Monthly Archives: April 2018

Discovery Day Testimonial

By: Carmen Gass

photo of Beaver Stadium, Discovery Day 2017

Beaver Stadium

I really enjoyed the tours of Penn State Sports Museum and Penn State Nuclear Reactor on Discovery Day last year! It was my first time to visit both places and I learned a lot about Penn State Sports and Nuclear Reactor from the visits!

I have always wanted to visit both places as a Penn Stater (graduated spring of 1989 with my ED master’s degree), and have been working at Penn State (part time since 1988) and libraries
(full time since 2007).

Thank you very much for organizing the tours and other classes on Discovery Day last year. Looking forward to another fun and educational day on Discovery Day this year!

Bei Jiang, Library Acquisitions Support Specialist

Community Dialogue: Rankism here? Where? Who?

By: Carmen Gass

A facilitated discussion.

Participants are invited to share their perspectives on various aspects of rankism in the University Libraries. Interested in participating? Please indicate your availability
here.

All employees of the Libraries are welcome to participate! If you are interested, please indicate your availability on the Doodle poll.

Customer Service Tip: 7 simple ways to improve your customer focus

By: Jeff Toister (submitted by Carmen Gass)

Coins can be a mini customer service hassle.

Think about the last time you bought something with cash and needed to collect change. There’s an awkward exchange as the cashier hands you the bills and then dumps the coins on top of it. It’s tricky to hang on to everything.

A drive thru line is the worst place for this to happen. I’ve sometimes found myself too close to the wall of the building to open my car door and retrieve the lost change. There’s an awkward
dance that follows as you pull forward while gesturing to the driver behind you to stay put for a moment so you can collect your missing 17 cents.

There’s a way to avoid this. The cashier can put the coins in your palm first and then place the bills on top. It’s much easier to control the coins that way.

That’s just one example of a simple way to focus your service on your customer. Here are six more you can easily implement.

Events: April 30

Spring 2018
Academic calendar information for all campuses is available online.

"What Big Eyes You Have! Looking at the Wolf in Fairy Tales" exhibition, image from "The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault," illustration by Harry Clarke

 

Jan. 16–Aug. 26, “What Big Eyes You Have! Looking at the Wolf in Fairy Tales”exhibition, Eberly Family Special Collections Library Exhibition Room, 104 Paterno Library.

 

 

Depth of Field exhibit poster

 

Feb. 18-Aug. 13, “Depth of Field” exhibit, Diversity Studies Room, 203 Pattee Library, seeks to highlight the intersections of war in the Middle East with the history of war photograph

 

exhibit logo - 1968

 

Mar. 27-July 31, “1968: Student Activism at Penn State and Beyond” exhibit, Highlighting archival documents, photographs, and books from The Eberly Family Special Collections, this exhibit ties into a College of the Liberal Arts project titled Moments of Change: Remembering ‘68. Learn more about this project at 1968.psu.edu. Barbara Hackman Atrium, Pattee Library.

 

 Apr. 29-May 1: Destress Fest,  Pattee and Paterno Libraries — Free coffee and snacks, art therapy in Mann Assembly Room, 3-8 p.m.; HealthWorks Destress Zone 4-6 p.m. in Paterno Lobby; Puzzles all day in Pattee Lobby; Wii and bean bag toss in Central Pattee all day.

Sunday, May 6: What BIG Eyes You Have! Looking at the Wolf in Fairy Tales for Kids, A children’s storytime to consider the Wolf, sometimes scary, sometimes friendly, always worth looking at! Readings from picture books featuring wolves, a wolf hide and seek game, and Red Riding Hood origami craft. 2-2:45 p.m., Eberly Family Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library.

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.*

Adrienne and Bob Darrah challenge Class of 2018 to support textbook fund class gift

by Sarah Bacon

Penn State employees Adrienne Darrah ’98 ’12 MBA, alumni relations and stewardship officer for the College of Information Sciences and Technology, and Bob Darrah, director of Development and Alumni Relations for the University Libraries, have established a matching challenge to the Class of 2018 — their classmates — and others to support the University Libraries Textbook and Educational Resources Endowment 2018 Class Gift option, to incentivize giving before its online giving deadline of May 11.

The Darrahs are current Penn State students themselves. This year, Adrienne is finishing a master’s degree in public administration, which will be her third Penn State degree, and Bob is finishing a post-baccalaureate certificate in ancient languages. They feel strongly connected to this graduating class and believe in the importance of the Textbook and Educational Resources Endowment.

“When we were undergraduate students, we both had barely enough financial support to cover the cost of our tuitions, let alone the ability to afford our textbooks,” they explained. “We both strongly feel that no one should be limited in their educational pursuits by the cost of their textbooks. We support this fund because it gives students a better opportunity to fully participate in their academic careers while at Penn State.”

The Darrahs will match every dollar of the first $5,000 donated to the 2018 Senior Class Gift benefiting the Textbook and Educational Resources Endowment.

The endowment was established to supplement annual funds that the University Libraries has been spending for decades to purchase textbooks and other required course materials. These materials are placed on reserve at University Park subject and branch libraries and at Libraries locations at most Penn State Commonwealth Campuses for students to borrow on a short-term basis. This practice helps ensure all students have equal access to their required course materials, particularly those facing financial hardship.

“With the cost of textbooks and course materials continuing to rise, we are very excited to be able to support student access to those materials as well as provide scalable solutions to reducing course costs into the future,” Joe Salem, associate dean for Learning, Undergraduate Services and Commonwealth Campus Libraries, said.

The best part about the Class Gift Campaign, according to the Darrahs, is that anyone can donate to it, not just graduating students.

To give to the Textbook and Educational Resources Endowment by the May 11 deadline or to learn more, visit http://c-fund.us/ee3. For questions or information about creating a fundraising event to support the University Libraries, contact Sarah Bacon, administrative support coordinator, at sac210@psu.edu or 814-863-7718.

Getting To Know You: Linda Ferriss

By: Jen Cywinski and Tracy Reilly

If you’ve ever visited the Kelly Library at the Greater Allegheny Campus in McKeesport then you’ve probably seen Linda Ferriss behind the service desk. Linda started there in January
of 2012 as an instructor for reading specialist classes. In August of the same year, a position opened up for an Information Resource Specialist so she applied and the rest is history.

Like many of these positions on smaller campuses, Linda wears many hats. She is in charge of interlibrary loan, cataloging, collection maintenance, weeding, processing new materials, as
well as overseeing student workers’ hours and payroll.

Linda attended Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a Bachelors in Elementary Education with a concentration in reading. Her love of books and reading later inspired her to go on for a Masters specializing in Reading Literacy. What you may not know about Linda is that when she first joined the job force after college, she attended a job fair and decided to teach English in a foreign country, including Venezuela for two years and Spain for one year!

Having grown up in Williamsport, PA, her family always had season tickets for Penn State Football, so family and PSU go together for Linda. Speaking of which, she and her husband Ed have a 14-year-old Lab mix named Jasper, and she has two sons, James and Daniel.

Though Linda was hired for the Kelly Library specifically, she loves being part of the big picture at Penn State- “I have to know people throughout the system and across the state!”

 

Libraries 2020 Internal Communications committee announced

An internal Communications committee has been established to provide accurate and timely information to Libraries employees regarding the renovation and construction of the “Libraries 2020” project. The committee will work together for the duration of the project, roughly September 2019, to:

  • Identify applicable messages to be shared on a regular and basis, especially regarding departmental moves, wayfinding impacts, safety-related alerts, potential noise and utilities disruptions for employees and visitors, temporary and long-term space closures and (re)openings, and other related construction topics relevant to daily workplace operations;
  • Assist in the creation of messages, to be shared via Staff Site Posts and a designated Libraries 2020 Staff Site page;
  • Create, schedule, plan, and execute any special events and communication forums that support regular information sharing among construction partners and employees; and
  • Serve as communication liaisons to solicit employee feedback and encourage positive engagement, as well as be available to answer employee questions and receive input.

Join the Town Hall on April 30, 1 – 2 p.m.  Representatives from the Office of Physical Plan (OPP) and Alexander Construction Company will discuss the construction timeline, sequencing of the various components of the project, site logistics and more. Members of the Space Planning Committee will also be on hand to field questions.

Visit the Libraries 2020 faculty and staff information page on the Libraries’ intranet site, here, for the latest news and project timelines (subject to change at any time).

For additional information, please feel free to contact committee members:
Jenny Cifelli – Chair – jac5875@psu.edu
Joe Fennewald – jaf23@psu.edu
Dace Freivalds – dif1@psu.edu
Carmen Gass – crg177@psu.edu
Claire Gianacakos – kug509@psu.edu
Rick Riccardo – rar7@psu.edu
Rachel White – rhw135@psu.edu
Michael Wright – mjw235@psu.edu

 

 

Tech Update April 25 @ 2 p.m.

By: Melody Gehlbach

AGENDA:
Office 365 Update and Apps Training – Michelle Dzyak and Ryan Johnson will provide an update on Office 365 and a review of the applications available.

Databases and Experts by Subject – Binky Lush will preview of some new features on the Libraries site that will improve discovery of experts and databases and help our users find them
based on subject.

25 Live – Rebecca Peterson will discuss the instruction room’s move from UCS to 25Live.

Bento – Ruth Tillman will provide an an update on the libraries discovery project: next steps after Bento search user testing and timeline for deployment this summer.

