Sarah Dorpinghaus Appointed to SAA Steering Committee:

The Society of American Archivist Metadata and Digital Object Roundtable is one of the largest within SAA.  It promotes discussion, education, and collaboration among archivists who are interested in digital archival objects and the metadata that enables their access, management, and preservation.    

  

 Sarah Dorpinghaus, Digital Projects Library Manager, for UK Libraries has been appointed one of four new members to the Roundtable’s Steering Committee.  The other new members are Riccardo Ferrante, Director of Digital Services & IT Archivist, Smithsonian Institution Archives; Jacquie Ferry, Digital Archivist, Center for Legislative Archives, National Archives and Records Administration; and Amy Rushing, Head of Digital Access Services, University of Texas Libraries, University of Texas at Austin.

Frontier Nursing Service Collection Utilized in Recent Publication

 Rooted in the Mountains, Reaching to the World: Stories of Nursing and Midwifery at Kentucky’s Frontier School, 1939-1989 by Anne Z. Cockerham and Arlene W. Keeling chronicles the first 50 years of what is now Eastern Kentucky’s Frontier University.  The authors relied heavily on the Frontier Nursing Service Collection in UK Libraries Special Collections.

The FNS Collections totals nearly 300 cubic feet of material on all aspects of the FNS.  Materials include correspondence, minutes, reports, promotional materials, guest books, financial files, architectural plans, and memorabilia. There is also an accompanying collection of photographs and other audio-visual materials as well as over 200 oral history interviews in the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History.

Teaching Part of MCL’s Core Mission

While the role of research libraries and librarians continues to evolve, teaching remains a critical component of UK Libraries mission.  Rick Brewer, Assistant Director of the Medical Center Library (MCL) details the many approaches used by MCL to provide access to medical related information sources:

“For years, the Medical Center Library (MCL) has provided an ongoing assortment of classes to promote information literacy and better improve users’ knowledge and understanding of the resources and tools made available to them by of UK Libraries. These classes, taught by MCL librarians, target the six Medical Center (MC) colleges as well as others who might be interested in learning about a particular topic. The classes are offered in different formats including regularly scheduled sessions on a drop-in basis; group sessions as part of curriculum offered classes, and as individual consultations, when requested.”

“We also offer fundamental information literacy classes that MCL librarians conduct in collaboration with faculty from the MC colleges. The MCL librarian meets with the instructor to create a teaching plan that will, ultimately, achieve the goals stated by the course instructor. Librarians are active participants in the coordination of such classes that are part of the curriculum and are tasked with, in some cases, developing assignments pertinent to the topic being discussed. Such sessions are typically focused at the graduate level but there are undergraduate courses as well.”

“Additionally, MCL librarians have responsibility for training third year medical students on a monthly basis as students conduct pediatric and family medicine rotations. During these encounters, students are taught evidence based medicine principles as well as provided advanced training on the use of PubMed.  Finally, MCL librarians are available for individual consultation. Such interactions result at the request of the individual who may seek additional training as a follow up encounter to a class they might have previously taken or there may be a student who has an immediate need whereby they request assistance related to an assignment, for example.

“Providing education and training is a core element of the MCL mission. Over the past year the MCL provided instructional sessions that reached nearly 3,000 participants.  Our intention this year is to maintain this activity and seek to increase our level of involvement within the curriculum even further. Equipping students with these lifelong learning skills will serve them well after they have finished their time at UK. “

Katie Henningsen Accepts Position at University of Puget Sound

 Katie joined UK Libraries as an ARL CEP fellow in May 2009.  Following her fellowship, Katie remained at UK as a project archivist overseeing the data migration and implementation of Archivists’ Toolkit.  Katie joined the Special Collections faculty in 2010, where she worked on a large scale access project designed to create electronic records for archival collections, reunite separated collections, and gain physical and intellectual control over the archival backlog; to date Katie and her team of students and project archivists have created over 450 electronic finding aids that can be found on Explore UK and InfoKat as well as accessioned almost 800 backlogged collections. 

