Friday Fun: These People Know How to Party

The only thing the UVM Libraries' employees do better than their work is to host a party! Thank you Marcie and Sharon for organizing the efforts in addition to the whole social committee: Chris Krupp, Sue Bishop, Sylvia Bugbee, Darclene Lewis-Wedge, Katie Cooper, Jake Barickman with Wendy Gunther as an extra bonus helper! In this season of giving and gratitude, I'd like to take a moment to say how much I appreciate these events that bring us all together--and especially when Brussels sprouts and chocolate cake are both on the menu. Thanks everyone for making our work so very delicious.

Food for Thought Day

Libraries colleagues enjoyed a great half-day of food and food for thought, featuring Karen Hunt and Anna Post.

If you were away, please see Lori Holiff for a copy of the DVD that Roger kindly made.

Thanks also to Marcie and Scott and Peter Blackmer for helping with the details of the day.

New Liber Newsletter

Check it out!
http://library.uvm.edu/sc/newsletter/liber_46_final.pdf

What are Scott and Selene Looking At?

The new chum line!

Why?

I have been asked why we are having a staff/faculty development half-day, and I thought I'd take a moment to explain.

Essentially, from my point of view here in the Dean's Office, I see our Libraries' colleagues doing a heck (can I say hell?) of a lot of work. And it occurred to me that we need a half-day to be entertained, and maybe even learn something new--outside our normal experience--as a reward. I proposed the idea to Mara and the Dean's Council and they said, "go for it."

So, next Tuesday, we can all relax, share some food and some food for thought. I've found a few interesting speakers: Karen Hunt who is coming up from Duke (at no charge other than airfare, as a favor to me) to talk about Diversity in Libraries. I served in the Peace Corps in Kenya with her, and I assure you that she is fascinating.

Also, Ron Citorik, who works for Office Environments, will tell us how to make our work stations more comfortable. His tips have helped me improve my posture and keyboarding position. I hope he can have the same effect on you.

Then, Anna Post from the Emily Post Institute (which is right here in Burlington!) will give us a bit of advice for dealing effectively with unwanted patron behavior. She is a UVM alumni and is very excited to return to campus just for us.

And, to be sure we all know what to do when the alarm goes off, Albert Joy and Lesley Boucher will review emergency procedures with us. I was a little iffy on that protocol myself, so I decided to seize this opportunity for that purpose as well. Thanks Albert and Lesley!

Roger Wiberg has kindly agreed to video tape the whole thing for those who are traveling next week. And Marcie is going to help me with tech support.

So, I hope that helps clarify an even that is meant, above all, to be fun. Why? Because you deserve it.

Bonus Time with Karen Hunt: Brown Bag Lunch on Monday, Nov. 22

Next Tuesday, November 23, is our staff and faculty development 1/2-day featuring
Karen Hunt, Director of the John Hope Franklin Research Center at
Duke, as our keynote speaker. Karen will ALSO host a brown bag lunch on
Monday at Noon in the Dean's Conference Room for anyone who would like
to spend some informal time with her.

Here's a bit more about Karen:

Before her current position, Karen Jean Hunt was the African Studies
and African American Studies Librarian at Duke University. Hunt grew
up in Detroit, Michigan. A graduate of Mumford High School, Class of
1974, she enlisted in the United States Air Force at 17. Stationed at
Norton Air Force Base, in San Bernardino, California, she was an
active member of the Norton AFB Honor Guard and Drill Team.

Leaving the military in 1980, she attended California State University
Long Beach. Hunt graduated with a B.A. in English (Creative Writing),
in 1983, and enrolled in a graduate English program at Wright State
University in Dayton, Ohio.

In 1985, Hunt joined the Peace Corps and was sent to Kenya for two
years. Returning to Wright State in 1988, Hunt received her M.A. in
Public History in 1989.

After a year at the National Archives and Records Administration, Hunt
relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1991. In 1992, she returned to
Michigan to attend graduate school at the University of Michigan.
Graduating from the School of Information and Library Studies in
eleven months, Hunt began work at The College of William and Mary in
the fall of 1993.

In 1996, she became the California State University Archivist and Head
of the Department of Special Collections and University Archivist for
California State University, Dominguez Hills.

In 1997, she created the California State University Archives
Association. Leaving California in 2002, Hunt moved cross-country,
relocating to Durham, North Carolina. Along with her employment at
Duke, Hunt is a volunteer for the American Red Cross.

Staff Development Day: Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010

Staff Development Day is good to go! Join your colleagues at 8:30 a.m. in the Bailey/Howe Staff Lounge for a half-day of entertainment and enlightenment. For those who cannot attend, we will record the speeches by Karen Hunt and Anna Post. We regret, however, not being able to save the leftover food.


For more information on the Duke University Libraries, where Karen is the Librarian for African Studies and African American Studies, please click here.

For more information on Anna Post and the Post Institute's Business Seminars, please click here.

Friday Fun: Library Noise Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTuc3yNrX1c

Happy Halloween!

This is part of Wendy Gunther's extensive collection of vintage-inspired characters. Please note that Wendy makes all these herself!

Monday Talk About Health and Wellness

A reminder of the talk Monday, October 25th, on healthy diet, exercise and wellness by Caryn Davis. Ms. Davis is a registered dietitian and has worked as an educator and counselor in the field of nutrition and wellness for the past 30 years, and as a weight loss group facilitator for Vtrim for the past 5 years. Please join us on 10/25 from 10am-noon in the Dean's Conference Room at Bailey/Howe Library for this event - just in time to help you handle the upcoming holiday temptations!

-Wichada Sukantarat and Sharon Thayer
on behalf of the Staff & Faculty Development Committee

Friday Fun: Guess Who?

Guess who is singing at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, December 7, at 8 p.m.? Oh wait, there's more. This person is singing with the New York Choral Society and with special guests Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary. Hints: This person works in Bailey/Howe. Please "reserve" your tickets now.

Kiosk Images

If you have an image about an upcoming event, or one featuring a specific libraries' collection, please let me know so that I may put the image on the kiosk near the circulation desk in Bailey/Howe. (The me is Nancy.)

Proposed Learning Commons

This is a description of the proposed Learning Commons which President Fogel has included in a preliminary discussion draft for the next Capital Campaign. Be aware that this is not a specific plan for the Commons, but a conceptual vision used to test the idea with potential donors. Actual programming for the Commons with happen in the future.

Learning Commons Draft

Dean’s Council Minutes: October 5, 2010

Present: Mara Saule, Nancy Bercaw, Peter Blackmer, Birdie MacLennan, Alison Armstrong, Jeffrey Marshall, Paul Philbin, Jeanene Light (in for Marianne Burke).

I. President and Provost Meeting with Libraries’ Faculty

The Libraries’ Faculty will meet with President Fogel and Provost Knodell during a faculty meeting Thursday, Oct. 7, from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m, in the Dean’s Conference Room. Dean Saule recently met with President Fogel to discuss libraries’ issues including: space, the scholarly communications initiative, information literacy, digitization, and academic planning. (Of note, regarding space, Bailey/Howe recently had 7400 visitors in one day—1000 more than on the same day last year.)

II. Annual Meeting

The Annual Libraries’ Meeting will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 19 in the B/H Staff Lounge from 9 to 11 a.m. Breakfast treats and drinks will be served. Reports from department heads (assembled in one document) will be distributed no later than Friday, Oct. 15.

III. Strategic Planning

The Council made minor adjustments to the Strategic Plan. The revised document is now on the Libraries’ website and on Libstaff.

IV. OPAC

Still at issue, is who decides what is in the OPAC and how it’s provided to our patrons. Where are the boundaries of existing working groups? Mara will convene a small group to discuss and clarify communication channels.

V. Vendor-Supplied Cataloging Data for e-books

Birdie distributed a document about how cataloging is being done for incoming e-books.

VI. Digital Measures

Paul reported on his recent meeting with Larry Kost regarding the software to be used for faculty annual activities and workload reports. Questions remain about security, privacy and workflow.

VII. Other

The Dean’s Council Meeting on Sept. 21 was devoted to the Strategic Plan, as well as the Collection Growth Committee Report. During that meeting, Mara extended her appreciation to Tina Kussey and Jeanene Light, the co-chairs of the committee, along with members Elizabeth Berman, Chris Burns, Andrea Hammond, Patricia Mardeusz, Scott Miller, Scott Schaffer, and Peter Spitzform. Mara will be meeting with them to discuss the report.

Friday Fun: Paperback Writer (Well, actually, Hardcover Writer)

Guess what's back in Circulation? After being checked out 40 years ago, "In His Own Write," by John Lennon has been returned to the library after being found in an apartment in Burlington. And whose name was it checked out to? Our very own Michael Breiner!

Click here for the letter.

Click here for the book.

One More Super Staff!

We inadvertanly left John Printon off the list of outstanding, long-standing Libraries staff. He was included in the dinner party at the Davis Center last week. Congrats John on 15 years of fine work!

Congrats to our long-standing, outstanding staff

On Friday, September 24, a large number of libraries' staff were saluted at the University-wide Staff Recognition Dinner at the Davis Center:

35-Year Honorees
Kathy Bohan
Darcelene-Lewis Wedge

25-Year Honorees
Scott Edelstein
Jane Hendley
Marie McGarry
Brenda Nelson
Susan Bishop

20-Year Honorees
Sandra Aldrich

15-Year Honorees
Andrea Hammond

Friday Fun: Libraries on YouTube

Public Librarians Create "I Will Survive" Video Spoof

Study Like a Scholar

(The penguins are just for effect.)

The Winner's Circle

Collection Development Team Notes, Sept. 15

Present: Armstrong, Bridges, Doherty, Joy, Kussey, Mardeusz, Spitzform

1. Renewals.

Approved renewals of AP Images and National Consumer Survey.

2. Oxford Bibliographies Online.

Currently a trial. Provides modules by subjects.

Discussion focused on use of bibliographies, and whether having them in an electronic format would encourage more use than we were seeing with print bibliographies. We also discussed duplication with article databases, but agreed that bibliographies can contain references not available in article databases.

3. Dictionary of Literary Biography.

Currently a trial. Discussed problem of pages missing due to copyright issues. Pat Mardeusz is collecting information from her contacts at Gale about the extent of missing content and plans to eliminate copyright issues in future releases. We already have access to the DLB content, without graphics, through the Literature Resource Center. The electronic DLB does contain additional features, such as topic overviews. Discussion will continue after we get information from Gale.

4. Chinese fiction.

In response to a reference desk question, we discussed the possibility of acquiring contemporary Chinese fiction for the students in the U.S.-Sino Pathway Program as well as students pursuing the Chinese Program (major, minor, Chinese House). We agreed that it was a good idea, so Albert will investigate further.

5. Japanese newspapers.

Peter is investigating access to a Japanese database of Japanese newspapers for two faculty members.

Dean’s Council Minutes from Sept. 7, 2010

Present: Mara Saule, Nancy Bercaw, Paul Philbin, Alison Armstrong, Marianne Burke, Birdie MacLennan, Jeffrey D Marshall

Absent: Selene Colburn, Peter Blackmer, Tina Kussey

I. Reminder

The Libraries faculty/staff award luncheon is next Tuesday, Sept. 14, in Billings, from Noon to 1:30 p.m. Excellent cake is guaranteed, of course.

II. New Graphic Design Policy/CEDO Resource Guide from City of Burlington

A new graphic design policy has been established for the University and circulated by Gary Derr. Selene will follow up with the Communications Office on how the policy may or may not apply to the Libraries. Furthermore, the CEDO Resource Guide from the City of Burlington needs to be updated and will be followed up by Selene and Marianne.

