Find Library Spaces Now Available to Provide Accessibility and Sensory Information for Library Study Spaces!

The Weinberg Memorial Library’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Accessibility (DEIA) committee in collaboration with the Library Systems department is pleased to announce our sensory and accessibility map of our library spaces. In recognition of the ever increasing diversity of our population of Library users, the committee recognized the need for our users to be able to have a clearer picture of what our Library spaces provide and how our Library spaces may meet their specific needs. In the Spring and Summer of 2023, the DEIA committee membership audited and collected accessibility and sensory data for each study space in the library. The committee then examined what both our peer institutions and Libraries at many larger institutions were doing in order to provide this information in an accessible and understandable format. We settled on a few specific design ideas we wanted to emulate.The committee then turned our findings over to Library Systems Coordinator & Developer Jennifer Galas, whom created an interactive web application which includes photos of our Library spaces, coupled accessibility, and sensory information for each of the study spaces within the Library. This web application is also linked to our study room reservation system, so users can find a space that suits their needs based on the information within the application and then immediately reserve that specific study room if it happens to be one of our reservable spaces. Find Library Spaces can be accessed via the library homepage by clicking on the button labeled “Find a Study Space” on the right-hand side of the page. You can also find links to it on the Library SPaces page, and the Library’s DIversity Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility page.

An image of the Library homepage with the Find Study Spaces button on the right hand side of the screen highlighted with a black rectangle and pointed to with a black arrow

Find Library Spaces was intentionally designed for all users of our library to be able to find the ideal study space that meets their learning needs. The Find Library Spaces application features a number of filters that can help users limit to a preferred lighting type, find a space that has  specific furniture available, or look for a study space that is quiet and distraction free. Each space has associated icons that notate access to power, wheelchair accessibility, and noise level demonstrated by a loudspeaker icon with varying degrees of sound waves to indicate more or less noise typically found in that space. Users should keep in mind that noise level information may change depending on semester dynamics, such as during finals week when the library is quite crowded.

 

It is a priority for Library faculty, staff, and administration to continually provide an environment of inclusivity, accessibility, and belonging and the Find Library Spaces application provides another tool for students to access in order to meet their specific learning needs within the Library environment. The Library DEIA Committee is currently comprised of Prof. Kate Cummings, Research & Instruction Librarian for Business; Prof. Colleen Farry, Digital Services Librarian, Prof. Sheli Pratt-McHugh, Research & Instruction Librarian for Technology & Outreach, and Library Department Chair; Prof. Ian O’Hara, Research & Instruction Librarian for Health Sciences; Sharon Finnerty, Media Resources Coordinator; and Kevin Kocur, Interlibrary Loan Coordinator. The committee would also like to thank Mackenzie Machell, G ’23, who served as a student representative on the committee during the work on this project, and Jennifer Galas for her collaboration and development expertise in implementing the Find Library Spaces application.

Job Opportunity: Research & Instruction Librarian for Business (full-time faculty, 12-month, tenure-track), Weinberg Memorial Library at The University of Scranton

The University of Scranton invites applications for a full-time, 12-month, tenure-track Research & Instruction Librarian for Business. The regularly scheduled hours for this position will be primarily Monday-Friday, 10:00am-6:00pm, with occasional hourly adjustments as needed. The successful candidate will be appointed to the rank of Assistant Professor and will be compensated according to the collective bargaining agreement, see https://www.scranton.edu/academics/provost/FAC/fac_contract.shtml. A generous benefits package is offered, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, retirement plan, paid vacations, holidays, research leave, and tuition remission. All full-time faculty members also have the opportunity to join our faculty union which serves as the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).

The Research & Instruction Librarian for Business contributes to the Library’s campus-wide focus on transformative teaching and learning in the Ignatian tradition. In addition to regular faculty responsibilities, the Research & Instruction Librarian for Business engages in information literacy instruction, research support, and collection development for the academic departments in the University’s Kania School of Management and other cognate disciplines, including Communications, Health Administration, and Human Resources.