In May, Katie’s role evolved to include a greater emphasis on outreach and advocacy for Special Collections.  Katie has taken a leading role in the development and implementation of the Special Collections Learning Lab.  This exciting new project will promote undergraduate scholarship and creativity through students’ work with primary resources.  In working on this Katie has drawn on her experience overseeing numerous experiential learning projects for the UK School of Library and Information Science and the student exhibit she organized last spring ‘Special Collections as Learning Lab.’

In November Katie joins the University of Puget Sound as Archivist and Digital Collections Coordinator.  In this role, Katie will manage all aspects of Puget Sound’s Archives and Special Collections while integrating primary sources into the liberal arts curriculum through teaching and creative outreach methods.  

Megan Mummey Accepts Two Year Archival Position

Megan Mummey has accepted a two year special projects position in Special Collections.  Megan will focus on locating and describing all unaccessioned Archives collections. She will create collection level records in Archivist's Toolkit, eliminate the existing backlog, and provide intellectual control over all the archival collections.  This is a critical task and an exciting opportunity.  Megan’s first day will be September 24.

Oral History in the Digital Age

Sara Abdmishani Price, Collection Coordinator for the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History has an article, Collection Management Systems:  Tools for Managing Oral History Collections, in Oral History in the Digital Age.   http://ohda.matrix.msu.edu/about/authors/price/

 As an active member of the Oral History Association, Sara has served on the Programs Committee, co-taught workshops, and presented at conferences.  Sara has also been recognized for her knowledge of digital preservation and collection management. She has been involved in the design and development of the Nunn Center’s collection management system, SPOKEdb.  In addition, she has participated in the IMLS National Leadership Grant, Oral History in the Digital Age (OHDA), serving as a member of the curating working group.

Learning Digital Preservation

Mary Molinaro, Associate Dean for Library Technologies, participated as an instructor in the Digital Preservation Outreach and Education Program administered by the Library of Congress.  She served as one of three instructors in a "train the trainer" program held at the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis. 

Twenty-four librarians and archivists from the Midwest Region participated in the program who will then, in turn, teach others the basics of digital preservation.  More than 900 people received training in the past year.  Molinaro also serves on the Steering Committee for the program.  More information is available from the Library of Congress at http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/education/

State Historical Records Advisory Board:

Deirdre Scaggs Appointed to State Board

Deirdre Scaggs, Associate Dean for Special Collections, has been appointed to the State Historical Records Advisory Board (SHRAB).  SHRAB is the central advisory body in the state for historical records planning and for those projects in Kentucky funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).  The SHRAB serves as a coordinating body to facilitate cooperation and communication among historical records repositories and information agencies within the state and as a state-level review body for proposals as defined in the Commission’s grant program guidelines.

The Board is composed of members who have experience or interest in the collection, administration, and use of historical records and are dedicated to the preservation and use of Kentucky’s documentary heritage.  The SHRAB is part of the State Archives and Records Commission, with members appointed by the State Librarian and staff support provided by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.  

Board members must have recognized experience in the administration of government records, historical records, or archives. T he State Archivist serves as Coordinator of the Board. The State Historical Records Advisory Board is coordinated by the Public Records Division, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.

Observations and Reflections

 It has been my experience that people become librarians and work in libraries not to hide themselves away among stacks of books but to actually help others.  This past week as the fall semester began, UK Libraries employees from diverse areas and departments, both public service and technical services and including the Dean’s office, volunteered at a help desk on the first floor of Young Library to assist new and returning UK students. 

Students seemed reassured to see a temporary mobile desk as they entered the large building that said “help desk.”  They did not hesitate to ask our faculty and staff for directions, for information regarding UK Libraries, or for general information about the university.  As important, our employees enjoyed their interaction with the students and it reinforced for all of us one of our primary missions – serving students.

