The Agenda - Faculty and Staff Newsletter

Category: Units

  • Envisioning the Future: John Cotton Dana Library

    As the nexus of a dynamic university in the midst of transforming and reinventing its brand, Dana Library/Institute of Jazz Studies is poised to move into its next iteration. Our goal is to become a user-centered library that can nimbly respond to our users’ continually changing needs in innovative ways. The Dana Library/IJS faculty and staff embarked on a six-month process in order to identify our priorities and objectives needed to achieve this goal.  The resulting document, Framework for Change: Vision and Goals for the John Cotton Dana Library Rutgers University–Newark, provides readers with a high-level view of our path to success.

    We began our work in spring 2016 by identifying three high priority focus areas–services, collections and space. These focus areas supported not only the Rutgers University Libraries priorities, but also the Rutgers University–Newark Strategic Plan. Each priority area was given individual attention and consideration by a dedicated group of Dana faculty and staff who volunteered to compile and consider available data about the area, add their valuable expertise on the area topic, and provide recommendations for how we can enhance these areas to better meet the needs of our users in the 21st century. The resulting compilation of this work led to a 30+ page document which detailed specific services enhancements, space needs, and collection management activities. This document will serve as our road map for next several years.

    The Framework for Change document presents a broad overview of the detailed steps necessary for us to achieve success. This document will be used as an advocacy tool for our local university administrators and could also be used as a fundraising tool for donors. No matter how this document might be used externally, Dana Library has charted its course and is ready to embark on a journey to success!

  • Quick Takes on Events and News — May 2017

    StressbustersThe New Brunswick Libraries announced their schedule of #Stressbusters events for the spring exam period. Highlights include a photo booth at the Math/Physics Library, button making at the Art Library, and pet therapy sessions at Alexander, Douglass, Kilmer, and LSM.

    MARAC Spring 2017 was held April 20–22 in Newark.

    Don’t despair if you happened to miss out on the recent Mid Atlantic Regional Archives Conference in Newark, as Tara Maharjan put together a comprehensive Storify of the event (titled Adaptable Archives: Redefine, Repurpose, and Renew) that’s the next best thing to having been there in person.

    Several new exhibits opened across the Libraries this past month:

    At the Art Library, a display of undergraduate student work from the Environmental Planning Studio of the Department of Landscape Architecture will be on view through May 31. Students in the studio were challenged to create a master plan for the Bergen County park system, and the exhibit communicates their creative solutions and work through large-scale posters.

    There's a Run in My Tights

    At Paul Robeson Library, There’s a Run in My Tights: Classic Comic Book Covers from the Golden Age and Beyond is on display through May 4. This display, which opened in advance of the 2017 Camden Comic Con, highlights superheroes such as Bat Girl, Aquaman, Luke Cage and the X-Men, as well as villains like Cat Woman and misunderstood monsters like Werewolf By Night.

    A group exhibition of works by students in the Women, Gender, and Creativity House of Douglass Residential College is on display now at Douglass Library. Students in this community explore topics of gender, sexuality, identity, creativity, perception, and visual communication of women in the arts. The exhibition highlights the self-portraits, sculptures, video performances, and written works produced by the student artists during the course of the academic year. It closes on May 1, so be sure to check this one out while you can.

    Finally, many new resources were announced in April:

    • The Andrew Hill Collection at the Institute of Jazz Studies contains the papers, music, and audiovisual recordings of acclaimed pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator Andrew Hill (1931–2007). The collection was processed as part of the 2016 Jazz Archives Fellows residency.
    • Attitude Check - Independent voices
      Attitude Check (vol. 1 no. 1, 1969) via Independent Voices.

      JAMAevidence provides guides to the systematic consideration of validity, importance, and applicability of problems and outcomes in health care. It consists of three textbooks, user tools, and forms useful to the critical appraisal process. See more in our deep dive.

