The Library
The Heart of the University
Spring 2014
Number 55
Student Leads Creation of New Student
Financial Education Center
Page 8
LIBRARY RECEIVES “ROCK STAR” COLLECTION
Page 3
NEW CONSERVATOR EXPANDS MISSION OF
PRESERVATION
Page 4
D. DOUGLAS MILLER ENVISIONS CHORAL
CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
Page 6
RESEARCH HUB INCREASES ROLE OF LIBRARY
Page 10
I n T h is I ss u e :
Message from the Dean
Cover Story
The Libraries ushered in 2014 with an exciting new
development—the launch of a Research Hub in Paterno
Library, offering an interdisciplinary suite of services
for researchers in the social sciences.
8 Student Leads Creation of
Student Financial Education
Center
Collections News
3 Graphic Design “Rock Star” Adds
to Book Arts Collection
4 New Conservator Expands
Preservation Mission
6 Miller Envisions Creation of a
Choral Center of Excellence
Library News
7 Gift Supports New Early
Career Science Librarian
10 Focus on Services—Expanding
the Role of the Library
11 Program Promotes and
Cultivates Diversity
11 Research Data Center
Opens
12 Awards Encourage
Student Research
14 Digital Badges
Mark Online
Learning
Achievement
14 News Briefs
16 Penn State
Press Picks
Cover:
Penn State student
Anand Ganjam
describes the
process of creating
the Student Financial
Education Center,
a peer-tutoring initiative
for financial literacy.
(Story on page 4.)
This page:
Artist Judy Chicago strikes a
pugilistic pose in this 1970
photo. A library exhibit focusing
on Chicago’s art pedagogy will be
on display through June 13. (More
information on page 15.)
Staffed by librarians and specialized consultants, the Research
Hub provides services in statistics, research methodology, data,
and GIS (Geographic Information Systems). Our librarians
created this hub in response to a growing need to offer targeted
services to graduate students and faculty conducting advanced
research, and have worked hard to make it a reality. By pulling
together expertise from across the social sciences, they have
created a new library model that expands our services far
beyond the traditional reference desk.
In another new development, Penn State was approved as a
Census Research Data Center. There are only sixteen such data
centers in the United States, providing approved researchers
access to restricted economic and census data. The data center
in Penn State is located adjacent to the Research Hub and is the
only one in the nation that is connected to a university library.
In all, spring semester has been a flurry of activity and probably
one of our most productive to date. We hired a new senior
book conservator, who brings with him more than 35 years
of experience in fine book binding and conservation, and we
acquired the substantial archives of Penn State alumnus Chip
Kidd, the graphic designer responsible for such memorable
images as the iconic cover for Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park.
We also continue to be impressed by the level of engagement
shown by our students. The Student Financial Education Center,
the brainchild of a Penn State junior in finance, opened recently
in the Schreyer Business Library. It is a partnership between the
Libraries and the University Park Undergraduate Association,
and offers financial education help from peer educators,
students who have been trained in specific areas of personal
finance, including budgeting, credit cards, and student loans.
As I reflect on our accomplishments in just the past few months,
I am reminded of how much library services have evolved, even
in the last ten years. Our core services are stronger than ever—we
are still the “go to” place to study, research, and collaborate. But,
thanks to the initiative, drive, and creativity of our faculty, staff,
and students, we have become so much more.
Barbara I. Dewey,
Dean of University Libraries and
Scholarly Communications
2
“Judy Chicago” by Jerry McMillan, 1970, gelatin silver print, 14”x11” Edition 20. Courtesy of Jerry McMillan and Craig Krull Gallery, Santa Monica, California.
Running Head
Graphic Design “Rock Star” Adds
to Libraries’ Book Arts Collection
Renowned designer and writer Chip Kidd, dubbed the “the closest thing
to a rock star in graphic design” by USA Today, studied graphic design
at Penn State before starting work at Alfred A. Knopf in 1986. Kidd is
known for memorable book jackets for authors such as John Updike and
Michael Crichton, including the iconic cover for Jurassic Park.
As an undergraduate, 1982 to 1986,
Kidd would have been hard pressed
to imagine himself as a cultural icon
and the value of his papers and designs
to researchers and historians. But
luckily, he kept all of his work and
correspondence, and recently the
Libraries were able to acquire the Chip
Kidd Archives that include materials
from his youth until the present. His
student portfolio work from Penn
State as well as drafts for the cover of
Jurassic Park are among the more than
250 boxes of materials now housed in
The Eberly Family Special Collections
Library. The collection includes original
artwork and other materials for each of
Kidd’s several hundred published dust
jacket and book designs. Digital data
complements these items, including files
from nearly the entirety of Kidd’s career.
As much of Kidd’s artistic and literary
composition over the past fifteen years
has been “born digital,” this portion
of the archive includes the full record
of many of his most iconic designs, as
well original drafts of his written works,
lectures, and working notes.