Essential Duties:

  • Teaches as part of the Library’s information literacy program, which includes information literacy instruction in core general education courses, as well as undergraduate and graduate level disciplinary courses
  • Provides research services and scholarly assistance to members of the university community both in-person and online
  • Serves as library liaison to the Kania School of Management, a role that includes providing course-integrated instruction and collection development in business related subject areas (accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing, operations and analytics), as well as other subject areas as assigned
  • Meets the expectations of tenure-track faculty while progressing toward tenure by following the expectations set forth in The University of Scranton’s Faculty Handbook
  • Provides the responsible provision of Library services and building operations coordination with other Library faculty and administration

Additional Responsibilities:

  • Participates in Library and University initiatives, e.g., by serving on committees and leading in innovative programs and projects for the Library and University community
  • Performs other related duties as assigned

Minimum Education Requirements: Possession of an American Library Association (ALA) accredited Master’s degree at time of appointment 

Minimum Job Experience Requirements:

  • Experience working in a library or archives
  • Experience working collaboratively with others to pursue, manage, and complete projects

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Familiarity with business or related subject areas (e.g. accounting, advertising, finance, economics, health administration, human resources, marketing, operations. etc.)
  • Knowledge of current trends in academic librarianship related to research and instruction, such as knowledge of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education
  • Experience creating engaging learning opportunities for student, faculty, or community audiences
  • Proficiency in the use and adoption of technological tools, such as social media and other emerging technologies and platforms, for the delivery and support of library services
  • Strong desire to explore pedagogical approaches and learning theories that can enrich teaching practice
  • Familiarity with assessment methods and techniques
  • Supervisory experience

Additional Skills Required:

  •  Willingness to develop the knowledge required to provide information literacy instruction in business related courses
  •  Ability to deal well with members of the public
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, oral and written communication skills, and presentation skills
  • Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
  • Ability to work effectively both as a team member and independently
  • Ability to work creatively and collaboratively with students, faculty, staff, and community-at-large
  • Professional commitment to user-focused library services
  • Professional commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion
  • Ability to engage in scholarship and service in order to meet qualifications for reappointment and tenure, as defined in the Faculty Handbook
  • Ability to attain a second Master’s degree in a subject field, or the completion of thirty graduate credits in a discipline that improves professional competence, as a requirement for tenure (if not already accomplished at time of hire)

Schedule/Work Hours: Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., with occasional adjustments as needed.

Salary: Appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor with a starting yearly minimum salary of $56,494.00. As outlined in the current collective bargaining agreement, see: https://www.scranton.edu/academics/provost/FAC/fac_contract.shtml.

About the Library and University

The Weinberg Memorial Library provides superior resources, services, and programs that meet the dynamic and diverse scholarly, cultural, and social needs of the University and our community. We value teaching, research, and lifelong learning, and we are committed to intellectual freedom, preservation, accessibility, and sustainability. Our work environment is forward-looking and participatory, with an emphasis on transparency and faculty/staff development.

The University of Scranton is a regional institution of more than 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students located in northeast Pennsylvania near the Pocono Mountains. Recognized nationally for the quality of its education, Scranton is one of the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States. It is committed to providing liberal arts education and strong professional and pre-professional programs in the context of Ignatian educational principles, especially the care and development of the whole person. Drawing on the strengths that have made it a recognized leader in the Northeast (ranked 6th among the master’s level universities in the North by U.S. News and World Report), Scranton is committed to a culture of scholarship and excellence in teaching and is moving into the front ranks of America’s comprehensive universities.

Official University of Scranton Diversity Statement

The University of Scranton is committed to providing a safe and nondiscriminatory employment and educational environment. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other status protected by law. Sexual harassment, including sexual violence, is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

To Apply

Applicants must apply online at https://universityofscrantonjobs.com and include a cover letter summarizing qualifications and strengths, a curriculum vitae (or résumé), and contact information for three references. Review of applications will begin immediately with a potential start date of August 1, 2022. See a direct link to the job posting here: https://universityofscrantonjobs.com/postings/5628. Prof. Ian O’Hara, Research & Instruction Librarian for Health Sciences, serves as the Search Committee Chair.

Land Acknowledgement

November is National Native American Heritage Month. This observance commemorates the history, heritage, and culture of Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. It is during this month we acknowledge the vast achievements of America’s original indigenous people. This month is also a time to educate, examine, and raise awareness about the unique challenges and sufferings Native people and communities have faced historically and continue to contend with.

