Monthly Archives: July 2016

Gant, Guerrero named diversity resident librarians

Alia Gant and Jose Guerrero will join Penn State University Libraries as diversity resident librarians in August for 2016 for the second cohort of the University Libraries Diversity Residency Program.

Alia Gant and Jose Guerrero will join the Penn State University Libriaries as diversity resident librarians next month for the second cohort of the Diversity Residency Program. This post-graduate appointment was developed to attract recent library and information sciences graduates for a three-year program of research and service in academic librarianship, providing them with transferable professional early work experiences and career development in preparation for future leadership roles in the field.

“The University Libraries’ commitment to attracting and developing talented faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds is a critical component of our strategic plan,” said Barbara I. Dewey, dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications. “From that plan to our actions, our goal is to create an environment of opportunity and enrichment for every person the Libraries serves. We are pleased Alia and Jose will be contributing their knowledge and experiences as we continue to explore new efforts to reach and engage everyone in our communities and add to our collections.”

Read the full article on the Penn State University News site.

Archivist named to diversity commemoration committee

Penn State President Eric Barron has appointed University Archivist Jackie Esposito to serve on a 19-member University committee to recommend plans for “a comprehensive commemorative that celebrates Penn State’s history of and aspiration to diversity and inclusion.”

The committee, which convenes starting in August and is chaired by Marcus Whitehurst, Penn State’s vice provost for Educational Equity, has been charged to consider broad ideas that will recognize the University’s longstanding efforts as well as its future plans.

An announcement regarding the committee’s membership and charge notes, “In 2016, INSIGHT into Diversity also recognized Penn State as one of the first Diversity Champions in Higher Education. Only nine other universities in the nation have been given this distinction.”

Stern Cahoy leads exploration of scholarly research activities

graphic representation of digital scholarship workflow with seven circles representing actions surrounding a larger circle representing the sharing of research information.

The digital scholarship workflow project is designed to help users more easily find, store, cite, and archive important works. Digital Scholarship Workflow, Ellysa Stern Cahoy, 2012.

The critical aspects of academic research — storing, organizing, annotating, writing, citing, archiving, sharing and reflecting on information — are inextricably connected with the act of finding information. Since 2012, Penn State Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarian Ellysa Stern Cahoy has studied the scholarly research workflow, in collaboration with Smiljana Antonijevic Ubois, an anthropologist with a focus on digital humanities, and Penn State librarians John Meier and Eric Novotny, and funded with an initial $143,000 grant and a subsequent $440,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

“As researchers, we have explored how users manage their scholarly research activities online, identifying areas of challenge and opportunity for libraries and software providers,” Cahoy said.

Their exploratory project aims to bring a library’s scholarly resources into the research stream of the user without the user explicitly visiting a library website or other library-affiliated page. Through projects like this, the Penn State University Libraries continue to move forward with efforts to bring information directly to their users, wherever they conduct scholarly research online.

The singular goal of this project was to connect the self-archiving process with the researcher’s home university, automatically capturing research articles for institutional preservation. The first phase of team’s research during 2012 and 2013 found the most problematic areas of scholarly research management included discovery, the finding of new information, and archiving, the saving of important information. The results of this research were shared in “Personal Library Curation: An Ethnographic Study of Scholars’ Information Practices” published in portal: Libraries and the Academy, and recipient of the journal’s best article award for 2014. A subsequent phase of research, which began in 2014, focused on implementing software solutions to connect discovery and self-archiving within the research workflow.

Recent software developments, including Elsevier’s acquisition of both the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN) and citation management software tool Mendeley, point toward a growing recognition that finding information is an action linked with other critical academic activities and research software.

In partnership with citation management software provider, Zotero, the research team worked to provide new options for users within the software. These options included feeds to provide discovery of new research articles from within the Zotero interface, as well as identification and storage of self-authored research articles.

The research team worked with Penn State developers Dan Coughlin, Carolyn Cole, Mike Giarlo and Patricia Hswe on a first-of-its-kind feature that allows the institutional repository software to directly connect with third-party software and automatically import published works. With this optimization, Penn State’s institutional repository, ScholarSphere, can link to users’ Zotero libraries and enable immediate preservation of self-authored work.

