Daily Archives: May 2, 2016

Drupal migration update

The countdown has begun! We are two weeks away from some big changes happening to the Libraries’ public website as well as the switch to the new staff website!

Here is a reminder of some of the changes that are coming the week of May 16:

Public site:

  1. Services: We will be replacing “Community” with “Services” in the global navigation. Under Services, we will highlight the services that the Libraries provide- removing them from the departments pages where they have been described previously, and bring them to the surface where they are much easier for our users to find!  Services will be grouped into categories that have been identified by user testing, including:
    • Borrow and Renew
    • Course Reserves
    • Rooms and Spaces
    • Technology and Equipment
    • Adaptive Technology
    • Research Help
    • Guides and Tutorials
    • Instruction and Classroom Support
    • Research Data Services
    • ScholarSphere
  2. About: “About” will remain in the global navigation, though the organization will change.  This section will be categorized more intuitively into the following areas:
    • Libraries
    • Staff and Department Directory
    • Jobs
    • News and Events
    • Awards and Scholarships
    • Giving to the Libraries
    • Strategic Planning and Initiatives
    • Collections
    • Message from the Dean
    • Organization at a Glance
  3. Public vs. staff: In an effort to move and separate pages that are for our own internal use and information, many pages will move to the staff site (more about the staff site below). Departments will all have their directory information available publicly, but much of the information that currently resides in the current department area will be moved to Services, if it is for our users, or to the Staff Site, if it is for our own faculty and staff.
  4. Staff Directory: We will have a new staff and department directory that is faster and provides a much more robust search!
Staff site:

The biggest change with the new staff site is the fact that we have completely separated it from the public site. The staff site is a place for all of our faculty and staff to add information for their own library or department use and for others within the Libraries. The site is only accessible to those working in the Libraries.

Staff site stakeholders identified two key elements as most important on the staff site: a search box that works well and a customized dashboard. We are happy to be providing both with the new staff site! You will be able to create your own list of favorites on the home page or dashboard of the Staff Site, so the pages and tools you use are immediately and easily available to you. And the new SOLR search index will provide a robust search for all Staff Site content to make things much more easily discoverable.

 

We are excited about the changes coming to both the public and staff sites and to be improving the user experience for both our internal and external users! Look for a preview of the staff site and the changes to the public site coming shortly; we look forward to hearing from all of you! Please send your questions and feedback via the Website Feedback link at the bottom of every page on the Libraries website.

Thank you for your support as we continue to make our site better for all of our users!

– submitted by Binky Lush,
on behalf of the Web Implementation and Management Team and the Development Team

Countdown to 2FA: 8 Days!

We’re coming into the home stretch — eight days remain to enroll in 2FA before it becomes mandatory! Go to Get2FA.psu.edu or stop by I-Tech during one of the two remaining drop-in sessions to enroll.

The drop-in sessions are at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 6, in the I-Tech Training Room. Bring your Penn State ID with you, or jot down the last four digits of your nine-digit Penn State ID; you will need this information to enroll. If these times don’t work for you, contact Ryan Johnson (rxj15) to set up an individual session.

2FA By the Numbersscreenshot of table with breakdown of devices registered for 2FA. Numbers include: Phones 48,624, iOS 21,802, Landline 11,673, Android 11,358, Windows Phone 335, Blackberry 27, Other 3,429; Hardware Tokens 6,015; Total Number Devices 54,639.

As of April 28, 438 or 84 percent of the Libraries’ 519 employees had enrolled in 2FA. That puts us slightly ahead of the overall 79 percent enrollment percentage for “Group D.”

 

Across the University 37,851 users had enrolled in 2FA as of April 26, registering a total of 54,639 devices or close to 1.5 devices per user in the process.

– submitted by Dace Freivalds, I-Tech

World Campus updates

Hello everyone,

I have met many of you, but for those who I have not my name is Victoria (Torrie) Raish and I am your online learning librarian. Look for a monthly update for me on collaborations and happenings between the library and World Campus/residential online programs.

The following are four major initiatives described at a high level that are happening to increase the library presence for World Campus students.

1. Connecting to the Library for New Students: A set of connecting activities to prepare students for success by becoming competent with essential library services and connecting them to Penn State. Status: Piloting in the fall.