Looking ahead, UK Libraries will explore how we can become more involved in UK recruiting at Preview Nights for high school students around the commonwealth and throughout the region.  We want to ensure that, as students make their college choices, they realize that UK Libraries offers them unsurpassed access to unique collections, a wealth of information services, and individualized assistance.  

Kentucky American Water Supports UK Student Learning

Thanks to a generous gift from Kentucky American Water, UK students will soon have access to a newly renovated, technology friendly learning space in the William T. Young Library.

Kentucky American is donating $22,000 to transform the current Kentucky American Water Room into an innovative, active, and collaborative learning space that serves the needs of 21^st century students.  Improvements will include a new projector system, white boards, new chairs with tablet arms for laptop computers, and new carpet and paint for the room.

This type of partnership is essential to UK Libraries as we create new and innovative models for learning spaces in the William T. Young Library which is approaching its 15th year as the main campus library.  These projects are especially important in support of President Eli Capilouto’s focus on the infrastructure of undergraduate student success.

We are extremely grateful for Kentucky American’s partnership in this recent project and for their role in supporting the initial construction of Young Library.  

MCL Librarians Provide Critical Information Resources

Rick Brewer and Mark Ingram recently visited third year medical students located at the regional site in Morehead, Kentucky. The students are a special cohort enrolled in the Rural Physician Leadership Program (RPLP) which is designed to identify and train physicians who desire to serve as practitioners and health care leaders in rural settings.

The unique program addresses the growing health care needs evident in rural areas of Kentucky and the rest of the nation. Students spend their first two years of medical school at the Lexington campus. During their third and fourth years of medical school, RPLP students complete the majority of their clinical experiences in designated rural hospitals and clinics with community-based faculty members holding academic appointments at the UK College of Medicine serving as their teachers. 

Program partners include UK, St. Claire Regional Medical Center, and Morehead State University. UK medical librarians travel to Morehead to provide training on the various databases and resources available as well as teach principles of evidence based medicine. This year, there are 11 students, nearly double the number of students last year. The goal is to provide these students to receive the same training and access to resources as the students located in Lexington. The Medical Center Library has collaborated with this program for the last two years. 

ARL Diversity Programs Awarded IMLS Grant to Continue Career Enhancement Program

UK Libraries, one of the eight founding participants of the Association of Research Libraries Diversity Programs' Career Enhancement Program (CEP), will host two CEP Fellow internships on campus each summer in 2013 and 2014.  The ARL CEP is a minority fellowship program that recruits library and information science students from traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic groups into careers in research and academic libraries.  UK Libraries sponsored six CEP Fellows over the past four years: Katie Henningsen, Anissa Ali, Brittany McGowan, Brian Leaf, Kimberly Sy and Jennifer Garrett.  Katie joined UK Libraries Special Collectionsfaculty following graduation.

Applications for the ARL CEP will be available this fall and the 2013 selections are expected to be made in November. Each intern will be assigned a mentor as well as a supervisor; mentorship training, which previously took place at ALA midwinter, will be provided online.  Judy Sackett coordinates this important program for UK Libraries.

More information about the Career Enhancement Program can be found at: http://www.arl.org/news/pr/cep-imls-19june12.shtml

Esta Day Leaving UK Libraries

Esta Day, Library Technician Senior in the Electronic Resources (EC) Unit within CTS, graduated from the UK School of Library & Information Science in May and is moving on to pursue a professional library position.  Her last day with the Libraries will be August 24.

Esta, a flute major at UK, came to UK Libraries in 2007 as a student assistant working for both the National Digital Newspaper Program in Special Collections and, for a time, as a student assistant in the Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library. After graduating with her B.A. in History (Minor in Music Performance, Theory, and History), she traveled to Japan and taught English to students through grade 9.  She returned to the newspaper position when she was admitted to graduate school and remained in that position until August 2010, when she was initially hired by the ER Unit as a graduate assistant.

While in the SLIS program, she accepted an ER technician position and subsequently became an ER Library Technician Senior where she has made numerous outstanding contributions.  During her library career, Esta received a UK Library Student Worker of the Year award (2008), received a SLIS Scholarship (fall, 2010), and won a NASIG student grant to attend the annual conference (2011).  She served on the UK Institutional Repository Day Planning Committee (2011), trained the Reference graduate assistants on how to handle some of the typical problems dealing with electronic resources, and took advantage of several opportunities for continuing education in the area of the acquisitions and management of electronic resources, most notably, the two-day Great Lakes e-Summit in Dayton. 

Esta recently participated in a panel discussion at the Electronic Resources & Libraries Annual Conference and gave a poster presentation on the ER Unit’s blog and list-serv at this year’s NASIG conference.  She also authored two conference paper reports in the NASIG Newsletter (2011).  She is a member of the American Library Association as well as NASIG, and she has been doing volunteer GIS work for the Nature Conservancy of Kentucky.  Clearly, Esta’s career is off to a great start and we wish her success in her new endeavor.

Observations and Reflections

 It was 40 years ago this fall that I began my unlikely journey on the campus of the University of Kentucky arriving on campus to begin graduate work in history.  Four decades and three degrees later, I have much to reflect upon and even more for which to be thankful.  There were so many people along the way that helped me as a student even when I didn’t know I needed help!  More than ever, I appreciate their support, advice, and encouragement.

UK Libraries faculty and staff strive to offer that same support, advice, and encouragement to UK students today.  In addition, we want to provide our students and faculty information resources equal to any other research library in the United States.  We will also provide them the opportunity to learn how to find the resources they need and to judge the value of the resources they use, a skill that will have value their entire lives and careers.

We are also thankful for our donors and friends who help UK Libraries fulfill the Kentucky Promise to our students, our faculty, and the citizens of the commonwealth.  Thank you and let’s have a successful academic year!

Art in UK Libraries

The Lucille Little Fine Arts Library recently acquired five pieces of artwork, thanks to the generosity of Kathy and David Johnson who established a fund for these purchases.  Our collection emphasizes artists who are from Kentucky or have exhibited in the commonwealth.  With this recent acquisition, UK Libraries now has examples of work by two faculty members who taught in the Art Department for more than 20 years, Janis Sternbergs (1900-1981) Clifford Amyx (1909-1997).

We also have new work by Dobree Adams, whose mother, Hunter Adams (1912-1997), is the namesake of the Design Library.  Hunter Adams was the Architecture Librarian from 1962 until she retired in 1977.

       

Allison Rogers Leaving UK Libraries National Advisory Board

Allison Rogers announced this week that “Sadly, I must resign from the UK Libraries National Advisory Board effective the end of this month.  In September I will be moving to Tanzania to work for a small grassroots wildlife conservation organization. I'm very excited about that but sorry that I will not be able to continue with the UK Libraries board. It has been a great experience--I've met some incredible people. UK's libraries should be held up as a model for every university. I was constantly impressed with the cutting edge work that is being done through them.

I will be doing fundraising and operations for a young organization called the Ruaha Carnivore Project (RCP). RCP is based in southern Tanzania, just outside of Ruaha National Park, the second largest park in the country. The Ruaha Landscape (which includes the park and surrounding areas) is home to 10% of all the lions in Africa, one of only three populations of 200+ cheetahs in eastern Africa, and globally important populations of rare wild dogs, leopards, and spotted hyenas. Despite the area's ecological importance, very little research has been conducted and no one is helping locals protect themselves and their livestock from predators.

