Monthly Archives: November 2013

Geography Awareness Week: GIS Day

Submitted by Tara LaLonde, GIS specialist

Geography awareness week is Nov 17 to  23. As part of this week, Wednesday, November 20, is GIS Day. GIS Day aims to increase awareness of geographic information systems (GIS), spatial information and mapping possibilities. The Donald W. Hamer Maps Library has a display in recognition of GIS Day.

“Exploring Rental Costs in Williamsport, PA using PolicyMap” (pictured below) highlights the search function, rental variables, and demographic variables available through PolicyMap. PolicyMap is an online mapping application with access through Penn State Libraries.

pa spatial map

”Spatial Information Resources Online Sources for Pennsylvania Spatial Information” (see below) provides an overview of sources for spatial information, data, and map creation for Pennsylvania. Sources include Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA), Pennsylvania Atlas, and more.pa map

We also have on display other examples using GIS and other imagery available in the Maps Library.

Battery recycling now accessible to library patrons

In addition to the battery recycling buckets in the Libraries Human Resources office and the Sidewater Commons staff office, there are now two located in public areas. Buckets have been placed in News and Microforms and on the second floor of West Pattee, both on top of the recycling containers. A complete list of recycling locations for various products is now available on the Green Team’s website, at http://bit.ly/1cRzGkO. — Cathy O’Connell

Passcode Protect Adobe Connect public recordings

By Ryan Johnson, technology training coordinator

A recent update to Adobe Connect allows users to set passcode to their public recordings before sharing them and add a layer of security for their recordings. If set so, users would need to provide the valid passcode at the time of accessing the recording in order to view them.

First, go to the Recordings tab for the Adobe Connect Meeting. Click the checkbox next to the recording you want to enter a passcode to and select Access Type.

adobe connectNext, choose the Public radial button and select Set Passcode. An entry window will appear allowing you to enter a 4-12 character passcode that will be used to enter the recording when the user logs in.

adobe connect

Simply center the passcode and select Save.

Dean’s News

By Barbara I. Dewey, dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications

I am pleased to announce three new advisory groups for the University Libraries. DSAC, the University Libraries Graduate Student Advisory Group and the University Libraries Undergraduate Student Advisory Group will provide additional avenues for ideas, consultation, and communication.

Dean’s Staff Advisory Council (DSAC). DSAC will meet with me periodically to discuss issues of importance to our staff. I will be relying on DSAC to bring forward topics and provide feedback on various initiatives. Anyone can bring issues to the attention of Council members. DSAC will meet quarterly. Many thanks to all who indicated an interest in serving.

Nadine Deitrich – Access Services
Courtney Dillon – Business Office
Jeff Edmunds – Cataloging & Metadata Services
Eloise Ingram – Education and Behavioral Sciences Library
Ben Hoover – Penn State Hershey
Lisa Moyer – Penn State Erie-The Behrend Campus
Kathleen Scholz-Jaffe – Penn State Press
Alissa Zawoyski – Special Collections
Jackie Peagler – Affiliate member and liaison to University Staff Council

Lisa German has initiated two student advisory groups — the University Libraries Graduate Student Advisory Group and the University Libraries Undergraduate Student Advisory Group. Both groups met for the first time over the past two weeks.

Tim Pyatt and I had the opportunity to celebrate President and Mrs. Erickson’s recent gift of the historic map of Centre County at a recent lunch. Their map previously hung in the Provost’s Office. Please take some time to see it hanging in the Eberly Family Special Collections Library.

Congratulations to recipients of the 25th anniversary “chair. Tracy Deitrich, Elaine Horner, Earl Houser, Steven Kress, and Bernice Whitehill were honored at a reception on Friday, November 8, 2013. We appreciate their dedicated service to Penn State!

UBorrow is linked from the CAT

Submitted by Barbara Coopey

Users now have the option while in The CAT to continue their search in UBorrow. A link to UBorrow is located under the “Continue search in” section on the results list and record screens. When a search in The CAT shows that the item is checked out or does not produce needed results, the user can transfer the search over to the UBorrow catalog. The UBorrow search will display holdings for the CIC (Big Ten) libraries and the Center for Research Libraries catalogs. Penn State faculty, staff, and students can place requests for books and other material for loan within Uborrow and receive a 12-week loan period. Requests are imported into and the loans are checked out on ILLiad. Because of authentication issues, E-Zborrow cannot be added to The CAT at this time. Continue reading

Events: Nov. 11

November 11, 2:15-3 :30 p.m.: Introduction to EndNote, 202 Chambers. Register online

November 11, 6 p.m.: “Girl Rising” film screening and discussion, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno.

November 12,  7:30 p.m.: Mary E. Rolling Reading series presents David Shields, New York Times best-selling author, Foster Auditorium.  Free and open to the public.

November 13, 7 p.m.: “Bridge the Gap to Pine Ridge” film screening and discussion on Oglala Lakota culture. Sponsored by the University Libraries, the Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity (CORED), the American Indian Leadership Program, and the Interinstitutional Consortium for Indigenous Knowledge. Refreshments sponsored by CORED.

November 13, 12:15 p.m.: Taking a Second Look: Communities and Dam Removal (film) 105 Deike. Addresses environmental and economic issues in deciding whether to remove rather than repair or replace dams. (22 min)

November 14, 10 a.m.: Data Management Workshop, 211 Davey Lab. Register online.

November 18, 5:30 p.m.: Presentation by Dr. Brooke Erin Duffy, “The Romance of Work: Gender and Aspirational Labor in Contemporary Culture Industries, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library.

November 19, 4-5 p.m.: Presentation by Chris Ware, winner of multiple Eisner Awards and the National Cartoonists Society Award, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library.

