Monthly Archives: May 2017

Miller named 2017 Big Ten Academic Alliance faculty fellow

Rebecca Miller, associate librarian and head of Library Learning Services, is one of five Penn State faculty to be named a 2017 Big Ten Academic Alliance Department Executive Officer fellow. Approximately 65 faculty department heads and chairs from Big Ten universities are selected annually for the program.

“Rebecca arrived at Penn State less than 18 months ago, and in that time she has made a significant impact on teaching and learning in the University Libraries and throughout the University while pursuing an active research agenda and maintaining a national profile without our profession. In short, she is an ideal candidate to receive this recognition and opportunity,” Joe Salem, the Libraries’ associate dean for Learning, Undergraduate Services and Commonwealth Campuses, said.

The Department Executive Officers (DEO) program is one of two faculty leadership development programs offered by the Big Ten Academic Alliance. DEO fellows, who include both seasoned and newer department heads and chairs, meet during a three-day seminar at the Big Ten Center in Chicago to discuss topics focusing on departmental leadership skills, challenges and broader issues. This year’s seminar will be held Nov. 9-11.

Miller follows Karen Estlund, the University Libraries’ associate dean for technology and digital strategies, who was named a Big Ten Academic Alliance DEO fellow in 2016.

Penn State faculty interested in learning more about the Big Ten Academic Alliance’s Department Executive Officers Program and its Academic Leadership Program are encouraged to visit http://vpaa.psu.edu/big-ten-academic-alliance.

Libraries acquiring Credo Information Literacy Modules

This January, one of the Libraries’ strategic action teams (The First-Year Instructional Model Delivery Pilot Team) conducted a small pilot using Credo’s Information Literacy modules. These online modules provide a way for students to asynchonously complete lessons which can provide librarians with benefits such as: supporting a flipped classroom model of instruction, embedding library resources into Canvas, and offering knowledge checks to gauge student understanding.

The modules are aligned with the ACRL standards and many elements within them are customizable. Using this sort of product will enable us to save our own content development time for creating products and learning objects that don’t already exist and that can support some of the more unique aspects of our teaching and learning program.

The University Libraries is in the process of acquiring the Credo modules for all locations and we hope to have a rollout with a larger pilot by fall 2017. Stay tuned for more information. For questions, contact Emily Rimland at erimland@psu.edu.

– submitted by Emily Rimland, Action Plan team

E-Book pilot for World Campus students shows tremendous promise

Increasing Library E-Book Collections AND Saving Students Money AND Providing Equivalent Access to World Campus Students

Since December 2016, a small group has been working hard at an E-Book pilot for World Campus students. This group consists of colleagues from World Campus, Filippelli Learning Design and the Libraries. Our charge and goal is to create a proactive approach to course reserves for World Campus students that can then be used for residential students.

The process is collaborative and requires a strong partnership between World Campus and the Libraries. We conducted a soft launch this summer with the inclusion of 23 E-Books in 18 World Campus courses. This is estimated to save students approximately $27,000. Students are informed of the availability of an E-Book in multiple ways including their course catalog, a page listing all available E-Books, their academic advisors, and an announcement from the instructor of record.

In fall 2017, we will be doing a complete launch of the program. Based on spring 2017 data, we could have licensed approximately $19,800 of E-Books and would have potentially saved students $417,000. It is estimated that the fall 2017 launch will have similar amounts.

We are very excited about this program, increasing affordability for students, engaging the libraries in Provost Jones’ focus on access and affordability in general, and Open Educational Resources. This initiative complements the much-anticipated debut of the Open Textbook Network.

If you have any questions about this program you can email me at victoria@psu.edu and I will either answer your question or direct you to the appropriate person. Look for a full press release closer to the start of fall 2017 semester.

– submitted by Victoria Raish, World Campus and Penn State Online

Reminder: June 6 panel discussion offers information on guide dogs, sight loss resources

promotional graphic for June 6 sight loss resources panel discussion

The Penn State University Libraries, in partnership with the State College Sight Loss Support Group of Central PA and the Happy Valley Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind, will host a panel discussion to answer questions and provide information about service dogs on Tuesday, June 6. The panel discussion, set for 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park, is free and open to the public. An American Sign Language interpreter will be provided for this event.

