The Agenda - Faculty and Staff Newsletter

Category: Units

  • United We Stand against COVID-19

    Photo credit: New York Times.

    Since March 17, a few residents in Warren, Watchung, Green Brook, and Long Hills and I have organized a donation campaign and raised a total of $31,214.60 from the local Chinese American community to donate PPEs to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital and St. Peter’s Hospital in New Brunswick, Overlook Hospital in Summit, Somerset Medical Group in Somerset, and Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, as well as local EMT, police, and fire fighter units.

    I have worked many nights trying to allocate PPE resources in the United States. I used my online search skills and technical background to perform the due diligence process and verified all PPE sources for quality and safety based on ASTM standards and CDC/FDA guidelines. Up to April 6, the following PPEs have been purchased and sent to the above organizations:

    • 1,200 N95 masks
    • 1,400 KN95 masks
    • 8,800 surgical masks
    • 1,014 DuPont protection gowns
    • 472 3M safety googles
    • 6,400 gloves
    • 20 big boxes of wipes
    • 8 big bottles of hand sanitizer

    A few news media including the New York Times, Echoes-Sentinel, Bitpush News, and other local community newspapers have interviewed me and published articles about the effort.

    Editor’s note: Kudos to Connie on this amazing and inspiring work!!

     

     

  • Hosting Virtual Events with Webex

    Thinking of hosting a virtual event and don’t know how to?

    The COVID-19 pandemic has instantly changed how we work and interact with each other. It’s a challenging time for all of us. All in-person meetings, events, and training have been transformed to online, and there are several online collaboration tools available for Rutgers faculty and staff. This article describes how you can schedule an interactive online event using Webex.

    Webex is freely available to all Rutgers faculty and staff. Before you can start using Webex, you must activate your license. Once you have activated your license, you can start scheduling your online event. There are three different solutions available in Webex:

    Webex Meetings Center provides a simpler way to have a face-to-face meeting experience with your colleagues. You can present, share your screen, and collaborate on projects in a centralized space.

    Webex Events Center makes hosting an online event easy. Whether you are hosting a brown bag event or a webinar, you can deliver an interactive presentation with multimedia, along with Chat, Q&A, and polling, to engage your audience. Refer to OIT’s Getting Started with Cisco Webex Events for step-by-step instructions to schedule an event.

     Webex Training Center is suitable for lecture style classes. You can deliver live, interactive sessions to students anywhere, and keep them engaged with hands-on training, tests, and breakout sessions to enhance their learning.

    When you are hosting a Webex event, you can provide additional security by requiring a password. If you specify a password, attendees must provide it to join the event. Webex makes it possible for attendees and panelists to join an event without a license.

    Are you planning a virtual event but not sure how to choose the right solution? Take a look at this Webex Suite Comparison chart. If you still need assistance, please send an email to support@rulhelp.rutgers.edu and help will be on the way!

  • Library Instruction Continuity

    The Library Instruction Continuity Resources Guide.

    In light of our “new normal” circumstances, we have created a LibGuide that lists many helpful resources and documentation to support remote instruction.  The Library Instruction Continuity Resources LibGuide includes information on how to conduct live conferencing and record lectures that students may access on demand.  Additionally, it contains links to many helpful University-wide provisions such as direct links to Rutgers Emergency Preparedness for Synchronous/Asynchronous Instruction, and the Teaching and Learning with Technology department.  The guide also contains links to online resources by campus.

    Visit the LibGuide to view all of these valuable resources, and to see how to create and share instructional content in a remote instruction environment.

    For questions about the Library Instruction Continuity Resources LibGuide, contact Maria Breger at maria.breger@rutgers.edu

    View the complete list of the Libraries Teaching & Learning topics.

  • Website Redesign Project Update – May 2020

    Screenshot of NewCity discovery report
    The discovery report is available on the project team’s staff resources site.

    The Discovery phase of the website redesign project has officially concluded. Feel free to peruse NewCity’s Discovery Report, which outlines their findings from their onsite visit, one-on-one interviews with some key stakeholders, discussions with the core project team, an intercept survey, and analytics. They tease out some of the characteristics that make RUL’s different units unique, as well as what unites everyone, and what some of our biggest challenges will be as we move forward with this project.

