Monthly Archives: March 2020

Tech Tip: How to setup Teams notifications for a channel

By default, notifications for Microsoft Teams channels are not turned on.  If you want to make sure you are getting notifications for channels you care about, follow the instructions below:

Choose your channel notifications

tech tip: Teams nitification screenshot

Go to a channel that shows in your teams list and select More options > Channel notifications.

From there, you can choose what activity you get notifications for, and where they show up.

tech tip: Teams nitification screenshot

By default, channel mentions are turned off and all new posts will only show in Activity. To learn more about Teams notifications, please see the following Microsoft page.

Events: March 30

Spring 2020
Academic calendar information for all campuses is available online.

UPDATE: In light of the University’s March 11 announcement regarding measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic, nonessential events and meetings scheduled at University Libraries locations throughout the spring semester have been canceled, rescheduled or will be offered virtually. 

ZOOM ONLY — Wednesday, Feb. 12- Apr. 8, Spring 2020 Scholarly Communications and Copyright Workshops.
CANCELED — Wednesday, April 8, Docunight: Iran Via Documentaries.On the first Wednesday of every month, Docunight features a documentary film about, around, or in Iran, or made Iranians. Free and open to everyone, 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. 9, Student Employee Showcase. VIRTUAL Lighting talks from the Libraries’ Bednar interns, Stelts-Filippelli intern, and other student employees at 1:3-0 p.m. via MediaSite Live, followed by Outstanding Student Employee Awards at 2:45 p.m.
Thursday, Apr. 23, Data Visualization with Power BI Desktop. An overview of data analytics and some commonly used software tools for demonstrating data analysis and visualization based on a sample data set. Download a free version of SQL Server 2014 Express before the workshop. Advance registration is recommended. 2-3:30 p.m. via Zoom.

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.

MS SQL Server and BI workshop to be offered on March 26

By: Xuying Xin

Join the University Libraries’ Research Informatics and Publishing department for workshops highlighting data analytics and visualization, free to all Penn State faculty, staff, and students. All workshops will be held online only via Zoom.

Data Analytics and Visualization
• Business Analytics with MS SQL Server and Business Intelligence (BI)/SSIS, SSAS, SSRS — Thursday, March 26, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
• Data Visualization with Power BI Desktop — Thursday, April 23, 2 to 3:30 p.m.

These sessions are designed to provide an overview of data analytics, as well as explore some commonly used software tools for demonstrating data analysis and visualization based on a
sample data set. Please download a free version of SQL Server 2014 Express before the workshop for following along the demonstrations. Advance registration is recommended but not required.

2020 All Staff Conference session highlights

By: Angel Peterson

Community • Connection • Collaboration  

The 2020 All Staff Conference will be a wonderful opportunity to foster a sense of community, connect, and collaborate with your colleagues from across the Commonwealth! Take a look below to see some of the sessions that will be offered.

Becoming an Active Witness Who Hears, Sees, Feels, and Does with Shakoor Ward

Everyone is a witness at some time in their lives. A witness observes unacceptable behavior and knows that the behavior is destructive and could become pervasive if gone unchecked. An
active witness responds to unacceptable behavior in some form of involvement. Participants will consider a number of responses and appropriate strategies to active witnessing within their own “voice” and personality strengths.

2020 All Staff Conference Book Discussion  

Are you interested in investing in yourself, reading and discussing a good book, and getting to know colleagues? If so, please consider the 2020 All Staff Conference Book Discussion! The book selected is Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky.

If you are interested in reading this book and participating in the 90 minute discussion, email Carmen, crg177@psu.edu, and let her know. Books will be provided and are yours to keep. The
deadline to sign-up for this discussion is Friday, March 27.
If these sessions sound exciting, please join us for the conference on June 3rd and 4th, 2020. Don’t forget to register by April 24!

Check out the 2020 All Staff Conference Website for more information.

