The Agenda - Faculty and Staff Newsletter

Category: News

  • Quick Takes on Events and News — February 2017

    Records at Play: The Institute of Jazz Studies @50

    A new exhibit of materials from IJS titled Records at Play: The Institute of Jazz Studies @50 is the inaugural exhibit in the Paul Robeson Galleries at Express Newark ( 54 Halsey Street, Newark, NJ 07102). On display through the end of the calendar year, this will be the first time the IJS has exhibited so many of its treasures at once. Although they represent only a small fraction of the Institute’s collections, the artifacts, documents, and sound recordings in this exhibit provide a record of IJS history and the music at its core.

    From the Boarding House to the Board Room: 250 Years of Women at Rutgers

    The Libraries collaborated with multiple university partners on the documentary “From the Boarding House to Board Room:  250 years of Women at Rutgers” by award winning filmmaker June Cross which was shown last October. Kayo Denda just received notice that the YouTube video for the panel discussion following the film screening is now available.

    About “From the Boarding House to Board Room”: Rutgers was founded in 1766 to educate young men, and so it remained for the first 152 years. Yet from the beginning women played vital but unrecognized roles. This film, directed by award-winning filmmaker June Cross and produced by the Institute for Women’s Leadership consortium, highlights the multiple layers of Rutgers’ ongoing transformation – from the campaign to create a separate, co-ordinate women’s college to the first female students to enter Rutgers College. While Rutgers’ story is distinctive, it is also universal. The film considers the radical transformation of higher education and how this revolution continues to meet the needs of 21st century students.

    Staff examines microfilm
    Tara Kelley trains NJDNP staff in operation of the equipment.

    New Jersey Digital Newspaper Project February Update

    The latest blog from the New Jersey Digital Newspaper Project introduces us to the new dedicated office space that has been prepared for the project at Alexander Library. It is replete with all the equipment needed for analyzing the papers on microfilm: “film reel arms, a light box, densitometer, jeweler’s loupe, a 100x handheld microscope, static-free cloths and (of course) white gloves,” writes project director Caryn Radick. Reach out to Peter Konin if you are interested in seeing the space.

    Perhaps even more exciting, the advisory board has selected the newspapers that they hope to digitize and submitted them for approval to the Library of Congress. Once the titles are approved an announcement will follow shortly, so stay tuned for more from the NJDNP!

    SCUA Archivists Teach NJ Librarians Practical Skills

    Tim Corlis and Erika Gorder teamed up in January to teach the NJLA workshop, “Archival Basics for Librarians: A workshop for new archivists and special collections librarians.” This workshop is geared toward public libraries who may encounter historical materials or have archival issues come up. It provides practical advice on immediate issues of preservation, writing a finding aid, archival materials, etc. This year, around 25 people participated and they had to turn additional registrations away. The need for this type of course is increasing. Winnowing library budgets mean there aren’t funds to hire archivists, though there continues to be a real need for archiving and conservation skills.

    Pony Wilson exhibit
    The Pony Wilson exhibit at Robeson Library. Credit: John Powell.

    Exhibit at Robeson Library Remembers Longtime Athletic Director

    Remembering Coach Wilbur “Pony” Wilson is on display now through March 8 at Paul Robeson Library. Wilson was the athletic director at Rutgers–Camden for over 28 years and coached the Pioneers basketball team to the first 20-win season in Rutgers–Camden athletics history. Under his leadership, the university expanded its varsity sports program from five to 14 teams, and his was the first name enshrined in the Rutgers–Camden Circle of Honor in February 2000.

    The exhibit was recently featured on the official Scarlet Raptors website.

    Showcasing the Kalmyk Journey

    The Kalmyks originated in Dzhungaria (today’s northern Xinjiang, China) in the 16th century. They proceeded via Russia and western Europe and, during the 1950s, established unique diasporic communities in Philadelphia as well as in Paterson and Howell. hrough illustrations, photographs, artifacts, and music recordings drawn from the Kalmyk Diaspora Archives Project, this exhibition showcases the Kalmyk journey from pastoral nomadism to post-WWII urban and suburban America.