The archive also contains a wealth of
correspondence from a host of authors
such as John Updike, William Maxwell,
David Sedaris, Michael Crichton,
Augusten Burroughs, Donna Tartt,
and Cormac McCarthy. More than
60 letters, many illustrated by graphic
novelist Chris Ware, are also present.
Ware was a frequent collaborator
with Kidd and was the 2013 winner of
the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize,
awarded by the Pennsylvania Center for
the Book and Penn State’s Libraries.
Kidd’s work enhances the Libraries’
existing graphic collections, such as that
of Edward Gorey and Lynd Ward, and
makes Penn State an important stop
for any researcher of graphic design.
Penn State faculty and students should
also find a good deal to support their
work and inspire their careers. Lanny
Sommese,
Distinguished
Professor and
Head of Graphic
Design, who
taught Kidd
while he was at
Penn State has
noted, “There
is much here
for literary and
pop-culture
Kidd with his original artwork for Jurassic Park.
He is the recipient of the National Design
Award for Communications, presented by the
Cooper-Hewitt/Smithsonian, and the AIGA
medal for lifetime achievement.
scholars. Kidd’s collection powerfully
demonstrates to our students how high
they should strive to fly.”
Kidd could imagine no better place
for his archive than Penn State. “I’m
thrilled that what amounts to my life’s
work has found a home at Penn State’s
Libraries. What I tell people to this day
is that the really important thing about
my education at Penn State is that it
was so conceptually based. It wasn’t a
trade school-like education.” Kidd said,
“It’s more about, let’s think about the
problem and the best way to solve it.
And that isn’t something a computer
can do.”
Plans are underway to exhibit the
Kidd archive next January, with a
goal of having the collection open to
researchers by then as well.
Kidd, here reviewing examples of comic strips he created while a Penn
State student, has also authored several books about comics, most
notably Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz.
3
Collec t i o ns N ew s
New Conservator Expands Mission
of Preservation
Book conservation is a marriage of science and art, of historical research and
fine craftsmanship. An exacting profession, a conservator needs to be skilled
in investigating many unknowns in order to restore a book or manuscript
to its original form. “Understanding a wide variety of materials in various
conditions” is a challenge that makes the profession both exciting and
rewarding, says William Minter, the Libraries’ new senior book conservator.
With more than 35 years of experience in the profession, Minter’s expertise
will enable the Digitization and Preservation Department to develop a strong
conservation program at Penn State.
Minter’s position is funded by a $1.25 million challenge grant
from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and a gift from
Penn State alumnus Jeffery L. King and his wife, Cynthia,
the $1 million King Family Conservation Endowment. This
gift was crucial in allowing Penn State to secure the Mellon
Foundation grant, and will enable Minter to undertake
important conservation projects that may otherwise have
been shelved due to limited funds. The Libraries are currently
seeking the remaining $250,000 to fully meet the Mellon
Foundation grant challenge.
under a seven-year apprenticeship with William Anthony,
a noted fine-design bookbinder and book conservator in
Chicago. Following his apprenticeship, Minter opened his
own bookbinding and conservation business, which relocated
to Woodbury, Pennsylvania, in 1994. Minter’s influence on
book conservation also extends to the technology used in
the field. He developed the Minter Ultrasonic Welder for
polyester film encapsulation, an important piece of equipment
that enables the efficient and reversible encapsulation of
Minter explains that a strong conservation program is a
necessary complement to the Libraries’ existing robust
digitization services. “Digitization makes rare materials
available to a wider audience while helping to reduce the
handling of these older documents. At the same time,
conservation preserves these materials for future generations
in their original format.” And, he adds, “The true beauty of
the document is in the original.”
Minter is one of about 75 conservators in the United States
who are working at this senior level in the field. A graduate of
Stout State University with a degree in industrial technology
and a concentration in graphic design, Minter honed his craft
❧ Challenge 2015:
Double your Money
Thanks to multiple donors, we have raised $2.25
million in support of the University Libraries
preservation program in the last two years. However,
$250,000 is needed by December 31, 2015, to match the
challenge posed by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
If you would like to leverage your gift and help
support our preservation efforts through the Mellon
Foundation challenge, please contact Nicki Hendrix at
814-865-2258 or nmh18@psu.edu.
4
The Minter Ultrasonic Welder permits reversible
encapsulation for fragile documents.
fragile documents without causing damage to the material.
Approximately 200 models are in use around the United
States and in other countries.
In the past, Minter has worked on projects for the Library
of Congress, the National Park Service, the University of
Chicago’s Regenstein Library, the National Gallery of Art, and
many others. From 2009 to 2012, he was the senior project
conservator in the Heritage Science for Conservation pilot
project at Johns Hopkins University.
Running Head
Since his appointment to Penn State, Minter has been
focusing on understanding the existing treatment of books
in the general collections. This included a meeting with the
Libraries’ commercial bookbinder. “From that discussion, the
library will now modify the treatment of some unique books,
such as those in art and architecture, in order to preserve the
original design of the covers.” He has also been reviewing
specific conservation needs of some of the Libraries’ rarest
collections and is in the midst of overseeing construction of
a new workstation for the treatment of books from Special
Collections. Outside of the Libraries, Minter has already been
involved in the preservation of three oversized plaster relief
maps that adorn the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
He also expects to collaborate with the various museums on
campus to assess their preservation needs.