    • Academic Video Online Premium provides access to over 50,000 videos from reputable producers such as BBC and PBS, mostly on the subjects of social sciences, American history/American studies, music and performing arts, science and engineering, and health sciences.
    • Independent Voices is a full-text database of alternative press periodicals published in the U.S. in the second half of the 20th century. It includes publications like Aegis (1978-87), Death Ship Times (Fat Albert’s) (1972-74), The Feminist Voice (1971-72), Meatball (1969-71), Off Our Backs (1970-76), The People’s Voice (1980-1983), San Francisco Good Times (1969-72), Up from the Bottom (1971-74), Where It’s At (1968-70), the Yardbird Reader (1972-76), and Zeitgeist (1965-69), among dozens of others.

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  • The Numbers Are in! Rutgers Giving Day Final Report

    Back in November, we reported on the preliminary Rutgers Giving Day results and the news was good. Now the final numbers from the Rutgers Foundation are in, and we are proud to say that the news is even better!

    Our initial goal was to roughly double our number of donors from the inaugural Rutgers Giving Day and reach 50 donors this year, but we wound up seeing an outpouring of support that greatly exceeded expectations—thanks in no small part to your support.

    According to the final reports, the Libraries raised a total of $16,544.22 with gifts from 172 donors—a 647% increase in the number of donors and an 829% increase in the total amount of funds raised over the previous year. These numbers include the early give phase, the day-of-phase, and the challenge money leaderboard.

    The leaderboard was used to determine how $80,000 in challenge money would be awarded across the university ($20,000 each for Rutgers–Camden, Rutgers–Newark, Rutgers–New Brunswick, and RBHS). A unit’s standing on the leaderboard was based on the number of individual donors for that unit during the day-of phase compared to the total number of donors for its “parent institution.” So, in other words, if there were 100 gifts total to Rutgers–Camden and Robeson Library received 10 gifts, it would receive a bonus 10% of the $20,000 in challenge money, or $2,000. Here’s how the leaderboard numbers broke down:

    Unit Total distinct donors Total dollars Percentage of “parent institution” leaderboard donors Challenge money awarded (of $20,000)
    Robeson Library 9 $170.00 1.66% $331.49
    Dana Library 19 $1,433.08 2.61% $521.26
    Institute of Jazz Studies 2 $65.00 0.27% $54.87
    New Brunswick Libraries 95 $11,609.99 3.21% $641.46
    RBHS Libraries 6 $300.00 0.78% $156.05

    As you can see, we have much to be proud of. Many thanks to everyone who went out of their way to set up a donation station, make support sheets available to their patrons, or give a gift of their own to support the Libraries. Our tagline for this year’s campaign was “We can do great things together,” and you’ve all made it abundantly clear that there is real meaning behind those words. Thank you!

  • Quick Takes on Events and News — April 2017

    Rutgers University Libraries are cosponsoring two high-profile events in New Brunswick this month:

    Alice Aycock: Selected Works
    Douglass Dean’s Colloquia: Conversations

    In partnership with Jacquelyn Litt, dean of Douglass Residential College, the Libraries are delighted to welcome Rutgers alumna Alice Aycock to the Douglass Dean’s Colloquia: Conversations with Extraordinary Women on April 6, 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the Kathleen W. Ludwig Global Village Living Learning Center. RSVP here.

    Joy Reid
    “Truth and Consequences: What We Know and Why It Matters”
    Senator Wynona Lipman Chair in Women’s Political Leadership

    The Libraries are proud to partner with the Center for American Women and Politics and others to welcome Joy Reid, national correspondent and host of AM Joy on MSNBC to Rutgers University-New Brunswick on April 4 at 7 p.m. at the Douglass Student Center. RSVP is required. See website for details.

    Two WWI-themed exhibits opened last month:

    Camden, World War I & the New York Shipbuilding Corporation at Robeson Library
    This exhibit relates the history of the New York Shipbuilding Corporation (or New York Ship for short), an American shipbuilding company that operated from 1899 to 1968, ultimately completing more than 500 vessels for the United States Navy, the United States Merchant Marine, the United States Coast Guard, and other maritime concerns.

