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!
Stephanie Mikitish (Dana Library)
Tao Yang (Collection Development and Management)
Erika Gorder (Special Collections and University Archives)
From March 13 to 15, an Ex Libris consultant came to the Libraries and facilitated a three-day workshop on Alma workflows. The first one and half days of the workshop were devoted to technical services topics, from ordering to receiving/activating to invoicing to cataloging. The second half of the workshop covered fulfillment issues, such as user management, circulation, requests, resource sharing, and course reserves. The participants of the workshop included the Implementation Team members, the working group members, and staff from technical, collection, and access services. The university librarian also attended most of the sessions. The feedback on the workshop was generally positive: The Ex Libris facilitator was very knowledgeable and well prepared. The demonstrations went smoothly. The discussions were both lively and calm, perhaps thanks to the puppy pictures the facilitator included throughout her presentation.
An important takeaway for everyone at the workshop is that we need to think about changing our workflows and sometimes policies to maximize the benefits of Alma, instead of simply trying to transfer our current practices in the Sirsi environment to Alma. This will guide the work of the team and working groups in the coming months.
Other Developments
Preparing for and participating in the Alma workshop was the main activity for the Implementation Team and working groups in March. All the working groups were also busy with both internal training and testing. The Implementation Team had four weekly training sessions with Ex Libris, two on Alma and two on Primo VE. On the migration front, the Data Migration and System Integration Group is currently working hard on third-party integration issues.
All 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.
Kayo Denda and Fernanda Perrone have coauthored, with Mary Hawkesworth, The Douglass Century: Transformation of the Women’s College at Rutgers University. This book is part of the centennial celebrations planned at the University and is published by Rutgers University Press. Read a nice article from NJ.com about the book.
There are so many ways for video/web conferencing. Why should I use WebEx?
Who: All RUL faculty and staff can initiate a WebEx call to hold virtual meetings.
What: A WebEx meeting is an online meeting that allows you to meet and collaborate with other people. Attendees will need a computer, a laptop, a mobile device with Internet access, or even just a telephone to participate. For a full experience, use a webcam with a microphone. Videoconference endpoints can also be added to the meeting.
When: WebEx is recommended for use in formal, informal, or even ad hoc situations involving small groups or large audiences, with both Rutgers employees and external participants.
Where: WebEx can be used from any location with Internet, cellular, or telephone connectivity. Most of the RUL conference rooms are equipped to participate. When conference rooms are booked or when you would like to conference from your own office, or from the road, WebEx is the solution for you.
Why: WebEx is ideal for easily connecting with internal or external participants, since invitees do not have to have any special software beyond a browser. To compliment your collaboration, Through WebEx, you can share your screen and present applications, share lectures, or co-edit documents. Meetings can be recorded through the click of a button and made available later.
How: Request the use of one of RUL’s WebEx licenses by emailing webex@rulhelp.rutgers.edu or by creating an RULHelp ticket. Bookroom also integrates the option to request a WebEx meeting when scheduling your conference location. Your local UCS, or IIS staff will then create your WebEx meeting, supply you with directions for using WebEx, and provide you with email invitations to send out to your participants. We can also provide a hands-on training session for anyone in RUL.
Once the WebEx meeting is set up, you can join from any browser using a link found in the meeting invitation. In seconds, your browser will automatically download a plugin or app (if needed) after which you will be directly connected to the meeting. When joining by phone, call the WebEx number and enter the meeting number supplied in the meeting invitation.
Want to know more? Contact IIS or your local UCSs. We are here to help!
This month we take a look at the Agenda in the aughts. Is it just me, or does 2000 not feel like almost two decades ago?
Survey Says
Reader survey from the Agenda 22, no. 4 (March 5, 2000).
Systematic Thinking
MESSAGE FROM THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN
At the last Cabinet meeting we discussed what it means to be a system. This might seem needless for an organization that has described itself as operating system-wide for many years, but it’s always useful to step back and take stock. This is especially important as we continue to develop our long-range plan, the Digital Library Initiative (DLI), and seek ways to be more effective.
Typically, a system shares the same vision, philosophy, and goals. It shares common infrastructure and operates with system-wide policies and practices. There is considerable interdependency among units and a heightened need for communication. There’s also a shift to systems thinking, where operations are examined across the system rather than just locally. This helps to improve and expand the entire system’s capabilities to be effective. Each unit is each other unit’s best customer and best supporter. Information and expertise are shared readily, so that everyone in the organization benefits.