“Digitization makes rare materials
available to a wider audience while
helping to reduce the handling of
these older documents.”
—William Minter
Librarian Sue Kellerman, head of the Digitization and
Preservation department and the Judith O. Sieg Chair
for Preservation, is excited about Minter’s appointment,
and is already looking ahead to future possibilities for the
department. Retooling the lab space and acquiring equipment
to handle book collections are some of the department’s
needs, she says.
In many ways, the continued growth of the department can
be attributed to the support of Philip and Judith Sieg, whose
initial gift in 1992, and subsequent establishment of the Chair
held by Kellerman, set the course for future expansion. Judith
Sieg passed away in August last year, but her vision endures.
Today, her commitment to supporting a strong preservation
program is matched by Jeffery and Cynthia King, whose
endowment will enable the Libraries to fund a wide range of
complex conservation activities.
At right: Minter recently treated a Time Capsule 1913–2013 that was
uncovered in the wall of a central Pennsylvania church. It revealed various
U.S. coins, a Bellefonte newspaper, a religious tract, and a note (top) stating
that Anna Gates placed a small Bible in the cornerstone on June 22, 1913.
The items were not housed in a typical time capsule, but were simply laid in a
hollow compartment behind the cornerstone in the building and deteriorated
into a solid mass (center). The mass of paper was soaked in vinegar (bottom),
in order to save the paper while allowing it to be disassembled.
5
Collect i o ns N ew s
Miller Envisions Creation
of a Choral Music Center
of Excellence
Professor Emeritus of Music D. Douglas Miller
envisions creating a Choral Music Center of
Excellence at Penn State that will become a
significant depository for researchers of historic
choral music—a place where collectors who share
his passion for choral music of past masters can add
their collections for posterity to study and perform.
During his 32-year tenure at Penn State, Miller helped energize
the School of Music in the College of Arts and Architecture,
and he had a huge impact on its growth, creating prestigious
graduate programs as well
as tremendous performance
and travel opportunities for
undergraduate and graduate
students. According to Russell
Bloom, now a music staff
member who arrived at
Penn State 27 years ago to do
graduate study with Miller,
“He was a true mentor—uberintelligent —but he always
taught to my strengths and
shared his sheer love of music
and in particular choral music.”
In December 2013, Miller
added scholarly music books,
more than 13,500 choral scores, and more than 300 CDs to
the more than 1200 books and musical scores that he had
previously given to the University Libraries in 1999, 2006, and
2007. The materials will be cataloged and ready to use over the
next year as the Miller Choral Scores Research Collection.
Miller emphasizes the significance of these scores. He explains,
“As conductors we read
books about composers,
study their lives and the
period, and performance
practice, but in truth our
The first Madrigal Dinner in
December 1973, begun by
Miller, became a significant
fundraiser for the State College
Choral Society. Miller is seated
to the far right.
6
The collection contains some specialty items like this tiny
hymnal that belonged to Miller’s grandfather.
whole lives and careers as conductors are about reading the
score, since that is what has been left by the composer.
“So here are Mr. Bach’s scribblings back in the 1700s, and
I hold the image of him over my shoulder as I conduct his
pieces.”
His notes on the choral music in his collection add to the
understanding of the piece and will help future conductors
focus on performance practice, also known as historically
informed performance, to be true to the style of the composer.
“We’re doing a rare thing with this choral collection, a unique
resource for the choral side of it. Online doesn’t do it; it’s not
the same as having a score in your hand,” confides Miller. He
needs to be able to juxtapose sheets, compare editions, and
along with the singers and instrumentalists he needs to be
able to flip among the pages. Miller’s colleagues at Penn State
and elsewhere agree that the collection will be invaluable and
decades from now will continue to be accessible and highly
useful.
Music librarian Amanda Maple and cataloger Robert Freeborn
will be working over the next months with Miller to organize
the collection and to identify what additions may be needed for
a given composer. Miller has great expectations that the Miller
Choral Scores Research Collection will continue to grow and
to take on a life of its own as colleagues offer their materials to
Penn State or individuals are moved to financially support the
project.
Librar y News
Gift Supports New Early
Career Science Librarian
A recent gift by Penn State alumni to support a
librarian with a focus in the advancement of the
natural and physical sciences will provide enhanced,
high-level research services for Penn State scholars
in these fields.
The Eric N. and Bonnie S. Prystowsky Early Career Science
Libraries Professorship will provide the holder with financial
support and encouragement during the critical first ten
years of his or her academic career. The initial tenure of the
appointment is for three years, with the possibility of renewal
for an additional three-year term.