Thank you,
2020 All Staff Conference Committee

Getting to Know You- Andrew Marshall

By: Gale Biddle

Andrew Marshall photo

If you were to ask a random person to give you a description of the typical librarian and what they do, what do you think they would say? You might hear things like “always reading,” “shushing people,” “hair in a bun,” and “cardigan and sensible shoe wearers.”

How many would describe a chain-on-the-wallet, Mt. Dew chugging, metalhead who hasn’t had time to read a book in 3 months? Not many, but if they did, they could be describing Andrew Marshall, Reference and Instruction Librarian and Acting Head Librarian at Penn State Greater Allegheny.

Andrew began working at Penn State full-time in the Reserves Department at University Park in 2002. While there, he became the first E-Reserves specialist and eventually went on to become a Copyright Coordinator. While doing all of that, he obtained his Master of Library and Information Science degree, which led him to his next job in 2012 as a Reference and Instruction Librarian at Greater Allegheny. For the past 18 months, he’s been the Acting Head Librarian with the hope of making that permanent.

Originally from the Pittsburgh area, Andrew was happy to be near family again when he moved to the Greater Allegheny campus. As a teenager, he had a job working in the kitchen at a retirement home. He says it was a good job because he felt like he had 60 grandparents, and while there, he even started a band with some of his co-workers. Andrew is married and has a
9-year-old son, Dominic, who, according to Andrew, plays basketball and “is not great at it but he tries.” And trying is all that matters! (As someone who played basketball in 7th grade and managed to score a whopping 4 points the entire season, I can relate!). Dominic makes up for his lack of basketball skills in a lot of other areas, and Andrew is very proud of him.

Away from the Library, you can find Andrew playing his guitar and running a fantasy baseball league. He wrote a program in VBA to help him process all the stats because his league uses
several unique scoring categories. In addition, he likes working with graphic design and creating art and posters for library events.

For Andrew, being a librarian is fantastic since it requires you to do so many different things, and it can be great for someone with a short attention span. To him, the best part of being at Penn State is the community of the library, meaning the giant network of colleagues and amazing resources a large institution can provide even though he’s at a smaller campus. Since the Greater Allegheny campus is relatively small, it allows him to get to know the students by name. There are many students who come from underprivileged backgrounds and just getting
day-to-day needs met can be a real challenge. Being able to help them achieve something that will change their life for the better is beyond rewarding, and Andrew has found himself tearing up at a few graduations. I’m not sure the random person would describe that as part of being a librarian, but that’s what Andrew and the libraries do every day.

Ten Random Questions with Andrew Marshall
1. What band/artist do you always name when someone asks for a recommendation?
Black Sabbath

2. What is something that’s popular now that annoys you?
Unboxing videos

3. There are two types of people in this world. What are those two types? People who give quick responses and me!

4. You have $100 to spend. All your friends are busy. You have a whole day to yourself. What do you do? Go to an arcade and spend it all on pinball and Mt. Dew

5. What app can you not believe someone hasn’t invented yet? An app to let me know where free food is available

6. What was the last show you binge watched? Breaking Bad

7. What languages do you wish you could speak? Vietnamese (so he knows what his mother-in-law is saying about him!), Mandarin Chinese, German, and he’s trying to learn Spanish

8. What one thing do you really want but can’t afford? A ’69 Dodge Charger like the Dukes of Hazzard car (minus the flag decal). (Anyone else willing to admit they would enjoy sliding
across the hood, crawling into the window, and jumping across a dilapidated bridge in the car?!)

9. Would you rather visit the past or the future? The future to see how things turn out for his son

10. What would be the hardest vice for you to give up? Mt. Dew (It’s nectar of the gods, Andrew!)

Tech Tip: How to add a profile pic to your Zoom sessions

By: Ryan Johnson

It’s a good idea to have a profile photo for your Zoom account. This way, if you’re not using your webcam, a photo of you will still be displayed.

Please use a photo of yourself so that other participants will know who you are.

To do this visit https://psu.zoom.us.  Click Sign in.

Once you login, navigate to your Profile(which is located on the left hand menu).

Zoom settings screenshot for tech tip

At the top of the profile page, you’ll see you name, a blank profile photo, and a link that says Change.

Click on this link to add a profile picture.

Next, click on the “Upload” button to upload a new photo. Select the photo file from your computer.

Once your photo is uploaded, you can move the square mask so the photo is centered and the zoom level is correct. Click Save to finish.

Customer Service Tip: Promoting workplace mental health In the age of COVID-19

By: Elizabeth Bille and Eric McClintock (submitted by Carmen Gass)

Coronavirus. It is nearly impossible to avoid the topic online, on TV, or at work. Gatherings are being canceled or postponed, employers are restricting travel, and organizations are deploying
action plans to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

At this point, we are well aware of steps that we can take to protect our physical health amidst this epidemic: washing our hands, staying in if we are sick, and avoiding close contact with
others who are. But what about our mental health? Read more here.

 

Events: March 23

Spring 2020
Academic calendar information for all campuses is available online.

UPDATE: In light of the University’s March 11 announcement regarding measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic, nonessential events and meetings scheduled at University Libraries locations throughout the spring semester have been canceled, rescheduled or will be offered virtually. 

ZOOM ONLY — Wednesday, Feb. 12- Apr. 8, Spring 2020 Scholarly Communications and Copyright Workshops.
CANCELED Monday, Mar. 23- Friday, Mar. 27, Wiki Edit-a-thon. A cross-campus Wikipedia Edit-a-thon week in honor of Women’s History Month. No experience is necessary. Information on each campus edit-a-thon can be found on the meetup page.
Thursday, Mar. 26, Business Analytics with MS SQL Server and Business
Intelligence (BI)/SSIS, SSAS, SSRS workshop. An overview of data analytics and some commonly used software tools for demonstrating data analysis and visualization based on a sample data set. Download a free version of SQL Server 2014 Express before the workshop. Advance registration is recommended. 2-3:30 p.m. via Zoom.
CANCELED — Wednesday, April 8, Docunight: Iran Via Documentaries.On the first Wednesday of every month, Docunight features a documentary film about, around, or in Iran, or made Iranians. Free and open to everyone, 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. 9, Student Employee Showcase. VIRTUAL Lighting talks from the Libraries’ Bednar interns, Stelts-Filippelli intern, and other student employees at 1:3-0 p.m. via MediaSite Live, followed by Outstanding Student Employee Awards at 2:45 p.m.
Thursday, Apr. 23, Data Visualization with Power BI Desktop. An overview of data analytics and some commonly used software tools for demonstrating data analysis and visualization based on a sample data set. Download a free version of SQL Server 2014 Express before the workshop. Advance registration is recommended. 2-3:30 p.m. via Zoom.

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.

New display on Purple Lizard Maps and GPS in the Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial Information

By: Tara Anthony:

A new display on Purple Lizard Maps showcases how these popular maps of the region are used in hikingand outdoor recreation activities. The second part of the display is on global positioning systems (GPS). The GPS display highlights examples of the use of GPS and information on available GPS units to checkout from our unit. This display was created by two Maps and GIS Assistants, MilanLiu and Jamie Friedken.

Photo of New display on Purple Lizard Maps and Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

New display on Purple Lizard Maps and Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

Display Celebrating Female Engineers in the Engineering Library

By: Kelly Beck

Display Celebrating Female Engineers in the Engineering Library

As part of the Engineering Library’s rotating student displays, the March display brings together history, engineering, the libraries, and student successes. In celebration of Women’s History Month the library worked with SWE (Society of Women Engineers) to look back on the history of women in engineering at Penn State, and the accomplishments of recent graduates. The display also highlights resources available through the Engineering Library and Penn State for women in engineering, as well as encouraging current students to go to SWE events on campus.

