Daily Archives: June 19, 2017

Consultation event to support faculty in adopting open educational resources

In support of faculty members who are interested in adopting, adapting or authoring open educational resources (OER) or incorporating library resources in new or existing courses, the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, Teaching and Learning with Technology, and the University Libraries will offer a drop-in consultation event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 29, in 315 Rider Building.

Consultants Deena Levy from the Schreyer Institute, Julie Lang and Angie Dick from Teaching and Learning with Technology, and Torrie Raish and Rebecca Miller from the University Libraries will be available to speak with attendees. Faculty members are free to attend as their schedules permit.

Faculty can receive support in areas such as:

  • Defining course/lesson goals and objectives and selecting appropriate open content to help support them
  • Finding OER to replace course textbooks/high-cost materials
  • Adapting existing OER to replace course textbooks/high-cost materials
  • Authoring OER to replace course textbooks/high-cost materials
  • Licensing content with a Creative Commons License
  • Creating content in Pressbooks
  • Creating a project-planning document to support adoption, adaption and authoring
  • Methods/tools to share open content/courses
  • Matching with a library subject expert who can help identify free library resources, including course reserves and e-books
  • Help developing lesson plans and assignments utilizing OER
  • Library support in providing full modules that include content for and assessments of information literacy skills

While the event was designed to provide Integrative Studies Seed Grant Program awardees with support in OER and library resources, all Penn State faculty members are invited to attend.

Appointments are not required. However, faculty members are asked to indicate their intention to attend by registering for the event at https://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/events.

2017 edition of “A Baker’s Dozen: Best Books for Family Literacy” announced

Committed to providing an annual list of the best books to support family literacy, the Pennsylvania Center for the Book has announced its 13 books for the 2017 edition. “A Baker’s Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy for 2017” was compiled by a panel of children’s literature experts from the many children’s books published last year.

The titles for the 2017 list include:

  • “123 Dream” by Kim Kranz (published by Random);
  • “ABCs on Wheels” by Ramon Olivera (Little Simon);
  • “D Is for Dress-Up: The ABC’s of What We Wear” by Maria Carluccio (Chronicle);
  • “Ella and Penguin Stick Together” by Megan Maynor, illustrated by Rosalinde Bonnet (HarperCollins);
  • “Faraway Fox” by Jolene Thompson, illustrated by Justin K. Thompson (Houghton);
  • “Lion Lessons” by Jon Agee (Dial);
  • “Owl Sees Owl” by Laura Godwin, illustrated by Rob Dunlavey (Random/Schwartz & Wade);
  • “The Saddest Toilet in the World” by Sam Apple, illustrated by Sam Ricks (Simon/Aladdin);
  • “They All Saw A Cat” by Brendan Wenzel (Chronicle);
  • “Walter’s Wonderful Web” by Tim Hopgood (Farrar);
  • “We Found A Hat” by Jon Klassen (Candlewick);
  • “A Well-Mannered Young Wolf” by Jean Leroy, illustrated by Matthieu Maudet (Eerdmans); and
  • “When Spring Comes” by Kevin Henkes, illustrated by Laura Dronzek (Greenwillow)

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The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, assessing hundreds of new children’s books each year, prepares book lists, activities and curriculum materials. Working with its youngest audience, preschool children, the Baker’s Dozen list complements the center’s family literacy activities to help parents and caregivers to create and nurture lifelong readers. Tips for using the books with children and families, previous years’ selections, annotations, selection criterial and more are available through the “A Baker’s Dozen” website.

The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, sponsored by Penn State’s University Libraries and Barbara I. Dewey, dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications, is one of 51 similar organizations nationwide established by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Its mission is to study, honor, celebrate and promote books, reading, libraries and literacy to the citizens and residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu or contact Caroline Wermuth, outreach coordinator, Pennsylvania Center for the Book, at cvw1@psu.edu or 814-863-5472.

302 Paterno and 211 Davey fall semester schedules

Many questions have been asked about the availability of the fall semester schedules for 302 Paterno and 211 Davey — the two General Purpose Classrooms in the Libraries. Because updates are made to these schedules up to the final weeks before classes, the fall schedule will
be available on August 14.

Once the schedule is posted to UCS after August 14, you can contact me, Rebecca Peterson (rmr28@psu.edu), to schedule either of these spaces. In the meantime, all of our other rooms in the Libraries are available for scheduling! Feel free to contact me with any questions you have
about scheduling.

