Daily Archives: February 2, 2015
Space planning update
Submitted by Kimlyn Patishnock, senior director of Administrative and Financial Services
It’s been a while since the last update regarding the next steps in space planning. We are now ready to start developing a program statement and rank the ten current priorities identified in the University Park Facilities Master Plan. This work will be done by working groups under the direction of an administrative steering committee. The administrative steering committee will ask for volunteers to comprise the working groups; this will be a great opportunity for you to contribute your ideas and help us accomplish great things! Additional information will be provided soon regarding the formation of the working groups. The administrative steering committee is composed of Kimlyn Patishnock, Dace Freivalds, Lisa German, Henry Pisciotta, Rick Riccardo, and Ron Servello. If you have any questions, please contact any member of the steering group.
Penn State Laureate Susan Russell to speak in Libraries
“The twenty-first century has created an entirely new student, one that perceives, receives and conceives information differently. Big data has changed the way students think, but not the way they experience knowledge. What if every teacher knows something from their own process of learning that can translate knowledge into an experience? What if all we have to do is remember “how” we made “what” we know part of our own lives? How far back do you remember? Who was that first teacher and what did she/he really teach you?” asks Penn State’s Laureate Susan Russell. In this session, Russell will discuss how the answers to these questions can help us be better teachers. Her talk, “Thanks, Mrs. Sawyer: How my first grade teacher is helping me translate twenty-first century education,” will be presented on Tuesday, February 24, 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m., in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, Penn State University Park. To ensure a seat, registration is requested at http://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu or http://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/register/detail.aspx?id=10767 although registration is not required.
Call for proposals for second annual Sustainability Award
Undergraduate students at all Penn State campuses, including Penn State World Campus, are encouraged to apply to the second annual Award for Undergraduate Research on Sustainability and the Environment. One $1,000 first prize and two additional prizes of $500 each will be awarded on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22. All applications must be submitted via Angel by Tuesday, March 31, 2015, 5:00 p.m. Instructions, eligibility and other details are available at http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/socialsciences/sustainability-award.html?cq_ck=1421431295633
The Award for Undergraduate Research on Sustainability and the Environment is a partnership among the University Libraries, Cengage Learning and Penn State’s Sustainability Institute. The award recognizes undergraduate research in the area of sustainability and introduces students to library resources. The submissions are judged on two components: the research strategy and technical criteria. Research papers, multimedia projects (e.g. film, video, websites), fine arts projects (e.g. performances, installations, musical compositions, sculpture, etc.), architecture, urban design projects, and agricultural or engineering design projects are all encouraged.
Lisa German, associate dean for Collections Information and Access Services, University Libraries, notes, “We hope this award will make students more aware of the rich resources in the Libraries and our Research Guide on Sustainability.”
For more information or if you have question about access accommodations, please contact Helen Sheehy at hms2@psu.edu or 814-863-1347.
Events: Feb. 2
February 3, 10 a.m.: Tech Update, Foster Auditorium and MediaSite Live. See Tech Update post for details.
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.
** Also see “Training and Enrichment Opportunities” for additional staff events.
Tech Update agenda
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Foster Auditorium
- 3D printing – Kyle Bowen with Education Technology Services will inform us of the capabilities of the 3D printing lab in the Knowledge Commons.
- Where is it safe to store my stuff? – Linda Klimczyk with I-Tech will give an overview of how to: identify the types of files that we have; public, internal/controlled, or restricted; resources of where to best house them, and retention best practices/requirements.
- Drupal update – Binky Lush with I-Tech will provide an update on the Drupal implementation.
- Aeon – Timothy Babcock with Special Collections will provide an update on the implementation of Aeon; the new Special Collections Management software.
February celebrates first-year anniversary of Leisure Viewing Collection
By Glenn Masuchika, information literacy librarian
In February 2014, the Penn State University Library at University Park established their Leisure Viewing Collection in the Barbara Hackman Franklin Atrium on the first floor of Pattee Library. The collection includes first-run movies and television shows on DVDs for the amusement of the Penn State community. It contains active runs of television shows such as “The Walking Dead,” “Game of Thrones,” “Downton Abbey” and “the Simpsons;” and movies such as “Frozen,” “Bad Grandpa,” “Kick Ass” (both one and two), and “Captain America: Winter Soldier.” Complete runs of shows such as “Breaking Bad,” “The Wire,” and “True Blood” are also available. Sometimes after a hard day’s work with seemingly insurmountable problems, solutions come when the mind is given opportunities to play with the fun and ridiculous. Other times it is simply pleasant to take a well-deserved break watching an amusing movie or television show. Presently, the collection contains approximately 910 individual items and has amassed a checkout total of over 10,000. Special thanks goes to the Music and Media Center, and the Acquisitions Department at PSU Library-University Park for their hard work and support.
Strategic Plan implementation update
Submitted by Christine Avery, director of Commonwealth Campus Libraries
The three working groups charged with implementing the Libraries 2014-2019 Strategic Plan have been meeting and making progress. Comments on the first draft of the Libraries Strategic Plan have been received from the Provost’s office. The working groups are making sure the implementation plans incorporate this initial feedback.
A draft document (Action Areas for 2014-2015) prepared by Dean Dewey was discussed by the Strategic Plan Implementation steering committee on January 23, 2015. Each action area has been assigned to at least one working group.
In other news, the working group for Teaching and Learning is planning a May 2015 survey. Quantitative information will be gathered to develop a baseline profile of the teaching and learning activities currently being performed within the University Libraries. This survey will be distributed to Unit Heads in mid-April for completion and will include data through the end of spring semester 2015. The goal will be to use the results from this survey to create an Action Plan for the future (including assessment of instructional efforts) and to track progress across successive years when the survey is repeated.
Next month’s update will include summaries of work to date and planning from the working groups on Discovery Access and Presentation and Advancing University Research.
Adobe Connect new features
By Ryan Johnson, technology training coordinator
A new version of Adobe Connect was released over the winter break with new features. If you want a detailed list of all the changes, please visit the Adobe Connect Release Notes. I’m going to highlight a few of the key changes you will see.
Screen Sharing MiniControl
This will be the biggest change you will notice if you are a casual Adobe Connect user. Once you start screen sharing, the meeting room will give way to the new Screen Share MiniControl panel. This panel provides tools that the presenter will need to control his meeting without having to end screen sharing or go back to the meeting room. All these options can be accessed by clicking on the individual icons.
Chat Control
This option provides users to read and respond to all the chat messages in the meeting room. No more switching back to the meeting room just to check who is responding on the chat. This great new feature lets you be interactive during Screen Sharing. The panel on minimized mode notifies you about any new message received. If you want to read it, simply click on the chat control icon. What’s more, you can receive and respond to both public and private messages from here.
LHR News: Feb. 2
(This blog post also includes information from 1/5/2015)
Full-time:
1/5/15 Komal Shaikh, Information Resources and Services Support Specialist 3, Penn State York
Part-time:
Adrienne Showalter – Penn State Brandywine
Andrea Ervan – Penn State Harrisburg
Tarsha Arkoh – Penn State Schuylkill
Lucy Wilson – Library Learning Services
Anne Burke – Commons Services
From 1/5/15:
Mara Ticcino Digitization and Preservation
Diahann Mosier Digitization and Preservation
Katherine Marinari Research Hub
Dana Bunns Research Hub
Internal Moves:
2/1/15 Dennis Breon – Assistant Manager, Media and Technology Support Services
Wishing the following employees well as they leave us:
Robert Smith, Media and Technology Support Services
1/5/15: Joe Pillot, Media and Technology Support Services