By Barbara Coopey, assistant head of Access Services
Did you ever have a WorkFlows Circulation or Reserves question and was not sure who the best person would be to contact?
In order to improve communication and assist library staff with their circulation and reserves questions, the SirsiDynix Circulation-Reserves Expert Team created an online form for you to ask questions. The “Ask the Expert Team a Question” is located on the team’s intranet web page https://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/groups/intranet/lias_unicorn/circresteam.html. It is also linked from the Access Services Intranet web page https://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/access/intranet.html. Questions can be short like, “What is meant by the date in the Last Discharged field?” or more in-depth like asking for assistance or documentation on a particular process. Your question will be referred to the experts and someone from the team will reply to your question.
By Alex Brown, graduate assistant, Department for Information Technologies
(Brown is a graduate student in the College of Information Sciences and Technology and is a member of the Web Implementation and Management Team, WIMT.)
Web analytics is traditionally rooted in business, but the field has recently been expanding to several other fields including academic libraries. The expansion can be largely attributed to the free service Google Analytics. Since the release of Google Analytics, numerous web analytic studies within the context of academic libraries have been published.
While previous studies have proven elemental to improving academic library websites, these studies have also left a lot of room for growth primarily in terms of how web analytics can be interwoven with organizational strategy. Penn State University Libraries has recognized the need for implementing strategic web analytics and is one of the main focus areas, while migrating the website to a new content management system. The recognized importance of strategic web analytics will allow PSUL to emerge as a web analytics leader among academic libraries.
The process to implementing a strategic program has seen much success, but started by taking a step back from the data and asking questions such as: “What are our objectives? How can we measure the performance of these objectives? What technologies and methods are necessary to fulfill the plan?” Implementation has required organizational collaboration between management, web programmers, and analysts. This ultimately leads to the ability for data to provide actionable insight, not just for the present, but also sets in place a roadmap for future analysis as well.
Since the initiative to implement a strategic web analytics program has started, PSUL has implemented an overarching strategy, implemented new technologies and methods, and captured new forms of data. Despite success, the initiative is not complete, as web analytics is a process of continual improvement. Future methods, for example, seek to improve the efficiency of pixel space and measure the return on investment for databases. Web analytics is a powerful process that PSUL is committed to innovating and leading within academic libraries.
By Victoria Raish, graduate assistant, Knowledge Commons
(Raish is a Ph.D. candidate in Learning, Design, and Technology, Learning and Performance Systems)
As many of you are probably aware the Penn State Pattee Paterno Libraries renovated and opened the Knowledge Commons in the fall of 2012. Since this time the space has proved to be a very popular destination among students and if you walk in on a typical academic day the space is likely to be full. What you might not be aware of is that since the Fall of 2014 the library made the decision to add a graduate assistant under the tutelage of Joe Fennewald, head of the Knowledge Commons, to develop a research agenda around this space.
As part of this research we have created a comprehensive ethnographic study of informal learning spaces on campus. One of the challenges of studying informal learning spaces is how to assess them. There have been calls to assess how these spaces impact student learning. However, because the spaces are informal and authentic, it proves to be a challenge to control confounding variables enough to attribute student use of the space to improved learning outcomes for them. However, one way that we can assess informal learning spaces is to observe student behavior across many spaces on campus.
Our research agenda focused on student behavior in the Knowledge Commons, in the Paterno Reading Room, and in the Pollock Computer Lab. The driving force behind this decision was that many studies have looked at student behavior within a ‘typical’ knowledge commons space but have limited their study to that space. By looking across spaces we are better able to assess if the behavior exhibited in students in the Knowledge Commons is similar or different than the behavior of students in other informal learning spaces. Our methodological toolkit involves:
1. Seating sweeps of the space where we keep a checklist of student possessions and activities
2. Focused field observations of the spaces
3. A survey of typical behavior
4. A Google Analytic analysis run by Alex Brown, another graduate assistant of the libraries, looking at Penn State Library websites visited while in the Knowledge Commons or Pollock Computer Lab
5. Interviews with students who choose to study in these three spaces.
As a result of this research we hope to add knowledge on how students are using specific informal learning spaces and why they choose to use these spaces. We are happy to say that the assistantship has been extended into the 2015/2016 school year and are moving in the direction of studying collaborative activity in the group study rooms within the Knowledge Commons.
Library Management Council minutes for March 2015:
https://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/groups/library_management/intranet/2015minutes.html#031015
March 23,5:30-6:30 p.m.: Spring Clean Financial Clutter, a workshop presented by Dr. Daad Rizk. Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library. (This event was rescheduled from March 4.) For more information and to register, go to http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/researchguides/business/financialliteracy.html#moneycounts
March 26, 4:30 p.m.: The 2015 Charles W. Mann Jr. Lecture in the Book Arts, “Why Flashlights? Because Batman! A Bookseller’s Adventures in the Archive” by Lorne Bair, proprietor of Lorne Bair Rare Books, with a special introduction by graphic designer and author, Chip Kidd, Foster Aud.