RCP does both, with its main goal being to help the locals learn to live with the presence of large carnivores and thus decrease the number of carnivores killed out of retaliation for livestock loss. RCP works primarily with the pastoralist Maasai and Barabaig tribes, the latter being extremely standoffish toward strangers. RCP has developed a good relationship with the Barabaig and is bringing the Lion Guardians programme, which has converted many Kenyan Maasai warriors from lion killers to lion protectors, to Tanzania's Barabaig. For more information, visit our website, www.ruahacarnivoreproject.com, and/or like us on Facebook!

Despite the fact that I will be living in the African bush, we get pretty good internet service. So I'll be able to check this email address. Please keep in touch!

Kwaheri! (Goodbye in Swahili.)”

We thank Allison for her service to the Board and her support of UK Libraries during the past several years.  We look forward to her rejoining our Board when she returns from Africa.  In the meantime, we wish her all the best!

Media:scape Delivery to The Hub

Thanks to the generous annual support of UK Libraries donors and friends, UK students studying in the William T. Young Library will have access to a powerful new collaborative learning tool.

Last week we received delivery of a media:scape, which allows students working in groups to share images from their laptops to a larger screen.  Once plugged in, students can easily switch the main image from laptop to laptop as they work on presentations, research or other work.  UK Libraries had a media:scape on loan from the Steelcase Corporation this past February, and it was extremely popular with students.

 The media:scape was purchased with resources from the UK Libraries Enrichment Fund and at a significant discount from Steelcase.  The acquisition of this piece of equipment represents our continuing commitment to transforming our libraries into technology-friendly spaces best equipped to meet the needs of a 21^st century education.  Acquiring the media:scape is the first of several service enhancements planned for the next two years.

Fall Semester Activities Underway

This week buzzes with anticipation of the beginning of the fall semester as UK Librarians welcome students at the Residence Life Resource Fair, the New TA Orientation, and the New Graduate Student Resource Fair, all held August 13-15.   The following day, August 16, UK 101 Instructors  learn how to tour their classes through William T. Young Library and 37 incoming students enrolled in Fast Track to Calculus* will receive instruction about UK Libraries resources.  It’s all in a week’s work for the beginning of a new academic year.

During K-Week, the William T. Young Library offers a drop in tour/orientation called Turbo Tours. The Young Library Turbo Tour is a quick way for new students to begin to learn their way around the 365,000 square feet Young Library and most importantly, learn about the resources and services available to them.

*Fast Track for Calculus is a residential academic preparation program designed for highly qualified students going into rigorous undergraduate mathematics classes.

K-Week Schedule:  http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/KWeek/index.html

Faculty Present at Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting

Sarah Dorpinghaus, Digital Projects Library Manager, served as session chair and panelist for the session, Choose Your Own Arrangement: Using Large-scale Digitization Efforts to Process Image and Audiovisual Collections.  The session highlighted the mass digitization workflows and in-house standards developed by UK Libraries’ Digital Library Services (DLS).  Other panelist represented the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Northwestern University, and the College of Charleston.  Sarah also participated in SAA’s first CURATEcamp workshop, during which she led a discussion on DLS’s new preservation repository and use of DAITSS and Blacklight.

 Deirdre Scaggs, Associate Dean for Special Collections participated on a panel, Kids These Days: K-12 Students and the Use of Primary Sources.  K-12 students remain a largely underrepresented audience within archives, and, therefore, one of the greatest opportunities for archivists.  Engaging with primary sources builds and improves critical thinking and communication skills among K-12 students.  This session explored the use of primary sources in K-12 education from a variety of perspectives.  The panelists discuss engaging primary sources with K-12 students in the classroom, research room, and an online environment.  Deirdre’s presentation focused, in part, on a case study she conducted with a 6th grade class at SCAPA (School for the Creative and Performing Arts) in Fayette County Public Schools.  Other panel members represented the University of Wyoming, the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Drexel University and the National Archives.

 During the Oral History Roundtable session Dr. Doug Boyd, Director of UK Libraries Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History presented Oral History in the Digital Age.  Doug discussed various tools and recommendations being provided by the IMLS initiative which brought together Michigan State University, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, the American Folklore Society, and the Oral History Association for this effort.  UK Libraries OHMS initiative was specifically highlighted.

