September 21st, 2009

News from Around the Libraries

Call for Posters at October 1 Libraries Assembly

Have you presented a poster at a professional meeting or conference in the last year?  If so, the Research and Publications Committee invites you to display your poster at the upcoming Libraries Assembly on October 1, 2009 in the atrium of Andersen Library.  If you are interested in presenting a poster, please contct Scott Smith at: smit0387@umn.edu by Thursday, September 2.  Please provide the poster title and its dimensions.  The committee will make the posters available on the staff wiki after the Assembly; so please consider also sending a PDF attachment of your poster.  Thank you.

- Leslie Delserone and Stacie Traill, co-chairs, Research and Publications Committee

Grant Opportunities News from the External Funding Advisory Team

Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
Deadline:December 15, 2009
http://www.imls.gov/applicants/grants/21centuryLibrarian.shtm
Support to recruit and educate the next generation of librarians, grants for research related to library education and library staffing needs, curriculum development, and continuing education and training.

Coutts Nijhoff International West European Specialist Study Grant
Deadline: December 4, 2009
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/awards/nijhoffstudy.cfm
Support is provided for study pertaining to some aspect of Western European studies, librarianship, or the book trade.

MLA Research, Development, and Demonstration Project Grant
Deadline: December 1, 2009
http://www.mlanet.org/pdf/grants/res_app_20090715.pdf
The sponsor provides support for research, development, or demonstration projects that will help to promote excellence in  health sciences librarianship.  Grants range from $100 to $1,000.

National Digital Newspaper program
Deadline: November 3, 2009
http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/ndnp.html
NEH is soliciting proposals from institutions to participate in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).  NDNP is creating a national, digital resource of historically significant newspapers published between 1836 and 1922.

If you see an opportunity that fits a project you have in mind, the first step is to contact Linda Greve at: greve018@umn.edu

- Julie Kelly

Librarian Spotlight

Amy Hribar is the librarian in the spotlight. Read about Amy's research and outreach interests at http://wiki.lib.umn.edu/Staff/ResearchPublicationsCommittee .

- Leslie Delserone and Stacie Traill, co-chairs, Research and Publications Committee

Libraries Score Big on the Big Scoreboard

During the summer, University Archives worked with Intercollegiate Athletics on a short video shown during the TCF Bank Stadium opening game on September 12.  We provided research, images, and film footage, and they handled all the production work (script, voice-over talent, video producer, etc.).  The video for last Saturday's game told the story of Memorial Stadium, and at the end of the video, the Libraries and ASC logo came up on the screen and the P.A. announcer gave credit to University Archives for the images and encouraged people to check out the Memorial Stadium history website, giving the URL: http://brickhouse.lib.umn.edu/ to see more photos and films.

Intercollegiate Athletics will have a video for every home game this season - a different topic for each game - and University Archives provided research and images for the entire video series, so each video will conclude with a credit to University Archives and the Libraries logo on the big screen.

- University Archives: Beth Kaplan, Karen Spilman, and Erin George

New E-Resource

Gale Virtual Reference titles: http://www.lib.umn.edu/indexes/moreinfo?id=11144

Includes:
Biographical Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa
Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages
Encyclopedia of management
New encyclopedia of Africa
Comparative guide to American suburbs
Religious Right: A Reference Handbook
Value of a Dollar: Prices & Incomes in the United States
Working Americans series
Worldmark encyclopedia of cultures and daily life
Worldmark encyclopedia of the nations
American environmental leaders
Countries of the world and their leaders yearbook 2010
Iran Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Islamic Republic
Battleground: Environment
Foodways and Folklore: A Handbook

- Jim Stemper

Religious Holiday Calendar

The religious holiday calendar can be found on the Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) website at: www.eoaffact.umn.edu/resources/calendar/07_july.html .  Also, see: www.policy.umn.edu/Policies/hr/Leaves/RELIGIOUSHOLIDAYS.html for the most updated version of the policy regarding Employee Absence for Religious Holidays.

Union-represented staff employee rights to absences for religious holidays are governed by collective bargaining agreements: See: http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/policies/governing/unit6contract/article15/index.html , for Unit 6, clerical and see: http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/policies/governing/unit7contract/article15/index.html , for Unit 7, technical.

Questions?  Contact Lori at: crame001@umn.edu , Eva at: nser0001@umn.edu , or Xiong at: leex3606@umn.edu in Libraries Human Resources.

