Tag Archives: research

Reminder: Diversity Programming and Research Colloquium May 17

We hope you will be able to join us for the University Libraries’ Diversity Committee’s Annual Diversity Programing and Research Colloquium from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17, in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park, and Mediasite Live.

This event will share research, projects, and programs that build on the Libraries’ commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion. Our presenters will examine a number of approaches that include working with our colleagues, collections, and community.

Schedule:
Each presenter will deliver a 15-minute presentation followed by a brief question and answer session.

1. Carmen Gass, 2:30-2:50 p.m.
Team Library: What exactly was it all about?

2. Emily Mross & Christina Reihman-Murphy, 2:50-3:10 p.m.
Commonality of Prayer Spaces in Libraries

3. Megan Mac Gregor, 3:10-3:30 p.m.
Libraries, Community Outreach, and LGBTQ History

4. Kimberli Kelmor, 3:30-3:50 p.m.
Measuring Diversity in Academic Law Library Collections

5. Elizabeth Hobart, 3:50-4:10 p.m.
Researching Racial Privilege: The Role of Library of Congress Subject
Headings in Finding Materials

6. Mark Mattson, 4:10-4:30 p.m.
The Many Faces of Intercultural Dialogue: Working with Other Campus Groups

– submitted by Jose Guerrero, Diversity Resident Librarian

2017 Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award winner announced

The Penn State University Libraries presented the 2017 Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award to Schreyer Honors College Scholar Alexander Walsh following his public oral presentation May 4. Walsh will receive $1,250 for his thesis, “Effects of Extrusion Temperature and Printer Nozzle Speed on the Tensile Properties of 3D Printed Polylactic Acid.” Walsh received his degree in mechanical engineering this past weekend.

Aviva Doery, a Schreyer Scholar who graduated with degrees in international politics and global and international studies, won $750 for her thesis “The Lives of Lesbian Women in Berlin Before and Beyond the Rise of the Nazis 1933-1945.” Schreyer Scholar Samuel Lapp, a graduating senior who earned his degree in engineering science, was awarded $500 for his thesis “Modeling Intonation in Non-Western Musical Cultures.”

The annual competition included a review of the submitted theses by a faculty jury and a public oral presentation by the three finalists. The Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award provides an opportunity to fully appreciate the academic quality of Penn State students and the depth of their undergraduate research.

The Libraries initiated this award as a way to emphasize the importance of utilizing quality research methods and employing a thorough understanding of the legal and ethical issues related to the use of information — both key components of academic excellence. For Schreyer Scholars, the thesis is the capstone of their honors experience at Penn State. This competition recognizes the discerning inquiry and diligent research undertaken by the scholars in preparation of the completion of each thesis.

This year’s panel of judges was composed of six Penn State faculty: Julian Avery, senior lecturer and research associate of wildlife ecology and conservation, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, College of Agricultural Sciences; Carter Hunt, assistant professor, Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management, College of Health and Human Development; and from the University Libraries, Larry and Ellen Foster Communications Librarian Jeffrey A. Knapp; Eric N. and Bonnie S. Prystowsky Early Career Science Librarian Robert Olendorf, Instruction and Outreach Archivist Julie Porterfield, and Louis and Virginia Benzak Business Librarian Diane Zabel, the panel’s chair.

The submissions process for the Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award begins in January of each year. Students who have graduated in summer of the previous year or fall or spring of the current academic year are eligible to participate. Details are available at https://libraries.psu.edu/about/student-awards/outstanding-undergraduate-thesis-award.

For more information, contact Wendi Keeler at 814-863-5449 or wak109@psu.edu.

The three finalists selected for the 2017 Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award participated in a public oral presentation on May 4, 2017. University Libraries Associate Dean Anne Langley, Diane Zabel, Louis and Virginia Benzak Business Librarian and jury chair Diane Zabel join Schreyer Honors College Interim Dean Kathleen Bieschke (far right) in presenting the winner Alexander Walsh and finalists Aviva Doery and Samuel Lapp with their prizes.

Diversity Programming and Research Colloquium May 17

The University Libraries’ Diversity Committee is hosting its Annual Diversity Programing and Research Colloquium from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17, in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park, and Mediasite Live.

