Daily Archives: April 4, 2016

Dean’s News

I hope you will be able to join me for the Dean’s Forum at 10 a.m. on April 5. I will start with a fantastic list of kudos, which you should not miss!

I will then provide information about the budget along with an opportunity for you to ask questions. Briefly, the good news is that units and Colleges do NOT have to give back 4 percent of “temporary” general funds for the current year because the legislature passed the 2015-16. For the Libraries this means that we do not have to give back $858,081.

However, we are still asked to prepare, just in case the state does not pass a budget for 2016-17, for a 5 percent reduction in permanent funding, or $1,072,601. Strategies to meet the target would include using vacant positions, reduction of wage budget, reducing partnerships and sponsorships, and reducing travel. It’s hoped the budget will be passed in a timely manner and the 5 percent reduction will not be necessary.

I want to thank everyone for your support and fiscal restraint during the uncertain winter months. I also want to thank President Barron, Provost Jones, and Dean Rousch (Agricultural Sciences) for their tireless work in Harrisburg resulting in a successful outcome.

We will also talk about the Libraries Strategic Plan’s action Items and implementation plans and have an update on space planning.

– Barbara Dewey, Dean, University Libraries and Scholarly Communications

 

Strategic Plan Update: 2016-17 Action Plan

The Libraries’ 2014-2019 Strategic Plan Steering Committee is pleased to offer its first quarter 2016 update to the Strategic Plan with the introduction of the 2016-17 Action Plan (PDF).

The committee’s sponsors have begun charging group leaders and committee members for objectives listed in the action plan.

The action plan includes a timeline for each action, expected deliverables, a leadership sponsor, the action’s reflection of the Penn State Strategic Plan thematic priority or supporting element, and its status.

There are a total of 33 proposed actions — 11 for Advancing University Research, including one moved to the agenda of the associate deans; nine for Discovery, Access, and Preservation; and 13 for Teaching and Learning. One action is listed as substantially completed, nine are in progress, 18 are in the planning phase, and five are to be initiated between now and June 30, 2017.

At the end of this action plan, the University Libraries’ roles in university-level initiatives like engaged scholarship, Invent Penn State, and research data management will be better defined. We also will have advanced Libraries’ work in support of outcomes-based assessment of student learning, digital preservation, and digital scholarship.

The Strategic Plan Steering Committee has established a communication strategy to keep everyone updated on our progress on each action item and to continue to involve University Libraries faculty and staff in advancing the strategic plan. Each quarter, we will update the status of each action item. To continue to advance the strategic plan, an action plan will be completed during the early part of each spring semester. In the fall of each year, a small group will be charged to gather feedback on the current action items and to brainstorm additional action items for the upcoming action plan.

The University Libraries strategic plan document is also currently being slightly revised to place the programmatic areas, goals, and objectives in the context of the recently adopted Penn State strategic plan. None of the objectives of the plan will change; however, the Steering Committee will place them in the larger context of strategic planning at the university level.

We welcome your feedback on the current action plan, process for updating the action plan, communication strategy, and revisions to the strategic plan. Please feel free to send your comments or questions to any member of the Strategic Plan Steering Committee (UL-STRATEGIC-PLAN-STEERING@lists.psu.edu):

Chris Avery (cca2@psu.edu)
Matt Ciszek (mpc16@psu.edu)
Karen Estlund (kme20@psu.edu)
Jennifer Gilley (jrg15@psu.edu)
Anne Langley (ael22@psu.edu)
Lana Munip (lzm10@psu.edu)
Rob Olendorf (rko5039@psu.edu)
Kimlyn Patishnock (kjp2@psu.edu)
Sheila Sager (sss2@psu.edu)
Joe Salem (jas1218@psu.edu)
Diane Zabel (dxz2@psu.edu)

Mann Lecture musings

man, Seth Lerer, standing in front of room speaking

The 2016 Charles W. Mann Jr. Lecture in the Book Arts was given March 31, 2016, by Seth Lerer, distinguished professor of literature at the University of California at San Diego, on “Children’s Literature and the Art of the Book,” in Foster Auditorium. Photo by Wilson Hutton.

by Athena Jackson, Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair and head of Special Collections

Last Thursday afternoon, hardly a fortnight into my new role, I was immersed in the activity of one of Penn State Libraries’ most treasured annual events, the Charles W. Mann, Jr. Lecture, wonderfully arranged by Sandra Stelts, curator of rare books and manuscripts.