Members of regional and Centre County organizations and resource groups, University contacts and other advocates will participate in the panel discussion with an open question and answer session to follow initial comments and presentations.

The panel discussion also can be accessed for listening or viewing on Mediasite Live at live.libraries.psu.edu as it occurs. The recorded program, available soon afterward, will include captions.

The full Penn State News article on this event can be read online. For more information about the June 6 panel discussion at the University Libraries, including physical access and other special accommodations for this event, contact Emily Rimland at 814-863-7355 or elf113@psu.edu.

Pa. Center for the Book honors 2017 Letters About Literature contest winners

three girls wearing colorful outfits standing in front of a shrub with pink flowers

The Pennsylvania winners of the 2017 Letters About Literature Contest are, from left to right, Level II (grades seven to eight) winner Madison Kelleher, of Montoursville; Level III (grades nine to 12) winner Hailey Cross, of Scottdale; and Level I (grades four to six) winner Lydia Floreck, of Gettysburg.

The Pennsylvania Center for the Book recently recognized the Pennsylvania winners of the 2017 Letters About Literature Contest. A nationwide event sponsored by the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, the contest invites students in three grade levels to write letters to authors — living or dead — about how an author’s words affected them or changed their worldview.

The Level I (grades four to six) winner, Lydia Floreck, of Gettysburg, was honored for her letter to Susan Cain about “Quiet Power.” The Level II (grades seven to eight) winner, Madison A. Kelleher, of Montoursville, wrote her letter to Robert Munsch about “Love You Forever.” And the Level III (grades nine to 12) winner, Hailey Cross, of Scottdale, was honored for her letter to James Hurst about “Scarlet Ibis.”

Winners receive $200 and were honored at a celebratory luncheon with their families on Saturday, May 20, at the Nittany Lion Inn on Penn State’s University Park campus.

The full Penn State News article may be read online.

For more information about the Letters About Literature Contest in Pennsylvania, contact editor Nicole Miyashiro at nmm16@psu.edu, or visit the Pennsylvania Center for the Book website at www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu.

Getting To Know You: Stephanie Jakle Movahedi-Lankarani

by Jennifer Cywinski and Tracy Reilly

Stephanie Jakle Movahedi-Lankarani is a pillar at the University Park campus, having worked there since the mid-80s. She began her PSU career as a part-time reference desk assistant at the Life Sciences Library in Pattee/Paterno where she spent 12 years. In 2000, she began working full time in the newly formed Schreyer Business Library as a library assistant and in the spring of 2003 moved over to the Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library as the unit’s supervisor, which includes managing two architecture-related digital image collections.

During high school summers, Stephanie scooped ice cream at the local Baskin-Robbins and while going to the University of Illinois, she worked various retail jobs until getting a position shelving books. While it’s obvious that Stephanie has a passion for everything related to libraries, you may not know that as a child she spent almost a decade studying piano and in her late teens briefly studied at the National Academy of the Arts in Champaign, Illinois.

woman with glasses resting her head on her hand

When Stephanie isn’t working she enjoys spending time with her husband and their three adult children. She also has a passion for traveling to cities in the U.S. and abroad where she takes pictures of cityscapes and urban areas. Stephanie says, “I’m interested in how different cultures arrange their urban and suburban spaces and in how these spaces relate to cultural belief systems and reflect a society’s priorities.” She added that she takes too many photos on these trips!

Stephanie is also a member of the Visual Recourses Association which is a “multidisciplinary organization dedicated to furthering research and education in the field of image and media management.”

 Stephanie’s favorite thing about working for Penn State is that she gets to work with people from places all across the country and around the world!

Discovery Day 2017 is this week!

The committee is very excited to host Discovery Day on Thursday, June 1. We hope to see you there. There are 31 sessions to choose from, something for everyone!