    From Pastoral Nomadism to Global Urbanism: The Complex Journey of Kalmyks in America and Russia is on display at Douglass Library from January 20 through March 31, 2017.

    NLM Director Appointed Interim NIH Associate Director for Data Science

    The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that National Library of Medicine director Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD will assume an additional role as NIH interim associate director for data science.

    The associate director for data science and team provide input to the overall NIH vision and actions undertaken by each of the 27 institutes and centers in support of biomedical research as a digital enterprise. Among other duties, the office oversees the Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) initiative, stimulating the best developments in the data science community.

    “I believe the future of health and health care rests on data—genomic data, environmental sensor-generated data, electronic health records data, patient-generated data, research collected data,” Dr. Brennan observed. “The data originating from research projects is becoming as important as the answers those research projects are providing.”

    Read more in the full news release form the National Library of Medicine.

     

    GIF IT UP? Winners

    The Digital Public Library of America announced the winners of the GIF IT UP competition. Enjoying this example? See more at their website.

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  • It’s Official: Dana Marks 50th Anniversary as Federal Depository

    federal-depositoryWhere do you find population figures from a century ago? Health statistics over time in Newark, New Jersey or the U.S. as a whole? Business and economic or other information for those studying small business development or wanting to go into business for themselves?

    Valuable information such as this can be summed up in two words: government publications.

    In December, Dana Library celebrates 50 years since it obtained its status as a Federal Depository Library for the 10th Congressional District of the State of New Jersey. It has been a boon to faculty, students, the general public and the business community. It promises to continue to be a major resource at Dana even as most of the government publications are now available online. Dana also serves as a depository for many, but not all, publications of the State of New Jersey.

    One enhancement that accompanies their presence at the libraries are classes in which library faculty reaches out to faculty and students to educate them on the use of publications distributed by the Government Publishing Office (GPO) and online resources issued by the Federal Government.

    “The subjects covered by government publications go from the general to the specific, essential for researchers as well as the general public. Most importantly, government publications are available to all users regardless of affiliation or age,” said Wen-Hua Ren, the documents librarian who supervises government publication collections at Dana.

    New Jersey is home to as many as 25 federal depositories. Each of Rutgers University campuses, including New Brunswick and Camden, has a designated federal depository library. RU-Newark has two, the other being the Law Library which receives depository materials that support legal research and study.

    Programs in recognition of the fiftieth anniversary will be held in December and possibly also in January 2017. In addition to a display, there will community instruction programs offered to educate the public on the usefulness of the collections and service.

  • Dana Library Transformation into 21st-Century Knowledge Center Heading from the Drawing Board into Reality by 2018

    Dana Library Transformation into 21st-Century Knowledge Center Heading from the Drawing Board into Reality by 2018

    Floor-plan of the P3 Collaboratory which is expected to be in operation on the third floor of Dana Library by 2018. Click to enlarge.
    Floor-plan of the P3 Collaboratory which is expected to be in operation on the third floor of Dana Library by 2018. Click to enlarge.

    Imminent plans to develop the third floor of the John Cotton Dana Library by 2018 are integrated with a farsighted and sweeping reconceptualization of the role of libraries at the juncture where 21st-century pedagogy and information delivery meet. These were among topics addressed in an initial report and recommendations released September 26 by the New Professoriate Study Group, co-chaired by Dr. Bonita Vesey, vice chancellor for planning and implementation, and Dr. Consuella Askew, director of Dana Library.

    The P3: A Collaboratory for Pedagogy, Professional Development and Publicly-Engaged Scholarship is designed to meet the needs of educators from preparation of graduate students for high impact, publicly engaged scholarship and leadership skills. Attracting promising scholars to a curriculum offering broad strategies for career-long activities in the world of academe and beyond holds the keys to success of the concept.