Exhibit ‘Expanding Horizons: Penn Staters in the Olympics’ opens Aug. 3

As athletes around the world prepare for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, Penn State University Libraries’ University Archives exhibit, “Expanding Horizons: Penn Staters in the Olympics,” presented from Aug. 3 through Dec. 16, celebrates the Penn Staters who have competed in both the summer and winter quadrennial Olympic games since 1904. The exhibit, located in the Eberly Family Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library, features the collections of Harold Wilson, Class of 1951, and the late John A. Lucas, professor emeritus of exercise and sport science and official Olympic historian, and includes artifacts, documents, and images from the Olympic Games.

Read the full article on the upcoming exhibit on the Penn State University news site.

Dean’s Forum set for Aug. 17

Please mark your calendars for 10 a.m. on August 17 in Foster Auditorium for a Dean’s Forum for all University Libraries faculty and staff. The Forum will also be available via MediaSite Live. Topics to be discussed at the Forum will be sent in the next couple of weeks.

USTEAC announces Library Professional Development series

The User Services Training Employee Advisory Council (USTEAC) would like to recommend a series of Lynda.com training videos for overall Library Professional Development (LPD). The training videos selected cover topics applicable to all employees regardless of position or location.

We encourage you to view the highlighted video or module and use what you learn! While Lynda.com content is accessible to Penn State employees at any time, we suggest viewing each week’s short highlighted video with the option to continue with the full week’s module. Please note that closed captioning is provided for all training videos.

Please contact our group, UL-USTEAC@LISTS.PSU.EDU, with training inquiries or suggestions.

Logisitical info

If you are unfamiliar with Lynda.com and how to login, please visit: https://staff.libraries.psu.edu/user-services/lyndacom
The process that imports Lynda.com usage into the Learning Resource Network is currently only able to transfer course completion data. If you need your transcript to show that you have completed training in the Learning Resource Network, you will need to complete the associated course in Lynda.com and wait for the overnight process for the data to transfer.

Week 1
Innovative Customer Service Techniques
Regardless of where you work, you have either internal or external customers. This week we would like to highlight the video: Improving your powers of observation

As you have time view the remainder of this course and learn how you can “think outside the box when it comes to great customer service.”

Technical Services presents annual service awards

Cataloging & Metadata Services and Acquisitions held its annual joint service awards program on Thursday, July 14. Associate Deans Anne Langley and Karen Estlund welcomed everyone who attended. Heather Benner, Annie Copeland, Karen Estlund, and Anne Langley presented awards to the following employees who achieved service milestones in 2016:

40 years: Debbie Shelow
30 years: Beth Watson, Heather Benner, Jacqueline Peagler
25 years: Susan Houser
15 years: Annie Copeland
10 years: Donna Dean, Susan Lane

‘100 Years: Penn State Wilkes-Barre, 1916-2016’ exhibit now on display

image of the Penn State Wilkes-Barre graduating class of 1959

Wilkes-Barre Center’s graduating class of 1959, including Immaculata Comitz, its first female engineering graduate. Image courtesy Penn State Wilkes-Barre Campus Archives, Nesbitt Library.

“100 Years: Penn State Wilkes-Barre, 1916-2016,” is now on display in the Art Gallery in the Academic Commons building at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. The exhibit, which draws on the rich material available in the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus archives, highlights key events in every decade of the campus’s existence. Jennie Knies, Head Librarian, and Megan Mac Gregor, Student Engagement and Outreach Librarian, collaborated on the exhibit, which will remain in the gallery through the fall semester. A virtual, online version of the exhibit is available for viewing via Prezi.

– submitted by Jennie Levine Knies, Nesbitt Library, Penn State Wilkes-Barre

SelectSurvey to be retired in August

Active SelectSurvey users have likely seen the messaging that SelectSurvey is slated to be retired this August. In July, Library Administration expanded the licensing availability for Qualtrics, so that all library personnel can now have an account. Qualtrics is a modern survey tool with an intuitive interface and gradual learning curve. It should be an adequate replacement for current users of SelectSurvey. For current users of SelectSurvey, the following actions are needed to be completed by Wednesday, August 1, 2016:

Close open survey(s) by August 1, 2016
If you have data stored in current or past surveys please export it by August 1, 2016. If you need assistance exporting data, please submit a help request.
If the survey needs to remain active, recreate the survey in Qualtrics or another tool
If you have an ongoing research-based survey and are concerned about data being split across two survey tools, or have any concerns or needs during this transition, please contact Library Assessment at 814-863-1908 for assistance.

For those who currently do not have a Qualtrics account and would like one, ask your supervisor to fill out the account request form. Library Assessment is available to provide training or assist with all Qualtrics related issues.

