Daily Archives: April 24, 2017

Strategic Plan Update: Action Plan progress as of March 31, 2017

The March 31, 2017 action plan update for the University Libraries 2014-2019 Strategic Plan is now available as a PDF. Please note the progress that has occurred in since the December update.

On February 27 and 28, the 2016-2017 Action Plan Team held open forums to solicit feedback on the 2015/2016 Action Plan process and gather ideas for 2017/2018 Action Plan. In addition, surveys were conducted to collect the feedback and suggestions.

The Strategic Plan Steering Committee hosted a forum on April 13 at which John Russell, Cheryl McCallips, Jeff Knapp, Mark Mattson and Lauren Reiter gave reports on the accomplishments of several the Action Teams. The forum is available for viewing on Mediasite Live.

We welcome your feedback on the current update of the 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:

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)

– submitted by Martha Ney, Administrative and Financial Services

Deadline for University Libraries’ scholarship applications April 28

The deadline for applications for the University Libraries’ scholarships is Friday, April 28. In addition to scholarships geared towards those who have an interest in library science, the University Libraries’ scholarships provide financial assistance to undergraduates who have a demonstrated financial need.

The first criteria for both the Cynthia M. Joyce Trustee Scholarship and the Mayo-Alessandri-Esther Family Undergraduate Scholarship in the University Libraries are for students with demonstrated financial need. The Mayo-Alessandri-Esther Family Undergraduate Scholarship then prioritizes for students who have been placed in foster care.

For detailed information about each scholarship and the criteria, please visit https://libraries.psu.edu/scholarship-opportunities.

Awards start at $500. Most scholarships are renewable for the next academic year if the student continues to meet the eligibility requirements. Students may apply for more than one scholarship at the same time.

Application requirements:

  • All applicants must have a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file with the Office of Student Aid.
  • All submissions require the completion of an online application form and a letter of application from the student plus one letter of recommendation.
  • All applications and letters of recommendation must be submitted no later than the last day of classes for the spring semester, Friday April 28, 2017.
  • Complete the online application form
    • NOTE: You will be asked to paste your letter of application into this form, and to provide the name of the person writing your letter of recommendation.
  • Letters of recommendation should be emailed to Wendi Keeler (wak109@psu.edu) or sent to:

Dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications
The Pennsylvania State University
510 Paterno Library
University Park, PA  16802

For more information, contact Wendi Keeler at wak109@psu.edu.

Open budget request sessions

Open Budget Request Sessions will be conducted by Courtney Dillon and Pam Hough in Pattee W211A on the following dates and times:

  • 2-4 p.m., Thursday, April 27
  • 9-11 a.m., Monday, May 1
  • 10 a.m.-noon, Thursday, May 4
  • 2-4 p.m., Thursday, May 11

Budget administrators and budget assistants should feel free to come to Pattee W211A anytime during our these two-hour sessions for assistance with inputting their budget requests or questions about the new system.

We will also be available for the campuses via Adobe Connect during the above dates and times.

Questions from our Campus Budget Administrators and Budget Assistants will be handled either via the chat pod in Adobe Connect or via telephone.  If you would rather ask your question via the telephone, please send a chat pod message to us asking us to call you and please include your phone number.

– submitted by Courtney Dillon, Business Office

Chancellor’s Grant funds museum pass program at Abington Library

Through 2017, the Penn State Abington Library will lend museum passes to faculty, staff and students as part of a new pilot program. Jennifer Hunter, reference and instruction librarian at Abington, proposed the pilot and it was selected for $1,500 of funding through the inaugural Chancellor’s Grants competition.

Passes are free and can be checked out for up to five days at the Woodland Building library. Each pass admits a specific number of guests and some offer discounts at museum shops and for dining and special programs. The library guide provides specific information on each pass.

