By: Tara Anthony

The Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial Information, Penn State University Libraries would like to share some highlights from fall 2021.  

We held sessions on map and GIS resources and applications including “Getting to Know GIS Data/Introduction to ArcGIS Online,” and “Paper Maps to Digital Product: Using ArcGIS to Make Maps Accessible,” via Zoom. We also worked with instructors for BBH 305, HIST 473, and FR 137 classes to assist with the inclusion of ArcGIS Online StoryMaps into class assignments, along with ANTH 579/SOC 579 related to geospatial data available for projects. In addition, the newly created Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial Information Kaltura channel compiles shorter videos, outreach programs, and other presentations to highlight geospatial content. Additional outreach opportunities included introducing incoming history graduate students to geospatial content, Penn State GIS Day activities, Penn State GIS Users group mtgs, along with promotion of Research Informatics and Publishing services and activities to the Research Computing Community of Practice, the Libraries Reference Community of Practice, and the Libraries Student Advisory Group. We participated in meetings on the BIG Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Geoportal, including participating in the BTAA GIS Conference and a Geoportal interface review sprint.  

We continued to work with the new equipment of the unit by revising and updating documentation on the Trimble and Bad Elf GPS units, along with the GPS guide. Maps and GIS guides were reviewed and updated for current links and additional content was added to include updates to content. We are actively working with StratTech on content for the new interactive digital map display in our entrance area. More information on viewing this content and visiting this touchscreen display will be available this semester. We also began planning future map scanning projects using our new roller scanner of Pennsylvania Important farmlands and forest capability maps.  

This fall wrapped up an aerial imagery inventory of 1940s Pennsylvania images available on the PASDA site to help facilitate identification of missing photos. We recently received notice from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) of the availability of requested scanned images and will be working on inventorying these and updating appropriate files and directories. Additional coordination is also underway for the future availability of additional scanned Sanborn maps and indexes within the Digital Map Drawer. Also, additional aerial photos were received related to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.  

We updated Maps and GIS projects pages as well. Maps and GIS Assistants also have continued to highlight content on the Maps and GIS blog site. We reviewed and updated content to the Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial Information ArcGIS Hub site that compiles ArcGIS Online content created by many Maps and GIS Assistants over the recent years for various locations of Pennsylvania and international locations. 

Spring 2022 semester users can visit in person from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday in 1 Central Pattee Library, on the University Park campus, or set-up a Zoom consultation for information on maps and geospatial resources, software demonstrations, and information on using geospatial information in projects, research, and/or teaching activities. 

The University Libraries’ online 2020-2021 annual report and its opening “cover” image depict the student-centered, forward-thinking philosophy of our organization. Click on the image to view the report.

The University Libraries 2020-2021 annual report is now available online. Created for the second annual instance using Microsoft Sway, the annual report offers a wealth of information as submitted by individuals and department/unit leaders totaling more than 40 pages of equivalent content in Microsoft Word.

The link to the annual report is available on the Libraries website at http://libraries.psu.edu/annual-report-2021, which will redirect to the Microsoft Sway URL.

It is also linked under the Organization at a Glance page (in the lefthand menu) and under the special Development and Alumni Relations section Your Donation at Work under the Annual Report tab.

By: Melody Gehlbach

Tech Update
Monday, Oct. 18
3:00-4:00 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: Bradley Long

A research project conducted jointly by the Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State University Libraries will assess COVID-19 beliefs, including vaccine hesitancy, throughout the Penn State community. A team of student researchers will survey students, employees and recent graduates (spring 2020 and later) about their attitudes, beliefs and methods of gathering information about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines. A survey will be available from October 11 to November 19 on the REDCap secure web platform. The link to the survey is: https://redcap.link/covid-info. All survey participants will remain anonymous and no identifying information will be requested. The survey can be accessed on mobile devices, tablets and computers.

“The information obtained through surveying such a large and diverse community will help researchers understand the impact of misinformation during a pandemic,” said Ryan Murphy, one of two second-year medical students at the College of Medicine who comprise the research team. “Large amounts of information and research regarding the pandemic are made available daily, so it is important to gauge how people are gathering information about the virus and vaccinations, as well as their trust in information regarding the pandemic.”