– submitted by Steve Borrelli, Library Assessment

Tech Tip: How to print/export surveys from SelectSurvey

by Ryan Johnson, I-Tech

With SelectSurvey being decommissioned in August, here is how you can Print and Export your surveys from SelectSurvey in preparation to moving them to Qualtrics or another survey tool.

Printing your survey(s)
STEP 1:
Log into SelectSurvey using your Penn State credentials
Click on the Design link next to your survey

STEP 2:
In the left column, click Print

STEP 3:
Change settings to (optional):
“No Page Breaks,” so you have one continuous document
“Do Not Print Survey Title,” so you can suppress the title, (if desired)
“All Pages,” to have the entire document

Exporting RESULTS from SelectSurvey
STEP 1:
Log into SelectSurvey using your Penn State credentials
Click on the Analyze link of your survey

STEP 2:
Click Export Data to create file

NOTE:
Your survey results can be exported from SelectSurvey into a variety of formats, including CSV (Excel), XML, and SPSS (Extended & Condensed) formats.

STEP 3:
After making your selections, click Export. The file will then be downloaded to your computer.

LHR News: July 25

Please join us in welcoming the following new hires:

Full-time:
7/25/16 – Hailley Fargo, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Knowledge Commons

Wishing the following employees well as they leave us:
7/29/16 – Patricia Hswe – Digital Content Strategist and Head, Scholarsphere

Events: July 25

Summer 2016

Tuesday, June 7–Friday, July 29: “Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts at 50: Making Lasting Memories” exhibit, Special Collections Library, open 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday-Friday (summer hours).

Tuesday, July 27: Bluecloud Analytics training session, 9:30-11:30 a.m., University Park training room, 302 Paterno Library.

Wednesday, July 27: Discovery Day Webinar Series: Breaking News! Worldwide Exclusive! Lionsearch News Tricks Exposed!, presented by Eric Novotny, Jackie Dillon-Fast, Sandy Morgart and Ashoo Kuma of the News & Microforms Library, 1:30-2:30 p.m., W211a Pattee Libraries, University Park, and online via Adobe Connect.

Monday, July 28: 2016 Travel Grant Winner Presentation, Rebecca Goldschmidt, winner of a Through the Flower Research Travel Award, 9-10 a.m., Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library.

Monday, July 28: 2016 Travel Grant Winner Brown Bag Presentation, Trish Kahle, University of Chicago, winner of a Dorothy Foehr Huck Research Travel Award, noon-1 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, Paterno Library.

Monday, August 3–Friday, December 16: “Expanding Horizons: Penn Staters in the Olympics” exhibit, Special Collections Library.

Thursday, August 4: Ice Cream Social, hosted by Libraries Administration, help kick off the 2016 Libraries Open House event, 3-4 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library

Monday, August 8: Discovery Day Webinar Series: Silents are Golden, presented by Jenny Litz and Bob Livsey, 2-3 p.m., Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library

Tuesday, August 9: Libraries Clean Up Day, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., University Park.

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

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

Friday, August 12: finals day, second six weeks summer session, University Park.

Saturday, August 13: Summer commencement, University Park.

Tuesday, August 16: University Libraries Annual picnic, 5-7 p.m., Sunset Park. All University Libraries current and retired employees and their families invited. RSVP required by Tuesday, August 9.

Wednesday, August 17: Dean’s Forum, 10 a.m.-noon., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park, and MediaSite Live.

Wednesday, August 17: Space planning brown bag session, Libraries’ Space Steering Committee open discussion and Q & A, noon-1 p.m., 510A Paterno Library, University Park.

Fall 2016

Friday, August 19: 2016 Travel Grant Winner Brown Bag Presentation, Ryan Charlton, University of Mississippi, winner of a Dorothy Foehr Huck Research Travel Award, noon-1 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, Paterno Library.

Friday-Sunday, August 19-21: Arrival days.

Monday, August 22: First day of classes.

Tuesday, August 30: Coffee with Carmen, the Libraries’ User Services Training Coordinator, noon-1 p.m., Mann Assembly Room.

Monday, September 5: Labor Day, no classes.

September 7-8: Open House, 10 a.m-5 p.m., University Park library locations.

Tuesday, September 20: Coffee with Carmen and pastry decorating, presented by Ann Thompson and Linda Struble, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Physical and Mathematical Sciences Library.

Wednesday, September 21: Space planning brown bag session, Libraries’ Space Steering Committee open discussion and Q & A, noon-1 p.m., 510A Paterno Library, University Park.

Tuesday, September 27: Discovery Day Webinar Series: Office Yoga, presented by Rebecca Peterson, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library University Park.

