Daily Archives: January 12, 2015

Library News: January 12

LHR News: Jan. 12

Please join us in welcoming the following new hires:

Full-time:
1/14/15 Lori Lysiak, reference and instruction librarian, Penn State Altoona

Part-time:
Raechel Martin, Research Hub
Austin Harris, Behrend College
Aimee Ozarchuk, Behrend College

Wishing the following employees well as they leave us:
Alan Shay, data analyst

Exhibition highlights Penn State in Space

“Feet on the Ground, Head in the Stars: Penn State in Space,” an exhibition from the Penn State University Archives is on display in Robb Hall, the Hintz Alumni Center, January 27 through June 18, 2015.

On July 20, 1969, when astronaut Neil Armstrong landed on the moon and stated, “This is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” the imagination of a nation was elevated beyond its wildest limits. At Penn State, creativity, innovation and research were sent spiraling ever upward and onward with space as its goal and vision of an unimaginable future never out of reach. As Penn State anticipates the progress and success of the current Lunar Lion efforts, this exhibition through images and diagrams reflects on the many projects and achievements involving Penn Staters that have changed the face and future of space exploration and research.

The exhibition features Penn State’s outstanding astronauts: Guion Bluford (1st African-American in space), Paul J. Weitz, Robert J. Cenker and James Pawelczyk and their various missions. It also showcases the outstanding and numerous space-related projects in which Penn State has participated since that fateful day in 1969 including the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, Mars Curiosity Rover, numerous Space Shuttle missions and experiments, Swift Telescope, Skylab, pulsars and planet discoveries, Davey Lab and Penn State Behrend observatories to name just a few. The exhibit also features a visual tribute to the current Lunar Lion efforts to revisit the Moon, WPSU space programming, AstroFest events and even a nod to our own Star Trek participant/alum Jonathan Frakes.

The exhibition is structured to whet the imagination and encourage visitors to pursue explorations into the many and various ways Penn State has reached for the stars and enhanced the universe of space, space exploration, space research and space travel—yesterday, today and definitely tomorrow. The exhibition reflects a concept Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium, elucidates, when he said, “I think of space not as the final frontier but as the next frontier. Not as something to be conquered but to be explored.” Clearly Penn State’s visionaries have had the same enthusiasm for space and have illuminated that vision through their various efforts for over fifty years.

For more information or if you anticipate needing accessibility accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Jackie R. Esposito, University Archivist, 814-863-3791 or jxe2@psu.edu.

Knies appointed head librarian for Wilkes-Barre

Jennie Levine Knies has been appointed head librarian of the Nesbitt Library for the University Libraries at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. Knies will begin her appointment January 26.

Since 2012, Knies has served as the manager of Digital Programs and Initiatives (DPI) in the Digital Systems and Stewardship Division at the University of Maryland (UMD) Libraries. DPI is the conduit through which UMD Libraries’ staff communicates ideas regarding projects that have a digital focus. Knies notes, “As manager of DPI, I was responsible for leadership and oversight of the department, which included Digital Collections, the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland, Research Data Services, Digital Scholarship and Publishing and digital preservation policy.”

Barbara I. Dewey, dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications, explains, “Knies will oversee the operations of the Nesbitt Library’s new academic facility that encompasses 7,600 square feet of space on the second level of the Academic Commons, and she will be a valuable leader for the Libraries’ collections and services, serving students, faculty and others at Penn State Wilkes-Barre.”

Knies has an MLS and a B.A. in Russian area studies from the University of Maryland. She spent a year as the Western Fellow at the Open Society Archives in Budapest, Hungary, and several years in private industry before starting at the University of Maryland in 2000. She has collaborated with colleagues to establish routine processes for test servers and “sandbox” testing of open source applications. She established UMD’s Digital Scholarship and Publishing Program and was the principal investigator on the National Digital Newspaper Project grant to UMD. Her past research interests have included primary source literacy and digital humanities collaborations between librarians and faculty.

For more information, please contact Rachael Rybicki at 570-675-9269 or Public Relations and Marketing at 814-863-4240.

Langley appointed new associate dean in Libraries

Anne Langley has been appointed the new associate dean for Research, Collections and Scholarly Communications for the University Libraries at Penn State. She will provide leadership, strategic direction and support for the Engineering, Earth and Mineral Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Education and Behavioral Sciences, Social Sciences, Special Collections, and Business libraries and the Research Hub among other areas. Barbara I. Dewey, dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications, notes, “Langley will be a key part of the Libraries’ administrative collective leadership team and will provide direction for research consultation and scholarly communications services.”

Langley adds, “I am looking forward to collaborating with my new library and campus colleagues as we find innovative ways to support the research, teaching and learning of the Penn State community of scholars.”