Affectionately called the “Mann Lecture,” this regular series started in 2002 and features lectures by enthusiastic experts on anything that might be considered an aspect of the book arts, broadly construed. We endeavor to sustain the spirit, dedication, and energy of Charley Mann, the first director of the Special Collections Library. Without a doubt, last Thursday’s talk fit the bill with our esteemed speaker Prof. Seth Lerer.

Lerer’s stimulating and scholarly talk wove together a tale of children’s literature and its art from the first instances of storytelling imagery intended for children in the ancient times to the modern era of that famous boy-wizard, Harry Potter. Lerer offered our captivated audience an opportunity to reinvigorate an existing or cultivate a new appreciation of the art of the illustration alongside the art of the words that paint images in the “museum of the mind” of the child in all of us.

Many members of the audience will agree that Lerer’s own storytelling prowess suspended time as we playfully, yet keenly, examined children’s literature with plenty of fodder for rethinking and reimagining the history of reading and how it segues to a technologically connected present. History doesn’t stop with the analog, to be sure!

horizontal image of Sandra Stelts and Seth Lerer in Special Collections Library Exhibition Room

Sandra Stelts, curator of rare books and manuscripts, shows the “Metamorphosis” moveable book facsimile to U.C. San Diego Professor Seth Lerer, the 2016 Charles W. Mann Jr. lecturer, in the Special Collections Library Exhibition Room. Photo by Wilson Hutton.

It is an honor to follow in the footsteps of past directors since Charley who had the foresight to keep the Mann Lecture as a cornerstone of our local programming. Learning from our past to understand the present and prepare for the future is a tall order. And, it is my goal that at your Special Collections Library you will find much of what you need, and the knowledgeable friendly staff, to begin your discoveries to do so.

I am already excited about what we will be planning for next year, and with the insight and support of a creative and innovative team at the Eberly Family Special Collections Library, I am confident you will always keep the Mann Lecture dates on your calendars and delighted for what’s to come.

Don’t miss our exhibit “Playing to Learn, Learning as Play: 17th- to 19th-century ‘Play-things’ for Children” on display through June 3 in the Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library, on Penn State’s University Park campus.

Guideline updated on fees and fines waivers

by Lisa Moyer, information resources and services supervisor-manager, Behrend College, Penn State Erie

Recently, the Fees and Fines Waivers Subgroup of the Access Services Council updated Guideline UL-ADG08 (Fees and Fines Waivers) in order to remove outdated documentation, provide clarification on fine cancellations for returned lost materials and revise contact information for patron billing queries.

A copy of Guideline UL-ADG08 may be accessed from the University Libraries Policies and Guidelines web site https://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/policies.html.

LHR News: Penn State Values

A major outcome of the Penn State Values and Culture Survey released last September is the creation of the Penn State Values, a statement of core values for the University. In January you should have received an email from President Barron regarding the official launch of the Values, and Dean Dewey added her support for this important initiative in an email in February.

The Penn State Values are:

Integrity: We act with integrity and honesty in accordance with the highest academic, professional, and ethical standards.
Respect: We respect and honor the dignity of each person, embrace civil discourse, and foster a diverse and inclusive community.
Responsibility: We act responsibly, and we are accountable for our decisions, actions, and their consequences.
Discovery: We seek and create new knowledge and understanding, and foster creativity and innovation, for the benefit of our communities, society, and the environment.
Excellence: We strive for excellence in all our endeavors as individuals, an institution, and a leader in higher education.
Community: We work together for the betterment of our University, the communities we serve, and the world.

A host of information and resources for promoting the Values is available at http://values.psu.edu, including videos, posters, flyers, and conversation starters. The Values will be incorporated throughout our activities as a University, and we encourage you to become familiar with them and use them as a resource where appropriate.

Deadline for awards nomination approaching

The deadline for submitting nominations for 2016 University Libraries Awards is April 15, 2016.