“The survey results will help increase understanding of how methods of gathering COVID-19 information correlate with health-promoting behaviors like mask wearing, hand washing, social distancing, and vaccination,” added Lauren Pomerantz, the second team member. “They will also help us understand how infodemic-related information from Penn State — that which is aimed at countering false or misleading information — is influencing pandemic-related behaviors and vaccine hesitancy across all campuses. Finally, the results may help to identify any areas for improvement in responding to the pandemic.”

Bradley Long, embedded health sciences librarian at the College of Medicine’s Harrell Health Sciences Library and adviser to the student researchers, notes that some of the information circulating about COVID-19 since early last year has been either misleading or inaccurate.

“Our goal is to try to better identify how this information overload has influenced the beliefs and behaviors, including vaccine hesitancy, of our fellow Penn Staters,” Long said.

Survey participants are eligible for a random drawing to win one of fifteen $10 gift cards to either Starbucks or Panera Bread. One grand prize of a $30 Grubhub gift card will also be awarded.

The research project is funded by a University Libraries Faculty Organization grant. For more information, contact Brad Long at blong3@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.

By: Linda Musser

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is the first step in the process of becoming a licensed professional engineer (P.E.). It is designed for recent graduates and students who are close to finishing an undergraduate engineering degree from an ABET-accredited program. The exam tests general engineering knowledge in various categories such as mathematics, physics, and so on.

This guide provides details about the FE exam and describes information resources to help students prepare for the exam. The guide is available at https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/FEexam

By: Lisa Moyer

The Access Services Council’s September meeting minutes have been posted on the Intranet at https://staff.libraries.psu.edu/access-services-council-minutes-september-17-2021.

By: Bethann Rea

Come join us in Happy Valley!

Digital Production Supervisor – Preservation, Conservation & Digitization
Penn State University Libraries is accepting applications from individuals interested in managing on-site digitization activities at the University Park campus. The Digital Production Supervisor prioritizes assignments and oversees three full-time and two part-time staff employees in the Digitization Lab.

Applicants should have experience with large-format printers and imaging equipment (e.g. flat-bed scanners, digital cameras, large-format scanners, high-speed document scanners, 3D photogrammetry, etc.), as well as extensive knowledge of industry standards for digitization – FADGI. For more information, please refer to the full posting HERE.

Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applications without regards to race, color, religion,
age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identify, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.

The University Libraries is negotiating a renewal contract with the scholarly publisher Elsevier for its ScienceDirect, Scopus, PURE, SciVal and Funding Institutional library databases. The Libraries makes this content available to scholarly researchers and others across Penn State.

“The University Libraries’ current ScienceDirect subscription, which ends on Dec. 31, 2021, includes more than 2,000 journals. The subscription cost has been increasing significantly over the years and has become financially unsustainable,” said Mihoko Hosoi, University Libraries associate dean for collections, research and scholarly communications. “The University Libraries, as with other Penn State divisions, has encountered financial challenges during the pandemic and must continue to be mindful of budget realities while being responsible stewards of its funds. As a result, the Libraries intends to keep essential content available to researchers and contain costs by negotiating persistently with Elsevier, which is a for-profit scholarly publishing company.”   

Kelly Thormodson, Penn State College of Medicine’s associate dean for library and information services and director of the Harrell Health Sciences Library, offered additional context. “In the academic world, staff and faculty researchers provide scholarly publishers with much of their required labor as authors, peer reviewers and editors who do this work usually for free,” Thormodson said. “This work and the act of publishing in scholarly journals are essential for research, teaching, and faculty promotion and tenure. Unfortunately, covering increasing costs of library journal subscriptions has become unfeasible for many institutions of higher education.”  

Some research libraries, including peer institutions such as those in the University of California system, have successfully negotiated fees as well as open access publishing agreements with Elsevier. Libraries approach such negotiations differently depending on their priorities.

University Libraries negotiators will do their best to ensure that Penn State faculty and students have access to the resources they need for education and research, while simultaneously being optimal stewards of the University’s funds. University Libraries representatives will present an update on these negotiations to the University Faculty Senate and the University Research Council this fall.

Reminder! For those who wish to order a replacement name tag as part of the replacement nametag initiative, please fill out the new Order Form no later than Friday, July 16. Orders placed by this date will be received in time for the start of Fall semester 2021. Orders made after that time will be processed but may not arrive in time for the beginning of the semester.

Replacement nametags with pronouns are optional and there is no requirement to change your current name tag.

If you have any questions, please contact Linda Klimczyk at gk1@psu.edu