Dr. Eric Prystowsky (’69 School of Sciences), director of the
Clinical Electrophysiology Lab at St. Vincent Hospital and
director of Clinical Electrophysiology with The St. Vincent
Medical Group, a multispecialty network of cardiologists and
other physicians in Indiana, says that he and his wife, Bonnie
(’67 Liberal Arts), had long wanted to support their alma
mater. However, they were initially unsure as to where their
contributions would be most needed.
Bonnie and Eric Prystowsky
wonderful place to make a contribution. We both have been
mentors to many individuals in the early phases of their
careers, and decided to fund an Early Career Professorship
to advance research and scholarship for a worthy young
academic in the Libraries at Penn State,” notes Prystowsky.
“Bonnie Pearlstein and I met and fell in love at Penn State,
Prystowsky wanted to honor the School of Science so they
and for that reason Penn State has always been a special
stipulated that the person selected be dedicated to that
place for us. It was many years later that I was given the
school. “Thus was born the Early Career Science Libraries
Distinguished Alumnus
Professorship,” he says.
award, and being back on
In making this gift, the
campus with our family
Prystowskys have risen to a
and seeing all the wonderful
challenge set by Penn State
changes that had taken place,
to ensure that the University
especially with the Library,
can compete for the scientists,
engendered in us the desire to
scholars, and educators with
‘give back’ to an institution
the greatest potential to
that had provided so much to
contribute to society. Under
us in our formative years as
the Faculty Endowment
students,“ says Prystowsky,
Challenge, the University will
who was named Outstanding
meet one third of the funds
Senior in 1969. Both are life
needed to establish an Early
The Millennium Science Complex
members of the Penn State
Career Professorship.
Alumni Association.
Thanks to the Prystowskys,
“It was not obvious to us where our contribution would
the Libraries will be able to provide even stronger support
do the most good, and we spent several years and many
to the growing fields of study within the Eberly College of
hours in discussions with University folks before making a
Sciences. “We are confident that Dean Barbara Dewey will
decision. During this time, Bonnie became a member of the
select an outstanding person to fill this position now, and that
Libraries Development Board and had an insider’s view of its
many qualified academics will benefit from the position and
outstanding accomplishments and national ranking.
make lasting contributions to Penn State in the future,” say
“The Library is a hub with spokes reaching out to all students, the Prystowskys. “The journey was long, but the end result
regardless of their area of study, and in our opinion a
was worth it and more.”
7
Cover Sto r y
Student Leads
Creation of Student
Financial Education
Center
Many undergraduate students are
content with learning a concept in
class, perhaps applying it to a research
paper, and then demonstrating that
they understand it on a test. But Anand
Ganjam is not just any student.
Concerned with soaring student loan debt and
what he perceived as a lack of financial literacy
among college students, Ganjam, a junior and a finance major in
the Penn State Smeal College of Business, proposed an effort last
spring to provide students with personal finance education.
Ganjam explains, “Similar to the housing bubble that exploded
in 2008, I see a crisis looming with student loans that if left
unattended could cripple our economy. With no background
whatsoever in financial decisions, 18-year old students are
signing to repay loans for tuition, housing, and meal plans—
ultimately many are taking out the maximum amount for 4 or
more years. The ‘sticker shock’ comes when they graduate and
realize just how deeply in debt they are. And the problem is
compounded as they face lesser-paying job prospects. Marriage,
home ownership, children will be unaffordable and out of
reach.”
Through Reiter, he also connected with Dr. Daad Rizk, Penn
State financial literacy coordinator, and Dr. Cathy Bowen,
professor of agriculture and extension education consumer
issues.
“Dr. Bowen and I created the curriculum, conducted an intensive
training, and prepared the tests for the Student Financial
Educators to pass,” said Rizk.
This past January, the Student Financial Education Center
(SFEC) opened, in 309 Paterno Library, with six trained peer
educators and seven in training. All currently trained peer
educators are part of the Penn State Finance Society.
As a member of the University Park Undergraduate Association
(UPUA), Ganjam suggested opening a financial literacy center
where students could receive peer-to-peer financial education.
“I thought that students might be less intimidated talking
about their finances with other students than with professors or
University staff,” he said.
In April of last year, Ganjam set up a meeting with business
librarian Lauren Reiter to talk through ideas and the feasibility
of the project. He then spent the summer working on a business
plan and a strategic plan for the center.
“Anand really approached this project in a professional way,” said
Reiter. “It was important to him that it be sustainable—that it
could be an ongoing operation that continued to help students
even after he graduates.”
Peer educators (above) introduced themselves during the Student Financial
Center’s grand opening celebration, held in January in the
Mann Assembly Room, Paterno Library (right).
8
SFEC_GrandOpening_0446.jpg participants
Cover Stor y
“I am a firm believer that students are comfortable talking
to other students and they do share and fight for common
causes,” said Rizk. “We want them to exhibit leadership and full
participation in issues that affect them socially and economically.
Financial literacy is a skill for life.”
“I thought that students might be
less intimidated talking about their
finances with other students than
with professors or University staff.”
—Anand Ganjam
The peer educators can talk to students about scholarships, the
FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid), grants, the difference
between subsidized and unsubsidized loans, credit card options,
and even general budgeting, but the educators do not give advice.