    Programming in support of the P3 Collaboratory is getting underway this fall with offices located on the second floor of the library. In addition, Rutgers-Newark chancellor Nancy Cantor is convening a two-day conference on the new professoriate October 28-29. The initiative is also the motivation behind $2 million in seed grants through the chancellor’s office to encourage creative cross-disciplinary, high impact, sustainable and innovative programs.

    Dr. Vesey said that while aspects of the P3 Collaboratory are not new, the combination and depth of the programs on the Rutgers-Newark campus is unusual and ideal for the diversity of students, faculty, and staff of Rutgers-Newark.

    “Under this plan, the library will be less of a repository of books, but the intellectual center of the campus, a role Dana Library already fulfills,” she said. “Consuella really understands and supports the mission of libraries in the 21st century.”

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  • Announcing the Discovery Working Group

    Announcing the Discovery Working Group

    discoveryThe Discovery Working Group was charged by the University Librarian in early July 2016 to improve identification and access to materials in our collections. Key to the group’s charge is the guiding principle, “Create a comprehensive digital environment that is based on user need, optimizing navigation to ensure successful search, identification, and retrieval.”

    Fortunately, the Working Group has access to a powerful key indicator of user need in the form of the LibQUAL+survey results. Among the tasks the group has taken on, they have read thousands of comments left on the survey that relate to discovery (search, website, library catalog, interlibrary loan, and resources). The Working Group has also devoted time to understanding the current architecture of our systems in order to best incorporate the influx of new resources (predominantly e-books) which have been recently acquired.

    Chaired by Joseph Deodato, the group is comprised of members from all of the universities and Technical and Automated Services. Judy Cohn is the cabinet liaison to the group. The Working Group looks forward to sending an interim report to cabinet at the end of October. The charge and complete list of members is available at the Working Group’s website in Staff Resources – University Librarian – Committees and Task Forces.  http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/staff/admin/committees.shtml.

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  • New Brunswick Libraries Pilot Overnight Hours

    knight-owlsOvernight library hours are among the most frequently requested service enhancements students would like to see in the New Brunswick Libraries. Popular during finals, students would like the option to work 24/7 during other parts of the academic year too. Twenty-four hour spaces are also standard in most of our peer libraries—in fact, only two of our Big Ten partner institutions do not provide this service.

    In response to user request and with one-year pilot funding from the New Brunswick Chancellor, the New Brunswick Libraries are launching 24/5 hours in two locations starting on October 10. Kilmer Library and parts of the first floor and basement level in Alex will be open overnight Sunday – Thursday. That means those libraries will open for their regular Sunday operations and remain open through regular closing time on Friday nights. 24/5 hours will operate during the fall and spring semesters including reading days and finals, excluding university holidays and intersession periods.

    Overnight operations will support student study in quiet, collaborative, and group environments. OIT and Libraries computers will also be available. Library student workers will be onsite until 2 a.m., providing some circulation services, but from 2 a.m.–8 a.m., the spaces will be monitored by Rutgers University Police Department security staff and no library services will be available. Rutgers students and affiliates will have to show a Rutgers ID in order to gain entry to the building from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.

    Throughout the year we will take hourly headcounts to measure usage and identify patterns. We will also set assessment benchmarks to determine whether the pilot was successful and whether the 24/5 hours should be continued.

    I’m excited to bring this pilot to the students in New Brunswick this fall and look forward to seeing how the spaces are used overnight to support student work, learning, and success!

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  • Clement’s Place: A New and Intimate Home for Jazz at Rutgers–Newark

    • Newark favorite Carrie Jackson, NC 350 performance, 9/9/16, credit Ed Berger.

    The Institute of Jazz Studies is partnering with NJPAC and the Newark 350 Celebration Committee to bring two series of jazz performances to Clement’s Place, a new venue located in the iconic 15 Washington Street building, located next to the Newark Museum. Clement’s Place, which looks like a classic jazz club, honors the memory of the late Dr. Clement Price, a beloved professor of history at Rutgers–Newark and official historian of the city of Newark.