Strategic Plan Update: Action Plan progress as of March 31, 2018

By: Martha Ney

The March 31, 2018 action plan update for the University Libraries 2014-2019 Strategic Plan is now available here.

The 2017-2018 Action Plan began with 19 actions – 4 for Advancing University Research; 7 for Discovery, Access and Preservation; and 8 for Teaching and Learning. As of the end of the third quarter 2 of the actions were substantially completed and/or operationalized, 15 are in process, 2 are be initiated.

We welcome your feedback on the current update of the action plan, process for updating the action plan, communications strategy, and revision to the strategic plan. Please feel free to
send your comments or question to the Strategic Plan Steering Committee (ul-strategic-plan-steering@lists.psu.edu).

Members:
Joe Salem, Chair, jas1218@psu.edu
Chris Avery, cca2@psu.edu
Anne Behler acb10@psu.edu
Paul Burnell, pcb15@psu.edu
Matt Ciszek, mpc16@psu.edu
Karen Estlund, kme20@psu.edu
Jennifer Gilley, jrg15@psu.edu
Glenn Masuchika, gnm1@psu.edu
Martha Ney, mdn1@psu.edu
Kimlyn Patishnock, kjp2@psu.edu
Diane Zabel, dxz2@psu.edu

Discovery Day Testimonial

By: Carmen Gass

“Discovery Day is an excellent opportunity to explore new things, meet colleagues, and have fun! For example, at one Discovery Day I learned about couponing and how to do a little yoga.”

—Barbara Dewey, Dean, University Libraries and Scholarly Communications

Interested in creating a video?

By: Amanda Clossen

A lot of people are interested in creating videos to support library instruction. And for good reason! Video can be a great tool. At the same time the idea of creating one can seem a bit
daunting.

If you are looking to make a video and don’t know where to start, don’t worry: I and Library Learning Services can help!

The process of making a video begins with the theoretical and ends with the technical, and I can guide you through each step of this process, beginning with assessing the goals of your project
and ending with posting the completed video in a hosting site. I am able to provide direction for this process overall and at each stage, I can provide support and any needed instruction, be it
through email, Zoom, or in person.

Additionally, Library Learning Services has set aside funds to purchase Camtasia – the Libraries’ preferred product for film editing – for anyone who needs it. By the time your video is finished, not only will you have a product that you can share with students and instructors, but you will be equipped with both the expertise and the technology to create more videos, if you so desire.

So if you are interested in video creation, please feel free to email me at asc17@psu.edu. I’m happy to begin this process with you!

Events: April 23

Spring 2018
Academic calendar information for all campuses is available online.

"What Big Eyes You Have! Looking at the Wolf in Fairy Tales" exhibition, image from "The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault," illustration by Harry Clarke

 

Jan. 16–Aug. 26, “What Big Eyes You Have! Looking at the Wolf in Fairy Tales”exhibition, Eberly Family Special Collections Library Exhibition Room, 104 Paterno Library.

 

 

Depth of Field exhibit poster

 

Feb. 18-Aug. 13, “Depth of Field” exhibit, Diversity Studies Room, 203 Pattee Library, seeks to highlight the intersections of war in the Middle East with the history of war photograph

 

exhibit logo - 1968

 

Mar. 27-July 31, “1968: Student Activism at Penn State and Beyond” exhibit, Highlighting archival documents, photographs, and books from The Eberly Family Special Collections, this exhibit ties into a College of the Liberal Arts project titled Moments of Change: Remembering ‘68. Learn more about this project at 1968.psu.edu. Barbara Hackman Atrium, Pattee Library.

 

Monday, Apr. 23: Working with International Students Workshop: Resources and Inclusive Strategies, 1-4 p.m., 221 Chambers Building, Krause Learning Space.

Wednesday, Apr. 25: Software in the Humanities and Social Sciences workshop—OpenRefine. Bring your lunch and learn about OpenRefine, a standalone open source desktop application for data cleanup and transformation. The workshop will be presented by Jose Guerrero, one of our Diversity Resident Fellows; noon-1 p.m., 403 Paterno Library and on Zoom from the following link: https://psu.zoom.us/j/914950827.

Wednesday, Apr. 25: Opening reception for student-curated exhibit “1968: Student Activism at Penn State and Beyond,” co-sponsored by the University Libraries and the College of the Liberal Arts; donuts and drinks will be served, additional materials from the Special Collections Library will be on display during the reception; 2:30-2 p.m. with opening remarks at 1 p.m., Barbara Hackman Franklin Atrium, Pattee Library. See blog post for details.

