Daily Archives: February 18, 2019

Customer Service Tip: What Does Customer Service in Higher Education Actually Look Like?

By: Sarah Seigle Peatman, Emily Richardson, Eileen
Soisson, Heath Boice-Pardee (submitted by Carmen Gass)

“Providing good customer service to students has become an expectation in today’s higher education environment, yet customer service in higher education is still new and few are
certain how to do it well, or what the term means when placed in the context of students, faculty, and staff.

To learn more about how colleges and universities are adapting the concept of service competencies to this sector, and to gather practical advice for how units and departments can navigate this shift in mindset, we turned to three acknowledged experts on customer service in higher education: read more here.

Events: February 18

Spring 2019
Academic calendar information for all campuses is available online.

Into the Woods exhibit logo

 

Sept. 5-Feb. 11, Exhibit: “Into the Woods: Nature in Your Library” Diversity Studies Room, 203 Pattee Library. Explore the Eastern Forest, its wildlife and botanical wealth. Libraries’ resources, services, unique collections and course materials will guide you on the trails of nature education and exploration. Discover local environmental programs. Be inspired by the instrumental work of women conservationists. Check out the related books, maps, movies and more, and get … Into the Woods.

promotional poster - Secret Lives of Girls and Women

 

Jan. 28-Sept. 1, 2019, Exhibit: “The Secret Lives of Girls and Women” Eberly Family Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library. Through the examination of books, letters, hand-written diaries and other archival materials, The Secret Lives of Girls and Women exposes a wide spectrum of feminine mysteries. The exhibition includes many hidden or concealed aspects of female life found within beauty secrets, secret languages created by women, literary secrets, social taboos and more throughout history. On display during Special Collections Library hours.

 

Thursday, Feb. 7–Tuesday, Apr. 2: Spring 2019 Scholarly Communications Workshops. A series of workshops covering topics such as open access, copyright and fair use policies will be offered throughout the spring semester for students, faculty and staff.  Coordinated and led by Ana Enriquez, scholarly communications outreach librarian, all workshops are free and take place either on Zoom or Paterno Library. Varying times in Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library and via Zoom. To add this workshop series to your Facebook calendar, visit its Facebook Event online.

Monday, Feb. 18, Communicating with International Students & Colleagues: Tips for Understanding Each Other. Practice respectful techniques that improve your ability to understand and be understood.Part of a lunchtime workshop series hosted by English for Professional Purposes Intercultural Center (EPPIC). Register online HERE or email eppic@psu.edu if you would like to participate via Zoom. Noon-1 p.m. at 322 Sackett Building, University Park campus.

New date and location: Monday, Feb. 18, Code for Her ++ Workshop. Learn how to build a Google Assistant Action in a free workshop for students, faculty and staff. No experience or Google device necessary, just your laptop. Free event; participation open to all. 6-8 p.m., Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.

Thursday, Feb. 21, Launch your geospatial projects: Foundations and Searching for Geospatial Data.  An overview of geographic information systems (GIS) concepts, geospatial data, geospatial software, and an introduction to geospatial analysis topics relevant for multiple disciplines, with a focus on searching geospatial data resources using library resources and additional data sources. Resources and data for this session at Maps and Geospatial: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) guide. 3-5 p.m., 211A Pattee Library, University Park. No registration is required, open to all Penn State students, staff, faculty and visitors, with remote viewing available online using Zoom. To add this workshop series to your Facebook Calendar, visit its Facebook Event.
Wednesday, Mar. 6: Docunight: Iran Via Documentaries. On the first Wednesday of every month, Docunight features a documentary film about, around, or in Iran, or made by Iranians. All events are open to everyone, and all films have English subtitles. Co-sponsored by the Iranian Student Association and the University Libraries. 7 p.m. in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.
Thursday, Mar. 14, Geospatial Online: Overview of ArcGIS Online. An Introduction to ArcGIS Online, a web mapping application which can be used to communicate spatial research interests across the disciplines. Participants will explore applications created with ArGIS Online and work with a sample dataset. More information about GIS is available HERE. 3-5 p.m., 211A Pattee Library, University Park. No registration is required, open to all Penn State students, staff, faculty and visitors, with remote viewing available online using Zoom.

