Cute as a (library) button

Last spring we asked you to design the next round of library buttons.  We had a great response and choosing the top 10 was no easy task.

You can find a different winning design available in the library each week, so make sure you drop by to complete your collection (and maybe even learn something).

Design the next Library button!

Don't you just LOVE those cute little buttons they hand out at all the uWaterloo Libraries?

One of your designs could be featured on the newest edition buttons!

We'll pick the top 10 designs to produce for distribution at all library locations starting in September.  The #1 button design will win $250! Cash!

Every entrant will get 5 buttons made of their design... just for entering!

Visit the contest webpage for all the rules and more information about how to enter.

It's a 1/4 to 9...

The Waterloo Architecture Film Club is kicking off its fall film series tomorrow night with A Single Man - the first film by designer Tom Ford.

"1/4 to 9" will feature four other films to follow throughout the term, ending with a night of short films created by the school community. For more information about the films to come, keep an eye on our blog. If you want your film screened on closing night, send your entry to us via Twitter.Support the film club by checking out their collection of films available in the library!

Drawing the line

Drawing the Line runs during the summer months here at the School of Architecture. The course's aim is to shine a light on "the importance of sketching in the study of architecture."

Under the direction of Hugh Thompson, students work to further their drawing skills with a focus on sites of historical significance.

While this year's students are busy putting pen to paper, the works produced by last year's class of 18 graduate students are now on display at Musagetes. Many sketches outline the architectural forms and details of buildings within walking distance of the school. Drop by the library and see if you can recognize any!
You can find more photos of the display over at our Flickr photostream.

Do you have a burning desire...

...to express yourself in verse? Well get your imagination warmed up for the 2nd Annual

Musagetes Poetry Contest!
February 10th - 24th
This year's theme is: FIRE

Poems can be any length and any style, ranging from witty one liners to passionate epics spanning continents and generations.

Drop your entries into the bag in the library, or post them on our contest board for all to see! You can win Hot, Hotter and Hottest prizes!

Main Entry: FIRE

Pronunciation: \ˈfi(-ə)r\

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English fȳr; akin to Old High German fiur fire, Greek pyr

Date: before 12th century

Function: noun

1 a : the phenomenon of combustion manifested in light, flame, and heat b : burning passion : ardor : liveliness of imagination : inspiration
2 : fuel in a state of combustion
3 a : a destructive burning b : death or torture by fire
4 : brilliancy, luminosity
5 a : the firing of weapons b : intense verbal attack or criticism c : a rapidly delivered series

— on fire 1 : being consumed by fire : aflame 2 : eager, burning

Function: verb

1 a : to set on fire : kindle : ignite b : to give life or spirit to : inspire : to fill with passion or enthusiasm c : to light up as if by fire
2 a : to drive out or away by or as if by fire b : to dismiss from a position
3 a : to become irritated or angry —often used with up b : to become filled with excitement or enthusiasm
4 a : to emit or let fly an object
5 : to tend a fire
6 : to transmit a nerve impulse

The Cat's Pyjamas

Congratulations to our very own GALTstudio, winners of the Nuit Blanche People's Choice Award for their twofold project!

If you didn't get a chance to see it in person, you can virtually maneuver the intersections of time and space right here:



This win comes right on the heels of North House placing 4th in the U.S. DOE's Solar Decathlon, the City of Cambridge working with students to develop guidelines for core area revitalization, and the completion of the Grand House housing initiative.

One of our current students was just published in an anthology stacked with big-name Canadian writers, and a former student was chosen to design the medals for the 2010 Olympic Games.

UW Architecture is always making its mark on the world and we're so proud of our students for everything they've accomplished this year!

Out of the darkness and into the light

From the same students who brought us cake, come more enlightened creations. You can't find these lamps at Ikea, but you can find them here! These lamps and more will be on display in the library for the rest of the year.


(Click on the images to see the incredible detail!)

They let us eat cake...

This month, 2B students in Vince Hui's Industrial and Graphic Design class certainly had their plate full. Their first task...get cooking.

The assignment? Build a structure at least 8 inches high. The clients? Musagetes Library. The building material? Cake. And this was one class that really rose to the challenge.

The five groups had less than a week to design, plan, bake and build their pastry projects. All were smart enough to interview library staff to determine our preferences, which served them well when the majority served us chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.

The hardest part was judging the decadent designs, which ranged from the literal to the symbolical in design, and from scrumptious to suspicious in flavour.

In the end, though, we all escaped with our good health and had a sweet spot for seeing what Musagetes Library means to the students...and they made it look like a piece of cake.