Langley comes to Penn State from Princeton University where she is the director of Scholarly Communications and head librarian for the Science and Technology Libraries. Previously she held several positions in the Duke University Libraries, including serving as head of the Chemistry Library, coordinator for the Science and Engineering Libraries and coordinator for Public Services Assessment. She has also held positions at North Carolina State University and the University of Tennessee.

Langley earned a Master of Science and Library Science from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Arts in English and creative writing from Georgia State University. She did additional undergraduate work in chemical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and work in chemistry and general engineering at Santa Monica College.

She has presented and written on a wide range of topics that have focused on collaboration, planning and assessment among other topics. She is active professionally and is currently the chair for the Coalition for Open Access Policy Institutions (COAPI) and a member of the advisory board for the University of Tennessee’s School of Information Science.

Langley will join the Libraries at Penn State on or before August 1, 2015.

Wage and tax fundamentals

“Wage and Tax Fundamentals” will be presented Wednesday, January 21, 5:30–6:30 p.m., in Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library. Taxes are something nobody enjoys thinking about, but it’s important to ensure that you fulfill your legal obligations and avoid penalties or other problems. By educating yourself about tax and wage fundamentals now you may even help yourself save some money on your tax bill later.

Penn State’s financial literacy coordinator, Dr. Daad Rizk, and Dr. Cathy Bowen, professor and consumer issues specialist, will cover some important tax-related topics in this MoneyCounts workshop.

Refreshments, including pizza, veggies and beverages, will be provided.

The presentation is part of the Money Counts: a Financial Literacy Series, a collaborative effort of the Penn State Commission for Adult Learners and the University Libraries.

Additional details are online at http://bit.ly/1rzz1Jw. Registration is available online at http://bit.ly/14vwFV6.

A previously recorded version of Wage and Tax Fundamentals as well as other MoneyCounts presentations are available in the MoneyCounts: A Financial Literacy Series, see the left-hand column listing, at tinyurl.com/FinLitMCSeries.

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 814-865-4414.

Adding Alt-Text in Microsoft Word 2013

Alt-Text can be read by a screen reader in a Word file. Adding Alt-Text to images in Microsoft Word 2013 has changed from 2010. Follow the instructions below:

Adding Alt Text

1. Right-click on the image and choose Format Picture.

2. Select the Layout & Properties icon and choose Alt Text.

3. Enter appropriate alt text only in the Description field (not the Title field).

Meeting Minutes: DLC

Dean’s Library Council meeting minutes:
https://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/groups/dlc/intranet/2014/dlcminutes121614.html

Training and enrichment opportunities

Submitted by Rita Buhite, user services training coordinator

These events are open to all University Libraries employees.

So HELP Me
This workshop will consider some of the challenges of customer service and how best to handle them. You will learn techniques that will help you solve customer problems quickly and to the customer’s satisfaction. The video, “So HELP Me,” along with the training session, will not only demonstrate techniques for solving customer problems, but will also make the customer service experience more satisfying to our customers and to you.

Workshop will focus on

What customers value – positive and negative customer service
What’s the toughest part of customer service?
Owning the problem
Creating an action plan

Dates and Times
March 11, 2015 2:30 – 4 PM
Instructor: Rita Buhite
Location: Mann Assembly Room
Duration: 1.5 hours
Register in TechSmart
The Pennsylvania State University encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Rita Buhite ( rbb21@psu.edu or 814-867-5034 ) in advance of your participation or visit.

Privacy and Confidentiality
What would you do if law enforcement came to your service desk and asked you for patron information? Do you give it to them or call for help? Find out the answer to this and other privacy and confidentiality questions in this interactive, scenario based workshop.

March 19, 2015 3-4 PM
Presenter: Ann Snowman
Location: Mann Assembly Room
Duration: 1 hour
This presentation will also be available on Adobe Connect.
Register in TechSmart

The Pennsylvania State University encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Rita Buhite ( rbb21@psu.edu or 814-867-5034 ) in advance of your participation or visit.

Assisting Patrons with Disabilities
In this workshop, Susan Hayya will explain the services available to our patrons and how can we better provide equal access to information to all of our patrons, including those with disabilities.

April 8, 2015 10-11AM
Presenter: Susan Hayya
Location: Foster Auditorium
Duration: 1 hour
This presentation will also be available on Media Site Live (http://live.libraries.psu.edu )
Register in TechSmart

Panel Discussion – Assisting Patrons with Disabilities
Susan Hayya will lead this panel discussion on assisting patrons with disabilities. Members of the Libraries Disabilities Services Committee will serve as panelists and will share their perspective as well as knowledge and experiences.
April 21, 2015 10-11AM
Presenter: Susan Hayya
Location: Foster Auditorium
Duration: 1 hour
This presentation will also be available on Media Site Live (http://live.libraries.psu.edu )
Register in TechSmart

Events: Jan. 12

January 14, 10:00 a.m.: Office 13 – What’s New! See TechSmart for location and details.
Office 13 will soon be available on Public and Staff machines at the University libraries. This session will cover what has changed in the main interface from Office 10 and what’s new in including the bookmark feature, inserting video from online sources and the ability to edit PDF documents.