    “Heaven, Hell, or Hoboken!”: New Jersey in the Great War at SCUA in Alexander Library
    This exhibit focuses on the individual experiences of these Jersey doughboys and servicewomen who bravely went “Over There,” and the families and neighbors who remained behind, “Over Here.” The exhibit includes loans of 29th “Blue and Gray” Division artifacts and souvenirs from the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey, wartime medical supplies from the Johnson & Johnson Archives, and postcards from the Special Collections of the George F. Smith Library of the Health Sciences at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.

    Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries – Vol 68(2) now available

    The second part of the Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries’ special issue on the 250th anniversary of Rutgers University is now available. Entitled “From the Revolutionary War to the 21st Century,” this issue completes the discussion of Rutgers’ early history begun in “The Life and Times of Henry Rutgers” and turns its focus to the present day. David Fowler contributes the second and third installations of “Benevolent Patriot: The Life and Times of Henry Rutgers,” the most comprehensive biographical investigation of the university’s namesake to date. Additional articles explore the early history of Livingston College and the history of the Rutgers University Police Department from its roots as a parking authority to its current status as a professional law enforcement agency.

     

    WWI Poetry Reading – April 18

    Mary Ann Koruth designed beautiful broadsides like this for the exhibit.

    Michael Joseph is planning a WWI poetry reading event for April 18 to complement the themes and poetry included in the “Heaven, Hell, or Hoboken!”. If you are interested in attending or participating in the event, please check in with Michael.

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  • Crash Courses in bioPreprint and GrantForward

    The worlds of scholarly grants and publication are changing rapidly in response to new technology and shifts in funding. Fortunately, the Libraries have resources to help scholars meet the demands of these new landscapes. This month, Smith Library’s Roberta Fitzpatrick Bronson offers a crash course on two services that are particularly timely and useful for researchers/scholars. Follow the links below for the who/what/where/why/how of using bioPreprints and GrantForward.

    bioPreprints

    The NIH recently announced that it will now accept (and encourage) researchers to include preprints in applications for funding:

    “The NIH encourages investigators to use interim research products, such as preprints, to speed the dissemination and enhance the rigor of their work. This notice clarifies reporting instructions to allow investigators to cite their interim research products and claim them as products of NIH funding.”

    So, we may see an uptick in interest in how to use and find preprints. bioPreprints allows users to search several preprint databases and to solicit and respond to feedback from their peers. It is focused primarily on STEM areas of study.

    More from Roberta on bioPreprints.

    GrantForward

    In the coming years, it will be more important than ever for researchers to find outside sources of funding, and it is entirely likely that competition for these funding sources will grow. GrantForward can make this process quite a bit simpler for Rutgers researchers. Traditionally,  they would have to search multiple databases to find all applicable federal, state, and local grants. GrantForward offers a leg up by simplifying this process into a single comprehensive search of more than 25,000 funding opportunities. Users can set up a user profile and request that GrantForward automatically run searches and send them results, too. Read more from Roberta on how to access and use this resource.

    More from Roberta on GrantForward.

    If you have new resources to share with our colleagues, please reach out to Jessica Pellien.

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  • GrantForward offers an efficient way to find funding opportunities

    GrantForward contains information on over 25,000 funding opportunities for over $50 billion. These awards are available from federal, state, and foundation funding sources. Users of GrantForward can search this database of funding opportunities in order to retrieve information on what is available and how to apply. Individuals may create personal research profiles. Automatic searches of the funding opportunities database can also be established and run on a routine basis, with the results sent to the user via e-mail. GrantForward is based on the University of Illinois IRIS service, combined with data harvesting technology.

    Instructional videos are available on the GrantForward home page that walk users through limiting search results, sorting search results, creating users profiles, and more.

