By: Melody Gehlbach
Reminder! Tech Update on Wednesday, April 20, 2 p.m.
AGENDA
• Lifecycle Plans for 2022
• Drupal Migration Project
• Catalog Update
• Digital Signage and the Evanisko Project
• ScholarSphere: New Features and Future Plans
• Researcher Metadata Database Update
• Symphony Update
Zoom Link https://psu.zoom.us/my/ultraining
By: Melody Gehlbach
Tech Update April 20 – 2:00 PM
AGENDA:
• Lifecycle Plans for 2022
• Drupal Migration Project
• Catalog Update
• Digital Signage and the Evanisko Project
• ScholarSphere: New Features and Future Plans
• Researcher Metadata Database Update
• Symphony Update
Zoom Link: https://psu.zoom.us/my/ultraining
By: Melody Gehlbach
Tech Update: Apr. 20 at 2-3 p.m.
By: Tara L. Anthony
This November, Penn State University Libraries participated in multiple events to recognize GIS Day. This is a recap of these events:
BTAA GIS Conference (11/12): This virtual day of keynote speakers, concurrent paper sessions, lightning talks, and GIS career discussion included participants and speakers from BTAA institutions. This event also included a map gallery. Recordings of sessions will be available via the BTAA GIS conference site in the future.
Penn State GIS Day (11/16): Penn State GIS Day co-hosted by the Penn State University Libraries and the Department of Geography virtually hosted: Josh Inwood, Brandi Gaertner, Yosef Bodovski, Louisa Holmes, and Harrison Cole. These talks were attended virtually by ~58 participants including members of GEOG 390 (Professional Development Seminar in Geography). Recording of these talks are available. These talks highlighted many rich geospatial data resources relevant for research across disciplines.
Other GIS Day events in Pennsylvania continued to highlight the role of geospatial information among many different government entities, organizations, and educational institutions.
By: Liz Long
current donations at the EMS Library Cub Pantry.
The EMS Library is partnering with Lion’s Pantry to address food insecurity on the University Park campus. Cub pantries extend the geographic reach and hours of access of food bank resources. The cub pantry in the EMS Library is located at 105 Deike Bldg and will be open during library hours. Our first official full day was October 12, 2021.
For more information, contact Liz Long at eal17@psu.edu.
By: Melody Gehlbach
Please mark your calendar!
Tech Update
Monday, Oct. 18 at 3-4 p.m.
https://psu.zoom.us/my/ultraining
Agenda:
• Introduction to New Staff
• Lifecycle
• Phone Project Official Kick Off
• Microsoft Teams Best practices and Opportunity
• Symphony Update/Workflows December
• Catalog – Sunsetting the Cat
• Reserves Changes Coming
• Digital Signage Updates
By: Angel Peterson
The program is now available for the All-Staff Conference! Please visit our staff site to see what all we are offering.
All non-faculty (full-time, part-time staff, students and technical service) employees of the University Libraries are invited to attend. Registration is not required. Zoom links will be added to this site the week before the conference.
We look forward to seeing you all there!
By: Jackie Dillon-Fast
Co-Sponsored by University Libraries Diversity Committee and Library Faculty Organization
[https://staff.libraries.psu.edu/diversity-week-lfo-colloquium-2021]
On May 17-21, please plan to join colleagues for the 2021 virtual Diversity Week & the Library Faculty Organization (LFO) Colloquium — two great events combined into one!. You can choose from a wide variety of interesting and interactive programs spaced throughout the week highlighting some of the proactive ways Libraries employees are and can connect and contribute to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Acessibility in the Libraries.
This — our 4th University Libraries Diversity “Day” — builds on past Diversity Day themes to showcase varied ways the University Libraries has moved from conversation to awareness to action and toward building and sustaining a climate and citizenry that values and celebrates diversity in all of its forms.
There are more than a dozen ways for you to engage during Diversity Week. Here are two:
On Monday May 17, as the 2021 Diversity Week keynote speaker, Jay Dolmage will focus on the ways disability has been situated in higher education, both before and during Covid-19, and help us look at our own ableist biases, apologies and defenses in an effort to build tools for a much more accessible post-Covid future.
On Wednesday, May 19th, as the 2021 LFO Colloquium keynote speaker, Nikhat Jehan Ghouse will lead an interactive exploration of how to more proactively integrate diversity and inclusion in recruiting, retention, and organizational culture within the Libraries.
