future? I am asked these questions rather frequently and my simple answers are I don’t know, possibly, and YES!  

Libraries have existed for hundreds of years, and I predict that they will exist for many more years to come for two reasons. First, the core mission of any library is to organize, provide access to, and assist in the use of information. Second, libraries are ever evolving institutions that continue to change as the way information is made available changes.

An easy prediction is that we will continue to see growth in electronic forms of information. Libraries and users adapted rather quickly to e-journals. The availability and use of e-books have been a bit slower, but this resource has been changing rapidly, too, in the last couple of years. There will also be more digitization and preservation initiatives, such as the Hathi Trust. When you have libraries that are evolving to meet the needs of the dynamic information environment in which we live, it is very difficult to predict what they will look like.

“The Cofrin Library advances the UW – Green Bay mission of teaching, research, and service by providing services and resources to meet the needs of its community and by serving as an intellectual and cultural asset for both the University and Northeast Wisconsin.”

It is very possible that the library of the distant future no longer will be a physical building; however, I believe there always will be a physical library as long as human beings find value in coming together in one location to exchange knowledge, regardless of where or how the information was obtained. When I think of the future of libraries, I think of the last part of the mission of the Cofrin Library, “serving as an intellectual and cultural asset.” I believe you will see libraries collaborating and merging with community cultural centers, such as museums, theatres, and community centers, to form the cultural-library of the future.

Finally, I strongly believe that as long as there are vast amounts of information overloading users, there will be a need for librarians to help them sift through it. Searching for information and the systems used will continue to evolve at a rapid rate and will become more complex which will make the professional librarian even more important.

Will there still be a need for libraries in the future? YES!

Cofrin Library, UW-Green Bay

Upcycled crafts for National Library Week.  Stop by the library’s 4th floor and repurpose an old book into a bird, a puppy, or a poem!  And to celebrate National Poetry Month, check out the oversized magnetic poetry set on the library’s 5th floor.  Happy National Library Week!

Events will run all week, April 15th through April 20th.

Cofrin Library’s Edible Book Fest winners announced! 

Check out our flickr set to see who won: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cofrin_library/sets/72157633251502389/ 

Cofrin Library’s Edible Book Fest Monday April 15^th 12-2 PM

Love books?  Handy in the kitchen?  Then register to bring an edible book to the Cofrin Library’s Edible Book Fest on Monday April 15th!  To register or to find out more about Edible Book Fest check out: http://libguides.uwgb.edu/EdibleBooks

Enter our raffle for a chance to win an edible book! Stop by the Cofrin Library 3rd floor on Monday April 15^th between 12-2 PM to view the entries in this year’s Edible Book Fest and enter for a chance to win a treat to take back to the office or home. Raffle tickets are 1 for $1 or 10 for $5. All proceeds go to a local food pantry. Raffle sponsored by Student Government Association.

The Golfing Dead
Thursday February 7th
6:00 PM to 10:00 PM 

5th floor, Cofrin Library

Parties of four will putt their way around a zombified mini golf course created by an array of UWGB offices and departments. Grab three friends and prepare to swing or come alone and we’ll add you to a foursome.  Zombie attire is welcome.

The Golfing Dead is a Snow Daze event sponsored by The Cofrin Library and The Office of Student Life.

The  3rd annual Bash in the Stacks will be held September 13 from 7-11pm in the Cofrin Library! Stop by for an evening of fun, food, and games.

Worried you’ll miss the Packers/Bears game? Don’t be! You can enjoy the game at the Library while participating in the festivities. We’ll have Nerf Tag in the Library stacks as well as tricycle races and sumo suits! Feeling a little artsy? We’ll have crafts too!

For more information check out our Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/472056352812363/.

This event is sponsored by the Cofrin Library, FOCUS, and Student Life. Refreshments compliments of the Chancellor’s Office.

Cofrin Library has the honor of being selected as the Wisconsin Library Association’s Library of the Year! We couldn’t have done it without the support of our wonderful UWGB community…so thank you!

Here’s an excerpt from the Wisconsin Library Association website:

Library of the Year: David A. Cofrin Library, UW-Green Bay
The Wisconsin Library Association Awards and Honors Committee confers the 2012 Library of the Year award upon David A. Cofrin Library, UW-Green Bay.

UW-Green Bay’s founding chancellor Edward Weidner placed the Cofrin Library at the physical center of campus. During the past three years, director Paula Ganyard and the library staff have worked hard to make sure it is the heart of the university, as well.

To improve the user experience, the library has waived the interlibrary loan fee for students and instituted text messaging and instant messenger reference services along with the ability to text a call number to a smart phone. The library has also added an embedded librarian program, a virtual shelf browsing function, library instruction via Skype and a public services department to provide faculty, staff and students with more support for their research and learning.
Cofrin Library’s improved marketing efforts have paid off with higher gate counts, a 230% increase in ILL usage and a 25% increase in reference transactions during the past three years.  They have partnered with on-campus entities to host freshmen orientation events, leadership programs, and a “Bash in the Stacks” party for 500 students! To reach out beyond campus, Cofrin participated in Community book projects with Brown County Public Library and hosted the Northeast Regional National History Day competition.

In addition to all these activities, the staff has worked to improve collections and the physical facilities and increase their participation in professional development. They have also become active fundraisers in order to move beyond the base budget. In partnership with University Advancement, the library was able to secure a generous donation to start the Robert L. Ganyard Library Endowment and triple it in the first year.

David A. Cofrin Library has much of which to be proud and is a great example of a Library of the Year.

Help the Cofrin Library celebrate 40 years of service with our very first Edible Book Festival!  On Monday February 27^th from 12-2 PM we will host a very unusual book display on the library’s 3^rd floor- all of the books will be completely edible.  You can participate by entering your own book creation or by stopping by the library to fill out a ballot and taste the books.  For more information or to register check out

http://libguides.uwgb.edu/EdibleBooks

The next time you are in Cofrin Library, take a minute to explore some of the new art pieces gracing our walls: