The Agenda - Faculty and Staff Newsletter

Author: Matt Badessa

  • Glenn Sandberg Retiring After 30 Years

    ILL staff
    Glenn with ILL staffers Mary Belasco (l.) and Lilly Miller (r.) in 2005.

    Glenn Sandberg will retire on August 1, 2018, after 30 years of service to the university. His last day in the office is June 1.

    Glenn’s career at the Libraries began in 1988, when he was hired as the supervisor of the Media Department within the Laurie Music Library (now part of the Douglass Library) in New Brunswick. He became the supervisor of Access Services at the Library of Science and Medicine in Piscataway in 1999. Among his many contributions to the Libraries, Glenn has the distinction of having created “The place to go, when you need to know!”—a slogan for the Libraries he developed as a member of the Marketing/PR Team.

    promo photo
    Glenn poses for a promotional photo in 2007.

    Since 2004, Glenn has been the supervisor of Interlibrary Loan Services. Beginning his tenure in ILL at about the same time as the start of the E-ZBorrow service, Glenn is proud of the role he has played in bolstering Rutgers’ standing within the E-ZBorrow community. After Rutgers joined the CIC (now BTAA) in 2013, Glenn contributed to the adoption of the UBorrow service. In the last three years, Glenn has helped ensure the successful implementation of several major improvements to ILL services, including removal of copyright fees charged to ILL users, adoption of ReprintsDesk as an alternative article delivery service, and further integration into the Get it @ R service. Glenn also contributed his knowledge of ILL services to the ongoing implementation of Alma and Primo.

    glenn with slogan
    Glenn shows off the Libraries slogan he coined in 2008.

    Glenn has deep ties with the university. He graduated from Rutgers College in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in German and music and received his doctoral degree in German from Rutgers University in 1995. He taught in the German Department as an adjunct faculty in New Brunswick from 1994 to 1997 and worked as a manager at the Rutgers University Foundation from 2001 to 2004.

    Glenn served in the U.S. Army from 1984 to 1988 and received a certificate in Czech from the Defense Language Institute in 1985. Last, but not least, Glenn is a talented musician—he received a master’s degree in trumpet from the Julliard School in 1983.

    Please join us in thanking Glenn for his decades-long service to the Libraries and wishing him all the best in his new adventure!

  • Milestone Celebrations for Rutgers University Libraries Staff (2018)

    Back in April, we acknowledged the Libraries faculty who are celebrating milestone employment anniversaries in 2018. Today, we celebrate staff who have reached their own milestones. Congratulations to you all and thank you for all you do for the Libraries!

    10 Jonathan Embres (Robeson Library)

    Jennifer Holland (Collection Development and Management)

    Kim Kaiser (Technical and Automated Services)

    Maria Kostic (New Brunswick Libraries)

    Erica Parin (Libraries HR)

    Ed Smith (Technical and Automated Services)

    Katrina Zwaaf (Technical and Automated Services)
    20 Teodoro Oblad (Smith Library)

    Suzanne Posluszny (Technical and Automated Services)

    Yini Zhu (Smith Library)
    30 Caroline Foote (Dana Library)

    Dorothy Grauer (Dana Library)

    Susan Killough (Technical and Automated Services)

     

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  • Quick Takes on Events and News – May 2018

    Honoring a Great-Great Legacy
    Chantel Harris at the ceremony honoring her great-great grandmother, Ethel Hedgeman Lyle, who founded the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
    Chantel Harris (l.) at the ceremony honoring her great-great grandmother, Ethel Hedgeman Lyle, who founded the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

    Chantel Harris, library associate and student coordinator at the Paul Robeson Library, Rutgers–Camden, was a special guest at the ceremonial dedication and unveiling of a school bench at Charles Sumner High School in St. Louis, Missouri, in honor of her great-great-grandmother, Ethel Hedgeman Lyle. Lyle was the originator and founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA). Chantel received a proclamation from the mayor of St. Louis, as well as a resolution from the Board of Aldermen naming April 5, 2018 “Ethel Hedgeman Lyle Day.”