For further information on these and the other 14 Diversity Week sessions, check out the Diversity Week/LFO Colloquium Program at https://staff.libraries.psu.edu/diversity-week-lfo-colloquium-2021. Then join us in learning, sharing, celebrating, and connecting during the 2021 Diversity Week May 17-21! Let’s keep “Building on DEIA, Together!”
Diversity Week is open to all Libraries employees and no registration is required. All sessions will be offered virtually through the Zoom platform. We have created one Zoom Room in which all of the sessions will occur across all five days of Diversity Week: [Zoom link will be shared closer to date]. You may choose to attend any or all of the sessions, according to your schedule. At the presenters’ discretions, some sessions will be recorded and the recordings made available following Diversity Week.
Please send any questions to Jackie Dillon-Fast (jud18@psu.edu) or Linda Klimczyk (lgk1@psu.edu).
The Pennsylvania State University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have
questions about the online access provided, please contact Dawn Amsberry (dua4@psu.edu) in advance of your participation.
By: Angel Peterson
The All-Staff Conference Planning Committee is busy planning a great virtual conference on June 2-3 for University Libraries full-time, part-time, and student staff.
Register for the All Staff Conference
Two of the sessions that we are looking forward to are:
The Tome of Knowledge (A library D&D adventure)
Dealing Positively with People in Challenging Situations
Follow this link to find out more about these exciting new additions!
The All-Staff Conference Planning Committee.
By: Melody Gehlbach
Tech Update, April 14, 2021, 2:00-3:00 pm.
Zoom: https://psu.zoom.us/my/ultraining
Agenda: Libraries Internal Audit – IT Activities – This will briefly cover some of the outcomes of the Internal Audit that impact IT and some of our priorities and resources moving forward.
GlobalProtect – What is it and what does it mean for you?
Lifetime Password – What you need to know about the new password requirements
Network Update and Convergence Project – Update to the wired computer network at all locations.
Sunsetting the CAT update– Learn more about why we’re sunsetting the CAT, what we’ll need to do before then, and how we want to hear from you.
Introduction to New IT Personnel
Secure Enclave
By: Melody Gehlbach
Save the date!
———————–
Tech Update
April 14 2:00-3:00 pm
https://psu.zoom.us/my/ultraining
Topics will include:
—————————–
~ Setting your Lifetime Password
~ A New VPN
~ An Update on Sunsetting the CAT
Everyone is a storyteller. Meetings, interviews, dates, family functions… people are always sharing stories. Are you interested in learning some tips to improve your storytelling? Join us for this short, practical, insightful read.
“Master the art of storytelling using 10 easy-to-follow rules to help you shape your story and share it confidently. Humorous advice will give you the courage to tell stories in your everyday life, and the unique exercises will demonstrate how to set a goal for each tale, gather the best materials, keep your audience engaged, and more.” Excerpt from The Storytelling Code: 10 Simple Rules to Shape and Tell a Brilliant Story by Dana Norris
Comments from previous participants in this discussion:
Books will be provided for all participants.
This All-Staff Conference session will be Thursday, June 3, 9:45 – 11 a.m.
Register for All Staff Conference “The Storytelling Code” Book Group by April 14.
By: Dawn Amsberry
As part of Diversity Week 2021, Jay Dolmage, Professor of English at the University of Waterloo, will present a talk titled “Academic Ableism, Access, and Inclusion: Before, During and
After COVID-19.” The virtual program will take place via Zoom on Monday, May 17 at 2 p.m.
In this presentation we will address the ableist attitudes, policies, and practices that are built into higher education. We will also interrogate the minimal and temporary means we have been given to address inequities, and the cost such an approach has for disabled students and faculty. We will explore our own ableist biases, apologies and defenses in an effort to build tools for a much more accessible future at Penn State, while we also examine how disability has been situated in higher education before, during and (someday) after Covid-19.
The Zoom link will be shared closer to the date. The program will be recorded for later viewing.
Please mark your calendar and plan to attend!
By: Hailley Fargo
We are pleased to announce our Library 101 lineup of presenters. This series will start Tuesday, March 23 and we have a great lineup of topics to share with our library student employees.
Please share this information with student employees you work with or supervise. For more information, check out our Intranet page which includes Zoom registration links. Please make sure to sign up in advance for the Zoom link!
Our topics will be:
March 23: How do I fit within the Libraries’ Organizational Structure?
Take a dive into the Libraries’ organizational chart to learn more about where your position fits and how we work across departments and campuses. Learn more about what other reporting
lines do and how their interests and strengths connect with your work within the Libraries.