This event will share research, projects, and programs that build on the Libraries’ commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion. Our presenters will examine a number of approaches that include working with our colleagues, collections, and community. We hope you will be able to join us!

Schedule:
Each presenter will deliver a 15-minute presentation followed by a brief question and answer session.

1. Carmen Gass, 2:30-2:50 p.m.
Team Library: What exactly was it all about?

2. Emily Mross & Christina Reihman-Murphy, 2:50-3:10 p.m.
Commonality of Prayer Spaces in Libraries

3. Megan Mac Gregor, 3:10-3:30 p.m.
Libraries, Community Outreach, and LGBTQ History

4. Kimberli Kelmor, 3:30-3:50 p.m.
Measuring Diversity in Academic Law Library Collections

5. Elizabeth Hobart, 3:50-4:10 p.m.
Researching Racial Privilege: The Role of Library of Congress Subject
Headings in Finding Materials

6. Mark Mattson, 4:10-4:30 p.m.
The Many Faces of Intercultural Dialogue: Working with Other Campus Groups

– submitted by Jose Guerrero, Diversity Resident Librarian

Abington Library gives information literacy awards to student researchers

woman and man standing beside a research presentation poster

Penn State Abington students Natalie Martino and Joseph Gregory with their award-winning research project.

The Penn State Abington Library in cooperation with Penn State University Libraries established Information Literacy Awards for undergraduate research projects this year.

The awards recognize scholarly work based on a foundation of careful background research and literature review. The winners demonstrated excellence in information literacy through background research and literature review and/or the use of manuscript, archival or other primary resources to conduct original research.

Head librarian Dolores Fidishun, Ed.D., spearheaded the awards. Fidishun leads a coordinated effort that encourages students to explore the wealth of information available and identify quality resources most relevant to scholarly inquiry.

One winner was chosen in each of the campus’ three academic divisions during the annual ACURA (Abington Undergraduate Research Activities) poster fair in April.

Division of Arts & Humanities

  • “Seventeenth Century Medicinal Recipe Keeping and its Progression of Social and Environmental Feminist Perspectives” by Rachael Shulman / Faculty Adviser: Marissa Nicosia

Division of Science & Engineering

  • “Electrophilic Substitution Reactions of Tryptanthrin” by Patrick Lamping and Jamie Madison / Faculty Adviser: John Scovill

Division of Social Sciences

  • “Don’t Go Toward the Light! How Light Pollution Affects Perceptions of Natural Settings in National Parks” by Robert Nutt / Faculty Adviser: Jacob Benfield

Honorable Mentions

  • “’Dude, Where’s My Bike Rack?’: Preventing Bicycle Theft at Penn State Abington” by Joseph Gregory and Natalie Martino / Faculty Adviser: Oren M. Gur
  • “Has The Story Changed?: Children’s Picture Books About Illness and Disability Over the Decades” by Courtney Colkett-Harvey and Darby McGurk / Faculty Adviser: Judith L. Newman

Schreyer Scholars named finalists for Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award

Schreyer Honors College Scholars Aviva Doery, Samuel Lapp and Alexander Walsh were selected as finalists for the 2017 Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award and will participate in a public oral presentation to be held from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 4 in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park.

The three finalists will present their individual thesis with a brief summary and conclusions and will answer questions from the audience. The 2017 finalists include:

— Aviva Doery, international politics, global and international studies, for “The Lives of Lesbian Women in Berlin Before and Beyond the Rise of the Nazis 1933-1945”;

— Samuel Lapp, engineering science, for “Modeling Intonation in Non-Western Musical Cultures”; and

— Alexander Walsh, mechanical engineering, for “Effects of Extrusion Temperature and Printer Nozzle Speed on the Tensile Properties of 3D Printed Polylactic Acid.”

The annual competition includes a review of the submitted theses by a faculty jury and a public oral presentation by the students chosen as finalists. It provides an opportunity to fully appreciate the academic quality of Penn State students and the depth of their undergraduate research.

The University Libraries initiated this award as a way to emphasize the importance of utilizing quality research methods and employing a thorough understanding of the legal and ethical issues related to the use of information – both key components of academic excellence. For Schreyer Scholars, the thesis is the capstone of their honors experience at Penn State. This competition recognizes the discerning inquiry and diligent research undertaken by the scholars in preparation of the completion of each thesis.

