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ADDED entries
Teen library day- Great Success!
On Wednesday, October 29, 2014, nearly
400 students from over 14 middle and high
schools and a number of Library Science
students attended our Teen Library Day
festivities in the MacFarland Student Union. It
was standing room only for those who came
to see our featured author David Lubar.
With over 30 titles written, Lubar has several
awards to his credit such as KSRA, ALA
Quick Picks, and ALA Best Books for Young
Adults, just to mention a few. A few notable
titles include Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie,
Dunk, Extremities, and the ever popular
Weenies books.
Lubar entertained the audience with
humorous anecdotal stories of his long journey
to becoming a successful young adult author.
We learned that Mr. Lubar was a video game
programmer in his past life. We also learned
that his mother was a school librarian which
resulted in his spending quite a bit of time in
libraries during his youth. Before concluding
his humorous presentation he read one of the
short stories from his current hit Extremities
and treated the audience by reading a chapter
from his upcoming book Character Driven,
which he feels may be his best work to date.
Not to miss the social scene, Mr. Lubar
invited students to take photos and tag him in
Instagram. Students responded with many tags
and a long line of requests for autographs.
Many students were treated to door prizes and
tours of campus.
Plans are already under way for next fall’s Teen
Library Day. Jordan Sonnenblick is lined up for
October 29, 2015. The Library Science &
Instructional Technology Department will be
seeking a larger venue on campus as we had to
turn schools away this year as we reached
capacity. Information, as it becomes available,
will be posted on the Department’s website,
and on the Schools and PSLA listservs. If you
have any questions, please contact Prof. Nancy
Latanision at latanisi@kutztown.edu .
More photos from the even can be found at
www.facebook.com/KULibraryScience
Fall 2014
Volume 37, Issue 1
In this issue:
Special points of interest:
Chair Speaks
2
Your Added Entries
6
Apha Beta Alpha
5
Save the Date
7
* Children’s Literature Conference
Page 3
* Where Are They Now?
Page 4
* Spotlight Students
Page 5
* Fall Book Review
Page 7
Kutztown university department of library science &
instructional technology
Page 2
The chair speaks
Dr. Andrea Harmer
It has been a very exciting autumn so
far in the Library Science &
Instructional Technology
Department at KU. In fact, there has
been so much action, the time has
flown by and I can’t believe it’s time
for the holidays to begin! Two weeks
ago, we hosted nearly 400 middle
school students and their teachers to
come and hear our guest author,
David Lubar, speak. It was a great
morning, and afterwards the
students were treated to cookies and
a campus tour. You can read more
about this event in the article
entitled,“Teen Library Day- A
Success!” in this issue of Added
Entries. In addition to Teen Library
Day, our department hosted our
Annual Book Review, which was
also very well attended. Please see
the article, “Fall Book Review” for
more information. Depending on the
generosity of our publishers and
their contribution of more books,
we may hold another Book Review
in Spring 2015. We’ll keep you
posted if we do!
There has been some talk about
changing the name of the
department from Library Science &
Instructional Technology to
Information Science & Instructional
Technology and we would love to
hear your feedback on this potential
change. The thought behind it is that
we, as librarians, are providing access
to so much information beyond our
library walls, that the name
Information Science conveys our role
more accurately. Please let us know
what you think!
Regardless of our name, our graduate
programs continue to grow in both
Library Science and Instructional
Technology, and we are anticipating
new growth from students migrating
from Mansfield University, whose
program sadly had to close. We could
certainly use your help in recruiting
new undergraduate students to our
unique BSED and BS in Library
Science programs. Due to state
budget cuts in education, the last two
years have seen a decline in
undergraduate enrollment in Library
Science, however we are beginning
to see a great need for librarians, as
evidenced by the many unfilled
positions that come across my desk
every day. So, please send us your
students because nearly all of our
graduates are either gainfully
employed or have gone on to
graduate school! Thanks too for
sending your many librarian openings
for our graduates. We all really
appreciate the information and post
them promptly on our website for
our students’ viewing.
In addition, we have developed a
Library Science minor at Kutztown
University, which is waiting for
official approval by the Pennsylvania
State System of Higher Education and
already has several students
anticipating to join. We also serve the
university at large through our
undergraduate Information Search
Strategies and Digital Literacy course
(LIB 018), which has been growing in
enrollment every time we offer it,
and our Instructional Technology in
Education class (ITC 321), which we
offer to all undergraduates and is
generally jam-packed. We are a
vibrant department with a lot of
camaraderie and a lot going on. In
fact, we have one of the highest
student retention rates on campus!
So, please stop by and visit us if you
get a chance. We would love to see
you! Thanks again, and have a great
holiday season.
All the best, Andrea Harmer, Chair
-AJHarmer
Make sure you check out the Employment Opportunities page on the Library Science and
Instructional Technology website!
Visit our website, www.kutztown.edu/libraryscience and on the left-hand side of the
homepage you will find a link for “Employment Opportunities and Internships in Library
Science and Instructional Technology.” This page is updated often, and contains many local
job postings, with the job description and information on how to apply . If you know of any
open positions, let us know and we will add it to the page.