March 30: Libraries’ Assessment with Steve Borrelli
Learn more about the role of Libraries’ Assessment and how they use data to inform our decision-making process. We will also talk about how student employees can help support the work of this department.
April 6: Demystifying LionSearch and the Catalog with Ruth Tillman and Binky Lush
Join this session as we pull back the figurative curtain on how LionSearch and the Catalog work. Knowing how these systems work and interact can be crucial when assisting patrons and doing your own research!
April 13: Special Collections with Rachael Dreyer, Julie Porterfield, and Heidi Moyer
Learn more about our Special Collections Library including what materials we have, how we find them, who uses them, and more!
If you have questions about the series, please get in touch with Hailley Fargo (hmf14) and Rachel White (rhw135).
By: Melody Gehlbach
Please mark your calendar!
Tech Update
April 14
2:00-3:00 pm
Zoom link: https://psu.zoom.us/my/ultraining
An agenda will be announced closer to the date.
The All-Staff Conference Book Group will be reading Don’t Label Me: How to Do Diversity Without Inflaming the Culture Wars by Irshad Manji. A print copy will be purchased for all participants who register by 5 p.m. on Wednesday March 31.
The book discussion is being held as a virtual pre-conference event for the Libraries All-Staff Conference and will be led by Aaron Procious (awp3@psu.edu) on Wednesday June 2 from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Barnes & Noble called Don’t Label Me “a unique conversation about diversity, bigotry, and our common humanity, by the New York Times bestselling author [Irshad Manji], an Oprah ‘Chutzpah’ award winner and founder of the Moral Courage Project.”
To participate in the All-Staff Conference Book Group, register by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31.
By: Jackie Dillon-Fast
The Diversity Week planning committee is hard at work crafting a week of diverse speakers and virtual events for the 2021 Diversity Week, May 17 – 21, 2021!
Here’s one of the upcoming scheduled events:
A DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE BOOK DISCUSSION
We invite you to “listen in” and engage in a discussion of Allison Maxwell’s book Listen In: Crucial Conversations on Race in the Workplace. This intriguing work of business fiction picks up where research and scorecards leave off. It follows five African American characters as they exchange personal experiences that happen behind the research, data, and attempts at best practices. You will meet a curious CEO who overhears one of their conversations and blazes a trail to accelerate progress on the diversity goals his company has been struggling with for years.
[Please note: This event requires early pre-registration to allow for time to order print copies of the books and to allow you adequate reading time. To receive a print copy of the book, you
must register by Friday March 19, 2021. Registration is capped at 20 participants.]
Register here.
By: Jeffrey Stainbrook
Do you know of a student employee who consistently exhibits a deep understanding of the library while providing excellent patron service? Do you work with a student employee who is
passionate about their responsibilities, and often provides constructive feedback? Is there a student employee who produces quality work, and is viewed as a leader among their peers and
colleagues?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, the Penn State Libraries wants to celebrate the student’s accomplishments and achievements! Nomination letters for the Libraries’
Outstanding Student Employee Award are being accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, March
12, 2021.
Outstanding Student Employee Award Categories:
Outstanding Service – Recognizes a student who exceeds expectations in library customer service. This individual displays a positive and empathetic attitude, going above and beyond their assigned responsibilities by contributing their time, energy, and talents to further the growth and development of the University Libraries’ service.
Libraries’ Outreach – Recognizes a student that has been successful in special efforts or initiatives that create, convey, and enhance knowledge and communication between library
departments, the University, and beyond.
Libraries’ Innovation – Recognizes a student that has displayed a significant level of innovation and creativity. The recipient should demonstrate initiative and insight through technology, innovative ideas, or other creative projects.
Student Leadership – Recognizes a student who demonstrates a commitment to leadership amongst their peers and various library departments. The recipient will be an imaginative leader dedicated to supporting and promoting the values of University Libraries.
For information concerning eligibility, timeline, criteria, the nomination process, and more, please visit the Libraries’ Outstanding Student Employee Awards Intranet page.
We look forward to every nomination, and to celebrating each and every student for their dedication to the Libraries, their academics, and to the ethos of Penn State University.
Sincerely,
The 2021 Awards Committee:
Paul Burnell, co-chair
Danica White, co-chair
Alexandra Kowsh, Branch SAT representative
Melissa Millar, CCL SAT representative
James Harlan
Rob Peterson
Jeffrey Stainbrook