The Agenda - Faculty and Staff Newsletter

Category: Units

  • Making an Impact: Bringing the Spring 2017 Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference Meeting to Newark

    MARAC newarkUnder the leadership of Chancellor Nancy Cantor, Rutgers University—Newark (RUN) is implementing a number of initiatives to advance the role of RUN as an anchor institution in the city. In the spirit of these efforts, in June 2014 I organized an informal group, the Brick City Archivists and Friends (BCAF), to bring together local archivists, librarians, and community members who care for and support historic collections.

    With help from Natalie Borisovets and Gayle Malmgreen of the Newark Archives Project, I obtained contact information for potential Brick City members and convened an initial happy hour to coincide with the Institute of Jazz Studies’ (IJS) Jazz Archives Fellowship residency. The event was well-attended, so I continued to organize regular gatherings. Having the support of RUL’s Angela Lawrence, Bob Vietrogoski, and Adriana Cuervo has been particularly invaluable in the growth and sustenance of the BCAF, and I am grateful for their support. In all, fifteen archivists and other interested folks have come to events, and we’ve toured four area institutions along the way.

    I began to announce upcoming BCAF meetings via the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference’s (MARAC) New Jersey caucus listserv, and evidently, MARAC noticed. In late 2014 MARAC leadership decided that New Jersey deserved a turn as a meeting host, and given that Newark had not hosted a MARAC meeting since the 1970s, it was selected as the location for the spring 2017 conference. I like to think that the BCAF also played a role in this decision.

    We announced the exciting news to a joint meeting at the IJS of MARAC’s New Jersey caucus and the BCAF in January 2015. Shortly before this meeting, I was asked to serve as a Local Arrangements Committee (LAC) tri-chair, a position that I gladly accepted. Becoming a tri-chair appealed to me because it offers me the opportunity to serve MARAC’s membership and the archives profession, represent RUL in a leadership role, and support RUN’s efforts to make an impact in Newark. Seven of the twenty-two LAC members have been active in the BCAF, and RUL is also well-represented on the LAC through the service of Natalie Borisovets, Tim Corlis, Angela Lawrence, Tara Maharjan, and Bob Vietrogoski.

    Bringing MARAC to Newark provides opportunities to give back to the Newark community and to showcase Rutgers University Libraries:

    • To support local historical collections, the LAC is planning a “Day of Service” through which MARAC members will help a Newark institution with a hands-on archives project.
    • RUN and the IJS are sponsoring the all-attendee reception on April 21st, which will be held in the Great Hall at 15 Washington Street in Newark, adjacent to the IJS-sponsored and soon-to-open “Clem’s Place,” a lounge and performance venue dedicated to the late Dr. Clement Price currently being developed for RUN faculty and special guests.
    • The IJS will showcase its most ambitious exhibition to date, Records at Play: A Century of Jazz from New Orleans to Newark, which is scheduled to open in January 2017 and run through the end of the semester. Records at Play will be the inaugural exhibit in RUN’s Express Newark, a university-community collaboratory under development in the former Hahne and Company Department Store. Stay tuned for more information about the exhibit in a future edition of The Agenda!

    The meeting will be April 20th through 22nd at the Robert Treat Hotel, and we expect between 350-400 conference-goers. Even though the conference is a year away, the LAC is currently recruiting volunteers to work during the meeting, so please contact me at elizabeth.surles@rutgers.edu if you have an interest in getting involved.

  • Libraries Get Social at Social Media Summit

    The Libraries’ first Social Media Summit was held on Tuesday, April 19. More than 20 of our colleagues gathered at Alexander Library or attended remotely for a day-long program focused on all things social media at the Libraries and beyond.

    The morning began with a presentation by Karen Smith, assistant director of new and emerging media for Rutgers University. Smith discussed the key elements of building an effective social media strategy as well as the most popular social media platforms and their uses. She also shared best practices developed from the experience of managing the university’s primary social media accounts (RutgersU on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat).

    The emphasis for RutgersU social media is encouraging conversation — asking questions, posting interactive materials, highlighting student contributions (everyone likes their 15 minutes, and the RU Speaks campaign featured below is a good example of this). Some takeaways:

    • Rutgers invites a student to guest post on their Instagram each week – creates lots of student-friendly content and interest.
    • Tease out big news by asking “Guess who?” or “Guess what?” questions. We tried this for our Rutgers Day John Morton reveal and it generated a lot of chatter and feedback.
    • Run lots of contests for prizes like mugs (they will do person on the street — “show us your follow on any social media and you can win a prize”)
    • Try to create an accessible, authentic space by avoiding overly moderating contributions and academic language and jargon.

