The Agenda - Faculty and Staff Newsletter

Category: Units

  • 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.

    Save

    Save

    Save

    Save

    Save

    Save

    Save

    Save

  • MARAC Conference

    On April 20th through the 22nd, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) will hold its spring meeting in Newark at the Robert Treat Hotel. The meeting’s theme, “Adaptable Archives: Redefine, Repurpose and Renew,” is a fitting reflection of Newark’s continued renaissance. As a tri-chair for the meeting’s Local Arrangements Committee, I’m incredibly excited to welcome the expected 300-350 attendees and support their professional development while making an impact in Newark and showcasing the city and its transformation. MARAC serves archivists in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C., locations rich with a diverse array of archives. The meeting’s program is jam-packed with tours of area historic sites, attractions, and repositories; sessions on topics ranging from Hurricane Sandy recovery to digital preservation of faculty and student research; workshops about using APIs in archives, identification of photographic formats, and more; and lots of opportunities for professional networking.

    Numerous Rutgers divisions have been instrumental in supporting the meeting, including Rutgers University Libraries, the School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University—Newark, and the Clement A. Price Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and the Modern Experience. RUL deserves special recognition because of its role as sponsor and host of the all-conference reception via the Institute of Jazz Studies; for underwriting the cost of transportation for one of the tours to a local historic site; for its encouragement of library faculty, staff, and librarians to serve on the Local Arrangements and Program Committees, including Natalie Borisovets, Tim Corlis, Angela Lawrence, Tara Maharjan, and Bob Vietrogoski; and for providing space for Local Arrangement Committee meetings at Dana Library. RUL is also well represented in the program, with presenters including Christie Lutz, Sheridan Sayles, Krista White, and Ron Becker, and a tour of the Institute of Jazz Studies and its new exhibit Records at Play: The Institute of Jazz Studies @50. Clearly, Rutgers will be in the spotlight at the meeting!

    Many of the meeting programs should be of interest not only to archivists and special collections professionals, but also to librarians, so I encourage all RUL faculty, staff, and librarians to peruse the conference program and consider attending. Early bird registration ends March 22nd, and more information is available on the conference blog, created by RUL’s own Tara Maharjan.

    In closing, I would like to express my deep gratitude for RUL’s support and for the efforts of all RUL faculty, staff, and librarians involved in the meeting. Hope to see you in Newark this April!

  • In Memoriam – Ed Berger

    • Ed captured this self-portrait last year.

    Recently Consuella Askew and Wayne Winborne sent around a note announcing that our colleague Ed Berger passed away suddenly and quite unexpectedly in January. Ed was a wonderful photographer and spent many hours documenting the spaces and faces of Dana Library and the Institute of Jazz Studies. Many of his photographs are posted on his Flickr site. Here, we take a moment to turn the camera back toward the photographer and offer a glimpse into his time and the people who he called colleagues and friends at the Institute of Jazz Studies.

    Ed played a vital role in the growth and development of the Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies where he filled a number of positions for nearly four decades.  He was also an award-winning jazz writer and accomplished photographer, teacher, producer, and road manager.

    A graduate of Indiana University with an M.L.S. from Rutgers, his most recent book was Softly, With Feeling: Joe Wilder and the Breaking of Barriers in American Music (Temple University Press, 2014), which received the Association for Recorded Sound Collections’ Award for Best Historical Research in Recorded Jazz in 2015.  He was a frequent contributor to Jazz Times as writer and photographer and for many years served as co-editor of the Journal of Jazz Studies.

    Berger taught at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Swing University, and from 1979 to 2014 was co-host of Jazz from the Archives on WBGO-FM. He enjoyed a long association with jazz master Benny Carter, serving as Carter’s road manager for nearly two decades, as well as producing two Grammy-winning recordings for the saxophonist.  Berger’s other publications include Free Verse and Photos in the Key of Jazz (2015, with Gloria Krolak); Benny Carter: A Life in American Music (2002, with Morroe Berger and James Patrick); Basically Speaking: An Oral History of George Duvivier (1993); and Reminiscing in Tempo: The Life and Times of a Jazz Hustler (1990, with Teddy Reig).

    He was a beloved friend, colleague, mentor, raconteur, and a true lover of jazz and jazz musicians. His loss is devastating to all of us at the IJS and to the broader jazz community across the globe.

