Giving Tuesday! Help Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Weinberg Memorial Library

The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Memorial Library was dedicated on September 25, 1992. Thirty years later, the Library remains at the heart of The University of Scranton and is one of the leading libraries in Northeast Pennsylvania. As we embark on the 30th Anniversary of the Weinberg Memorial Library, we ask that you consider supporting the Library in its mission to provide superior resources, services, and programs that meet the dynamic and diverse scholarly, cultural, and social needs of the University and area community.

Each donation to the Library’s 30th Anniversary fund will help us improve the Library’s many spaces, which will directly enhance student learning and further grow our commitment to providing resources and services to the community. All gifts to the 30th Anniversary fund will help modernize the Library while allowing us to continue utilizing our annual operating budget to fund resources for student, faculty, and community learning and scholarship.

Some notable Library initiatives include being a hub for Bike Scranton, providing book borrowing privileges for Lackawanna County Library Card holders and Friends of the Library members, acquiring CloudSource OA to provide e-resources to the local community, supporting Affordable Learning initiatives for Scranton students, instructing area secondary school students on how to utilize the Weinberg Memorial Library’s resources, and hosting free-to-attend public events such as the Environmental Art Show and exhibits hosted by the McHugh Family Special Collections.

Donations of any amount will help us meet our goal of being the area’s premier Library for academic research, preservation, accessibility, sustainability, and lifelong learning. The Weinberg Memorial Library also seeks to complete larger projects that can be funded as named gifts. For more information or to donate, please visit our website or contact George Aulisio, Dean of the Library, at 570-941-7816 or by email.

Even if you are unable to contribute to our 30th Anniversary fund at this time, we invite you to utilize the Weinberg Memorial Library. We are grateful for our thriving community of Library users!

Apply Now for the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize

The Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize

Are you working on a research project this semester? Did you use the library’s resources, services, collections, or spaces in order to complete your research? Then the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize is for you!

The Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize recognizes excellence in research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge in the methods of research and the information gathering process and use of library resources, tools, and services.

New this year: The selection criteria have been updated and refreshed in 2022-2023 to better recognize the diversity of projects on campus. Visit the Selection Criteria and Judging information on the prize website to learn more.  

Three prizes of $500.00 each will be awarded to the winning individual student or group in the following categories: Undergraduate Foundational (100-level courses), Undergraduate Upper-level (200- to 400-level courses), and Graduate. If won by a group, the award will be split equally among the group members. All you need to do is write a 500- to 700-word essay describing your research process and how you used the Library in completing the project. Check out our Tips web page for updated advice on how to craft the best 500- to 700-word essay you can about your research. 

The application deadline for projects completed during Summer or Fall 2022 is Monday, December 12, 2022 at 4:00 pm.

A statement of faculty support from the instructor who assigned the research project is also required for each submission.

Winners will be announced in May after the deadline for Intersession and Spring projects. Although there are two different dates to submit an application, only one judging will take place.

For additional information on how to apply, what to include in a completed application, and to access the application, visit the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize page: www.scranton.edu/libraryresearchprize

Job Opportunity: Research & Instruction Librarian for Student Success(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 Student Success. The successful candidate will be appointed to the rank of Assistant Professor and will be compensated according to the Faculty collective bargaining agreement, see Article 5 (p. 2):https://www.scranton.edu/academics/provost/FAC/contract/fac-con_2022-2025.pdf. 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).

Job Purpose: The Research & Instruction Librarian for Student Success 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 Student Success engages in information literacy instruction and research support focusing on student learning and success for first-year and first-generation college students. The position will have subsidiary responsibilities to the natural sciences and cognate disciplines, including minor collection development responsibilities, some information literacy instruction, and research support.

Essential Duties:

  • Teaches as part of the Library’s Information Literacy Program focusing on first-year and core general education courses.
  • Teaches information literacy and supports student research for natural sciences courses as needed.
  • Provides research services and scholarly assistance to members of the University community both in-person and online.
  • Serves as subject liaison to academic departments supporting the natural sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Engineering, Environmental Science), a role that includes providing course-integrated information literacy instruction and collection development. May be assigned to additional departments as dictated by department needs.
  • Collaborates with campus programs, groups, and units that support student learning in general education coursework, such as the First-Year Writing Program, First Year Seminars, Thr1ve Program for first-generation students, Student Life programming, and the Gonzaga Program.