    Lyle graduated from Sumner High School in 1904 and founded AKA in 1908 at Howard University. Chantel is pictured with the sorority’s international president, Dr. Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson, central regional director Kathy Walker-Steele, and members of the Board of Directors.

    The USPS is considering an Ethel Hedgeman Lyle 2019-2020 USPS Forever Postage Stamp.

    You can read more here.

    Jazz Ambassadors Premieres on PBS May 4 
    men at acropolis
    IJS founder Marshall Stearns and Quincy Jones at the Acropolis.

    A new PBS documentary featuring archival material from the Institute of Jazz Studies is slated to premiere at 10 p.m. on Friday, May 4. Here’s a quick synopsis from PBS.org:

    “The Cold War and civil rights collide in this remarkable story of music, diplomacy and race. Beginning in 1955, when America asked its greatest jazz artists to travel the world as cultural ambassadors, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and their racially diverse band members faced a painful dilemma: How could they represent a country that still practiced Jim Crow segregation?”

    Congratulations to Tad Hershorn, Adriana Cuervo, and all of our IJS colleagues who contributed to this project. We can’t wait to see the premiere!

    Special Collections News Roundup
    children's book
    Helene van Rossum’s new children’s book is titled “The Best Mom in the Universe.”

    Lots of great news coming out of Special Collections and University Archives lately:

    • The finding aid for the New Brunswick Music Scene Archive is now live. The collection continues to grow, and the finding aid will be updated periodically.
    • Speaking of which, the New Brunswick Music Scene Archive has a brand new Facebook page! Be sure to head over and give them a like.
    • A new finding aid is also available for the New Brunswick Vertical File in the Sinclair New Jersey collection. This collection of primarily printed material documents a vast array of aspects of New Brunswick history, mostly between 1935 and 1960 and arranged by subject. Special thanks go to School of Communication & Information graduate student Louise Lobello for her work on the finding aid.
    • The latest children’s picture book by public services and outreach archivist Helene van Rossum has just been published. Written in Dutch, it’s titled The Best Mom in the Universe. Check it out (along with her other children’s books) over on Helene’s blog.
    Busting Students’ Stress
    flyer
    New Stressbusters flyer templates are available from the Communications Department.

    It’s finals week, which of course means that #STRESSBUSTERS are back at libraries across Rutgers–New Brunswick. But Rutgers–Camden is joining in the fun this semester, too, with the first-ever pet therapy session at Paul Robeson Library slated for Friday, May 4. Good luck to our colleagues at Robeson! Hopefully this is the beginning of a long and successful tradition.

    Are you planning your own stress-relieving finals activities? The Communications Department has created new flyer templates to help promote your events. Check them out here: T:\CENTRAL\Templates\Signage Templates\stressbusters\word templates

     

  • This Month in the Agenda: May 1999

    Coming Full Circle
    newsletter
    The Agenda, May 2, 1999.

    As many of you know, a group called the Web Advisory Committee (WAC) has been working to redesign the Rutgers University Libraries’ website…. The Rutgers Libraries’ web pages provide information about library collections, services, and personnel and facilitate communication and work among library faculty and staff. The redesign of our website will produce the flexibility we need to accommodate our current and future digital library and give our users an information tool that is more intuitive to use. Specifically, WAC expects the new website to provide important new features such as the following: 1) better integration with the university’s recommended “look & feel” for websites, resulting in a shorter learning curve, 2) improved and more intuitive navigation, and 3) new sources such as the “Digital Library Projects” and “Friends and Supporters” pages.

    The Agenda 21, no. 9 (May 2, 1999)

    Destined for Success

    We are pleased to report that Fernanda Perrone of Special Collections and University Archives (SC/UA) has been awarded an undergraduate research fellow from the Vice President for Undergraduate Education’s Rutgers Undergraduate Research Fellows Program.

    The Undergraduate Research Fellow, Carlos J. Ron, will work with Fernanda on the “Documenting Inter-American Cooperation Project” and specifically on the Frances Grant Papers, which include the archives of the Inter-American Association for Democracy and Freedom and the Pan-American Woman’s Association.