    A public celebration of Ed’s life is being planned and will be announced at a later date.

     

    Save

    Save

    Save

    Save

    Save

    Save

    Save

  • You never know who is listening

    Our librarians are out there every year, making presentations, leading panels, writing articles – and it really does make a difference. Sometimes it’s a contribution to the field and sometimes the impact is much more personal.

    In 2010, Connie Wu gave a talk in titled: “From a Patent Examiner to an Academic Librarian,” at Life Beyond Patent Information Session of International Patent Information User Group 2010 Annual Conference in Washington, DC.  Six years have now passed, but she received the following letter in January:

    Hi Connie,

    I am a fellow PIUG member.   I just wanted to let you know how much you inspired me when you gave a talk at a PIUG meeting about being a librarian.   I think that was in 2009 or 2010.   I was so inspired that I enrolled in Kent State University’s program in 2010.   Since I work full-time at LexisNexis, it took me 6 years to complete the program plus an additional program in Information Architecture.   I graduated from Kent State on December 16, 2016 with a dual MLIS and M.Sc. in Information Architecture degree.

    Thanks very much!   I hope to thank you in person someday.

    The un-named Sender is a Global Content and Project Specialist for Copyright,  E-Commerce,  Patent,  Trademark, Trade Secret at LexisNexis.

    Way to go, Connie!

  • Changes in Committees Reporting Structures

    Changes in Committees Reporting Structures

    The original Committee Concept Map from 2014.

    When I arrived at Rutgers, I was charged with clarifying central vs. local functions. In the October and November issues of The Agenda, I talked about changes in the organizational structure that (among other things) moved central and shared librarieswide functions from purview of the AUL for Research and Instruction to central units.

    In December, Cabinet reviewed the Committee Concept Map—a now historical document developed in late 2014 to better understand decision-making responsibilities and flows in the libraries. The diagram showed many different types of groups, including committees, working groups, taskforces, etc. and their reporting relationships. During the review process, we discussed each group—what work it was assigned, whether that work was complete, where it falls within the current organization’s footprint, and who ultimately is responsible for the output of the group. As a result of this work, some groups were sunsetted or moved to new reporting structures. These outcomes were already communicated via the cabinet minutes.

    Finalizing the review of the Committee Concept Map enabled us (among other things) to clarify a few more areas where the lines between central and local responsibility were not clear—especially in the area of public services. Coordination of shared public services—LCC, Ask a Librarian, and Webscale Discovery—were all moved to Shared User Services (SUS). An additional 3 groups on the Committee Concept Map—Access Services, Disabilities, and ICOP—did not fit under the SUS umbrella. Instead, the work of these groups needs some level of central coordination even though their functions are local and the responsibility of the library director.

    Access Services, for example, used to report to the AUL for research and instruction in her central coordinating role, even though they were addressing local policies (e.g., bulletin boards). While the committee itself has representatives from many locations, this reporting structure essentially meant that central was creating policies to govern local services and spaces (a perception further complicated by the former structure where the AUL for research and instruction was also the director of New Brunswick Libraries).

    Under the new system, Access Services, along with Disabilities and ICOP, will report to a newly formed Directors Group that is composed of the library directors—Consuella Askew, Katie Anderson (in her role as interim director of Robeson Library), Judy Cohn, and Jeanne Boyle (in her role as interim director of New Brunswick Libraries)—and Rhonda Marker, the director of shared user services. This will align the important work of these committees more closely with their local units and clarify the director’s role in decision-making, while ensuring two-way flow of information about the needs and resources required for the work.

    Since I know there have been a lot of questions, it is worth spending a little more time talking about the purpose and goals of the Directors Group. The directors convene to address local concerns, discuss shared issues and how they can work together to establish best practices and avoid duplicating effort. This group does not extend the responsibility or authority of the Library directors. Instead, it provides a means for Library directors to work together collectively to solve problems and to benefit from each other’s experience. Ultimately, each Library director is responsible for providing the vision, leadership, and management necessary to deliver collections, services, and spaces that are tailored for their local community.

