On December 9, the New Brunswick Libraries’ Shipping, Logistics, and IT departments held their annual holiday party and white elephant gift exchange. Guests enjoyed pizza, snacks, refreshments, and dessert in Alexander Library’s break room. The always-entertaining gift exchange featured many amusing and unusual items, encouraging much wheeling, dealing, and stealing. A good time was had by all!
On August 23, 2022, the New Brunswick Libraries (NBL) Learning Community hosted its second annual Engagement Day for all New Brunswick Libraries faculty and staff. This professional engagement event is an important part of the NBL Learning Community’s effort to enhance the New Brunswick Libraries’ culture of collaboration, communication, and success.
Despite the challenges of our busy schedules, over 55 New Brunswick Libraries staff and faculty members participated in some or all of the day’s programming. The event was held online and in person to accommodate as many people as possible.
Before the virtual morning programming began at 9:00 a.m., we received warm welcomes from Consuella Askew, our new Vice President for University Libraries and University Librarian, and Dee Magnoni, the Associate University Librarian at Rutgers–New Brunswick.
Throughout the morning, presenters shared their expertise through nine sessions that ranged from interactive workshops to conversations and learning presentations. Two of the nine presentations were given by external specialists, six by Rutgers faculty and staff, and one by an NBL professional. Attendees were split into groups of three and chose from the following sessions:
Following the virtual programming, we traveled to Rutgers Gardens for lunch and an afternoon filled with learning, music, hats, and engagement. Lauren Errickson, Director of Rutgers Gardens, gave a presentation about the history of the gardens. Afterward, we participated in many entertaining activities such as games, origami, button making, a photo booth, self-guided walks through the gardens, and plenty of conversations.
Because of the pandemic, many attendees had not met in person for at least three years! Some of our new librarians met their colleagues face-to-face for the first time. It was wonderful to connect—and reconnect—this way.
The day concluded with career acknowledgments and recognitions, which included length of service tributes and promotion announcements. All Rutgers Gardens attendees were invited to participate in a Tricky Tray game. Raffle tickets were distributed for gift baskets generously made and donated by NBL staff and faculty. Lastly, we took a group photo to remember the day.
The NBL Learning Community Advisory Group thanks everyone who helped make Engagement Day a huge success! We are grateful to those who:
We especially thank Consuella Askew and Dee Magnoni for their incredible support, which included, but was not limited to, funding, pausing operations for the day across the libraries, and starting our day off by welcoming and encouraging us to engage and learn.
We also thank the Engagement Day presenters:
Lastly, a huge and enthusiastic shout-out to all the New Brunswick Learning Community Advisory Group members: Stacey Carton, Becky Diamond, Erika Gorder, Grace McGarty, L Miller, Jill Morrow, Sue Oldenburg, Andrew Ruggiero, Luke Sangiamo, Elena Schneider, Jeff Teichmann, Kate Van Riper, and Ryan Womack! Without their behind-the-scenes and on-stage creativity, resourcefulness, willingness, and hard work, this day would not have been possible.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
New Brunswick Libraries is inviting faculty from Rutgers University-New Brunswick to join their New Brunswick Faculty Author and Creator Event.
This year’s event will be an immersive experience, showcasing the full range of RU-NB intellectual output. We will create neighborhoods of content, featuring works such as monographs, journal articles, patents, startups, dances, musical scores, poems, stories, artworks…
Event details:
Date: Wednesday April 11, 2018
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Where: Alexander Library Reference Room, 169 College Avenue, New Brunswick
What: Neighborhoods of content, a panel discussion, faculty lightning talks and demonstrations
Wine and refreshments will be served.
All faculty are invited to attend the celebration — even if they have not submitted a work for display. Please share this information widely — we would love to see a big crowd.
RSVP here: https://rutgers.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8oVMnXzKcMx2gyF
New Brunswick (NB) and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) are collaborating to upgrade spaces and publicize library services to our users, in particular those from RBHS schools (Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS), School of Public Health, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Physician Assistants program in the School of Health Professions), in Piscataway. One of the goals in recent draftsof the Libraries master plan for the Library of Science and Medicine (LSM) is to “create a science-focused atmosphere and establish a connection with RBHS.” In addition, the plan includes creating both “dedicated graduate study space,” and “dedicated RBHS study space” within the library.
A plan is in place to encourage RBHS students to identify and use LSM and its resources. Survey data from RWJMS reveals that medical students do not currently identify with the library. The upcoming accreditation at RWJMS (March 5-7, 2018), spurred a feasibility study to upgrade study space and librarian support space at LSM to better serve the needs of graduate students in the health and life sciences on the Piscataway campus. Students from Pharmacy and Public Health are also in close proximity to LSM. Even though Pharmacy has recently opened their beautifully renovated building, LSM is still a very popular destination for Pharmacy students seeking serious study space.
An open house for RWJMS students was held at LSM on Tuesday, February 13, to re-introduce students to LSM, view potential floor plans, the phased design for renovating space on the third floor, and view the location of the recently relocated MED-TEXT collection, approximately 1000 books recently relocated from the medical school to LSM. Approximately 100 medical students attended the event, which was positively received. Victoria Wagner and the librarians from Robert Wood Johnson Library of the Health Sciences (RWJ), along with faculty and staff from LSM, interacted with RWJMS students and faculty in attendance.
The completed feasibility study, along with proposed floor plans, renderings, phasing plan and cost are nearing completion. Presenting and socializing the plan to stakeholders (RBHS schools and NB life sciences schools) and funders is a critical next step toward potential implementation. Mei Ling Lo has taken the lead on planning for the weeding of the bound journal collections on the north side of the LSM third floor. Journals are labeled for relocation to the Annex or discard, and a company will start moving items on April 2nd.
An office, previously occupied by DTS on the LSM third floor, will provide the space for the RWJ librarians, who will begin providing services to students from that location in early March.
A full meeting LSM and RWJ libraries took place on Friday, February 23rd at LSM. Plans were on display, updates were provided by Dee Magnoni and Judy Cohn, and then the 20 plus attendees broke into groups focused on space, access services, and deepening collaboration. One listserv for all LSM and RWJ librarians and staff was proposed to enhance communication. Other recorded recommendations are being transcribed to share back with the full group, which agreed to meet again in 2 months.
These are exciting plans! We look forward to gaining momentum to fund this project.