While I’m out on leave (July and August), Anne Behler (acb10@psu.edu) will manage the instruction room schedules and Emma Davidson (emd21@psu.edu) will manage 302 Paterno and 211 Davey requests through CollegeNet.

– submitted by Rebecca Peterson, Library Learning Services

Unique abecedarium showcased in new exhibit

Starting with something as simple as the “ABCs,” the Penn State University Libraries is presenting “ABC: An Abecedarium from the 15th to the 21st Century,” an exhibit that showcases typography, calligraphy and the re-imaging of letters throughout history. While a traditional abecedarium displays the alphabet in order, this exhibit, located in the Eberly Family Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library, University Park, features a mix of items by chronology, style, format and medium. Open through Sunday, Sept. 10, this fascinating exhibit is available for viewing during the Special Collections Library’s operating hours.

Sandra Stelts, curator of rare books and manuscripts, selected examples from the collections that ranged from an early hornbook (a primer for children’s study), pieces of metal type and metal signboard stencils, to medieval manuscript leaves and ornate book chapter initials featuring decorations and images related to the text. For example, one elaborate chapter initial from an 18th-century Italian architecture book features a cherub, coat-of-arms and an imaginary architectural background.

Of the 60 items in the exhibition, some are books opened to a single page with a spectacularly decorated initial and others are paper constructions that show the alphabet in its entirety. Twenty-six items have been identified with a Scrabble letter that enables viewers to engage in a scavenger hunt by locating each letter of the alphabet somewhere in the display.

One of the most recent additions to the Special Collections Library was a perfect fit for the Abecedarium exhibit — Stelts purchased an ABC book published in four languages, German, Dutch, French and English, from a visiting Dutch bookseller. One of the hand-colored illustrations from the 1816 book, “Gallery of Theodore, with 24 Coloured Engravings,” was added to the exhibit in June. Another item, directly tied to the history of Penn State, is a knitted Penn State varsity letter sweater representing the letter “S.” The sweater, a part of the University Sports Archives’ “relics” collection, was worn by gymnast J. Curtis Hoyt, a 1932 graduate in electrical engineering, and donated by his son, Curtis W. Hoyt, class of 1968.

The entire Penn State News article can be viewed online. An 8.5×11 promotional PDF with information about this exhibit is available for download to print or share with colleagues.For more information or for questions about accommodations provided for this exhibit, contact Julie Porterfield at 814-865-1793 or jmp48@psu.edu in advance of your visit.

Five scholars selected for 2017 summer research travel awards

The Eberly Family Special Collections Library recently announced the winners of the 2017 research travel awards program. This annual program, now in its sixth year, offers travel awards to researchers whose work would benefit from accessing the collections at the Penn State University Libraries.

All five winners will visit the Special Collections Library at University Park and will give an informal one-hour brown bag presentation about their research projects. Members of the public are welcome to attend any or all of the “learn at lunch” sessions from noon to 1 p.m. on July 20, July 27, Aug. 2, Aug. 4 and Aug. 11 in the Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library.

  • The Albert M. Petska Eighth Air Force Archives Research Travel Award
    Marla Okner, independent scholar
    Thursday, July 20
  • Mary Ann O’Brian Malkin Research Award
    Tilden Russell, professor emeritus at Southern Connecticut State University
    Thursday, July 27
  • Dorothy Foehr Huck Research Travel Award
    Kinohi Nishikawa, assistant professor of English and African-American studies at Princeton University
    Wednesday, Aug. 2
  • Dorothy Foehr Huck Research Travel Award
    Kristoffer Smemo, doctoral candidate at the University of California, Santa Barbara
    Friday, Aug. 4
  • Through the Flower Research Travel Award
    Monica Steinberg, postdoctoral research fellow in the history department at the University of Southern California
    Friday, Aug. 11.

The entire Penn State News article, with details about each of the winners and their projects, can be viewed online. An 8.5×11 promotional poster for these research presentations is available as a downloadable PDF to print or share. For more information about these “learn at lunch” programs or for questions about accommodations or the physical access provided, contact Julie Porterfield at jmp48@psu.edu or 814-865-1793 in advance of the event.

Anticipate the next question

A great way to provide outstanding service via email is to anticipate the next question and answer that one too. This saves a lot of back and forth and helps the customer feel good about the resolution.

Jeff Toister of Toister Performance Solutions, Inc. provides an example when a customer might email to ask if you have a particular item in stock. A good customer service professional would reply quickly with the answer.

