Ask. Discover. Create.

Our tagline applies to our colleagues, as well.

Dean's Council Minutes: October 18, 2011

I. Welcome Sarah Gordon

Mara introduced Sarah Gordon as the new Assistant Dean of the Libraries.

II. Personal Copies of Theses

The Council considered the value of continuing to bind patrons’ personal copies of their theses or dissertations. There are other options out there, as in Kinko’s and the Print and Mail center. Tina will speak with the Grad College about expectations. The Libraries will continue to bind for departments and archives.

III. JSTOR

The Dean’s Council decided that it was important to create a strategic plan and timeline to increase JSTOR acumen among campus colleagues.

IV. Upcoming Events and Updates

Reminders about the Staff/Faculty Awards Luncheon at Noon on Thursday, Nov. 3 in the Davis Center’s Silver Maple Ballroom (4^th floor); and, the Annual Report Meeting at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10 in the B/H Staff Lounge.

Media is now streaming its first video, “Unnatural Causes,” hosted on Voyager.

V. Future Agenda Items

New Libstaff

New micro-opaque readers/machines

Friday Fun: Should We Have Another Development Half-Day?

Click here to take this poll.

Burning Down the House (or blob, as it were)

Last week, Scott led a session on how to use the fire extinguishers. A good number of colleagues turned out for the course. Here they are in action. Nice aim Arron and Emily.

Is it just me or does everyone in the background look like they're in a band?

Wendy's Fiendish Friends

Our colleagues have many talents, and today we were privy to the delicate and delightful, ghoulish and smallish figurines by the one and only Wendy Gunther. (Is it just me or does Wendy look like a rock star in this picture? Am I seeing a new trend in libraries' faculty and staff?)

Who else has a hidden talent to bring out in the open? Email me if you know who should be featured next!

Friday Fun: Did You Know?

(Info compiled from web sources yesterday when I had a spare brain cell and wanted to provide entertainment to you.)

Barbara Gordon (of DC Comics fame) was the daughter of Gotham City's Police Commissioner James Gordon and the city's Head Librarian.

One evening, dressed in a home-made "Batgirl" costume on the way to a policemans' masquerade ball, she encountered the Killer Moth trying to kidnap wealthy industrialist Bruce Wayne (alias Batman). Luckily, being a brown belt in judo, she was able to drive him off. From then on she became Batgirl by night and librarian by day.

After being shot by the Joker, Batgirl became ORACLE, the premier information broker for the superheroes of the world. The best and smartest asked her for help to handle the tasks too big for their superpowers. (Is that why Oracle is called Oracle?)

Librarians, the greatest superheros of them all. KA-POW.

The 300th Post: Welcome Sarah

This is the 300th post on the Dean's List, and what a delight to be able to use it to welcome Sarah Gordon to the Libraries. Sarah comes to us from the Davis Center where she was the business manager. Of note, Sarah is a huge fan of Cirque du Soleil and has seen the company perform 12 times--all different shows. Her favorite was the most recent one about Michael Jackson called "The Immortal World Tour."

Patron Responses to Flip Chart Questions

Colleagues,

We promised to share the comments
posted on the flip charts around B/H a week ago. So here they are!

Click on the image for a larger view.

Best always,
Nancy

Friday Fun: Introducing the Little Free Library

Read the story from the Utne Reader!

Fiendish Figurines

Come check out Wendy Gunther's handmade collection of spooky and sweet Halloween figurines. She'll put them on display in the Dean's Conference Room on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 11 a.m. She forms these tiny works of art based on a vintage collection of ghouls.

Pop in for a real treat. I promise.

Two Great Events in Novemeber

On Thursday, November 3, the Libraries' will fete their own during the Annual Faculty/Staff Awards Luncheon. This year's event will take place in the Silver Maple Ballroom in the Davis Center, from Noon to 2 p.m. The committee is planning a few surprises, along with the long-standing tradition of excellent cake. Mark you calendars to celebrate the work of award-winners Daniel DeSanto (seen here as Batman), Laura Haines and Roger Wiberg.

Also, in keeping with tradition, the Annual Libraries Meeting will be held in the Staff Lounge in Bailey/Howe on Thursday, November 10 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Pastries and coffee/tea will be served. Reports will be handed out ahead of time, and the meeting will be used for comments and questions. We look forward to seeing you all at this informative yet social event.