Additional Responsibilities:

  • Participates in Library and University initiatives, e.g., by serving on committees, etc.
  • Provides the responsible provision of Library services and building operations in coordination with other Library faculty and administration.
  • Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Education Requirements: Possession of an American Library Association (ALA) accredited Master’s degree at the 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 foundational undergraduate coursework including writing, reading, digital technology, and communication.
  • 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 of technology, such as social media and other emerging technologies and platforms, for the delivery of library services.
  • Strong desire to explore pedagogical approaches and learning theories that can enrich teaching practice.
  • Familiarity with assessment methods and techniques.
  • Coursework or experience in instructional design.

Additional Skills Required:

  • Willingness to develop the knowledge required to provide information literacy instruction for student success in general education coursework and the natural sciences
  • 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 diversity, equity, 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 the time of hire)

Schedule/Work Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., with occasional adjustments as needed.

About the Library and University

The Weinberg Memorial Library provides 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.

The University is a Catholic and Jesuit University animated by the spiritual vision and the tradition of excellence characteristic of the Society of Jesus and those who share in its way of proceeding. All candidates must indicate how they would help communicate and support the Catholic and Jesuit identity and mission of the University. The University’s mission statement and a description of the history and concepts of the Ignatian teaching philosophy may be found at https://www.scranton.edu/about/jesuit-tradition/index.shtml.

Official University of Scranton Non-Discrimination Statement

The University is committed to providing an educational, residential, and working environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. Members of the University community, applicants for employment or admissions, guests and visitors have the right to be free from harassment or discrimination based on race, color, religion, ancestry, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, national origin, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Sexual harassment, including sexual violence, is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational, extracurricular, athletic, or other programs or in the context of employment.

Anyone who has questions about the University’s Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy, or the University’s Non-Discrimination or Anti-Harassment Policy, or wishes to report a possible violation of one of the policy should contact:

Elizabeth M. Garcia
Title IX Coordinator
The Office of Equity and Diversity
Institute of Molecular Biology & Medicine, Rm 311
elizabeth.garcia2@scranton.edu
(570) 941-6645
https://www.scranton.edu/equity-diversity/

To Apply

Applicants must apply online at https://universityofscrantonjobs.com and include a cover letter summarizing qualifications and strengths, a curriculum vitae (or résumé), a statement on diversity and inclusion, and contact information for three references. Review of applications will begin in January with a potential start date of August 1, 2023. See a direct link to the job posting here: https://universityofscrantonjobs.com/postings/6270. Prof. Donna Witek and Prof. Sheli Pratt-McHugh are serving as Search Committee Co-Chairs.

Bike Scranton 2022 Ends Today

The 2022 Bike Scranton Season has ended today. We were happy to be participants in this green initiative again this year. Plan to join us again next April!

Introducing the Kanopy Base Collection

The Weinberg Memorial Library is pleased to offer Kanopy Base, a collection of over 10,000 educational and feature films. This greatly expands the films available from Kanopy, and access to the new films is through the already existing Kanopy database.

Benefits of Kanopy Base are unlimited, simultaneous access to the collection, and multidisciplinary coverage including World Cinema, Film Studies, Education, Ethnic Studies, and Sciences. Suppliers include PBS, Kino Lorber, and New Day Films.

To explore the Kanopy Base collection, visit the Library’s A to Z database page or click here.  Chrome is the recommended browser for streaming films.

Two new exhibits in The Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room

The 30th Anniversary of the Weinberg Memorial Library briefly presents the history of libraries on campus and showcases the planning, building and opening of the Weinberg Memorial Library, the dedication of the library featured an address by James Billington, Librarian of Congress. The exhibit also highlights the library’s core instructional mission and the scope of library programming during the past 30 years. The exhibit will run through December 17, 2022.

Going Coeducational: Women on Campus 1923-1972 presents the history of women’s educational opportunities on campus starting with Nellie Brown, the first woman to take a class at what was then St.Thomas College in 1923, through women taking evening classes starting in the mid-1930s, women being admitted to the new graduate school in 1950, and culminating in the University going fully coeducational in 1972. The exhibit focuses on the move to coeducation starting in 1970. The University delayed implementing coeducation due to objections from Marywood, a women’s college at the time. The two institutions attempted to create a cooperative educational environment where students could take classes at either school. After a year, however, both institutions realized that the attempt at cooperation was not succeeding and the University went fully coeducational in Spring 1972. This exhibit is based on research conducted by Kathleen Reilly ’17 for her Honors Thesis Girls at the “U”: A History of Coeducation at the University of Scranton. The exhibit will run until April 23, 2023.

Affordable Learning Implementation Grants for Spring/Summer 2023

The Weinberg Memorial Library is pleased to offer $1,000 Affordable Learning Implementation Grants to successful full-time faculty applicants.