    We’re excited to be starting audience research this month. Over the next ten weeks, NewCity and the RUL project team will be working with local teams and directors to survey and interview our user groups, define the brands and goals for each campus, and move toward a baseline understanding of what our users need and how they behave. While we’d love to be able to meet face-to-face with our users, we’re not letting COVID-19 slow our progress—we’re working with NewCity to develop a robust research plan that we can deploy entirely online.

    To help coordinate, conduct, and analyze this research, we’ve formed a Local Library Owners team, an augmented version of our core project team. We’re happy to welcome John Gibson, Samantha Kannegiser, Angela Lawrence, Amber Judkins, Christie Lutz, and Victoria Wagner to the project.

    Audience research doesn’t apply only to our external users; we’ll be working with the RUL audience as well. As we develop a web presence that has room for more “local flavor,” we need to be sure to empower local content editors to create and contribute content and design that works best for their units. Our new site will employ a component-based system that will allow local contributors flexibility and ease in creating and customizing local content while keeping the site sustainable for the central technical team.

    The project team continues to meet bi-weekly, with additional meetings now being added as we begin the next period of intense focus on audience research.

    You’re welcome to reach out anytime with questions or comments. Send us an email: webservices@rutgers.libanswers.com

  • Ex Libris Implementation Team Update – May 2020

    Rutgers students, faculty, and staff can now access over a million digitized texts available through HathiTrust’s Emergency Temporary Access Service (ETAS). In response to the current public health crisis, HathiTrust is providing member libraries with temporary access to digital versions of print titles that would otherwise be inaccessible due to library closures. As a result, the Rutgers community now has online access to over 1.2 million volumes previously only available in print. This is in addition to the more than 6 million public domain and Creative Commons-licensed works already accessible through HathiTrust.

    Rutgers users can search for these titles in QuickSearch or the HathiTrust Digital Library. Books available through ETAS include a note indicating temporary access.

    View in QuickSearch.
    View in HathiTrust.

    Terms of service

    • “Temporary Access” books require NetID login and can only be accessed by Rutgers students, staff, and faculty.
    • “Temporary Access” books can be read online only. Unlike “Full View” books in HathiTrust, they cannot be downloaded for offline reading.
    • “Temporary Access” books can be checked out for one hour. The banner at the top of the browser informs you how long the book is checked out to you. Your access to the book will automatically renew as long as you are actively reading it.
    • If the book you want is currently checked out, a message will display letting you know that the book is in use. Check back later to see if the book has been returned. Unfortunately, it is not possible to request or place a hold on a book. Because access is limited, users are encouraged to return books as soon as they are done using them.
    • “Temporary Access” books will only be available online until access to the Libraries’ print collection is restored.

    For more information, including instructions for accessing ETAS books on your mobile device, see https://www.hathitrust.org/ETAS-How-To

     

  • Recapping State of the Libraries 2020

    Thanks to everyone who attended State of the Libraries on Wednesday. We had over 200 folks join the meeting, and I’m so glad you all found the time to be there even with the competing demands of work and home. It was no replacement for our traditional in-person gathering, but it was nice to feel a sense of togetherness despite the circumstances and our physical distance.

    If you haven’t had a chance to yet, I encourage you to view the poster presentations prepared by our colleagues from across the Libraries:

    It is so inspiring to view these and reflect on all the good work that has been done over the last year, as well as how we are preparing for the work that lies ahead. There will be no shortage of challenges in the year to come, but with all the creativity and dedication on display through these presentations, I know we are well-equipped to handle whatever comes our way.

    If you’d like to review them, you can view the slides from all the presentations on our staff resources site or a recording of the entire event on YouTube.

    As you might imagine, a lot of activity happened behind the scenes to make sure everything went smoothly. Special thanks to Kalaivani Ananthan, Matt Badessa, Tracey Meyer, Joann Parrone, Ed Smith, and the Major Events Committee—Elsa Alves, Matt Bridgeman, Ann Marie Latini, Erica Parin, Tonie Perkins, Jennifer Reiber, and Daphne Roberts—for their support.

