The Agenda - Faculty and Staff Newsletter

Category: Units

  • Rutgers University Libraries Mentoring Program Committee Hosts Authors and Editors Panel Discussions

    RUL Mentoring Program Committee Authors Panel.

    In November 2022, the Rutgers University Libraries Mentoring Program Committee hosted a two-part program to give authors insight and confidence to share their ideas and expertise through publishing: “Part 1: Editors Panel” (November 2) and “Part 2: Authors Panel” (November 17).

    Experienced editors and authors discussed the fundamentals of research, writing, and publishing. They addressed topics such as turning an idea into a publication, dealing with deadlines and writer’s block, and collaborating with co-authors.

    For more information about the Mentoring Program Committee, please visit staff.libraries.rutgers.edu/faculty-mentoring.

    Authors Panel Panelists

    Laura Costello is the director for strategic planning and assessment for Rutgers University Libraries. Laura has authored and co-authored three books, seven book chapters, and over 20 peer-reviewed articles and other publications. Her research focuses on assessment in diverse areas of the library, including reference and user services, collections, and library spaces. She serves as a regular peer reviewer for the open-access journal Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP). Her most recent publication is a co-authored article on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on virtual reference services published in The Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology (JASIST).

    Melissa De Fino is the special collections and formats metadata librarian for Rutgers University Libraries. Melissa is the co-author of the recently published book Virtual Technical Services: A Handbook, which stemmed from her experiences during the COVID-19 quarantine period and has led to conference presentations and an interview invitation for the Lucidea “Think Clearly” blog. She served as the editor of the Technical Services Quarterly column “Tech Services on the Web” for five years. Melissa has published peer-reviewed articles about the changing nature of technical services librarianship and has served as a peer reviewer for several articles. Melissa was an ALA Emerging Leader in 2008 and was RUL’s first Emerging Leader.

    Megan Lotts is the art librarian at the Art Library of Rutgers University Libraries. Megan teaches research workshops, builds collections, facilitates programming and events, and closely engages with students and faculty researching in the arts. She has presented her research nationally and internationally and published articles in portal: the Libraries and the Academy, Art Documentation, Journal of Library Administration, College and Research Libraries News, and more. In 2021, the American Libraries Association published her book Advancing a Culture of Creativity in Libraries: Programming and Engagement. Her research interests include creativity, outreach and engagement, makerspaces, play, and the work of library liaisons. She is known for her work in implementing LEGO® play, creating a culture of creativity, and curating the exhibition spaces at the Rutgers University Art Library. She also teaches a semester-long seminar, “Playing to Learn in Higher Education.”

    Caryn Radick is the digital archivist for Special Collections and University Archives of Rutgers University Libraries. Caryn was a Special Collections and University Archives processing archivist from 2004 until 2011, when she assumed her current role. She oversees the New Jersey Digital Newspaper Project, which provides digitized historic newspapers. Her research interests include the intersection of archives and fiction and surfacing mysteries and puzzles found in archives. She has published articles in The American Archivist, Archivaria, and Nursing-Clio. Caryn served as an associate editor for the Journal of Archival Organization and the Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries. She is the 2021 recipient of the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance’s Teaching Award for her Byrne Seminar class “Only in New Jersey! New Jersey’s History in Newspapers.”

    Yingting Zhang is the research services librarian at the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Library of the Health Sciences of Rutgers University Libraries and an adjunct assistant professor in the RWJ Medical School Department of Medicine, Rutgers University. Yingting also serves as the liaison librarian to the School of Public Health and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. She is a Distinguished Member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals. She serves on the Rutgers Health Sciences Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the Executive IRB. Yingting has authored and co-authored 14 peer-reviewed journal articles and six non-peer-reviewed papers. She is currently working on a book chapter related to research on digital identity and writing an article on her experience providing systematic reviews for the past seven years.

    Editors Panel Panelists

    Marianne Ryan is the dean of University Libraries at Loyola University Chicago. Since 2015, Marianne has served as the editor of portal: Libraries and the Academy, published by Johns Hopkins University Press and part of its Project Muse collection. Marianne also served as the Management column editor of Reference and User Services Quarterly and on the editorial board of Library Leadership & Management. She has published numerous articles, including “How to Get Your Article Published: Twenty Tips from Two Editors.”