Affordable Learning aims to reduce the financial burden on students by eliminating expensive for-cost textbooks and course materials with no-cost or low-cost educational resources. OER stands for Open Educational Resources, which includes online textbooks, media, and other materials freely available and can be remixed/reused for educational purposes. For the Affordable Learning Implementation Grants, faculty may opt to use existing OER and open-source software or may compile course materials from open access e-books and journals or appropriately licenses Library materials to replace all, or some, of their for-cost course materials.

For a list of links to available OER and appropriately licensed Affordable Learning resources, visit the Library’s OER Research Guide.

The library will award up to four $1,000 Affordable Learning Implementation Grants for Spring/Summer 2023 courses.

Application Deadline: Friday, December 2nd, 2022

For more information and the application form, visit the Affordable Learning Implementation Grants web page.

System Alert: PALCI E-ZBorrow

On Sun, Oct. 2, 6 a.m–2 p.m. there will be a maintenance upgrade to PALCI E-ZBorrow.

Please do not try to place requests during this period – they will not be recorded in the system.

Job Opportunity: Research & Instruction Librarian, Part-Time

We invite applicants to apply for the part-time Research & Instruction Librarian. To apply and see the full job description visit: https://universityofscrantonjobs.com/postings/6137

Position Title: Research & Instruction Librarian (part-time)

Reports to: Research and Scholarly Services Coordinator & Dean of the Library

University Classification: Professional Staff

FSLA Classification: Non-exempt

Job Purpose: The Research and Instruction Librarian (part-time) is a member of the Library’s Research and Scholarly Services department. This position provides research instruction and support as well as scholarly services, such as assistance with technology, academic integrity, and intellectual property. Depending on need, the part-time librarian may provide information literacy instruction in a classroom setting and have collection development responsibilities, as well as complete projects in support of other library initiatives. The part-time librarian will also serve as direct back-up to the Library Services Desk operations.

Essential Duties:

  • Provides research services, such as teaching effective research skills and providing research instruction and support, both in-person and online.
  • Instructs users, individually and in groups, guided by the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.
  • In the absence of full-time librarians, oversees and is responsible for maintaining library services and library policies.
  • Maintains the operations of the Research and Scholarly Services department, which includes but is not limited to, maintaining the proper operation of equipment, informally supervising student workers, and following library policies.
  • Provides back-up assistance in Circulation Services functions at the Library Services Desk, including:
    • Conducting circulation transactions (charging, discharging, reviewing, recalling, placing holds, and collecting fines and fees).
    • Registering new patrons.
    • Assisting with maintaining equipment (i.e. photocopiers, laptop computers, iPads), replenishing supplies, and reporting equipment malfunctions.
    • Answering telephone calls and assisting with circulation questions.
    • Assisting with faxes.
    • Processing monetary transactions.

Additional responsibilities:

  • Participates in collection development as needed.
  • Participates in information literacy instruction as needed.
  • In the absence of Circulation Services staff, monitors the Library for disruptive behavior and unauthorized persons; reports major issues to University Police and through the online Library Security Report Form.
  • In the absence of Circulation Services staff, clears the Library at closing time. Ensures that the 24-hour spaces are clear of Library materials before closing.
  • In the absence of Circulation Services staff, secures the Library at closing by locking/unlocking specific doors and gates and adjusting elevator settings.
  • Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Education Requirements:

Master’s degree

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Library or Information Science

Minimum Experience Requirements:

  • One year of library, teaching, or archives experience
  • Experience conducting effective research strategies
  • Experience working independently to pursue, manage, and complete projects

Preferred Qualifications:

 

Additional Skills Required:

  • Ability to interact 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.
  • Must be able to respect, support and contribute to the University’s Catholic and Jesuit mission.

Schedule/Work Hours: An average of 15 hours per week during Fall and Spring Semesters. Normally, 2 weeknights from 5:00-10:00 pm and Sundays from 12:00-5:00 pm or 5:00-10:00 pm. Extended hours until 11:30 pm during finals week. Some flexibility in scheduling, but dependent on departmental needs. Reduced hours in January, August, and December.

New Database for Fall 2022 – Ethnic Diversity Source

The Weinberg Memorial Library is excited to offer a new database for Fall 2022.  EBSCO’s Ethnic Diversity Source is a full-text database dedicated to resources covering the culture, traditions, social treatment and lived experiences of different ethnic groups in America. It provides full text from a growing list of sources including peer-reviewed journals, magazines, ebooks, and biographies.  Additionally, students and faculty can use Ethnic Diversity Source to explore tens of thousands of well curated primary source documents including letters, interviews, and speeches.

You can start exploring Ethnic Diversity Source today by visiting the Library’s A to Z database page or clicking here.