The Agenda - Faculty and Staff Newsletter

Category: Articles

  • This month in the Agenda: January 1998

    The January 11, 1998 edition of the Agenda.
    The January 11, 1998 edition of the Agenda.

    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.

    – The Agenda 20, no. 2 (January 25, 1998)

     

  • We Are Not Alone – Thoughts on the BTAA Meeting

    We Are Not Alone – Thoughts on the BTAA Meeting

    I know that we spend a lot of time focused on building infrastructure. Our top priorities involve undergraduate success and strengthening information control to ensure that our users have efficient, reliable access to information resources.

    I just got back from a Big10 meeting at Purdue. At the meeting, we reviewed the results of a survey of the BTAA library directors’ top priorities for future collaborative activities. Each director picked three areas of interest. The results:

    • Collection Management 54%
    • Student Success Measures 46%
    • OER 46%
    • Data Management/Curation 38%
    • Analytics/Assessment 38%
    • Open Access 15%

    The remaining four items: Special Collections, Professional Development, Digital Humanities, and Library Publishing all were 8%.

    In another part of the survey, the directors listed the most important BTAA initiatives as Discovery to Delivery, Collections Infrastructure and Management, and Student Success.

    Although these priorities and initiatives do not represent the most important work of the libraries, the selections do say something about initiatives that are most effective when done ‘at scale’ with the broader community. As I listened to my colleagues share their experiences and challenges, it struck me that we are not the only research library that is focusing on basics.

    In a meeting back here at Rutgers, Judy Cohn brought up the NMC Horizon Report: 2017 Library Edition. This report from the New Media Consortium looks at trends in libraries, technology, and education to imagine what is on the five-year horizon for academic and research libraries. It is produced in collaboration with University of Applied Sciences (HTW) Chur, Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB), ETH Library, and the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL). It identifies trends, challenges, and developments in technology that will impact how libraries plan to meet the needs of their users, how we function day to day and year to year, and the services that will be in highest demand. The first of the top 10 highlights listed was:

    Libraries remain the gatekeepers to rich tapestries of information and knowledge. As the volume of we resources increases, libraries are charged with finding new ways to organize and disseminate research to make it easier to discover, digest, and track.

    It was surprised to see that improving ‘information control’ was featured so prominently in the report. It seems that academic and research libraries have a renewed focus on the fundamentals and are redesigning infrastructure so that it better meets the changes in the environment. I know there are times when we feel like we are behind; however, it appears that we are actually in sync with many of our peers.

    Over the next week, we will have meetings with Office of Information Technology and the Office of Research and Economic Development to discuss potential collaboration on research and digital humanities infrastructure. This will move us closer to another one of our priorities: identifying and communicating our role in the broader research environment of Rutgers. We are making progress!

    While we are moving fast, our activities continue to be guided by the expertise and research of our colleagues. There are several examples of this that come to mind, all with librarywide participation. The Discovery Working Group has offered a model of how to harness data and best practices to make impactful changes in how our users discover and access collections via our website. Their work continues to propel us forward, even as the Ex Libris Implementation Team works to create nimble and knowledgeable teams to accommodate the anticipated workload over the next 7 months. And the Website Improvement Team is rolling out an impressive, incremental website refresh derived from extensive user research and analytics. The work that we are doing now will pay off in the coming years with flexible and easy to manage systems. It is my hope that these changes will make it easier for you to do the important work that you do.

    As we move into the holiday season, I would like to thank you for your dedication and patience. It has been a difficult few years of change in response to the new environment, but, thanks to your efforts, these challenges continue to be met with creativity, hard work, and shared purpose. Your dedication to Rutgers, our students, and our faculty is impressive and collectively, we are creating libraries—digital and physical—that encourage learning and exploration and support to the success of our users. I am very grateful to count you all as my colleagues and I wish you and your families the happiest of holidays and all the best for the New Year!

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  • This Month in the Agenda: December 1979

    This month, we go back to the Agenda’s inaugural year—1979. Jimmy Carter was President, Sony had just introduced the Walkman, and a gallon of gas costed $0.86. What was happening at the Libraries?

    Ski trip flyer
    Anyone up for a ski trip? (Hope it was better than that drawing…)
    Calling All Friends!