March 26, 5:30 p.m.: “Telling the Story of a Few Good Women,” a talk by Lee Stout, Downsbrough Community Room, Schlow Centre Region Library, 21 S. Allen Street. Light supper followed by presentation. RSVP by March 23 to Christine Bishop, cbishop@ccysb.com.
March 26, 7:30 p.m.: The fifteenth annual “An Evening of Pennsylvania Poets: Readings in Celebration of the Public Poetry Project,” Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, followed by a book sale and poster signing.
April 6, from 1– 3pm: “Digital Aesthetics, Art, Life and Museums,” a conversation with Metropolitan Museum of Art digital asset specialist Neal Stimler and some of Penn State’s most progressive thinkers in this field, Foster Auditorium, first floor, Paterno Library. Registration is required. To register, go to http://wp.me/P3b4X9-1C2.
April 10: Anna Fariello, Western Carolina University, to present “Curating Community.” More details to come
April 16: Norman Granz: The Man Who Used Jazz for Justice, presented by Tad Hershorn, Institute of Jazz Studies, Dana Library, Rutgers University, Newark. Details next week
April 20: “Inch by Inch…Building Institutional Capacity for DH Through Inter-and Trans-disciplinary Collaboration, presented by Orla Murphy, University College Cork, Ireland.
April 22: “What is financial literacy?,” a workshop. Details to come
April 23: “Mapping Matters: Space and Place in the Humanities,” a one-day symposium on the intersection of mapping, digital humanities, and pedagogy, Pattee and Paterno Libraries. See details in this week’s blog post.
** Also see “Training and Enrichment Opportunities” for additional staff events.
Penn State University Libraries and the Pennsylvania Center for the Book are pleased to announce the winner of the 2015 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award. This year’s winner is “The Crossover” written by Kwame Alexander, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books. The award and a $1000 prize, courtesy of Lee Bennett Hopkins, will be presented at Penn State in the fall.
One judge remarked, “‘The Crossover’ is light on its feet — fast, smart and gripping.” Another commented, “The fast-paced, hip hop story is a fresh example of poetry that evokes action and emotion in a way traditional writing could not.” And from another, “Kwame Alexander’s writing set a perfect pace to tell the complicated relationship of twin boys who share a love for basketball along with their devoted yet stubborn father. He has given us a book that even the most reluctant reader can’t resist. We learn some things about basketball, but a lot more about life.”
Additionally, judges gave an honor award to “Firefly July,” poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, and published by Candlewick Press.
Established in 1993, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award is presented annually to an American poet or anthologist for the most outstanding new book of poetry for children published in the previous calendar year.
This prestigious award is named for Lee Bennett Hopkins, the internationally renowned educator, poet, anthologist and passionate advocate of poetry for young people. Selected by a panel of teachers, librarians and scholars, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award was the first award of its kind in the United States. The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, the Penn State University Libraries and Lee Bennett Hopkins share joint administration of the annual award.
The judges for this year’s Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award are Chair Tim Wadham of Puyallup, Washington; Kathy Barco (library consultant, retired children’s librarian/early literacy coordinator) of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Andrea Cheng (children’s book author) of Cincinnati, Ohio; Cindy Judd (associate university librarian, Learning Resources Center, Eastern Kentucky University) of Berea, Kentucky; and Heather Roney (owner of Sweets N’ Stories Bookstore) of Oakes, North Dakota.
For more information about the Hopkins Award, contact Caroline Wermuth at 814-863-5472; cvw1@psu.edu, or visit the PACFTB website.
Penn State University Libraries faculty voted recently to embrace open access principles when publishing their scholarly articles. The Open Access Policy, passed into legislation at the February 11, 2015, Library Faculty Organization meeting, preserves the right of library faculty to publish where they wish, but encourages authors to take advantage of open access opportunities whenever feasible.
An underlying principle of open access is to make scholarly output available at no cost to readers. In addition to the proliferation of reputable and high quality open access journals, many traditional publishers are amenable to authors making a version of their articles accessible online, either at the time of formal publication, or following an embargo period.
“As librarians, we are often the ones talking about open access and encouraging faculty to share their scholarly work with a wider audience of readers, whether through reputable open access journals or trusted repositories. Now, library faculty have made a commitment to distribute our own professional and scholarly articles using these same practices,” says Penn State Mont Alto librarian Tom Reinsfelder. “Plus, open access has been shown to help authors achieve greater recognition and impact through increased readership and citations, while also maintaining the traditional peer review process,” he adds.
