February 7, 2012

Nearly seventy staff members from Duluth, Morris, and the Twin Cities (including Law) libraries participated in an all-day Alma implementation meeting on Monday, January 30, 2012.  John Butler, Associate University Librarian for Information Technology and the project's sponsor, opened the festivities with background of the project, including our investigation of and reasons for choosing Ex Libris' Alma as our next library management system.  He also encouraged those present to step into the role of change leaders and to use implementation as an opportunity to rethink what work we do as library staff and how we do it.  John was followed by Jeff Stafford from the Office of Human Resources.  For the rest of the morning, Jeff walked us through models and exercises on change and innovation in a session called "Bringing a Mind Set of Innovation to Change Leadership."  Much of the afternoon was spent applying what was learned in the morning to our Alma project.  The group was energized and had hundreds of good ideas and concerns for the Alma Leadership Team and working groups to tackle.  Alma will replace Aleph/MNCAT Classic, SFX, MARCit service, Verde, and ARC.  Our scheduled 'go live' date is mid-July 2013.

The Libraries' Performing Arts Archives has received notification from the Minnesota Historical Society, which manages Arts and Cultural Heritage Program funds ("Legacy Fund") of a $159,200 grant award.  The project, "Preserving Minnesota's Performing Arts Heritage," will enable the reformatting of magnetic media and film for six performing arts organizations: Guthrie Theater, Penumbra Theatre, James Sewell Ballet, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Minnesota Orchestra, and Minnesota Dance Theater.  Congratulations to Cecily Marcus, curator of the archives and principal investigator of the project!

A Student Video Contest sponsored by the Friends of the Libraries was launched last week and will conclude on March 9, 2012.  Please see the contest website at:https://www.lib.umn.edu/friends/videocontest for details about the great prizes and prestigious judges we've assembled!  Want to be a part of the action?  Encourage students you work with to consider this exceptional opportunity, and share this link with your friends and associates around campus.  Final note: Students are expected to observe the guidelines about filming in the Libraries - please see the email sent to building lists for details.

A story and photographs about "The Word Made Flesh", the "Manifold Greatness" traveling exhibit, and last Friday's related colloquium, all in Wilson Library, plus Tim Johnson's January 30, 2012 talk at Highland Park Branch Library in St. Paul are featured on a recent entry on the Manifold Greatness blog, hosted by the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington D.C., at: http://manifoldgreatness.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/manifold-greatness-in-minnesota/ .

Congratulations to Mike Sutliff for recently completing the eight month ITLP along with numerous IT colleagues from the University.  This important program was graciously sponsored by the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and provided by MOR Associates, an agency that has been working with numerous Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) and other higher education institutions around the country.  Way to go, Mike!

Recently, Dr. Carl Osborne and a group of colleagues hosted a special recognition assembly for a crowd of current and former faculty, staff, and students in the Pomeroy Student-Alumni Learning Center.  "Having a gathering of colleagues at the time of retirement is a global tradition," Carl wrote in a special invitation distributed via e-mail, "However, since I have decided not to retire, this is an opportune time for me to personally thank others for Caring About Others."  The event included food, sing-a-longs, jokes, the distribution of memorial bricks from the Veterinary Anatomy building, and more.  Veterinary Medical Library Assistant M. Lisa Berg was specially recognized with an elaborate plaque.  The clearly personalized inscription: To Mary Lisa Berg in appreciation Of your love of knowledge, Of your love of wisdom and most of all... Of your love of living beings, animal and human."  Lisa was delighted to see several former College of Veterinary Medicine staff who'd returned to campus for the ceremony.

It is with obvious mixed emotions that I share the news that Jennifer Reckner will be taking a new position as Assistant to the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Senior Vice President (SVP) for System Academic Administration.  In this new role, she will be assisting in the administration of projects and programs (coordinating personnel systems, reports, and liaison work with units) in the Office of System Academic Administration.  I am sure she will bring the same great expertise, professionalism, and good humor to this new setting that she has shared with us for the last 3+ years.  While this is a great opportunity for Jennifer (and for the SVP's office), we will all miss her many talents.  Jennifer's last day with us is planned for February 24, 2012. 

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

7:00 pm

Cowles Auditorium, Hubert H. Humphrey Center

Tickets: $15

Best known for composing and delivering President Barack Obama's inaugural poem, "Praise Song for the Day," Elizabeth Alexander is a poet, essayist, playwright, and teacher.  Alexander has published five books of poems, including American Sublime, which was listed on the American Library Association's 2006 "Notable Books of the Year" and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize that same year.  Her first young adult collection, co-authored with Marilyn Nelson, Miss Crandall's School for Young Ladies and Little Misses of Color, received the 2008 Connecticut Book Award.  Her two collections of essays are The Black Interior and Power and Possibility, and her play, Diva Studies, was produced at the Yale School of Drama.  She has also composed words for musical projects with composers Elana Ruehr and Lewis Spratlan.

In this series, host and moderator Alexs Pate, University of Minnesota professor and author of Amistad, takes you on a journey into the consciousness of two luminary writers.  These dynamic events feature the authors reading from their work and engaging in spirited dialogue with Pate about the state of the art of African American literature.

Order tickets by telephone at U of M Tickets and Events (formerly Northrop Ticket Office) at: (612)624-2345, via the web at: http://z.umn.edu/libtix , or in person at U of M Tickets and Events office, Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, at University Park Plaza Suite 720, 2829 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414.

University of Minnesota students, members of the Givens Foundation, and members of the Friends of the University of Minnesota Libraries (FOL) are eligible to receive up to two complimentary tickets.  A U Card or FOL membership number must be provided when tickets are ordered.  Complimentary tickets are available by telephone or in person only.

Two-Part Workshop

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

11:00 am to 12:30 pm

Room 310, Walter Library

Make your library a welcoming place for deaf people.  In this workshop, you will gain an understanding of deaf culture, learn several useful library-related signs, and be ready to work confidently with interpreters for your programs.  Links to video demonstrations and handouts for library-related signs will be made accessible to participants in order to encourage practice and implementation after the workshop. Topics covered in this two-part workshop:

- An overview of the different ways deaf people communicate

- Understanding and meeting your library's legal obligation to serve the deaf

- Strategies for communicating with a deaf or hard-of-hearing person in the library

- Tips for finding, hiring, and working with interpreters

For additional information, contact Jody Gray vie email at: grayjl@umn.edu .

Through Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Fourth Floor Gallery, Wilson Library

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/lib-web/events/wilson-library-events/400th-anniversary-of-the-king-james-bible.html

Siberian Estonians

Through Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Atrium Gallery, Elmer L. Andersen Library

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/lib-web/events/university-libraries-exhibits/siberian-estonians.html

Wild Green Things: The Art of Anne Ophelia Todd Dowden

Through Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Andersen Horticultural Library

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/lib-web/events/andersen-horticultural-library/wild-green-things-the-art-of-a.html

The Word Made Flesh: 400th Anniversary of the King James Bible

Through Friday, February 24, 2012

T. R. Anderson Gallery, James Ford Bell Library, O. Meredith Wilson Library

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/lib-web/events/university-libraries-exhibits/400th-anniversary-of-the-king-james-bible.html