Nine institutions, most of which are easily accessible by public transportation, agreed to participate:

  • Academy of Natural Sciences
  • African American Museum
  • Battleship New Jersey
  • Elmwood Park Zoo
  • Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
  • National Constitution Center
  • National Liberty Museum
  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
  • Philadelphia’s Magic Garden

Abington Chancellor Damian J. Fernandez awarded the funds from the Albert and Suzanne Lord Chancellor Endowment in the fall for efforts that include programs targeting freshman and first-generation students for success in college.

The grants fund new programs, activities and initiatives that are innovative and sustainable. The winning proposals support student engagement, retention and graduation; fresh approaches to academics and teaching; seed funding for larger projects; and robust community partnerships for service learning and civic education.

Getting to Know You: Brett Spencer

The Star Wars' franchise character Yoda holding a book for a promotional "Read" campaign posterby Jennifer Cywinski and Tracy Reilly

Brett Spencer has been a part of the social fabric at the Penn State Berks Thun Library since 2014. He is the Reference and Instruction Librarian for the Social Sciences and also the liaison to the Humanities and Art Sciences.

Brett originally worked in a public library while in graduate school and earned his degree in Library Sciences in 2000 from the University of Southern Mississippi. He was then hired at the University of Alabama and left his native home of Mississippi. However, living in the south had some drawbacks, and eventually, Brett’s family began looking for better opportunities for their son Trent, who has autism.

After doing some research, Brett and his wife discovered that Pennsylvania was supportive of families who have children with autism. Brett applied for his position at Penn State Berks Thun Library while looking forward to moving and helping his son prosper. Now Trent attends The Vista School in Hershey, which boasts wonderful staff and state-of-the-art facilities to address the special needs of children.

When Brett isn’t working he enjoys spending time with Trent and their little rat terrier dog “Nemo.” Both he and his wife, Danielle, are big Star Wars fans and Brett actually owns a homemade lightsaber!

Brett says that working for Penn State has been a great opportunity for him and his family. He says “the co-workers, faculty, staff, and students, you could not ask for a better work environment!”

De-Stress Fest: University Park library locations help students during finals week

The University Libraries’ will offer fun and relaxing activities during “De-Stress Fest” at the University Park campus to help students reduce stress as they study for finals and complete papers and projects. From 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday, April 30-May 2, students can stop in the Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, and enjoy free coffee and snacks or stretch their minds with a quick game and mental break.

The list of dates, times and activities is available at https://libraries.psu.edu/destress-fest-spring-2017.

Branch library locations at University Park also will offer snacks and relaxing activities for students. The Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library will provide origami projects and puzzles all day Tuesday-Thursday, April 25-27, with snacks and drinks offered from 7-9 p.m. The Fletcher L. Byrom Earth and Mineral Sciences Library will offer puzzles and other study-break activities as well as apples and snacks, while supplies last, each day Sunday, April 30, through Thursday, May 4.

Bring your own cup and enjoy snacks and drinks from 6-7 p.m. at the Engineering Library Sunday-Wednesday, April 30-May 3, and from 10 to 11 a.m. Monday-Wednesday, May 1-3. With newly configured group workspaces, the Physical and Mathematical Sciences Library will have snacks and drinks available all day, while supplies last, Monday-Thursday, May 1-4, with puzzles and other activities for study breaks.

An 8.5×11 downloadable PDF for this event is available to print or share with colleagues and organizations. For more information about De-Stress Fest or for questions about accommodations for this event, contact Megan Gilpin at 814-867-0069 or mcg13@psu.edu.

What Maslow’s Hierarchy says about customer service employees

We’ve all felt beaten up by a customer.

It’s part of the job. A customer is angry, maybe even unfair. Intellectually, we know they’re complaining about the product, the problem, or the situation.

The attack still feels personal.

Years of pithy advice tells us to “not take it personally.” That’s an instinctive impossibility. We’re wired to take it personally.

What happens next is interesting. Read more of customer service expert Jeff Toister’s article here: http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?e=19c9d795c1&u=5807a192a714bb01025f1d318&id=9f93d3c84e.

