Ford Library

Thames, Elizabeth Willard. Meet the Frugalwoods : achieving financial independence through simple living. HarperBusiness, 2018.

There are any number of personal finance blogs, and several devoted to living a life of frugality. One of the best known is Frugalwoods.com written by Elizabeth Willard Thames, mother of two who is living her dream life on 66 acres of woodlands in Vermont. This year, she recycled her blog postings into a popular new book, Meet the Frugalwoods. In her blog and in her book, Thames explains how she restructured the way she lived — how she spent her money and her time to craft a meaningful and contented life.

The book begins in 2006 as Thames graduates from college and takes a fundraising job for a nonprofit in New York City that pays an AmeriCorps stipend of $10,000. She considers every dollar before spending it and ends the year with $2000 in the bank. In the ensuing years, she moves to Boston; to Washington DC; then back to Boston, continuing her career as a fundraiser. Finding her work increasingly meaningless, she spends money on small luxuries to compensate. When she and her husband begin hiking in the woods every weekend, exposure to nature changes her life. They embark on a program of extreme frugality to save enough money to make them financially independent by age 32 in order to move to rural Vermont and live a life that they are passionate about.

Thames is at her best when she is evaluating the work/spend cycles of American consumer culture. People work hard at frustrating jobs and then mitigate their discontent by buying expensive homes, furniture, cars, clothes, electronics. Thames explains that people accept roles that society, family and they themselves expect, instead of living life on their own terms. To craft the independent life that she wants, Thames examines her spending to determine when it made an improvement in her life and when it was superfluous. She eliminates makeup and haircuts, buys cheaper food, does her own home repairs. She estimates her family’s savings rate of 71%.

Offering abundant tips on how to live frugally, Thames is mum about one large expense for a family – healthcare. She also fails to disclose the source of the $400,000 needed to buy the spread in Vermont – after they kept their $460,000 house in Cambridge. Their secret: her husband still has his job as a software engineer. It is easier to be independent, frugal or not, if you have a high income. Nonetheless, Meet the Frugalwoods is recommended for its thoughtful message, detailed advice and approachable style.

Also available on OverDrive as an audiobook and eBook.

© Meg Trauner & Ford Library – Fuqua School of Business.
All rights reserved.

Ford Library, in conjunction with Duke Libraries and Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, is now collecting non-perishable food and household items for those affected by Hurricane Florence.

Fine waives will be offered for donations of food items, hygiene items, and select paper products. 1 item donated =$1 in fines waived.

Donations will accepted from Wednesday 10/10 – Friday 10/26.

Guidelines:

• Replacement fees on lost items that haven’t been returned are not eligible for fine waives.
• Maximum fine waive amount per patron is $25.
• Please, no expired food items.
• Most needed items: canned fruits and vegetables, canned meats, canned beans & soup ..
• Details on other needed items are in this linked document.

Thanks for your support!

Cabot, Heather. Geek girl rising : inside the sisterhood shaking up tech. St. Martin’s Press, 2017.

The book Geek Girl Rising by journalists Heather Cabot and Samantha Walravens should be required reading for anyone interested in entering a white, male dominated STEM field. This book covers the history of women in technology or engineering fields, and in business in general, making pivotal points about the lack of diversity in the technology sector; the importance of women helping other women succeed; and the importance of metrics in effecting change.

After a discussion about the need for diversity in STEM companies, the authors discuss ways to advocate for change. The first step to change is learning the actual ratios of women and individuals of color vs white males across industries, facts that tech companies seemed determined to hide. In a lawsuit in 2008, five of the largest Silicon Valley companies, including Google, won a lawsuit that had their company employee makeup declared a “trade secret.” This was reversed around 2013-2014 when the lack of diversity in these companies gained mainstream public attention through popular campaigns like #ChangetheRatio, as well as harassment claims and other lawsuits. People became interested in making a difference, both in reporting the numbers in their workplaces and in using consumer power to incentivize companies to change.

