Daily Archives: February 12, 2018
Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award deadline is Apr. 9
Penn State University Libraries invites submissions for the seventh annual competition for the Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award. The competition aims to find the best thesis by a Penn State undergraduate student in consultation with his or her adviser with winner receiving $1,250. Awards of $750 and $500, are presented to the second- and third-place recipients, respectively.
Undergraduate students from all Penn State campuses who have graduated in summer or fall 2017 or plan to graduate in spring 2018 are eligible for the spring 2018 award. The competition includes a review of the submitted theses by a faculty jury and oral presentations by the students chosen as finalists.
“Through this award, the University Libraries emphasizes the importance of utilizing quality research methods and employing a thorough understanding of the legal and ethical issues related to the use of information. Both are key components of academic excellence,” Barbara I. Dewey, dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications, said. “The projects submitted in past years have been very impressive, and each thesis has demonstrated excellence in the research process of locating, evaluating and utilizing appropriate scholarly resources.”
Students must submit an online application, have a statement of support submitted by a Penn State faculty member and provide a copy of their final thesis. Deadlines for the 2018 award include:
- Now — discuss the awardand thesis requirement with your faculty adviser.
- by 11:59 p.m.Monday, April 9 — submit a copy of your final thesis, the online Student Thesis Application and the Faculty Statement of Support
- Monday, April23 — three finalists will be notified.
- Thursday, May3 — Public oral presentation by finalists will be held in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.
Details, including submission forms and application criteria are available on the Library’s webpage: libraries.psu.edu.
The Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award is a partnership between the University Libraries and the Schreyer Honors College.
For more information, contact Wendi Keeler at wak109@psu.edu or 814-863-5449.
You’re Invited – Plastic Entanglements: Ecology, Aesthetics, Materials
By: Linda Struble
The Plastic Entanglements: Ecology, Aesthetics, Materials exhibition will be in the Palmer Museum of Art Feb. 13 – June 17, 2018. To celebrate the opening of the exhibition there will be a
campus-wide party at the Palmer from 7–9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15. All are welcome. If you attend Plastic Entanglements, you will see Katrin Hornek’s Title Search on Plastic*s that was created with the help of the University Libraries in 2016 and utilized close to two thousand books from our collections. The photograph of the assemblage that will be in the exhibition will become part of the Palmer’s permanent collection due in part to the generosity of the University Libraries and Dean Dewey.
The University Libraries is also sponsoring some of the plastics related programming happening around the exhibition:
Iranian born artist Morehshin Allahyari will be speaking in Foster Auditorium at 10 a.m. on Friday, Apr. 6. Her talk “On Digital Colonialism and Monstrosity” will be available via MediaSite Live to encourage participation by the campuses and our global sister libraries.
The film series Plastics@theHUB will feature 3 documentaries from the University Libraries’ collection of environmental DVDs. The films will be shown at the Flex Theatre in the HUB as well as at the Foxdale Village Auditorium.
In addition, a series of children’s films relating to sustainability, to be shown outdoors at The Arboretum at Penn State, is in the works for this summer.
Please see the opening invitation, here: Plastics opening invitation-2bz60ty and Calendar of Events, here: Plastics calendar of events-qutr85 for more information.
Save the Date — Daylong diversity retreat: all welcome!
By: Lana Munip
The Diversity Committee, in collaboration with the Library Faculty Organization, will hold a one-day retreat at University Park for library employees on April 16, 2018. All employees are invited, and the administration has approved travel funding for campus employees. Registration
will open in March, so keep an eye out for more announcements in the coming weeks!
The first half of the day will be filled with training programs related to civility, rankism, and bias. Among the offerings will be “Speak Up!,” which examines work-related interpersonal conflict scenarios. Participants, in small groups, will work through scenarios to develop collective responses. This program is adapted from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Speak Up!
Responding to Everyday Bigotry.”