    The NC350 Series

    The NC350 series, which is free and open to the public, takes place the second Friday of each month. To date, performers have included groups led by Newark legends saxophonist Leo Johnson and vocalist Carrie Jackson.

    The NJPAC “Jazz Jam” Series

    The NJPAC “Jazz Jam” series, coordinated by pianist James Austin, Jr., features a mix of younger and more seasoned performers in the time-honored, informal jam session tradition.

    Among his wide-ranging interests, Dr. Price was a serious student of jazz and a longtime supporter of the Institute of Jazz Studies. Jazz-related art and artifacts from Dr. Price’s personal collection adorn the walls of Clement’s Place.

    IJS excutive director Wayne Winborne, oversees the programming and management of the space, which mixes top jazz musicians from the Newark area with world renowned artists. Spoken, salsa, classical, and other related musical performances will be presented in the space, as well as a series of curated listening sessions, hosted by IJS staff members.

    Upcoming Events

    10/7, 5:30-7 p.m. IJS Curated Listening Session: Early Louis Armstrong
    10/8, 4-6 p.m. IJS Occasional Film Series: Stepping Up: Stories of Jazz & Caregiving (screening at the Newark Museum)
    10/14, 6-8 p.m. NC350 Series: Bobby Sanabria Quartet
    10/15, (time TBD) Joe Louis: Am Opera by Count Basie (in the Great Hall, 15 Washington Street)
    10/20, 7-9:30 p.m. NJPAC Jazz Jam with James Austin
    10/21, 7-9 p.m. IJS Concert Series: Randy Sandke Quartet
    10/27, 5:30-8 p.m. Salsa Night (free lessons begin at 5:30; music at 6:30)
    11/1, 7-9:30 p.m. NJPAC Jazz Jam with James Austin
    11/4, 5:30-7:30 p.m. IJS Curated Listening Session: After Bitches Brew: the 1970s
    11/11, 6-8 p.m. NC350 Series: Return to the Source Reunion
    11/17, 7-9:30 p.m. NJPAC Jazz Jam with James Austin
    12/1, 5:30-8 p.m. Salsa Night (free lessons begin at 5:30; music at 6:30)
    12/9, 6-8 p.m. NC350 Series: Houston Person
    12/15, 7-9:30 p.m. NJPAC Jazz Jam with James Austin

     

     

  • Don’t Miss Your Open Enrollment Benefits Fairs

    As recently announced, University Human Resources (UHR) will host a series of Open Enrollment Benefits Fairs throughout the month of October to educate employees about their SHBP benefits options, as well as other benefits and services that are available and may be of interest.

    Save the date and plan to attend the Open Enrollment Benefit Fair that is most convenient for you:

    Rutgers University/ Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) New Brunswick
    Oct. 10, 2016, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Medical Education Building, 1 Robert Wood Johnson Pl.
    Rutgers University – New Brunswick/Piscataway
    Oct. 11, 2016, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Rutgers Student Center, College Avenue Campus
    Oct. 20, 2016, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Busch Student Center, Busch Campus
    Rutgers University – Camden
    Oct. 13, 2016, 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Athletic and Fitness Center, 301 Linden St.
    Rutgers University – Newark
    Oct. 19, 2016, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Paul Robeson Campus Center, 350 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
    Rutgers University – Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) Newark
    Oct. 25, 2016, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Medical Science Building, 185 South Orange Ave.

    Contact the Benefits Administration staff with questions regarding benefits at (848) 932-3990 or via email at benefits@hr.rutgers.edu.

     

  • Quick Takes on Events & News – August 2016

    Libraries’ Wordsmith Wins National Slogan Contest

    Mary Beth Weber won the ALCTS Slogal Contest for her slogan, “Creating the future, preserving the past.” This slogan will be used during the 60th anniversary celebration of ALCTS in 2017. In addition to bragging rights, Mary Beth also received a prize of registration for CE webinars valued at $350. Congratulations Mary Beth!