    Ken Varnum is the senior program manager and discovery strategist at the University of Michigan Library. Ken’s research and professional interests include discovery systems, library analytics, and technology in the library setting. He has been the editor of Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL) since 2017 and has edited five books, the most recent being New Top Technologies Every Librarian Needs to Know, published in 2019. ITAL is one of ALA Core’s three official journals and is open access.

    Adriana Cuervo is the head of Archival Collections and Services at the Institute of Jazz Studies in the John Cotton Dana Library, Rutgers University–Newark. Adriana oversees the day-to-day operations of the Institute of Jazz Studies—the world’s largest and most comprehensive jazz research facility. She has had a long career in music and performing arts special collections and previously worked at the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She enjoys working in the preservation, access, and promotion of cultural heritage and has published several articles. Adriana served on the editorial board of American Archivist for four years.

    Nancy Kranich teaches at the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information and conducts special projects for Rutgers University Libraries. She served as President of the American Library Association in 2000–2001, focusing on the role of libraries in democracies. Nancy is currently editing a special issue on reimagining the civic role of libraries for Library Quarterly. She serves on the editorial boards of Library Quarterly: Information, Community and Policy and the Journal of Information Policy. She is also a frequent pre-publication peer reviewer for several scholarly journals. She has published countless articles and has served as editor and contributor to Libraries and Democracy for ALA Editions.

  • Special Collections and University Archives Hosts Joe Pompeo Book Talk

    Joe Pompeo, author of "Blood & Ink."

    On November 10, Special Collections and University Archives hosted a virtual book talk with Vanity Fair correspondent and Rutgers alumnus Joe Pompeo ’04. Pompeo spoke about his new book on the notorious Hall-Mills murders, Blood & Ink: The Scandalous Jazz Age Double Murder That Hooked America on True Crime.

    > Click here to watch the presentation.

    Blood & Ink explores the slayings of star-crossed New Jersey lovers and how the century-old cold case fed America’s obsession with true crime stories. While conducting his research for the book, Pompeo relied heavily on Special Collections and University Archives (SC/UA), which he says houses the definitive academic archive on the murders. Pompeo used SC/UA’s Hall-Mills Collection, Wallace Conover Papers, and Stevens family letters. This presentation forms part of SC/UA’s Research Salon series, which features researchers who have used SC/UA’s resources in their work. The series is co-sponsored by the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance.

    Blood & Ink was published by William Morrow in September 2022, marking the 100th anniversary of the double murder of Reverend Edward Hall, rector of St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in New Brunswick, and Eleanor Mills, a singer in the church choir. The couple was reputedly having a scandalous affair, and their bodies were discovered artfully posed on a notorious lover’s lane on the border of New Brunswick and Somerset. Edward Hall’s wife, Frances, who was related to the wealthy Johnson family, and Eleanor Mills’ husband, Jim, were early suspects in the case. The bungled investigation by the police took years and failed to bring the criminals to justice. The trial featured eccentric characters such as Jane Gibson, a pig farmer who came forward with a purported eyewitness account of the murder and, at one point, testified from a stretcher brought into the courtroom. As well as investigating the fascinating details of the case, Pompeo shows how the rise of New York tabloid journalism and the resulting wars between papers of the 1920s kept the story alive. In an epilogue, Pompeo suggests his own theories on the still-unsolved case.

    Over the years, many authors have tried to solve the case, including famed attorney William Kunstler, whose The Minister and the Choir Singer: The Hall-Mills Murder Case (1964) attributed the murders to the Ku Klux Klan. Another theory was offered by former dean Mary S. Hartman, who lived in Frances Hall’s house, now the residence of the Douglass Dean, in “The Hall-Mills Murder Case: The Most Fascinating Un-solved Homicide in America,” The Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries, 1984. The case has also inspired novels and plays, most recently Thou Shall Not, performed at St. John the Evangelist Church by Thinkery & Verse. Blood & Ink is unique in placing the case in the context of the rise of tabloid journalism and the popularity of true crime in the 1920s.

    Read more about the book and author in “Looking Back at the Crime of the Century,” an article by Amy Vames for the Rutgers University Alumni Association.

  • Special Collections and University Archives Hosts 28th Annual New Jersey Book Arts Symposium

    Sandra Fernández's artist presentation.
    Symposium attendees enjoy Sandra Fernández’s artist presentation.