III. Digital Measures

UVM is working on a system for centralizing and standardizing faculty activity reports. Larry Kost, Chair of the Senate Educational & Research Technologies Committee, is testing the system which is already being used in a few colleges. Kost is looking for input and concerns. Paul Philbin will follow up with him, and attend the next meeting to be sure the form accommodates the libraries’ faculty.

IV. Reserves

The cost for copyright clearance for Reserve at B/H is between $40-50K per year. At issue, is whether there should be limits on what faculty members can put on reserve without infringing on academic freedom? And/or should we consider a cost-sharing model because the current model is not sustainable? Dana Medical’s policy is to charge the department back. The Council decided to have Paul gather more specific data on trending and to create talking points about the situation. Then, that information should be reviewed by the Scholarly Communications Committee for recommendations.

V. Faculty/Staff Half-Day of Development: Mastering the Haze

On Tuesday, November 23, the Libraries will host a half-day of faculty/staff development along the lines of a “Mastering the Maze” mini-retreat. The day will begin with coffee and bagels in the Staff Lounge at Bailey/Howe at 8:30 a.m., followed by a keynote speech by Karen Hunt, who is director of the John Hope Franklin Research Center at Duke University. The following is her brief bio:

Karen Jean Hunt is the African Studies and African American Studies Librarian at Duke University. Hunt grew up in Detroit, Michigan and enlisted in the United States Air Force at age 17. Leaving the military in 1980, Hunt attended California State University Long Beach (B.A. in English 1983). In 1986, she joined the United States Peace Corps and taught English in Kenya, East Africa. Hunt received her M.A. in Public History from Wright State University in 1989 and her M.I.L.S. in Library Studies from the University of Michigan in 1993. With more than fifteen years of experience working in academia, Hunt uses humor and storytelling to reflect on diversity in libraries and collection development.

Following Karen Hunt’s address, a series of insightful, practical workshops will be available from 10 a.m. –Noon, with pizza served afterward.

VI. Strategic Plan/Future Discussions

The Council will spend the first hour of the next meeting review the Strategic Plan. Other important forthcoming future discussions include: the Collection Growth Report; Libraries facilities master planning; updates on OPAC 2.0.

VII. Gen Ed

The General Education Committee is going around campus to talk to various constituents ask them about what they value in learning outcomes and what defines UVM and evidence of theories. The group will speak with the Libraries faculty at a special meeting on Sept. 23 at 3 p.m. in the Dean’s Conference Room.

Collection Development Team Meeting Notes, Sept. 1

Present: Armstrong, Bridges, Colburn, Doherty, Joy, Kussey, Mardeusz, Spitzform

1. Reviewed resources up for renewal; all were approved. List of resources renewed:

Agricola
Alternative Press Index
Anthropology Plus
ATLA
GEOREF
Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
Mental Measurements Yearbook
MLA International Bibliography
Philosophers Index

2. Discussed marketing strategies for new and existing resources to implement during the
year. Promotion efforts will involve liaisons as appropriate.

3. Discussed strategies for dealing with new resource requests and workflow during this
fiscal year.

4. Agreed to communicate with those who request resources in a timely manner.

For more information, contact a team member.

Dean’s Council: Minutes from August 24, 2010

Present: Mara Saule, Marianne Burke, Jeffrey Marshall, Nancy Bercaw, Birdie MacLennan, Tina Kussey, Alison Armstrong

Absent: Paul Philbin, Peter Blackmer, Selene Colburn

iPads

Mara commented that because libraries employees should have opportunity to test new technologies, the Dean’s Office ordered five iPads to be distributed among service units for people to experiment with them. Marianne mentioned that medical students are working with Tablets. (Alison noted that Dan DeSanto is developing an application for Long Trail hikers. Way to go, Dan!)