…
As we implement the DLI we need to ensure that we are all working towards system-wide goals, using our resources effectively, thinking strategically, collaborating across units, and present a consistent, quality presence to our users. Communication and open discussion will be important as we gain new understandings in what it means to sustain and enhance a system in the digital environment.
The Agenda 22, no. 5 (March 19, 2000)
Getting Medieval
The Medieval Studies Program and the Friends of the
Rutgers University Libraries invite you to
The Dedication of the
Ernest McDonnell
Medieval Culture Seminar Room
in Alexander Library
featuring a talk by
Barbara Newman,
Professor of English and Religion
at Northwestern University
“You Can’t Speak To Men
Until You’ve Spoken With God:
Medieval Women And The Church”
Thursday, March 23, 2000
4:00–6:00 p.m.
Alexander Library
An architect’s rendering of what the new space in LSM.
New Brunswick (NB) and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) are collaborating to upgrade spaces and publicize library services to our users, in particular those from RBHS schools (Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS), School of Public Health, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Physician Assistants program in the School of Health Professions), in Piscataway. One of the goals in recent draftsof the Libraries master plan for the Library of Science and Medicine (LSM) is to “create a science-focused atmosphere and establish a connection with RBHS.” In addition, the plan includes creating both “dedicated graduate study space,” and “dedicated RBHS study space” within the library.
A plan is in place to encourage RBHS students to identify and use LSM and its resources. Survey data from RWJMS reveals that medical students do not currently identify with the library. The upcoming accreditation at RWJMS (March 5-7, 2018), spurred a feasibility study to upgrade study space and librarian support space at LSM to better serve the needs of graduate students in the health and life sciences on the Piscataway campus. Students from Pharmacy and Public Health are also in close proximity to LSM. Even though Pharmacy has recently opened their beautifully renovated building, LSM is still a very popular destination for Pharmacy students seeking serious study space.
An open house for RWJMS students was held at LSM on Tuesday, February 13, to re-introduce students to LSM, view potential floor plans, the phased design for renovating space on the third floor, and view the location of the recently relocated MED-TEXT collection, approximately 1000 books recently relocated from the medical school to LSM. Approximately 100 medical students attended the event, which was positively received. Victoria Wagner and the librarians from Robert Wood Johnson Library of the Health Sciences (RWJ), along with faculty and staff from LSM, interacted with RWJMS students and faculty in attendance.
The completed feasibility study, along with proposed floor plans, renderings, phasing plan and cost are nearing completion. Presenting and socializing the plan to stakeholders (RBHS schools and NB life sciences schools) and funders is a critical next step toward potential implementation. Mei Ling Lo has taken the lead on planning for the weeding of the bound journal collections on the north side of the LSM third floor. Journals are labeled for relocation to the Annex or discard, and a company will start moving items on April 2nd.
An office, previously occupied by DTS on the LSM third floor, will provide the space for the RWJ librarians, who will begin providing services to students from that location in early March.
A full meeting LSM and RWJ libraries took place on Friday, February 23rd at LSM. Plans were on display, updates were provided by Dee Magnoni and Judy Cohn, and then the 20 plus attendees broke into groups focused on space, access services, and deepening collaboration. One listserv for all LSM and RWJ librarians and staff was proposed to enhance communication. Other recorded recommendations are being transcribed to share back with the full group, which agreed to meet again in 2 months.
These are exciting plans! We look forward to gaining momentum to fund this project.
It’s 1987: a Ford Escort costs just under $7,000, Full House debuts on TGIF prime-time, and the Dominion of Fiji is preparing to proclaim itself as a republic. What was happening at the Libraries?
Cinephiles Rejoice!
Media Services has announced a film series on works by director Robert Bresson. Bresson explores themes in his work which are similar to those Bergman addresses. The films focus on philosophical and human problems, dealing with issues of freedom and constraint, love or its lack, life and death, and affirmation or denial.
….
The films will be shown on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. in Room 200 of Art History Hall on the Douglass Campus.
February 6 Les Dames du Bois De Boulogne February 13 Lancelot du Lac February 20 Pickpocket February 27 Quatre Nuits d’un Reveur (Four Nights of a Dreamer)
The Agenda 9, no. 5 (February 2, 1987)
IRIS Insights
IRIS Update for the week ending February 1, 1987.
RLIN records produced on or before January 23, 1987 were added to IRIS.
MRMS:
New records added: 2,322
Circulation:
New records: 2,717
Records updated: 6,033
New items added: 3,138
Circulation Notices produced and mailed: 3,138
The Agenda 9, no. 6 (February 9, 1987)
Just Say No… to Food
The Rutgers University Libraries will begin an Anti-Food Campaign during March 1987. The purpose of the campaign is to draw the attention of both patrons and staff to the dangers that food and beverages present to the preservation of our library collections, the maintenance of our furnishings and equipment and the appearance of our buildings.