Friday, September 30: University Libraries Donor Reception and Celebration, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Paterno Family Reading Room, 201 Pattee Library, University Park.

Tuesday, October 4: Disability Awareness Month Event: Working with patrons with disabilities, Carmen Gass, Libraries’ User Services Training Coordinator, 10 a.m.-noon, Foster Auditorium, University Park.

Thursday, October 13: Tech Update, by Libraries I-Tech staff, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, and MediaSite Live.

Tuesday, October 18: Discovery Day Webinar Series: What the Library Can Do for You, presented by Liz Long and Megan Gilpin, 1-2 p.m., Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park.

Wednesday, October 19: Space planning brown bag session, Libraries’ Space Steering Committee open discussion and Q & A, noon-1 p.m., 510A Paterno Library, University Park.

Wednesday, October 26: Penn State Beaver Library Open House, noon-1:30 p.m., Beaver campus library.

Friday, October 28: Interdisciplinary Research Colloquium, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Morrison Gallery, Penn State Harrisburg Library.

Wednesday, November 16: Space planning brown bag session, Libraries’ Space Steering Committee open discussion and Q & A, noon-1 p.m., 510A Paterno Library, University Park.

Wednesday, December 14: Tech Update, by Libraries I-Tech staff, 1-2:30 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, and MediaSite Live.

Wednesday, December 21: Space planning brown bag session, Libraries’ Space Steering Committee open discussion and Q & A, noon-1 p.m., 510A Paterno Library, University Park.

Please submit event information to Public Relations and Marketing via the Library News submission form.

USTEAC Library Professional Development

Please contact our group, UL-USTEAC@LISTS.PSU.EDU, with training inquiries or suggestions.

Logisitical info

If you are unfamiliar with Lynda.com and how to login, please visit: https://staff.libraries.psu.edu/user-services/lyndacom
The process that imports Lynda.com usage into the Learning Resource Network is currently only able to transfer course completion data. If you need your transcript to show that you have completed training in the Learning Resource Network, you will need to complete the associated course in Lynda.com and wait for the overnight process for the data to transfer.

As you have time, view the remainder of this course and learn how you can “think outside the box” when it comes to great customer service.

Week 2
Business Etiquette: Phone, Email, and Text
The fact that so much of our communication is done via phone, email, or text should make this class very useful! We would like to highlight the video: Understanding when and what to say during a phone call. As you have time, view the remainder of this course and learn “how to strike the right tone in emails, text messages, and phone calls.”

Week 3
Working with Upset Customers
Think of the last time you were really upset at a business establishment. What were your expectations? The module: Serving Angry Customers equips you for this very situation. As you have time, view the remainder of this course and learn “techniques for neutralizing angry customer behavior.”

Week 4
Customer Service Over the Phone
What should you do when helping someone over the phone? The video entitled: Develop the perfect phone greeting provides helpful tips for providing great customer service over the phone. As you have time, view the remainder of this course and learn how to exceed customers’ expectations over the phone.

Week 5
Connecting with Peers in the Workplace
“Great communication means connecting, not just getting your point across.” In this short course, coach Todd Dewett outlines helpful techniques for forging those important connections that make it easier to come to work every day. We encourage you to invest 25 minutes and view this informative class.

Week 6
Developing Cross-Cultural Intelligence
“Being able to work across cultures is an increasingly necessary skill for all employees.” The video entitled: Time is a great introduction to this informative class. As you have time, view the remainder of this course and learn how to respond effectively to everyone.

Week 7
Managing Diversity
“What does it mean to manage diversity? What does an inclusive work environment look like?” We encourage you to invest 37 minutes and view this informative class.

Week 8
Customer Service Fundamentals
There is much to be said about customer service and this class says it well. Refresh your perspective with: Defining Outstanding Customer Service. As you have time view the remainder of this course and learn how to make your customers feel valued.

Week 9
Information Literacy
View this video and further explore: What is information literacy? As you have time view the remainder of this course and increase your understanding of information literacy.

Week 10
Critical Thinking
What are the benefits of critical thinking? The video entitled: Use new lenses to think critically will introduce you to this concept. As you have time view the remainder of this course and learn how to further develop your critical thinking skills.

Week 11
The Manager’s Guide to Managing Customer Expectations
“Customer service managers may not be on the front lines, but they can create systems and processes that help ensure that the organization’s service promises match what it actually delivers.” The video entitled: Understand the impact of unpleasant surprises is a great way to start this 26-minute class.