January 19, 11 a.m.: Audio broadcast of Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic 1965 address at Rec Hall, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library. The event, which is organized by the University Libraries Diversity Committee, is open to all, and students and the public are encouraged to attend. A related slide show will be presented along with the audio.

January 19, 1 p.m., Musical selections from Penn State’s Essence of Joy, Franklin Atrium, 106 Pattee Library. Essence of Joy is one of 10 choral ensembles in the Penn State School of Music, and performs sacred and secular music from the African and African American traditions under the direction of music professor Anthony Leach.

January 21, noon: “Food Processing with Malawian Village Women,” Foster Auditorium, first floor, Paterno Library. Presented by Dorothy Blair. The event is free and open to the public and can also be viewed online.

January 21: 2:00–3:00 p.m.: Library Research Basics. W315 Pattee Library. Learn how to find books, articles and other materials in your research area or major by using the Libraries’ online databases. You will also discover library services that can help streamline your research process. Individuals not affiliated with Penn State can register by calling 814-865-9257. To register, go to http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/lls/classes/research_basics_seminar.html.

January 21, 1:00–4:00 p.m.: Renovations showcase at the Engineering Library, 325 Hammond Building, and the Fletcher L. Byrom Earth and Mineral Sciences Library, 105 Deike Building.

January 21, 5:30–6:30 p.m., Wage and Tax Fundamentals, Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library. Additional details are online at http://bit.ly/1rzz1Jw. Registration is available online at http://bit.ly/14vwFV6.

January 26, 1:30–3:00 p.m.: Mendeley. 302 Paterno Library. Mendeley is a free reference manager and academic social network that can help you organize your research library, collaborate with others online and discover other relevant papers based on what you are reading. To register, go to http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/lls/classes/research_basics_seminar.html.

January 28, noon: “What do Sherpas Think About Climate Change on Mount Everest?” Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library. The event is free and open to the public and can be viewed online.

January 29, 3:00 p.m.: Box at Penn State. See TechSmart for location and details. This session will provide an overview of Box, the new cloud based file storage at Penn State. We will discuss how you can sync files easily across various devices and how Box can be used to share files and collaborate with departments and committees at the Libraries.

February 4, noon to 1 p.m.: “The Swans came to Penn State too,” a talk by Charles S. Prebish, Foster Auditorium. Held in conjunction with the current exhibition, “The Way is in the Heart,” an exhibition of publications from the Charles Prebish Buddhism Collection, on display in the Franklin Atrium. Prebish is professor emeritus of Religious Studies at Penn State, where he served on the faculty from 1971 until 2006.

February 8, 2 p.m.: Gallery talk by Chip Kidd Collection Archivist, Alyssa Carver. Carver will discuss Chip Kidd Archive exhibit highlights and some of the challenges involved with organizing and preserving the hybrid (analog and digital) archive.

February 12, 2015 10:00 a.m.: Introduction to SelectSurvey. See TechSmart for location and details. Want to learn more about the survey tool for the libraries? Everyone at the University Libraries has access to SelectSurvey. In this Introductory class, you will learn basic survey creation, management and deployment.

February 19, 10:00–11:00 a.m.: Library Research Basics. W315 Pattee Library. Learn how to find books, articles and other materials in your research area or major by using the Libraries’ online databases. You will also discover library services that can help streamline your research process. Individuals not affiliated with Penn State can register by calling 814-865-9257. To register, go to http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/lls/classes/research_basics_seminar.html.

February 26, 9:30 a.m.: Creating Accessible Word and PowerPoint Documents in Office 13
See TechSmart for location and details. In this session, you will discover best practices to create accessible Microsoft Word and PowerPoint documents (updated for Office 13). Whether you create website content or just email and share documents with staff, creating accessible Office files is very important. This session will cover the basic techniques needed to optimize your content for accessibility.

March 5: 10:00–11:30 a.m.: Mendeley. 302 Paterno Library. Mendeley is a free reference manager and academic social network that can help you organize your research library, collaborate with others online and discover other relevant papers based on what you are reading. To register, go to http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/lls/classes/research_basics_seminar.html.

March 2, 10:00–11:30 a.m., Endnote, W23 Pattee. EndNote can be used to search online bibliographic databases, organize references, images and PDFs in any language and create bibliographies and figure lists instantly. Attend one of these seminars to learn how to get the most out of EndNote. To register, go to http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/lls/classes/research_basics_seminar.html.