Daily Archives: December 5, 2016

Expanded library hours and services help students

Penn State’s Pattee Library and Paterno Library have expanded hours and services Dec. 4-16 to help students with end-of-the-semester research and finals study needs. In addition, the Libraries is co-sponsoring later on-campus bus service Sundays through Wednesdays during the last week of fall classes and finals week with the Office of the Vice Provost for Information Technology.

Detailed schedules for University Libraries locations at University Park and at Commonwealth Campus locations are available online.

DeStress Fest
Calming and restorative activities are planned for students each day during the Libraries’ annual end-of-semester “DeStress Fest” Sunday through Tuesday, Dec. 11-13 at University Park. In addition to games, yoga, art therapy and music breaks, coffee and snacks will be provided from 3-8 p.m. each day in 103 Paterno Library.

University Park branch library locations also will provide activities and snacks for students:

The Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library is providing origami projects and puzzles all day Sunday to Friday, Dec. 4-9, with snacks and drinks from 7-9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, Dec. 4-8, and 3-5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9.
The Fletcher L. Byrom Earth and Mineral Sciences Library begins its extended hours on Sunday, Dec. 4. The EMS Library will offer puzzles and other study-break activities all day and apples and snacks while supplies last each day Sunday, Dec. 11, through Thursday, Dec. 15.
Students studying at the Engineering Library can bring their own cup for drinks and snacks from 6-7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11, and 10-11 a.m. and 6-7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12, through Wednesday, Dec. 14.
The Physical and Mathematical Sciences Library will treat students to snacks and drinks Monday through Friday, Dec. 12-16, and have puzzles and other activities all day.

Extended CATA Loop bus service
Extended late-night CATA Loop bus service, courtesy of the University Libraries and the Office of the Vice Provost for Information Technology, runs through Saturday, Dec. 17. Blue and White Loop service will operate until 2:30 a.m. with a final Blue Loop (eastbound) pickup time of 2:15 a.m. daily at the Pattee Transit Center on Curtin Road. Sunday through Wednesday night service for the White Loop (westbound) will have a final pickup time of 2:21 a.m. at the Pattee Transit Center on Curtin Road. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, the White Loop schedule will maintain its regular service until 4 a.m. The detailed loop schedule for Sunday through Wednesday nights is available at http://catabus.com/Announcements/LateLoop.html.

Student overnight parking
A partnership between the Penn State Transportation Services and University Park Undergraduate Association will offer extended hours of student parking through Friday, Dec. 16. Many of the overnight parking restrictions for student permits will be waived and students with valid permits may park during overnight hours until 7:30 a.m. in lots or decks near library locations.

“Safe Walk” service available between dusk and dawn
Students, faculty, staff and visitors can also call the “Safe Walk” service at 814-865-9255 (865-WALK) to be accompanied to an on-campus location or home within a reasonable walking distance off campus between dusk and dawn. This service, offered by the University Police’s Auxiliary Police division, is available 365 days a year.

Volunteer slots available for DeStress Fest Dec. 11-13

At the end of the fall and spring semesters, the University Libraries’ DeStress Fest at University Park helps students through finals week by offering coffee, snacks and fun activities from 3-8 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday, Dec. 11-13. Volunteers are needed to help prepare and serve coffee and snacks for this year’s event.

Check with your departmental supervisor to obtain approval, then join your colleagues by signing up on this volunteer page.

Please note that hours spent helping with DeStress Fest are considered hours worked for our non-exempt employees, and count toward total hours worked during the workweek. Your total hours should not exceed 40 in a week. If it appears that volunteering for Open House will result in you working more than 40 hours, please talk to your supervisor or Libraries Human Resources.

Inside Access: ILLiad email enhancements

by Shane Burris, Interlibrary Loan

Changes have been made to two ILLiad email notices to enhance user access to ILLiad.

One change is to the ILLiad courtesy notice (due date reminder). The email now contains a link which can be used to request a renewal directly from the email rather than link to the ILLiad main menu, which then requires the patron to navigate to checked out items and then to the item record to renew. We’ve seen a dramatic reduction in patron questions regarding renewals since implementation. Below is an example of the email:

The other change is to the email notification patrons receive when an article is delivered electronically to their ILLiad account. There is now a link in the email which goes directly to the .pdf of the article, once again bypassing the need to navigate through multiple screens to access the article. A second link will still take them into ILLiad to view the listing of all their available articles. Below is an example of the email:

Please contact Interlibrary Loan at https://libraries.psu.edu/services/interlibrary-loan with any questions or comments.

