Daily Archives: August 10, 2020

The Great Rare Books Bake-Off

By: Mark Mattson and Christina Riehman-Murphy

#BakePennState graphic

The cakes and cookies are gone, the pie tins are cleaned, and the hashtags are counted. It was extremely close, but Penn State Libraries emerged the winner of the inaugural Great Rare Books Bake Off! 

 A collaborative project between the PSU Libraries and our international sister-library Monash University Library in Melbourne, Australia, the Great Rare Books Bake Off aimed to engage our collective communities with some of the tastier materials from the special collections of the two institutions. As a chance for cultural exchange, and a bit of fun during a time of limited travel and social interaction; and to raise awareness of the partnership between the two universities, the project encouraged individuals to try to bake one of the historic Australian or American recipes from our collections and post the results to social media. While PSU came out just ahead in submissions, both libraries consider the event a great success with over 160 individual submissions tallied between Monash and PSU. Given the fantastic engagement of the inaugural event, the partners are exploring the possibility of making the Bake Off an annual affair. 

To learn more about the event visit the event webpage and to see what people baked, visit Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and search for #BakePennState and #BakeMonash 

A huge shout out goes out to Christina Riehman-Murphy, the overall organizer of the event, as well as Jennifer Meehan, Clara Drummond, Maggie Welch, Marissa Nicosia, Mark Mattson, Heather Froehlich, Lillian Hansberry, Amanda Peters, Heidi Moyer, Barbara Lessig, Jennifer Cifelli, Bev Molnar, and Christopher Blaska for all of their help putting this together. And a big thank you to all of you who participated in the contest and to our colleagues at Monash for their willingness to give this a go! 

 

 

Tech Tip: Embed media with the Share tab in Kaltura

By: Ryan Johnson

Along with uploading and managing media, Penn State’s MediaSpace also allows users to share media files by embedding them in web pages, blogs, or social media. Embedding content means adding to the source code of your page, and making that content a part of your web page. For example, a video page on YouTube has the video embedded within the HTML code of the page itself so it displays correctly to the public.

Embed a Video Using the Share Tab

There are two types of embed codes in Kaltura; Embed (secure) and Standard Embed (not as secure). By default, Embed codes in Kaltura are secure. Secure embed codes enforce the permissions on that piece of media that are defined in MediaSpace.

With Standard Embed codes, the entire Internet has access to the content, regardless of its set status (Private, Unlisted, Published).

NOTE: The Embed (secure) option is not available for Channel Playlists and Playlists in Kaltura. This means that anyone can access a Playlist’s content once embedded.

To embed content:

  1. Navigate to MediaSpace and log in to WebAccess with your credentials.
  2. Locate the media file you wish to embed and click on its thumbnail or its title.
  3. Click the Share tab below the media file.
  4. Click the Embed tab, or the Standard Embed tab if you have permission.

"This is my uniform" screenshot

  1. (Optional) Select the checkboxes for Start & End Time to select a clip rather than the entire video.
  2. (Optional) If your media file has an uploaded transcript you want attached to the embedded file, select the lower radio button or Embed with transcript option under Player Skin.

If you have an transcript but don’t want it attached to your media file, then leave the top radio button (Embed – no transcript option) selected.

"This is my Uniform" screenshot for Tech Tip

  1. Select which Player Size (screen) you want your media to play in: 640×640 (large), 560×590 (medium), 320×460 (small). The default size is 560×590.
  2. Select the option for Responsive sizing. This lets the video fit the size of various device screens while maintaining its ratio.
  3. Select the entire block of code shown in the field and copy it to your clipboard. This text contains the HTML code needed to embed your media file.
  4. Paste the copied code in the appropriate area of your webpage, blog or social media post.

NOTE: Do not modify the code. Modifying the code may cause the file to display incorrectly or not at all.

Events: August 10

Summer 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. 

Earth Archives exhibition posterEXHIBITION: Earth Archives: Stories of Human Impact. To coincide with the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Earth Archives explores the intersection of the environment, human activity, and the documentary record. Highlights of the virtual exhibition include representations of varied print, manuscript, and art works that invites the viewer to consider a range of environmental-related topics and will serve as a growing, centralized resource.

 

buttons from INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY: Highlights From the Ken Lawrence Collection

EXHIBITION: International Solidarity: Highlights from the Ken Lawrence Collection. A virtual look at the visual culture of political protest in the late 20th-century, to provoke thought about international solidarity in our own time, including human and civil rights, immigration, and independence movements.

Image: Physical Plant series, Greg Grieco photographs, 07488

EXHIBITION: Celebrating the ADA: The Legacy and Evolution of Disability Rights & Lived Experience at Penn State. To coincide with the 30th anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, a new online exhibition, Celebrating the ADA explores the first 100 years of national disability rights legislation and the movement’s impact on the Penn State University community.

Friday, Aug. 14, Libraries Trivia Night: Historical Markers. Trivia topics from markers located on campuses across the Commonwealth. will include campuses, diversity, equity, and research. University Archivist Angel Diaz will emcee the evening. Please register in advance for the Zoom event, 7-8 p.m.

book cover of "The Hidden Life of Life: A Walk Through the Reaches of Time"

 

Thursday, Aug. 20, Libraries Lunch Book Club. The University Libraries quarterly book club will launch with the selection “The Hidden Life of Life,” including a Q&A and discussion of the book with author Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. Noon-1:30 p.m. via Zoom. Advanced registration required.   

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.