    We also received some great actionable feedback that we will incorporate into our future virtual gatherings, so thanks to everyone who provided thoughtful comments via the feedback form.

    A theme that emerged from all of yesterday’s presentations was collaboration, and State of the Libraries was just another example of what we can accomplish when we all work together with a common goal and sense of purpose. I hope we can carry forth some of those lessons and apply them to our work moving forward. In the coming months, it’ll be more important than ever to identify the areas where we can leverage our shared interests and maximize our impact on the university community.

  • This Month in the Agenda – March 1982

    That’s Special

    Anticipating the physical and programmatic merger of the Department of Special Collections, University Archives, and the Records Management Program later this spring, University Librarian Hendrik Edelman has asked Ruth Simmons to serve as coordinator.

    Funds for the renovation of the New Jersey Room, staff offices on the B Floor and stack space on the BB Floor of Alexander Library have been received from the Board of Trustees and the University Administration. It is expected that all physical changes will be completed by this summer.

    The Agenda 4, no. 9 (March 1, 1982)

    Brenda in Charge

    Brenda Johnson has been named Head, Document Delivery Services/New Jersey Reference Services effect March 15. In this new position, Brenda will manage the interlibrary loan borrowing and lending service, provide assistance in bibliographic verification and location, and maintain liaison with unit reference librarians at RGL libraries and at other state, national, and international institutions.

    The Agenda 4, no. 11 (March 15, 1982)

    Wine and Dine

     

    Camden Gets the News

    IN/FORM is a group of databases which include items published in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News; the major Philadelphia daily newspapers. IN/FORM provides full text access to these papers and permits searching on words/phrases in the complete text, and searching on fields such as headlines, bylines, and a limited set of descriptors and delimiters.

    The Agenda 4, no. 12 (March 22, 1982)

    Hey, Watch It!

    FROM THE PRESERVATION OFFICE

    No Scotch tape should be used under any circumstances to attach notes to the covers of books. Please place your memo concerning the book inside the front cover.

    The Agenda 4, no. 13 (March 29, 1982)

  • Quick Takes on Events and News – March 2020

    Bishop Lecture Returns

    The 34th annual Bishop Lecture will feature photographer and author Barbara Mensch, who will speak about how she was inspired by Special Collections and University Archives’ Roebling Collection to create her recent book In the Shadow of Genius: The Brooklyn Bridge and Its Creators (Fordham University Press, 2018). Mensch, who has lived alongside the Brooklyn Bridge for over 30 years, will illustrate her talk with striking photographs, including some taken deep inside. During the reception following the talks, guests will have the opportunity to purchase signed copies of the book.

    Free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. RSVP here

    Gendering Protest on Display at Douglass

    The Center for Women in the Arts and Humanities is pleased to announce the two-person exhibition, Gendering Protest: Deborah Castillo and Érika Ordosgoitti, which features the work of exiled Venezuelan artists whose art responds to the country’s political turmoil of the last decade.

    Gendering Protest will be on view from January 21 to April 3, 2020, in the Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series Galleries, Douglass Library. The exhibit is curated by art historian and curator Tatiana Flores, associate professor in the Departments of Latino & Caribbean Studies and Art History, Rutgers University. To accompany the exhibition, CWAH will publish a comprehensive online catalog.

    On Wednesday, March 25 at 5 p.m. in the Mabel Smith Douglass Room, Douglass Library, there will be a reception in honor of the artists followed by an artist’s lecture from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m.

    Virgilio Papers Now Online

    Nicholas Virgilio was instrumental in popularizing haiku poetry in the United States and his own poetry received international acclaim. Except for a brief stay in Texas and service in the Navy, he lived in Camden his entire life. In 1962 he discovered a collection of haiku poems in the library at Rutgers University in Camden. A year later, his own first haiku works were published; he continued writing up until his death in 1989.

    This collection contains some of his haiku, including multiple versions of some of his better known poems, showing the development of his work. There are also drafts of correspondence, primarily concerning arrangements and publicity for his work and appearances. The collection includes thousands of unpublished and therefore never before seen haiku.