    Special Collections and University Archives (SC/UA) hosted the 28th Annual New Jersey Book Arts Symposium (NJBAS) on November 4. The free event drew a capacity crowd in Alexander Library’s Pane Room and featured a workshop, artist presentations, and a panel discussion conducted by notable artists, curators, historians, and technologists. The program included:

    To learn more about the NJBAS, please visit exhibits.libraries.rutgers.edu/nj-book-arts. Grant funding for the New Jersey Book Arts Symposium was provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund. The NJBAS Advisory Board members are Karen Guancione, artistic director; Michael Joseph, founding director; Sonia Yaco, executive director; Martin Antonetti; Judith K. Brodsky; Fernanda Perrone; Amanda Thackray; Suzie Tuchman, and Kate Van Riper.

    Suzie Tuchman conducts the triangle book-making workshop.
    Suzie Tuchman conducts the triangle bookmaking workshop.
    Catherine LeCleire conducts the triangle book-making workshop.
    Catherine LeCleire Wright shows symposium attendees how to create a triangle book.
    Triangle book making workshop at the 28th Annual New Jersey Book Arts Symposium.
    NJBAS attendees make triangle books during the workshop.
    Artist Sandra C. Fernández.
    Artist Sandra C. Fernández delivered a moving presentation about her life and work. Fernández is an Ecuadorian American artist currently living in New Jersey. Her work is rooted in the transborder experiences of exile, dislocation, relocation, memory, and self-conscious identity construction/reconstruction.
    Béatrice Coron and Richard Anderson.
    Béatrice Coron, a renowned paper-cutting artist, and Rick Anderson, Director of Virtual Worlds at Rutgers, are collaborating on The Identity Project, an experiment both in form and content using technology to create an interactive artist book. This collaboration allows words and images to interact and behave in new and exciting ways. The Identity Project is presented by SC/UA. Learn more about the project at go.rutgers.edu/coron.
    Mixed-media and book artist Amee Pollack.
    Amee Pollack is a mixed-media and book artist and Senior Advisor and Student Success Counselor in the Department of Art & Design at the Mason Gross School of the Arts. She spoke about her art, which includes three-dimensional, fold-out book sculptures she had created with her artistic partner and close friend, Laurie Spitz, who passed away in 2017. Works by Spitz & Pollack, as their collaboration was known, are in the permanent collections of over 50 organizations, including the Brooklyn Museum, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, New York Public Library Print Collection, and Yale University.
    Read more at masongross.rutgers.edu/why-i-made-this-amee-pollack and ameejpollack.com.
    Featured artist and historian Javiera Barrientos.
    Featured artist and historian Javiera Barrientos presented “A Personal Catalogue: Bookwork in Contemporary Latin America” and highlighted works by Carlos Oquendo, Maria Lucia Cattani, Francisca Prieto, Isol, Javiera Pintocanales, and Mariana Tocornal.
    Virginia Fabbri Butera and Michael Cooper.
    During her curator presentation, Virginia Fabbri Butera interviewed Michael Cooper about the late Rocco Scary’s bookwork. Rocco Scary (1960–2022) was a multidisciplinary artist whose work on paper, in sculpture, and with artist books explored the concept of the identifiers or “triggers” for memory. To learn more about Scary, please visit roccoscary.com. Butera is the director of the Therese A. Maloney Art Gallery. She is also chairperson of the art, dance, and music program and a tenured professor of art history at @saintelizabethuniversity. Cooper is the creative director at Altech Corporation and principal of Cooper Graphics and Cooper Art Works LLC. He has over 40 years of fine art and commercial art experience.
    Sonia Yaco and Judith Brodsky.
    NJBAS executive director Sonia Yaco (left) and noted artist and art educator Judith K. Brodsky. Brodsky led the engaging panel discussion that concluded the New Jersey Book Arts Symposium. The lively discussion offered attendees an opportunity to hear more from the guest artists and ask questions. Brodsky highlighted the commonalities between the topics, including technology, social issues, and a sense of play, and encouraged the artists to share their thoughts and processes and talk about the future of books and bookmaking. Brodsky is a Distinguished Professor Emerita in the Mason Gross School of the Arts Department of Visual Arts and the Founding Director of the Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper, which was renamed the Brodsky Center in her honor in 2006 (now The Brodsky Center at PAFA).
    Judith K. Brodsky leads panel discussion.
    Panel discussion with the NJBAS’ guest speakers.
    Karen Guancione, Sandra Fernández, and Sonia Yaco.
    From left: Karen Guancione, Sandra Fernández, and Sonia Yaco. Guancione is the NJBAS’ artistic director. She creates a vision of the symposium each year and moderates the event. Michael Joseph (below) is the founding director of the NJBAS. He and Karen guide the selection of the artists and help to shape the event. As executive director, Yaco coordinates the event, secures funding, and with Karen and Michael, connects with the New Jersey book arts community.
    Michael Joseph, founding director of the Symposium.
    Michael Joseph, founding director of the NJBAS.