     

    Peep Show large image“Peep Show: Books from the Art Library X Room” Exhibit at Rutgers Art Library

    Megan Lotts has raided the X Room to put on a case display of beautiful, surprising, amusing, and impressive books.

    Stop by to get a taste of the treasures that reside in the Rutgers Art Library’s archives.

    Location: Rutgers Art Library

     

    It’s Getting Hot in Here

    Late in July, America faced record temperatures outside and Smith Library in Newark was no exception. With the A/C out for several days, the librarians and staff had to come up with new ways to keep their cool. Here, a short haiku on the experience:

    The books are burning!
    Librarians are weeping…
    The heat is too much.

    – Sarah Jewell

     

    Communications Tip – Using Rutgers Go to Shorten URLs

    1Want a short, trackable URL to use in an email or social media post? There are many URL shorteners on the market including goo.gl, bitly, and ow.ly, but go.rutgers.edu offers something the others can’t–an actual Rutgers URL to make your link appear official and trustworthy. This service allows Rutgers users to quickly and easily shorten a URL and track how many times that URL is viewed.

    For example, in a social media post over the weekend, I shortened a URL for a news story in the Keene Sentinel from http://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/in-a-wired-world-local-libraries-turn-page-to-the/article_615d127a-ac0a-5f4e-904d-fb0a595a39ea.html to http://go.rutgers.edu/rhuu643k. Checking in today, I can see that link has been used 129 times since July 30.

    While I used the same shortened URL on both Facebook and Twitter, I could have created separate shortened URLs for each social media site to track the relative traffic. I did this for an earlier post about the New Brunswick Music Scene Archive, which allowed me to see the number of views on each platform (162 for Twitter, 7 for Facebook).

    I highly recommend you try out go.rutgers.edu if you have not already done so.

    –Jessica Pellien

    New Brunswick Music Scene ArchiveNew Brunswick Music Scene Symposium Planned for October 27, 2016

    Save the date. Special Collections and University Archives will hold the next New Brunswick Music Scene Archive symposium on October 27, 6 p.m. in the Teleconference Lecture Hall at Alexander Library. Stay tuned for more information, including the participants. In the meantime, here’s a look back at the 2015 symposium, featuring a who’s who of New Jersey music (http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/news/symposium-local-notables-inaugurate-new-brunswick-music-scene-archive).

     

    Full Text Finder Training

    ftf_logoThis fall the Rutgers Libraries will be migrating to Full Text Finder, EBSCO’s newest holdings and link management tool designed to replace its A-to-Z and LinkSource services, which are being phased out. A-to-Z is the product that powers the Libraries’ electronic journals search. LinkSource is the product that powers its link resolver service (locally known as “Get it @ R”). Although the basic functionality of these tools has not changed much, we have taken the opportunity to introduce a few custom modifications that we hope will simplify the process of finding full-text articles and improve the overall user experience. If you’d like to learn more about Full Text Finder and the upcoming changes, feel free to attend one of the 30 minute drop-in sessions scheduled in August. Videoconferencing to Dana, Robeson, and Smith is available upon request.

    Full Text Finder Information Sessions

    • August 4 @ 2 p.m. — LSM Conference Room, Library of Science & Medicine
    • August 8 @ 2 p.m. — Pane Room, Alexander Library
    • August 11 @ 2 p.m. — Pane Room, Alexander Library

     

    Buttons! Buttons for Everyone!

    Sample buttons v2
    Custom buttons are now available from the Communications Department.

    The buttons we mentioned in the July issue of The Agenda proved a popular giveaway at the New Student Orientations in New Brunswick. This is a relatively low-cost and fun way to run a promotion or to market something at the Libraries. If you are interested in borrowing our machine for a project, please make sure to purchase the supplies that are available here. We’re happy to train you or your student workers on how to create buttons.

     

    You’ve Got People, Now What?

    August 3, 2016
    9 a.m. – 1 p.m.NEW DATE!    		 This course is ideal for new and experienced managers, supervisors, and administrators who have direct reports and would like to apply their knowledge of personal styles to flexibly manage their staff.