“The educators are there to be a resource for information,” said
Ganjam. “We’re careful—and trained—not to give financial
advice.”
Reiter, Rizk, and Bowen serve as advisers to the SFEC, along with
Mary Edgington, senior director of union and student activities,
and Brad Yeckley, financial aid coordinator.
Peer educators in the Student Financial Education Center check
out some of the instructional tools used in the program.
For more information on the SFEC or to make a gift to support
its work, visit www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/business/sfec.html.
Business Librarian Draws
on Corporate Experience
With four years of experience as a corporate analyst
for the Freedonia Group before earning her MLIS
degree, business librarian Lauren Reiter has brought
real-world experience into her role within The William
and Joan Schreyer Business Library. To benefit
students, she and Dr. Daad Rizk created Money
Counts: A Financial Literacy Series that offers a
monthly program on a range of topics.
Reiter notes, “Financial education helps students with the money management issues they face now, like
budgeting wisely, spending consciously, and borrowing responsibly, and it prepares them for the financial
challenges they will face in the future, like affording a first apartment while paying back student loans. It
has been wonderful working with the finance students, who serve as peer educators in the SFEC. They
have worked hard to build on their knowledge from their academic courses, taking on training and study
in personal finance topics, and applying and sharing what they learn.”
Reiter’s online research guide—Financial Literacy for College Students—has a wealth of information and
is viewable at www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/researchguides/business/financialliteracy.html.
9
Librar y N ew s
Focus on Services—Expanding
the Role of the Library
Now open for business, the Research Hub is a shared service point
for all of the social sciences, including business and the behavioral
sciences, that goes beyond the traditional reference desk and
incorporates the statistical consulting service as well as GIS
(Geographic Information Systems) and data specialists.
With interdisciplinary upper-level
research in mind, several years ago
Librarians Helen Sheehy and Diane
Zabel began imagining
what would best serve
the needs of faculty,
graduate students,
and other upper-level
researchers in the
social sciences.
The result is a main
desk area staffed by
a librarian or skilled
full-time staff as
well as a part-time staff member to
offer concierge service. The Research
Hub offers on-site assistance as well
as referrals to other areas, such as
the Maps or the Earth and Mineral
Sciences Libraries. In addition, there
is virtual access through
the Web that extends to
the campuses and to Penn
State’s World Campus.
Statistical consultant
Stefanie Austin, located
in the staff office
area, offers assistance
with quantitative and
qualitative research,
including research design,
data collection, data manipulation and
statistical analysis. Austin notes, “The
gross majority, maybe 80 percent, of
the individuals I help, are graduate
students. They typically need help with
a part of their research that involves
analyzing data. However, I have also
helped undergraduate students and
faculty as well. Sometimes the graduate
students come in with their adviser or
10
another faculty working on research
with them.”
Consultations can range from an initial
meeting to multiple meetings that span
an entire school year. She notes, “We
continue to meet back and forth until
the client has felt that they’ve learned
enough to complete their analyses on
their own.” Austin says, “I like to give them help
with what they request, but also provide
any alternatives that I am familiar with.
Many projects are survey studies, so
common questions involve how to
analyze the data overall and how to
answer certain research questions they
have about the data. One thing that I
like to stress is that I want to help by
teaching my clients the process and
the techniques for them to succeed in
not only analyzing their
data, but in understanding
the methods and
applying them to future
situations as appropriate.
I strive to be handson when necessary—
performing examples
of statistical techniques,
demonstrating concepts,
and training to use specific
software—but I also let them perform
research and learn on their own. I am
always there to step in when more help
is needed, give guidance on the process,
or to provide advice when necessary,
and I like to have regular meetings to
make sure things are on track in that
respect. But because the clients are
primarily students, I think it is essential
for them to understand what they are
Statistical consultant Stefanie Austin
is a master’s candidate in statistics and
operations research.
doing and not just ‘take my word for
it.’ I like to think I essentially provide
support.”
Stephen Woods, social science librarian
specializing in data and government
information, stresses
that the Research Hub
is really an “existential
thing” that is being
defined as it unfolds. “As
librarians we want to
provide more than access
to information, we want
to anticipate how the
researcher wants to use
the material and then how
to make it available.” The
Research Hub’s goal is to provide the
researcher with proactive data services
but also to teach the exploration
and the use of the different research
methodologies.
As the services of the Research Hub
evolve Woods believes they will spawn
many other robust services. He notes
that Eric Barron, who has just been
named Penn State’s 18th University
President, has already indicated a desire
to focus on undergraduate research and
his support for student engagement,
both of which will expand the need for
services supplied by the Research Hub.
Librar y News
Program Promotes and
Cultivates Diversity
“Libraries serve everyone, regardless of
background, so it makes sense that our librarians
should come from all backgrounds to help reach
diverse constituencies,” notes Dean Barbara I.