    A toolbar with the following links appears at the top of the GrantForward home page: Grants, Sponsors, Researchers, and Support. Users should hover their mouse over the link of interest and click accordingly.

    Create Account

    To create a personalized user profile, follow the steps listed below. Rutgers University users are accessing an institutional subscription of this product, which allows RU users to create individual profiles. Please note: RU users need to use a rutgers.edu e-mail address with this product.

    1.  On the GrantForward home page, click on the “Sign Up” link located in the upper right corner of the page;
    2. Enter your Rutgers University e-mail address when prompted, e.g. bob.smith@rutgers.edu;
    3. Create a password;
    4. When prompted to enter account type, select “institutional;”
    5. Click on “Create” to complete the initial process;
    6. Confirm the account via the e-mail sent to your RU e-mail address.

    Find Funding Opportunities

    Search for funding opportunities by mousing over “Grants” on the toolbar and clicking on “Search Grants.” Type relevant terms in the text box, just as you would when executing a Google search. An Advanced Search feature is available which can assist users with limiting results that appear to be too broad. User can choose from the following: any words (same as what is typed in to the text box), exact phrase, all of the words (functions like a Boolean AND – requires that all words appear, regardless or word order), and none of the words. Search filters are also available and appear on the left side of the page. They include:

    1.  Sponsor – type in terms or choose from the alphabetic list provided;
    2. Academic Category – type in terms or choose categories and subcategories from the alphabetic list;
    3. Status – Open. Continuous, or Closed. The system default is set for the first two options;
    4. Sponsor Type – Includes federal, state, or foundation; users may select any/all of the types available;
    5. Grant Type – Filter by types listed, including awards/prizes, fellowships, conference, travel, and more;
    6. Applicant Type – allows users to filter results by awards intended for specific categories of applicant.

    Users can scroll down to view search results. Each funding opportunity has four tabs: Amount, Submission Dates, Eligibility, and Submission Information. To view more detailed information about an available funding opportunity, users can click on the title. Buttons that link to application forms are also available.

    It is possible to sort and export search results. In addition, search strategies may be saved and executed in the database at specified intervals, with the results sent via e-mail.

    Research Profiles

    More about personalized researcher profiles are found under the “Researcher” link on the toolbar. Users will enter basic information (name, institution, department, etc.) in an area for basic information. They can also designate research interests and upload their CV or link to a web page containing lists of their publications.

    Learn More

    Instructional videos are available at the bottom of the home page and provide basic information on how to create a profile or execute a search.

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  • What Can We Learn from Toy Story? Toward an Open and Collaborative Culture

    What Can We Learn from Toy Story? Toward an Open and Collaborative Culture

    March 29th, Cabinet had our first of three retreats designed to set priorities for [2017-2019] and action plans for 2018. The time we spent together reminded me of how important and at times challenging collaborative work is. In the face of rapid changes in higher education, the scholarly information environment, and user expectations, the kind of problem solving and innovation that comes from working together is more important than ever.

    Working together is not new for those of us working in the libraries. We have decades of experience with councils, committees, and task forces that have made libraries examples of organizational cooperation within the broader higher education community. Almost everything we do in the libraries requires expertise from multiple units.

    I have challenged myself to come up with examples of services that we provide that do not benefit from multiple perspectives and can’t think of one. Everything from designing the discovery interface to making a sign is improved when people with different ideas and points of view work together.

    Unfortunately, the same forces that make working together so important also create organizational and logistical challenges. These include the need for clarity related to decision-making; accountability and authority to assign work; group norms that enable productive work; and time. Each of these could (and may) be its own topic for The Agenda. But for today, I want to reaffirm the value of and need to work together.

    A few years ago, I went in search of examples of effective teams from outside of libraries. During that search, I read Creativity Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace. Ed Catmull is (among other things) the cofounder of Pixar Animation Studios. In the book, he describes how teams worked together to create Oscar-winning movies like the Toy Story series and Up.