LHR News: December 2016 and January 2017 holidays: your ESSIC attendance record

For full-time faculty and staff, the University holidays this year are Dec. 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30; and Monday, Jan. 2.

This year, Dec. 25 will fall on a Sunday, as will Jan. 1, 2017. University policies provide, however, that if a holiday falls on an employee’s regularly scheduled day off, the employee receives another day off with pay to be used at another time. Thus, employees who normally do not work Sundays will receive a holiday compensatory day off for the Dec. 25 holiday.

Friday, Dec. 23 is not a University holiday and offices ordinarily would be open that day. However, in order to provide a generally more desirable and efficient application of time off, University offices and facilities except for essential services will be closed for this day as well. Therefore, the University will be closed from the end of normal operations on Thursday, Dec. 22, and will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

The holiday compensatory day earned for the Sunday, Dec. 25 holiday will be used for the work absences on Dec. 23 because of University offices and facilities not being open. This day closed, however, will not be an official University holiday. Employees in essential services who qualify for compensatory days, but who must work Dec. 23 will still have their compensatory day off for use at a later time.

For all employees scheduled Monday through Friday during this time period, the attendance record should be completed as follows for the holidays:*

*Employees in HR-88 positions would apply the holiday time according to their FTE, per policy HR-88.

Note: Dickinson School of Law Libraries and George T. Harrell Library employees are provided with this information as employees of the University Libraries; however, day-to-day operational practices are guided by their respective Colleges. Dickinson and College of Medicine Library employees should speak to their immediate supervisor or local HR Representative for guidance, as necessary. Conditions of employment for Technical-service employees are further described in the “Agreement between The Pennsylvania State University and Teamsters Local Union No. 8.” Technical-service employees should refer to the Agreement for information related to the above topics.

– submitted by Wendy Stodart, Library Human Resources

Payroll deduction forms for United Way

United Way payroll deduction forms — which allow you to make a pretax contribution to the United Way— are now available. Payroll deductions are the bread and butter of the campaign, providing a stable source of income for the United Way and its 38 partner agencies. Funds raised through payroll deduction are guaranteed funds that the United Way can count on coming in throughout the year. While the special events are fun, they only make up a small percentage of our fundraising goal.

As always, you may designate how your money can be used by selecting (or deselecting) agencies or sending your donation to another county. Undesignated funds are best since they go where the need is, but the choice is yours.

The need in Centre County for assistance is increasing, and with that increase in need, our goals and the amount we need to raise has increased as well. The Libraries and Penn State have both set goals to raise the funds needed by our community.

Libraries – $21,000
PSU – $832,000
Centre County United Way – $2.2 million

Last year you answered the call in true Libraries fashion by donating $21,014.00 through payroll deductions and $3,201 through special events like book and hoagie sales for a total of $24,215! Thank you! Although we met our goal, the University fell short of its goal.

This year we challenge you again to:

Increase your giving by just a dollar per month – An additional $12 per year may not seem like much to you, but when you add that up across the entire community, it really makes a difference!
Start donating if you haven’t in the past – Last year only 22% of Library employees participated in the payroll deduction program. This is down from 28% from just five years ago.

If you didn’t get an envelope with a payroll deduction form, please contact Ann Kopesky (ask190).

Thank you for supporting the United Way!
– submitted by Heather Ross, United Way Committee co-chair

Reminder: Managing holiday stress workshop Dec. 8

Stress is stress, but it seems to quadruple around the holidays! Evelyn Wald presents this one-hour workshop from 2:30-3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8 in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library and on Mediasite Live. This workshop will address the multiple causes of holiday stress, and provides tips on how to reduce these stressors, so participants can maintain their productivity, achieve a better balance and enjoy the holidays.

– submitted by Carmen Gass, User Training Services

Reminder: Penn State Press annual holiday book sale Dec. 6

The Penn State University Press Annual Holiday Book Sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6 in the Kern Building lobby, University Park. The one-day sale is open to the University community and the general public.

