The Engineering Library, 325 Hammond Building, and the Fletcher L. Byrom Earth and Mineral Sciences Library, 105 Deike Building, will showcase recent renovations to their facilities on Wednesday, January 21, 1:00–4:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Staff shuttle stops, located near both buildings, will operate every 15 minutes. See http://www.transportation.psu.edu/transportation/campus-transit/shuttle.cfm for a Campus Shuttle Map.

Joseph A. Salem, Jr. has been appointed the new associate dean for Learning, Undergraduate Services and Commonwealth Campus Libraries for the University Libraries at Penn State. He will begin his appointment March 1, 2015. Barbara I. Dewey, dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications, explains “Dr. Salem will be a key part of the Libraries’ administration collective leadership team, where he will lead Library Learning Services, the Knowledge Commons, the Commonwealth Campus Libraries, Penn State World Campus support, and other initiatives related especially to undergraduate students.”

Salem notes, “I am looking forward to working with library and university faculty to create, expand, and promote partnerships for learning and scholarship focusing on course-integrated information literacy, eLearning, and new models of information delivery, use, and creation at the undergraduate level in general and within the general education curriculum in particular.”

Since 2011 Salem has been the head of Research and Learning Services at the University of Akron Libraries, where he led the revival of the instruction program and the integration of information literacy into the general education curriculum. Previously he was head of Reference Services at Kent State University Libraries and held an adjunct professor appointment at Kent State’s School of Library in Information Science. He also served as head of the Map Library, was the coordinator of government documents and was a data analyst and test developer for Project SAILS that began in 2001, at Kent State with the goal of developing a standardized test of information literacy skills that would allow libraries to document skill levels for groups of students and to pinpoint areas for improvement. Continue reading →

Charles E. Jones, the Tombros Librarian for Classics and Humanities in the University Libraries at Penn State, has received the 2015 Outstanding Work in Digital Archaeology Award from the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA). He was honored at an award ceremony during the organization’s annual meeting in early January in New Orleans.

Since its inception in 2009, The Ancient World Online (AWOL), a project by Jones, has offered open access material related to the ancient world, serving archaeological information to more than 1.1 million visitors. The primary focus of the project is notice and comment on open access material relating to the ancient world, but it also includes other kinds of networked information as it is available. It regularly lists emerging and existing born digital projects, and it publicizes repositories of digitized scholarship relating to antiquity with a cumulative content of thousands of volumes.

Jones explains, “The ancient world is conceived here as it is at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University, my academic home at the time AWOL was launched. That is, from the Pillars of Hercules to the Pacific, from the beginnings of human habitation to the late antique/early Islamic period.”

AIA is North America’s oldest and largest organization devoted to the world of archaeology. Founded in 1879 and chartered by the United States Congress in 1906, it has nearly 210,000 members and 100 local societies in the United States, Canada and overseas. “Penn State is honored that one of our Libraries faculty members has received this noteworthy award for his scholarship in the digital humanities,” notes Barbara I. Dewey, dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications at Penn State,

Last month, we profiled Rachel Smith, one of two librarians appointed under the University Libraries Diversity Residency Program in August 2013. This week we profile Mohamed Berray. Like Smith, Berray graduated from the Library and Information Studies program at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro (UNCG). Both Berray and Smith have been rotating through different units and areas of the Libraries during the course of their residency program in order to build a broad portfolio of experience for their future career development.

In addition to his MLIS Degree, Berray holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science (with specialization in international human rights law) and a postgraduate diploma in Migration and Refugee Studies (with specialization in refugee law), both from the American University in Cairo. Before joining Penn State, Berray was a Fulbright Scholar, and an ILEAD (International Librarians Enhancing Access and Development) Fellow at the Department of Library and Information Studies, UNCG. In addition, he was the Regional Coordinator of IFLA’s International Comparative Librarianship Communitas. His previous appointments include assistant director and later, head of the Law Library at the American University in Cairo. He currently serves on many ALA/ACRL Committees.