    When I began reading the book, I thought that there would be little that libraries could learn from an animation studio. As I read, I saw many parallels between the unseen forces that the folks at Pixar faced and what we face as an organization. I realized that the similarities made perfect sense—providing information resources and support for faculty and students in a time of such rapid change require true inspiration.

    Toy Story happened to come out at a period in my life where I was following Disney animation. It was interesting to hear the messy, non-linear process that went into developing the movie. When I watched Toy Story and other animated films, I assumed that they began with a script and added animation and voices. They don’t. They start with an idea (a loosely define goal) and the details of the story emerge through a collaborative development process.

    Catmull’s idea for a script seems to map well to the libraries’ goal for a project or the purpose of an initiative. The book describes the approach that Pixar used to move from an idea to a complex and convincing story. What I liked about the book was that he didn’t just describe ‘what they did good’ at Pixar. He talked in depth about serious challenges and how the group worked together to produce consistently excellent results. It was shocking to me that the didn’t start a project knowing what the outcome would be.

    He talked a lot about the importance of sharing expertise, valuing perspectives, and still making progress. He believes that the ability for groups to have open, honest discussions ultimately results in the best outcomes. At one point in the book, Catmull states that “The healthiest organizations are made up of departments whose agendas differ but whose goals are interdependent. If one agenda wins, we all lose.”

    In this time of rapid change, many of the carefully designed formal communication structures and group processes that we have developed over the years may be a thing of the past. But we still need to work together. We live in a time of multiple competing priorities, continuous reexamination of goals against our intentions, and digging deep to ensure that we understand the evolving information and education landscape. We need the kind of creativity and problem-solving that can only happen with active exploration of problems from multiple perspectives.

    Our challenge will be to develop an organizational culture that supports the way we need to function in this environment. We can’t feel like we are always stumbling into the future. We have to appreciate that we are learning to do new work that lacks established models and best-practices and to value openly exploring issues and group problem-solving. Catmull’s approach “is to accept that we can’t understand every facet of a complex environment and to focus, instead, on techniques to deal with combining different viewpoints. If we start with the attitude that different viewpoints are additive rather than competitive, we become more effective because our ideas or decisions are honed and tempered by that discourse.”

    We addressed some difficult issues at the Cabinet retreat. We had multiple perspectives at the table and we had some difficult but productive discussions. We didn’t make any decisions, but I think we made progress toward developing a clearer understanding of the issues that we are facing. We will be looking for your insight as we make decisions regarding priorities. These may be small steps towards creating a more open and collaborative culture, but I think we are heading in the right direction.

     

     

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  • The Origins of The Weekly Agenda Newsletter

    During one of my visits to Smith Library, Mina Ghajar mentioned that she knows two people who used to write this very same internal newsletter when it was in the print form of The Weekly Agenda. Jan Leavitt (retired and presently a part-time Librarian at Franklin Township Public Library) and Ann Smith (Head of Adult Services, Franklin Township Public Library) offered to write a short recollection about the origins and content of the earlier version of The Weekly Agenda upon which our new web-based publication is based.

    From Jan Leavitt and Ann Smith:

    The Weekly Agenda was first printed in April of 1979. Instituted by the university librarian as a form of communication to faculty and staff in the libraries on the various Rutgers campuses, it became the newsletter announcing the many happenings in the Libraries.

    The faculty and staff news items included professional development announcements of various conferences, along with grant and publication opportunities and reports to the library community from those attending meetings outside of Rutgers. The Agenda also included fundraising updates from the University Foundation regarding the Parents and Friends donations to the Library budget, which supported the Libraries. Library employment vacancies were listed in The Agenda, and the library calendar of events for the month was printed on the back page. Also included on the back of The Agenda were the various exhibits on the three library campuses.

    Occasionally we would put out an April Fool’s type of publication which everyone seemed to get a laugh out of and enjoyed. One that comes to mind was the April 1, 1990 issue.