  • Now on View at the East Asian Library: “Akiko’s Dolls: The Story of a Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivor”

    Akiko’s Dolls: The Story of a Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivor is a special exhibition at the East Asian Library that will be displayed through February 2023. The exhibit features dolls, photos, and writings of Akiko Mizuta Seitelbach, a Japanese woman who survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Please stay tuned for more East Asian Library exhibitions.

    Akiko's dolls.
    Dolls for Doll’s Day/Girls’ Day (Hinamatsuri), gift of Akiko Mizuta Seitelbach.

    Akiko Mizuta Seitelbach was born on October 25, 1922, in a section of Shanghai that, at the time, was a colony of Japan. Adopted by her aunt and uncle when she was just five months old, Akiko grew up in Nagasaki. She graduated high school in 1938, just as World War II started in Japan. During the war, she worked in the supply office of Mitsubishi Electrical Works. On August 9, 1945, when the atomic bomb was dropped, Akiko was about 1.3 miles from ground zero. She felt firsthand the destruction and desperation of the Japanese people in the days following and after the war ended.

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    Following the Japanese surrender in 1945, Akiko became an interpreter for the U.S. Marines and then the American Army of Occupation in Nagasaki. After marrying an American soldier of the 34th Infantry Regiment in 1953, she came to America and lived at an Army base in Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn. Between 1955 and 1963, Akiko resided in Puerto Rico, Staten Island, then Germany as her husband’s station assignments changed. She worked as a receptionist for Fuji Bank, a dress shop manager in Puerto Rico, in the Army library in Germany, and for Kanebo USA. Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, Akiko moved back to Brooklyn, where she lived and worked for about 35 years until she and her husband moved to Monroe Township, NJ. Akiko passed away aon February 17, 2022.

    "Nagasaki Woman" by Akiko Mizuta Seitelbach.

    Nagasaki Woman by Akiko Mizuta Seitelbach
    Rutgers Oral History Archives

    Read Akiko’s interviews with the Rutgers Oral History Archives at oralhistory.rutgers.edu.

    BBC Interviews
    Sponsors

    This exhibition is co-sponsored by the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Asian Languages and Cultures and the East Asian Library.

    "Akiko's Dolls" exhibition poster.

  • New Brunswick Libraries’ Celebration of Scholarship 2022 a Resounding Success

    Rutgers–New Brunswick Libraries' Celebration of Scholarship 2022.
    NBL’s Celebration of Scholarship 2022 was held in the Mabel Smith Douglass Room at Douglass Library.

    On October 26, New Brunswick Libraries (NBL) hosted their annual Celebration of Scholarship (COS) at Douglass Library to highlight and recognize the scholarly accomplishments of authors and creators across the wide range of disciplines at Rutgers–New Brunswick. More than 60 guests attended the event, which was held in person for the first time since the pandemic.

    Rutgers–New Brunswick Libraries' Celebration of Scholarship 2022.
    Associate University Librarian for New Brunswick Libraries Dee Magnoni welcomes guests and introduces keynote speaker Dr. Alan Robock.

    COS 2022 highlighted 256 submissions from all Rutgers–New Brunswick schools, including 135 journal articles, 84 monographs/books, 29 book chapters, seven sound recordings, and one film. These works were displayed in physical and virtual spaces at the library. Follow this link to view the submissions.

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    This year’s keynote speaker was renowned climate scientist Alan Robock, a Distinguished Professor of climate science in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers’ School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Dr. Robock presented “Global Famine After Nuclear War,” a thoughtful discussion about the catastrophic impact of nuclear war on food security, and then answered questions from the audience.