ScholarSphere, Penn State’s repository for scholarly work launched in 2012, will be the institutional location for deposit and sharing of faculty research. ScholarSphere records are harvested regularly by search engines such as Google, increasing the likelihood of ready discovery over the Internet. Dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications Barbara I. Dewey lauds the new policy. “This commitment to open access that our librarians have made will enable their scholarly work to be shared more widely. Ultimately, the open access dissemination of their research findings will lead to Penn State librarians making an even greater contribution to librarianship, information literacy, and related fields than ever before.”
Penn State Libraries faculty join their colleagues at other institutions including Columbia, Arizona State, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Oregon State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and the University of Northern Colorado, who have all voted to support the principles of open access for their scholarly work.
The first vote in favor of open access within a university faculty in the United States took place in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences on February 12, 2008. Other faculty organizations, both nationally and internationally, have followed suit, endorsing institution-wide as well as department or college-wide initiatives. Institutions where the entire faculty body has voted in support of open access include the University of California, Cornell, Princeton, Duke, and the University of Kansas.
Inquiries and questions may be directed to Linda Friend, University Libraries Scholarly Publishing Services, Penn State University, 309 Pattee Library, University Park, PA 16802. Phone: (814) 865-2486 or e-mail: lxf5@psu.edu.
Penn State University Libraries are hosting the 2015 SirsiDynix Northeast Regional Users Group (SNRG) on June 8-9, in Pattee and Paterno Libraries.
The Planning Committee is now accepting conference session proposals. Please consider sharing your experience in working efficiently with SirsiDynix products. Suggested topics include acquisitions, Bluecloud Analytics, cataloging, circulation, course reserves, Directors Station, Enterprise, Interlibrary Loan, materials booking, public services, reference, serials, systems/API, technical services, and general topics related to SirsiDynix.
Submit your proposals at https://surveys.libraries.psu.edu/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=7631664
The deadline for submission is April 10. You will be notified of proposal acceptance by April 24, 2015.
Please contact ul-Snrg15Proposals@lists.psu.edu with questions about your proposal.
SNRG 2015 conference information is available at https://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/snrg2015.html
SNRG 2015 Conference Planning Committee:
Dace Freivalds
Linda Klimczyk
Katherine Strenko
Barbara Coopey
Chris Holobar
On Thursday, AAUW’s State College Branch, Penn State University Libraries, Women in Business and AAUW of Penn State are sponsoring the program “Telling the Story of a Few Good Women.” Please join us for a light supper with speaker to follow, and learn more about how Barbara Franklin and a few good women began to change things for women in government in the early 1970s.
Speaker: Lee Stout, Librarian Emeritus, Penn State University Libraries and author of “A Matter of Simple Justice”
Date: Thursday, March 26, 2015
Time: 5:30pm
Location: Schlow Centre Region Library
Reservations Requested: Please notify Christine Bishop at cbishop@ccysb.com or 814-441-3571 by Monday, March 23, to reserve your seat.
By Ryan Johnson, technology training coordinator
Have you ever noticed that your iPad calendar app is not showing your updated UCS calendar? I recently discovered I can refresh my calendar on my iPad easily to reflect my current UCS calendar.
1.) First, open your Calendar app.
2.) Select Calendars on the bottom of the screen in the app. A Show Calendars window will appear.
3.) Finally “pull down” the area between Show Calendars and Show All Calendars (see below). This will refresh your calendar to the latest changes on your UCS calendar.
Please join us in welcoming the following new hires:
Part-time:
Emily Gerhart, Collection Maintenance
Jordan Nixon, News and Microforms Library
Wishing the following employees well as they leave us:
Lauren Kime George T. Harrell Health Sciences Library
This month’s featured read from the Diversity Committee is “Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Reviewed by Nicole Miyashiro, Pennsylvania Center for the Book
Also see: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s biography on the Pennsylvania Center for the Book website
While Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Americanah” has been most commonly dubbed a cross-continental love story, it may be more aptly labeled a journey of self-sufficiency through displacement. Ifemelu – an affluent daughter of academic professionals in Nigeria, Africa – has the opportunity, envied by friends, to study in America. Leaving the comforts of home and her reserved, passionate-minded boyfriend behind, Ifemelu finds herself alone, nearly destitute, and too proud to admit it in the sweltering, not as cold as she’d imagined, America. From the moment her aunty picks her up in a rundown Toyota amid a New York City heat wave, Ifemelu must find a way to make a decent living in a foreign place, and this is the crux of Ifemelu’s struggle for independence and self-affirmation. “[T]he real America, she felt, was just around the next corner she would turn.”
Throughout her journey, especially in the first quarter of the book, Ifemelu’s apprehension is expressed through critical observations of her new locale, e.g. “These Americans cannot speak English” and “She was disoriented by the blandness of fruit…” Eventually, she finds herself in a compromising situation that has her clawing in and out of depression and sorting through its consequences – this, for me, is the heart of the story and where Adichie shines in her ability to characterize the misunderstood behaviors of someone struggling through hard and lonely times.