    An organizing party was held on November 20 to plan for the future of the Friends of the Library. Representatives  from the University Trustees’ Library Committee, University faculty and administration, Rutgers Foundation, and Library administration attended the early evening event in the Librarian’s office. They discussed various ways the Friends could raise support for the Library.

    – The Agenda 1, no. 42 (December 3, 1979)

    Movie Time

    FILM SHOWINGS
    Alexander Library, Wednesday, December 5 – Persona, New Jersey Room, 7:30
    Kilmer Area Library, Tuesday, December 4 – Italian Straw Hat, AV, 7:30
    Newark Dana Library, Monday, December 3 – Notorious, Listening/Viewing, 11:30

    –The Agenda 1, no. 42 (December 3, 1979)

    Need a Gig?

    RUL PROFESSIONAL VACANCIES
    Alexander Library: Information Services Librarian. $17,544 and up dependent upon qualifications.
    –The Agenda 1, no. 43 (December 10, 1979)

    Archives Shaping Up

    The Board of Trustees has allocated $45,000 to fund an Archival Study Project to be conducted under the administration of the University Librarian.

    The project will survey current and non-current records and disposition practices throughout the University to develop recommendations for a coordinated records management/archives program. The program will enable the University to fulfill administrative needs, conserve space, meet legal requirements, and preserve historical records. From RUL’s perspective, the archives/records management program is part of a broader plan to develop research collections.

    Hendrik Edelman has appointed George Kanzler, William miller, Edward Pason, Ruth Simmons, Donald Sinclair, and Emma Warren to serve on the RUL Advisory Committee of the Archival Study Program. They will deal with the implications of the Archival Study Project for the Libraries.

    –The Agenda 1, no. 44 (December 17, 1979)

  • What’s Happening around Rutgers? December 2017

    Symphony in C will perform Vivaldi's Four Seasons at Rutgers–Camden on December 2.
    Symphony in C will perform two versions of the Four Seasons at Rutgers–Camden on December 2.
    Symphony in C Performs The Four Seasons

    Saturday, December 2
    8:00 p.m.
    Rutgers–Camden

    Symphony in C will perform Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires at Rutgers–Camden’s Walter K. Gordon Theater. Click here for more information and tickets.

    The Rutgers–Camden Campus Center transforms into a winter wonderland with family-friendly activities on December 9.
    The Rutgers–Camden Campus Center transforms into a winter wonderland with family-friendly activities on December 9.
    Winter Wonderland

    Saturday, December 9
    12:00 – 3:00 p.m.
    Rutgers–Camden

    The Campus Center will be transformed into a Winter Wonderland with pancakes, a hot cocoa bar, photos with Santa Claus, and fun, family-friendly activities. Attendance is free and open to the public. Presented by the Rutgers University–Camden Division of Student Affairs. Click here for more information.

    An exhibition drawing upon the Queer Newark Oral History Project opens at Newark Public Library on December 14.
    An exhibition drawing upon the Queer Newark Oral History Project opens at Newark Public Library on December 14.
    At Home in Newark: Stories from the Queer Newark Oral History Project Opening Reception

    Thursday, December 14
    5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
    Newark Public Library

    At Home In Newark: Stories from the Queer Newark Oral History Project draws from this growing collection of life history interviews, called oral histories, to examine how LGBTQ Newarkers have claimed space for themselves in bars, balls, houses of worship, street corners, community centers, and artistic venues in the face of poverty, violence, illness, racism and discrimination. Through their activism, creative expression, and determination, they have made Newark their home. Click here for more information.

    Rutgers Gardens hosts a winter farm market on December 15.
    Rutgers Gardens hosts a winter farm market on December 15.
    Rutgers Gardens Winter Farm Market

    Friday, December 15
    11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
    Rutgers–New Brunswick

    The mission of the Rutgers Gardens Farmers Market is to provide the local community, including residents, students, university faculty and staff, University Dining, and restaurants the opportunity to experience and purchase fresh, locally grown and/or prepared food products. The following vendors will be here for the winter markets: Beechtree Farm, Chickadee Creek Farm, Gourmet Fruits and Nuts, Local 130 Seafood, Neil’s Sharpening Service (In December 12/15 only), Neshanic Valley Beekeepers, Pickle Licious, Romarsi, LLC, Silver Birch Kitchens, Spoon Me Soups, Stefan’s Pure Blends. Click here for more information.

    Rutgers–Camden's Julianne Baird will lead a special performance of "The Music Hamilton Heard" at Kirkpatrick Chapel on January 12.
    Rutgers–Camden’s Julianne Baird will lead a special performance of “The Music Hamilton Heard” at Kirkpatrick Chapel on January 12.
    The Music Hamilton Heard

    Friday, January 12
    7:00 p.m.
    Rutgers–New Brunswick

    Join Rutgers’ Division of Continuing Studies at Kirkpatrick Chapel for a special concert with internationally renowned soprano and Rutgers–Camden Distinguished Professor of Music Julianne Baird and the Lord Camden Chamber Players as they perform the pieces enjoyed by the Founding Fathers of the United States.

    Led by Dr. Baird, the Lord Camden Chamber Players will perform the music that our great founder actually enjoyed. As the United States embarked on its first steps into the world of nations, its composers and artists began to express what Ben Franklin called, “the American Muse.”

    Tickets are $10 for Rutgers students, $15 for Rutgers faculty and staff, and $20 for the public. Click here for more information.

  • Quick Takes on Events and News – December 2017

    Welcome to Robeson Library’s New Director

    We had an extra reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving. After a long search process, we are delighted to welcome Regina Koury as the new director of Paul Robeson Library at Rutgers–Camden. Read our news release to learn all about Regina, and prepare to welcome her to her new position in the new year starting January 16.

    Watch: Providing Hurricane Maria Relief

    Digital Humanities librarians Francesca Giannetti and Krista White were on ABC7NY’s Tiempo with Joe Torres to discuss their initiative to host open data mapping events in support of Hurricane Maria relief efforts in Puerto Rico. Watch the entire segment on YouTube courtesy of Rutgers Today. Kudos to Francesca and Krista for this recognition of their work!

    Dee Magnoni speaks at the Carr Library dedication ceremony.
    Dee Magnoni speaks at the Carr Library dedication ceremony. Credit: Jim Stapleton.
    Watch: Honoring Rutgers’ First Black Graduate

    As you are all well aware by now, earlier this semester we rededicated the former Kilmer Area Library in honor of Rutgers’ first black graduate, James Dickson Carr. In case you were unable to attend the ceremony, a full video of the event is now available online courtesy of RU-tv. Have a watch and enjoy!

    Watch: Native American Arts in the Spotlight

    In September, we joined the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission to welcome John Haworth to Alexander Library. Haworth, senior executive emeritus of the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, delivered an engaging lecture on Native American arts and cultural practice in America. Check out the full video of the presentation, courtesy of our friends at RU-tv.

    Honoring the Legacy of the Modern School

    Special Collections and University Archives hosted the 45th annual meeting of the Friends of the Modern School, a group formed to preserve the history of the progressive education community located in Piscataway Township from 1915 to 1953. The event was well-received and even spurred a deep-dive into the history of the Modern School and the Modern School Collection, which is held by Rutgers, in the Daily Targum.

    The Big Read exhibit at Robeson Library features a magnetic poetry board.
    The Big Read exhibit at Robeson Library features a magnetic poetry board.
    What’s On? Catch These Exhibits while You still Can!
  • Web Improvement Team Update

    Web Improvement Team Update

    sample of website refresh
    Click to view larger file.

    The Web Improvement Team (WIT) is excited to announce some changes coming soon to the Rutgers University Libraries website. Since September, we’ve been speaking with our users (students, faculty, and staff) and analyzing survey and usage data to determine how we can begin to improve our website user experience. We’ve been exploring best practices for user-centered design, content strategy, responsive design, and accessibility. Through one-on-one conversations, focus groups, and data analysis, we have learned more about our users’ essential tasks and resources, pain points in the current design, and user preferences.

    Here are some of the takeaways from our first round of user research:

    • Users are very task-oriented, and generally come to the site knowing what they want; the scope of their use is quite narrow
    • The current homepage was thought to be too busy and complex
    • Pages are hard to read, with small text and too much content
    • Users spend very little time on most pages, and rarely scroll below “the fold”
    • A relatively small number of resources are especially heavily used (hours, room booking, A-Z database list, ILL, library account)

    We based our first round of changes on these findings. Our goals became to:

    • Surface and prioritize the most frequently used resources and services
    • Freshen up the look and feel: reduce visual clutter on the homepage, enlarge fonts for sitewide readability
    • Refine the presentation and content for a few key pages
    • Minimize initial disruption to lower-level pages

    Our overall approach is one of incremental change over radical redesign. Making incremental modifications based on user data ensures that those modifications are genuine improvements (as opposed to change for the sake of change, or change based on guesses or assumptions). If we’re proven wrong, smaller changes are easily reversed or refined. Although change can be uncomfortable at times, a continuous cycle of improvement and evaluation builds a sustainable, usable website that delivers a positive user experience.

    You’ll also notice that a lot of things haven’t changed: the red navigation bar, most of the underlying content, the mobile presence. These, too, will change in time, but require considerable user research, usability testing, and content control. There will be opportunities for students, staff, and faculty to get involved in future research.

    The new website is expected to be in place by late December, in time to greet students in the new semester.

    Stop by our poster at the State of the Libraries if you want to learn more!

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  • Ex Libris Implementation Project Update – December 2017

    Ex Libris Implementation Project Update – December 2017

    In this second update on the Ex Libris Implementation Project, we report on a major milestone achieved in November – the completion of organizational planning. In early December the project will transition from the pre-implementation to implementation stage, so this update also introduces the timeline from December to June, focusing on the three key phases of implementation – Define, Build, and Deploy.

    Completion of Organizational Planning

    Cabinet recently approved a proposal to form several working groups connected to the Implementation Team, marking the completion of organizational planning for the project. As reported last month, the Implementation Team was created in late September and includes seven members from the infrastructure units of the Libraries. Reporting directly to the University Librarian, the team functions as the coordinating body of the project. The working groups will provide expert input to the Implementation Team, organize workflow reviews, testing, and training in their focus areas, and involve library faculty and staff in the implementation process. The team appoints team members to liaise with the working groups to facilitate two-way communications.

    Here is a list of working groups and their membership:

    Working Group Implementation Team Liaison(s) Membership
    Acquisitions Abbey DiPaolo Dominique Dixon, Megan O’Connor/Kati Ritter, Cathy Pecoraro/Rita Wells, Gracemary Smulewitz, Lucy Vidal, Mary Beth Weber
    Data Migration and System Integration Chris Sterback & Chad Mills (co-liaisons) Fengzhi Fan, Dave Hoover, Bob Warwick
    Digital Chad Mills Isaiah Beard, Kalaivani Ananthan, Jane Otto
    Discovery Joseph Deodato Discovery Working Group*
    E-Resources Gracemary Smulewitz Michelle Best, Paul Cabelli, Cathy Pecoraro, Lucy Vidal, Geoff Wood, Tao Yang
    Fulfillment Chris Sterback Access Services Committee*
    Interlibrary Loan Gracemary Smulewitz Abbey DiPaolo, Orla Mejia, Glenn Sandberg
    Resource Management Mary Beth Weber Colin Bitter, Jamie Smith, Geoff Wood, Tao Yang

    (* indicating existing groups)

    The Discovery Working Group and Access Services Committee are existing groups, and the others are newly established. All of the groups have members from multiple departments or units of the Libraries.

    While approving the working groups, Cabinet also made two important points:

    1. The Ex Libris Implementation Project is a top priority that must be completed within the established timeframe. Members of the Implementation Team and working groups are taking on a significant amount of work, so it may be necessary for everyone to adjust the expectations for them in areas unrelated to implementation.
    2. Communicating with library users about potential service interruptions (and enhancements) is an essential component of the implementation project. The Implementation Team will work with the Director of Communications to develop an external communications plan.

    The Implementation Team has also made significant progress on creating a project website and performing data preparation and validation. We hope to describe them in more details at the poster session of the State of the Libraries or in the next monthly update.