    Latino Oral History

    Krista White’s Digital Scholarship as Modular Pedagogy (DSMP) initiative is co-sponsoring an event with Newark Public Library about their Latino Oral History collection, which has been a featured collection used by students in the DSMP courses.

    Working Title: Latino Oral Histories: From Start to Finish.  With panelists:

    • Yesenia Lopez – managing an oral history project
    • Vanessa Castaldo – after the interview (transcribing, indexing, editing, etc.)
    • Juber Ayala – accessibility/ promoting the collection
    • Interviewee (tbd) – experience of being interviewed
    • Potential moderator: Dr. Katie Singer

    The program will be accompanied with a digital tour of our oral history collections and audio clips from some of our interviews.

    Date and location: Wednesday, April 1, Newark Public Library, 6:00–8:00 p.m. in Centennial Hall. 6:00–6:30 reception (light refreshments served), 6:30–8:00 p.m. program, community question and answers. Free and open to the public.

    More Published Poetry

    Congratulations to Ermira Mitre, whose English poetry was recently published in the literary magazine Mediterranean Poetry in Sweden.

    LOVE FOR MY HOMELAND

    I love your playful style, Albania,
    since I was a baby; still a gentle child,
    plunged myself blissfully, on your gusty roads,
    where my dream altered into a butterfly,
    chasing my shadow toward avant-garde.

    I love your prodigious Adriatic Sea coasts,
    the belly laugh of love, coiling on roses,
    melodious sounds, dance steps, moccasins,
    the echo, the zest of the flattering dances,
    the capricious sorceress of the wild tribes,
    unfolding the vivacity of the artifice.

    …

    Read the full poem here.

    Vote for Adriana

    Adriana Cuervo is running as a 2020 candidate for Council of the Society of American Archivists. “We are at a critical juncture where different constituencies within the profession are championing diverging views on the future of the Society, and this is the time where SAA’s values will provide the grounding to move into what our profession will look like in the years to come,” she said. Learn more here.

  • Web Redesign Project Team Update – March 2020

    Participants sort cards during NewCity’s on-site visit in February.

    The website redesign project has gotten underway. We are currently in the discovery phase, which has several objectives: to identify stakeholders and learn about their goals for the project; to uncover our needs as local communities delivering shared resources; to understand our technical infrastructure and plan for the future; and to strategize future engagement with our internal and external audiences.

    The project is being managed as a joint venture between Rutgers University Libraries and NewCity, a website design company experienced with higher education, large non-profits, and commercial companies.  The project team, which is co-led by Antonio Barrera (Library Applications and Development) and Amy Kimura (SUS), includes members from across RUL: Doug Allen, Matt Badessa, Megan Lotts, John Powell, Jonathan Torres, and Yini Zhu.

    On February 11 and 12, 2020, three members of the team from NewCity came for an on-site visit. They met with the project team, Cabinet, and additional faculty and staff representatives from across the campuses to lead a number of activities designed to explore the needs of our stakeholders, communities, and to reflect on each unit’s similarities and differences, while considering success measures for this project. One of the main goals was for NewCity to get to know us so they can be sure they’re capturing the authentic voices of the libraries.

    NewCity will use these conversations and stakeholder interviews, together with a wealth of other qualitative and quantitative data, to build a comprehensive Discovery Report that they will deliver in the coming weeks. This report will help inform our site’s design and content strategy. We’ll make it available on the project team’s website, where you can also find other key documents related to the project.

    We plan to launch the new sites in June 2021 in order to minimize mid-year disruption. That gives us ample time to build the sites, provide training, and populate the new spaces with helpful, up-to-date content that best fits the need of each location and supports streamlined delivery of our shared resources. We will continue to update our project team site as we make progress, so check back frequently.

  • Digital Exhibits Page

    Continuing the work of presenting our digital projects in a consistent arrangement, the Digital Exhibits page is available with its first five digital exhibitions. The page summarizes the completed projects and links to each online exhibition and its exhibit catalog. While the panels and web pages reflect the distinctiveness of the subjects, they share unified theming. They have consistent links back to the main Digital Exhibits page as well as the Libraries home page. Be sure to check back from time to time, as more are on the way in the months to come.