Dewey. Yet according to data compiled by the
American Library Association in 2012, professional
librarians are predominantly female and white;
librarians of color are underrepresented in the
profession in any setting.
This past fall Penn State’s Libraries began the Diversity
Residency Program and the inaugural resident librarians,
Rachel Smith and Mohamed Berray, began their two-year
program. Both Smith and Berray are recent graduates
of the Library and Information Studies program at the
University of North Carolina, Greensboro (UNCG). Their
initial work was in the new
Research Hub (see page 10),
providing advanced research
services for faculty and
students in business and the
behavioral and social sciences.
In January, Smith began
new rotations in Adaptive
Technology Services,
Digitization and Preservation,
Smith
and Library Learning Services.
This summer she will join
Dean Dewey for a panel presentation on academic library
residency programs at the American Library Association’s
annual conference in Las Vegas.
Berray
Berray has stepped in for Helen Sheehy,
the subject liaison for political science,
while she is on sabbatical. He also
works with the Serials and Acquisitions
Department where he is involved in
electronic resource management and
acquisition functions.
Smith’s and Berray’s time at Penn State
will build a broad portfolio of experience
to ground their future career development.
A win for all, the program increases
diversity among Penn State’s Libraries’ faculty and in the
profession, and it enhances Penn State’s reputation as a
leader in promoting and cultivating diversity.
Research Data Center Opens
Early this April, Penn State hosted an inaugural
conference that marked its opening as one of 16
U.S. Census Research Data Centers. The centers,
mostly located in major cities and research hubs
across the nation, provide researchers access to
restricted economic and census data.
Located on the second floor of Paterno Library, Penn State’s
Research Data Center (RDC) is the only center connected
with a library, and its proximity to the Research Hub is
expected to energize both areas.
The facility provides a secure connection to data collected
by the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center
for Health Statistics. It is a crucial resource for faculty
members and graduate students in areas such as economics,
demography, statistics, sociology and the health sciences.
In particular, it will give graduate students unparalleled
project experience, attract grant funding, and allow query
beyond public data. According to Jennifer Van Hook, the
project’s principal investigator and professor of sociology
and demography, “Researchers will no longer need to travel
to Washington, D.C., for restricted versions of data sets.”
“For economics faculty members, this means everything,”
said Mark Roberts, co-principal investigator and professor
of economics. “Every five years, the bureau conducts a
census on retail, wholesale, and manufacturing. Those
data are never released publicly, but the center will provide
this useful data. It will be extremely valuable for research
projects.” Roberts has been named as the center’s first
director.
The center has been funded at Penn State by the College of
the Liberal Arts, College of Agricultural Sciences, College
of Health and Human Development, the Eberly College of
Science, the University Libraries, the Population Research
Institute, the Social Science Research Institute, and the
Office of the Vice President for Research as well as by the
National Science Foundation, which provided three years of
funding support.
The RDC enhances research that covers an array of topics
including the study of immigrant populations, housing
markets, employment, voting, health disparities and
more. It also builds opportunities for cross-university
collaboration. Roberts said cities and major research
universities with RDCs have access to all the same research
data. Penn State now has that too, and it opens doors to a
wide network of collaboration.
“Whether you are working with someone in Atlanta or at
Duke, it’s extremely valuable that we can access the same
information simultaneously,” Roberts said. “As the network
grows, it becomes even more valuable.”
11
Librar y N ew s
Funding helps students engage in research
In recent years, the Libraries have offered a growing number of awards to undergraduate and graduate
students, often through partnerships with other University departments and units. While these awards
provide financial support, there is also another benefit—they encourage students to get engaged in
scholarly research.
Marjorie Grant Whiting Student Indigenous Knowledge
Research Award
This award, initiated in 2013, is for students who are
conducting research on a topic that relies upon traditional
knowledge, and is co-sponsored by the Libraries and the
Interinstitutional Consortium for Indigenous Knowledge
(ICIK). ICIK Co-Director, Audrey Maretzki, says the award
benefits both students and faculty. “We believe that promoting
students’ interest in researching indigenous knowledge
will also encourage faculty to appreciate the importance of
engaging with local communities and value the traditional
Knowledge, are available. Last year’s awards were presented
to Vincent Ricciardi, a graduate student in geography, for
his work on seed systems in northern Ghana, and Svitlana
Iarmolenko, a graduate student in the Department of
Recreation, Park and Tourism Management, for her research
on Ukrainian immigrants in the United States.
Award for Undergraduate Research in Sustainability
and the Environment
This year sees the formation of a new award related to the
environment, co-sponsored by the University Libraries,
Penn State’s Sustainability Institute, and
Cengage Learning. The award consists of
two $1,000 prizes and four $500 prizes.
Penn State’s Sustainability Institute
Director Denice Wardrop says, “One of the
challenges associated with sustainability
is finding credible sources of information
to utilize in our decision-making. These
awards provide an opportunity for Penn
State undergraduates to become familiar
with the Libraries’ Research Guide on
Sustainability (see www.libraries.psu.
edu/psul/researchguides/socialsciences/
sustainability1.html) helping them to
produce excellent research addressing
sustainability issues.”
Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis
Award
The Libraries are continuing a successful
partnership with the Schreyer Honors
College to offer this award, which is now
in its third year. Created by the Libraries’
endowed and distinguished librarians,
since its inception, this award program
has fueled research in diverse fields
Svitlana Iarmolenko conducts archival research on Ukrainian immigrants in
the United States.
including mathematics, health sciences,
and literature. Says Barbara I. Dewey,
dean of University Libraries and Scholarly
knowledge that has been generated through observation of,
Communications, “Through this award, the Libraries
and adaptation to, ecological, social and economic change
emphasize the importance of utilizing quality research
within those communities,” she says.
methods and employing a thorough understanding of the
Two awards of up to $2,000, funded by the Marjorie Grant
legal and ethical issues related to the use of information—
Whiting Endowment for the Advancement of Indigenous
both key components of academic excellence.”
12
Librar y News
A trio of undergraduate students with their
research poster at the Undergraduate
Exhibition.
demonstrated need for funds
to meet their necessary college
expenses. Trustee matching
scholarships enrich the student
experience by enabling students
to thrive in a stimulating
atmosphere that fosters
global involvement, creative
expression, and personal
growth. This scholarship
program multiplies the impact
of support right away, and for
generations to come.
❧ Other scholarship
opportunities
Roar Award
The University Libraries have teamed up with the Schreyer
Honors College and the Office of Undergraduate Education
to offer an award for the creative use of multimedia to present
research. The Roar Award challenges students to submit a
brief recording showcasing their academic research or artistic
rendition. It requires considerable skill on the part of the
student, who has to produce a creative, succinct presentation
in the allotted length of one to two minutes.
Information Literacy Award
The Adma Hammam Shibley
Memorial Scholarship in
Library Science, the Martha
Conner Memorial Award, and the Ava Faltz-Miller
Memorial Scholarship have been offered annually for
many years to outstanding undergraduates who are
considering further studies in library science or a related
field.
Want to give?
To contribute to an award or scholarship that will recognize
and support the work of a Penn State student, contact Nicki
Hendrix at 814-865-2258 or nmh18@psu.edu
Each year at the Undergraduate Exhibition, sponsored by
the Office of Undergraduate Education, the
University Libraries present cash awards
to students whose posters demonstrate
excellence in information literacy, as
seen through their information research
strategies and use of resources. Recognizing
their work in this manner reinforces the
importance of identifying quality resources
in the scholarly research process.
Libraries Scholarships
❧ The Cynthia M. Joyce Trustee
Scholarship
This scholarship will help keep education
affordable for students who have a
Diane Zabel, The Louis and Virginia Benzak
Business Librarian, congratulates Keegan McCoy,
top-winner of the Outstanding Undergraduate
Thesis Award in 2012.
13
News B ri e f s
Digital Badges Mark
Online Learning
Achievement
Library News In Brief
Remember Those Scout Badges?
Similar to their physical equivalent, digital
badges are a way of providing microcertification for discrete skills. Not only do
badges break down large, daunting concepts
into small, practical tasks, they combine
elements of games to tap into learners’
motivation and translate recognizable
elements of in-person learning to an online
environment.
In order to research and develop digital badges
for information literacy
skills, Victoria Raish, a
Ph.D. candidate in the
School of Education’s
Learning, Design, and
Technology program,
was hired as a graduate
assistant this year. This
position is partially
funded by Sally W.
Kalin Early Career
Librarianship for
Learning Innovations.
Raish notes, “I am
extremely excited to
be working on this project for my graduate
assistantship. I believe that the badging
ecosystem has the potential to help transform
how we think of learning and represents
the true granular accomplishments of the
students. With the rising costs of a college
degree and the high level of competition for
jobs upon graduation, badges can help students
differentiate themselves from their peers by
moving beyond seat time and credit hours to
what they can actually do.”
Raish will be working on the project with
Emily Rimland, the Sally W. Kalin Librarian
for Learning Innovations. “Having a graduate
student greatly expands what we’re able to
do. The University is also implementing a
digital badge platform for displaying badges,
so the timing for this project and assistantship
couldn’t be better,” says Rimland.
14
Librarians host monthly open houses for engineering majors. Above: librarian Vanessa Eyer
(center) with students Michael Gooden and Jake Resh; above right: librarian Angela Davis
(right) with student Sara Ghahramani
Jack Sulzer, senior associate dean for
Undergraduate and Learning Services, has
announced his plans to retire this summer from
the University Libraries. Sulzer has served as
associate dean for the past 16 years and will
have been with the Libraries for 40 years. “While
I will be leaving the Libraries,” he says, “I will
not be leaving the profession. I will remain on
the board of editors of portal: Libraries and the
Academy, continue to be active in PaLA, and
will serve a term as a newly elected member
of the board for directors for the Pennsylvania
Integrated Library System.”