Engineering Library holds “Dog-tor Who” contest

Story and photo by Abby Maxwell

It’s common knowledge among most members of the Penn State community that our school is home to hundreds of clubs and organizations. One club some students may not know about is TARDIS: Penn State’s Doctor Who club. “Doctor Who” fans know that in the context of the television show, TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space) is a time traveling British Police Box. But at Penn State, TARDIS stands for True Aficionados Relating to Doctor Who and Intersecting Subjects.

Penn State TARDIS is a group of students—many of whom happen to be engineering students—who share a common love of “Doctor Who” and all things relating to British television. The club meets weekly to watch episodes, play games and discuss their passion for these various shows. In addition to meetings to celebrate their passion for “Doctor Who,” the club holds fundraising events such as pierogi days and collecting food for underprivileged local families. Bonnie Osif, engineering librarian and faculty adviser for Penn State TARDIS, says, “they are a phenomenal group—a joy to be with.” She shares their love of “Doctor Who” and states that she would love to play a role in an episode, even as a Dalek—simplified for those less familiar with the show as “basically an evil salt shaker that wants to kill you.” Continue reading

Libraries employees celebrate 25 years at Penn State

Five Libraries employees received their 25-year anniversary awards during a celebration held in Mann Assembly Room last week. Pictured here are (from left) Steven Kress, Elaine J. Horner, Bernice A.Whitehill, Earl Houser, and Tracy L. Deitrich. Congratulations to all!

recipients of 25 year anniversary at penn state pose for group shot

photo by Catherine Grigor

Use Outline View in PowerPoint

By Ryan Johnson, technology training coordinator

powerpoint outline screenshotOutline View in PowerPoint shows all the text of all slides in the presentation, no graphics are shown. This view is useful for quick reading of your slides and for quick text editing on the slides as well. Simply select the text to edit in this view, make any necessary changes and save your presentation.

Outline View is also a good way to export your data out as a Word document to use as a summary handout or to create a web page with the same content as well.

LHR News: November 11

Please join us in welcoming the following new hires:

Part-time:
Samuel Elvin – PS Schuylkill Ciletti Memorial Library
Michael Fairback – PS Lehigh Valley Campus Library
Nasiba Rexiati – Robert E. Eiche Library, PS Altoona

Full-time:
11/13/13 Emma Davidson – Receptionist, Dean’s Office

Upcoming Holidays

Thanksgiving Day
The Thanksgiving holiday will be on Thursday, November 28. The University is also closed on Friday, November 29, and this day is considered an Official Campus Closure. Continue reading

Libraries give open-shelf browsing access to more than 7,000 DVDs

Visitors to Pattee Library can now browse the collection of more than 7,000 DVDs in the Walter and Doris Goldstein Music and Media Center, Pattee Library, floor 2, west. Responding to patron requests, the DVDs have been moved to publicly accessible shelves and are arranged in Library of Congress call number order. DVDs can be checked out for seven days and renewed, if needed longer.

Used for teaching, learning and research, the Music and Media Center collection has been developed by librarians with subject expertise in the humanities, arts, communications, social sciences, and life sciences in support of curricular needs in the College of Arts and Architecture and the College of the Liberal Arts.

Continue reading

Graphic novelist Chris Ware to speak in Libraries

chris wareChris Ware, winner of multiple Eisner Awards, the National Cartoonists Society Award, among others and considered by his peers to be one of the top graphic novelists of the day, will speak on November 19, 4:00–5:00 p.m., in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library. He will discuss his creation of “Building Stories,” published by Pantheon and the winner of the Lynd Ward Prize for Graphic Novel of the Year for 2013. The evening will include an award ceremony with a cash prize of $2500, a two-volume set of Ward’s six novels published by The Library of America, and a commemorative plaque to be given to Ware. “Building Stories,” “Acme Novelty Library,” “Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth” and “Lint” will be available for sale and a book signing will follow.

Continue reading

Film and discussion examine Oglala Lakota culture and way of life

The University Libraries will screen “Bridge the Gap to Pine Ridge,” on Wednesday, November 13, at 6 p.m., in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library. The film, hosted by Chris Bashinelli, explores the life of Oglala Lakota Native Americans on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and will be followed by commentary presented by Jerry (Dean) Red Wing, a registered Oglala Sioux tribal member and male elder of the Red Wing family. The film and commentary will be followed by refreshments and discussion in Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library. The event is free and open to the public.

Continue reading

Events: Nov. 4

November 5, 2:30 p.m.: Introduction to Zotero, W315 Pattee. Register online

November 7, 5:30 p.m.: Information Night for Indigenous Ways of Knowing in the North American Context (Spring course and Maymester field trip), 113 Thomas Building

November 6, 2 p.m.: Introduction to Mendeley, E302 Paterno. Register online

November 6, 12:15 p.m.: Renewable Fuels (film), EMS Library, 105 Deike. Shows the environmental impact of renewable and non-renewable energy sources.

November 11, 6 p.m.: “Girl Rising” film screening and discussion, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno.

November 12,  7:30 p.m.: Mary E. Rolling Reading series presents David Shields, New York Times best-selling author, Foster Auditorium.  Free and open to the public.

November 13, 7 p.m.: “Bridge the Gap to Pine Ridge” film screening and discussion on Oglala Lakota culture. Sponsored by the University Libraries, the Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity (CORED), the American Indian Leadership Program, and the Interinstitutional Consortium for Indigenous Knowledge. Refreshments sponsored by CORED. More information on this program next week.

November 13, 12:15 p.m.: Taking a Second Look: Communities and Dam Removal (film) 105 Deike. Addresses environmental and economic issues in deciding whether to remove rather than repair or replace dams. (22 min)

November 14, 10 a.m.: Data Management Workshop, 211 Davey Lab. Register online.