Plan your day now: Discovery Day Schedule

Please register for the day. Individual session registration is not required.

Supervisors, please encourage your employees to attend this event.

We hope to see you all soon!

– submitted by Angel Peterson, Discovery Day committee

How to empathize with customers

The airline passenger was angry about missing her flight.

It was her fault. She had been sitting at the bar a short distance from the gate and lost track of time. Those things happen in Las Vegas.

Our emotions often rise up to protect our ego, so she looked for someone to blame. The first gate agent she talked to explained the airline’s boarding policies and maintained that he had made several boarding announcements. It was a perfectly rational and reasonable explanation, but it wasn’t the validation she wanted.

So the passenger exploded—ranting, raving and cursing.

Jeff Toister of Toister Performance Solutions, Inc. writes more about empathy, a core skill in customer service at http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?e=19c9d795c1&u=5807a192a714bb01025f1d318&id=9f555c7abe

– submitted by Carmen Gass, User Training Services

 

Tech Tip: Watching Mediasite presentations on Chrome

by Ryan Johnson, I-Tech

The newer version of Chrome doesn’t allow Flash to run automatically by default, so here is how to turn it back on:

1. Click on the three dots on the top right and click Settings.
2. Click the Show advanced settings link at the bottom.
3. Under the Privacy section, click the Content settings… button.
4. In the box that pops up, scroll down to the Flash section and select Allow sites to run Flash.
5. Click Done and close Settings.

At this point, websites (including Mediasite) should load normally again.

LHR News: May 30

Please join us in welcoming the following new hires:

Part-time:
Sanchit Goel – Bednar Intern, Digital Scholarship and Repository Development
Keri Mongelluzzo – Center for Humanities and Information
Zhiyue Xia – Maps Library

Events: May 30

Spring 2017

Through Sunday, July 30, “The Painted Photograph: Selections from the B. & H. Henisch Photo-History Collection,” Pattee Library operating hours, 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.

Maymester 2017 / Summer 2017

Academic calendar information for all campuses is available online.

Thursday, June 1: Discovery Day, University Park library locations.

Monday, June 5 through Sunday, September 10, 2017:  An Abecedarium from the 15th to the 21st Century” exhibit, Eberly Family Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library, Paterno Library operating hours, University Park.

Monday, June 5: last day of classes, Maymester, University Park.

Tuesday, June 6: study day, Maymester, University Park.

Tuesday, June 6: Panel Discussion, answers and information about service dogs, with the Sight Loss Support Group of Central PA and Happy Valley Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind, 1:30-3 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park and Mediasite Live archive recording with captions.

Wednesday, June 7: final exams, Maymester, University Park.

Wednesday, June 7: Docunight: Iran via Documentaries, 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, June 22: Tech Update, by I-Tech, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

Friday, June 23: last day of classes, first six-week summer session, University Park.

Saturday-Sunday, June 24-25: study days, first six-week summer session, University Park.

Sunday, June 25: arrival day, second six-week summer session, University Park.

Monday, June 26: final exams, first six-week summer session, University Park.

Wednesday, June 28: first day of classes, second six-week summer session, University Park.

Tuesday, July 4: Independence Day, no classes.

Wednesday, July 5: Docunight: Iran via Documentaries, 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.

Wednesday-Sunday, July 13-16, Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, Children’s Day July 12, BookFest July 15, State College and University Park campus.

Monday, July 18: Summer Academy for the Blind at Penn State, 1-3:30 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.

Tuesday, July 19: PA Forward Information Literacy Summit, Pattee Library and Paterno Library, University Park.

Wednesday, Aug. 2: Docunight: Iran via Documentaries, 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.

Wednesday, August 9: last day of classes, second six-week summer session, University Park.

Thursday, August 10: study day, second six-week summer session, University Park.

Friday, August 11: final exams, second six-week summer session, University Park.

Saturday, August 12: Summer commencement, University Park.