Mike Furlough, associate dean for Research
and Scholarly Communications in the University
Libraries, has been selected to be the executive
director of HathiTrust. In this position, he will carry
forward the mission of more than 90 academic
and research institutions working to transform
scholarship and research in the 21st century. The
partnering institutions currently own and maintain
a trusted digital repository of more than 11 million
volumes, digitized from partner library collections
and other sources. Furlough notes, “HathiTrust has
dramatically increased access to the published
record, and created a membership structure
that governs a shared, distributed infrastructure
for preservation and innovative use. We’re
poised now to build upon those achievements,
and transform the ways that research libraries
collaborate to produce knowledge.” Furlough will
leave Penn State in April.
News Brief s
❧ Exhibits
The Eberly Family Special Collections
Library, 104 Paterno Library
“Challenge Yourself: Judy Chicago’s
Studio Art Pedagogy,” on display
through June 13. The exhibit is one of
many activities at Penn State, during
spring 2014, to celebrate Chicago
and her work and can be viewed at
judychicago.arted.psu.edu.
Robb Hall Exhibit Gallery, Hintz Alumni Center
“No Nobler Effort: Evan Pugh, Penn State’s First President,” on display through June 10.
Sidewater Commons,
102 Pattee Library
“Breaking Barriers through
Music: Albums from The
Charles L. Blockson Collection
of African Americana and the
African Diaspora,” on display
through June 30.
Henry W. Shoemaker’s “Mountain Minstrelsy of
Pennsylvania” gains a new audience with an album
available at www.marah-usa.com and on iTunes.
The Penn State Sports
Archives Celebrates
25 Years—featuring
more than 100,000
sports images.
Libraries Development Board
Honorary Chairs
Stephen J. Falke
Michael S. Kirschner
Suzanne P. Paterno
Co-Chairs
Carol H. Klaus
Robert C. Klaus
Richard DeFluri
Joseph DiGiacomo
Ronald L. Filippelli
Dorothy Foehr Huck
Cindy Joyce
Sally W. Kalin
Cynthia M. King
Kerry W. Kissinger
John J. Krog
Carlton Langley, Jr.
Mark S. Lewis
Douglas C. McBrearty
Jeanette D. McWhirter
George M. Middlemas
Bonnie S. Prystowsky
Robin Ward Savage
Sally L. Schaadt
William S. Shipley
Sandra W. Spanier
Scott H. Steinhauer
Raymond A. Tiley
Ann C. Tombros
Allen J. Weltmann
Barbara I. Dewey,
ex officio
Nicki Hendrix,
ex officio
University Libraries Staff
Questions or comments: 814-865-2258
Nicki Hendrix, director of development
Marcus Fowler, associate director of development
Christopher Brida, assistant director of development
Shirley Davis, assistant to the dean for external relations
Karen McCulley, development assistant
The Library: the Heart of the University is published semiannually by the Office of Public Relations and
Marketing for the Office of Development, Penn State University Libraries, Barbara I. Dewey, dean.
Copyright ©2014 The Pennsylvania State University. All rights reserved. Direct questions and comments to
Catherine Grigor, editor and manager of Public Relations and Marketing. Phone: 814-863-4240;
e-mail: cqg3@psu.edu
Newsletter designer: Wilson Hutton, Public Relations and Marketing, University Libraries
This publication is available in alternative media on request. Penn State is committed to affirmative
action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. Produced by Public Relations and Marketing,
University Libraries. U.Ed. LIB 14-192.
15
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University Libraries
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Visit Our Web Site
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Penn State Press Picks
www.psupress.org
Holland’s Golden Age
in America: Collecting the Art of
Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Hals
edited by Esmée Quodbach
Americans have long had a taste for the art and
culture of Holland’s Golden Age, and collections
in the United States boast extraordinary examples
of Dutch paintings. Celebrated masters such as
Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, and Frans Hals are exceptionally well
represented, but many fine paintings by their contemporaries can be found as
well. The authors of Holland’s Golden Age in America explain in lively detail why
and how American collectors and museums turned to the Dutch masters to enrich
their collections.
Staging Ground: An American Theater and Its Ghosts
by Leslie Stainton
Interweaving past and present, private anecdote and
public record, Stainton unfolds the story of Lancaster
Pennsylvania’s Fulton Theatre, where for more than
250 years Americans scripted and rescripted their
history. In this poignant and personal history of one
of America’s oldest theaters, Leslie Stainton captures
the story not just of an extraordinary building but of a
nation’s tumultuous struggle to invent itself.
Emilie Davis’s
Civil War: The Diaries of
a Free Black
Woman in
Philadelphia,
1863-1865
edited by Judith Giesberg and transcribed and
annotated by The Memorable Days Project
Emilie Davis was a free African American woman
who lived in Philadelphia during the Civil War.
Her daily entries from 1863 to 1865 touch on the
momentous and the mundane, from the Battle of
Gettysburg and the Emancipation Proclamation
to the minutiae of social life in Philadelphia’s
black community. The diaries allow the reader to
experience the Civil War in “real time” through the
perspective of a free black woman.