    The Agenda 21, no. 9 (May 2, 1999)

    Lending a Hand

    Libraries Essay Contest #3 Winner
    Student Category

    This semester I am working on my Senior thesis. I had never really spoken to a Librarian at Dana and was, at first, a bit reluctant because they always seem so busy. I decided to approach the reference desk with a question on obtaining an obscure government pamphlet that was going to be helpful in writing my paper. Their pleasant attitude hit me like a tidal wave of fresh air. Two big smiles greeted me and I immediately felt very comfortable. I was so pleasantly surprised!

    I am used to living in a society where everyone is in a rush and not many people sincerely want to help. The Rutgers Librarians that helped me, that day, were quite the opposite. They showed great eagerness to help me and that’s something I really appreciate.

    The Agenda 21, no. 10 (May 16, 1999)

    Have a Reservation?

    The Electronic Reserves Working Group is happy to announce that RUL will start to provide electronic access to some documents on reserve this summer….. We will begin by providing electronic access to photocopies of sample exams, overheads, syllabi, problem sets, and lecture notes submitted by instructors for Reserves. Documents will be scanned on the Minolta PS 3000 in the Copy Center in New Brunswick, set up on the library’s web server, and delivered as Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) files in the Reserve module of IRIS. All Rutgers libraries will participate in the electronic reserve services….. Some libraries may scan and process documents for electronic reserves on-site in the future.

    The Agenda 21, no. 11 (May 30, 1999)

  • Communicators Network Social Media Panel

    Last month, I attended a panel discussion hosted by the Rutgers Communicators Network titled Social Media – Industry and Platform Trends for Owned and Paid Content. You can check out a recording of the event below:

    While some of the discussion may not be directly applicable for units with limited or nonexistent budgets for social media advertising, here are some of my broader takeaways for social media at the Libraries:

    • Developing a voice and building relationships. Ultimately, social media needs to be social. Developing a friendly and authentic voice can help us seem more approachable and available, and allow us to cultivate a sense of community around our accounts. Attending to this may, in the long run, prove more effective for our strategy than the successful implementation of any given campaign. We might even get a research question or two out of it!
    • Leveraging influencers. While there may not be many opportunities for us to develop formalized, paid partnerships with influencers such as those discussed in the panel (see here for an example of one of Mary Chayko’s students advertising for a hair product), we should still think about creatively leveraging user-generated content in our approach to social media. We also have a unique resource—namely, expertise—at our disposal. Is there a way for us to position our librarians and their research as influencers in the broader academic community on social media?
    • Understanding your audience and goals. As with any form of communication, understanding your audience is a key to success. Who are you trying to reach, and where are they likely to hang out online? What are the actions you ultimately want them to take? What would return on social media investment look like for your unit? Identifying the answers to these questions can help make your effort worthwhile.
    • Benchmarking. You may be interested in reading RivalIQ’s 2018 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report, which was discussed during the event. It has some useful information on best practices and trends in social media for higher education.

    Do you have your own ideas for how we can improve social media at the Libraries? Feel free to reach out and let me know.

  • Rutgers Day 2018

    Rutgers Day was last weekend and, by all accounts, it was another tremendous success. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped pull these great activities off! If you missed out on the fun, enjoy this collection of sights from our different locations.

    • group photo
      The theme of the RBHS booth this year was “Fishing for Quality Health Information.” Credit: Yingting Zhang.

  • Annual Celebrations for Faculty of Rutgers University Libraries (2018)

    We tip our hats to the following colleagues who are celebrating milestone employment anniversaries this year. Join us in congratulating them all and thanking them for their service to Rutgers University and the Libraries!

    10 Stephanie Mikitish (Dana Library)

    Tao Yang (Collection Development and Management)
    20 Erika Gorder (Special Collections and University Archives)

    Ronald Jantz (Shared User Services)

    Laura Mullen (New Brunswick Libraries)
    30 Rebecca Gardner (New Brunswick Libraries)

    Connie Wu (New Brunswick Libraries)

     

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  • What’s Happening around Rutgers? April 2018

    Rutgers DayRutgers Day

    Saturday, April 28
    10 a.m.–4 p.m.
    Universitywide

    The biggest event of the year—Rutgers Day—is just around the corner, and the Libraries will have representation across the university, with activities in Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick (on both the College Avenue and Busch campuses). Plan to stop by our tents to see all we have in store—or check in with your local committee leader to ask if they need an extra hand. We’ll see you there!