– submitted by Carmen Gass, User Training Services

 

Instruction Room Best Practices: New instructor kits

You may have noticed that the tackle box Instructor Kits have been replaced with smaller, clear boxes that now fit in the podium. The exceptions are W140 Pattee (the tackle box still fits in the podium) and 403 Paterno (this room remains locked).

You may have also noticed there are some new items being supplied in the kits and podiums in general. The kits now have No. 2 pencils, instead of the golf pencils, as well as index cards. There’s also a box of Kleenex stored inside each podium.

Tthe typical supplies will continue to be stocked, such as:
AAA batteries
AA batteries
9V batteries
Dry erase markers
Dry erase board erasers
Staplers/staples
Tape
Paper clips
Rubber bands
Pencil sharpeners

The rooms and kits are checked on a weekly basis, but if you notice any problems or have supply requests for the kits, don’t hesitate to contact Rebecca Peterson at rmr28@psu.edu or at 865-9257.

– submitted by Rebecca Peterson, Library Learning Services

Don’t miss Discovery Day! Registration opens May 1

The Discovery Day committee is hard at work to make sure this year’s event on Thursday, June 1 is a memorable one!

New this year:
Want to visit a co-learning space where students, faculty and staff members can explore emerging technologies and work with the TLT team to leverage these tools in their teaching and research? Then take a tour of the Dreamery!

Or if you are a sports buff:  take a tour of the Penn State  All-Sports Museum.

The Museum features exhibits focusing on Penn State’s unique approach to intercollegiate athletics as well as the history of 31 current varsity sports and three that have been discontinued.

 

The official Discovery Day program will be released on May 1. Visit our website for updates: tinyurl.com/discoveryday17.

– submitted by Angel Peterson, Discovery Day committee

Tech Tip: Box folder invitation links going away

by Ryan Johnson, I-Tech

The Box feature of Folder Invitation Links will be removed on May 2, 2017 due to a security vulnerability being discovered. For more information please visit this page on Folder Invitation Links.

Although this feature is going away, the capability will be retained under Shared Links.

For more information on using Shared Links in Box, please visit the following Box documentation page.

 

LHR News: April 24

Please join us in welcoming the following new hires:

Full-time:
Sarah Koczan – Information Resources and Services Support Specialist, Penn State Behrend

Events: April 24

Spring 2017

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

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.

Through Sunday, July 30, “The Painted Photograph: Selections from the B. & H. Henisch Photo-History Collection,” hours of operation, Paterno Family Reading Room, 201A Pattee Library, University Park.

Through Wednesday, August 9, 2017: “Plastics: Knowledge and Information Taking Shape” exhibit, Pattee Library operating hours, Sidewater Commons and central entrance, Pattee Library, University Park.

Through Friday, August 30, 2017: “100 Years of the Pulitzers: Celebrating Our Humanity,” exhibit, Arts and Humanities Library operating hours, Diversity Studies Room, 203 Patee Library, University Park.

Wednesday, April 26: Financial Literacy Workshop, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.,
Black Box Theater, Slusser/Bayzick Building, Hazleton.

Wednesday, April 26: Conversations with Carmen: Religious and Spiritual Life at Penn State, with guest speaker Bob Smith of the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development, Pasquerilla Spiritual Center/Eisenhower Chapel, noon-1 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

Wednesday, April 26: Discovery — Tell Us What you Think, Discovery Solutions Working Group Brown Bag, noon-1:30 p.m., Dean’s Conference Foom, 510A Paterno Library, University Park.

Friday, April 28: Last day of spring classes.

Sunday-Tuesday, April 30-May 2: De-Stress Fest, 3-8 p.m, University Park library locations.

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

Wednesday, May 3: Docunight: Iran via Documentaries presents “Decadence and Downfall — The Shah of Iran’s Ultimate Party,” documentary screening of a film about, around, or in Iran, or made by Iranians, 7 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park and Mont Alto Campus Library, first floor, Mont Alto.

Thursday, May 4: Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award Public, Oral Defense, three award finalists, 3:30-5 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.

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

UPCOMING SCHEDULES:   Maymester & Summer 2017

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