Land acknowledgment is a traditional custom that dates back centuries in many Native nations and communities. Today, land acknowledgments are used by Native Peoples and non-Natives to recognize Indigenous Peoples who are the original stewards of the lands on which we now live.The University of Scranton has officially adopted a Land Acknowledgment Statement to recognize and honor the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Lenape, the Munsee, the Shawnee and the Susquehannocks in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Statement reads:

The University of Scranton acknowledges the original inhabitants and nations of this land: the Lenape, the Munsee, the Shawnee and the Susquehannocks.  May we be ever mindful of their legacy and contributions and commit ourselves to stewarding this land with care and compassion as we navigate our communities towards faith and justice.

The Weinberg Memorial Library faculty, staff, and administration join University President Fr. Marina and the broader university community in acknowledging the land as an act of reconciliation that honors the authentic history of the original people of this territory.The library has chosen to add this land acknowledgement to our website under the “About the Library” section.

The library also wishes to recognize Dr. Adam Pratt, associate professor of history,  and his research students, Peter Burke and Katia Ramirez, for assisting with the development of this statement. The Land Acknowledgement will also be posted on the University’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion website and on the Office of Equity and Diversity’s website. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to read the university land acknowledgement statement at the start of events whenever possible. For more information on land acknowledgement, see the US Department of Arts & Culture’s Honor Native Land.

 

Proquest Digital Microfilm is now Proquest Digitized Newspapers-Recent Newspapers

ProQuest Digital Microfilm has been upgraded and relaunched as ProQuest Digitized Newspapers-Recent Newspapers. ProQuest Digitized Newspapers-Recent Newspapers is a new digital archive that offers full-page images of recent editions of essential and most-requested newspaper titles. Recent Newspapers titles are available individually or in regional collections. For titles in the program, coverage begins in the late 2000s and goes up through the most recent issue with a three-month embargo. The Recent Newspapers content is hosted on the ProQuest platform, and is fully searchable at the page level and cross-searchable with all other products on the ProQuest platform. Currently, the Weinberg Memorial Library provides access to both The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal via ProQuest Digitized Newspapers. Please see the link below to view these resources in our library A-Z list:

https://weinberg.scranton.edu/search/m?SEARCH=Databases+p

Philadelphia Inquirer and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Digital Archive Now Available

The Weinberg Memorial Library now provides access to the digital archive of the Philadelphia Inquirer and also the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via ProQuest Historical Newspapers. Below are links to these two digital archives as well as coverage details:

Philadelphia Inquirer (Current coverage includes 1860-2001, forthcoming in 2017 the paper will span 1829-2009) –  http://search.proquest.com/hnpphiladelphiainquirer

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Current coverage includes 1786-2003, forthcoming in 2017 the paper will span 1768-2008) – http://search.proquest.com/hnppittsburghpostgazette

The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that services the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. It was founded in 1829 by John R. Walker and John Norvell, and is the third oldest surviving newspaper in the United States. The Inquirer has the eighteenth largest average weekly newspaper circulation in the country. Throughout its history, the Philadelphia Inquirer has won 19 Pulitzer prizes.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is the largest daily newspaper serving the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. It was first printed in 1786 and has gone through several name changes in its publication history. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has won six Pulitzer prizes since 1938.

Academic Video Online: Premium now available via the Weinberg Memorial Library

       Academic Video Online: Premium is the largest and most comprehensive video subscription service available to libraries. It delivers more than 48,000 video titles spanning essential academic subject areas including: anthropology, business, science, engineering, counseling, history, music, film, and many more.  Academic Video Online is a replacement for our prior streaming video service VAST from Alexander Street and all content previously found in VAST is available in Academic Video Online. Partnered with recognized providers of content such as:  PBS, 60 minutes, Asian Film Online, and the BBC, Academic Video Online: Premium provides a breadth of expertly produced and relevant academic video content. A link to Academic Video Online can be found by accessing the library home page (www.scranton.edu/library), clicking on the articles and databases tab, and either search for Academic Video Online in the search box, or clicking on databases and finding Academic Video Online under the tab for databases “A”.  It can also be found by logging into the My.Scranton portal and clicking on the “Library” tab, and clicking on the “Databases” link under “Resources” or searching the Library’s Catalog.

New Magazine Display on the 2nd Floor

In addition to the library 2nd floor being open 24 hours a day, we have added a magazine display rack. This new display is located near the end of the periodicals stacks. It holds the most recent issues of 20 popular periodical titles, among them: Rolling Stone, the Atlantic Monthly, the New Yorker, and Sports Illustrated. If you are looking for one of these magazines, look in the new display rack instead of the plastic periodical box.