- Linda DeBeau-Melting

Seeking Volunteers for the 2009 Community Fund Drive

The 2009 Community Fund Drive is  about to get underway and we are seeking motivated volunteers to help get the word out to our staff.  The first planning meeting will be held this Wednesday, September 23, 2009, 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm, in room 314, Walter Library.  Fund raising efforts will support charitable federations like the Greater Twin Cities United Way, Minnesota Environmental Fund, United Arts Fund, and more!  If you are interested in becoming a grassroots volunteer, please contact Charlie Heinz at: heinz062@umn.edu or Kristen Mastel at: meye0359@umn.edu and put "Grassroots Volunteer" in the subject line.  We're looking forward to hearing from you!

- Charlie Heinz and Kristen Mastel, Lead Volunteers

Verde E-Resource Management System Implementation

A significant milestone was achieved yesterday with the production implementation of the Verde electronic resource management system.  Verde, an Ex Libris product, intends to support management of  library electronic collections throughout the e-resource life cycle (i.e., from license and acquisition to activation, renewals, and cancellation).  The product, which will be supported by LEO, will supersede the Libraries' home-grown E-Resource Tracker system.  Congratulations and deep appreciation are due to the Verde Working Group Heads team led by Fariha Grieme and Jim Stemper, with members Laureen Boutang, Amy Claussen, Betsy Friesen, Cecilia Genereux, John Halvorson, Chris Koehler, Sue Koelmel, Yumiko Toyota-Kindler, and Stacie Traill (see the project team wiki at: https://wiki.lib.umn.edu/Verde/HomePage .  Special recognition is due to Betsy Friesen, who as technical lead on the implementation, brought keen analyst skills, perseverance and patience, and good cheer to this challenging implementation project.

- John Butler, Peggy Johnson, and Charles Spetland, Verde Implementation Project Sponsors; and Heather Hessel, LEO Interim Director



Staff Tidings and Kudos

Liaison Librarian (beyond the position description)

André Nault is the Manager of the Veterinary Medical Library and liaison librarian to the College of Veterinary Medicine.  He had an extraordinary experience with the incoming first year class that I asked him to share with us.    - Linda Watson


Two weeks ago I took part in a three-day Gopher Orientation and Leadership experience (GOALe) as a mentor for the incoming 2013 class of veterinary students.  The experience turned out to be the highlight of my four years here as a liaison.  The GOALe program was created to build a foundation in life skill competencies, particularly those skills relating to teamwork, communication, and professionalism.  I was invited to participate in this through my involvement in the Professional Skills classes, where those non-clinical competencies (such as information searching and evaluation) were starting to be addressed.  After a day of team-building exercises with fellow mentors, the two days with the students took place at the YMCA's Camp St. Croix in Hudson, WI.  After the 98 students arrived and found their bunks in the cabins, they heard short presentations by faculty members on the importance of communication, understanding and appreciation of individual differences, and moving from the competitive atmosphere which they had experienced as undergrads to one of collaboration.  Interspersed between these talks were outdoor activities designed to show how different we all are, but also how those differences actually reveal a lot of commonality.   The first evening ended with a campfire overlooking the St. Croix River, and I was pressed into guitar-playing service when the mob grew restive at the delay of s'more-making ingredients.  The next day, three fellow mentors and I lead our group through several exercises in the woods involving mazes, swinging ropes, teeter-totters, and other challenges.  Each of these was followed by a debriefing on what was learned, the communication styles used to tackle the problem, and how these might translate to challenges in vet school.  The orientation ended with a group-sit where all the students formed a tightly packed circle in an open field, and sat down at the same time, using each other as chairs.  It was a fitting display of dependence and a complete disregard for personal space.  In summary, it was a wonderful experience and allowed me to create new relationships with some faculty, and improve those that already existed.  I'm now on a first-name basis with many new students, and they can put a face with the veterinary library.  The next week, it was off to a 6000-head dairy farm with the director of the Institute for Health Informatics and a large animal faculty member to discuss data-management issues.  Interesting work!

- André Nault

 

Upcoming Events

Agricultural Economics Reference Organization Meeting

This Thursday and Friday, September 24 and 25, 2009, the Agricultural Economics Reference Organization, AERO, will be meeting in the Twin Cities.  All library staff are welcome to attend any of the talks, which will be held on the St.Paul campus on Thursday or the Minnesota Arboretum on Friday.  Check out the schedule at: http://are.berkeley.edu/AERO/Main/ConferenceUpdate and contact Julie Kelly at: jkelly@umn.edu or Louise Letnes at: lletnes@umn.edu for details.

- Julie Kelly

Diversity Events

Interested in events happening across campus that reflect diversity?  Please join the ap-diversity-lib listserv.  You can access this listserv at: http://lists.umn.edu or by going to the Diversity Outreach Collaborative wiki page and looking under Communications.

