Keeping Current part 2

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As part of Keeping Current, staff members share the latest library developments gained from professional meetings in the previous year.

David Bynog

The 2016 Digital Frontiers conference offered interesting sessions on a variety of topics. Session 4: Collective Contributions in Creating a Digital Hybrid was of particular interest given the local (Houston and Texas-wide) connection. It generally covered the William J. Hill Texas Artisans & Artists Archive, a freely searchable online archive that “documents the lives, work, and products of Texas artisans and artists through 1900.” The entire session is viewable via the web archive. Since staff can watch the sessions themselves, I will offer just a few thoughts:

1) The William J. Hill Texas Artisans and Artists Archive is well funded; in part by the very generous benefactor William J. Hill (be sure to check out the current exhibit of his collection at the MFAH) as well as by a sizable IMLS grant from 2012. Without this monetary support (as is often the case), this archive would not have been possible.

2) Owing to the availability of funding, the MFAH was able to partner with other organizations to add materials to the archive. For these partner organizations, the collaboration was a win/win, as it enabled them to review/process materials from their collections to see if they were suitable candidates to add to the digital archive.

3) Many volunteers have contributed to the project as well, often doing tedious work of reviewing census data, newspapers, and other historical material.

If you don’t have a chance to look at the presentation, at least visit the archive.

Sue Garrison

I attended the online course “Disaster Preparedness Training” from Preservethis.org. Participants were instructed and then quizzed on the various tools and resources libraries can use for preparing for disasters, from earthquakes to power outages. Attendees were reminded that streaming and recorded videos are the best source of information to record damage that has occurred at a library. Detailed instructions were provided for completing a disaster plan template using the free software from dPlan.org. This software can customize information for an organization and has the ability to allow users to upload floor maps for their building. Libraries can test the software by going to dplan.org/demo.asp for more information. Users can create and save their disaster plan on-line, however it is recommended that users always keep one copy off-site.

Additionally many topic specific resources were discussed including “Salvage Wheel”, a mobile app that discusses how to rescue, salvage and restore items, “First Aid App”, which is integrated with 911 and has a CPR clock feature, “Floodwatch App”, (Apple only), which provides flood stage info and graphs that provide the rising and falling of waterways including the many bayous in our area, “Hurricane App”, which informs users what to do before and after a hurricane, provides flood and tornado information, does not require an Internet connection, and can turn any smartphone into a flashlight/strobe light, and the most impressive of the group, “Panic mate App”, which can notify anyone that you’re in trouble, set up to 5 e-mail/mobile contacts, set a message, create two widgets (panic button and call back button), receive message and location, and receive e-mail and location (requests a call back).

I attended the TLA District 8 Fall 2016 Conference on September 24, 2016. The keynote speaker was Crystal Allen, author of several books including her most recent “How Lamar’s Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy”. She spoke to the library community about owning your profession and being passionate about the vocation. Breakout speakers who focused on academic topics were Theresa Hefner-Babb/Lamar University, who discussed her doctoral thesis exploring dimensions of library leadership behaviors, and Shannon Burke and Clarke Iakovakis/UHCL who discussed using Excel and R Programming to create reports to compare eBook vendor data and ILS data to determine eBook coverage, usage, selection and deselection. Additionally, Patrick Ferrell from Harris County Public Library presented a very popular session on “Simple Circuits: A Maker Staple”, in which he discussed techniques, materials, and resources libraries can use to teach patrons how to create simple electric circuit projects. Participants were provided materials and instruction to create their own ‘paper circuit’.

Kathy Weimer

I attended the American Association of Geographers Conference and presented at two venues.  First, I was invited to speak on a panel on careers for geographers, where I spoke about the work and careers of map and GIS librarians and the value that the geography degree can bring in those positions. Second, I co-presented a poster on the topic of geographic content in a linked open data environment, specifically work that I am doing with colleagues on the LD4P Mellon grant on cartographic resources and development of BIBFRAME. That poster can be seen in the RDSA : https://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/88862  Further, I attended various sessions on geographic content in the humanities (i.e. geohumanities), sources of GIS data, and spatial awareness/spatial thinking/education.

C-MACS Concentrates on Customer Service

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C-MACS is concentrating on issues and plans for Customer Service training.

The committee is working with Melinda English, a member of HR’s professional development staff, to guide us in the process.