One of the display posters focuses on the first women to graduate from Penn State with engineering degrees. Graduating in 1945, four women received degrees from the College of Engineering and Architecture, two in electrical, one in mechanical, and one in industrial engineering. In total that year, 56 engineering degrees were awarded to women from all universities in the United States. The Penn State graduates that year were Dorthea Pauline
Harrington, Althea June Schaffer, Margret Phillips Haden, and Mary Eileen Stroup. Facing significant pushback, these women helped pave the way for more than 1,000 women to graduate with an engineering degree from Penn State each year. It also highlights the bigger picture of women in engineering, and how many more opportunities there are today, thanks to pioneers like the first four graduates.

The second poster highlights four recent female engineering graduates to show the successes of Penn State, SWE, and the engineering program. The women all have varying occupations,
fields of work, and degrees, and highlight the different paths possible for students as they enter the workforce. For this display, material and information was provided by SWE Penn State, from their alumna listserv and other historical material. The Libraries’ resources we highlight include different materials on success and mentorship for women in engineering, as well as several historical pieces that highlight women in engineering. The books and materials highlighted are available for checkout and use by patrons throughout March. We also feature SWE information, to encourage more participation in SWE, as well as the LibGuides related to diversity within engineering on two iPads.

Kelly Beck, a student in Community, Environment, and Development and an Engineering Library employee, was connected with SWE by Instruction Librarian Paul McMonigle, to develop and create the posters for this display. Her interests are in sustainable design and engineering, and in encouraging women to pursue STEAM degrees and interests.

Five new Wish List items are live

By: Sarah Bacon

The following five wishes submitted by our colleagues are now LIVE on Let’s Grow State’s crowdfunding page!

African American Photograph Album (conservation treatment), $450
submitted by Caitlin Rizzo

Fund an Open Access Monograph, $15,000
submitted by Brandy Karl

Health & Wellness Collection at Berks Thun Library, $500
Submitted by Alexandria Chisholm

Spring Break Writing Retreat, $1,500
submitted by Linda Musser

Student Study Package, $200
submitted by Amy Paster

Find us on social media, please use and tag – #PSUlibsWishList
@RaisePennState @PSUlibs.

Customer Service Tip: The Power of putting people first

By: RASMUS HOUGAARD (submitted by Carmen Gass)

“If we take care of our people, they will take care of our customers, and the customers will come back.” Marriott’s business philosophy is crystal clear. Their people-centered approach is what have made them one of the world’s largest hotel chains.

Companies are increasingly realizing the power of creating people-centric organizations that value the happiness of employees as much as the bottom line. Read more here.

Events: March 16

Spring 2020
Academic calendar information for all campuses is available online.

UPDATE: In light of the University’s March 11 announcement regarding measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic, nonessential events and meetings scheduled at University Libraries locations through April 6 are being canceled, rescheduled or offered virtually. 

