Daily Archives: September 9, 2013

Dean’s News

By Barbara I. Dewey

I learned this week that we have approximately 16,000 Penn State freshmen (8,000 at University Park and 8,000 at the Commonwealth Campuses) which is about 700 more than last fall. I am sure you have met many of them in our libraries and on our campuses.

Posted on the Dean’s intranet page (https://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/admin/intranet.html) under the heading of Assessment-Related Topics is the excellent report “Moving Forward: Envisioning Instructional Services for the Future“ completed by our first cohort of Library Leaders – Anne Behler, Ellysa Cahoy, John Meier, John Shank. Congratulations to them for their fine work and for completing the program. I hope you saw the call for interest for our next Penn State Library Leaders cohort.

Loanne Snavely reported (from work done by Alan Shay) that Penn State was the top University Library (for the past two years) and the 2nd in the last several years in teaching and outreach efforts among ARL libraries as per the ARL Instruction Statistics. We Are!! Thank you to everyone who made this outstanding statistic possible. Our students and faculty are very lucky to have this extensive and valuable teaching expertise in their Penn State Libraries.

I hope you will save the date, October 2, 2013, 2-3 p.m. for the first Dean’s Forum of the year in Foster Auditorium and on Mediasite Live. The agenda will be on our strategic planning and space planning work. Let me or Sandy know if there are other items you would like to hear about or if you have good news I can share in the Kudos section.

University Park Libraries to host Open House this week

Penn State University Libraries are hosting a fun, interactive open house on September 11 and 12, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., in Pattee, Paterno, and all branch libraries at University Park. Student grand prizes include a chance to win an iPad, mini iPad, an Endnote subscription and gift certificate to the Penn State Bookstore among other giveaways. For more information, contact Megan Gilpin: mcg13@psu.edu. To volunteer, sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E4AA4A82EAB9-open.

Read Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980, online

Available to individuals with a Penn State access id, Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980 represents the single largest compilation of Spanish-language newspapers printed in the U.S. during the 19th and 20th centuries. The distinctive collection features hundreds of Hispanic American newspapers, including many long scattered and forgotten titles published in the 19th century. Based on the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project, a national research effort directed by Professor Nicolas Kanellos, this digital resource is the first in a new American Ethnic Newspapers series, available within America’s Historical Newspapers.

Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980 is one of many databases provided by the University Libraries in Databases by Title (A-Z) at http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/databases.html

For more information or if you anticipate needing accessibility accommodations, please contact Manuel Ostos, humanities librarian for Spanish and Latin American studies, at manuel.ostos@psu.edu or 814-865-3693.

Sri Lankan film gives candid commentary on 26-year war

“Flying Fish (Igillena Maluwo)a film by Sri Lankan filmmaker Sanjeewa Pushpakumara, will be shown on Friday, September 20, 3:30–6:30 p.m., in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library. The film will be followed by a videoconference Q&A session with Director Pushpakumara. This film is not rated and viewer discretion is advised.

scene from flying fish movie

A scene from Sanjeewa Pushpakumara’s “Flying Fish”

This event is free and is co-sponsored by the University Libraries, the Center for Global Studies, the Migration Studies Project, and the Sri Lankan Student Association. A trailer can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aezTkcrNqzQ
For more information or if you anticipate needing accessibility accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Helen Sheehy at hms2@psu.edu or 814-863-1347.

Media Education Foundation documentaries available to Penn State community

Individuals with a Penn State access id can now stream online Media Education Foundation’s (MEF) high-quality titles, including the very popular “Killing Us Softly” series, “Tough Guise” and “Dreamworlds 3.” MEF produces and distributes documentary films and other educational resources to inspire critical thinking about the social, political and cultural impact of American mass media. New titles will be added to the streaming platform as they are released by MEF. A full list of titles in the collection s can be viewed at http://pennstate.kanopystreaming.com/s-homepage.