 

The committee was given assignments to begin the process:

Norie & Sue looked at Peer Libraries. They contacted 10 and found a wide range of information.  Some say nothing about customer service while others mention it prominently.

Mary & Bill drew up a business case based on established material about library customer service. The case can be a basis of planning customer service training.

Michael & Jeff looked at Existing Service Standards. Like the Peer Library findings, they are all different.  They found in some cases the standards are built into procedures for a department.

Jean & Scott studied Recommendations for Project Communication: There are lots of good customer service stories that should be told.  Sometimes librarians are shy and don’t share them.

Melinda looked at Survey Data for both Undergraduate and Graduate students and reviewed other customer service information from different departments. Often customer services issues are actually Policy/Procedure issues.  They are issues that need clarification/discussion to enhance customer service effectiveness.

 

Some of the results are being forwarded to other committees for action.

C-MACS will next look at Customer Service Profiles for Fondren.

Fondren’s Accessibility Committee Events

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National Disability Employment Awareness Event at Fondren Library, Rice University, Oct. 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each year the Fondren Library Accessibility Committee invites Rice’s Disability Support Services Office to participate with us in bringing accessibility information to the library staff and the whole campus.  For the 2016/17 year we sponsored two events. On October 12, 2016 to commemorate National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Dr. Josh Eyler, Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence and Adjunct Associate Professor of Humanities at Rice, presented “Disability and Difference in the Oz Narratives.”  He examined L. Frank Baum’s fiction about the land of Oz and the literary and cinematic legacies of the Oz mythology using the lens of Disability Studies.

On November 10, 2016, the Fondren Library User Experience Office joined the Accessibility Committee and Disability Support Services to host “Accessibility and Usability – A celebration at Rice University of World Usability Day” which addressed three topics. Dr. Lewis Maher, who held space science post-doctoral appointments at Rice University and at RadioPhysics Inc. before joining Exxon Production Research, discussed the various technologies that were available to the blind in the period of 1949 through 2016, and the accessibility of the current science environment. Dr. Claudia Ziegler Acemyan, a human factors and human-computer interaction (HCI) postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Psychology at Rice University, discussed voting system usability, or the study of human behavior and performance while using a particular voting system or product. Andrew Bertics, a junior architecture student, Ethan Chan, a junior art and architecture student, and Kajal Patel , a senior architecture student spoke for the interdisciplinary team of students who  designed and implemented the Hangout outdoor learning space, a creative configuration of hammocks between Fondren Library and the Humanities Building.

The World Usability Day event was recorded and is available on Fondren’s YouTube site at https://youtu.be/Vi28nrV7CYg. Our previous World Usability Day recordings are also available: Designing Technology Around the World (2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMrinM1-1hM (2012); and Designing for Social Change (2011) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPHcSn-uDys.

If you have suggestions or issues concerning accessibility in Fondren Library,  please contact one of the Accessibility Committee members: Mary Brower, Melinda Reagor Flannery, Debra Kolah, Peggy Shaw, Linda Spiro (Chair), or Jane Zhao. If you are new to Fondren Library or just haven’t visited it in a while, check out our Accessibility Tips LibGuide (http://libguides.rice.edu/accessibility) created when the committee formed to share ideas about disability etiquette, promote awareness of accessibility issues and provide tools for achieving greater accessibility.

Keeping Current – Part 1

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As part of Keeping Current, staff members share the latest library developments gained from professional meetings in the previous year.

Linda Spiro

Among the benefits of attending an ALA Conference are specialized talks associated with new vendor tools. Given the highly controversial Presidential election this year, of particular interest at ALA Annual in July in Orlando was a Readex-sponsored talk given by Professor Mark Wahlgren Summers entitled “Politics is just War without the Bayonets: Dirty Politics in a Genteel Age, 1868,1892.” The talk was recorded, so you can see it at http://www.readex.com/videos/politics-just-war-without-bayonets-dirty-politics-genteel-age-1868-1892.