2. Flexible, Granular Modules for Lower-level Courses: Modules to introduce students to information literacy concepts such as critical thinking, evaluating information, ethics, access, and citations. Will be created and kept in CanvasCommons for use in courses. Status: Creating initial content, need courses with which to integrate.

3. Embedded Librarian Program: In research-intensive/capstone higher-level courses a librarian will be embedded in the course with the instructor and serve as a just-in-time, personal connection to advanced subject matter and effective research in that field. Status: Identifying potential courses, will start with 5-6 courses.

4. Graduate cocurricular Program: Microcredentialing (badge) modules that will be used for returning graduate students and introduce them to essential scholarly inquiry skills, build a community with their future cohorts, and use the library effectively as a graduate student. Status: Piloting in the spring in two programs, LDT and WFED.

If you have additional ideas or ways that I might go about these initiatives I would love to hear them. If any of you are already working with World Campus please let me know so we can make the most of our capacity here at the library.

You can reach me at victoria@psu.edu, my Twitter handle is @raishvictoria to stay posted on the latest online learning news.

My office is in Outreach but feel free to introduce yourself and request a meeting with me if you have something to talk about! I am in the library a lot and can also video chat with Commonwealth Campus folks. As a matter of fact, I wrote this in the Knowledge Commons!

– submitted by Torrie Raish

Inside Access: New text message options in ILLiad

by Shane Burris, Training Liaison & ILL Systems Maintenance Specialist, Interlibrary Loan

A new text message option is now available within ILLiad. This improved method for text messaging ILLiad notifications uses customizations within ILLiad to generate and the Twilio API to deliver the message.

Patrons can choose which of the following messages they wish to receive via text: Pickup notices, e-article delivery notices, and courtesy/overdue notices.screen capture of new text message option window in ILLiad

All messages, including those received by text, will continue to be sent via email as well. The new text notices are shortened, custom messages designed specifically for SMS. The full notice is sent via email.

For example, an SMS pickup notice will read:

“An ILLiad loan you requested is available for checkout at Pattee Commons Services Desk:

Title: Infinite space the architecture of John Lautner /
TN:2027318”

The email sent for the same item will contain additional information such as the author’s name, due date, renewal info, link to library hours, etc.
screen capture describing new text message service for ILLiad notifications
Current ILLiad users can opt-in by updating their profile in ILLiad. New users will see the option on the ILLiad registration form the first time they log into ILLiad. To promote the new service a notice appears on the main menu of ILLiad alerting users of the new service and how to register.

iPhone app analyzes speaking

by Ryan Johnson, I-Techscreen capture of iPhone app Ummo start screen

A new iPhone app called Ummo will help you analyze everything you say and prepare for presentations or just improve your everyday communication. The app is only currently available for iPhone.

Note: the app costs 1.99 to download from the iTunes store.

To start, tap the mic in Ummo then practice your presentation. Ummo listens to you and will send a small audio alert when you use filler phrases like “uh, um, like, you know,” and others.

When you’re done, Ummo dishes out a lot of different stats to help you analyze your speech, including your words per minute pace, the overall clarity, how many words you’re using, and where screen capture of iPhone app Ummo settings screenyou’re pausing.

You can create your own list of filler words too, which is helpful if you know that you have a particular phrase you use that’s not that common.

This app will not help much with your anxiety of public speaking, but it could help you improve your pacing and make you aware of filler words you may be using.

LHR News: May 2

Please join us in welcoming the following new hires:

Full-time:
5/2/16  Wendi Keeler, External Relations Assistant, Libraries Administration, Dean’s Office

Events: May 2

Spring 2016

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.

Thursday, May 5, 3:30-5:00 p.m: Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award: Public Oral Defense by Finalists, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno 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.

Wednesday, May 18, 5:30-6:30 p.m.: MoneyCounts: Strategies for Success: Student Loan Repayment, Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library.

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

Wednesday, May 25, 9:30-10:30 a.m.: Coffee with Carmen, the Libraries’ User Services Training Coordinator, will present results from theLibraries Training Assessment Survey, Mann Assembly Room.

Monday, May 30: Memorial Day, no classes.

Thursday, June 2: Discovery Day, University Park library locations; register online by May 27.

Tuesday, June 21, 1:30-2:30 p.m.: Tech Update, by Libraries I-Tech staff, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library and MediaSite Live.

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.

August 18, 10:30-11:30 a.m.: Tech Update, by Libraries I-Tech staff, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, and MediaSite Live.

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