Page 3
Children’s Literature conference
Saturday, April 18, 2015 Kutztown University will host it’s Seventeenth Annual
Kutztown University Children’s Literature Conference
Kutztown’s Children’s Literature Conference runs from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm and is a day filled with
presentations from renown authors and illustrators, autograph sessions, book reviews, workshops, and chats
with local authors. Here are the authors and illustrators we will have with us this year:
Gary Schmidt
Mara Rockliff
William Low
Elisha Cooper
Newberry Honor and
Printz Honor winning
author: The Wednesday
Wars, Okay for Now, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, and Martin
de Porres.
Golden Kitz Award
and Charlotte Zolotow
Honor winning author:
Me and Momma and Big
John, Gingerbread for
Liberty, Mesmerized, and
Get Real.
Society of Illustrators
Silver Medal winning
Illustrator: Me and
Momma and Big John,
Willy and Max, Machines
Go to Work in the City,
and Chinatown.
Society of Illustrators
Gold Medal winning
Illustrator: Train, A Good
Night Walk, Homer, Magic
Thinks Big, and Beach.
This even does require registration! Event and registration information
can be found at
kuchildrensliterature.weebly.com
Online Graduate Courses
Classes for next semester are filling up quickly. We are offering two great online ITC courses next semester perfect for
teachers looking to take courses on distance/online education. For more information or to register, contact Junelle Jacob by
email at jacob@kutztown.edu
ITC 435: Designing Distance Education for the K-12
Educator
ITC 520: Building Effective Online/Classroom
Instruction
Hybrid and fully online distance learning courses are
now a reality in K-12 settings, and opportunities to teach
online are becoming more frequent at the K-12 level.
ITC 435 provides a solid foundation in distance learning
course design. Building on ITC 525, students will learn
"best practice" strategies for online course creation.
Online learning is different from face-to-face learning
and requires a different pedagogical approach for both
instructor AND the learner. Role of the instructor,
course organization, media selection, online interaction
techniques, and course management will be emphasized.
Upon completion of this course, students will have a
well-structured unit(s) design suitable for development
and implementation in the ITC 520 course.
ITC 520 is a hands-on follow up course to ITC 435. ITC
520 moves beyond the theoretical and provides students
with an opportunity to do online development work in
an actual Learning Management System. Students
enrolling in this course will develop and implement
technology-rich and pedagogically comprehensive
learning modules for online delivery. Application of
practical online learning tools such as discussion forums,
online quizzes, and emerging web technologies will be
emphasized to promote collaboration, creativity, and
effective online communities. Specific links will be
drawn between how one teaches in a face-to-face
classroom versus the online environment...including the
setting of student expectations, classroom procedures,
and assessment strategies.
Page 4
Where are they now?
Since graduating from Kutztown in May I have moved to
Northern New Jersey to be the librarian for the Hart
Complex Middle School in East Orange, New Jersey.
The complex houses three schools, each with their own
administration, students and section of the building. Each
school in the complex follows a three year cycle of grade
levels. Unless held back, students stay in the same school
with the same team of teachers and homerooms for
grades six through eight before graduating to high school.
The Hart Complex is a large urban middle school serving
over 1,300 students. Luckily, I have a great schedule that
allows me the flexibility to provide resources and library
services to all the students and teachers in the complex.
The climate in an urban middle school can be crazy and
intimidating. However, I have found that as long as you
are flexible and can have a sense of humor about things,
you'll be fine. Just remember that middle school students
are in a crazy place in their lives and they are going to be a
bit weird and selfish, we've all been there.
holidays are being celebrated each day and I use the random
holidays to promote the library resources. For example, on
November 19th we celebrated World Toilet Day and I
challenged students to research learn a little about the
invention and history of toilets. I now have students and
teachers who rush into the library eager to see what we are
celebrating and what resources I put out to go along with it.
Being a middle school librarian is so enjoyable for me! Every
day is challenging but I truly enjoy what I am doing and I am
beyond proud of what I have been able to do since starting
two months ago. I cannot thank the library science
professors enough for helping me get to where I am!
Thank you,
Mandalee Flannery
I put a lot of work into making the library somewhere the
students, teachers, and administrators want to come to
utilize the resources. Anyone who comes into my library
will see that I love decorating as well as promoting books
that students would typically overlook. I recently started
using Daysoftheyear.com to find out what we weird
I graduated from Kutztown in 2011 with my
Ma st er ' s D e gr ee i n Li br a r y S c i en c e.
During my time at Kutztown I was exposed to not only
great teachers but the latest library science information
and classes. I am currently one of the librarians at
Parkland High School as well as the advisor of the
computer club where students can learn how to code,
compete in programming competitions and join a
competitive on-line gaming league.
I am also a co-leader of the Lehigh Valley Girl
Develop It chapter, an organization that exists to
provide affordable and accessible classes to women,
teaching software development, through hands-on
classes and mentorship. Girl Develop It is aimed
at bridging the gender gap and empowering more
women to enter the tech industr y.