One factor contributing to the lack of diversity in engineering and technology fields is a lack of positive role models and success stories, despite the number of women with power and influence in these industries. Media outlets fail to promote and encourage women, who often face difficult or painful work situations, leading them to leave the industry or to avoid the spotlight as it attracts negative attention. Women pioneers in tech are not cited in articles or books as if their contributions are un-noteworthy. Ultimately, this lack of visibility corresponds to a lack of access and opportunities for growth as well as an inability to inspire others. To counter, Geek Girl Rising exhibits inspirational stories from a multitude of women from a wide range of companies and industries with pithy bios, interviews, anecdotes, and upbeat newsy briefs.

To combat this lack of diversity in key industries, Cabot and Walravens recommend several solutions. First, bring the problems of working in a male dominated work place to light using metrics; for example, the recent media stories about issues at Google and Facebook. A second solution is to “ignite the next generation.” President Obama’s 2014 STEM incentives encourage children, especially girls and children of color, to enter fields involved in innovation. The authors also begin and end their book referencing one female entrepreneur, Debbie Sterling, who in 2014 came out with GoldieBlox, a building/engineering/puzzle game focused around storytelling and problem-solving for children, which was sold by Toys R Us and exhibited at the toy expo in New York’s Jacob Javits Center.

This book is also available as an audiobook on OverDrive.

© Amy Brennan & Ford Library – Fuqua School of Business.
All rights reserved.

Ford Library will be open extended hours this weekend from 8am – 8pm, Saturday (9/22); and from 8am – 12am, Sunday (9/23).

The Fuqua School will be holding make-up classes here on campus on the above dates, and Ford Library is extending its weekend hours so that our students can access reserve materials and in-house data resources.  Professional library staff will not be on site this weekend; but access to materials and resources and the Library will be available.

Here are the latest additions to our DVD collection:

Avengers: Infinity War
Book Club
Breaking In
Deadpool 2
First Reformed
Justice League
Marrowbone
Shock and Awe
Show Dogs
The Terror, season 1
Upgrade
Wildling
Woman Walks Ahead

You may browse the entire DVD collection via the library catalog.

UPDATED (9/15/18) – Ford Library will remain closed due to severe weather conditions related to Hurricane Florence through Saturday, September 15th.  Ford Library will be open from 12 noon – 6pm, Sunday, September 16th.

For updates on Library hours, please follow our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).

For updates on the Severe Weather Policy from Duke University and Fuqua regarding class scheduling and access to campus, please monitor https://emergency.duke.edu/ and your Duke email account.

Posting a list of worthwhile new books during the first week of the term in graduate school may seem ironic, especially when one of titles explains the art of perfect timing. But eventually you may want to reach beyond assigned coursework, enhance personal skills or read a business best seller. And when you do, consider one of the Ford Library’s eBook collections on Kindles. Here are 5 new books that were loaded on the Notable Kindle collection in the Ford Library.

Stephens-Davidowitz, Seth. Everybody lies: big data, new data and what the internet can tell us about who we really are. HarperCollins, 2017.
Aggregates information from Big Data sources, such as Google searches and Facebook profiles, then analyzes it to offer insights into human psychology – people’s behavior, their desires, their nature. Winner of multiple book awards, including New York Times, the Economist and PBS.

Also available in print, as an audiobook, and on OverDrive as both an eBook and audiobook.

Pinker, Steven. Enlightenment now: the case for reason, science, humanism and progress. Viking, 2018.

Presents 21st century data that proves that the world is healthier, freer, richer, safer and more peaceful than ever, while restating the truths of 18th century Enlightenment – that knowledge and sympathy can foster a better world for all.

Also available in print and on OverDrive as both an eBook and audiobook.

Pink, Daniel H. When: the scientific secrets of perfect timing. Riverhead Books, 2018.

Shows how to use the science of timing to produce better outcomes — revealing that the best decision are made in the morning; that lunch breaks and afternoon naps are underrated; and that endings color the way an entire experience is remembered.

Also available in print and on OverDrive as an audiobook.