    Rutgers–New Brunswick Libraries' Celebration of Scholarship 2022.
    Dr. Robock at the lectern.
    Rutgers–New Brunswick Libraries' Celebration of Scholarship 2022.
    Dr. Robock presented “Global Famine After Nuclear War.”

    The co-sponsors who made this celebration possible are the Margery Somers Foster Center, Rutgers Global, and Rutgers University Press. To learn more, please visit the Celebration of Scholarship website.

    Rutgers–New Brunswick Libraries' Celebration of Scholarship 2022.
    The audience applauds after Dr. Robock’s keynote presentation.
    Rutgers–New Brunswick Libraries' Celebration of Scholarship 2022.
    Dr. Robock answers questions following his presentation.
    Rutgers–New Brunswick Libraries' Celebration of Scholarship 2022.
    NBL hosted its Celebration of Scholarship 2022 event at Douglass Library.
    Rutgers–New Brunswick Libraries' Celebration of Scholarship 2022.
    Guests peruse the Celebration of Scholarship book submissions.
    Rutgers–New Brunswick Libraries' Celebration of Scholarship 2022.
    Magnoni with Rutgers’ Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Carolyn Moehling.
    Rutgers–New Brunswick Libraries' Celebration of Scholarship 2022.
    Associate Professor Martin Gliserman of Rutgers’ School of Arts and Sciences looks over the book display at COS.
    Rutgers–New Brunswick Libraries' Celebration of Scholarship 2022.
    Dr. Changlu Wang of Rutgers’ Department of Entomology with “Biology and Management of the German Cockroach,” a book he co-wrote with Chow-Yang Lee and Michael K. Rust.

  • RUL Announces Launch of Library Mobile App

    Student showcases Library Mobile on her smartphone.

    Rutgers University Libraries is pleased to announce the launch of Library Mobile, an innovative app designed to enhance the Rutgers community’s library experience. The new app delivers seamless integration with the Libraries’ vast resources and services, providing an intuitive interface with personalized content.

    Library Mobile can be downloaded at libraries.rutgers.edu/app and is available for iOS and Android. After logging in with their Rutgers NetID, users can quickly access hours, study space reservations, course reading lists, and research assistance. The feature-rich app also allows users to conveniently search for content, manage their accounts, and stay up to date with library events.

    Rutgers is proud to be the first North American institution to release the Library Mobile app, developed in partnership with Ex Libris, a leading global provider of cloud-based solutions for higher education and research. Feedback submitted through the app helps the Libraries to improve not only the app but also the resources and services it provides.

    Library Mobile

  • Consuella Askew’s First Letter to the Libraries

    I am honored and excited to be appointed Rutgers’ 15th University Librarian. One of the most gratifying aspects of this role is the opportunity to witness your skills and talents in action at the Libraries. Your loyalty to RUL is admirable, and your determination to work with grace and dignity and in the university’s best interests is inspiring.

    This letter for The Agenda comes at a time of evolution and opportunity. We continue our initiatives designed to address your concerns about RUL’s organizational clarity, culture, and communication. The RUL Affirmation group has worked diligently to define our aspirations and reframe our mission statement. They are incorporating your input from their recent town halls into final statements that will provide a common framework from which we can springboard. We are close to formally establishing the Staff Advisory Committee (SAC), which will serve as a counterpart to the Faculty Planning Committee. Thanks to the stellar work of the SAC Planning Task Force, bylaws have been drafted and are undergoing final revisions. Once that is completed, the task force will focus on stewarding the adoption of the bylaws and conducting the committee’s initial elections process. The goal is to have the SAC up and running by year’s end. We are also reviewing the Libraries’ organizational structure and how our core services are best delivered. We want to ensure we offer comprehensive student and research support across the university’s broad footprint in the most efficient and responsive manner possible.

    We aspire to be the intellectual and creative center of the Rutgers community and recognized as essential to the university’s academic mission. It is a noble and obtainable goal. The future holds great promise if we continue to work smart, act with intent, listen to our colleagues and constituents, and pivot to meet the needs of today’s dynamic academic environment.

    Since my arrival at RUL, I have been impressed by your ability to imagine and implement creative solutions, often in the midst of change. While things continually evolve, I know your willingness and desire to collaborate and meet challenges with intelligence and good humor will serve us well. I look forward to us working together for the benefit of the faculty, students, and staff of Rutgers University and the broader New Jersey community.