Strategic Planning

Short term goals, and steps for achieving them, are in process. In doing so, the Libraries may discover that the Strategic Plan needs updating and tweaking. The Dean’s Council is dividing into action groups to take on sections of the Plan, with specific attention to the Institutional Repository. Libraries’ master planning may warrant the attention of an architectural design consult.

Birdie and Paul will speak with Dan Harvey, chief of staff for Dom Grasso, regarding electronic thesis and dissertations.

Marianne and Jeff will work together on the Institutional Repository: What are we building toward and what can we do this year? Does it include archives?

Alison/Elizabeth to provide ongoing Cook updates.

Tina/Alison will look at near-term space issues.

Mara will follow up with Peter Spitzform and the Discovery & Delivery Council on these issues as well.

For next meeting, the Dean’s Council will read through the Strategic Plan and consider what should be added or removed.

Faculty/Staff Development Half-Day Event

The Dean’s Office will plan a half day of development activities for late fall. To include, but not limited to: emergency procedures for the libraries, disaster planning, dealing with problem patrons, improving customer services, and CPR lessons. All suggestions are welcome. A special guest librarian speaker may be part of the event as well.

The National Newspaper Digitization Project

The timeline for the project is underway, space has been identified, and there is a strong pool of applicants for the position created by this grant. A library forum about the project will be held mid-Fall.

Collection Growth Committee

The final 54-page report by the Collection Growth Committee is being reviewed by the committee members. The committee’s charge was to review and challenge assumptions made by the 2004 report—focusing on space and current trends.

Updates

Marianne charged a small group to do some shelf redesign in order to get some additional carrel seating and more flexible open space at Dana. They will also look at redesigning the reference desk this year. Dana will also reprise its research-to- publication educational series this year, which features two days of programming to include literature review, knowledge management, choosing a publication for publishing, grant opportunities for grad students.

Jeff reiterated that Bailey/Howe’s 50th Anniversary is next year. Special Collection’s 50^th is in two years.

Reminder! Great Presentation on Friday Afternoon

The Literary Book as a Work of Art
Lecture by Peter Thomas
Friday, August 27, 5:30
Special Collections Reading Room, Bailey/Howe Library, University of Vermont
Brief description: Peter Thomas will talk about artists’ books, sharing examples he has produced in collaboration with Donna Thomas. He will also sing a song or two on his ukulele book.

No Rest for the Query: Check it Out!

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/no_rest_for_the_query_WVsrgIFBYYK4V66S2aOlqO?sms_ss=facebook

Films in Which Librarians Save the Day

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/16/librarians-save-the-day-1_n_672494.html

Caption Contest

Okay, so this time I supply the caption and you supply the picture:
Ex Libris Hubris

Lecture: The Literary Book as a Work of Art

Since 1976 Peter and Donna Thomas have worked collaboratively and individually to create books. They are currently touring the country in a gypsy wagon, stopping to give workshops and lectures. When they reach Vermont, Peter will give a lecture at UVM on August 27 and he and Donna will teach a one-day workshop for the Book Arts Guild of Vermont on August 28 in Williston. The lecture will be held on Friday, August 27 at 5:30 in the Special Collections Reading Room, Bailey/Howe Library, University of Vermont.

“We live in exciting times,” Thomas says. “Because of the personal computer the book has been set free from servitude to information…free to become an aesthetic object, a work of art.” In his lecture, Peter Thomas will address such questions as: What is a book? What is an artists’ book? What are the aesthetic attributes of an artists’ book? What is the history of the artists’ book? Where does one find one? How does one look at one as a work of art? He will talk from the context of his own work, using books that he and Donna have made as examples. He will also sing a song or two on his ukulele book.

Under the previous imprint of The Good Book Press, and the current imprint, Peter and Donna Thomas: Santa Cruz, their books have been shown in individual and group exhibitions in the United States and abroad, and have been purchased for collections around the world, including the University of Vermont.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information about the lecture, call 802-656-1493 or email uvmsc@uvm.edu For more information about the workshop, visit the Book Arts Guild of Vermont web site at http://bookartsguildvt.wordpress.com/

Dana Publication News

The following article was published in the July issue of JMLA with Marianne Burke (lead author), and Laura Haines, et al.