….
Among items planned for the campaign are exhibits in each of the major libraries, and all campus mailing from the University Librarian’s office, articles in the campus newspapers, announcements on the campus radio station, bookmarks, posters, and notices. Each library will be holding a meeting to discuss the campaign and ways that library staff can help support it.
This session was held at the Wall Township Police Headquarters and focused on recovery. Presenter Tom Clareson, senior consultant for digital and preservation services at LYRASIS, covered the stages of disaster, with a particular focus on the last three:
Planning
Mitigation
Immediate Response
Recovery
Long-Term Recovery
In the first part of the day, we learned about creating a comprehensive communication plan, appointing a recovery team, formulating salvage priorities, and assigning duties. The second part of the day consisted of an indoor demonstration by Clareson of how to treat waterlogged items. Afterwards, the group went outside and we plunged our hands into freezing water in an attempt to recover wet books, periodicals, microfilm, VHS tapes, DVDs, and more. At one point we even had an entire microfilm unspooled and drying in the cold November wind. Overall, the exercise was very valuable, especially for those who were lucky enough not to have experienced a water emergency in their facility.
One significant takeaway from the workshop was for each institution to establish a relationship with first responders ahead of a disaster and familiarize them with the building and the disaster plan. Another was to create partnerships with similar institutions who may be able to assist each other during and after a disaster. In the spirit of the latter, Rutgers University Libraries shared our Water Emergency Presentation and Mold Identification Tutorial with the New Jersey State Library, who posted the materials on their website along with similar resources on disaster planning and preservation. Check out an article about this workshop on the NJ State Library’s website here.
This month, we go back two decades in the Agenda’s history to January 1998. The median household income was about $38,000; the world was ramping up for the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan; and we’d see blockbusters Armageddon, Titanic, and Saving Private Ryan all hit the box office over the course of the year. How did we ring in the New Year at the Libraries?
Asking the Big Questions
[P]rinted below are the questions in the charge [of the Steering Committee for the Libraries Long-Range Plan]…. As you can see, answers to the questions will give us guidance by which we—library faculty and staff—will then make specific plans for our future….
What principles should guide how collections are developed and distributed throughout the system, including, for example, duplication of resources, dispersion of collections, new program development, and locations of departments/programs?
What factors should influence the balance between print and electronic resources that the Libraries provide?
To what extent should the Libraries satisfy the University’s information needs through collaborative resource sharing arrangements or document delivery, as well as the traditional ownership of information resources?
What are the characteristics of service excellence to the university community?
What quality, scope, and types of library space will be required to provide service excellence into the future?
In what ways can the university community act to affect the current scholarly communication models to increase information availability and reduce costs?
– The Agenda 20, no. 1 (January 11, 1998)
Authority Is Constructed and Contextual
At long last, the Rutgers library catalog will have full authority control for all name and series headings. The recently established LIS-Authority Committee is now investigating Sirsi policies for the implementation of authority functions and beginning a search for the vendor which will provide the best services. It will be writing an RFP (Request for Proposal) for authority control processing this spring, with an eye toward selecting a vendor in the early summer. The Committee, chaired by Rhonda Marker of TAS, welcomes all suggestions, wish-lists, and caveats from the library community regarding either vendors or online authority work.
– The Agenda 20, no. 1 (January 11, 1998)
Freshening Up
The Libraries have recently received an allocation from University VP Joseph Seneca of $92,695 to upgrade academic facilities as part of the “Reinvesting in Rutgers” initiative the President announced in his state of the university message.
The Libraries submitted a proposal as part of the academic facilities upgrade component of this initiative. The specific projects that were funded include upgrading the Mathematical Sciences library facilities (carpeting, draperies, acoustical buffers, etc.); replacing the telephone and wiring infrastructure at the Kilmer Library; and upgrading voice wiring at Douglass.
In addition, Media Services was allocated $1.7 million to upgrade the smart classrooms on the New Brunswick campus and to improve the Kilmer Library media classrooms.
Decisions regarding programs to be funded on the Newark and Camden campuses facilities are being handled through their respective provosts, who have not yet reported.
Alma Workshop
Kayo Denda and Fernanda Perrone have coauthored, with Mary Hawkesworth, The Douglass Century: Transformation of the Women’s College at Rutgers University. This book is part of the centennial celebrations planned at the University and is published by Rutgers University Press. 
There are so many ways for video/web conferencing. Why should I use WebEx? 