Linda Klimczyk, chair of the Strategic Action Item on “Professional Development in Diversity,” will lead “Community Dialogue: Rankism here? Where? Who?” This facilitated discussion invites participants to share their perspectives on various aspects of rankism in the University Libraries. In addition, the morning sessions will include a speed networking event and bias reporting training.
The afternoon sessions will be held in Foster Auditorium, and are open to all employees, not only those participating in the retreat. Lightning Talks on diversity research, programming, and personal experiences related to diversity at work will be presented by library staff and faculty. (A call will go out soon for presenters – stay tuned.) This will be followed by the LFO Colloquium, a panel presentation featuring Jody Gray, director of the ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services, Charlene Maxey-Harris, associate professor and chair of the Research and Instructional Services Department, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, and Jeff Witt,
Diversity and Inclusion Specialist, University of Michigan Library. The afternoon sessions will be available on MediaSite Live. A post-presentation discussion and reception will round out the afternoon program.
For more information on the retreat, please contact Lana Munip (lana@psu.edu). For more information on the LFO panel presentation and speakers, please contact Val Lynn (vag3@psu.edu).
Ethnologue: Languages of the World database is now available
By: Elise Gowen
The EMS Library has purchased a subscription to a new world languages database, Ethnologue.
Explore the World’s languages with Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Find, read about, and research the world’s 7,099 known living languages, and get access to statistics and other information on the living languages of the world, including the number of speakers, location, dialects, linguistic affiliations and autonym.
Ethnologue can be found at https://libraries.psu.edu/eresources/PSU02025
Please direct questions to Elise Gowen, edg16@psu.edu or 814-863-7324
Tech Tip: How to apply Transitions in PowerPoint
By: Ryan T Johnson
1) Click on a slide in the PowerPoint to apply a transition
2) On the Ribbon click on Transitions
3) Select the transition for your slide
4) To apply the transition to all slides in the timing group, select Apply to All
Customer Service Tip: A hidden reason to be polite to rude customers
By: Jeff Toister
I distinctly remember the first time I apologized on behalf of America. It was 1995 and I was living in Dublin, Ireland. I wandered into a gift shop near Grafton street to purchase some Waterford crystal to send home to my mom.
As I walked around the shop, I observed another customer berating an associate. This lady was RUDE. She obnoxiously demeaned the employee while constantly stating that she was an American. As if being American entitled her to treat people with utter disrespect.
The associate politely tried her best to help the woman. She was calm, patient, and kind, though I could tell she was unnerved by the customer’s outrageous behavior. Amazingly, she kept her cool until the customer eventually stormed off.
Let’s get one thing out of the way: being polite to a rude customer is not easy. It’s not even natural. Read more here.
Events: Feb. 12
Spring 2018
Academic calendar information for all campuses is available online.
Through Feb. 12: “Academic Libraries Around the World” exhibit, Diversity Studies Room, 203 Pattee Library, University Park.
MLK 2018 poster by Addie Ruston
Through Feb. 28: “Deconstructing the Dream: At Whose Expense?” student poster exhibition, Sidewater Commons, with adjacent central entrance exhibit case chronicling the life and work of King using University Libraries resources, first floor Central Pattee Library, University Park.
Jan. 16–May 13, “What Big Eyes You Have! Looking at the Wolf in Fairy Tales”exhibition, Eberly Family Special Collections Library Exhibition Room, 104 Paterno Library.
Wednesday, Feb 14: Software in the Humanities and Social Sciences Workshop – Upwork, a network for building and establishing a writing portfolio, with Jenna Spinelle. Bring a bag lunch; noon-1 p.m. 403 Paterno Library and via Zoom at https://psu.zoom.us/j/914950827.
Wednesday, Feb 14: Dean’s Open House, light refreshments will be served, 2-3 p.m., 510 Paterno Library, University Park.
Wednesday, Feb. 14: Geospatial Online: Overview of Online mapping options. An introduction to ArcGIS Online, used to communicate spatial research interests across the disciplines. 3-4 p.m., 211A Pattee Library, remote viewing available online using Zoom.
