Web tip of the week, July 28, 2014: packbackbooks

http://www.packbackbooks.com/

This was created by a group of students and recent grads from Illinois State University, working hard to make textbooks affordable. They go to great lengths to make sure textbooks are affordable to students and that students get a good price on the books they sell. Be sure to use the price compare tool on this website.

Submitted by Jack Batterson

Recipe: Bette’s Breakfast Casserole

"Food" seemed to be the theme at Ellis Library last week! On Thursday, the annual Diversity Event brought with it a smorgasbord of food from around the world. And on Tuesday, we celebrated our monthly Birthday Break in Technical Services. This month we recognized birthdays, welcomed a new addition to the department (Tammie Busch, Digital Services), and said farewell to Elaine Nelson and Kat Balek (both Digital services) and Jackie Blonigen (Collection Services). There was a great selection of food that day, from dips to desserts. One popular selection was Bette Stuart's breakfast casserole. Many people asked for this quick and tasty recipe, which Bette has been kind enough to share.

Read more Recipe: Bette’s Breakfast Casserole

The MU Libraries and Enrollment Management Meet-and-Greet Diversity Event

Much meeting and greeting ensued at the MU Libraries, Cashiers and Enrollment Management Meet-and-Greet hosted by the MU Libraries Staff Association (MULSA) and the MU Libraries Diversity Action Committee the afternoon of July 17th.  Employees from the Registrar and Admissions offices were also present. Attendees brought snack foods with some personal, ethnic or cultural history, and many provided recipes. The most frequent comment was “Will there be another one of these?”

Photos from the event can be found in the MULSA photo album.

(Description and photos submitted by Rachel Brekhus.)

Book Crafts

I love craft books — but I also love book crafts. Reading a great book is wonderful, of course, but we can also find joy in transforming a superfluous book into an artful, interesting, and/or useful object. For my wedding four years ago, I cut up a brown-edged Dover copy of Jane Eyre and created Kusudama balls. It was a very time-consuming project (and I felt a little bad about destroying the book), but it saved me some money with the florist and gave a unique, romantic touch to the decor. Instructions can be found here:

Kusudama Tutorial

This week, I came across a blog post by the publisher Quirk Books listing ideas for book crafts. Several of them look intriguing!

DIY Bookish Crafts

What do you think of book crafts? Are they worth the effort — and the emotional cost of destroying a book? Have you created anything from books? Comment below or email me at blowere@missouri.edu

Posted in Diy

Knitted Washcloths

My primary creative outlet is knitting. I learned the skill from a friend about five years ago and was instantly hooked. There has been much written about the benefits of knitting:  it's calming, rewarding, keeps your fingers limber, provides a mental workout, and even burns a few calories. For a fidgety person like me, it's a way to keep my hands occupied while watching TV. I also enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with a finished project.

Read more Knitted Washcloths