The nomination process appears on the Awards website: https://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/awards.html.

ALL library employees are eligible (unless you have won before).

If you have questions, feel free to contact any member of the 2016 Awards Committee:

Joe Fennewald, chair
Dawn Amsberry
Linda Friend
Megan MacGregor
Glenn Masuchika
Manuel Ostos
Lauren Reiter

Penn State Portal shutting down on May 9

screen capture of Penn State Portal

by Ryan Johnson, technology training coordinator

Information Technology Services (ITS) began the end of life process recently for the Penn State Portal that will conclude with the permanent shutdown of the Penn State Portal on Monday, May 9, 2016.

Why?
Due to budget constraints preventing proper maintenance and a gradual reduction of usage, ITS decided to phase out the Penn State Portal.  The service is built on old infrastructure and the cost to upgrade the aging hardware has become too costly to justify based on the lack of demand.

What’s Next?
Should users want to export the bookmarks in their “Favorite Places” channel, they will need to do so before Monday, May 9. A new button was added this morning to the Favorite Places channel enabling users to export their bookmarks making it easy for users to transfer frequently used bookmarks to another platform. Instructions on how to import bookmarks into select browsers may be found on this page: https://portal.psu.edu/favorite_places_import_instructions/.

After Monday, May 9, 2016, the Penn State Portal will no longer be available. If visited, users will receive an error page that states the Portal is now gone with a link to https://portal.psu.edu/eol_announcement/.

Recently, a prominent message was added to the https://portal.psu.edu/ login page linking to https://portal.psu.edu/eol_announcement/.  Additional notices will be sent in the coming weeks to alert users of the permanent shutdown of the Penn State Portal.

What Alternatives Are Available?
Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) backup service users will be able to manage their TSM nodes and reset passwords on a new standalone application, https://tsm.apps.psu.edu/.

For a list of other replacement or alternatives for select channel items, please visit, https://portal.psu.edu/eol_announcement/.

Events: April 4

Spring 2016

Monday, April 4, 5 p.m.: Spring 2016 Robert M. Pockrass Memorial Lecture: “The Awakenings of the Filtered: Algorithmic Personalization in Social Media and Beyond,” presented by Christian Sandvig, associate professor of communication studies and information, University of Michigan,Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, and MediaSite Live. Sandvig’s research investigates the consequences of algorithmic systems that curate and organize information and culture.

Tuesday, April 5, 10:00 a.m.: Dean’s Forum, details online, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, and MediaSite Live.

Wednesday, April 6, noon: Linguistic Knowledge and Language Use in the Yucatan Peninsula, presented by Lindsay Butler-Trump, Foster Auditorium and MediaSite Live.

Wednesday, April 6, 2:00 p.m.: “Own Your Money, Own Your Life,” presented by Adi Redzic, entrepreneur, financial literacy expert, CEO and success coach, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library. If you are able to attend in person, please register at http://tinyurl.com/psuadi; If you are planning to watch via MediaSite Live, please let Lauren Reiter know. It also will be available to view later.

Dum-Laga-Ke-Haisha-Movie-Review-Cast-Poster-Songs-Release-Date-TrailerWednesday, April 6, 7:00-9:00 p.m.: South Asian (Hindi) Film Series, “Dum Laga Ke Haisha,” Foster Auditorium. Organized by the Center for Global Studies.

 

Thursday, April 7, 7:30-8:30 p.m.: Mary E. Rolling Reading Series: Tom Williams, public talk co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Center for the Book, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library.

Sunday-Saturday, April 10-16: National Library Week.

Monday, April 11,11:00 a.m.-noon: Collections Forum on Floating Collection Data Analysis, presented by Aaron Dennis, Access Services Research Assistant. Floating Collection has been active at 19 campus libraries since 2013. A Floating Collection is a group of books that are not housed permanently at one specific library, but instead are shelved in the library where they were most recently discharged. Approximately one million books fall under Floating Collection. Our Access Services research assistant, Aaron Dennis, has been analyzing data derived from SirsiDynix Symphony on floating books from a collections perspective and will present his findings. Members of the Collections Mobility Task Force will be on hand to answer questions. Foster Auditorium and Media Site Live.