    The afternoon was highlighted by a presentation from Aaron K. Ginoza, social media and community engagement coordinator for the University of Maryland Libraries (UMDLibraries on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat). Ginoza gave an overview of the evolving social media landscape at the University of Maryland, provided case studies of UMD Libraries’ most successful social media campaigns, and offered his own set of best practices for generating online engagement.

    umd
    During Exam Wars, UMD Libraries hosted yoga classes.

    Some of the social media campaigns UMD has run in recent months are

    • Parody music videos
    • Light painting (great for nighttime study breaks!)
    • Exam Wars campaign (utilizing Star Wars visuals for reading time promotions and stressbuster activities)
    • Throwback recess (complete with potato sack and three-legged races)
    • Zombie, Pokemon, and Game of Thrones-inspired scavenger hunts to encourage exploration of the libraries
    • An extensive campaign for Alice in Wonderland exhibit.

    The program was wrapped up by Jessica Pellien, director of communications, who discussed a proposal for a Social Media Taskforce that was recently reviewed and approved by Cabinet. The Taskforce members will be selected with input from the Libraries’ Cabinet and will hopefully begin work over the summer.

  • Rutgers University Libraries at NJLA Conference, May 16 – 18

    njla

    Many of our colleagues will attend or participate in the 2016 Annual NJLA Conference this month. The conference will run from May 16-18 and will take place at Harrah’s Waterfront Conference Center in Atlantic City. Perusing the program, it looks like the following sessions will feature people from Rutgers University Libraries. If I’ve missed one, please send me a note and I’ll update this post.

    Tuesday, May 17:

    Poster Sessions
    “Embracing Challenges in Times of Change: NJ Academic Librarians Identify Opportunities Presented by the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education”
    Leslin Charles
    11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

    Best Practices in Internal Communications
    Jessica Pellien
    11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.

    Awesome Outreach by Academic Libraries
    Megan Lotts
    3:10 p.m. – 4 p.m.

    Music Advisory: Connecting Books, Music & Readers
    Jonathan Sauceda
    4:10 p.m. – 5 p.m.

    Wednesday, May 18:

    College & University Section Research Award Forum
    Gracemary Smulewitz
    2:30 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.

    Training Tips & Tricks: Templates and Strategies for Training New Staff
    Zara Wilkinson, Moderator
    3:40 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

    Some of our colleagues from Rutgers SCI will be presenting as well:

    Tuesday, May 17:

    The Changing Face of Education for Information Professionals
    Ross Todd, PhD, Rutgers University
    Lilia Pavlovsky, PhD, Rutgers University
    Joyce Valenza, PhD, Rutgers University
    Chirag Shah, PhD, Rutgers University
    3:10 – 5 p.m.

    Wednesday, May 18:

    Will Librarians be Ready When Professors and Students Move from Print Research Papers to Multimedia Presentations?
    11:30 – 12:20
    Dan O’Connor, Rutgers LIS
    GoUn Kim, Rutgers LIS

     

  • Gary Golden’s Retirement Party Invitation

    gary goldenJoin us as we celebrate Gary Golden’s incredible career at Rutgers University Libraries. The faculty and staff at Paul Robeson Library are planning a festive party to commemorate Gary’s retirement on June 6 at 12 p.m. Join them on the 2nd floor of the Robeson library for food and fun.

    If you plan to attend, please let Monique Whittle know. RSVPs and the suggested donation of $25 is due to Monique by May 19.

    We will have a couple of speakers at the event, but we want to give everyone a chance to share their special memories and moments with Gary.

    If you would like to participate in a special display during the event, please fill out this Google form.

    To share this form with colleagues past and present, please send this link: http://go.rutgers.edu/wtdae3t.