    Some of the comments that I heard noted that the Directors Group seemed to have taken on many of the responsibilities that USC used to have. As I think about the changes that are occurring at the University-level, and of my charge to clarify local vs. central function, I realize that the comments accurately reflect the changes in the libraries. In the past, decisions related to public services occurred centrally with a goal of developing the most cost-effective library system possible. Rutgers Libraries had a long history of successful internal collaboration. Now, each campus expects services that are tailored to meet local needs. Directors are being held accountable on their campuses for ensuring that the library system provides services (and collections) that directly support local initiatives and programs. The shift from a large, representative decision-making body to a more federated model that favors local decision-making is necessary to support the changes within the broader University context.

    Before ending, I do want to acknowledge the hard work that went into finalizing the Committee Concept Map. We originally worked from a single-page document with over 40 administrative and faculty groups. On the administrative side, we now have a structured list 17 active committees, taskforces, and working groups with clearly defined “homes” in the Libraries. The faculty have also made substantial progress refining their committee structure. This project required a lot of heavy lifting and input from our colleagues, so please accept my thanks for your efforts.

    If you have additional questions about these changes, please speak with your AUL or Director.

     

    Save

    Save

    Save

  • Interview with Megan Lotts about Art Library Coloring Books

    Interview with Megan Lotts about Art Library Coloring Books

    During the Fall 2016 semester, the Art Library distributed a unique coloring book to introduce students to the library’s services and spaces. Drawing on her fine art and graphic design skills, Megan Lotts illustrated and wrote the Art Library Coloring Book to connect in a creative and fun way with students and to educate individuals about the resources and possibilities available at the Art Library. I touched base with Megan about the inspiration behind this project and the response so far.

    Jessica Pellien: What inspired you to start this project?

    Megan Lotts: There are several reasons I undertook this project: I’m always looking for ways to connect with the departments that I liaise, and 3/4 of the individuals that I liaise to are makers, so this is a great way to connect with them. I’ve also been researching a fair amount about play and how to incorporate playing educational experiences inside and outside of the classroom. I would also say that I LOVE to color. I’m an only child, so I’ve spent a lot of time coloring, making, etc. And lastly, I’m tired of hearing students talk about how boring their one shot bibliography session was. I’ve never heard anyone walk away from a library session saying, man life is going to be great now that I know to use the EBSCOhost database. I believe it’s important to share in a conceptual way what the libraries are about & what can happen in a library.

    JP: What was the process like to create the coloring book?

    ML: I came up with an idea of what I thought patrons should know about the Art Library. Then I began making drawings, based on the space. After the initial drawings I worked with a variety of individuals, including faculty, students, and staff at Rutgers, as well as colleagues from other universities to fine tune the coloring book. I also worked with New Brunswick libraries administration to get approval and funding for the project and with the communications department on proofreading and the placement of the Libraries’ logo.

    JP: How did your background in art help you?

    ML: I’ve been an artist for over 20 years, trained as a painter, but I would consider myself a conceptual or installation artist, because I generally make site specific works, or conceptual projects that engage the user. In the case of the Art Library coloring book, the viewer or participant add the color to the artworks.

    JP: Did this project require any special skills or resources?

    ML: I used, pen, paper, and when needed I referred to images of the library I had taken or to the physical space. To put the book together, I used Microsoft publisher, because that was a program that I knew the Libraries’ printing department would be able to work with.

    JP: How did you promote the coloring book to your users?

    ML: All total, we printed 500 booklets and we also purchased small crayon packets which I labeled with stickers. We hosted a free, public pop-up making event in October at which we handed out coloring books and crayons. We also had some snacks to further entice people to participate. We encouraged users to share their coloring with us on social media, using the hashtag #RutgersColoring. We posted pages from coloring books, as well. Rutgers Today made a video about the coloring book and there were a lot of positive responses on social media from other Rutgers and library groups.

    JP: How has the response been so far?

    ML: I work in a very organic fashion and I never assume that a project I undertake will have a positive impact. However, I can report, that since I started this project I have had nothing but positive feedback from faculty, staff, and students. Many individuals have indicated they would like a similar coloring book for their library or campus department and have asked me how they would go about making one.

    If you have a unique project to share, please let us know. We’d love to feature it in an upcoming issue of The Agenda.