Monday, April 11, 6:30 p.m.: Penn State University Press / Trafika Europe Essential New European Literature, Vol. I book launch and University Libraries open access journal affiliation concert and poetry performance celebration, featuring French-Algerian jazz-pop singer-musician Alima Hamel and Latvian poet Juris Kronbergs, Webster’s Bookstore Café,  133 E. Beaver Ave., downtown State College.

Tuesday, April 12, 1:30 p.m.: Tech Update, Foster Auditorium
Preliminary Agenda:
— Karen Estlund – Product Owners
— Dace Freivalds – 2FA
— WIMT Team – Drupal Update

Tuesday, April 12, 2:30–3:30 p.m.: Speak Up for Civility workshop, Mann Assembly Room. More information to come.

Thursday, April 14, 4:00-5:00 p.m.: Exceptional and Unconformable Phenomena: Maternal Effects and the Epistemologies of the Life Sciences, presented by Sarah Richardson, John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences, Harvard University. Boundaries of the Human in the Age of the Life Sciences Series, public talk co-sponsored by ICIK and Penn State’s Institute for the Arts and Humanities, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library.

Wednesday, April 20, noon: Indigenous, Natural, Esoteric: The Presence of Indigenous Knowledge in Urban Colombia, presented by Richard Stoller, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library.

Wednesday, April 20, 2:00 p.m.: Dean’s Forum: #blacklivesmatter and #weneeddiversebooks: Libraries at the Center of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion,” presented by Courtney Young, head librarian and professor of women’s studies, J. Clarence Kelly Library, Penn State Greater Allegheny; Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, and MediaSite Live.

Wednesday, April 20, 5:30-6:30 p.m.: MoneyCounts: What is Financial Literacy? seminar, Mann Assembly Room, Paterno Library.

Thursday, April 21, 7:30-8:30 p.m.: 2016 Public Poetry Contest winners public reading, Pennsylvania Center for the Book, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library.

Friday, April 22: Earth Day, University Libraries Green Committee handing out marigolds potted in folded newspaper flower pots, University Park.

Monday, April 25, 11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.: Penn State Shenango Undergraduate Research Fair, Lartz Memorial Library.

Thursday, April 28, 3:30-5:00 p.m.: “Maestra” Cuba film showing film screening and public talk, post-screening Q&A and reception with Director Catherine Murphy and Dr. Luisa Campos, visiting Cuban scholar, educator, and director of Cuba’s National Literacy Campaign Museum; co-sponsors include the University Libraries and the Penn State Adult Education Program, College of Education; Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library.

Friday, April 29: last day of spring classes.      

Sunday-Tuesday, May 1-3: Destress Fest, open house, Mann Assembly Room, Pattee/Paterno lobby areas, 4 branch libraries, University Park.

Monday-Thursday, May 2-5: Penn State Shenango De-stress Fest, open house, Lartz Memorial Library.

Friday-Sunday, May 6-8: Spring commencement weekend, most campuses. University Park commencement schedule is online.

Maymester / Summer 2016

Monday, May 9: first day of Maymester classes, University Park. Academic calendar information for all campuses is available online.

Monday, May 16: first day of classes, first six weeks summer session, University Park.

Monday, May 23, 2:00–3:30 p.m.; Libraries’ annual Diversity Research and Programming Colloquium, Foster Auditorium and MediaSite Live.

Monday, May 30: Memorial Day, no classes.

Thursday, June 2: Discovery Day, University Park library locations.

Wednesday, June 22, 5:30-6:30 p.m.: MoneyCounts: Debt Management program, Mann Assembly Room, Paterno Library.

Wednesday, June 29: first day, second six weeks summer session, University Park.

Monday, July 4: Independence Day, no classes.

Wednesday-Sunday, July 13-17, Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts 50th anniversary, Children’s Day July 13, BookFest July 16, State College and University Park campus.

Thursday, July 21, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.: PA Forward Information Literacy Summit, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library.

Wednesday, August 10: last day of summer classes, University Park.

Saturday, August 13: Summer commencement, University Park.

Please submit event information to Public Relations and Marketing via email.