Monthly Archives: October 2013

LHR News for October 21

Please join us in welcoming the following new hires:

Full-time:
10/21/2013 Rita Buhite – User Services Training Specialist, Access Services

Part-time:
Commons Services – Lucy Scott
Lee R. Glatfelter Library, PS York – Edrick Brown
Life Sciences – Kendall Roth
Robert E. Eiche Library, PS Altoona – Fatimah Banguva
Scholarly Communications and Digital Scholarly Publishing – Krista Miller

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Dean’s News

By Barbara I. Dewey

We had an incredibly busy week. The Library Development Board met on Friday and I would like to thank all faculty and staff who contributed to an outstanding day for them. John Meier gave a terrific presentation on PAMS. Sue Kellerman and Mike Furlough provided remarks on the library’s preservation and digitization program. Lisa German set the stage for a fun and fascinating tour of Cato II where the Board saw the Access Services operations with Verne Neff; the Inactive Records Center with Jackie Esposito and her staff; and the preservation/conservation operation with Sue Kellerman and Diane Kurtz (wet and dry lab). The Board was very excited to get an in-depth behind the scenes look at these important library operations.

Later the Board and library donors could attend one of three special events – the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award, in the Pennsylvania Center for the Book with Steven Herb; the Heinz and Bridget Henisch Photo History Collection with Bridget Henisch, Sandy Stelts and Meredith Weber; and the student tutors and employees of the Knowledge Commons with Joe Fennewald. The Libraries’ development team – Nicki Hendrix, Marcus Fowler, Chris Brida, Shirley Davis, Karen McCulley, and Roberta Stern did an excellent job organizing and implementing the day and the evening donor reception. I would also like to thank Jack Sulzer and Sandy Confer for their assistance throughout the day. The Libraries have raised $42 million in the For the Future Campaign (our goal was $40 million) so far from our generous donors and we are not done yet!

Also, I attended the ARL Director’s meeting briefly. I’m on two ARL committees this year, Statistics & Assessment and Scholarly Communication. The Statistics & Assessment Committee included discussions on the activities of the program and their strategic alignment, metrics and qualitative indicators regarding the value of special collections, next steps regarding development of a facilities toolkit/inventory, and plans for training new assessment librarians. The Advancing Scholarly Communications Steering Committee discussed several topics including the SHARE (Shared Access Research Ecosystem) initiative, licensing issues, a presentation by Dr. Pamela Samuelson on her work to advance copyright perspectives of academic authors, and a presentation on the Force 11 movement ( www.force11.org ). I had to return to State College for the Library Development Board activities and Nan Butkovitch represented Penn State at the ARL membership meeting. Nan and Patricia Hswe also attended the ARL Fall Forum: Mobilizing the Research Enterprise which focused on SHARE.

‘Queering Penn State History’

The LGBT Resources Center and the University Libraries present “Queering Penn State History,” on October 23, from 6 p.m., in Mann Assembly Room, first floor Paterno Library.

Description: Using primary sources, attendees will piece together a blow-by-blow history of Penn State’s first gay student organization circa 1968-72.

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Events: Week of October 14

October 15, 10-11:30 a.m.: Introduction to EndNote.New location: W023 Pattee. Register online

October 16, 12:15 p.m.: Mysteries of the Deep (film), EMS Library, 105 Deike. Technology is allowing us to explore the deep seas, revealing a strange world full of mystery. (44 min)

October 16, 2-3 p.m.: What is big “D” and small “d” deaf culture? Panel discussion, Foster Aud. Full story

October 17, 2 – 4 p.m.: “Satisfactory Academic Progress,” Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library and MediaSite Live. See story

October 17, 7-8:30 p.m.: A Memoir of Deafness, presented by Josh Swiller, Foster Aud. See story Continue reading

LionSearch update

Submitted by Binky Lush

The following content has been recently indexed in LionSearch:

Chadwyck Healey – LION Biographies
Federal Reserve Archive of Economic History (FRASER) – Provides access to the U.S. economic history—particularly the history of the Federal Reserve System—through digitization of documents related to the U.S. financial system. FRASER provides digital access to historic policy documents including publications of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the District Federal Reserve Banks, statements and speeches of Fed policymakers, archival materials of Fed policymakers and more. We have indexed over 85,000 records.

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Library security: The basics and beyond

The University Libraries Health and Safety Committee invites you to:

Library Security: The Basics and Beyond LLAMA Webinar (thanks to HR for funding!)
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013 Time: 2:30p.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Room W140

When a simple “Shhh” isn’t enough, a knowledgeable approach to library security and safety can be a lifesaver. The Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) webinar presentation will provide the knowledge and skills necessary to manage threatening situations in the library. Discussion will address theoretical concepts, behavior policies, working with local law enforcement both in and out of the library, library banning policies, staff communication tools, and assessment for dangerous behavior. Strategies for avoiding threatening behaviors will be reviewed.