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Events for week of September 9 and beyond

September 10, 6:30 p.m.: The public is invited to “Meet Eyal Press, author of ‘Beautiful Souls,’” an interview by Steven Herb, in Schlow Centre Region Library, 211 S. Allen Street, State College, PA. “Beautiful Souls” was selected by the Penn State Reads series to be read and discussed by incoming freshmen.

September 11 and 12, 10:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m.: The annual open house at University Park Libraries.

September 11, 12: 15 p.m.: “Hawaii: Roots of Fire” 27 min. Follows an international team of earth scientists as they work among the volcanoes of the Big Island Hawaii, pursuing clues and compiling evidence in a quest to shed light on the mysterious inner-Earth process that has been producing giant volcanoes in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for more than 75 million years. Earth and Mineral Sciences Library, 105 Deike.

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Close your WorkFlows session before leaving your workstation

By Ryan Johnson, technology training coordinator

workflowsWith a new semester underway, it’s always a good reminder to close WorkFlows when you are done with a session, especially when working at a shared computer such as at a servicedesk. If you don’t close WorkFlows, the next person who tries to login will get a “Too many tries of login” error, because the workstation is still logged in.

log off workflowsTo prevent this error, make to close WorkFlows and log off the machine when completed with your work.

LHR News for September 9

Please join us in welcoming the following new hires:

Part-time:
Collection Maintenance – Kimberly Hoffman, Taylor Keselica
Commons Services – Ambraya Gray, Hien Mai, Amanda Young
Digitization and Preservation – Samantha Ambroise, Justin Guarino
Library Learning Services – Sofia Brewer-Berres (Bednar Intern)
News and Microforms Library – Bridget Lantz, Melina Lindsey
PA Center for the Book – Ashley Calle (Bednar Intern)
Penn State Press – Megan Morris
PS Altoona – Jasmine Navarro, Taylor Rutherford, Malia Williamson
PS Beaver Campus Library – John Fletcher, Marquis Samuels
PS Behrend John M. Lilley Library – Nicholas Erich, Michael Murphy, Nathan Nero, Kimberly Shaner
PS Berks Thun Library – Iqra Habib, Racquel Stukes
PS Harrisburg Library – Alyssa Lorance (Bednar Intern)
PS Schuylkill Cilitte Memorial Library – Karla Burgos-Velazco
PS York Lee R. Glatfelter Library – Oakes Isaac
Special Collections Library – Justine Kaempfer (intern), Chatdalin Sinthorn (Bednar Intern)

Full-time:
9/9/13 Tara LaLonde – GIS specialist, Maps Library

Revised Benefits Open Enrollment Schedule is Available
A revised schedule for 2014 Benefits Open Enrollment meetings has been posted on the OHR website: http://ohr.psu.edu/assets/benefits/documents/open-enrollment-schedule.pdf. Due to some schedule conflicts, some of the campus meetings have recently changed dates or times. The meetings scheduled at University Park have not changed.

A special session has been scheduled for Libraries employees on Thursday, October 10, 2 pm to 4 pm in Foster Auditorium. This meeting will be broadcast via MediaSite if you would like to join remotely.

** Important announcement regarding the Biometric Screening Program **

With four weeks remaining, appointments are filling up quickly! Don’t miss the opportunity to learn about your health and fulfill one of the 3 steps needed to avoid a $100/month surcharge:

Biometric screenings are offered at the UP campus every weekday from now until the October 8 deadline: To make an appointment, go to https://www.ichtools.com/register.php?c=26

To learn more about the Take Care of Your Health Initiative, please go to
http://ohr.psu.edu/benefits/benefits-enrollment/take-care-of-your-health/

Benefits Open Enrollment Mailing coming soon
Be sure to watch your mailboxes at home for information on the changes for the 2014 benefits year. This mailing should go out sometime later this week. The information included in the mailing will also be posted on the Employee Benefits website around the same time, and we will share the link as soon as it is available.

Flu Shot clinics scheduled
We are happy to announce that Flu Shot Clinics have been scheduled for all campuses. Go to the Health Matters site at https://app3.ohr.psu.edu/emPower/session/index.cfm to see the schedule. In the left hand search box you can specify Flu Shots and select your campus to see available dates.