The submissions process for the Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award begins in January of each year. Students who have graduated in summer of the previous year or fall or spring of the current academic year are eligible to participate. Details are available at https://libraries.psu.edu/about/student-awards/outstanding-undergraduate-thesis-award.

For more information, contact Wendi Keeler at 814-863-5449 or wak109@psu.edu.

LAMC projects aim to strengthen culture of assessment

by Steve Borrelli, Library Assessment

For this Focus on Assessment, I want to highlight the work of the Library Assessment and Metrics Council (LAMC). In 2016, the council expanded to 20 members, with four membership slots reserved for colleagues outside of University Park. Presently, the LAMC includes staff and faculty from seven campuses. Together, we’re working on four projects aimed at developing data and assessment skills and perspectives, and at developing an infrastructure to support the assessment needs of the University Libraries.

  • On Friday, April 21, we’ll be hosting researchers from the University of Minnesota, Jan Fransen and Krista Soria. They’re part of a research team that has been successful in connecting library data (checkouts, reference, database use, etc.) to student retention. They’ve also shown how first-year first-time students’ GPA is impacted by library use (check outs, using databases, reference, etc.). They’ll be visiting University Park to discuss their work and to discuss considerations for conducting our own similar analyses. They’ll also be delivering a talk about developing a research agenda. The presentations are open to all and will be available on Mediasite Live. The full schedule for the day is available here.
  • The Assessment Archive will be a place where faculty and staff can submit completed assessment projects, both large- and small-scale, so that others can find and make use of these assessment results. We see this as also having the secondary benefit of providing a central location for those looking for ideas for their assessments. Each project will have a searchable project page describing the project, the submitted materials and results. We anticipate launching this project by the end of July. More information about the Assessment Archive will come soon.
  • Library Data Days is envisioned to be a full-day event providing professional development around the central theme of “using data.” The project is currently in an exploratory stage to gauge interest and develop a loose budget. An interest survey was recently sent out and is available here for anyone interested who may have missed it. The event is tentatively scheduled for Monday, July 10, in University Park.
  • The Library Data Inventory project is aimed at learning what data is collected broadly around the libraries to support decision making. The first phase of the project is looking at the data collected through Desk Tracker. The idea here is to get an understanding of what data is collected consistently across the libraries, then to talk with those using the data in their decision making in order to make recommendations or suggest best practices for recording. The LAMC group working on this has met with representatives from the Desk Tracker Team, and will be touching base as we move forward on the project.

If you have questions about any of these projects, talk with anyone on the LAMC, or contact me directly at sborrelli@psu.edu.

 

‘Henry Pisciotta: My Research is Your Research’ April 18-20

vividly colorized interlocking books in a circular structure

image by Henry Pisciotta

“Henry Pisciotta: My Research is Your Research” will be on display in the Borland Project Space (125 Borland) from Tuesday, April 18, through Thursday, April 20. Visitors can meet with Henry from 1:30­ to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Assisting with other people’s research is part of College of Arts and Architecture Librarian Henry Pisciotta’s job. In this three-day working research residency, Pisciotta invites faculty, staff and students to visit him in the Borland Project Space to talk about research problems they may be having. He will have equipment and resources on hand to help visitors pursue their work.

Also on display will be posters summarizing Pisciotta’s own publications on topics such as institutional critique by artists of the University Libraries, a statistical analysis of art publishing from university presses, and a systematic study of the use of digital images for teaching.

Pisciotta invites researchers who cannot make it to the Borland Project Space to phone (814-865-6778) or tweet (@HenryPisciotta) in their questions during his residency.

For more information, visit the Borland Project Space website: http://borlandprojectspace.psu.edu/

For more information on Henry Pisciotta’s research projects, read an article about the “Air Wall” article: http://bit.ly/2jlkzoS

Nine students receive Information Literacy Awards at 2017 Undergraduate Research Exhibition

The Libraries presented nine awards at the Undergraduate Research Exhibition April 5, 2017 to recognize scholarly work based on a foundation of careful background research and literature review. More than 270 students presented research with approximately 230 posters on display at the HUB-Robeson Center.