Tuesday, August 15: Tech Update, by I-Tech, 10-11 a.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

Wednesday, August 16: University Libraries Picnic, 5-8 p.m., Holmes-Foster Park, State College. All University Libraries current and retired employees and their families invited. RSVP details to come.

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

Reminder: Dean’s Forum May 23

Join us for the Dean’s Forum at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23, in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, and on Mediasite Live.

Dean Barbara I. Dewey will present an impressive list of kudos and followed by a presentation by Mark Mattson, Global Partnerships and Outreach Librarian, on some of the opportunities available to the Libraries for global engagement and collaboration.

Please join us in person or online to learn more!

Libraries launches Short Edition plan to support Penn State creative writing

Agreement aims to encourage public’s interaction with Penn State’s arts and humanities community

square photo of woman standing next to vertical machine and holding strip of paper printed from the machine

Dean Barbara I. Dewey received a printout from one of Penn State University Libraries’ short story dispensers following their installment on May 9-10 at four University Park library locations and one at Schlow Centre Region Library.

Penn State has become the first educational institution in the world, and the second location in North or South America, to partner with Short Edition of Grenoble, France. The innovative agreement developed by the Penn State University Libraries will deliver short, original pieces of Penn State creative writing into the public’s hands, encouraging direct community engagement with and conversation about writing by Penn State faculty, staff and students.

“This partnership is an experiment in connecting Penn State’s literary creators one-on-one with individuals visiting several of University Park’s busy portals, and the University Libraries is excited to be the conduit supporting this new means of conversation about the arts and humanities in our community,” Barbara I. Dewey, dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications, said. “We see the partnership with Short Edition as the first step toward a growing number of thoughtful and creative exchanges, beginning with the installation of Short Edition dispensers around the University Park campus and the development of the online content management platform.”

Penn State University Libraries’ agreement with Short Edition has enabled the development of a custom website. Soon, Penn State authors of short pieces of creative writing — faculty, staff and students at all campuses — will be able to upload their short-length content for delivery through the Libraries’ short story dispensers. Readers then can visit the site to offer a response, encouraging community engagement and conversation about writing.

Short Edition’s short story dispenser prints text based on length of reading time — one minute, three minutes, or five minutes. The reader presses a button based on the desired read-time length and receives a narrow printout similar to a shopping receipt. After reading a story, the reader is encouraged to visit the Short Edition website at the bottom of the printout to search for and send the author a response to the story, fostering a dialogue between writer and reader.

Five Short Edition story dispensers have been installed: four on the University Park campus and one in downtown State College. Initially, two will be installed on the first floor of Pattee Library and Paterno Library, near the Commons Services desk and the Curtin Road entrance, and one each at two branch library locations: the Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library, 111 Stuckeman Building, and the Physical and Mathematical Sciences Library, 201 Davey Lab. In addition, one Short Edition story dispenser has been placed in Schlow Centre Region Library, a public library serving the greater State College community, at 211 S. Allen St. in downtown State College.

See photos of the short story dispensers where they have been installed
at University Park in this Penn State News photo gallery.

The University Libraries’ agreement with Short Edition has enabled the company’s development of an English-language version of its website and also a custom University online content management platform soon to be completed. Through that site, Penn State authors — including faculty, staff and students who have written short stories, poems, excerpts of dialogue for plays, and more — soon will be able to upload their short-length content for editorial review. Once accepted, the content will be distributed through these dispensers and will also be available for online reading, sorted by genre. Dispensers are designed to be placed in locations convenient to readers where they likely may be waiting in lines and have a few minutes to read a short story.

The University Libraries’ Short Edition story dispenser installation at Schlow Centre Region Library marks the latest in an increasing partnership between the neighboring libraries.

Preliminarily, dispensed story content will include stories submitted by other Short Edition users, including some stories translated from French. This summer, the custom online content management platform will be rolled out for the Penn State community’s use to upload content from all campuses, for stories’ delivery via short story dispensers, with plans to incorporate the platform into curricular use for the spring 2018 semester.