Apr. 29-May 1: Destress Fest,  Pattee and Paterno Libraries — Free coffee and snacks, art therapy in Mann Assembly Room, 3-8 p.m.; HealthWorks Destress Zone 4-6 p.m. in Paterno Lobby; Puzzles all day in Pattee Lobby; Wii and bean bag toss in Central Pattee all day.

Sunday, May 6: What BIG Eyes You Have! Looking at the Wolf in Fairy Tales for Kids, A children’s storytime to consider the Wolf, sometimes scary, sometimes friendly, always worth looking at! Readings from picture books featuring wolves, a wolf hide and seek game, and Red Riding Hood origami craft. 2-2:45 p.m., Eberly Family Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library.

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.*

April 25 is opening reception for student-curated “1968” exhibit

To celebrate the launch of the student-curated exhibit “1968: Student Activism at Penn State and Beyond,” Penn State University Libraries and The College of the Liberal Arts are sponsoring an opening reception 12:30-2 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, in the Barbara Hackman Franklin Atrium, Pattee Library. Donuts and drinks will be served.

Opening remarks will begin at 1 p.m., with speakers including Athena Jackson, Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair and Head of Special Collections, Lauren Nogay, Stelts/Filippelli intern and Paterno
Fellow, and Kathryn Salzer, associate professor of history.

The exhibit showcases various items from The Eberly Family Special Collections Library, including photographs, books and student publications. Lauren Nogay, a senior majoring in history and international politics, curated the exhibit with support from Clara Drummond, exhibition coordinator. Additional materials from the Eberly Family Special Collections Library will be on display during the reception.

The exhibit ties into a larger project, “Remembering ’68: Moments of Change”, which is spearheaded by the College of the Liberal Arts, specifically through the college’s Office of Digital Pedagogy and Scholarship. The college’s project includes new courses, film screenings, an oral history project with alumni, and numerous other events. For details and resources about the college’s project, visit 1968.psu.edu. The exhibit also is directly related to a new history course titled “The World of 1968: Moments of Change.”

Events: April 17

Spring 2018
Academic calendar information for all campuses is available online.

"What Big Eyes You Have! Looking at the Wolf in Fairy Tales" exhibition, image from "The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault," illustration by Harry Clarke

 

Jan. 16–Aug. 26, “What Big Eyes You Have! Looking at the Wolf in Fairy Tales”exhibition, Eberly Family Special Collections Library Exhibition Room, 104 Paterno Library.

 

 

Depth of Field exhibit poster

 

Feb. 18-Aug. 13, “Depth of Field” exhibit, Diversity Studies Room, 203 Pattee Library, seeks to highlight the intersections of war in the Middle East with the history of war photograph

 

 

exhibit logo - 1968

 

Mar. 27-July 31, “1968: Student Activism at Penn State and Beyond” exhibit, Highlighting archival documents, photographs, and books from The Eberly Family Special Collections, this exhibit ties into a College of the Liberal Arts project titled Moments of Change: Remembering ‘68. Learn more about this project at 1968.psu.edu. Barbara Hackman Atrium, Pattee Library.

 

Tuesday, Apr. 16-17: East to West, U.S.-China College Art Summit. Summit to bring scholars, artists, designers, business professionals, and policy-makers from China and from the U.S. together to share best practices in education program design, research, community development, and social impact. Panel discussions, 8:30 a.m. – 5:45 p.m. various locations in Pattee and Paterno Libraries.

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

Monday, Apr. 23: Working with International Students Workshop: Resources and Inclusive Strategies, 1-4 p.m., 221 Chambers Building, Krause Learning Space.

Sunday, May 6: What BIG Eyes You Have! Looking at the Wolf in Fairy Tales for Kids, A children’s storytime to consider the Wolf, sometimes scary, sometimes friendly, always worth looking at! Readings from picture books featuring wolves, a wolf hide and seek game, and Red Riding Hood origami craft. 2-2:45 p.m., Eberly Family Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library.

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.*

Discovery Day Testimonial

Discovery Day logo

By: Carmen Gass

“Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center’s motto is ‘Never Stop Discovering,’ I wish to extend this sentiment to our Libraries’ Discovery Day. When you expand your knowledge and the  experiences associated with said knowledge, your life’s journey is further enriched…”

—Carolyn Muse, Birds of Prey, Discovery Day 2017

Onboarding Open Forum – New Location

By: Carmen Gass

Join us 10-11 a.m. Tuesday, April 17, 329 Hammond (Engineering Library) and via Zoom at https://psu.zoom.us/j/590990487, for the Onboarding Survey results and feedback/discussion, as announced and presented by the Libraries’ Onboarding Task Force at the April 3 Dean’s Forum.

**Are you thinking: “I’ve never been to the Engineering Library”- No problem! Meet at the Central Welcome desk (revolving door entrance) at 9:45am and someone will show you the way!**

Forum recording available HERE