  • Celebration of Scholarship 2022

    Celebration of Scholarship 2022 banner.

    Celebration of Scholarship at New Brunswick Libraries highlights ​and celebrates the accomplishments of Rutgers University–New Brunswick authors and creators. At this event, 2020–2022 published books, book chapters, journal articles, recordings, and more will be displayed in physical and virtual spaces at the library. With this celebration, we salute scholarly accomplishments ​across the wide range of disciplines at Rutgers–New Brunswick.

    The 2022 Celebration of Scholarship will take place at the Douglass Library on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

    ​For more information, please visit the Celebration of Scholarship site.

    The co-sponsors who have made this celebration possible are the Margery Somers Foster Center, Rutgers Global, and Rutgers University Press.

    Share your scholarship and celebrate with us!

  • Dr. Consuella Askew Named Vice President for University Libraries and University Librarian

    Dr. Consuella Askew Named Vice President for University Libraries and University Librarian

    Consuella Askew

    President Jonathan Holloway and Executive Vice President Prabhas Moghe make historic appointment for new leader of Rutgers University Libraries

    Rutgers University has selected Dr. Consuella Askew as its new Vice President for University Libraries and University Librarian. On July 18, 2022, she became Rutgers’ 15th University Librarian and the first person of color in the institution’s 256-year history to hold the position.

    “President Holloway and I believe that under Dr. Askew’s leadership, Rutgers is well suited to chart a strategic direction for Rutgers University Libraries, especially with a view to closely aligning the libraries to enhance the goals of academic units,” Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Prabhas Moghe said. “A part of this work will involve centering the Libraries at the heart of our community and our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; optimizing the Libraries’ collections, personnel, and services to enrich the teaching, learning, and research that occur across the University; establishing organizational coherence across the Libraries; and developing a strategic plan—all values that President Holloway has articulated.”

    Rutgers University Libraries is a core component of the University’s academic mission. The Libraries’ faculty and staff provide access to vast and unique resources, archives, and expertise to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, advance faculty and student teaching and research, and empower student success. Rutgers University Libraries rank among the nation’s top research libraries with more than five million volumes, over one million digital resources, and 26 integrated libraries, centers, and reading rooms throughout Rutgers campuses and chancellor-led units.

    Leading the Way to Library Excellence

    Askew brings to Rutgers a rich set of experiences and a library career that spans nearly 30 years. She is a forward-looking academician who has served as Interim Vice President for University Libraries and University Librarian since May 2021. In her previous role as the Associate University Librarian for Rutgers–Newark, Askew led Dana Library through a strategic planning process, a multimillion-dollar renovation, and an organizational restructuring to encourage innovation, community engagement, and operational excellence.

    A Commitment to Higher Education

    Prior to Rutgers, Askew worked in various educational settings, such as public schools, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), community colleges, and private and public institutions. Askew served as the Associate Dean for Public Services at Florida International University Libraries and held leadership positions at the City University of New York (CUNY), where she was appointed the inaugural Chief Librarian for the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. She was also a member of the research and development team that created LibQUAL+ for the Association of Research Libraries. This industry-standard tool is used to assess user perceptions of library service quality and has been adopted by over 1,300 libraries worldwide, including Rutgers. An active contributor to the academic libraries profession, Askew serves on the executive board of the HBCU Libraries Alliance and the editorial board for the award-winning journal portal: Libraries and the Academy. Askew has published and presented widely on cultivating library leadership, developing a culture of library assessment, and adapting library services to meet evolving user needs.

    Askew holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Spelman College and a master’s degree in library and information studies from the University of North Carolina. She earned her doctoral degree in higher education from Florida International University. She is also an alumna of multiple prestigious library leadership programs, including UCLA’s Library Senior Fellows Program, the longest-standing formal leadership development program for librarians in the country.

  • Stephanie Bartz Retires after More than 30 Years of Service

    Stephanie Bartz

    Stephanie Bartz, Government Resources and Information Services Librarian at Rutgers University–New Brunswick Libraries, retired after more than 30 years of service to the university.

    Stephanie started at Alexander Library as a Reference Assistant in 1983 while a student at the School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies (SCILS) and continued in various capacities until 1989 (when she resigned). Her responsibilities included working at the reference desk and helping to maintain the print reference collection (much larger and more heavily used in those days).