    Location:  Pane Room, 1st floor, Alexander Library

    RSVP: Erica Parin on behalf of the Professional Development Committee

    Manager as Leader – Developing Staff

    August 30, 2016
    9 a.m. – 12 p.m.    		 This course is ideal for managers, supervisors, and administrators who would like to sharpen their situational leadership skills and discover how flexible and effective they are in a variety of situations with staff.

    Location:  Pane Room, 1st floor, Alexander Library

    RSVP: Erica Parin on behalf of the Professional Development Committee

     

  • Rutgers Connect Migration: Next Steps

    rutgersConnect_dev7-apps_5_2Most of you have, by now, visited the Rutgers Connection Migration Support website. I hope you are finding a lot of useful information there, but if anything is missing, please let us know using the Submit Your Questions form. This story is meant to update everyone on the newest pieces of the migration plan. Most importantly, to let you know that everyone’s email in Rutgers University Libraries will be migrated August 23–25, 2016. The exact grouping will be worked out in collaboration with AULs and library directors.

    Kickoff meeting:

    A successful kickoff meeting was held on Friday, July 22, with four representatives of OIT, all UCSs; and all IIS staff, joined by a special Migration Representative from the Health Sciences Libraries. A four-hour recording of that discussion is available with RUL NetID authentication–but you are hereby warned: It is heavy on technical jargon! Unless you want to delve into every detail, you would be better off perusing the support site and attending the upcoming information sessions and subsequent training.

    Prepping for the migration:

    But first, as the most important part of preparations, we must collect information about all existing accounts, as only one account per Rutgers employee can be migrated automatically. Content from other accounts should be first transferred to the primary account, or migrated later.

    For this purpose, IIS has developed an instrument with half a dozen questions and a lot of help on how to respond to them. Please use your NetID to log in (each RUL member needs to fill it out personally or with the help of their UCSs) and provide the required information about the Rutgers email accounts you currently hold. The more accurate the data we receive, the more efficient and more painless the migration will be.

    Since the new email and calendaring tools will appear quite different from what Zimbra users are used to, IIS will offer a series of 90-minute information sessions August 8–19 in several libraries covering all three geographic regions. The schedule for these sessions will soon follow via RUL_Everyone messages, and will be available on the support site’s calendar by August 5.

    The plan for the migration:

    All three hundred email users at RUL will be migrated over a three-day period August 23–25. Groups of account holders will be scheduled for each day based on organizational, geographic, and logical criteria. When you come to work on your assigned day of the migration, all your email and calendar appointments will be ready for you in the new system. You can immediately access them and continue working with them in the new interface called OWA (Outlook Web Access) by logging in through any browser using the link connect.rutgers.edu and your new email address [NetID]@libraries.rutgers.edu. (Please see details about account names in the Questionnaire and at the support site.)

    Throughout the days of the migration, IIS staff and UCSs will be “roaming the halls” in the libraries to help users access their mailboxes using the client of their choice: The desktop version of Microsoft Outlook, available on every RUL workstation, is the preferred client for work in the office, while any browser may be used to log into OWA away from your desk.

    Training opportunities:

    Two-hour-long introductory, instructor-led, classroom-based, hands-on training will be offered in several sessions over two days of the migration. If you cannot make it during those days, the training sessions will come back after Labor Day, including more advanced training later on. Individual introductory sessions will also be available for those who learn best that way. Please check back to the support site’s calendar around August 15 for the exact schedule and to sign up.

    In the first wave of training sessions we will focus on the communication tools included with Rutgers Connect (which is, as you know, a customized version of Microsoft’s Office 365 running in the Microsoft cloud): OWA (and Outlook on the desktop), Calendar, People, Tasks, OneDrive for Business (cloud-based file storage), and Skype for Business. But the rest of the Office 365 tools will also be immediately available to everyone from the same online interface: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. At the same time, the respective applications can be downloaded and installed on your home computer and mobile devices, while you will have them installed on your RUL desktops in the Office 2016 version that is fully interchangeable with the cloud-based apps.