    MI ColloquiumMI Colloquium

    Tuesday, April 3
    7–8:30 p.m.
    Alexander Library, Rutgers–New Brunswick 

    The Master of Information program at the School of Communication and Information has invited us all to their colloquium on Tuesday, April 3.   The speakers for the evening are ALA president-elect Loida Garcia-Febo and Reforma president Tess Tobin. The focus is how to help Puerto Rico’s libraries recover from Hurricane Maria. Presentations at 7 p.m. will be preceded by a reception. See the flyer for more information.

    Comic ConCamden Comic Con

    Saturday, April 14
    10 a.m.–6 p.m.
    Rutgers–Camden

    Camden Comic Con is a free, all-ages comic convention. Guests for this year include Adam McGovern, Gail Simone, Kirsten Gudsnuk, Mark McKenna, and more. Tons of vendors, cosplayers, and programs are also in store. Learn more at CamdenComicCon.com.

    Alternative Solutions for Life Sciences

    Thursday, April 19
    8:30 a.m.
    Life Science Building, Busch Campus, Rutgers–New Brunswick

    This free event features industry experts and successful entrepreneurs who will provide key insights into the current life sciences funding landscape. As an attendee, you will learn strategies for attracting financing to support your venture’s next round of development, based on real-world examples from local entrepreneurs and c-suite executives. Mark your calendars for what is sure to be a memorable morning of stimulating conversation, helpful information… and a good breakfast. Reserve your seat at http://go.rutgers.edu/iexj7r1i.

    Lewis Porter-Phil Scarff Quartet Plays Jazz and Indian Ragas

    Wednesday, April 25
    2:30–4 p.m.
    Dana Library, Rutgers–Newark

    This is the last in the series with Music Professor Emeritus Lewis Porter (pianist) and guests. Boston-based saxophonist Phil Scarff (http://www.philscarff.com/) performs Indian classical music and jazz and leads the acclaimed world-jazz ensemble, Natraj, which has performed domestically and abroad. With John Funkhouser on bass, and Bertram Lehmann on drums, the group will perform standard jazz material by Monk, etc., as well as original pieces inspired by North Indian ragas. Visit the Rutgers–Newark website for more information.

    ZimmerliThis Month at the Zimmerli

    The Zimmerli Art Museum invites the campus community and general public to a broad range of free programs this April!

    • 3: Art After Hours: First Tuesdays features curator-led tours, an artist’s talk with photographer Bill Owens, and live music by New Brunswick’s own Noordzo.
    • 6: Enjoy your lunch at a Lunchtime Chamber Music Performance with a short program of works by Mozart, Faure, and Brahms.
    • 7: The museum hosts the second annual NOFLASH Video Show, a one-night event featuring avant-garde short films by emerging artists. Please RSVP here.
    • 8: Families are invited to get creative at Art Together, a drop-in interactive workshop.
    • 11: “Identity, Imagination and Science: Helen Lundeberg’s Surrealism” Lecture and Reception
    • 15: A curator’s talk explores the topic “Bursts of Color in Nineteenth-Century Lithography” in the exhibition Set in Stone: Lithography in Paris, 1815-1900.
    • 17: Celebration of Storytelling and Teacher Workshop is an annual offering for families and educators. Please register here.
    • 19: “East Meets West: Japonisme and European Art” Lecture and Reception
    • 24: Launch of Aperture magazine’s “Prison Nation” issue, accompanied by a panel discussion.

  • This Month in the Agenda: April 1988

    The AgendaAll Work and No Play… From the University Librarian

    I have a new personal computer at home, fully compatible with the office computers, and there is a busy traffic in diskettes with work begun in one place, completed in another, spell-checked, proofread and printed in yet a third location. It’s a wonderful productivity tool and an interesting toy as well.

    However, my new-found ability to mingle further my work and personal life leads me to speculate about how this sort of technology may in the future blur the distinction between work and home and between work time and leisure time. When I find myself contentedly bent over the terminal right into the middle of “Cagney and Lacey,” I know something different is going on.