Implementing the information prescription protocol in a family medicine practice: a case study
Marianne Burke, Peggy Carey, Laura Haines, Alan P Lampson, and Fred Pond
J Med Libr Assoc. 2010 July; 98(3): 228–234. doi: 10.3163/1536-5050.98.3.011.

Congratulations to Marianne and Laura!

Dean’s Council: Minutes from August 3, 2010

Present: Mara Saule, Alison Armstrong, Jeffrey Marshall, Selene Colburn, Nancy Bercaw, Tina Kussey, Paul Philbin

Guest attendee: Angus Robertson

Absent: Marianne Burke, Birdie MacLennan, Peter Blackmer

Welcome.

Mara thanked Jeff for his leadership over the past six months. All reports were very positive from inside the Libraries and out, including Waterman.

Bailey/Howe Policies: Expectations of Library Behavior.

Angus assisted Selene in leading the discussion.

The Bailey/Howe Policy about Library Behavior will be reviewed each semester based on feedback and effectiveness. One current question is: How explicit do we need to be about each behavior, or how much do we let things fall under general categories? Everyone agrees that the policy should be kept to one page so it can be disseminated and digested easily.

Currently at issue is the need for quieter space around the reference desk. Alison reported that it gets so loud that conversing with patrons can be difficult. The Council agreed that we should look for an architectural solution rather than a policy one. The two group tables will be moved away from the reference desk and replaced with single work station. Selene and Nancy work with Alison and the department to make signage to convey the seriousness of research work being conducting at the desk.

Electric and power chords continue to be a problem, although the situation has improved with the additional power strips. Should a section be added to the behavior policy about the danger of obstructed paths, or enforcing and clarifying what is in the document already? The Council decided to rephrase the existing policy to reflect the danger these obstacles pose.

Likewise, audio levels (coming from earphones) have been an issue. A clarifying statement will be added to the policy language about cell phones.

The Policies have been criticized by at least one patron as “unwelcoming.” Nancy and Selene will write an opening line that explains the value of the expectation in creating a collegial environment for all.

The greatest issue surrounding the policies continues to be enforcement. More people are needed to enforce policies. The Council discussed the need for training for non-service point people to learn how to do a walk-through to enforce policies. The Policies will be available on Libstaff and will go on table tops on all floors.

Voyager news.

It was duly noted that Voyager will soon migrate from Sun to Linux.

Cook.

Elizabeth has been working with people at Cook, and elsewhere, to eventually close that library but still be good stewards of it in the process.

Biggest Issues Facing Libraries within Strategic Context.

The Council was asked to discuss the greatest single issue affecting their department/division:

Tina explained that her department underwent a major change in layout of ledger this year—switching to a discipline-based ledger by Library of Congress classification. Thousands of POs had to change, and it was very labor-intensive but extremely worthwhile.

Paul said the ongoing question for is group is what goes in the OPAC? And questions spring up around that central issue: How? When? Who decides?

Alison commented that space was a continued concern, as well as assessment. What kind of impact are we having? Assessment will be a huge issue on campus, and the libraries may take a leadership role in and bring to bear our experience.

Jeff said workflow around technical issues: providing access to more stuff means people must do description work. Coming up, Special Collections will need to heighten its outreach efforts—raising profile of collections as Billings campaign gets underway. Also, 2012 is the 50^th Anniversary of Special Collections, which will be big opportunity.

Selene said the space question is huge. She also said that there is lot of opportunity to re-think library programming, citing the great success with Maple Week. Moving forward, she is concerned with BH master planning, and how to support liaison communications.

Mara reports that she would like to work on the Libraries’ communications and consultation infrastructure—the formal and informal deliberate exchange of information. She also said that she is engaged in academic technology planning. (How faculty use tech in classroom.) And where UVM should be going, if anywhere, on online learning?