I am truly passionate about not only being a librarian but
also helping women discover the beauty of coding and I
hope that one day all libraries can become makerspaces.
- Erin Allen
Page 5
Spotlight on Current students
Carolyn wasser
This semester I was awarded a grant by the Dailey Foundation to
rehouse and process segments of the Fall Brook Coal Company
and Fall Brook Railway Company records. These records are
housed in Harrisburg at the Pennsylvania State Archives.
Within the collection are memorandums,
correspondences, and further documentation
of the operations of the Fall Brook Railroad
and Fall Brook Coal Company. The
combined rail and coal company was
chartered in 1859 after businessman and
politician, John Magee, acquired and leased
railway lines in Tioga County and Southern
New York. As the Fall Brook Coal Company
grew, it established itself as a major coal
mining and transportation operation. The
company would have a major impact on the
development of the bituminous coal fields of
Northern Pennsylvania during the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries and significantly
impact the economics of both New York and
Pennsylvania.
boxes and the documents are tri-folded. My job is to unfold the
documents and flatten them. Once flattened, I arrange the
documents chronically and place the collection in acid free
folders and boxes. As I do this I am creating a folder-by-folder
spreadsheet of the inventory, creating narrative descriptions for
the series. These descriptions will be
placed on the Archives webpage and made
available to researchers.
The records that I am processing have not
been looked at in over 150 years. Each day
that I am at the archives I find something
new. Each new box contains treasures of
the past that reveal how present-day
politics, economics, and day-to-day life
came to be.
This collection is in demand by rail, labor, and coal industry
scholars from all over the United States, as the Fall Brook
collection is one of the most complete collections of any railway
in the United States. The collection is currently housed in acidic
Α
lpha
I started the project knowing very little
about document preservation and archival
procedures, but after having worked with
experts at the State Archives, I have
acquired much knowledge in these areas as
well as numerous skills that have applications beyond my work
with the Fall Brook records. I hope to keep working with this
project, possibly publishing an article or paper on my findings.
Β Α
eta
lpha
Kutztown University’s Library Science Fraternity,
Alpha Beta Alpha successfully held their annual
Scholastic Book Fair earlier this semester. Many
members participated in Teen Library Day and the Fall
Book Review. ABA also recently held inductions,
welcoming new members.
“Books, Service,
People, Life”
Page 6
Your added entries
Marjorie (bender) stevens
Marjorie (Bender) Stevens ’81 retired from the Parkland Community Library in June
2014. She served as library director from 1974 – 2005. In 2005 she moving from her
position as director to Director of Volunteer Services. She continues to be active
library supporter and patron.
Dana susko
Since the last time I contributed to the newsletter, my son (now 18 months) was born
and I recently accepted a Library Media Specialist position at an independent
elementary school for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year in California. Our family
of 3 will be moving next summer to California. I will also be completing my EdD
degree in Educational Media and Technology from Boston University in 2015.
Eloise long
Missing everybody at KU but keeping very busy. I have been active with the Longswamp Township Historical Society. Our
third publication, Village of Mertztown, will be launched on Dec. 5 at a celebration at the old Mertztown church.
I am also helping out in my brother’s Nationwide Insurance office. To do so, I have to be licensed and fingerprinted. Now I
know what our students feel like when they have to take the PRAXIS exam. I barely passed the standardized licensing exam.
In a past life, I was editor of The Parkland Press in Allentown. I have reconnected with The Press and am doing some feature
writing for them. I enjoy writing – not reports – stories about people and places.
Am very much enjoying my trips to the gym, visits with my kids, and, of course, going to lunch! I am glad to be in contact with
so many friends and former students via Facebook.
Hoping to hear exciting news about students and department .
condolences
With great sadness, we announce the passing of Kutztown Mathematics
professor, Randy Schaffer.
Schaeffer graduated Summa Cum Laude from Kutztown University in
1972. He served on KU's Alumni Board and was the recipient of KU's
2013 Arthur and Isabel Wiesenberger Faculty Award for Excellence in
Teaching.
In addition to his teaching, Schaeffer gave much time and effort to many
committees, organizations, and councils both on Kutztown’s campus and
at the state level.
Page 7
Fall book review
On Thursday, October 16th, the Library Science department held its biannual Book Review event. Participation in the event increased fifty percent
from last semester! Participants shared some of their favorite books reviewed
for the fall publication of the Book Review and selected new books to review
for the spring semester. Each semester the Book Review publications are
distributed to contributing publishing companies and published to the
Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database. A date has not been chosen
for the spring event, but if you would like more information on how to
participate, email libsci@kutztown.edu
SAVE THE DATE
Teen Library Day
With Jordan Sonnenblick
10/28/15
Spring Book Review
TBA
PSLA Conference
4/30/15 - 5/2/15
Children’s Literature
Conference
4/14/15
For more information about
these events, please email
libsci@kutztown.edu
Kutztown university
department of
library science &
instructional
technology
Congratulations to our Spring 2014 graduates!
P. O. Box 730
Kutztown, PA 19530-0730
Phone: 610-683-4300
Fax: 610-683-1326
www.kutztown.edu/libraryscience
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