    Happily, thanks to Janie Fultz’s archival tendencies, we have bound copies of earlier issues of The Agenda. Enjoy this PDF of the April 1, 1990 issue of “The Weakly Agenda” which features a tongue-in-cheek obituary for Ken Kuehl (death by axe – one heck of a way to go); the introduction of a new policy to install “grease trucks” outside of the libraries (which as we now know was remarkably prescient); and the formation of the Acronymiacs Anonymous to combat our tendency to speak in acronyms.

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  • Performance Appraisals for URA-AFT Employees Are Due April 30

    It’s Performance Appraisal time again! The program has two components: performance evaluation and merit increases.

    In anticipation of an announcement from University Human Resources regarding the performance appraisal program for URA-AFT employees, managers and supervisors should remind their URA-AFT employees to begin a self-appraisal. To be eligible for the Staff Compensation Program (SCP), URA-AFT employees must be in a program-eligible title on or before January 1, 2017 and remain employed in a URA position through the payment date of the merit increase. The SCP runs from May 1, 2016 through April 30, 2017. Self-appraisals should be completed by April 15, 2017. Managers and supervisors must complete performance evaluations and notify eligible employees of the appraisal by April 30, 2017 and provide the employee an opportunity to comment in writing by June 1. Any employee comments are attached to the appraisal.

    Staff are evaluated against performance standards that were established during the previous evaluation process and include any additions or modifications that have been communicated to the employee during the year. The two rating categories are Meets Standards and Does Not Meet Standards. At the completion of the evaluation, supervisors establish standards for the next year’s evaluation process and discuss with each employee.

    Please note: For RBHS staff, evaluations for CWA Local 1031 are due in November. HPAE Local 5094 and Teamsters Local 97 evaluations are due in the anniversary month.

    Additional information will be forwarded when the official appraisal and merit programs are announced.

    Below are links to the UHR webpage to assist you in the process.

    If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Libraries HR.

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  • Schedule of important events and upcoming dates

    Please check your calendar and save the dates for these important upcoming events. More information will be circulated as we have it available.

    Rutgers Day (4/29/17)

    New Brunswick – Voorhees Mall, College Avenue Campus; math department table.

    The Rutgers Day New Brunswick committee is looking for loans and donations of the following items:

    • Army blankets (clean, but fair condition with holes would be ok)
    • Childrens’ books (especially those dealing with resolving conflicts)

    If you have something you could share with them or would like to work at the Voorhees tent, please contact Stacey Carton or Tara Kelley.

    RBHS – Busch Campus. Please check in with Pam Hargwood or Peggy Drekker if you can work at Rutgers Day.

    Camden – Busch Campus. Please check in with Monique Whittle or Zara Wilkinson if you can work at Rutgers Day.

    Newark – Busch Campus. Please check in with Tad Hershorn if you can work at Rutgers Day.

    **Remember you have to also discuss working at Rutgers Day with your supervisor. Time worked must be compensated and cannot fall into overtime.

    Spring Town Hall (5/23/17)

    Our speakers will be in the Dana Room at Dana Library in Newark with teleconference to the following locations:

    • Camden, Robeson Library, Room 290
    • RBHS Newark, Smith Library, Room C916
    • New Brunswick, Cook Campus Center, Multipurpose Room BC

    Please RSVP so we can make sure we have enough refreshments at each location.

    Faculty & Staff Appreciation Picnic (September-ish)

    Yes! The Rutgers 250 celebration was a lot of fun, so we are planning to hold another staff appreciation event this fall. We’ll circulate a date for this as soon as we can. We have something pretty fun planned for the event and hope to have more to share soon.

    State of the Libraries (12/6/17)

    The 2017 State of the Libraries will be held at the College Avenue Student Center and will, once again, have a poster presentation. More information will be available soon, but we encourage everyone to discuss possible poster ideas with their supervisors and director/AUL.

    We are also happy to announce that the video from our 2016 State of the Libraries is now available here.

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