    Overview of Implementation Timeline (December – June)

    Ex Libris divides the Alma/Primo implementation process into three phases: Define, Build, and Deploy. During the Define phase for Rutgers (December – early February), the Implementation Team gains access to the standard Alma sandbox environment including standard Ex Libris data and configuration, takes Alma training (including configuration training) via pre-recorded sessions, and then configures the sandbox environment. At the same time, the Libraries continue with data extraction and validation and deliver the data from source systems (Symphony and EDS) based on the Ex Libris specifications for migration to Alma. The Define phase ends with Ex Libris completing the configuration of the Alma production environment with the input from the Rutgers team and a test load of the migrated data.

    During the Build phase (late February – May), the Libraries receive access to both the Alma production environment and Primo environment for functionality review and data testing. Both environments use Rutgers data and configurations and we need to document any necessary modifications for the cutover data load. The Implementation Team works with Ex Libris to define a list of third-party integrations (such as the ILL and Central Authentication Systems). Ex Libris conducts onsite workshops to explain the workflows of the new system. The Implementation Team and working groups also prepare and perform internal staff training. This phase completes with a “freeze” of the source systems (Symphony and EDS). Ex Libris then performs the cutover data load.

    Alma and Primo are scheduled to go live at Rutgers on June 1, which is the Day 1 of the Deploy phase. From June to July, the Implementation Team works closely with Ex Libris to address any issues and support library faculty and staff through their first steps with Alma and Primo in production.

    Additional information about the three phases can be found in this chart published by Ex Libris:

    We look forward to the opportunities to discuss the project with you at the State of the Libraries and other venues. Please do not hesitate to contact us or other Implementation Team members if you have any questions or comments. Thank you!

     

    Tao Yang & Abbey DiPaolo

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  • Retirement and YOU!

    Retirement and YOU!

    A new year is approaching! If you are thinking about retirement and what is involved in the process you should check out the important on-line links below that offer key information to help you prepare.

    ABP Retirement: Welcome to the Alternate Benefit Program Retirement Seminar Presentation [PDF].

    PERS Retirement: Welcome to the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) Retirement Seminar Presentation [PDF].

    Additionally, UHR offers seminars to both ABP and PERS members contemplating retirement.  If you are interested in attending a seminar, please check the Learning and Development Course Registration System under Employee Benefit and Work-Life Programs managed by University Human Resources.

    Please note: Employees will need to submit an intent to retire letter to their supervisors to advise of the effective date of retirement once they have fully committed to retire.

     

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  • Tom Frusciano Receives McDonough Award

    Tom Frusciano accepts the 2017 Roger McDonough Librarianship Award from Bob Vietrogoski.

    On October 24, at a meeting of the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance, the 2017 Roger McDonough Librarianship Award was presented to Thomas J. Frusciano, the university archivist of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. This award is named for Roger H. McDonough, New Jersey state librarian from 1947 to 1975. Beginning in 2002, the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance, together with the New Jersey Historical Commission, Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference-New Jersey Caucus, and the New Jersey Library Association History & Preservation Section, has given this award annually to a librarian, archivist, or manuscript curator for excellence in service to the New Jersey history research community and/or the general public.

    A New Jersey native, Tom Frusciano is a tenured member of the library staff at Rutgers University Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives. He began his professional career as an archivist at Educational Testing Services in Princeton. He then became the first professionally trained university archivist at New York University, and later coauthored New York University and the City: An Illustrated History. At Rutgers since 1989, Frusciano has written or edited histories of the presidents of Rutgers, Douglass College, and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team, among many other subjects. In recent years, he played an integral role in the 2016 Rutgers 250th celebration, library exhibit, and commemorative historical volume entitled Rutgers: A 250th Anniversary Portrait. Starting in 2015, he also served on the Rutgers Committee on Enslaved and Disenfranchised Populations, which produced the report Scarlet and Black. This committee’s important work has led to the new naming of James Dickson Carr Library (formerly Kilmer Library), now named in honor of Rutgers’ first African American graduate.