A great customer service professional would reply quickly with the answer along with ordering information (such as a phone number or website) if the product is in stock or suggested alternatives if the product is not in stock.

Bonus info: Anticipation can sometimes get us into trouble and this article gives some examples of what can happen when our focus is only on what we know.

– submitted by Carmen Gass, User Training Services

Reminder: Libraries’ blood drive June 21

Help someone else in need this month by donating a unit of blood at the University Libraries’ blood drive from noon to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21. The Red Cross blood drive will be held in the Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

Appointments are recommended. You can make yours by visiting www.redcrossblood.org and
searching either by zip code (16802) or sponsor code (psu). Our drive goal is to collect 25 units of blood with 34 people pre-registered.

Tech Tip: Privilege Guard renamed to DefendPoint

by Ryan Johnson, I-Tech

The University Libraries Current tool for installing programs on Windows, Privilege Guard, has been updated to a new name, DefendPoint. The name will change only in your Windows start menu.

screen shot of folder hierarchy for a Windows operating system

DefendPoint will look and function in the same manner as Privilege Guard did, including retaining the name Privilege Guard when installing a program.

To install a program, download the file to your machine, right-click and select Run with Privilege Guard (audited).

screen shot of menu options for Windows-based operating system

You will then be prompted to enter a reason for why you’re installing the software. Enter a reason and select OK.

screenshot of software audit and reason panel

Please let us know if you have any questions or need any assistance by submitting a ticket to our helpdesk at https://staff.libraries.psu.edu/libraries-technology-i-tech/itrequest/ithelp

Events: June 19

Summer 2017

Academic calendar information for all campuses is available online.

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,” exhibitArts and Humanities Library operating hours, Diversity Studies Room, 203 Patee Library, University Park.

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

Wednesday, June 21: University Libraries’ Blood Drive, noon-5:30 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

Wednesday, June 21: State College Police Department K9 Unit Community Education Presentation, 2-3 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park, and on Mediasite Live.

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.

Thursday, July 6, Pop-Up Library (for LEAP), 4-6 p.m., Redifer Commons lobby area, University Park.

Monday, July 10, Data Days, various locations at Pattee Library and Paterno Library, University Park. Register here.

Thursday, July 13, Pop-Up Library (for LEAP), 4-6 p.m., Redifer Commons lobby area, University Park.

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.

Tuesday, July 18: Summer Academy for the Blind at Penn State, 90-minute discussion, 1:30-3 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.

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

Thursday, July 20: Special Collections Library Research Travel Awards “Learn at Lunch” presentation, by Albert M. Petska Eighth Air Force Archives winner Marla Okner, noon-1 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

Thursday, July 20, Pop-Up Library (for LEAP), 4-6 p.m., Redifer Commons lobby area, University Park.

Wednesday, July 26: Open House Volunteer Kickoff Party, 3 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

Thursday, July 27: Special Collections Library Research Travel Awards “Learn at Lunch” presentation, by Mary Ann O’Brian Malkin Research Award winner Tilden Russell, noon-1 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

Thursday, July 27, Pop-Up Library (for LEAP), 4-6 p.m., Redifer Commons lobby area, University Park.

Wednesday, Aug. 2: Special Collections Library Research Travel Awards “Learn at Lunch” presentation, by Dorothy Foehr Huck Research Award winner Kinohi Nishikawa, noon-1 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 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.

Wednesday, Aug. 2, Pop-Up Library (for LEAP), 4-6 p.m., Redifer Commons lobby area, University Park.

Friday, Aug. 4: Special Collections Library Research Travel Awards “Learn at Lunch” presentation, by Dorothy Foehr Huck Research Award winner Kristoffer Smemo, noon-1 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

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

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

Wednesday, Aug. 10, Pop-Up Library (for LEAP), 4-6 p.m., special pop-up event with coffee and snacks, Redifer Commons lobby area, University Park.

Friday, August 11: Final examssecond six-week summer session, University Park.

Friday, Aug. 11: Special Collections Library Research Travel Awards “Learn at Lunch” presentation, by Through the Flower Research Travel Award winner Monica Steinberg, noon-1 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, 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.

Friday-Sunday, August 18-20: Arrival days

Monday, August 21: First day of fall semester classes

Tuesday, August 29: Open House Volunteer Training, 2-3 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.

Wednesday, August 30: Open House Volunteer Training, 11 a.m.-noon, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.

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