Observations and Reflections

 Last Thursday Greg Casey, Sherree Osborne, and I joined fans and friends of Kathy Johnson at her most recent exhibit opening at the M S Rezny Studio/Gallery. 

In promoting the exhibition the gallery noted that “Kathy Johnson’s love of trees in the landscape is dramatically captured in paintings by layering watercolor and pastel.”  Kathy shared that, “Being among trees--whether walking along a woodland path or on brick pavers among the urban forest--brings utter contentment. Everything needed is at hand. The eternal quality of trees puts our daily concerns in perspective..."

I spent last Thursday and Friday at the President’s Retreat.  The first day of the retreat focused on planning for student success.  With the implementation of UK Core (UK’s new general education requirements) UK is now focusing on how best to recruit, retain, and graduate students. 

UK Libraries plays a key role in all of these goals and I hope that our faculty and staff will offer suggestions for how we can improve in all of these areas.  President Eli Capilouto is fond of saying that, “The William T. Young Library gives UK an unfair recruiting advantage!”  Let’s work together to assure that UK Libraries provided an essential role in UK students’ success.

UK Librarians Teach!

When UK students return for classes later this month, UK librarians will be ready to assist them!  Debbie Sharp, Information Literacy Coordinator, reports that, “Dozens of UK Libraries faculty, staff, and graduate assistants spent the month of July honing their instruction and assessment skills in preparation for the beginning of the fall semester.  During the four workshops over three weeks, attendees reviewed the fundamentals of our instruction and assessment process and learned about active learning ideas for the classroom.” 

“Special thanks to colleagues, Kate Black and Sheli Saltsman from UK Libraries’ Special Collections and Lisa Nichols from Transylvania University for engaging us with some spectacular ideas for making our teaching more interactive.”

Observations and Reflections

 During a recent trip to Owensboro, Kentucky I had the opportunity to visit with friends and donors who have supported UK Libraries for many years.  Deirdre Scaggs, Associate Dean for Special Collections, and Greg Casey, Director of UK Libraries Development, joined me on the trip.

We first visited with John Hager, former Publisher of the Owensboro Messenger and a long-time Owensboro civic leader.  Over fifteen years ago, John donated the Hager Family Collection to UK Libraries.  The collection helps document Owensboro and Davies County history from the beginning of the 20th century forward.  http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=kyead;cc=kyead;view=reslist;subview=standard;didno=hager&view=toc

Nearly forty years ago I conducted an oral history interview with John’s father, Lawrence Hager, who also served as owner and publisher of the newspaper.  I talked with him about his friendship with Fred Vinson who became Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and whose papers are also in UK Libraries Special Collections.  Lawrence Hager and Fred Vinson had been classmates at Centre College. 

 I vividly recall Mr. Hager being very displeased with me for asking about Chief Justice Vinson’s skill as a poker player.  He obviously did not think that was an appropriate question about the former Chief Justice.  However, it was well known that Fred Vinson and his great friend Harry Truman held regular poker games in the White House!

The next day we visited the Owensboro Museum of Science and History which is the home of the Wendell H. Ford Government Education Center.  The center was established at the same time as UK Libraries’ Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center and the two centers have explored collaborative projects over the years. 

Now, the UK College of Education is exploring a partnership between the Owensboro Ford Center and the college’s P-20 Innovation Labs.  Each lab has a civic education component and partner with Kentucky schools, businesses, community leaders, higher education, industry and government to transform classrooms to engage learners at an early age and create a pipeline of students well-prepared to go to college and obtain careers matching their skills and interests.

Later in the day we had lunch with Senator Ford, son Steve, and grandson Clay, who is a member of the UK Libraries National Advisory Board.  During lunch we discussed the P-20 Labs collaboration and plans for continuing oral history interviews with Senator Ford.