13 Years of Shepherd School Concert Programs Now Online

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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.

Shepherd 3    Shepherd 2
Shepherd 1
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

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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

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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

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

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

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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!

 

Social Media at Fondren Update

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Fondren Social Media

C-MACS is happy to announce some changes in Fondren Library’s social media presence.

We have some new Fondren faces helping with the efforts: Paloma Lenz (WEST project), DaVian Smith (Access Services), Michael Chiles (Access Services), and Amanda Thomas (UX Office). Additionally, we now have a subscription to HootSuite to manage our posts. This means that we can more easily schedule posts across our various platforms. We are very interested in marketing events and classes for Fondren Library, so please let us know if you have a special event or class coming up! We have just added a special place on the Contact Us form on the website to specify if you would like an event to be posted to social media.

socialmediapost

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to all of our new social media content providers. Please let us know if you are interested in participating in our social media efforts!

Here is the current schedule for Fondren Library social media:

Twitter:

  • Monday: Paloma Lenz
  • Tuesday: Debra Kolah
  • Wednesday: Kathy Weimer
  •  Thursday: Scott Carlson
  • Friday: Norie Guthrie

Facebook:

  • Monday: Amanda Thomas (UX Office: Library website tip, Library hack, UX info, call for usability testers –etc.)
  • Tuesdays: Joe Goetz (Reference Events/Information Literacy information)
  • Wednesdays: Melinda Flannery (News from Fondren story highlight)
  • Thursdays: Norie Guthrie (Archives/#TBT item from the Woodson Archives)
  • Friday: Debra Kolah (Faces of Fondren: Photo/brief blurb/link to News from Fondren profile if one exists/link to poster/conference presentation, project, etc.)

Instagram: Michael Chiles/DaVian Smith/Norie Guthrie (3 x week)

Pinterest: Amanda Thomas, Norie Guthrie (1 x week)

Hootsuite (Social Media Software): Norie Guthrie and Paloma Lenz

Student Assistant Orientation 2015

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Sandi SAAC On the evening of Sunday, September 13, 2015, the Student Assistant Advisory Committee held its annual orientation for new student workers. Forty students from departments throughout the library attended, where they learned about customer service policies, work expectations, guidelines, and paychecks. Sandi Edwards also provided a construction update and welcome, and Rice University Police Officer Philip Roach provided details on safety and security. All library staff in attendance and the student workers briefly introduced themselves before enjoying a dinner provided by the committee. The evening closed with a viewing of a customer service video created by Rice students.

Bingo Night, September 9, 2015

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bbingonight15 For the second year in a row, Fondren Library hosted a scavenger-hunt activity to help orient students to service points and resources in the library. This year’s event, hosted by CMACS on September 9, 2015, offered prizes for students who completed a row on their bingo card, with specialty prizes for students who visited every spot on their card. As with last year’s event, students commented on their pleasure at learning about previously unfamiliar aspects of the library, with many of this year’s participants indicating that they had located “nice new study spots.” Special thanks to the Friends of Fondren Library for generously funding many of the prizes!

fbingonight15

Executive Committee Meeting Summaries (June 18-August 20, 2015)

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June 18, 25, July 2

No meetings.

July 9

The group discussed possible changes in building hours for the fall semester. To ease Access Services scheduling while maintaining strong customer service, the library will be open to the public Sat. 9-6 and Sun. 12–8 pm. This set of changes is a pilot and we will look at user feedback before setting schedules for the future.

Progress on the library’s portion of the university’s SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) accreditation review was discussed, and updates were given on individual assignments. Late summer/early fall deadlines for various sections were reviewed.

The group also discussed the library’s participation in Rice’s annual internal assessment effort, ROARS (Rice Outcomes Assessment Reporting System), with a midsummer deadline.

July 16, 23, 30, August 6, 13

No meetings.

August 20

Sara Lowman clarified members’ expected preparation for next week’s discussion of documentation to date for the university-wide job review, Careers@Rice.

Lisa Spiro gave an update on the university’s possible transition to a new faculty information system. She also asked for and received feedback from fellow members on a recent report on research data management at Rice, produced by a cross-campus group that includes several Fondren staff. For more information on the Research Data Management Team, please visit: https://libstaff.blogs.rice.edu/2015/08/31/update-from-the-research-data-management-team/.

Sara Lowman gave updates from recent Deans’ Council meetings. The new Quality Enhancement Plan in connection with Rice’s SACS review will target experiential learning.

The Rice Board of Trustees will meet Sept. 9-10, with some meetings taking place in the Kyle Morrow Room.

Update from the Research Data Management Team

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In 2014, support for data ranked as one of the top trends in academic libraries: “Increased emphasis on open data, data-plan management, and ‘big data’ research are creating the impetus for academic institutions from colleges to research universities to develop and deploy new initiatives, service units, and resources to meet scholarly needs at various stages of the research process” (ACRL Research Planning and Review Committee). At Rice, the Research Data Management Team (RDMT) is developing strategies and services to assist researchers in managing their data. This informal working group includes members from Fondren, the Office of Information Technology and the Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology, consulting with other stakeholders as needed. RDMT seeks to understand local needs and emerging best practices around research data and to facilitate collaborations to meet these needs, including through infrastructure development, training and consultation.

Recently the RDMT prepared a report that describes data management needs at Rice, such as easy-to-use, well-supported data storage, training in best practices for data management (particularly for graduate students), and support in writing data management plans (especially given funders’ increasing emphasis on them). A small working group is now being assembled that will develop a more specific proposal for providing data management infrastructure and services at Rice, building on current activities.

The RDMT offers consultation services for researchers developing data management plans, which most federal funding agencies require or will soon require. As they create their data management plans, Rice researchers can use the web-based templates provided by DMPTool; they can log in using their netids and passwords.

To assist researchers in writing effective plans and in better managing their data, the RDMT is offering several workshops during the fall semester, including:

Fondren staff are welcome to sign up for the first two workshops; the last one is reserved for graduate students.

Last year the RDMT worked on a small pilot project to bring a dataset into the Rice Digital Scholarship Archive, in the process developing a metadata profile and tackling questions about scope and workflow. We hope to expand our pilot project to share small, finalized datasets through the Rice Digital Scholarship Archive. If you know of good faculty partners for such a project, please contact Lisa Spiro.

As the RDMT develops its services and resources, we welcome help spreading the word about our work, as well as input on how best to support researchers in managing their research data.

Fondren at O-Week 2015 Academic Fair

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Fondren Library was invited to participate in Rice’s O-Week 2015 Academic Fair. Held at the Rec Center the afternoon of Tuesday, August 18, the fair was an opportunity for new students to learn about different academic offerings on campus. Several library employees took turns staffing the table, providing materials and answering questions about the library’s many services and collections. Here, an academic fair participant proudly displays one of the new Fondren-Library-branded water bottles, which were distributed to all freshman as part of an O-Week welcome packet.

CMACS Water Bottle