Monthly Archives: March 2013

New: Menu of options for main library phone number

By Chris Holobar

In mid-March, the main library phone contact number (814-865-6368) was converted to a menu of options:

“Hello, you’ve reached the Penn State University Libraries at University Park. Please select from the following menu of options:

  • For Pattee Library and Paterno library hours, press 1 (transfers to the library hours line recording)
  • For information about borrowing or renewing library materials or your library account, press 2 (transfers to Lending Services)
  • To reserve a group study room, press 3 (transfers to the Knowledge Commons desk line)
  •   For help with a project or paper, or finding library resources or services, press 4 (also transfers to the Knowledge Commons desk line)
  • For all other questions or to speak to a library staff member, press 5 (transfers to Lending Services)
  •  To hear these choices again, press 6

We chose these options based upon staff experience with the calls that we typically receive on this line and in collaboration with Knowledge Commons staff. We hope that this will prove more efficient for both library users and staff.

Diversity Research and Programming Colloquium

The 2013 Diversity Research and Programming Colloquium will be held April 3, from 2:00-3:30 p.m., in Foster Auditorium and via MediaSite Live, sponsored by the University Libraries Diversity Committee. The Colloquium will feature presentations on diversity projects from faculty and staff at University Park and campus libraries. A list of presenters and topics is on the Diversity Committee website at http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/diversity/colloquium.html

Please join us for the Colloquium in Foster or via MediaSite.

Summer is coming! Where are you getting your fresh veggies this year?

By Cathy O’Connell for the Green Team

If you do not have space or time for a garden, or if you do but don’t have the variety you would like, remember that there are many local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) offerings in the Center County area. For a list of these, please visit Buy Fresh Buy Local’s Centre County CSA List and sign up now for your weekly share of delicious and local fruits and vegetables for this year’s growing season. If you are not in Centre County, visit http://www.buylocalpa.org/ to search for fresh food in your areas.

Check back next week for information on area Farmers’ Markets!

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Undergraduate scholarship applications due April 26

If you know of an undergraduate with an interest in information or library science, suggest that they apply now for a University Libraries scholarship, which can help with current school costs. The awards include the Adma Hammam Shibley Memorial Scholarship in Library Science, the Martha Conner Memorial Award and the Ava Faltz-Miller Memorial Scholarship. They are presented annually to outstanding Penn State undergraduates. The deadline for submission is Friday, April 26. Details about each award and an application form are available online. For more information, contact Sandy Confer, at 814-863-3665, or slb3@psu.edu.

National Library Worker’s Day is April 16

April 16 is an opportunity for everyone to thank librarians and staff for their good work and contributions to library services throughout the year. This year’s theme is “Libraries work because we do” and the celebration falls during National Library Week, April 16 to 20. The University Libraries will be thanking individual units with messages tailored to staff highlights.

Celebrate National Library Week, April 14 to 20

“Communities matter @ your Library,” this year’s theme for the American Library Association National Library Week, is demonstrated daily in all of our Libraries. This celebration is coupled with PA Forward: Pennsylvania Libraries, an initiative that highlights the many roles libraries play in people’s lives and demonstrates the assistance offered by librarians and staff.

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Cahoy wins prestigious instruction librarian award

Congratulations to Ellysa Stern Cahoy, education and behavioral sciences librarian and assistant director for the Pennsylvania Center for the Book, who has won the prestigious 2013 ACRL/IS Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award. See the details here: http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/cahoy-wins-2013-acrlis-miriam-dudley-instruction-librarian-award.

Cahoy says she is so honored to receive the award. “As a librarian, teaching students is at the center of everything that I do, and to be recognized for that skill and focus is simply wonderful. I have been actively involved in the ACRL Instruction Section since 2001, and it is tremendously gratifying and humbling to receive this award from my peers,” she says. Continue reading →

Meier selected to attend Leading Change institute

John Meier, Penn State science librarian, has been selected to join a group of 40 professionals this June at the Leading Change Institute, the successor to the Frye Institute, in Washington, D.C. Pleased to be selected, Meier observed, “This is an amazing opportunity. Past participants including many library directors and deans have remarked that it is a transformative experience.”

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Author Rachel Simon to share her perspectives on intellectual disabilities at presentation

Rachel Simon, award winning author of “Riding the Bus with My Sister” and “The Story of Beautiful Girl,” will give a presentation titled “Perspectives on Intellectual Disabilities,” on Thursday, April 11 11, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., in the Katz Auditorium in the Law School. Simon will talk about her life experiences growing up with her sister Beth, who has an intellectual disability. Their relationship formed the basis for “Riding the Bus with My Sister,” which was made into a film starring Andie MacDowell and Rosie O’Donnell. The film will be shown on Tuesday, April 9, 4:30–6:30 p.m., in the Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library.

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Reception and exhibit celebrates 125 years of Life Sciences Library

Staff are invited to a reception for 125th Anniversary of the Life Sciences Library
March 28, 2–4 p.m., tours; 4–5 p.m., refreshments and remarks, with the opportunity to meet Dr. Leon Kneebone and learn about his mushroom collection. Life Sciences Library, 4th floor of the Paterno Library.

