Submitted by Jennie Knies, head librarian, Nesbitt Library, Penn State Wilkes-Barre

Megan Mac Gregor will be stepping into a new role as of July 1, 2015, when she will assume a new position as “student engagement and outreach librarian.” Since 2010, Megan has served the University Libraries and the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus as an information resources and services support specialist, and over the years, she has far-exceeded her roles and responsibilities, most notably by stepping in to fill a gap left by a vacant Head Librarian position in 2014.

The primary responsibilities of this position include collaborating with teaching faculty to incorporate information literacy skill development into the undergraduate curriculum instruction; using exhibitions, public programming, social networking, and other innovative techniques to engage the student community with research and library services; and identifying and promoting the use of emerging technologies throughout the campus community. Megan earned a BA in history from Gettysburg College, and a MA in historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University. Prior to coming to Penn State Wilkes-Barre, she worked at Historic New England’s Phillip’s House. In addition to her formal qualifications, Megan’s creativity and enthusiasm will enable us to offer new and unique library services to students, staff and faculty.

• Library News blog changes, July schedule
• Debt management workshop
• Events
• Exhibit to feature books by Penn State authors
• Penn State staff invited to learn about library services
• Technical Services holds annual awards program
• LibGuides Update: Online training is live
• Pyatt appointed dean of  Z. Smith Reynolds Library
• LHR News
• Tech Tip: What’s the best way to save images?

Starting this week, please email your blog entries and photos to lana@psu.edu (not jmk441), or use the Monday Messages form when possible: https://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/secure/forms/pramforms/intranet/mondaymessages.html.

Library News will be off on July 6 and 13, and back on July 20. If you have news or announcements that need to appear in early July, please submit them by June 25 for posting in the Monday, June 29 blog, thanks.

“Penned by Penn Staters: Books written by Penn State Authors”
An exhibit: Hintz Alumni Center, curated by the Penn State University Archives
Dates: Thursday, June 18 – Thursday, September 17, 2015

Isaac Asimov stated “It is the writer who might catch the imagination of young people, and plant a seed that will flower and come to fruition.” Writing is a mysterious and glorious enterprise that challenges the most imaginative soul. This exhibit features 48 books authored by 32 Penn Staters. It is but a mere sampling of the creative endeavors fostered by Penn State faculty, staff and alumni, who have sequestered themselves with note cards, pad and pencil, typewriter, or computer and produced marvelous works of fiction, poetry, short stories, non-fiction, biography, travel and more.

The exhibit visitor will see a glimpse of the innovative genius apparent in many Penn Staters—and who knows, the person sitting next to you at a fall football game may be the next Penn State author.

Authors and titles featured in this exhibit include:

1. Brian C. Black – Crude Reality: Petroleum in World History
2. A.E. Bye – Art Into Landscape: Landscape Into Art
3. Maureen A. Carr – Stravinsky’s Pulcinella: A Facsimile of the Sources and Sketches
4. Joan Chittister – Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope; Life Ablaze; The Radical Christian Life; For Everything A Season
5. Lance Cole and Stanley M. Brand – Congressional Investigations and Oversight
6. Louise Esola – American Boys
7. Donald H. Ford – Carol’s Alzheimer Journey
8. Roger L. Geiger – The Land-Grant Colleges and the Reshaping of American Higher Education; Knowledge and Money
9. Vicki Glembocki – The Second Nine Months
10. Nichola D. Gutgold – Madam President-Five Women Who Paved the Way; Gender and the American Presidency; Paving the Way for Madam President
11. Robert Francis Hauck Jr. – The New Geonometry
12. Robert M. Hendrickson – Academic Leadership and Governance of Higher Education
13. John Hruschka – How Books Came to America
14. Dennis C. Jett – American Ambassadors
15. James Kasting – How to Find a Habitable Planet
16. Chip Kidd – Peanuts; GO-A Kid’s Guide to Graphic Design; Batman; The Cheese Monkeys
17. Robert Lima – The Rites of Stone; Some People!
18. Michael E. Mann – The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars
19. Murry Nelson – The Rolling Stones
20. Spencer G. Niles – Career Development Interventions in the 21st Century
21. Charles Prebish – An American Buddhist Life; The Faces of Buddhism in America; The A to Z of Buddhism
22. James P. Quigel – Williamsport’s Baseball Heritage; Gateway to the Majors
23. Carol Reardon – Pickett’s Charge-In History and Memory
24. Barbara Rolls – The Volumetrics Eating Plan; The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet
25. Laura Rotunno – Postal Plots in British Fiction, 1840-1898
26. Lyman Tower Sargent – Utopianism-A very Short Introduction
27. John D. Shank – Interactive Open Educational Resources
28. Teresa M. Stouffer – No Snitchin’ in the Kitchen
29. Lee Stout – A Matter of Simple Justice
30. Robin L. Thomas – Architecture and Statecraft
31. Michael Weinreb – Season of Saturday’s
32. Kenneth Womack – The Beatles Encyclopedia; John Doe No. 2 and the Dreamland Motel; The Restaurant At The End of the World

For more information: Contact Penn State University Archivist, Jackie Esposito at 814-863-3791 or jxe2@psu.edu

The University Libraries will once again holding a training session for Penn State staff, focusing on key library services and resources. Please share this information with your colleagues in other Penn State units:

“What the Libraries Can Do For You: Training for Penn State Staff” will be held from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., on July 14, in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library. This program is specially designed for Penn State staff and will focus on the materials and services available in the Penn State Libraries for personal and work-related use.

