A Greener Weinberg Library, Coming this Fall

Earlier this week, a group of Weinberg Memorial Library staff and faculty members took a break from our regular Library work to brainstorm about what we could do to make our Library more sustainable.  We came up with a lot of great ideas, from water bottle refill stations to cutting down on paper memos.  And there are even a few things that we’ve already started doing – our Physical Plant staff uses green cleaning products to keep the Library neat and shiny, and we’ve begun a switch to more energy efficient lighting.

At the end of the meeting, we formed the first ever Weinberg Memorial Library Green Team.  Sixteen members of the Library staff and faculty volunteered to participate, and those members represent nine of the Library’s different departments: Administration, Archives, Cataloging, Circulation, Digital Services, Media, Reference, Serials & Acquisitions, and Systems.  We also hope to have a representative from Student Government join us.

Throughout the next few months, the new Green Team will be starting to implement our ideas. Check back here at Infospot @WML for the latest news, and please comment if you have any suggestions for us!

P.S. If you’re interested in what’s happening with sustainability on the University of Scranton campus, take a look at the University’s Task Force on Sustainability web site.

Pennsylvania academic librarians gather in Scranton

Yesterday, the University of Scranton campus welcomed the Pennsylvania Library Association‘s College & Research Division for its annual conference.  Academic librarians from all over the state (even as far away as Pittsburgh) came to the DeNaples Center to learn from their peers and discuss new ideas.

The theme of this year’s conference was “Information Commons in the Wild: Lessons from the Field.”  Dr. Scott Bennett, Yale Librarian Emeritus and a Library Space Planning consultant, served as the keynote speaker and led conference participants in discussing the philosophy and purpose behind the information commons design model.

In the afternoon, a panel of librarians (Don Smith, Katherine Furlong, Sally Kalin, and Anu Vedantham) shared experiences with creating information commons at their respective institutions (the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Lafayette College, Penn State, and the University of Pennsylvania).  We’ve posted a few photos of Scott and the panel on our Flickr page.

Many thanks to our speakers and all of the librarians who survived I-81 traffic jams to participate! And special thanks to our own Bonnie Oldham, PALA-CRD’s chair elect, for all of her work coordinating the event.

Distinguished Author Book Discussion

The Templar Legacy
The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry

Did you enjoy the films National Treasure or The Da Vinci Code? Are you fascinated reading about Alexander the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, Napoleon, or other historical figures? Have you wondered how authors combine research, adventure, and storytelling?

The works of Steve Berry, who will be awarded the 2011 Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author award on March 19, 2011, combine these elements. Read one of his books and come talk about it with others. The Weinberg Memorial Library will be hosting this event in room 305 from 12:00noon to 1:00pm on Wednesday, July 28, 2010. Bring your lunch. Cookies and drinks will be provided. If you’d like to participate or want more information, contact Bonnie Oldham. Call x4000 or e-mail oldhamb3@scranton.edu

Construction begins on new study space

Over the past few years, our students here at the University of Scranton have consistently let us know that they’d like to have more study space – and especially more study space that’s available for late-night study sessions.

Back in March, we announced that we’d gotten the go-ahead to renovate our first floor print periodical room to create a new study space that (just like the Pro Deo room) will be open to students 24 hours a day (via card swipe after the Library closes for the night).  And finally, after a lot of planning and discussion, we’re beginning construction on the new space!  If you’re interested in following along, we’ll be posting updates here on our blog as well as on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

So here’s what the study space in the 1st floor periodical room looks like now:

And here’s the window that will be replaced by the new entrance to the 24-hour room:

We’ve started by removing extra shelving to make more room for study tables:

We’ve also removed all of the paintings, and stored them upstairs in the archives to keep them safe during construction. The group study rooms look kind of empty without them:

If you’ll be visiting the Library over the summer, be aware that due to this construction, the print periodical room will be closed to Library patrons.  If you need a print periodical for your research, just request it at the circulation desk and a Library staff member will retrieve it for you. Thanks for your patience while we work on this much-needed improvement to our building!

The Schemel Forum at your Fingertips

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqz4XBlxzZ8]

Miklos Marschall of Transparency International speaks to the Schemel Forum about corruption on March 31, 2010

One of the things we’re most proud of here at the Weinberg Memorial Library is the Schemel Forum, a year-long collection of courses and lectures that brings together internationally recognized speakers, University of Scranton scholars, and the Scranton community for rousing discussions of important issues.