Peterson, Jordan B. 12 rules for life: an antidote to chaos. Random House Canada, 2018.
Presents a dozen practical principles for taking responsibility for your own life. The first 3: Stand up straight with your shoulders back and a feedback loop will bring good things; Treat yourself the same way you would treat someone you loved and valued; Make friends with people who want the best for you.

Also available in print and on OverDrive as an eBook.

Coyle, Daniel. The culture code : the secrets of highly successful groups. Bantam Books, 2018.

Dozens of examples from well-known companies, sports teams and the military identifies the key ingredients in top-performing groups. Highlights the practical skills necessary for building trust and belonging, and for strengthening collaboration.

Also available in print and on OverDrive as an eBook and audiobook.

© Meg Trauner & Ford Library – Fuqua School of Business.
All rights reserved.

Whether you are a first-time visitor to our library or returning to a cherished study spot, Ford Library welcomes you.

As a reminder, our library web pages give you access to the Ford Library 24 hours every day.

On our website, you can locate information like:

• Online catalog for Duke
• Business research databases
• Full-text journals
• OverDrive eBooks and audiobooks
• Ford Library Kindles
• FAQ

You can also always contact us with your questions.

Wishing you success at the start of your academic year.

Fresh off the bestseller lists, 10 new business books have been downloaded on Kindles in the Ford Library. Here is a sample of what is available. Take home a Kindle tonight and see what thought leaders are saying.

Carreyrou, John. Bad blood: secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup. Knopf, 2018.

Acclaimed bestseller about corporate fraud in Silicon Valley’s medical device startup Theranos. CEO Elizabeth Holmes (the female Steve Jobs) raised $700 million from venture capitalists and private investors while hiding the fact that the blood test technology did not work.

Check it out on a Notable Kindle.

Eyal, Nir. Hooked: how to build habit forming products. Portfolio/Penguin, 2014.

Using the iPhone, Twitter, Pinterest, and others as examples, this brief practical book for entrepreneurs, product managers and designers shows how to use consumer psychology to create habit-forming products.

Check it out on a Notable Kindle or as an OverDrive eBook.

 
Rubin, Gretchen. The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives Better, Too). Harmony Books, 2017.

Self-help book based on a personality test that measures individual responses to internal and external expectations. Rubin’s framework sorts responders into four basic types (Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, Rebel) and offers strategies for meeting deadlines, making better decisions and engaging others.

Check it out on a Notable Kindle or as an OverDrive eBook & audiobook.

Tegmark, Max. Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Knopf, 2017.

Non-technical look at the possibilities and dangers of the coming age of superintelligence with superminds that can replicate themselves, learn about the environment, gather information, and avoid mistakes.

Check it out on a Notable Kindle or as an OverDrive eBook & audiobook.

 
Taleb, Nassim Nicholas. Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life. Random House, 2018.

Unstructured rant about a privileged class of professions such as academics, policy makers, and journalists, who profoundly impact a complex world yet remain insulated from personal repercussions. Having something at stake is necessary for fairness and justice.

Check it out on a Notable Kindle or as an OverDrive eBook & audiobook.

© Meg Trauner & Ford Library – Fuqua School of Business.
All rights reserved.

UPDATED (8/19/2018) : Ford Library will re-open to patrons at 1PM on Monday, August 20. 

At 8:30am, Friday morning (8/17/18), Ford Library experienced major water pipe breaks in the spaces above our main circulation and service desks and many staff offices.

As a result, Ford Library is closed to patrons effective immediately until further notice (Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, 8/17-8/19).  An update will be posted Sunday evening (8/19/18) regarding our hours for patron access (if any) on Monday, 8/20.

Delivery of and access to physical materials will be delayed until next week.  Reference and research assistance services will be available by email — reference-librarians@fuqua.duke.edu — during our normal hours.

Online services and resources provided by Ford Library have not been affected, and remain available through our web site.

Please send any questions related to this matter to us at library@fuqua.duke.edu.

Thanks for your patience and understanding as we work to deal with this challenge.