- Jody Gray

Libraries Assembly
The next Libraries Assembly is scheduled for Thursday, October 1, 2009, 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm,  Andersen Library with a poster Session from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm in the atrium and the assembly from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm in room 120.  Refreshments will be served.  The Assembly will be available for viewing during or after the Assembly via UMConnect.  For UMConnect instructions, go to: https://wiki.lib.umn.edu/Staff/UMConnect .   Please call or email Jennifer Reckner with any questions at 4-9338 or reckn001@umn.edu .  See you there!

- Jennifer Reckner

Professor Lawrence Sipe

Wednesday, September 23, 2009
2:00 pm

Room 120, Andersen Library


Professor Lawrence R. Sipe, the 2009 Marilyn Hollinshead/ Kerlan Collection Fellow, will present "Peritextual Features of Contemporary Picturebooks: How Readers are Prepared to Experience the Story", as part of the ASC Research in Progress series.  Dr. Sipe, University of Pennsylvania, is co-editor of the international journal, Children's Literature in Education, and author of Storytime (Teachers College Press).
- Karen Nelson Hoyle

Save the Date: Emerging Tech Expo: Explore Play Learn!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
11:00 am to 1:30 pm
Room 120, Andersen Library

Zotero, Twitter, Pachyderm, Kindle, Drupal, Google Docs... as new tools and technologies constantly advance over the horizon, it becomes harder to keep up.  The Libraries IT Council and Staff Education and Development (SED) are sponsoring an Emerging Tech Expo to give all Libraries staff a professional development opportunity to explore these emerging technologies, play with cool gadgets, and learn about the latest tech initiatives here in the Libraries.  Whether it's new to the world, or new to you, there'll be something for everyone... plus, there will be snacks!

- Event Planning Group: Liya Ai, John Butler, Francine Dupont-Crocker, Denise Gamble, Lisa Johnston, Jan Roseen, and Scott Spicer



Exhibits at the Libraries

Memories of Memorial Stadium
Through Saturday, September 26, 2009
Atrium Gallery, Elmer L. Andersen Library
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/lib-web/events/2009/01/memories_of_memorial_stadium.html


Workshops, Training Sessions, Brown Bags, etc.

Archive Now Available for The Preservation Function in Research Libraries, Webcast

If you were not able to attend the webcast on "Preservation: Evolving Roles and Responsibilities of Research Libraries," you may view the archived version.  The archive is free, but registration is required.  To register and view the webcast, please visit: http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=59604 .

- Denise Gamble

Civil Service Performance Standards Lab

This brief workshop covers examples and tips for completing the Performance Against Standards portion of your Performance Appraisal.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm, Room S30A, Wilson Library
Thrusday, October 15, 2009, 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Room 2, Magrath Library
Tuesday, January 12, 2010, 9:00 am to 10:00 am, Room 120C, Andersen Library
Wednesday, January 13, 2010, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, Room 555, Diehl Hall

Register for a session at: https://onestop2.umn.edu/training/courseDetail.jsp?course=LB0246

- Denise Gamble

Conflict Fluency Workshop

There are a few spaces open in Tuesday's Conflict Fluency Workshop.  In this workshop, taught by Julius Erolin of the University OHR's Organizational Effectiveness Program, we will explore different models and approaches to conflict and the ways in which it can be a source of creativity and growth.  "Conflict fluency" is the ability to interact and engage with conflict in intentional and effective ways.  Participants will increase their understanding of how conflict can be constructively engaged, managed and resolved, and the ways in which this can improve morale, productivity, efficiency and innovation.  While open to all members of the University community, the session will emphasize conflict fluency for University of Minnesota Civil Service and Bargaining Unit, and Professional and Administrative Staff.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
1:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Room S30A, Wilson Library
Register at: https://onestop2.umn.edu/training/courseDetail.jsp?course=LB0248

- Jan Roseen

Learn More About Zotero

Have you heard all the buzz about Zotero and want to learn more?  Come to our brownbag on Friday, September 25, 2009 in room S30A,Wilson Library.  We'll introduce you to Zotero, the free Firefox plug-in that you can use to save citations and archive web sites -  giving examples that can help you in your own work, as well answering patron questions.  We'll have the room for eating and chatting at 11:30 am... the presentation will start at 12:00 pm.   If you have any questions please drop any one of us an email.
- Kate Brooks, Jan Fransen, and Jon Jeffryes

Staff Education and Development

Check out upcoming classes offered by the Libraries' Staff Education and Development (SED) office at https://wiki.lib.umn.edu/SEDP/HomePage

Minitex

Minitex offers a dynamic schedule of webinars and training sessions, and the full schedule can be found at http://www.Minitex.umn.edu/events
 



For items to be included in the Monday Memo, please send all Monday Memo announcements to Scott Smith at smit0387@umn.edu before 12:00 pm, the preceding Friday.