Penn State faculty interested in learning more about using the University’s Short Edition platform in their courses are encouraged to reach out to William Brockman, Paterno Family Librarian for Literature, at uxb5@psu.edu or 814-865-9718. (University Libraries internal questions regarding the Libraries’ Short Edition agreement and programming questions may be addressed to Associate Dean Joe Salem at jas1218@psu.edu.)

Strategic Plan in Action: Forming an instructional community

by Ellysa Stern Cahoy, Education and Behavioral Sciences Library, Strategic Action Plan Blogging Team

The University Libraries have a unique instructional advantage — a breadth of instruction librarians situated across all twenty-four Penn State campuses and the World Campus. In sheer numbers, we are very lucky to have our own substantial academic library teaching cohort. Few academic librarians have this dynamic college of instructors in their own institution. This dispersed and significant instructional community mandates a strategic approach to our
engaged pedagogy. In our current Libraries Strategic Plan, we have committed to the goal of “Expand(ing) our role as a partner in online and resident education to support engaged, critical, and informed learners,” with the objective to “support excellence in teaching through professional development for library instructors.”

Our size and breadth dictate an approach that builds community among all of our librarians with an instructional focus. In “Library Instructor Development and Cultivating a Community of Practice,” Malia Willey describes the need for a faculty collaborative focused on instructional work in an academic library. Willey identifies the following challenges for academic instruction librarians:  a (still) developing identity for the academic librarian as teaching partner; a continuing (although improving) lack of pedagogical teacher training in LIS programs; and a host of on-campus demands, including challenges with faculty buy-in for information literacy
instruction and curricular reform, and a distinct possibility of building stress and burnout due to the continued advocacy expectations placed on instruction coordinators and librarians. She describes a community of practice as an antidote to these issues, providing a network of colleagues to facilitate instructional professional development, engage in problem-solving, and organize strategic instructional efforts across the organization.

In the Libraries, we have taken on this challenge with several approaches: an Instructional Community of Practice and a Libraries-wide Instruction Steering Committee. These groups allow us to informally, formally and strategically pursue and build upon pedagogical initiatives across all Penn State campuses. Our Instructional Community of Practice was initiated by
Anne Behler in 2013 with the following identified goals:

  • Continued informal instructional discussions
  • Peer-to-peer mentoring/observation of instruction
  • Larger professional development opportunities (speakers, workshops, etc.)
  • Communication – liaisons to liaisons, instructional needs, etc.

Over four years later, we have a robust Instructional Community of Practice (COP) connecting our librarians in support of our students and users diverse learning needs, and an Instruction Steering Committee working in collaboration with Library Learning Services to direct a robust professional development program for instruction librarians. Monthly discussions on a variety of teaching topics occur regularly, communication among instruction librarians has been facilitated through a variety of outlets, including a common listserv, and there have been multiple large professional development opportunities for Penn State instruction librarians, including a 2016 regional Immersion program facilitated by Immersion faculty members Craig
Gibson, Lisa Hinchliffe and Karen Nicholson.

The COP continued this conversation on May 9 with the first Community of Practice Instruction Showcase. This day-long event focused on pedagogy and sharing new ideas relevant to teaching and learning for our users. Whether you are a newer librarian or a seasoned teacher, our instructional community now has many opportunities to involve and embed yourself as a pedagogical practitioner. These efforts foster our strategic role as a teaching partner
and lay a path for even greater and broader curricular impact in the future.

University Libraries celebrates faculty and staff with 2017 awards

five women and one man standing for a photograph after receiving University Libraries awards

Barbara I. Dewey, dean of the University Libraries and Scholarly Communications, far right, presented five annual awards to employees for outstanding contributions toward success of Libraries’ operations, diversity and inclusion, and innovation. The winners, from left to right, were honored May 11: Ann Thompson, Margaret Knoll Spangler Oliver Award; Wendy Stodart, Shirley J. Davis Staff Excellence Award; John Shank, University Libraries Award; Jacqueline Peagler, University Libraries Diversity Award; and Karla Schmit, University Libraries Teaching Award.