“The Life Sciences Library at 125 years,” is on display in the Sidewater Commons, 102 Pattee Library, through June 21, 2013.

In 1888, the Life Sciences Library began as the Experiment Station Library on the second floor of Old Main, which at the time comprised the entirety of The Pennsylvania State College. The old gray stone structure sheltered almost everything except the farm animals. Viewers are invited to enjoy the old photographs and commentary about the evolution of this important Penn State resource.

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Ten financial tips for students

Students interested in understanding and managing their finances are urged to attend Dr. Cathy Bowen’s financial literacy presentation, “10 Things College Students Should Know about Money,” on Wednesday, April 10, 3–4 p.m. in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library. The presentation is one in a series listed in the financial literacy guide at www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/researchguides/business/financialliteracy.html.

Continue reading →

Library lends calculators, cell phone chargers and other items

The Commons Services desk, Pattee Library, first floor, has a number of different types of calculators available for 24-hour loan, including basic, business, graphing and scientific models. Also available are cell phone charges and sync cables, headphones, ipads and laptops.

For more information, see www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/lending/equipment.html or call the Commons Services at 814-865-5429.

Events: March 25 – 31

An Evening of Pennsylvania Poets
March 26, 7:30 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library
Join us for the 13th annual An Evening of Pennsylvania Poets: Readings in Celebration of the Public Poetry Project. The evening will be followed by a reception and poster signing.

Film: Split Estate: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You – Part 2
March 27, 12:15 p.m., EMS Library, 105 Deike
(38 min) Imagine discovering that you don’t own the mineral rights under your land and that an energy company plans to drill for natural gas two hundred feet from your front door.

E-Books Don’t Exist, and Other Conundrums of Digital Access Management
March 27, 10-11 a.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library

Reception for 125th Anniversary of the Life Sciences Library
March 28, 2–4 p.m., tours; 4–5 p.m., refreshments and remarks, with the opportunity to meet Dr. Leon Kneebone and learn about his mushroom collection. Life Sciences Library, 4th floor of the Paterno Library.

SAVE THE DATE:

Tech Update
April 9 3 – 4 p.m.
Foster Aud., 102 Paterno Library, and MediaSite Live

Enjoy an evening of poetry reading

Please join us for our 13th Annual Public Poetry Project reading on Tues., March 26, at 7:30 p.m., in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library.

 “An Evening of Pennsylvania Poets: Readings in Celebration of the Public Poetry Project” is under the direction of Dr. Steven L. Herb, librarian and director of the Pennsylvania Center for the Book, and is supported by the Paterno Family Librarian for Literature, William S. Brockman; the University Libraries; the Department of English in the College of the Liberal Arts; and the Pennsylvania Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.

We are fortunate to have another great line-up this year! Our poets reading will be: Gerald Costanzo, Katie Ford, Yona Harvey, and Jeffrey Oaks.

The Public Poetry Project focuses on poets with a connection to Pennsylvania and displays the poetry in public places to make it a part of the daily lives of a greater number of people. Since the project began in 2000, sixty-one poems have been printed and placed in public places throughout Pennsylvania.

After the reading, poets will be available to sign their beautiful (and free) posters. Let’s make these poets feel welcome and appreciated by having a large crowd! –  Caroline Wermuth

New release of Scholarsphere

Judging by the recurring snow fall and the lingering cold in various parts of the country, it may not feel quite like spring yet, but we on the ScholarSphere service team have a spring in our step! We’re pleased to announce the newest release of ScholarSphere – version 1.4. This version adds two new features as well as improvements to the user interface. Visit the Content Stewardship Blog for more details.– Patricia Hswe

LHR News: Dependent Verification Program deadline is March 30

Submitted by Cathy O’Connell

Those who have not yet completed the dependent verification process will be receiving a final reminder/notice of cancellation of coverage letter from Aon Hewitt within the next several days.

Please remember – in order to continue coverage for dependents, it is very important that all required verification documents be submitted to Aon Hewitt by March 30, 2013 . If the Aon Hewitt Dependent Verification Center does not receive and verify the eligibility of dependent(s) by March 30, 2013 , those non-verified dependent(s) will be removed from the medical, dental, and/or vision plans effective April 1, 2013 ; the tuition discount will be discontinued effective with the summer 2013 semester. Continue reading →

Access Services open house assessment

By Ann Snowman

On February 14, the Access Services Department hosted an open house in the Mann Assembly room that attracted more than 70 guests who got to know us better by visiting the assorted displays and exhibits, engaging with staff and touring a variety of offices and workrooms. Access Services took the opportunity to display the skills, expertise and knowledge of our staff as they demonstrated the  contributions the department makes to the Libraries’ enterprise.

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Add important University dates to your UCS calendar

By Ryan Johnson, technology training coordinator

The bursar’s office publishes a calendar that has quite a few important University dates on it. You can add a copy of this calendar to your UCS account by going through the steps below. This will give you a separate calendar in UCS just for dates that the bursar’s office thinks are important and will appear in the top banner section of your calendar. Continue reading →