Wednesday, Feb. 14: Geospatial Analysis: Introduction to Working with location data and demographic data. An introduction to using ArcMap software to work with location data and demographic data. 4-5 p.m., 211A Pattee Library, remote viewing available online using Zoom.
Thursday, Feb. 15, 3-5 p.m. and Wednesday, Feb. 21, 5-7 p.m.: “Faster, Higher, Stronger,” A Winter Olympics Pop-up Exhibit, featuring books, materials, artifacts and memorabilia from the history of the Olympic Games. Mann Assembly Room, 102 Paterno Library.
Feb. 20: (Hindi) Indian Name Pronunciation Workshop, taught by Ritu Jayakar, Penn State lecturer in Hindi, 3-4 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, and via Mediasite Live.
Wednesday, Feb 21: Software in the Humanities and Social Sciences Workshop – QGIS, a free and open-source geographic information system for viewing, editing, and analyzing spatial data with graphical maps, with Zhiyue Xia. Bring a bag lunch; noon-1 p.m. 403 Paterno Library and via Zoom at https://psu.zoom.us/j/914950827.
Wednesday, Feb. 21: Geospatial Data: Diving into Library Resources and beyond. 3-4 p.m., 211A Pattee Library, remote viewing available online using Zoom.
Wednesday, Feb. 21: Focus on PolicyMap — Data sources and visualization options. 4-5 p.m., 211A Pattee Library, remote viewing available online using Zoom.
Wednesday, Feb. 21: Mary Gaitskill 2017 Fisher Famiy Writer in Residence, English Department event, 7:30-9 p.m., Foster Auditorium,102 Paterno Library.
Wednesday, Feb 28: Software in the Humanities and Social Sciences Workshop – Hadoop, a way to process very large datasets efficiently, with Juniun Yin. Bring a bag lunch; noon-1 p.m. 403 Paterno Library and via Zoom at https://psu.zoom.us/j/914950827.
Wednesday, Mar. 7: Software in the Humanities and Social Sciences Workshop – PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), a popular program for encryption and authentication of digital messages like email, with Andrew Singer. Bring a bag lunch; noon-1 p.m., 403 Paterno Library and via Zoom at https://psu.zoom.us/j/914950827.
Wednesday, Mar. 14: Software in the Humanities and Social Sciences Workshop – ggplot2, makes pretty, easily reproducible and modifiable graphs for publication, with Nathan Piekielek. Bring a bag lunch; noon-1 p.m., 403 Paterno Library and via Zoom at https://psu.zoom.us/j/914950827.
Wednesday, Mar. 21: Software in the Humanities and Social Sciences Workshop – Pandoc, convert documents from one file type to another and back again, all from the command line, with Grant Wythoff. Bring a bag lunch; noon-1 p.m., 403 Paterno Library and via Zoom at https://psu.zoom.us/j/914950827.
Tuesday, Apr. 3: Jillian Cantor to read as part of the Mary E Rolling Reading Series, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, 7:30-9 p.m.
Wednesday, Apr. 4: Software in the Humanities and Social Sciences Workshop – IIIF, with Karen Estlund. Bring a bag lunch; noon-1 p.m. 403 Paterno Library and via Zoom at https://psu.zoom.us/j/914950827.
Thursday, Apr. 5: Lecture by Professor Leo Bersani, “Force in Progress”, 5-7 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library.
Wednesday, Apr. 11: Software in the Humanities and Social Sciences Workshop – OpenRefine, a free and open-source resource for cleaning, regularizing, and organizing complex data, with Jose Guerrero. Bring a bag lunch; noon-1 p.m. 403 Paterno Library and via Zoom at https://psu.zoom.us/j/914950827.
Sunday, Apr. 22: International Write-In. Two sessions, 3:30-7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.-midnight. Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library. Interested writers can sign up today at: http://tinyurl.com/psuwritein
Please submit event information — and all Library News submissions — to Public Relations and Marketing via the Library News submission form. *Please note: The content submissions process may be changing soon; please stay tuned for updates.*