Board of Trustees to meet in Nesbitt Library, Penn State Wilkes-Barre

image of individual installing carpeting at Nesbitt Library

New carpet installation and other enhancements were made to the Nesbitt Library on the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus in advance of the Penn State Board of Trustees meeting July 21-22.

The Penn State Board of Trustees will be holding its annual summer meeting on the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus July 21-22. The main meeting, which begins at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, July 22, will take place in the Nesbitt Library.

As a result, the library has been receiving some enhancements over the summer. The books and shelving were removed in late May, the sidewalks and landscaping around the building were repaired, painting (including the ceiling) was recently completed, and new carpeting was installed.

Although the books are temporarily absent, Megan Mac Gregor created an homage to the
book collection in the Nesbitt Library’s wall display case, utilizing blue and white weeded books from the spring semester and 3D-printed diamonds highlighting Penn State’s values. We will report back on how the meeting went in a few weeks!

Next space planning brown bag session is July 20

Are you curious about the Libraries’ Collaboration Commons or Phase 7 of the Knowledge Commons? Or might you be wondering what’s happening with the vacated DLT space?

Join representatives from the Libraries’ Space Steering Committee at its monthly brown bag session noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20, in 510A Paterno Library to discuss and ask questions about any space-related issues. There is no set agenda — we want to hear what’s on your mind. To help facilitate discussions we will have floor plans of Pattee and Paterno Libraries on display. Feel free to bring your lunch!

The brown bag sessions are held from noon to 1 p.m. every third Wednesday of the month and will be on the following dates:
July 20
August 17
September 21
October 19
November 16
December 21

National Convention viewings set for West Pattee Library

Extensive media coverage of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions will be available for viewing on the television screens of the News and Microforms Library on the ground floor of West Pattee Library. The viewing area will feature programming from C-SPAN, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC from 2 to 9 p.m. during the four-day events — July 18-21 and July 25-28, respectively. Both closed captioned broadcasts (W21 Pattee) and broadcasts with audio (W22 Pattee) will be available.

The Republican National Convention, set for July 18-21 in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Democratic National Convention, July 25-28 in Philadelphia, will feature a schedule of speakers, including the nominees and other party and national leaders, live reporting and analysis. Broadcast and cable news coverage times and channels will vary throughout the convention coverage with the networks determining schedules for both conventions. For a more detailed viewing schedule as well as any changes, visit the News & Microforms Library webpage.

Convention viewings are free and open to the public and space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The viewing sessions end when the University Libraries closes at 9 p.m. each night. For more information, contact librarian Eric Novotny at ecn1@psu.edu.

I-Tech annual recognition lunch honors employees

I-Tech staff gathered for lunch on Thursday, July 7, to celebrate milestone years of service for several staff. Also in attendance were Dean Barbara Dewey and Associate Dean for Technology and Digital Strategies Karen Estlund. Everyone enjoyed lunch and a cake decorated with the image included with this post; click on the image to enlarge it.

Congratulations to the following individuals who were honored this year:

15 years – Paul Baughman and Andrew Calvin
25 years – Maryam Kutchemeshgi
35 years – Jeff Shawver and Dace Freivalds

Tech Tip: New VPN client installed on PC laptops

A new VPN client, Cisco AnyConnect, is available for Penn State computers and support for Windows 10 is also available. The new client has been installed on all Library Staff PC and Mac Laptops machines and is also made available through downloads.its.psu.edu for both PC and MAC.

A VPN client is often used to connect securely to Penn State resources from outside of the Penn State network — such as at home or at a Wireless Access Point. Cisco AnyConnect replaces the Cisco Systems VPN Client and that old client may cease to function in March of 2017.

Cisco AnyConnect supports the following operating systems:

Windows 10, 8.1, 8, and 7
Mac OS X 10.8 and higher

To use the new VPN client on a staff laptop, please follow the instructions below:

1) Start a wireless connection

2) On Windows -> Go to Start-All Programs — Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client and select Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.

On Mac -> Go to Applications and select Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.

3) The Cisco VPN client will appear:

4) Choose vpn.its.psu.edu in the dropdown menu. Select Connect.

5) For Group, select ISPtoPSU and then enter your Penn State Username and Password.

6) Click OK.

7) The VPN client will then connect.

8) In Windows, you will see your connection in the Windows. To disconnect, simply right-click on the icon located in the system tray in the Windows taskbar and select Disconnect.

9) On a Mac, the icon will appear in the Menu bar. To disconnect, click on the Cisco icon and select Disconnect.