    Stephanie was asked to return in a part-time capacity in 1994 and began working full-time in 1996 to assume responsibility for government resources while another librarian was on leave. When that same librarian retired in June 2015, Stephanie took over the bulk of the government documents duties for Alexander Library. In January 2016, she also assumed responsibilities for the government documents and maps collections at the Library of Science and Medicine and began splitting her time between the two locations.

    Stephanie quickly became an indispensable member of the reference department at Alexander and then of the larger New Brunswick Libraries (NBL). She often helped to preserve the sanity of more technologically challenged colleagues by fixing minor and not-so-minor computer problems. While Stephanie frequently disclaimed being a tech person, she provided a high level of computer support for Alexander Library colleagues and served as an informal interpreter between librarians and staff in the Systems Office. Her willingness to take on additional responsibilities during leaves or job vacancies played a key role in sustaining the library’s support for faculty and students. One measure of her readiness to pitch in was her participation in LibGuides. She created and/or maintained more than 30 reference, government publications, and general interest guides. Moreover, she became the local LibGuides expert providing assistance and training, coordinating the transfer of guides caused by personnel changes, and updating/babysitting orphaned guides. Beyond that, she was a silent partner on other guides, helping librarians design and maintain their subject guides.

    Stephanie also contributed enormously to a dizzying array of committees, task forces, working groups, and councils. She served on the Rutgers University Libraries (RUL) PC Working Group from 1997 until 2016 and as the NBL PC Coordination Team leader from 2001 until 2014. She provided tech support, allocated computers, coordinated computer and related equipment purchases, and maintained the NBL website, among other tasks.

    She served on the Library Catalog Committee from 1999 to 2018 and chaired the group from 2005 until 2018. From 2016 to 2019, she was a member of the Discovery Working Group, which essentially replaced the Library Catalog Committee.

    Stephanie served multiple terms on the Rules of Procedure Committee, co-chairing the group for several years. She created the first RUL electronic ballot, became the local expert on bylaws, and maintained an archive of bylaws editions and drafts.

    She assumed responsibility for NBL chat coordination in 2020 and handled the complicated process of scheduling as many as 34 librarian and graduate student chatters.

    Stephanie joined the NBL Web Content Team when preparations for the new RUL website were being finalized in 2021 and assumed responsibility for creating and maintaining NBL’s content. She also managed NBL’s pages on the staff website.

    She maintained many mailing lists/groups, including the retirees list that we hope will be continued after her retirement.

    Stephanie helped coordinate the Digital Learning Commons, Hatchery, Google Books, and Alexander bound periodicals weeding projects for NBL. Simply listing this coordinator role can give no sense of the tireless and scrupulously careful detail work involved, one of Stephanie’s many strengths, and her remarkable ability to work collaboratively across departmental and unit boundaries.

    Stephanie’s life outside the libraries manifests a similarly high level of participation and willingness to take on both leadership roles and the often unsung, behind-the-scenes work that sustains organizations. For example, she served more than 40 years as a volunteer for the Middlesex County Fair.

    For more than 20 years, Stephanie has been deeply involved in the South River Historical & Preservation Society in capacities ranging from secretary, newsletter editor, webmaster, and archivist. One result of that work was the Images of America book on South River.

    No listing of tasks and accomplishments can adequately capture Stephanie’s contributions to NBL and RUL as a whole. She has been an invaluable librarian and a highly respected colleague. Judit Ward captures many of our sentiments: “Stephanie Bartz is an exceptional colleague. Stephanie is my friend. How many of us think of her just like that? Always there for us with answers and solutions, the much-needed gentle reminders—that’s the Stephanie I know. She has always held herself to the highest professional standards at RUL. Because she cares. Competent and fair, authentic and trustworthy—these are precious and rare qualities. That’s Stephanie. I am honored to call her my friend. Hope I can still call her my friend in the future.”

    For many of us, it is hard to imagine the Libraries without her. I have turned to Stephanie for guidance, wisdom, and help across a range of initiatives and projects. I appreciate her sense of humor and her dedication to the community. Whether the community is our own faculty and staff, our retirees and alumni, the larger Rutgers landscape, the citizens of NJ, or other states who could benefit from our government documents, Stephanie is there.

    Stephanie, you have brought humanity and dedication to your role. Thank you for your service, and may your next chapter be fulfilling with just the right amount of peace. You will be deeply missed.