Employees recognized for outstanding contributions toward success of operations, diversity and inclusion, and innovation

The Penn State University Libraries honored five staff members for their outstanding contributions toward the success of Libraries’ operations, diversity and inclusion, and innovation. Each spring, award recipients are chosen from a pool of applications submitted by the Libraries’ faculty and staff members, who use the nomination process to express their appreciation for the talent, dedication and character of their colleagues.

The 2017 award recipients were announced by Barbara I. Dewey, dean of the University Libraries and Scholarly Communications, at a ceremony on Thursday, May 11, in Foster Auditorium. The award recipients are:

  • Ann Thompson, information resources and services supervisor/manager for the Physical and Mathematical Sciences (PAMS) Library, Margaret Knoll Spangler Oliver Award
  • Wendy Stodart, human resources generalist, Shirley J. Davis Staff Excellence Award
  • John Shank, head librarian, Thun Library, Penn State Berks, University Libraries Award
  • Jacqueline Peagler, monographs cataloger and training coordinator, Cataloging and Metadata Services, University Libraries Diversity Award
  • Karla Schmit, interim head, Education and Behavioral Sciences Library, and assistant director of the Pennsylvania Center for the Book, University Libraries Teaching Award

Ann Thompson, Margaret Knoll Spangler Oliver Award
Thompson was presented with the Margaret Knoll Spangler Oliver Award. In the nomination letter submitted by Nan Butkovich, head of the Physical and Mathematical Sciences Library, she wrote that Thompson shows a “firm but fair demeanor characterized by a positive, courteous, cooperative attitude,” adding that she makes PAMS an “inclusive environment.” Another library colleague, Stephanie Movahedi-Lankarani, noted that “Ann’s positive attitude, her respect for the viewpoints and work of others, her impressive communication skills, and her commitment to professionalism are the hallmarks of all of Ann’s work.”

The Margaret Knoll Spangler Oliver Award was created in 1995 by sisters Eleanor Smith and Margaret Graham, and other family members of Oliver, as an endowment to honor her memory and her long service to Penn State Libraries. Oliver was a staff member from 1945 to 1965, and she remained active in library circles until her death in 1994. The award recognizes outstanding service by Libraries’ employees who demonstrate successful job performance by combining competence of skills, knowledge of subject matter, and successful interaction with others.

Wendy Stodart, Shirley J. Davis Staff Excellence Award
Two common themes were evident in Stodart’s nomination for the Shirley J. Davis Staff Excellence Award, as colleagues heralded her dependability and her calm, professional, patient and upbeat personality. Hired by Davis to work at the Libraries more than 30 years ago, Stodart was recognized by Nadine Dietrich in Lending Services for going “above and beyond the duties of her position.”

On behalf of the Commonwealth Campus Libraries Supervisors Action Team, Barbara Lessig nominated Stodart and stated that she has “consistently been outstanding in her professionalism and teamwork and her managerial skills are excellent.” Her human resources colleague Lindsey Harter noted that even during peak times of the semester, which are stressful for those responsible for ensuring staff coverage, she “supports the hiring process calmly, with excellent service as her top priority.”

John Shank, University Libraries Award
Shank was selected as the recipient of the University Libraries Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the University Libraries, based on professional contributions that affect the operations of the libraries, elevate respect among the University for the Libraries, reflect achievement in librarianship, and demonstrate leadership and innovation.

One of the first instructional design librarians in the United States, Shank is the founding director of The Center for Learning and Teaching at Penn State Berks. Instrumental in developing the Berks Educational Technology Grant Curriculum Program in 2002, he has directed more than 90 grant projects awarded to 60 faculty. This program initially impacted more than 100 courses and more than 3,500 students.

Some of his contributions to Penn State Berks and the field of library science were included in his nomination letter from Nancy Dewald, reference librarian at Penn State Berks. The creation of the Media Commons and Collaborations Commons in the Thun Library, career-building opportunities for students interested in library science, and the co-founding of the Blended Librarian online community to help other institutions develop instructional design librarian positions are just a few of Shank’s contributions that have impacted students, faculty and the world.