    Beyond Rutgers, Frusciano has long been professionally active, particularly in the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC). He was elected to the SAA Council from 2009 to 2012, coedited the SAA manual Archival Arrangement and Description (2013), and was named an SAA Fellow in 2002. He has taught archival courses at both New York University’s Archival Management and Public History program, and the Rutgers School of Communication and Information. Some of his former students are now archivists and librarians at archives, libraries, and historical societies throughout New Jersey and elsewhere. He has also served on several editorial boards and coedited the Journal of Archival Organization.

    Tom is the fourth recipient of the McDonough Award from Rutgers University Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives, following Bonita Craft Grant (2011), Janet Riemer (2014), and Ron Becker (2015).

  • Quick Takes on Events and News – November 2017

    Helping Navigate DACA

    Bart Everts at Robeson Library has compiled a new research guide that aggregates on-campus DACA resources. It includes statements from Rutgers officials and the New Jersey and federal governments in addition to Rutgers-related DACA news. Kudos to Bart for tracking this important issue and its impact on Rutgers students.

    The 23rd annual NJ Book Arts Symposium takes place at Alexander Library on November 3.
    The 23rd annual NJ Book Arts Symposium takes place at Alexander Library on November 3.
    Celebrating the Book Arts at Rutgers

    Opposition, the 23rd annual New Jersey Book Arts Symposium, will take place at Alexander Library on November 3. The program features seven distinguished artists whose work opens up for discussion the presence and uses of opposition in the 21st-century artists’ book, and an Austrian bookseller who specializes in artists’ books. An exhibit will be on display through January 29. For more information or to register, visit libraries.rutgers.edu/bookarts.

    Reading Big at Rutgers–Camden

    Paul Robeson Library will partner with the Rutgers–Camden Center for the Arts to commemorate the Big Read with an exhibition of materials related to Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric (2014) beginning November 1. Described as a genre-defying convergence of poetry, visual art, and criticism, Citizen discusses racial aggressions in 21st-century life and media. It was awarded the 2014 National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in criticism the same year.

    Opera @ the Art Library!

    The Art Library will welcome Hub City Opera and Dance Company for a free concert and dance performance with excerpts from Carl Orff’s opera Der Mond (The Moon) on Sunday, November 12 at 5 p.m. Hope to see you there!

    White boards in Alexander Library provided a forum for student voices during Open Access Week.
    White boards in Alexander Library provided a forum for student voices during Open Access Week.
    Shining the Spotlight on Open Access

    Libraries and other institutions around the world celebrated Open Access Week from October 23 through October 29. The festivities at Rutgers included a #RutgersOAT social media campaign sharing statistics about open access and the impact of the Open and Affordable Program on Rutgers students. Whiteboards in Alexander Library asked students to respond to a number of prompts surrounding the issues of textbook affordability and open access, including “What does open access mean to you?” Perhaps our favorite response: “Empowering all to access information + use it to enact meaningful change.” Well said!

    Imparting Wisdom on the Next Generation

    The exhibition What I know Now That I Wish I Knew Then, on display at Douglass Library through November 15, presents a series of messages from the alumnae and friends of Douglass Residential College. Curated by sociology professor Caren Cerulo, the display highlights career advice and reflections from professional women.

    Magnificent Miltons

    Milton to Milton: The Legacy of J. Milton French, is on display at Alexander Library through February 28. The exhibition features highlights from the collection of Joseph Milton French, a former president of the Milton Society and professor and chair of the Department of English at Rutgers, where he taught from 1940 to 1960. The collection includes over 200 volumes published between 1600 and 1800, with rare first and early editions by John Milton, Ben Jonson, George Wither, Michael Drayton, John Suckling, and other iconic figures in the history of English literature.

    Three hundred new Rutgers electronic theses and dissertations were recently added to RUcore.
    Three hundred new Rutgers electronic theses and dissertations were recently added to RUcore.
    Making Grad Students’ Research Available to the World

    Shared User Services reports that 300 new Rutgers electronic theses and dissertations from the May 2017 degree period have been added to RUcore: 174 from the Graduate School–New Brunswick, 65 from the Graduate School–Newark, 38 from the Camden Graduate School, 13 from the Graduate School of Education, 5 from the School of Health Professions, 3 from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, and 2 from the School of Public Health.

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