Thursday, Mar. 28, The Charles W. Mann Jr. Lecture in the Book Arts. Jesse Ryan Erickson, coordinator of Special Collections and Digital Humanities, associate professor in the Department of English in the College of Arts and Sciences, and assistant director of The Interdisciplinary Humanities Research Center, University of Delaware, will offer a lecture titled A Different Kind of Reading: Victorian Popular Afterlives, providing an examination of the works of Victorian author Ouida (1839-1908), and exploring the ways in which racial consciousness affects one’s interaction and engagement with a text through its textual contents and materiality. 4:30-5:30 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, immediately followed by a reception in Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library.

Wednesday, Apr. 3: Docunight: Iran Via Documentaries. On the first Wednesday of every month, Docunight features a documentary film about, around, or in Iran, or made Iranians. All events are open to everyone, and all films have English subtitles. Co-sponsored by the Iranian Student Association and the University Libraries. 7 p.m. in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.
Thursday, Apr. 11, Geospatial Analysis: Using GIS Desktop software. An introduction to geospatial processes in ArcGIS ArcMap and ArcPro software. This informational session introduces and utilizes key software terminology, along with examples of the functionality within the software. Maps and geospatial examples will be provided in an interdisciplinary manner. More information about GIS is available HERE. 3-5 p.m., 211A Pattee Library, University Park. No registration is required, open to all Penn State students, staff, faculty and visitors, with remote viewing available online using Zoom.
 
Friday-Sunday, May 3-5: Spring Commencement, University Park.

Please submit event information — and all Library News submissions — to Public Relations and Marketing via its Staff Site request form and selecting the “Library News blog article” button.

Green Tips: Ridesharing and hybrid vehicle rentals at Penn State

By: James Searfoss

Zimride:

Looking for a sustainable way to get to and from campus? Try ridesharing with Penn State’s Zimride. Zimride is Penn State’s private ride-matching network that matches you with other
students, faculty and staff who are going the same way, allowing you an easy way to share the seats in your car or catch a ride.

Zimride graphic "Great minds ride together"

Who can use this Zimride?
Penn State requires a valid Penn State WebAccess ID and password to join Zimride. Once registered, you can share rides to and from any Penn State campus. Sign up here.

Questions?
If you have additional questions about Zimride or how to use Zimride please call 1-855-Zimride or email support@zimride.com.

Hybrid Vehicle Rentals:

Fleet Operations at Penn State offer both daily and long-term vehicle rentals. With a number of Ford Fusion Hybrids available, you have a sustainable option for any trip with one of our rented
vehicles. For daily reservations (14 days or less), the rate is $38.00 and 0.10 cents per mile travelled. Long-term reservations are also available. The typical long-term rental periods are Fall
& Spring semesters and one year, but in certain circumstances vehicles may be rented for shorter periods of time. And with gas included and a 7% reduction in daily rental rates across all
vehicles compared to the 2017-2018 fiscal year, rentals from PSU’s Fleet Operations are more affordable than other rental providers for most trips. Contact Fleet Operations at 814-865-7571 or fleet@psu.edu for more information.

Tech Tip: New Version of Outlook (On the Web)

By: Ryan Johnson

Recently Outlook on the web is allowing Office 365 customers try the “New Outlook”.

Outlook screen capture for tech tip

When you click the toggle, you will see all new Outlook on the web modules for Mail, Calendar, and People. If you don’t like the new experience, you can opt-in and out as often as you want.

Some of the new features include:

  • An Improved Search – Find messages from a specific person and refine your search using keywords.
  • Calendar Scheduling – New improved functionality when scheduling meetings include the scheduling assistant that is available in the desktop version.

tech tip screen shot of Outlook calendar