Daily Archives: January 28, 2013

Spotlight on Instruction: First-level Instruction Reaches Thousands

By Anne Behler, information literacy librarian and instruction coordinator, LLS

Each semester, the Library Learning Services department handles more than a hundred requests for course-related library instruction. Fall 2012 was certainly no exception — this semester drew the highest number of course-related instruction sessions yet.

EmilyInstruction.jpgWith a focus on the first-level courses CAS 100 (Speech), ENGL 015 (Composition), and ESL 015 (English as a Second Language), the department of six librarians taught a total of 159 course-related instruction sessions for 3,773 students. Librarians Anne Behler, Emily Rimland, Amanda Clossen, Dawn Amsberry, Glenn Masuchika, and Loanne Snavely from Library Learning Services taught the lionshare of this load, with Ellysa Cahoy, John Meier, Paula Contreras, Jade Atwill, and Megan Gilpin teaching a few session as needed. The department also made scheduling arrangements for an additional 11 classes, and provided instruction for Library Research Basics, Citation Management, and LionSearch seminars. Also teaching seminars this fall were Helen Smith, Dawn Childress, Ellysa Cahoy, John Meier, and Eric Novotny.

The Library Learning Services Department also plans and organizes the Annual Libraries Open House, an event that targets the same audience as first-level course-related instruction, and serves as a complement to the content that is offered in library instruction.

Teaching first year students is especially important because the class experience is often their first introduction to college level research, says Department Head Loanne Snavely. “It may be their first opportunity to make a personal connection with someone from the library. In addition to our goals of assisting them in successfully completing their course research, we also hope to promote a personalized connection and a positive attitude towards the library and all of our resources in preparation for the disciplinary research awaiting them in their future.”

Not only does instruction create positive connections with the library, it plants the seeds for students to make a habit of using the library facilities. This is evident in the library’s record setting gate counts, constant use of group study spaces, and the 2012 Faculty Advisory Committee on Academic Computing survey results in which more than 60 percent of respondents reported that they are aware of and/or use the Knowledge Commons facilities. In fact, room 140 in the Knowledge Commons hosted 175 classes that were offered by the library or Media Commons during the fall.

With the increased size of the incoming class last fall and the continued development of relationships with instructors for first-year required courses, Library Learning Services anticipates that the demand for course-related instruction will continue to grow. Assistance with teaching these sessions is always appreciated. If you are interested in teaching a few sessions per semester, please contact Anne Behler, instruction coordinator for LLS. New to teaching? Do not worry; Library Learning Services will work with you to get started.

Mellon Foundation Awards Libraries $1.25M Grant for Conservation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded Penn State a grant of $1,250,000 to establish a new full-time senior conservator position in the University Libraries. Based in the Department of Digitization and Preservation, the conservator will help to care for the Libraries’ extensive collections at all Penn State locations.

A permanent endowment for the position will be established with $1 million of the grant, and the Libraries will raise an additional $1.25 million in matching support over three years. The remainder of the grant will support the position during the challenge period. The Libraries will launch a national search for the senior conservator in the spring of 2013.

The Mellon Foundation has made similar grants in recent years to Columbia University, Duke University, and the Universities of Illinois, Michigan, and Washington.

Barbara I. Dewey, dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications, notes, “We are most pleased that the Mellon Foundation has given us a vote of confidence in this mission, and we are grateful for their support. With a full-time conservator, Penn State Libraries can turn to some urgent collection needs and preserve fragile materials before it is too late.”

Highlights of Penn State’s collections include significant collections of German literature and manuscripts, Pennsylvania-German broadsides, fraktur, religious materials, maps, fragile prints by the graphic artist Lynd Ward and letters of Ernest Hemingway, among many others. The Libraries’ preservation program has been developing basic conservation services for several years, but the Mellon award will greatly strengthen these efforts.

Sue Kellerman, Judith O. Sieg Chair for Preservation and head of the Libraries’ Digitization and Preservation Department, adds, “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to build a great conservation program for the Libraries. Having a top-quality conservation program at Penn State and in central Pennsylvania is indeed an unprecedented opportunity.”

Events: Jan. 28 – Feb 3

Note: Feb. 1 forum with Dr Pangborn (see below) has been cancelled. Will be rescheduled.