Topics covered include finding books and other materials, delivery services, interlibrary loan, course reserves, citation management tools, available technology and leisure reading and video collections.

To register, send your name, email address and department information to
Megan Gilpin at mcg13@psu.edu. Please include at least one library-related question that you’ve been asked that you wish you knew how to answer. Registration closes July 6.

If you anticipate needing accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, contact Megan Gilpin (814-867-0069/ mcg13@psu.edu).

photo by Wilson Hutton

Technical Services held their annual service awards program on Wednesday, June 3. Associate Dean Lisa German and Annie Copeland presented awards to employees in their respective departments. Employees who have achieved service milestones are:

30 years: Patti Berky
25 years: Charlene Hitchcock and Sharon Smith
20 years: Paige Andrew and LaDawn Benner
15 years: Bob Alan, Brent Stump and Jeff Ungar
10 years: Fannie Mui and Christopher Walker

Timothy Pyatt, the Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair and head of the Eberly Family Special Collections Library at Penn State, has been appointed dean of the Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest University.

Pyatt joined the University Libraries in June 2011, succeeding previous Huck Chair William Joyce. In the past four years, he has spearheaded many initiatives to deepen the awareness and broaden the use of special collections among researchers, and has provided strong leadership at a time of great change for research libraries and their service models. “Tim has served with distinction at Penn State,” said Barbara Dewey, dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications.

One of Pyatt’s most notable initiatives was the creation of the Special Collections Research Travel Grant Award in 2012. This program provides funding for researchers to visit Penn State and use the collections in support of their projects, which include books, book chapters and journal articles. Since its inception, 20 scholars have been awarded grants to travel to Penn State and conduct research in the Special Collections Library, including some from as far afield as Italy and England.

Pyatt is currently serving a three-year term on the Society of American Archivists (SAA) Council, the governing body of the organization. He has held several elected offices for SAA in the past, including chairing the organization’s Committee on Ethics and Professional Conduct. In addition, he has led electronic records workshops for the
society. In 2013 he was named a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists, the highest honor bestowed on individuals by SAA for outstanding contributions to the archival profession. He also recently completed the Association for Research Libraries’ Fellows Program, an executive leadership program for future senior-level leaders in large research libraries and archives.

Within the University Libraries, he serves as a stakeholder for the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) working group. This group is charged with supporting the development of a statewide service hub to enable local content to be entered into the DPLA, a portal of millions of digital collections made available by libraries, museums and archives across the country.

Pyatt will be leaving the University Libraries in July and will assume his new role at Wake Forest on August 3.

100 Digital Discoveries

LionSearch Updates

LHR News

Abington librarian reflects on CIC fellowship program

Drupal

Tech Tip: Word’s Paste Options

June Events

Alexia Hudson-Ward, associate librarian at Penn State Abington, recently completed the Committee on Institutional Cooperation’s (CIC) Academic Leadership Program (ALP), an initiative that brings together a group of fellows selected from each member institution to discuss broad topics that impact higher education.

As the only librarian among this year’s ALP fellows, Hudson-Ward was able to provide a unique contribution to the program. “What I learned in this program that was incredibly invaluable. However, I found myself at times having to debunk statements from non-Penn State faculty, that academic libraries are insular and don’t really contribute to the conversation about institutional values in a meaningful way. So it was great to be able contribute to and hear different perspectives about 21st century higher education while contextualizing the future of academic libraries,” she says.

Each CIC institution selects up to five faculty members a year to participate in a series of three seminars. This year, the seminars were held at the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Ohio State. Each seminar focused on a different theme—issues and ideas confronting higher education, internal and external relationships, and money management and strategies.

Through case studies, role-playing and dialogue, the fellows highlighted issues of relevance to their respective institutions and proposed solutions. “This program has made me a better Penn State librarian and faculty member. I now have a more informed idea about where our institutional priorities lie and I also have a deeper respect for the CIC. It is great to be part of a community that shares information and resources. This program showed me how we collaborate with other CIC institutions, and how all CIC institutions are centered on making sure students get the best education for their money,” said Hudson-Ward.

Hudson-Ward said she was inspired to think deeply about how the University Libraries could continue to improve in the areas of assessment and student learning outcomes. “Participating in the program also made me think about different ways in which we can convey the value that the Libraries contribute to Penn State. The librarians are deeply engaged with the university community. We consult with students and faculty, serve on various university committees and conduct course related instructional sessions. One thing we could consider, is to create a value report on the quantifiable value of our work all across the Commonwealth,” she noted.

“For those of us who love to learn, and look at it as a continuous journey, this program did that and more. The program also fostered a wonderful network of CIC colleagues across the country for me as well. We are deeply enriched by being a part of the Penn State University Libraries and a part of the CIC,” said Hudson-Ward.