    Questions or concerns:

    Much more information will continue to become available as we approach the migration week. In the meantime, please let IIS know of any concerns or questions you might have by writing to support@rulhelp.rutgers.edu or using the support site’s Submit Your Questions form.

  • Quick Takes on Events & News – July 2016

    Critical Thinking & Creative Decision Making

    July 15. 2016
    9 a.m. – 12 p.m.    		 This course is ideal for staff, managers, supervisors, and administrators who recognize the need to improve their ability to generate ideas, see old ideas in new light, and make decisions that are innovative yet founded on strong grounds.

    Location:  Pane Room, 1st floor, Alexander Library with teleconference to Smith Library, Dana Library and Robeson Library

    RSVP: Erica Parin on behalf of the Professional Development Committee

    Leading Staff through Change & Transition

    July 21. 2016
    9 a.m. – 12 p.m.    		 This course is ideal for managers, supervisors, and administrators who are experiencing departmental change and would like insight, guidance, models, and tools to assist them in moving their departments forward.

    Location:  Pane Room, 1st floor, Alexander Library

    RSVP: Erica Parin on behalf of the Professional Development Committee

    Digital Humanities Summer Institute

    Bart Everts attended the Digital Humanities Summer Institute at the University of Victoria in Victoria, BC June 12-16th and participated in a week-long workshop titled Critical Pedagogy and Digital Praxis in the Humanities. The workshop “built an open course as a playground, letting participants experiment with critical digital pedagogy in a class-created online course that [they] co-designed, built, deployed, promoted, and assessed.” Learn more at the website they designed: http://www.digitalpedagogylab.com/dhsi2016/.

    Dana Library Media Services Department Restructure

    The Dana Media Services department is transitioning from its location on the fourth to better concentrate on how today’s students access physical and online media. Photograph by Ed Berger.
    Photograph by Ed Berger.

    The fourth floor Dana Library Media Services Department is being restructured in recognition of how the library’s patrons access sound and video for education and entertainment. The transition will be completed by August 1 well in advance of the fall semester.

    Patrons will find a selection of some 1,700 DVDs, VHS tapes, and audio CDs currently available from Media Services publicly accessible on the lower level of the library, where the journals and bound periodicals are housed. Faculty requests to purchase new titles to support their teaching will continue to come through Dana’s department liaison librarians.

    Congratulations to Our Colleagues Who Worked on an Award-Winning Book!

    Rutgers: A 250th Anniversary Portrait received the Gold Award in the Circle of Excellence Awards given by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).Many of our Libraries’ colleagues contributed to the success of this book: University archivist Tom Frusciano served as one of the primary authors, co-authoring the opening chapter on “History and Politics,” with GSE professor Benjamin Justice, constructing the extensive historical “Timeline” that appears in the back of the book, and writing—in partnership with archival associate Erika Gorder—many, many photo captions. This was a true group effort with dozens of contributors, including Gorder on musical concerts at Rutgers, archivist Fernanda Perrone on the activities of visiting Japanese students at Rutgers in the 1870s, David Fowler, an independent researcher with close ties to Special Collections and University Archives, on the life and impact of Henry Rutgers, and former university librarian Marianne Gaunt on, of course, the libraries themselves! Lastly, former associate director of the Institute of Jazz Studies Ed Berger contributed many photographs.

    Custom Buttons Now Available from the Communications Department

    Sample buttons v2
    Custom buttons are now available from the Communications Department.

    The Communications Department recently purchased a custom button maker and we are happy to now make buttons available to all of our colleagues for events or outreach activities. These 1.5 inch buttons feature a glossy, professional-quality finish and the designs can be customized to suit your needs. We are currently piloting a small “See You @ the Library” campaign for New Student Orientations in New Brunswick and welcome ideas for other ways to take advantage of this new equipment. Please contact us with project ideas or to request a sample.