  • 2016-2018 Priorities Handout now available

    2016-2018 Priorities Handout now available

    Right click this image to download a PDF of the Priorities Handout.

    Following the example of University of Maryland Libraries and other academic peers, we have designed a visually appealing handout for our 2016-2018 Priorities. The handout is available to the public as a PDF on our Mission, Vision, and Strategic Plan page.

     

    Save

    Save

    Save

  • Quick Takes on Events & News – December 2016

    Quick Takes on Events & News – December 2016

    ccdc-social-media-card

    Cambridge Structural Database Workshop Summary

    The New Brunswick Libraries Data Outreach Team held a successful workshop for students and faculty on Data Management Services available through the Libraries, and introduced users to the Cambridge Structural Database, a database of crystal structures curated by the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC). The workshop took place at the Library of Science and Medicine, and was attended by students and faculty from the Chemistry and Chemical Biology department, the Center for Integrative Proteomics Research, several Engineering departments, and the School of Pharmacy. Presentations were given by Dr. Amy Sarjeant, a crystallographer and Education and Outreach Manager for the CCDC, and Laura Palumbo, who represented the NBL Data Outreach Team. The workshop was a collaboration between the New Brunswick Libraries and the CCDC, who generously provided lunch for the attendees. Feedback from the session was positive, with attendees citing new knowledge of the Libraries data services and resources.

    library map
    What Library is this?

    New Up-to-date Maps for Every Library

    Thanks to some incredible teamwork led by Robert Krack, designer Mary Ann Koruth, Devin Gingery, Soo Lee, and Sam McDonald,  we now have online maps for every Rutgers library available on both our main website and our mobile site. Access these maps at http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/maps_directions.

     

    In Case You Missed It…

    What an exciting and energizing time to be a librarian with the swearing-in of Dr. Patty Brennan as Director of the National Library of Medicine and the subsequent swearing-in of Dr. Carla Hayden as the Librarian of Congress earlier this fall.  If you weren’t able to view the ceremonies live, the archived versions of the webcasts are available here.

    Dr. Patty Brennan – https://videocast.nih.gov/Summary.asp?File=19851&bhcp=1

    Dr. Carla Hayden – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvNuPcftWYE

  • Happy Holidays

    Happy Holidays

    captureHello all –

    My message this month is simple. I wish you all the happiest of holidays and the joy of the New Year as we enter this festive season.

    As you all know, 2016 has been an incredibly productive and busy year and I am grateful for all of your efforts in moving the Libraries plans and priorities forward. In a few weeks, we will circulate our annual report which paints a vibrant picture of our accomplishments of the last 12 months. The theme of the annual report is “Transform,” which is a nod to the internal changes the Libraries have undertaken in 2016, as well as a reflection of the transformative effect our activities have on our students, faculty, and the university at large. We have truly made a difference this year and our good work will continue in the coming months.

    I hope you enjoy time with your family and friends this month and look forward to seeing all the good things 2017 brings our way.

    Thank you so very much,

    Krisellen

     

    Save

  • Thank You for a Terrific #RutgersGivingDay

    Thanks to all of your efforts and support, the Libraries greatly exceeded our goals for Giving Day this year. Last year, we had 22 donors and our goal this year was to slightly more than double this with 50 donors. We blew our goal out of the water with 134 donors and the Libraries are on the Top Ten leaderboards for both Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers-New Brunswick. We raised a total of $13,375.00. Here are the specifics for each location:

    #11 – RBHS Libraries, 6 donations, $300.00

    #12 – Camden Libraries, 10 donations, $170.00

    #7 – Newark Libraries, 18 donations, $1433.00

    #9 – New Brunswick Libraries, 100 donations, $11,472.00

    instagram
    This banner ran on Instagram on Giving Day.

    The figures above may shift slightly as the Foundation does their final accounting, but clearly, we did a great job!

    Thank you to everyone who took time to set up donation computer stations or to sit at tables and solicit support sheets and donations in their libraries. I hope you all had a chance to see the fantastic social media campaign we ran on Twitter, using many photos of our real students and colleagues sounding off on matters most to them. Matt Badessa also created our first Instagram banner/photo grid.

    If you have photos of Giving Day at your location, send them to jessica.pellien@rutgers.edu and I’ll add them to the slideshow!

    Save