A highly energetic speaker, Dr. Summers called elections the most popular sport at the end of the 19th century with 70 to 90 percent of the electorate showing up to vote. The whole town turned out when candidates came through town and spoke for two or three hours at the fairgrounds where parties hosted barbeques. Campaigns were virulent, violent, nasty and dirty. A good day was when only five people were killed in a particular town. A nonpartisan press did not exist. There were two sets of papers for every town, one Democratic and one Republican with completely different headlines after an election. Ballot boxes were burned and dead people voted. The South, with its one party (Democrat) system was particularly violent with potential black voters and fair-minded officials killed and threats made against white men who planned to vote Republican. The British and Chinese were accused of meddling in our elections. Third party candidates were bankrolled by the Democrats or Republicans to draw voters from the other side. The main qualification for being a Presidential candidate was that you didn’t want to run.

Although many are disgusted with the most recent election contest, let’s hope the outcome remains more peaceful and above board than those of the late 19th century.

Shannon Kipphut-Smith

In Spring 2016, I attended two conferences that had sessions on supporting researcher compliance with new funder public access policies—an area that Digital Scholarship Services is actively engaged. At the American Chemical Society Annual Meeting’s CINF symposium “Driving Change: Impact of Funders on the Research Data & Publications Landscape,” I presented (with colleagues from Utah State University) the results of a study conducted to better understand how academic libraries are leveraging existing services and resources when addressing the new public access policies (our slides can be found at http://hdl.handle.net/1911/88651). Other presentations included speakers from the National Institutes of Health and Department of Energy, publishers, initiatives such as SHARE, and services such as Figshare. The conversation about public access support continued a few weeks later at the SPARC MORE Conference. Participants heard from a representative at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation about their unique open access policy, and members of the Coalition of Open Access Policy Institutions (COAPI)–Fondren is a member–discussed ways to leverage institutional OA policies to support public access compliance.

Norie Guthrie

In October, I presented at the Houston History Conference’s “The History of Houston’s Musical Soul”; the link can be found at https://www.houstonhistoryalliance.org/houston-history-conference/2016-houston-history-conference/ As part of a panel covering music archives in Houston, I talked about the Houston Folk Music Archive’s collections and our current and future plans. Not only was the conference incredibly interesting, it was a great way to reach out to the Houston community. An audience member from the Houston Folklore and Music Society contacted us after the conference and donated the society’s newsletters dating back to the 1960s. You can follow the Houston Folk Music Archive on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/houstonfolkmusicarchive/


Mary Brower

The Texas chapter of the Music Library Association held their fall meeting October 7-8 at the Richardson Library of Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene. A total of eight presentations were given during the two half-days. One of the most interesting was University of Houston Music Librarian Stephanie Lewin-Lane’s presentation “Creating a Beta-Space in an Academic Music Library.” A Beta-space is similar to a Makerspace, but with less emphasis on technology and more emphasis on creativity and inspiration. She repurposed an office into a group study room in the music library that is open to all UH students, but is specifically geared to the performing arts students. It can also be used for skype/phone interviews, viewing webinars and MOOCs, tutoring sessions, and small information literacy classes and workshops hosted by the music library. Previously there was no similar space anywhere in the building. The music library staff repainted the room in blues, greens and purples (associated with stimulating creativity in color psychology), and added stimulating art and comfortable furniture. They also outfitted it with a USB enabled keyboard and microphone for recording; TV and speakers; a laptop equipped with recording, arranging and mixing software, a large whiteboard, and a resource center with relevant handouts and books to check out. Since the room opened in September 2016, there have been 20 reservations–79 people total, including four nonmusic majors.

For further information about the Beta-Space and how it is used: http://guides.lib.uh.edu/music/betaspace

For more photos of the room: https://www.facebook.com/uhlibraries/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10155137584224838

Update on the Library Ambassadors

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The Fondren Library Ambassadors were featured in the latest issue of News from Fondren: http://library.rice.edu/sites/default/files/library-news-images/NFF-Fall2016.pdf on page 2. There are several opportunities for you or your department to become involved with the ambassadors! Every Tuesday we send out a newsletter to the ambassadors. You are very welcome to suggest items for that newsletter, or provide photographs, etc. Past newsletters are available online: http://ow.ly/JPx7307YpcJ

Additionally, every Wednesday, we have folders that they pick up with flyers. Bring your flyers to the UX Office and we will make sure it gets distributed. This week’s folders included flyers and bookmarks about the upcoming Fondren 101 classes, and bookmarks about Interlibrary Loan. The students are enthusiastic about sharing the great services of Fondren!