Jacqueline Peagler, University Libraries Diversity Award
The University Libraries Diversity Award, created in 2012, recognizes individuals who demonstrate extraordinary commitment and contributions to enhance mutual respect for differing backgrounds and points of view. Peagler, a champion of the causes of diversity and climate in the University Libraries, was named the recipient of the 2017 award. Brent Stump, music/AV cataloger, nominated Peagler, recognizing her “tireless and focused dedication to diversity issues,” and acknowledged that “the Libraries’ reputation for fostering a diverse and inclusive environment would not be the same.”

With the Libraries since 1984, Peagler is one of the founding members of the University Libraries Diversity Committee and serves on both its Diversity Award Subcommittee and the Civility Committee. She has been a member of the University-wide Martin Luther King Jr. Week Planning Committee and has served on the University Staff Advisory Council, as well as functioning as the Libraries’ sexual harassment officer.

Karla Schmit, University Libraries Teaching Award
The recipient of the 2017 University Libraries Teaching Award was Karla Schmit, honoring an individual who has excelled in teaching and/or created an exemplary and innovative instruction program during the past year.

Schmit’s experiences as an elementary school teacher, a school librarian, professor and academic librarian span more than three decades. During the last academic year at Penn State, she led 29 classes supporting more than 600 students with the number growing past 6,000 over the last five years. Her breadth of teaching spans from first-year seminar students learning about the Libraries to doctoral candidates in special education.

“A gift not only to the students, but to the instructors on campus as well,” is how Schmit was described by Annette Gregerson, adding she “inspires trust and confidence in the way she teaches.”

University Libraries staff members Nancy Adams, Kendra Boileau, Binh Le, John Meier, and Lana Munip served as members of the award committee, chaired by Joe Fennewald and Martha Ney as vice chair.

This article may also be viewed online on Penn State News.

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Panel discussion offers information on guide dogs, sight loss resources

The Penn State University Libraries, in partnership with the State College Sight Loss Support Group of Central PA and the Happy Valley Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind, will host a panel discussion to answer questions and provide information about service dogs on Tuesday, June 6. The panel discussion, set for 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park, is free and open to the public. An American Sign Language interpreter will be provided for this event.

Members of regional and Centre County organizations and resource groups, University contacts and other advocates will participate in the panel discussion with an open question and answer session to follow initial comments and presentations.

Some of the discussion topics covered in the June 6 panel discussion will include:

  •  Guide dog cost
  •  Guide dog training
  •  Other assistance animals
  •  Laws relating to animals in public buildings
  •  Blindness in other cultures

The panel discussion also can be accessed for listening or viewing on Mediasite Live at live.libraries.psu.edu as it occurs. The recorded program, available soon afterward, will include captions.

The State College Sight Loss Support Group offers a supportive atmosphere where individuals can adjust to loss of vision, learn what resources are available for assistance and develop strategies to regain independence. The Happy Valley Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind works as an affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind to enable those who cannot see to live full and independent lives, just like people who can see.

For more information about the June 6 panel discussion at the University Libraries, including physical access and other special accommodations for this event, contact Emily Rimland at 814-863-7355 or elf113@psu.edu. An 8.5×11 promotional poster PDF is available for download or sharing with colleagues.

2017 Celebration of Scholarship winners announced

by Rachel Olszewski, University Relations, Wilkes-Barre

Coordinated by Penn State Wilkes-Barre and the campus’ Nesbitt Library, the 2017 Celebration of Scholarship competition drew more than 140 poster entries this year. The winners were announced prior to the end of the spring semester:

Best Poster Presentation for Applied Sciences

  • Blaise Waligun, Colby Karnes, Emily Miller, Greg Bronsberg, and Kathryn Waclawski “Will It Make It?” (faculty adviser: Violet Mager)
  • Aaron Martinez “The Effect of Target Intensity and Target-Instrument Geometry on Terrestrial Laser Scanner Accuracy” (faculty adviser: Dimitrios Bolkas)

