Fondren Library Staff News | Archives | 2015

Travel, Training, and Development News

Posted on October 30, 2015 by dmf4 0

Rebranding for the committee-

After numerous suggestions from Fondren Staff, the committee has decided that the name should be changed. After considering seven suggestions, the new name is:

Library Travel, Training and Development Committee (LTTD)

FYI-our scope of responsibilities has not changed: the committee manages staff travel, training, and development, while administrative travel is still managed by Sara Lowman.

The Committee has arranged the following events for the staff this fall:

On Wednesday November 4th, Scott Carlson and Norie Guthrie will present on the Indie Preserves web site in the Collaboration Space at 1:00 pm. Scott and Norie care passionately about preservation and music, especially indie music. Come hear about their adventures in providing preservation tools to the indie community, and how it’s led them to SXSW 2016.

On Tuesday November 10th at 10:00 and at 11:00 there will be staff tours of the Chevron Visualization Lab. Staff members need to sign up with Lauren Mueller for the time that works for them:

10am to 11am Tour Form

11am to 12pm Tour Form

On Friday November 20th, Alan Steinberg’s students in the Houston Action Research Team (HART) will present on the ongoing Houston Public Library Pattern Assessment project at 2:00 pm in the Collaboration Space. The summer project focused upon library choice, i.e. who is going to what library and attempting to understanding why. They used data about where the users live and explored which libraries they used around the city.

We also want to thank Amanda Focke, Monica Rivero, Rebecca Russell, and Linda Spiro, who presented at the Fall Keeping Current event on Wednesday October 11th. The topics were:

AF: Coalition to Advance Learning in Archives, Libraries and Museums and Rice University’s Woodson Research Center
MR: Updated Metadata guidelines from the TDL ETD Metadata workgroup
RR: Presentation on How to implement a digital preservation program
LS: Dr. Megan Kate Nelson’s talk “A Battle Logs: Visualizing the Destruction of Forests in the American Civil War talk.”

13 Years of Shepherd School Concert Programs Now Online

Posted on October 29, 2015 by sjc5 0

More than 2,300 recital and concert programs of Shepherd School performances are now available online in the Rice Digital Scholarship Archive.

A collaborative project encompassing several of Fondren’s departments, the digitized pamphlets cover 13 years of performances presented by the Shepherd School of Music, dating from 1983 until the Spring of 1996. Having reached this project milestone, the library will continue work on Shepherd School programs dating from the Fall of 1996 onward.

The Rice Digital Scholarship Archive is the repository of the university’s intellectual output. Most materials come from Rice faculty research, electronic theses and dissertations, and digitized collections of rare or unique books, images, and manuscripts. Along with the Shepherd programs, the Archive also contains the audio from approximately 340 Shepherd School concerts and recitals, ranging from 1975 to 1983.

Executive Committee Meeting Summaries, September 3-October 8, 2015

Posted on October 14, 2015 by lspiro 0

October 8, 2015

No meeting

October 1, 2015

Scott Carlson shared the Horizon Group’s report. This report summarizes last summer’s presentations by leaders of campus organizations such as the Program in Writing and Communication and recommends potential projects inspired by these presentations. The Horizon Group was commended for its excellent work in organizing the presentations and writing the report. The Executive Committee will discuss the recommendations, determine which to pursue and what groups should be made responsible for them, and get back to the Horizon Group soon.

Sara Lowman asked for suggestions for projects that could be funded through a gift fund. Lowman also updated the group on Rice’s research competitiveness initiative (http://news.rice.edu/2015/09/21/rice-announces-150-million-in-strategic-research-initiatives-2/), which will fund a program in data science, invest in molecular nanotechnology, and promote research competitiveness more broadly, including through sponsoring postdocs.

Lowman noted that people in certain positions (such as desk security) will need to be trained in accordance with the Clery Act, which requires annual reporting on campus crime, support for victims, and policies and procedures related to timely warnings (http://clerycenter.org/summary-jeanne-clery-act). Contact RUPD if you observe a crime, and know if you are considered a “campus security authority.”

Lowman gave a brief update on the renovation project, saying that the carpet will be delivered the week of October 12, but that furniture will be delayed until the end of October.

Diane Butler provided an update on the working group to assess library systems. After an extensive review process that included presentations by four vendors, webinars, and site visits to interview current users, members of the ILS committee selected two vendors to give full-day presentations for library staff: ExLibris Alma and SirsiDynix BlueCloud. Staff are encouraged to attend presentations by ExLibris on October 15 and SirsiDynix on October 23.

Upcoming Event

Dr. Rick Wilson “Reproducibility and Transparency: A Challenge Not Just for the Social Sciences”
Monday, October 19, 2015 – 4:00pm
Humanities 119

September 24, 2015

No meeting

September 17, 2015

Angela Lipari and Rebecca Salinas visited to share information about Careers @ Rice with the Executive Committee and Lee Pecht.

September 10, 2015

No meeting.

September 3, 2015

The Executive Committee discussed Careers @ Rice, a recent initiative from Human Resources focused on providing more consistent job descriptions and opportunities for advancement. In addition, the Executive Committee planned for library committee meetings during the fall semester.

New exhibits highlight Economic Summit, Flying, and Football

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Rebecca 0

Several new exhibits have recently been installed in Fondren and in the RMC. On the third floor of Fondren, the 25th anniversary of the Economic Summit, held at Rice University in July 1990 is remembered.

G7 leaders at Rice, July 1990

In the glass cases outside Woodson Research Center, selections from the Benjamin M. Anderson Historical Aeronautical collection highlight the artistry of flying, particularly in the early days of flight.

Art of Flying

In the RMC trophy case, Woodson student workers created an exhibit showcasing Rice Football Bowl visits. The exhibit features memorabilia, footballs, programs, and photographs highlighting Rice’s appearances at Sugar, Cotton, Aloha, and other bowls over the years.

Sugar Bowl program

And in the cases near the east entrance of the library, selections from the Weber-Staub-Briscoe Architectural Collection are displayed. Pattern boards (design molds) and metal castings of architectural details such as stair rails, fencing, and other metalwork ornaments were manufactured by Weber Iron & Wire Company from the 1930’s to the 1990’s in Houston, Texas. More information about this collection is available in the IR https://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/68494.

Swan ornament

Mary Bixby Wins Meritorious Service Award

Posted on October 2, 2015 by dbynog 0

Mary Bixby, who retired as Executive Director of Friends of Fondren Library in 2012, was selected as a 2015 Association of Rice Alumni Meritorious Service Award recipient. The award recognizes Rice alumni, faculty, staff and friends who have rendered significant, sustained voluntary contributions of energy, time and creativity toward the advancement of the university. Congratulations to Mary!