Lisa German

Lisa German, associate dean for Collections, Information and Access Services at the Penn State University Libraries, has been named dean of Libraries and Elizabeth D. Rockwell Chair for the University Libraries at the University of Houston, Houston, Texas. In her new position, German will oversee operations of the main M.D. Anderson Library and three branch libraries.

German’s tenure at Penn State began in 2005, when she was named assistant dean for Technical and Collections Services. She was appointed associate dean in 2011. During her time at Penn State, German has represented the University Libraries in a wide range of consortia and partnerships at the state, regional and national levels. Most recently, she was elected to the Knowledge Management Section Standing Committee of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. At the University Libraries, she has provided support and guidance to librarians and staff beyond the units under her immediate leadership, a role that has been recognized by Barbara Dewey, dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications. “Lisa has mentored many librarians from all sectors of the University Libraries. I deeply appreciate her hard work and dedication to Penn State,” says Dewey.

In addition to her work in the Libraries, German has also held numerous leadership roles at Penn State. She has been an active member of the Commission for Women for a number of years, serving as chair from 2013-14. She is also on Penn State’s University Research Council, and was a member of the Academic Council on Undergraduate Education.

German began her academic library career in 1993, as assistant head of acquisitions at Wright State University Library, Dayton, Ohio. In 1996, she joined the University of Illinois Library, Urbana, Illinois. Prior to her appointment at Penn State, she was head of acquisitions and associate professor of library administration at the University of Illinois Library. She is active in many professional bodies, including the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, the Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium (PALCI) and numerous divisions within the American Library Association, and has published widely in her field.

German, who will be leaving Penn State in July, says, “I am very grateful to all of the people I have worked with at Penn State. This is a world-class institution and I feel fortunate to have worked here. I will take a bit of Penn State with me to Texas as I move from Lion Country to Cougar Country.”

The University Libraries are expanding hours and services to help students with end of the semester research and finals study needs.

All of Pattee and Paterno Libraries will open at 10 a.m., Sunday, April 26, for continuous 24-hour service until closing at 7 p.m., on Friday, May 8. Pattee and Paterno will open at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 9. This includes the Tombros and McWhirter Knowledge Commons on the first and ground floors of Pattee Library, west and ground floor central.

Within the two buildings a variety of group study rooms for two to 16 people can be reserved. Monitors at the entrance to the building display real-time computer availability.

From Sunday, May 3, through Wednesday, May 6, free coffee and snacks will be available from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., in Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, as part of DeStress Fest in the Libraries. Games and relaxation activities are also planned.

For late-night hunger, MacKinnon’s Café, on the ground floor of west Pattee Library, will be open to 1 a.m., from Sunday, May 3, to Thursday, May 7. For a full list of hours, call MacKinnon’s Café at 814-865-9380.

Additional branch library locations include the Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library, Earth and Mineral Sciences Library, Engineering Library, and Physical and Mathematical Sciences Library. See library hours for details. Call ahead of your visit to confirm and to obtain hours for branch libraries at 814-865-3063.

The late-night CATA bus Loop Service (on campus only) will operate until 2:30 a.m., from Thursday, April 23 through Saturday, May 9. This service will operate approximately every 20 minutes, with the last trip leaving from the Pattee Library Transit Center Eastbound stop on Curtin Road at approximately 2:21 a.m. on the Blue Loop, and from the Pattee Library Transit Center Westbound stop on Curtin Road at approximately 2:15 a.m. on the White Loop. The extended service is courtesy of Information Technology Services and the Libraries.

In addition, the University Police Auxiliary offer a “Safe Walk” escort service, dusk to dawn, 365 days a year, on-campus location or home within a reasonable walking distance off-campus. Call 814-865-9255(WALK).

Information literacy for all students is a goal of the University Libraries, and to help highlight its importance, the Libraries have funded cash awards as part of the 2015 Undergraduate Research Exhibition, co-sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Education and the Schreyer Honor College, in partnership with the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, the University Libraries and Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Society.

The University Libraries Award for Information Literacy recognizes students who have excelled in locating and using scholarly resources to support their research projects.

The 2015 Information Literacy Award winners are:

First place
Ryan Henrici for “Crystal Structure of the PRCI Ubiquitylation Module Bound to the Nocleosom”

Second place
John Swab for “The Streetcars and Suburbs of Baltimore: A Digital Humanities Approach”

Third place
Carolyn Low for “Tipping and Service Charge”

Honorable mentions
Julia Warshafsky for “Recruiting for the Long-Term: Exploring the Effects of Terrorist Recruitment Strategies on Group Longevity”

Joshua Bram, Martin Marino and Greg Wenner for “Organizational Models for Mobile Payment Systems in Low-resource Environments”

Julie Meinert for “Influence of Childhood Trauma on the Relationship between Borderline Disorder and Emotion Recognition”

Nishant Modi for “Effects on Health Outcomes Due to Cancer Survivorship and Other Chronic Illnesses”
Jazmin Nixon for “Children’s Exposure to Political Conflict: Effects and an Intervention Framework to Promote Social-Emotional Well-being”

Sydney Sherman for “Super Massive Black Holes and Their Host Galaxies”

This year’s judges from the University Libraries were Janet Hughes, Angela Davis, Karla Schmit, Penny Huffman, Nathan Piekielek, Lori Lysiak, Bonnie Imler, Lauren Reiter, Manuel Ostos, Henry Pisciotta, Amanda Clossen, Karen Fuller, Alessia Zanin-Yost and Jeff Knapp.

For more about the award. For information on services available through Library Learning Services, call 814-865-9257 or visit Library Learning Services.