We know, though, that as much as you might want to attend each and every Schemel event, sometimes life gets in the way and you just can’t make it to a program that interests you.  That’s why we’re so thrilled that the University of Scranton’s YouTube channel now has a Schemel Forum playlist, where you can catch up on most of the Schemel luncheon talks you might have missed – like David Myers’ talk on “Israel/Palestine, a Tale of Two Truths,” or Parag Khanna’s lecture on “Global Politics and Economics: A 21st Century View.”

Keep an eye out for new videos as they’re posted – and watch out for an announcement of the Schemel Forum’s fall schedule!

Faculty Scholarship Exhibit in Library’s Heritage Room

During the month of May, the Weinberg Memorial Library is hosting its annual Faculty Scholarship Exhibit through Thursday May 27 in the Library’s Heritage Room. The exhibit features books, articles, and conference presentation announcements produced by University of Scranton faculty members since 2008. The exhibit, organized by academic department, provides an overview of the diversity and quality of scholarly accomplishments by the University’s faculty. Please take a few minutes to visit the exhibit.  For further information please contact Michael Knies, Special Collections Librarian, 570-941-6341.

Pennsylvania Library Association Award Nominations


The Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA) presents six different awards to librarians and library supporters throughout the state at the PaLA Annual Conference. This is your chance to recognize that new librarian on the block, your outstanding public library trustee, an elected official who has advocated for libraries in hard times, or any individual who has made an outstanding contribution to libraries in PA during the last five years. You can even honor a library that has consistently encouraged its support staff to participate in career development by nominating them for the Library Support Staff Recognition Award!

Submission Deadline: August 15, 2010

Download the 2010 Award Nomination Form

Categories:

  • Distinguished Service Award: Highest award the associate gives. It may be awarded annually to one person in recognition of exceptional meritorious service to libraries of the Commonwealth.
  • Certificates of Merit: These are awarded to individuals making outstanding contributions during the last five years in Pennsylvania.
  • Elected Official Award: This award may be given annually to an elected official or officials for exemplary support of library service in Pennsylvania.
  • New Librarian Honors Award: Honors a librarian who has been in the profession fewer than six years. It recognizes the originality and inventive ability of a new librarian who devises new and improved methods in library service on a statewide or local level.
  • Trustee of the Year Award: Presented to a public library trustee in recognition of outstanding leadership and service to library development at the local, system, district, and/or state level.
  • Library Support Staff Recognition Award: This award is presented to a library that has consistently encouraged and supported participation in career development activities, particularly those of PaLA for the support staff in Pennsylvania libraries. Nominations should be in the form of a statement of the library’s activities. (A little clarification on this award: It is presented to a library not to a staff member. Does your library provide you with opportunities to develop your library skills through continuing education opportunities? Does your library allow you to attend PaLA conferences and Chapter Meetings as a Support Staff member? Does your library provide you with opportunities to take classes on library related activities or in areas which you can use on the job? Then tell us how that support helps you on your job and give a little recognition to your library.

Nominating is easy! All you have to do is:
1. Complete the PDF form found at

Download the 2010 Award Nomination Form

(or include the information on the form with your email or mailed submission)

2. Email it to Erin.Dorney@millersville.edu or snail mail it to Erin Dorney, Outreach Librarian, Millersville University Library, P.O. Box 1002, Millersville, PA 17551-0302.

Have questions? Contact 2010 Awards Chair Erin Dorney (erin.dorney@millersville.edu / 717-872-3617) at any time!

We hope you’ll consider submitting a nomination before the deadline of August 15th, 2010.

We Now Have White Boards

As the title suggests, we here at the library had white boards installed in all of the group study rooms.

And shiny new markers to go with them! So now you can write your Diophantine equations in some lovely calligraphy.

They're so shiny!

So have fun kids.  Express yourselves.  Artistically, academically, emphatically…

Does that kid even go here?

Choose Privacy Week

Choose PrivacyChoose Privacy Week is a new initiative of the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom.  Library users are invited to join a national conversation about privacy rights in a digital age.

You can find more information about this initiative at the privacyrevolution.org Web site.

Join The Revolution! Fill out the short form on this Web site to join other privacy advocates across the nation. Your identity will be safe and secure, but your sentiments will be amplified in Washington.

This short film introduces some of today’s most interesting and complex privacy issues.

Book and Plant Sale 2010!

The 2010 Weinberg Memorial Library Book & Plant Sale starts today at 4pm with a special preview sale for Friends of the Library and Schemel Forum members.  The sale opens to the public tomorrow, April 24, from 9am – 9pm and Sunday, April 25 from 12pm – 4pm.