The John Sr. and Kimlyn Patishnock Information Literacy Award Grand Prize of $500 was awarded to Olivia Runk, a senior nursing major at the Hershey Medical Center, for her poster, “Exploring the relationship between personality and subjective cognitive impairment in older adults.”

The Information Literacy Awards
were given as follows:
First Place, $200: Courtney Heidle, a junior majoring in Biobehavioral Health
“Can an Existing Theory be Adapted to Better Predict Infant Feeding Information Seeking Behaviors of Parents?”

Second Place, $150: Jordan Gibby, a senior majoring in Human Development
“Couple and Family Leisure Time and Adolescent Well-being in India”

Third Place, $100: Sumit Pareek, a junior Chemical Engineering major
“Pathways to Impact at Scale for Malaria Prevention: Using the Built Environment as a Global Health Strategy”

Honorable Mentions, listed in alphabetical order, $50
Emily Hentz Leister, a senior majoring in Kinesiology
“Breaking Down the Barriers of Bike Shares: An examination of Bike Share Operations”

Elizabeth Hopta, a junior English major
“The Imperfect Minority: Asian Americans at the San Francisco State Strike”

Madeline Nyblade, a junior majoring in Geoscience
“Numerican Modeling of the Agricultural-Hydrologic System in Punjab, India”

Joshua Riley, a senior Biomedical Engineering major
“Impact of Shear Rate on Von Willebrand Factor Unfolding”

Alison Roby, a senior majoring in Biomedical Engineering
“The acute functional connectivity changes in the rat brain following nicotine administration”

A special thank you to all the Libraries’ volunteer judges:
Amanda Clossen
Vanessa Eyer
Hailley Fargo
Elise Gowen
Jose Guerrero
Janet Hughes
John Meier
Rebecca Miller
Rebecca Peterson
Emily Rimland
Nonny Schlotzhauer
Karla Schmit
Alessia Zanin-Yost

– submitted by Rebecca Peterson, Library Learning Services

Special Collections Library offers $1,500 summer travel awards

The Eberly Family Special Collections Library invites applications for its annual Summer Research Travel Awards. Awards are available in five different categories to applicants who reside outside a 100-mile radius of State College, Pa., and who are not Penn State faculty, staff or students.

For more information on the five categories of awards and additional requirements, or to apply online, visit: https://libraries.psu.edu/about/libraries/special-collections-library/apply-travel-grant.

Applications are due by April 15, 2017, and recipients will be notified by May 1, 2017.  Contact Instruction & Outreach Archivist Julie Porterfield, at jmp48@psu.edu with any questions.

Please feel free to share this opportunity with your colleagues at other institutions. An 8.5×11 downloadable flyer with the details is available here.

– submitted by Julie Porterfield, Special Collections Library

Save the Date: LFO Research Colloquium

The LFO Research Committee invites you to this year’s Research Colloquium to be held from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 16 in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park. This year’s Colloquium will be a mix of longer presentations and lightning talks, and will also be available on Mediasite.

Please see below for the schedule and more information about each talk.

1:00 – 1:05 p.m.  Opening Remarks by Dean Dewey
1:05 – 1:30 p.m.  Vanessa Eyer
1:30 – 1:55 p.m.  Nancy Adams and Val Lynn
1:55 – 2:20 p.m.  Jackie Esposito
2:20 – 2:25 p.m.  Break
2:25 – 2:50 p.m.  Nathan Piekelek and Ben Goldman
2:50 – 3:15 p.m.  Rob Olendorf
3:15 – 3:20 p.m.  Carmen Cole (Lightning Talk)
3:20 – 3:25 p.m.  Zoe Chao (Lightning Talk)
3:25 – 3:30 p.m.  Close/Thank you for coming

Vanessa Eyer
Preparing Engineering Students for What Lies Ahead: Developing Career Resources in Libraries

Engineering students are extremely career-driven and focused on finding a job before graduation, but few realize that the library may be a good source for information. Some librarians are also not aware that they have the resources and skills to assist students in this endeavor. This presentation will provide practical ways librarians can assist students in career development using successful examples and strategies from the Penn State University Park
Engineering Library and outside research. In addition, the presentation will discuss marketing and advertising methods for promoting these resources to students.