We wanted to let you know about a project the Ambassadors are working on over the next couple of weeks. They are creating a photo diary from some supplied prompts, such as:

  1. Your favorite study area in Fondren library.
  2. Your favorite place at Rice University.
  3. Something you can’t imagine the library without.
  4. Your favorite place to study with a group.

So, you may see the Ambassadors taking photographs, and you might even get asked to be photographed by a student! We will be sharing these photo diaries with stakeholders, and working with them to develop services and spaces.

The Ambassadors will continue to have a monthly lunch meeting, and the spring will have them learning more about collection development, binding, e-resources, and remote access to Fondren.

We will send out the call for next year’s Ambassadors in the next couple of weeks. The webpage is currently at: https://library.rice.edu/ambassador 

We are especially looking for representation from Duncan, Martell, Wiess, Hanszen, Baker, McMurtry. Please let us know if you have any student workers from those colleges, or serve as an associate. Encourage students you encounter to apply to be an Ambassador!

Please contact Debra Kolah, Norie Guthrie, or Amanda Thomas for questions, suggestions, or to submit material for the newsletter or folders!

Fondren Ambassadors, 2016-2017. (pictured from left to right: Pauline Chen, Meghana Gaur, Debra Kolah, Reagan Hahn, Rakesh Vijayakumar, Anirudh Kunaparaju, Kseniya Anishchenko) (photo by Jeff Fitlow)

Fondren Fellows: Mapping Civil War Narratives

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Woodson Research Center is happy to announce Mapping Civil War Narratives, is now available online! Created by Fondren Fellow Christina Regelski, the series of maps uses ArcGIS to highlight some of the Woodson’s numerous Civil War collections (1861-1865). Researchers can now explore the multiple geographies of over 300 Civil War-era letters. From military operations to disease to courtship, these maps convey the potential of our archives’ diverse stories. You can, for example, follow the particular route of a soldier in the Army of the Potomac through his letters or explore the communication in and out of a single city. Use filters to see where men and women were discussing slavery, politics, battles, or military medicine.

Visit the website to take a tour of these maps. Or, if you are familiar with ArcGIS, scroll to the website’s last page to go directly to our two feature maps. View the connections between where letters from each collection were sent and received.

Or look at individual locations to see where letters were written, where they were received, and what locations the authors mentioned within their letters during four years of war. You can explore the collections by mutual themes, as well. See where authors discussed battles, politics, or particular officers.

Part of an ongoing effort under the new Fondren Fellows program, we expect to continue to grow and evolve this project as more of Woodson’s collections are added.

We want to thank Christina Regelski, our Fondren Fellow, for all of her hard work over the fall semester!

Trial Airfare Reimbursement

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Fondren Library encourages all library staff to attend professional and scholarly activities which enhance skills and knowledge. To facilitate maximum staff participation in scholarly activity, the Library will implement a trial period in which the full cost of a reasonable airfare will be covered for reimbursement. (Currently, the Travel and Development Guidelines for both participants and attendees provide reimbursement for half of a reasonable airfare.)

This trial period begins January 1 and ends June 30, 2017. The definition of “a reasonable airfare” remains unchanged:

“The most economical and direct form of transportation should be used … Economy class airfare should be used.” (https://professor.rice.edu/uploadedFiles/Professor/Finance/Controllers_Office/ACF78.pdf)

This trial does not change the maximum fiscal year limit of $2,100 for active participation (or the $850 limit for non-participation attendance). As usual, these limitations will be applied when requests for travel funds are submitted to the Library Travel, Training, and Development Committee.

After the trial period ends, a decision will be made on whether to make this trial change permanent.

Phrenology – bumps on your head defining your aptitudes?

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Phrenology model and human skull

Phrenology model and human skull


The Woodson Research Center is collaborating with Rice’s Humanities Research Center and the Houston Academy of Medicine – Texas Medical Center Archives to host local high school students on field trips to Rice exploring the medical humanities.

Lecture portion of the field trip
Rachel Conrad Bracken, a Civic Humanist Fellow at the Humanities Research Center, has developed a lecture entitled “Diagnosing Deviance: How Social Norms Influence our Definitions of Health and Disease,” with the 19th century science of phrenology as a case study to “explore how cultural understandings of race and gender biased medical diagnoses and popular perceptions of “ideal” facial features. ”

Archives portion of the field trip
After Rachel’s lecture and discussion, the students gather in one of Fondren’s collaborative spaces, and have a hands-on experience with archival materials which relate to phrenology and other outmoded models of medicine.

