This week in Library News:
Daily Archives: June 17, 2013
Events: Week of June 17
June 18, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m: “Fraud, Scams and ID Theft,” a seminar by Amy Shuey, will be presented from on in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library. The free seminar intended for Penn State students, faculty and staff will cover identity theft prevention tips and the newest fraud schemes and will discuss how to avoid being scammed.
June 20, noon: UPLEA cookout, Paterno Library underpass.
June 20, 3:00-4:30 p.m.: “Look Before You Leap: Getting Student Loans.” Dr. Daad Rizk will present on borrowing student loans, in Foster Auditorium. This workshop is part of MoneyCounts: A Financial Literacy Series.
June 22, 2:30–3:30 p.m., Campus plant tour, meet in exhibit area, The Eberly Family Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library. Continue reading
LHR News: June 17
Please join us in welcoming the following new hires:
Part-time:
Lois Breon – Collection Maintenance
Patricia Flores – Lending Services
Michael Hricik – Penn State Press
Rachel Tyburski – News and Microforms Library
Director’s Station tip – How to create a list of items that never circulated
By Trish Notartomas
Are you thinking about weeding or annexing a portion of your collection this summer and need a place to start? Here’s one idea – look at the items that never circulated.
Use the All Catalog Measures Module.
Select a location for your library in the Home Location filter.
Select Never in the Date Last Checked Out filter (uncheck the All box, then check the Never box)
Select Book and Serial (or Book, Bookfloat, and Serial at a campus) in the Item Type filter
Swap the LC Call Number filter in the dimension pool with the Item Library filter in the report area. Continue reading
Apply for microgrant by Friday, June 21
Now is the time to consider applying for a University Libraries Microgrant. The Microgrant Program funds small projects that foster innovation in support of the University Libraries strategic initiatives. This is a great opportunity to experiment with new services, processes, diversity initiatives, technologies, or sponsor exciting workshops. University Libraries staff and faculty are encouraged to apply. Application deadline is Friday, June 21, 2013. So, visit the Microgrant Program website for more information and see what projects were successfully funded in the past: https://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/admin/microgrant-program.html
Testimonial from 2012-2013 Innovation Microgrant recipient Linda Musser:
Power to the People – Safely
The microgrant I received in 2012 allowed me to purchase 9 portable batteries to loan to users for use with their personal devices (e.g., smart phones and laptops). Five different models were purchased so we could compare capabilities and see which users preferred. It was very beneficial to be able to purchase the various models for comparison since no amount of browsing online can compare to actual in-hand testing. Without the microgrant, I would have had to guess which of the batteries would best suit our needs. It was a great chance to leverage a little bit of money to experiment with something new and different.
We need your input!
Submitted by Dace Freivalds, LMSRWG chair
Are you tired of managing ebooks in a system designed for print materials? Are you having trouble getting data on collection usage from our current ILS? Have you had to develop one too many workarounds to get things done in WorkFlows? Then we need your input.
The Library Management System Requirements Working Group (LMSRWG) was recently charged by the Libraries’ administration to “Define library management system functional requirements for the University Libraries for all components (selection, acquisition, cataloging, discovery, fulfillment, ERM, publishing and curation services, etc.) across all resource types (print, electronic, digital, e-books, open access and repository based materials, multi-media, etc.).” Our current library management system, or integrated library system (ILS) as it is typically called, is SirsiDynix Symphony, WorkFlows and the CAT. During the past decade, our SirsiDynix system has facilitated the acquisition, cataloging, inventory control, circulation, and discovery of our print collections. Our current ILS was designed for a print world and cannot be easily reconfigured to accommodate electronic resources and digital materials. Given that 70% of our collections budget is spent on electronic resources and digital materials, it is necessary to start looking at library management systems that can manage the Libraries’ resources in a comprehensive and unified way regardless of resource format and location.
LMSRWG team members are: Bob Alan, Barbara Coopey, Jeff Edmunds, Mike Giarlo, Lauren Kime, John Meier, Emily Rimland, and Dace Freivalds. We will be contacting departments, both those who use and do not use our current system, during the summer to start gathering requirements for a new library management system. In thinking about requirements please focus on future rather than current needs – blueskying and thinking out of the box are encouraged. The new LMS will affect everyone!
And one more thing. LMSRWG doesn’t roll off the tongue easily, and we would like to come up with a tagline for our group that we can use to easily identify ourselves when communicating with you. Please send suggestions to us by Tuesday, July 9.
Our group email address: UL-LMSRWG@LISTS.PSU.EDU
How to minimize the ribbon in Office
By Ryan Johnson, technology training coordinator
If you need more space when composing a Word document or and Excel spreadsheet, you can minimize the Office ribbon and still have access to its features.
To put the Ribbon into minimized mode, just right-click an open area on the Ribbon and choose Minimize the Ribbon. You can also use the shortcut CTRL-F1
With the Ribbon hidden you can still pull up the menus by clicking a tab which relates to a type of activity. The Ribbon will hide once you click your mouse away from it.
To restore the Ribbon, right click again in the ribbon and unselect Minimize the ribbon or again use the shortcut, CTRL-F1.