Monthly Archives: March 2018

OpenStax Display

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As part of Open Education Week, print editions of OpenStax textbooks are on display (through the end of March) near the South Reading Room on the first floor of Fondren Library.

As a leading publisher of open textbooks, OpenStax provides free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks for college and Advanced Placement courses. OpenStax textbooks cover commonly taught college courses such as calculus, statistics, physics, economics and psychology. Since 2012, over 3.5 million students have used OpenStax resources, saving more than $155 million. According to a 2017 survey, faculty are as satisfied with OpenStax textbooks as they are with commercial textbooks.

You are encouraged to browse the books on display or check out OpenStax’s textbooks online at http://openstaxcollege.org/books as well as Fondren Library’s open educational resources guide at http://libguides.rice.edu/OER

Executive Committee Meeting Summary, March 1, 2018

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RiceWorks changes: The group discussed these changes and their impact on the mechanics of the hiring process, using an example provided by Angela Lipari of HR through Sara.

Research Data team charge: Lisa invited discussion of a previously distributed broader charge for this existing Fondren group, prompted by low campus interest in its previous narrower focus on data management. Lisa will share with Fondren staff the text of the new charge.

Planning process debrief and discussion of the Library Committee discussion of alignment between Fondren’s plan and the recently-released Rice plan (https://v2c2.rice.edu/). The Library Committee discussion focused on four areas in the Rice plan that are not heavily represented in the current draft of the Fondren plan, dividing the committee into subgroups:

Build Renowned Graduate Programs
Invest in Faculty to Achieve Preeminence (discussed together with Elevate Research Achievement and Reputation)
Expand Access, Diversity and Inclusiveness
Extend Rice’s Reach and Impact

Executive Committee members are grateful to Debra Kolah and Amanda Thomas for helping devise the meeting plan and facilitating two of the four groups. Those present raised many interesting ideas, some of which would involve library partnerships with other campus units or initiatives. The Fondren strategic planning team will meet the week of March 5 to assess where we are and plan next steps. Sara has been asked by the provost to present the Fondren plan to the Dean’s Council as it exists on April 12, with no requirement the plan be in final form.

Miscellaneous: The group discussed potential expansion of the Fondren Fellows program, not necessarily by having more fellows but rather by supporting them more deeply.

New Acquisition of Les Illuminations

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In recent years, Fondren has been building an impressive collection of livres d’artiste to support the university’s visual arts department. While American artists have been the primary focus, we have increasingly been collecting works by European and international artists. Our most recent acquisition is by the French artist Fernand Léger, consisting of fifteen original lithographs illustrating a selection of poems from Arthur Rimbaud’s Les Illuminations. From a total edition of 395 copies, Fondren’s is one of 25 on vélin teinte lourd paper and includes additional signed lithographs. You can find more information about this work on Princeton University’s Graphic Arts Collection website.