Osterhout phrenological chart

Osterhout phrenological chart

From the Woodson Research Center, the John P. Osterhout Phrenological Chart (https://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/27054) shows a 19th century doctor’s evaluation of Mr. Osterhout, measuring his relative powers on a scale of 1-7, and suggesting appropriate careers for him. Strangely, even though he was rated as having a low level of perception and memory of sizes, it was suggested he might be a good mechanic.

Another example from Woodson includes the Mirabeau B. Lamar travel journal of 1835, in which Lamar (who went on to become the second president of the Republic of Texas) describes a speaker in a local church on the topic of phrenology, and whether one can tell from the shape of a man’s head whether he will commit murder (Lamar journal, pg 12).

Students examine phrenological materials

Students examine phrenological materials

The Houston Academy of Medicine – Texas Medical Center Archives, represented by Phil Montgomery, brought a phrenological model, a human skull from their research collection, and handed out blank charts for the students to use in trying their own analysis.

Phil also brought a variety of older medical tools such as an early surgery kit, a lancet for bleeding patients, and an early electric shock therapy tool.

Impact
The students really enjoyed seeing the tools of the trade for these outmoded medical models and were inspired to include archives in their future research. Seeing the original tools in person helped the students see how seriously these concepts were in their day, even as we see them now as quack medicine. To quote Rachel’s lecture, “by learning to recognize the flaws in outdated models of medicine and anatomy, students can begin to see how contemporary medicine, too, is shaped by the diagnostic technologies and scientific knowledge available to us—knowledge always mediated by our culture and subject to change.”

Executive Committee Meeting Summaries, October 6-November 3, 2016

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Executive Committee Meeting Summary, November 3, 2016

1) Fondren Fellow Ian Lowrie, a graduate student in Anthropology, presented a draft of his report “Developing a Culture of Care for Research Data at Rice.” The report will be shared via the Rice Digital Scholarship Archive soon.

2) The Executive Committee discussed how to approach strategic planning. All schools and divisions at Rice will engage in strategic planning as the university gears up for the new capital campaign. Spiro will facilitate a discussion about strategic priorities with the Library Committee at the November meeting. Input will also be sought from staff.

3) The Executive Committee approved a proposal from Head of Access Services Sue Garrison to end Fondren’s borrowing and lending agreement with HAM-TMC. Only 6 HAM-TMC users have charged Fondren materials since 2014. In addition, the HAM-TMC library is only accessible to TMC card swipe holders. Fondren would like to clean up user data in preparation for a potential LMS platform change.

4) Lowman invited suggestions for topics for a Town Meeting, tentatively scheduled for January of 2017. Suggested topics include the strategic planning process, reports from standing committees, and the Survey Data Group recommendations.

5) Lowman updated the group on a proposed donation of WW II materials to the Woodson. A white paper outlining the terms of the proposed donation will be issued by the potential donor.

October 20, 2016

No meeting.

Executive Committee Meeting Summary, October 6, 2016

1) Amanda Thomas, David Bynog and Kathy Weimer discussed the recommendations of the Survey Data Group, which analyzed data from the Ithaka survey and Survey of All Students. The report will be released on the Fondren wiki and will be discussed at an upcoming Town Hall meeting. A spring News from Fondren article emphasizing outcomes of the report was also suggested. The Executive Committee will review outstanding recommendations at a meeting in the near future.

2) The Executive Committee discussed how to handle Fondren locations that have recently been renamed but not yet updated in the catalog. Melinda Flannery will look into implications of changing Periodical Room to South Reading Room in catalog.

3) Janet Thompson is working on the process to enable supervisors to approve timesheets for non-exempt employees before they go to Karen Hyde. Fondren will be broken into sub-orgs. Every manager will approve the timesheets of their own staff, and there can be as many approvers as necessary (e.g. multiple in one organization). The manager will approve staff’s hours; the system will then send an email to Karen Hyde saying that this person has approved. Karen will verify that the hours have been filled out correctly (e.g. hours aren’t put in under a holiday) and do the final approval. This new process will apply to students as well. There will be training.