“Dirty Business: ‘Clean Coal’ and the Battle for Our Energy Future (part 2)

Wednesday, Jan. 30, 12:15 pm, EMS Library, 105 Deike
More information on the film series is available on the EMS website.

Introduction to EndNote
Wednesday, Jan. 30, 1-2:30 p.m., W315 Pattee Library
Register online

Dean’s Office Open House
Thursday, January 31, 2 – 3:30 p.m., Dean’s Office, 510 Paterno Library
Open House for all Faculty and Staff. Light refreshments will be available.

Open Forum with Dr. Robert Pangborn ** Cancelled — will be rescheduled**
Fri., February 1, 2 to 3 p.m., Foster Auditorium and Media Site Live
Dr. Pangborn is the interim executive vice president and provost

Storytelling for Preschoolers
Saturday, February 2, 11 a.m., Webster’s Bookstore & Caf�, 133 E. Beaver Ave
Join Steven Herb and others from the Pennsylvania Center for the Book for a fun storytelling and storybook reading event. This event supports preschool education for low-income children at the Park Forest Day Nursery Preschool.

Save the Date: Tech Update
Tuesday, February 12, 3:00-4:00, Foster Aud. and Media Site Live
More details next week

New: Create Playlists in Lynda.com

lynda logoLynda.com recently added a new Playlist feature. It is an extension of their current Queue feature. A queue is a list of lessons you created. Previously, you had only one queue. With the addition of playlists, you may now have multiple queues, and move lessons between them. You can arrange the lessons in a playlist as desired. You may have up to 10 playlists.

For more information, please refer to this article on playlists. It includes step-by-step instructions, and of course – a video!

Diversity Staff Pick Review

“The Unplayable Lie: The Untold Story of Women and Discrimination in American Golf” by Marcia Chambers

Reviewed by Eric Delozier, associate librarian, Penn State Harrisburg

Each month the Diversity Committee will publish a review of a diversity-related title from the University Libraries’ collections. I chose this particular title because of my interest in golf as both a participant and spectator.

In August 2012, it was widely reported that two prominent women, former secretary of state Condoleeza Rice and investment executive Darla Moore, accepted invitations for membership to the Augusta National Golf Club, arguably the most famous private golf club in the world and host of the annual Masters golf tournament each spring. The club was widely applauded for changing their long-standing policy against extending invitations for membership to females. The decision came ten years after Martha Burk, former chair of the National Council of Women’s Organizations, publicly accused the club of discrimination.

UnplayableLieImage-1.jpgAlthough the Augusta National story is an isolated one, the issue of gender discrimination at private and public golf facilities is not. In “The Unplayable Lie: The Untold Story of Women and Discrimination in American Golf” by Marcia Chambers (http://goo.gl/4hhjq ), the author reveals the breadth and depth of discrimination women have experienced at private golf clubs. Chambers’ book is based on analyses of legal and legislative documents and interviews with many women, some of who understandably requested anonymity. She writes about wives of regular members (WORMs) who are permitted to hold associate or guest, but not full memberships. Consequently, they are not eligible for the same privileges as spouses. She also speaks about the “grass ceiling” where restricted playing time limits female executives from cultivating business relationships on the golf course. There are also reports of women who were stalked, harassed, and shunned because they had the courage to challenge the status quo.

This book was published at a time when golf started to witness a tremendous growth in participation and spectatorship. Fifteen years later the issue remains relevant. The sport is still not perceived as one that offers equal opportunities for women and minorities despite industry attempts to “grow the game.” As someone who enjoys golf as a participant and spectator, I developed a greater appreciation for the subject of Ms. Chambers work. This book is one of approximately 51 titles on the subject of golf and women in The Cat (http://goo.gl/4BdBG) that I’ve identified and hope to read. I only have 50 more to go!

LHR News: Jan. 28

Reminders for Employees Using the ESSIC Attendance System

A few reminders for the Attendance System, for both users and those approving entries:
Personal Holiday hours – Full-time employees should add eight hours of personal holiday time (for 2013) when submitting the January attendance records at the end of this month. This is done on the accruals page that comes up when you click “Submit.” New employees must wait until they have completed their first two full months of employment before they may add in the 2013 personal holiday time.