Visitors to the sale will receive a 30 percent discount on some of the Press’s newest titles, including Wood Hicks and Bark Peelers, Serious Nonsense, Aliceheimer’s: Alzheimer’s Through the Looking Glass, Ernest Hemingway: A New Life, as well as classic Penn State University Press books such as Field Guide to Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic and many more. There will also be a $5 book table.

Shoppers can also purchase books through the Penn State Press website, using the code HS2016 for 25 percent off beginning Thursday, Dec. 1. The Press offers free shipping to on-campus addresses; regular shipping charges apply everywhere else. For information on any of Penn State University Press’s titles, visit http://www.psupress.org or call 814-865-1327.

– submitted by Cate Fricke, Penn State University Press

Margaret Heffernan TED Talk: Forget the pecking order at work

Organizations are often run according to “the superchicken model,” where the value is placed on star employees who outperform others. And yet, this isn’t what drives the most high-achieving teams.

Business leader Margaret Heffernan observes that it is social cohesion — built every coffee break, every time one team member asks another for help — that leads over time to great results. It’s a radical rethink of what drives us to do our best work, and what it means to be a leader. As Heffernan points out: “Companies don’t have ideas. Only people do.”

Watch Heffernan’s TED Talk here.

– submitted by Carmen Gass, User Training Services

Register for Jan. 5 adult CPR/AED training

Two sessions of CPR/AED training will be offered at University Park on January 5 with a morning class (9:00-noon) and afternoon class (1-4 p.m.). This year, the Libraries is purchasing this service through Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology (CPI) who provides certificates through the group that writes the standards for the training, the American Heart Association. Please note that for individuals with certification that is going to expire, taking the full course is necessary due to guideline changes.

Remember… the AEDs that were installed in Pattee Library and Paterno Library are contingent upon having enough trained personnel within the complex certified in their use. As an incentive for your participation, there are no out-of-pocket costs to you as a Libraries employee. The Libraries Health and Safety Committee is sponsoring these training sessions.

Please contact Len White at lmw6@psu.edu to register for the CPR/AED training sessions and indicate your preference for the morning or afternoon class. Sign up will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and there is a limit of 20 participants per class. Once class maximums have been reached, a “standby” list will be maintained in case there are any participant cancellations.

– submitted by Len White, Facilities

Tech Tip: New Webcam installed in Paterno 126A and 126T

by Ryan Johnson, I-Tech

A new Logitech Webcam designed for medium-sized conference rooms that can be used with Zoom/BlueJeans/Adobe Connect, etc., has been installed in Paterno 126A and 126T. To get staff acquainted with the new setup in both of these rooms, I will be hosting a “open house” this week to demo the new webcam in these rooms.

Below are the times that you can stop by and see the new setup for each room, see how the webcam works and ask any questions you may have. Please feel free to stop by anytime during the hour.

Tuesday, Dec. 6, 10–11 a.m. — Room 126A
Friday, Dec. 9, 2:30–3:30 p.m. — Room 126T

Here are basic instructions on how to use the new webcam. This information is also available on the staff site Zoom training page if you need additional assistance and is provided in the rooms as well.

Getting Started with the Logitech BCC950 ConferenceCam

Turn on computer.
Attach webcam to speakerphone base.
Connect power adapter to speakerphone base and AC outlet.
Connect the USB cable to a computer USB port.
Launch Zoom. Use the stand to place the webcam closer for eye-level conferencing.

Video – Use Pan, Tilt, and Zoom to adjust the image in the preview window of Zoom. Press and release these controls for incremental adjustment. Press and hold for continuous adjustment.
Caution – Do not manually rotate the webcam (camera head). Doing so may damage the unit.
Volume – Use Volume Up and Down to adjust the volume.
Speakerphone base activity light:

Blue: ConferenceCam is in an active call.
Blinking blue: A call is being received. (The blue activity light on the speakerphone base may not work in some applications.)
Red: Audio is muted.
Blinking red: A USB connection is being made between the ConferenceCam
and a computer.

Usage Notes – The Answer and Hang up Features don’t work in Zoom. Use Zoom to answer and end a call.