IMG_20150825_094056647_HDRFullSizeRender

Like all periodicals, these magazines are for library use only and cannot be checked out. Here is a listing of the twenty titles featured on the magazine display:

Atlantic                                                                         Nation

America                                                                        National Geographic

Bloomberg Businessweek                                         New Yorker

Consumer Reports                                                     Popular Science

Discover                                                                       Prevention

Ebony                                                                           Psychology Today

Essence                                                                        Rolling Stone

Fortune                                                                        Science

Harper’s                                                                       Sports Illustrated

Health                                                                           Time

(A periodical is any publication that comes on a regular interval such as daily, weekly, monthly, annually.  A magazine is not scholarly, not peer reviewed.  It is intended for reading enjoyment.  A journal is scholarly and may be peer reviewed.)

New Books Shelves moved to the First Floor

The Library’s latest book acquisitions have been relocated from the second floor to shelves on the first floor of the Weinberg Memorial Library.  The “New Books” can be found directly to the left of the circulation desk behind the Library Gate Attendant desk.  If you are searching for a book in the catalog and you see “NEW BOOKS” in the record for the book, that book will be located on the New Book Shelves and not in the stacks on the 3rd, 4th or 5th floors.  “NEW BOOKS” can also be used to search as a subject, which will locate all of the titles most recently added to our catalog. Please feel free to browse and borrow our recent additions, among them  Is Pluto a Planet?

Bike Scranton at the Weinberg Memorial Library

logo_bikescranton

As of today the Library has 3 bicycles available for borrowing. The program is called Bike Scranton, which is a cooperative program between the University of Scranton Office of Sustainability, and the Lackawanna Valley Heritage Authority. All University of Scranton students, faculty, and staff as well as Lackawanna County Library System card holders will be permitted to check out a bicycle as long as they are at least 18 years of age. Each bicycle comes with a lock and an adjustable helmet upon checkout. The borrowing period for each bicycle is unlimited, but all bicycles must be returned before the library closes. Soon there will be 3 more bikes available, for a total of 6.

Other participating locations in the bike Scranton program are the office of the Lackawanna Valley Heritage Association (http://www.lhva.org/), the Hilton Scranton hotel, and Cedar Bike Shop (http://www.cedarbikeandpaddle.com/). Bikes checked out from the Weinberg Memorial Library must be returned here, and we will not accept returns from any of the other Bike Scranton locations.

The Lackawanna Valley Heritage Authority owns all of the bicycles. Bike Scranton will be seasonal, and the transportation and storage of the bicycles will be the responsibility of our University Facilities staff.  The bikes will be routinely maintained via Cedar Bike, and the University Office of Sustainability is in the process of developing bike routes throughout the city.

Please ask at the Circulation Desk if you have any questions.

SpringerLink Ebook Collections

Springer has been in the publishing business since the early 1840’s and has been an industry leader in innovative publishing methods. The Weinberg Memorial Library provides access to the Springer Complete ebook collections from 2005 through 2014. We have also just added the Springer 2015 ebook collection into which new titles will be added throughout the entirety of 2015. Springer is actually home to the world’s largest Scientific, Technical and Medical ebook collection currently published. The library has access to over 42,000 ebooks via Springer. The titles included in the 2015 ebook collection will be gradually implemented throughout the year until eventually all 6,750 new titles within the collection are available.

There are no limits on page downloads or printing, so it is possible to download every page of all 42,000 plus titles if that is what you need. Also, SpringerLink is now available in the form of a mobile app, for both Android and IOS, allowing a University of Scranton student to utilize the Springer ebook collection for research from virtually anywhere.

It is a simple process to access the ebook collection from the library’s home page (http://www.scranton.edu/academics/wml/index.shtml).  Choose the articles and databases tab, click the link to the databases page. From there, choose the letter S and click on SpringerLink (http://link.springer.com/).  SpringerLink allows the user to browse by discipline, see book or articles that were recently accessed by other users within the University of Scranton, or use a keyword searching function for your research subject area or specific topic. You can refine by content type (book, article, chapter etc.), discipline, subdiscipline, primary language.   You can also further refine searches by date of publication and relevance (whether the keyword is in the title, subject or in the fulltext make the results a better match).

Although best known for sciences, medical research, and also computer science and mathematics there is a wealth of information in all disciplines including philosophy, theology and psychology. Any member of the University community studying these fields in any capacity should utilize Springer as a truly invaluable research tool.