  • Tara Maharjan’s visit to Kaiser Library in Nepal [Photos]

    Special collections and university archives processing archivist, Tara Maharjan, recently traveled to Nepal, almost one year after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake. While in Nepal, she took a trip to the 120-year old Kaiser Library, the oldest library in the country. The library building, as well as one-third of the 28,000 books, were damaged. The books from the four floors have all been moved to the ground level, the only part of the building which is somewhat structurally sound, and are now in plastic bags until the building can be reopened to the public. In the mean time, the small library staff serves patrons from a tent outside the building, where people can view newspapers and a few books.

    Here are just a few of Tara’s images from the Kaiser Library:

    • OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

  • Call for Submissions to Featured Collections

    featured collections
    What would you feature in this spot on our homepage?

    In order to better represent the magnitude and diversity of materials the Libraries hold, we are opening up the Featured Collections block on the Rutgers University Libraries homepage to submissions. We can include a photograph and a brief description of a physical or digital collection or other materials you think will be of interest to our users.

    To be included, please send Mary Ann Koruth an image with a caption and a description with a link (if available) to any item that you feel deserves to be showcased on the homepage. These could include photographs, prints, videos, maps, books, collections, items relating to science and medicine, oddities from the archives–you name it.

    We’d like to extend a special thanks to Caryn Radick and Tara Maharjan in Special collections in Alexander, for the wealth of material they have brought to our notice over the past years.

    Please take some time to peruse through collections in your specialty and send in a submission that grabs your eye and piques your interest!

  • Dana Library Proposed Renovation Project

    Rutgers University–Newark chancellor Nancy Cantor recently approved an $11 million renovation project for the John Cotton Dana Library.

    Rutgers Newark Library Vision_FINAL(3) 01.12.16_Page_18Building upon the Rutgers 2030 Physical Master Plan and the Rutgers University–Newark strategic plan, this project is one of two student-focused renovation and expansion projects to be included as part of the university’s capital improvement fund (CIF) grant.[1] The renovation project will take place in two phases, the first of which will be contingent upon the receipt of the CIF grant.

    The completion of this multiphase renovation will result in a more visually appealing building that will better facilitate learning interactions between faculty, staff, and students; serve as a collaborative space where town and gown meet; and provide a comfortable, contemplative space conducive for individual and group study.

    The first phase of the renovation will be the creation of the new P3 Collaboratory on the third floor of the library. This space has remained unfinished since the addition of the third and fourth floors during the library’s 1994 renovation. The fourth floor houses the world renowned Institute of Jazz Studies.

    Rutgers Newark Library Vision_FINAL(3) 01.12.16_Page_17The P3 Collaboratory is a university unit that will provide comprehensive support to instructional faculty and graduate students focused on teaching, leadership, collaborative publicly engaged scholarship, and career development. To accommodate the expected increase in traffic, the plan also includes the installation of a new high capacity elevator and a grand stairway.

    The second phase of the project will be a complete reimagining of the first floor. A highlight of the plan is a public interior passageway on the ground floor called RU-N Walk that will position the Libraries at the heart of the campus by providing connectivity between the Campus Center and University Avenue. This phase will also include the addition of student-centric spaces and service areas such as a QuadCommons café, a research commons area, exhibit space, and soft seating.

    While there will be a lengthy construction period, when the project is complete, the library’s spaces will be more appealing and useful to our core users. As soon as we know when the renovations will begin, we will let you know so we can prepare for any disruptions to our services.

    Scroll through this presentation for more information on this project (click on images to make them bigger and more legible):

    [1] “Facts About Proposed Facilities Projects Across Rutgers University”. http://news.rutgers.edu/fact-sheet/facts-about-proposed-facilities-projects-across-rutgers-university/20160114#.VplDMWMsalH. Accessed 4/21/16

  • University Librarian Report: Update on Budget for 2016-2017

    University Librarian Report: Update on Budget for 2016-2017

    Krisellen Maloney, Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian
    Krisellen Maloney, Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian

    Hello all –

    Few things impact the function of the Libraries more than the outcome of the lengthy budget process we undertake each year. This year, our budget requests were made in the context of the RCM budget model in which the Libraries must demonstrate the value of their requests to the Chancellors at each university and ask for funding of both central and local components of our expenses.