  • Holiday Compensatory Time – Please remember that any compensatory time earned should be used prior to any vacation.
  • Vacation Maximums – Please be reminded of the vacation accrual maximums, found in HR-34 and the Libraries’ Faculty Sick and Medical Leave Policy. At the end of the month when you submit your attendance record, you must be at or below the maximum, or you will lose any time over that amount. If this occurs, when submitting the record, you must only mark the number of hours that will leave you at the maximum for your ending balance, rather than the actual time you would normally accrue.
  • Submission and Approval – Employees are reminded to submit their attendance records at the end of every month. Supervisors are reminded to review information and approve the records on a monthly basis. It is extremely important that these records are completed, reviewed, and approved monthly.
  • Recording Time Worked – As a reminder, all non-exempt employees must record all time worked using the “Time Worked (normal hours)” selection, plus account for any time missed. Exempt employees should only record time used to account for time missed (vacation, sick, etc.).

These reminders apply to all full-time employees. Part-time employees do not have access to the Attendance System and should be completing LabMan, or some sort of paper record for part-time exempt (staff or faculty, such as Fixed Term II appointments). All supervisors, of all types of employees, should be ensuring that their employees keep appropriate records and submit them on a timely basis in order review their time. If you have any questions, please contact our office at 814-863-4949 .

Note: Dickinson School of Law Libraries and George T. Harrell Library employees are provided with this information as employees of the University Libraries; however, day-to-day operational practices are guided by their respective Colleges. Dickinson and College of Medicine Library employees should speak to their immediate supervisor or local HR Representative for guidance, as necessary. Conditions of employment for Technical-service employees are further described in the “Agreement between The Pennsylvania State University and Teamsters Local Union No. 8.” Technical-service employees should refer to the Agreement for information related to the above topics. Staff employees who are less than 100% full-time equivalent should follow the guidance of policy HR-88.

Dependent Verification

Letters were recently mailed to all employees who have had dependents on health insurance or using the tuition discount, explaining how to verify dependents (or drop them if they are no longer eligible). More information on this process can be found at http://ohr.psu.edu/benefits/dependent-verification/. For all questions regarding this program, please contact Aon Hewitt’s Dependent Verification Center at 1-888-223-3338. The Verification Center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your convenience.

Discovery Day Registration Starts Soon

Discovery Day 2013 at University Park is set for Friday, March 1.

The Discovery Day planning committee is hard at work to make the 2013 event an exceptional experience for all Libraries employees. Online Registration for Discovery Day will start on February 4.

Please join us for Effective Email Communication, Zumba, a Beaver Stadium Tour, and a Gadget Petting Zoo to name a few. Wage employees are welcome; please check with your supervisor. — submitted by the Discovery Day Project Team

Storytelling for Preschoolers this Saturday

Bring your preschoolers to a fun storytelling and storybook reading on February 2, 11 a.m., at Webster’s Bookstore & Café, 133 E. Beaver Ave (plus entrance on Humes Alley).

Presented by some of State College’s best–representing the Pennsylvania Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, and Penn State’s Education and Behavioral Sciences Library:
• Steven Herb
• Karla Schmit
• Ellysa Cahoy
• Sara Willoughby

This Bright Start Fundraising Event will enthrall your preschooler while you support preschool education for low-income children in Centre County at the Park Forest Day Nursery Preschool (PFDN)–a school funded entirely by local contributions.

Webster’s will donate 25 percent of all book and other sales that day from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. On-site donations will be accepted or you may mail your donation to PFDN “Bright Start,” 1833 Park Forest Ave., State College, PA 16803.

More details at www.pfdn-preschool.org For more information or if you anticipate needing accessibility accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Cari Gustafson at chgus@psualum.com or 814-883-6355.

Bake a cake for UPLEA

Did you know that YOUR employee association, UPLEA, has an annual party honoring YOUR birthday? It is a fun get together held in the Mann Assembly room.

This year’s scheduled date is February 12, but we need YOUR help and participation to make this party a great one. It’s quite simple, we just ask for volunteers to bake one cake for each month. In the past we have had some very creative cakes (and cupcakes)! To help out with this event, please e-mail Tracie Wickersham (tkw5002@psu.edu) and let her know which month you would like to bake a cake for. Thank you for your time and participation in helping to put on a fun event for your UPLEA!

UPLEAcakes.jpg