    The Agenda 10, no. 14 (April 4, 1988)

    We’ll TSB-Seeing You Soon!

    After all the years of planning, we finally have definite news about the new Technical Services Building for the Libraries which is to be built on the Busch Campus next to the existing Annex…. [The] schedule has been considerably shortened in the contract as awarded, and now calls for building completion by October 29, 1988. Allowing a month for furniture installation in November, the schedule now provides for our moving into the new building in December. Though delays can always occur, it is now possible for TAS to begin thinking about being in the new building by the December holidays.

    The Agenda 10, no. 14 (April 4, 1988)

    In a Bind?

    On Friday, April 15, a field trip to the Library Binding Company, Horsham, PA is planned for SCILS students enrolled in the Preservation course. R.U.L. staff members are invited to join the group, especially those involved with commercial library binding. It is a good opportunity to view a binding operation and to ask questions about services. Library Binding Company handles a lot of Rutgers’ materials. If you want to go, please contact Susan Swartzburg, ext. 8573, as soon as possible.

    The Agenda 10, no. 14 (April 11, 1988)

    The Honorable Natalie

    Congratulations to Natalie Borisovets who has been elected by the Library Faculty to serve as a member of the University Senate. Her term of office will begin July 1, 1988.

    The Agenda 10, no. 16 (April 18, 1988)

  • Quick Takes on Events and News – April 2018

    Consuella Askew
    Congratulations to Consuella Askew for being named a 2018 Senior Library Fellow!
    California-Bound!

    Congratulations are in order for Consuella Askew, who was recently announced as one of the 17 library leaders who have been selected to participate in this year’s Library Senior Fellows program at UCLA.

    Consuella will join an international cohort of fellows at UCLA in August for a three-week residential program combining management perspectives, strategic thinking, and practical and theoretical approaches to the issues confronting academic institutions and their libraries. We can’t wait to hear all about it!

    Where Literature and Medicine Meet

    Kayo Denda and Victoria Wagner are at the heart of a new partnership with Robert Wood Johnson Medical School that will expand the dialogue surrounding issues of gender, sexuality, and identity in campus hospitals. The Literature and Medicine series brings free film screenings and discussions to the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital one Monday each month. Next up: A presentation on transgenderism and the military on April 16. Learn more.

    Ryan with Camel
    Ryan Womack meets a parking lot attendant in the Mongolian airport.
    Teaching Data in Mongolia

    Ryan Womack was recently invited to the Mongolian University of Life Sciences’ School of Economics and Business, where he taught a weeklong seminar on applied multivariate statistical methods using R. The seminar drew participants from schools across the university as well as Mongolian governmental offices. He also participated in meetings to discuss improvements to the academic and data infrastructure of the university and talked with undergraduate statistics majors about trends in data science. Read more on our website or the RyanData blog (which has a ton of great photos from the trip!).

    Happy Birthday Paul Robeson!

    April 9, 2018 marks the 120th birthday of Rutgers alum, actor, artist, and activist Paul Robeson. In honor of this milestone, Paul Robeson Library is hosting events throughout the month of April including an exhibit about his life, a documentary film screening and panel discussion, and a birthday party on Rutgers Day. Learn more about the planned festivities.

    Bishop Lecture
    The 32nd annual Bishop Lecture comes to Alexander Library on April 25.
    Who Spoke Up?

    The 32nd Annual Louis Faugères III Bishop Lecture will be held at Alexander Library on April 25. Join us as we welcome David Greenberg, professor of history and journalism and media studies at Rutgers University–New Brunswick and author of Republic of Spin: The Inside History of the American Presidency. Greenberg’s lecture, titled “Who Spoke Up?: Liberals, the Left, and the ‘Great Debate’ over Entering World War II,” will paint a vivid portrait of the personalities and debates surrounding America’s entrance into World War II, illustrating the importance of political papers projects for this type of original historical and political research.

    As a scholar of political history, Greenberg frequently uses political papers in his research. For his most recent book, he visited no less than six presidential libraries and used political collections at the Library of Congress and Princeton University.