    I am happy to report that many of our requests have been approved, including:

    1. $256,198 – Specialized clinical resources – Central
    2. $200,000 – Nature/Springer STM e books – Central
    3. $21,000 – Pharmacy resources, previously paid directly by Pharmacy – Central
    4. $87,000 – Computer refresh – NB
    5. $24,000 – Computer refresh – RBHS
    6. $10,000 – Extended hours – Newark
    7. $TBD – extended hours – Alex NB (Chancellor funding directly as trial)
    8. $20,000 – Evening staff – RBHS (no longer to be paid directly by NJMS & GSBS)
    9. $TBD – Extended hours – Kilmer NB (Chancellor funding directly cost as trial)
    10. $36,000 – Permanent late hours guard – RBHS
    11. $42,000 – Salary adjustments – RBHS
    12. $14,749 – partial elimination of salary vacancy factor

    You can view the original budget request here. [.docx]

    These allocations directly support the priorities we discussed the State of the Libraries presentation in November 2015 to enhance undergraduate support, identify resources for advanced research support, and optimize collection development and management.

    Although we are still in the process of understanding how best to align our collection-related allocations with University priorities, we knew that our STM collection spending had not kept pace with the changes in the University. Items 1, 2, and 3 will allow us to immediately improve our STM collections and avoid reallocating funding from other areas until a complete study can be conducted. Items 4, 6, and 7 will greatly enhance undergraduate education with extended hours and computer refresh. Graduate students are the primary student base for the RBHS libraries, so parallel group of requests for the Health Sciences will expand service hours and provide a computer refresh (items 5, 8, and 10). Items 11 and 12 will allow RBHS libraries to tie up loose ends related to the integration. In addition, but not on the list, Camden funded a new NTT librarian to provide library support during all hours the library is open.

    The New Brunswick request for expansion of hours (item 7 and 9) to 24/5 in Alex and Kilmer was for over $500K, but the actual funds remain TBD. While we have agreed to move forward with a trial, the Chancellor has asked us to provide some lower cost options for discussion.

    All told, the definite funding totals $711K and if the overnight is funded at even half the level of request, our overall increase will be just below $1M. This is fantastic news!

    The only bad news that we received is that the University will only fund 1% of the 2% salary increases in 2017. For us, that means that we will have to fund approximately $210K of increases with existing salary funds.

    When everything is accounted for, we expect that we will have an additional $750K in permanent funding. We still have to make it over one additional hurdle. In June, the legislature will meet to decide the overall University budget. If University experiences a budget cut, the cut may be passed on to us. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.

    Having this additional budget will help us do so much over the next fiscal year, but it is also a significant reminder of the value of the Libraries and our services to the Chancellors and the institutions we serve. Please join me in celebrating this outcome and also in thanking our many colleagues who helped assemble the budget request and participated in budget meetings.

    Thank you,
    Kris

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  • Celebrating the Life of Ellen Calhoun

    Celebrating the Life of Ellen Calhoun

    Ellen Calhoun
    Heaven’s the place where all the dogs you’ve ever loved come to greet you. —Unknown

    Ellen Calhoun (August 17, 1949 – December 17, 2015) was the beloved wife of Bob DeMartino, with whom she celebrated forty four years of happy marriage. She graduated from Douglass College and had strong ties to Rutgers University.

    Ellen joined Rutgers University Libraries on November 2nd, 1981 as a Circulation Librarian. She achieved tenure in July 1988. During her thirty-four-year career at Rutgers, her titles included Head of the Reference Department, Serials Librarian, and Head of the Government Documents Department. As a government documents librarian at the Library of Science and Medicine, she helped countless library users track down hard-to-find materials including government documents, soil surveys, and topographic maps. She was also a patents expert and an early adopter of technologies in the library. In 1988, she was recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service for her outstanding public service contribution in government documents. As the author of several publications, she received an Outstanding Research Award, presented by the New Jersey Library Association for her paper, “Patents: A Valuable Resource in the Information Age”, with Connie Wu.

    In addition to her skills as a librarian, Ellen was a friend who will be missed for her wit, her gentleness, and her love for all living things, especially dogs. We wish her peace among all of her beloved animal friends.

    Donations in Ellen’s memory may be made to:
    Big Fluffy Dog Rescue
    or
    the charity of your choice

    Big Fluffy Dog Rescue is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization

     

  • “The Book: Digital, Edible, and as Art”

    “The Book: Digital, Edible, and as Art”

     

    These books were created by students in the Spring 2016 Byrne Seminar “The Book: Digital, Edible, and as Art.” All photos were taken by Megan Lotts.