ZOOM ONLY — Wednesday, Feb. 12- Apr. 8, Spring 2020 Scholarly Communications and Copyright Workshops.
CANCELED — Tuesday, March 17, Film: Not for Ourselves Alone. The University Libraries Diversity Committee and the Women’s subcommittee of the Finance and Business Diversity Committee present “Not for Ourselves Alone” in celebration of Women’s History month through film. 2:30 p.m. in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.
CANCELED — Wednesday, Mar. 18, Voices 2020: The Share Your Story Showcase at Penn State.  A series of 45-minute individual storytelling sessions where difficult questions are expected, appreciated and answered. A Showcase event in Foster Auditorium is scheduled for 11 a.m., with sessions throughout Paterno Library and Pattee Library from 1-5 p.m.. Sponsored by the University Libraries in cooperation with Adult Lerner Programs and Services, Schreyer Honors College, the Gender Equity Center, the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, and the Center for the Performing Arts. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., University Park.  
CANCELED — Wednesday, Mar. 18, Restorative Justice Initiative: Higher Education in Prisons.  A film screening of “College Behind Bars,” directed by Lynn Novick, explores the transformative power of education through the eyes of a dozen incarcerated men and women trying to earn college degrees. 5:30 p.m. in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.
CANCELED — Thursday, Mar. 19, Women’s History Zine Workshop. Use the Special Collections archives to create a zine to celebrate Women’s History Month in this hands-on workshop including a brief history of zines and a presentation by University Archivist Angel Diaz on preserving and archiving. You’ll leave with your own zine! 5-7:30 p.m. in Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.
CANCELED Thursday, Mar. 19, Barbara Jordan Lecture Series presents Dr. Ibram Kendi. Dr. Kendi, author, historian and professor at American University will speak about his bestselling book, How to be an Antiracist” A book sale and signing will follow the event. 6 p.m. in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.
CANCELED Monday, Mar. 23- Friday, Mar. 27, Wiki Edit-a-thon. A cross-campus Wikipedia Edit-a-thon week in honor of Women’s History Month. No experience is necessary. Information on each campus edit-a-thon can be found on the meetup page.
CANCELED — Wednesday, April 8, Docunight: Iran Via Documentaries.On the first Wednesday of every month, Docunight features a documentary film about, around, or in Iran, or made Iranians. Free and open to everyone, 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.
Wednesday, Apr. 8, A presentation with Bayan abu Sini, head of Library User Services Department at the Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Amman, Jordan. Ms. Bayan will discuss her experiences as a librarian in Jordan, differences between librarianship in the U.S. and Jordan, and her research project as a Humphrey Fellow. Noon-1 p.m. in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.
Thursday, Apr. 9, Student Employee Showcase. Lighting talks from the Libraries’ Bednar interns, Stelts-Filippelli intern, and other student employees at 1:3-0 p.m. in Foster Auditorium and via MediaSite Live, followed by Outstanding Student Employee Awards at 2:45 p.m. A small reception will be held at 3-4 p.m. in Mann Assembly room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.
Friday-Sunday, May 8-10, Spring 2020 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.

EMS Spring Break Writers Retreat in the library

By: Elise Gowen

For the third year in a row, the EMS Library will be giving graduate students a chance to make the most of the quiet on campus during Spring Break by the EMS Writers’ Retreat in the library! Aimed primarily at graduate students enrolled in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, but open to all colleges, the retreat offers a quiet, convivial atmosphere where participants can retreat to and focus on finishing their writing projects. Originally conceived as a thesis and dissertation bootcamp, the event took on a more relaxed mood, where the goal is for students to move at a pace that works them while staying focused and surrounding themselves with other writers in a productive atmosphere.

The Writers’ Retreat offers attendees a free ceramic mug, unlimited coffee, light breakfast, snacks throughout the day, and lunch. Books on writing and time management are also available for check-out, and librarians are also on-hand to provide citation management support.

Attendance for Penn State students, faculty, and staff is free.
The Writers’ Retreat takes place in the EMS Library during spring break, Monday – Friday, Mar. 9–13. 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.

If you have questions, please contact Elise Gowen at edg16@psu.edu

User testing for website navigation: drop-down Mega Menu Prototype

By: Karen Hackett

On behalf of the The Discovery, Access, and Web Services (DAWS) team in Libraries Strategic Technologies, I am pleased to share user testing results from sessions conducted in December 2019 and in January and February 2020.

The purpose of the user testing was to see how students use the website to complete a basic task; specifically, we wanted to see how/if students use the drop-down mega menu (on our staging server; not in production yet) to find what they need. Details of the testing method, results, background for the testing, and next steps are outlined in the following blog post published in our staff site: https://staff.libraries.psu.edu/posts/user-testing-website-navigation-drop-down-mega-menu-prototype

As always, please feel free to direct questions, requests, and feedback regarding the public and staff websites through the website feedback form, https://libraries.psu.edu/website-feedback.

Thanks so much! As always, we look forward to hearing from you.