Nancy Adams and Val Lynn
What Counts as Knowledge?: Concrete Examples of an Abstract Concept from the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy

The constructed and contextual nature of authority is perhaps the most abstract of all the frames in ACRL’s Framework. We will share concrete examples of how the “evidence-based practice” (EBP) paradigm defines what counts as knowledge in health sciences and education. We will then discuss our research findings from an investigation of how librarians have negotiated the contested terrain of EBP in partnership with education faculty with whom they collaborate.

Jackie Esposito
Big 10 Institutional Records: Importance as a University Asset, Management of Content and Context, and Long-Term Preservation Issues

During the summer of 2016, Esposito traveled to all the Big 10 universities to determine the methods of institutional records placement; management principles, policies, and guidance; and preservation protocols. This presentation will outline best practices, lessons learned, and
recommendations for the future.

Nathan Piekielek and Ben Goldman
Climate Control: Vulnerabilities of American Archives to Rising Seas, Hotter Days and More Powerful Storms

Archives preserve some of our society’s most prized cultural possessions and yet some may be vulnerable to expected changes in future climate. We explore the potential effects and their interactions of three climate changes on archive locations throughout the U.S. — sea level rise, temperature warming, and surface water flooding. Results suggest that all national archives will
likely be exposed to future climate changes and those along the Atlantic coast may be especially vulnerable.

Rob Olendorf
A Game Theoretical Exploration of Open Data

Research data is becoming increasingly open due to both funder requirements and also a general cultural shift among researchers. In both cases, the argument for making data more open is that it advances the cause of science. However, many researchers correctly point out that making data open incurs costs such as increased time spent in management and documentation, archiving costs and risk of misuse. At the same time the direct benefits to researchers are limited, primarily to the potential of increased impact of manuscripts. I model this problem as a “common garden” problem using a game theoretical model known as the Prisoners’ Dilemma. The analysis reveals insights as to how researchers should behave to promote open data, and also potential changes to their environment that will also advance the cause of open data.

Carmen Cole
Using Citation Analysis to Inform Future Liaison Initiatives

To date, few STEM librarians have reported utilizing the bibliographies of undergraduate theses to determine the course of their liaison initiatives. The purpose of my research is to examine the College of Information Sciences and Technologies Schreyer Honors Theses bibliographies produced within the past five years. My intent is to draw upon a variety of metrics to aid in
informing future undergraduate instruction and outreach efforts. In this talk, I will share what led me to develop this research agenda, discuss past research, and present early findings.

Zoe Chao
Report from the UX Cafe

What is UX Cafe? By offering a cup of coffee and a granola bar, I had the opportunity to have conversations with students about the Libraries website. Do they click “I want it” or “Request”? What does the term “Library Collections” mean to them? I will give a brief report on the findings in this five-minute lightning talk.

– submitted by Jennifer Gilley, LFO Research Committee

Libraries hire consultant to assist research

Penn State University Libraries have recently hired Stefanie Austin to offer a statistical consulting service in 208 Paterno Library. A master’s candidate in statistics and operations research, Austin will consult with undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and research staff needing assistance with quantitative and qualitative research. She will advise patrons on research design, data collection, data manipulation and statistical analysis.

Austin’s fall semester office hours will be:
Monday: 6–8 p.m.
Tuesday: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Thursday: 2–6 p.m.
and by appointment.

For an appointment, please email UL-UP-STATCONSULT@lists.psu.edu

Statistical consulting is a key component of the Research Hub that has recently been implemented by the Libraries’ Reference, Collections and Research Department. In addition to providing onsite service in Pattee and Paterno Libraries and delivering occasional introductory workshops on statistical methods, Austin can provide virtual assistance to Penn State faculty and students at Penn State campuses.

The Research Hub, located on the floor 2 of Paterno Library, provides consolidated high level reference and referral services for faculty and students in business, education, and the behavioral and social sciences. As always, librarians in all of the subject libraries are also available for individual research consultations.

For more information or if you have questions regarding physical access, contact Diane Zabel at 814-865-1013.

Databases offer a clinical reference tool for physicians and nurses

DynaMed database, a clinical reference tool for physicians, and Nursing Reference Center, a rich resource for nursing professionals, can now be accessed by all Penn Staters with an access id thanks to the University Libraries’ collaborative purchases with the Harrell Library at Hershey. The databases can be accessed at http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/databases.html and selecting each by name. Continue reading