Berray in his office with his son Malik

Please talk about some of the activities that you have been working on over the past year.
The past year saw a continuation of my duties in the Social Sciences Library and in the Research Hub, where I started my residency. Earlier this year, I stepped in for Helen Sheehy when she was on sabbatical—providing instruction, reference, research and collection services in political science and international affairs. I also worked with Bob Alan and the electronic resources team on electronic resources management. As an offshoot of my rotation in Acquisitions Services, I served on the Libraries’ E-Books Task Force to review options for acquiring e-books and to recommend best practices for moving forward. The experiences gained in Acquisitions Services and in the Social Sciences Library will enrich my career for many years to come.

Outside of my departmental duties, I served on the Libraries’ Strategic Planning Working Group on Advancing University Research, and on the University Libraries Awards Committee. I also represented the Libraries on the university-wide planning committee for the 2014 Constitution Day celebrations, and organized the events that were sponsored by and hosted in the Libraries.

What responsibilities are you currently assigned to?
I just finished co-teaching a three-credit-hour class in Research Methods for Law and Government Information. As part of my liaison responsibilities, I assist Helen Sheehy with management of collection funds for law, political science, and international affairs. I also prepare research guides in these subjects. Additionally, I work with Library Learning Services in providing Eng015 instruction when requested. Given my interest in collections, I continue to participate, with Bob Alan’s permission, in the CIC Collections Development Officers monthly meetings.

Committee work has been a significant part of my assignments this semester. Currently, I serve on the Libraries Assessment and Metrics Council, the Collection Services Advisory Group, LFO’s Curricular Affairs Committee, the RCR Group, the Open Access Committee, and the Diversity Committee where I chair the Collections subgroup. It has been a true blessing to work with colleagues serving on these committees.

What have you learned about yourself during this appointment? Has it changed you, and if so, how?
Coming from a small private institution, moving to Penn State was initially overwhelming, and yet, after my first semester, the community felt so small. I was astonished to see myself becoming an integral part of this complex machinery. Here, I have realized the true potential of an environment with adequate resources and expertise. My experiences at Penn State have propelled me and increased my engagement in the field more than ever before. The terms of the residency and the support received from the library administration have also opened many new doors, and have provided me with leadership experience and training.

At the completion of your residency in 2015, what will you hope to have accomplished? What impact do you hope to have made on Penn State Libraries?
I hope to have provided enough critical insight and outside perspective to add value to activities at the Penn State University Libraries. Also, given that this is the inaugural residency program, I hope to have fulfilled the expectations of the program so it can be continuously funded over the years. Finally, I hope that through my activities in professional associations, I will have helped shape the positive image of the Penn State University Libraries.

Submitted by Tara Lalonde

GIS Day, held on November 19, 2014, brought together people from across campus to celebrate GIS as an invaluable research and applied tool as well as an academic discipline of study.

Heather Ross (second from right) and Tara Lalonde (far right) talking about GIS-related library resources

The Information Fair portion of the day’s events was held from 1-4 p.m., in Mann Assembly Room, Paterno Library, and had information and representatives from the following groups on campus: Department of Geography, GIS Coalition, Online geospatial programs, University Libraries, geodesign graduate programs, Office of the Physical Plant, Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA), Center for Environmental Informatics and Geographic Core Information Analysis (GIA) Core of the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI).

The above groups presented their work to interested students from across campus. Along with engaging with students in Mann Assembly room, posters were displayed in the Franklin Atrium starting on Tuesday. Visitors to the library were able to view these posters through Wednesday.

A GIS Networking Reception was held in 208 Paterno Library and hosted the family of Professor Emeritus Wilbur Zelinsky, who graciously donated many of the books and maps in his personal collection to the University Libraries. In return, the library offered many of these materials to the university community. Attendees enjoyed refreshments and had opportunities to connect with fellow geospatial colleagues and students on campus. Stay tuned for future events and sessions related to geospatial information in the semester to come!

Posters on display in the Franklin Atrium