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LHR news for October 14

Please join us in welcoming the following new hires:

Part-time:
Interlibrary Loan – Lauren Birsic
Knowledge Commons (Welcome Desk) – Virginija Varkaliene
News and Microforms Library – Laura Brown, Cayden Dagnall
PS Berks Thun Library – Anthony Chau
PS Lehigh Valley Campus Library – Victoria Acosta
Robert E. Eiche Library, PS Altoona – Cole McCarthy, Olivia Tollok

Wishing the following employees well as they leave us:
10/18/13 Tom Stevens, Receiving Room Continue reading

How to close apps in iOS 7

By Ryan Johnson, technology training coordinator

closing ios 7 appsApple changed the App Switching/App Closing mechanism up a bit with iOS 7. It used to be that to close an app, you’d double tap the home button, wait for the app drawer to slide out, then press and hold on an icon until the little “X” appeared.

With iOS 7, double tap the home button to bring up the fullscreen app switcher, which provides a screenshot of each running application in a sideways-scrolling carousel. To close an application, simply swipe the app’s screenshot up and off the screen.

Note: Unless an app has crashed and refuses to fix itself or it’s doing something that is eating your battery, iOS 7 is designed so that most apps use little to no resources when in the background.

Event: Storytelling skills for more effective communication

Penn State Hazleton will host a free workshop funded by the Penn State University Libraries Innovation Microgrant Program in November.

Date: Monday, November 25
Time: 10:00am to 2:30pm (registration 9:30am-9:59am)
Location: Penn State Hazleton, Evelyn Graham Academic Building

Description: Don’t limit storytelling to “once upon a time.” Libraries can use the power of storytelling to more effectively communicate. Stories are better heard, understood, and remembered which is increasingly important in this distracted digital age. Join us for a half-day workshop where we will learn the influence of storytelling and leave inspired and energized with exciting ideas and practical skills.

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Real Maps of Unreal Places

Did you ever want go to Narnia, Oz, the Hundred Acre Wood or Jurassic Park? Now you can. The Donald W. Hamer Maps Library has a display of maps of fictional places. A mix of maps and books from our collection and internet resources shows where you can go by immersing yourself in a book, movie, or video game. Stop by for a break. — Heather Ross (Below are a few of the maps featured in the display)

skyrim map

Skyrim

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Library News: October 7

Events: Week of October 7

October 8, 3 p.m.: Tech Update, Read the agenda in this post. Foster Auditorium and MediaSite Live

October 8, 1-2 p.m.: Data Management Workshop, 211 Davey Lab. Register online

October 9, 12:15 p.m.: Footprints in the Sand (film), EMS Library, 105 Deike. Overfishing, pollution, over-population and over-development of our coasts are having deadly consequences. (44 min)

October 10, 1:30 – 3 p.m.: Introduction to Zotero, W315 Pattee. Join wait list

October 15, 10-11:30 a.m.: Introduction to EndNote.New location: W023 Pattee. Register online

October 16, 12:15 p.m.: Mysteries of the Deep (film), EMS Library, 105 Deike. Technology is allowing us to explore the deep seas, revealing a strange world full of mystery. (44 min)

October 16, 2-3 p.m.: What is big “D” and small “d” deaf culture? Panel discussion, Foster Aud. Full story

October 17, 2 – 4 p.m.: “Satisfactory Academic Progress,” Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library and MediaSite Live.

October 17, 7-8:30 p.m.: A Memoir of Deafness, presented by Josh Swiller, Foster Aud.

Speaker to reflect on culture and student engagement in Nicaragua

“Yo soy #Nicaragüense…How do university students in Central America perceive their indigenous culture?,” a presentation by Nicole Webster, will be held on October 23, from noon to 1:00 p.m., in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library. The event is free and open to the public and can also be viewed live online.

Webster is an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education. This past spring, she was awarded a Fulbright grant to investigate how young people engage in formal and informal contexts, and how these experiences influence their understanding and use of social capital.

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Libraries to host workshop on student aid and academic progress

The University Libraries will host a financial literacy program, “Satisfactory Academic Progress,” on October 17, 3:00–4:00 p.m., in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library. It will also be broadcast and archived on MediaSite Live at libraries.live.psu.edu, available to students at the campuses, including World Campus, as well as University Park.

Presented by Sarah Zipf, manager, Office of Student Aid for World Campus and Continuing Education, Penn State Outreach, the workshop is intended to help students learn about the three kinds of monitoring the Office of Student Aid is required to do and what they need to know in order to maintain their student aid eligibility.

The program is a collaboration of the Office of Student Aid for the World Campus and Continuing Education and the University Libraries.

A financial literacy guide developed by Business Liaison Librarian Lauren Reiter is available at www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/researchguides/business/financialliteracy.html. Reiter emphasizes, “The understanding and management of personal finance and student loan debt are financial literacy topics of particular importance to college students. Tabs in this guide include books, articles, websites, and other resources that cover personal finance and student loan debt issues.”

For more information or if you anticipate needing accessibility accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Lauren Reiter at lmr29@psu.edu or at 814-865-4414.

Libraries hold special event for Parents and Family Weekend

Submitted by Lisa German

“Do you mean students can check out books?” “Can my daughter bring her printer in and you’ll fix it?” “These photographs are beautiful.” These are just a few of the comments we heard from parents during the tours of Pattee and Paterno on Saturday morning as more than 150 students and parents took advantage of the opportunity to learn about the Libraries. Jim Quigel and Jackie Esposito explained the beauty of the Fay Lincoln exhibit. Karla shared with parents why some parents ask books to be pulled from the shelves in school and public libraries.

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