LHR News: Dec. 5

Please join us in welcoming the following new hires:

Full-time:
Sara Peterson – Administrative Support Coordinator, Dean’s Administrative Office

Part-time:
Megan Chobot – Preservation, Digitization, and Conservation
Sarah Reese – Preservation, Digitization, and Conservation

Events: Dec. 5

Fall 2016

Through Friday, Dec. 16: “Japanimation: Exploring Anime” exhibit, Sidewater Commons and central entrance, Pattee Library, University Park.

Through Friday, Dec. 16: “From Gay-Related Immune Deficiency to AIDS: The Emergence of HIV in the 1980s” exhibit, second floor Pattee Library near entrance of Arts and Humanities Library, University Park.

Monday, Dec. 5: Space Planning Forum, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.

Monday-Friday, Dec. 5-9: Brain Boost, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Penn State Wilkes-Barre Nesbitt Library, Wilkes-Barre.

Tuesday, Dec. 6: Penn State University Press Annual Holiday Book Sale, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Kern Building lobby, University Park.

Tuesday, Dec. 6: Presentation on the Ithaka Survey, with Steve Borelli, Lana Munip and Chao Su, Library Assessment, 10-11 a.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Foster Auditorium, University Park.

Wednesday, Dec. 7: Meditation techniques lecture, 12:20-1:10 p.m., Hazleton Library, L-12, Hazleton.

Thursday, Dec. 8: “Driving Library Change with User Experience Design” online conference, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., W23 Pattee Library, University Park.

Thursday, Dec. 8: Managing holiday stress, with Evelyn Wald, 2:30-3:30 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Foster Auditorium, University Park and Mediasite Live.

Friday, Dec. 9: Last day of fall classes.

Sunday-Tuesday, Dec. 11-13: DeStress Fest, 3-8 p.m., University Park library locations.

Monday-Friday, Dec. 12-16: Final exams.

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

Thursday, Dec. 15: Coffee with Carmen, with special guest Steven Herb speaking about storytelling, 1-2:30 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library.

Saturday, Dec. 17: Fall Commencement, University Park and several Commonwealth Campus locations.

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

Spring 2017

Thursday, Jan. 5: Adult CPR/AED training, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

Monday, Jan. 9 through Friday, May 5: “From the Trenches: The Great War in Sepia” exhibit, spring semester hours, Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library, University Park.

Monday, Jan. 9: First day of spring classes.

Monday, January 16 through Friday, May 5: “Research Wrapped in Aesthetics: The Air Wall,” documentary exhibit, spring operating hours, Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library, 111 Stuckeman Family Building, University Park.

Tuesday, Jan. 17: Dean’s Diversity Forum, with Moses Davis,1:30 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park and Mediasite Live.

Wednesday, Jan. 25: M.G. Whiting Award Winner presentation by Annie Marcinek, noon-1 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.

Wednesday, Jan. 25: “The Politics of Struggle: The National Council of Indigenous Peoples in Mexico,“ 4-5 p.m., presentation by Maria Muñoz, Susquehanna University, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.

Thursday, Jan. 26: TEAM Library, 2-3:30 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library & Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

Friday, Jan. 27: Coffee with Carmen: Diversity Component, noon-1 p.m., with speakers Alia Gant, Jose Guerrero and Athena Jackson, Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

Monday, Jan. 30: Dean’s Forum, 10 a.m., , Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park and Mediasite Live.

Wednesday, Feb. 1: M.G. Whiting Award Winner presentation by Nari Senanayaki, 1-2 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.

Wednesday, Feb. 15: Human Library, 1-7 p.m., multiple locations at University Park.

Thursday, Feb. 23: TEAM Library, 2-3:30 p.m., with Moses Davis, Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

Sunday-Saturday, March 5-11: Spring break, no classes.

Thursday, March 23: TEAM Library, 2-3:30 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

Friday-Saturday, April 7-8: “Boundaries of the Human in the Age of the Life Sciences,” 4-5 p.m., with speaker Scott Gilbert, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.

Friday, April 28: Last day of spring classes.

Sunday-Tuesday, April 30-May 2: DeStress Fest.

Monday-Friday, May 1-5: Final exams.

Friday-Sunday, May 5-7: Spring commencement weekend, most campuses.

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