Daily Archives: November 18, 2019

Save the Date: Giving Tuesday 2019

By: Alexandra Boyda

Giving Tuesday logo

Giving Tuesday 2019 is almost here!

Help empower students on the global day of giving by supporting our Textbook and Educational Resources Endowment – frequently referred to as the “Textbook Fund.” The funds provided by the endowment each year allow the University Libraries to purchase more textbooks, electronic and educational materials. Students can borrow these materials, which may make the difference between taking and not taking a class, and helps make Penn State more affordable and accessible to our students. This year, we are partnering with The Lion’s Pantry and collecting canned goods for students at the two University Park events below.

The Libraries Giving Tuesday page is viewable but not live until 6:55pm Dec 2nd through 11:59pm Dec 3rd. The Libraries goal is 185 gifts – with gifts starting at $5. Every gift makes a difference. Help share the Giving Tuesday page far and wide at http://c-fund.us/nme

Maximize your impact by using hashtags like #TextbookFund, #PSUGivingTue, @PSUlibs, and tagging @RaisePennState. With your support, we can make this the best Giving Tuesday yet!

Lookout for some of our University Park hosted events on campus. All are invited!

November 20, 3-5pm: Giving Tuesday Kickoff Party Come celebrate Giving Tuesday by attending our kickoff event in the Mann Assembly Room (103 Paterno Library). Enjoy FREE FOOD and meet past donors, students, and librarians. Also available for viewing is the “gallery of student impact,” which includes various forms of media showcasing the importance and significance
of philanthropy and the Course Reserves. Make sure to bring a canned good to support The Lion’s Pantry!

December 3, 10am-3pm: Giving Tuesday Student Outreach Event A Giving Tuesday station will be set up in the Franklin Atrium (Pattee Library). Games, prizes, coffee, cider, and snacks for
students will be available! Students will be invited to sign thank you cards to be mailed to Giving Tuesday donors. Volunteers will work the station: handing out flyers, interacting with students, talking about the importance of the Course Reserves and the Textbook Fund, and most importantly, having fun! Make sure to bring a canned good to support The Lion’s Pantry!

Tech Tip: Google’s G Suite is here!

By: Ryan Johnson

G Suite logo

Penn State Information Technology has partnered with Google to offer a suite of applications that will help improve collaboration and productivity at no additional cost to students, faculty and staff.

G-Suite for Education includes several of Google’s most popular tools — Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Forms, Groups, Hangouts Chat, Hangouts Meet, Sites and Jamboard.  The suite may be accessed by students, faculty and staff who have a valid Penn State email address.

Note: Penn State’s License for G Suite does NOT include Gmail and Calendaring

Users may activate their Penn State G Suite account by visiting the G Suite for Education website, clicking on the “Launch” button and signing in with their Penn State email address (e.g., abc123@psu.edu). Step-by-step instructions to Access Your Penn State G Suite for Education Account also are available on the Knowledge Base.

A list of applications and training resources is available and allows users to browse training tutorials by app or job function. Beginner, intermediate and expert learning paths are available for each app. IT Learning and Development (ITLD) also has created a learning resource that will help you get up to speed.

Customer Service Tip: Why gemba is the best way to solve service failures

By: Jeff Toister (submitted by Carmen Gass)

The CEO called me with an urgent training project.

Our parking management firm was in danger of losing an important contract at a hotel where we managed the valet and self-parking operation. The client was unhappy about poor service quality and gave us thirty days to improve.

The CEO told me to go to the hotel and train the staff and the manager. He wanted me to show them how to deliver service the right way, and then make sure they did it. This was going to be
my priority for the next 30 days.

I decided to meet the parking manager and take a gemba walk. It was fortunate that I did, because it quickly became clear that training was not the problem. Read more here.

Events: November 18

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

Roots/Routes: Contested Histories, Contemporary Experiences exhibition graphic

Sept. 16 – Mar. 15, 2020, Exhibit: “Indigenous Roots/ Routes: Contested Histories, Contemporary Experiences.” Special Collections Exhibition Space, 104 Paterno Library. Reflections on the past five centuries of colonization and cultural exchange between Indigenous Peoples. Europeans, Africans, and later, Americans.

Thursday, Sept. 12-Thursday, Nov. 21, Fall Scholarly Communications Workshops. Featuring in-person workshops at Penn State Behrend, Penn State Scranton, and Penn State Harrisburg, as well as a full roster of Zoom workshops, including our popular trainings on complying with public access policies from federal agencies. Specialized workshops for thesis and dissertation writers, instructional designers, and scholarly authors are included.

Wednesday, Nov. 20, Giving Tuesday Kickoff Party. Celebrate Giving Tuesday with past donors, students and librarians, and FREE food! View the “Gallery of Student Impact,” showcasing the importance and significance of philanthropy and course reserves. Bring a canned good to support Lions’s Pantry. 3-5 p.m. in Mann Assembly Room, Paterno Library on the University Park campus.

Tuesday, Dec. 3, Giving Tuesday. A global day of giving that encourages philanthropy and celebrates generosity across communities. Every year, the University Libraries raises money for the Textbook and Educational resources Endowment, aka: the “textbook Fund,” with matching from a variety of sponsors!
Tuesday, Dec. 3,  Giving Tuesday Student Outreach Event. A station will be set up in Pattee Library’s Franklin Atrium, featuring games, prizes, coffee, cider, and snacks for students who sign thank you cards to be mailed to Giving Tuesday donors. Make sure to bring a canned good to support The Lion’s Pantry! 10am-3pm.
Wednesday, Dec. 4. 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.
Sunday, Dec. 8, International Write-In. Free and open to Penn State undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff members, the write-in offers quiet writing spaces and areas for small-group collaboration, as well as support from reference librarians and writing consultants. Snacks, coffee and tea is provided throughout the event, as well as free pizza midway through the evening. 3-10 p.m. in Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park campus.
Saturday, Dec. 21, Commencement

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.