Best Poster Presentation for Humanities

  • Tanner MacDougall “The Importance of Mechanical Engineering at The Fairmount Water Works” (faculty advisers: Bill Bachman and Terry Clemente)

Best Poster Presentation for Natural Sciences

  • Adam Curry “Does Caffeine Lead to Cannibalism? A Test in Tenebrio Molitor” (faculty adviser: Renee Rosier)

Best Poster Presentation for Social Sciences

  • Ingrid Ritchie “Examining the (In) Equalities in Structural Covariates of Gender-Specific Drug Arrest Counts” (faculty adviser: Rick Dierenfeldt)

Best Overall Poster

  • K. Jacob Gibbs “Fire Station Response Time Analysis” (faculty adviser Dimitrios Bolkas)
  • Alexa Webby, Heidi Kile, Adam Garnett, and Curtis Evans “SWOT Analysis: McDonald’s” (faculty adviser: John Weber)

Nesbitt Library Information Literacy Award

  • Matthew Caines “Perceptions of the Death Penalty Among College Students” (faculty adviser: Rick Dierenfeldt)

Dr. Rosier’s Telescoping Spoon Award

  • Adam Curry “Does Caffeine Lead to Cannibalism? A Test in Tenebrio Molitor” (faculty adviser, Renee Rosier)
  • Mitchell MacDougall “How Will Microwaves Affect The Germination Of Sunflower Seeds” (faculty adviser Renee Rosier)

Honorable mentions

  • Shaina Shelton “How Cults Recruit New Members”
  • Jonathan Santos and Khalid Liburd “Construction Survey Column Stakeout for a High-rise Building”
  • Emma Evans “Attitudes: Shaping and Forming Our Behavior”
  • Jacob Fullmer “Priming, and the Effect it Can Have on Obesity Rates”
  • Jon Schwartz and Ron Neher “Luzerne County Voting Patterns 2000-2016”
  • Vincent Pavill, Joseph Hall, and Anthony LaTorre “Making Mjolnir: An Experiment with Electromagnetivity”
  • Greg Strazdus “Implementation of Google for Education: A Case Study of the Dallas School District in Pennsylvania”
  • Susan Huey “Sharswood Revitalization?”
  • Shaina Shelton “Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge: A Place of Healing”
  • Kathryn Waclawski “Roller Coaster Physics”
  • Wyatt McMarlin and Graham Speace ArcGIS Case Study of the “Great St. Patrick’s Day Flood of 1936” in Pittsburgh, PA
  • Hasham Jaffri, Amari Boyd, Khalid Liburd, Zacharia Sao, and Shikongha Cyril Tankam T”horium Based Nuclear Power: Future or Bust”

For more information, visit http://sites.psu.edu/wbscholarship.

New Kensington common reading program will focus on information literacy

graphic for book cover of "Weaponized Lies"The Penn State New Kensington First Year Summer Reading Program book for 2017 will be “Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era,” by Daniel J. Levitin. Originally published in hardback as “The Field Guide to Lies,” this book provides an easy-to-read, entertaining look at basic critical thinking skills. I may be biased, as a librarian who is interested in this sort of thing, but I found the book downright hilarious, especially Levitin’s examples of the ways statistics can be manipulated. The chapter titles are things like “How Science Works,” “Logical Fallacies,” and my personal favorite, “Knowing What You Don’t Know.”

The book selection committee was unanimous in its choice, and so far it has been a wildly popular pick among faculty and staff. The way our program works is that the library uses endowment funding to purchase free copies of the book for each incoming student and also any faculty and staff who are interested. We gave away 2 boxes of books in the first 48 hours after I announced they were available!

Students will be discussing the book at orientation, plus there are plans underway for additional events and contests. I am hopeful that some faculty members will assign the parts of the book that are most relevant to their discipline in various classes, and it may be assigned in some sections of English 15.

– submitted by Jennifer Gilley, New Kensington