ARL Director of Diversity and Leadership Programs visits UK Libraries

Left to right: Judy Sackett, Sarah Pham,
Mark Puente, LaTrisha Blunt, and Dean Bob Fox

UK Libraries hosted Mark Puente, director of diversity and leadership programs for the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), for a visit on July 15, 2015. Puente, who received the EMIERT Distinguished Librarian Award earlier in 2015, is widely recognized for his work in improving, spreading, and promoting multicultural leadership. He visited UK Libraries to meet with this year’s ARL Career Enhancement Program Fellows and their mentors and to speak with UK Libraries faculty and staff about fostering a climate of inclusion. Puente stressed the importance of inclusion and diversity in creating a vibrant, successful library organization.

Puente first met with Dean of Libraries Terry Birdwhistell and oral history librarian Judy Sackett, who serves as the ARL CEP coordinator for UK Libraries. He then met ARL CEP fellows LaTrisha Blunt and Sarah Pham, as well as their supervisors in the Special Collections Research Center: Cindy Cline, Megan Mummey, and Sarah Dorpinghaus. Dean Bob Fox of the University of Louisville Libraries also met with Puente and Dean Birdwhistell.

I am very pleased that Mark Puente was able to visit us and share his knowledge and experiences.  I am also very appreciative of all that Judy Sackett and our faculty and staff do to make the ARL Career Enhancement Program Fellows experiences here at UK beneficial.  

C-SPAN features UK Libraries, UPK, and King Library Press in coverage of Lexington

This weekend, July 18-19, Lexington and UK Libraries are in the spotlight as C-SPAN broadcasts coverage of the city as part of its 2015 C-SPAN Cities Tour. Viewers of "Lexington Weekend" will learn about the city's rich history as well as the community's non-fiction literary culture. The programming features experts from UK Libraries and the UK College of Arts and Sciences including Tracy Campbell and Karl Raitz.

Tracy Campbell, UK professor of history, Interim Chair of the History Department, and former Co-Director of the Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center discussed his highly aclaimed book, Short of the Glory: The Fall and Redemption of Edward F. Prichard Jr. Campbell's work examines one of the nation's promising political prodigies. Published by University Press of Kentucky (UPK), Short of Glory chronicles how the "boy wonder" of the New Deal ended up in prison for stuffing a ballot box, as well as his hard fought journey back to becoming a trusted advisor of government leaders and Kentucky's most persuasive and eloquent voice for education reform.

Cultural geographer, former Provost's Distinguished Service Professor in the UK Department of Geography, and UK Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement recipient Karl Raitz spoke with BookTV about his book Kentucky’s Frontier Highway: Historical Landscapes along the Maysville Road. Raitz and co-author Nancy O’Malley, assistant director of the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology at UK, charted the complex history of the Maysville Road — a route that served as a corridor of local settlement, an engine of economic development, a symbol of national progress, and an essential part of the Underground Railroad. Kentucky's Frontier Highway was also published by UPK. 

In addition, C-SPAN also filmed a segment on King Library Press. Founded by Carolyn Reading Hammer and UK Libraries in 1956.  The press preserves and teaches the tradition of handpress fine printing established in the fifteenth century by Johannes Gutenberg and continuing without interruption to the present day. Paul Holbrook, director of King Library Press, and Deirdre Scaggs, associate dean of UK Libraries for the Special Collections Research Center, shared the history and work of the press with viewers in this interview.

The Lexington history segments will air on AHTV on C-SPAN3 and the literary events/non-fiction author segments will air on BookTV on C-SPAN2. The BookTV block will start at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 18, on C-SPAN2. The AHTV programming will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 19, on C-SPAN3. In addition, viewers will be able to watch "Lexington Weekend" broadcasting at their leisure on C-SPAN's website at www.c-span.org/citiestour.

Portions reprinted with permission from UKnow.

Steve Wrinn leaving University Press of Kentucky

Steve Wrinn

The email below went to members of the University Press of Kentucky Board and the UPK Editorial Committee on July 10 after I learned that Steve Wrinn, director of UPK, will be leaving the university. Soon we will announce the date and time of an event to recognize Steve and thank him for his service.

 ______________________________________________________________

July 10, 2015

Dear Friends of the University Press of Kentucky,

It is with mixed emotions that I write to inform you of the departure of Steve Wrinn from the University Press of Kentucky. After more than 13 years as the Press director, Steve informed me that he is leaving to become director of the University of Notre Dame Press.

Steve’s last official day at the University Press of Kentucky will be August 14. I will appoint an interim director within the next few weeks and we will initiate a national search for a permanent director as soon as possible. I will work closely with Steve and the UPK staff to assure a smooth transition.

Steve leaves the University Press of Kentucky on a strong foundation. During his nearly 14 years with the UPK Steve guided the press through a monumental transition in academic publishing.  He was a national leader among academic presses in moving UPK to electronic publishing.

One of the hallmarks of Steve’s tenure will be his successful efforts to publish books that focused on the academic, historical, and cultural strengths of Kentucky. His commitment to the intellectual life of the commonwealth will be sorely missed.

As an important supporter of the UPK I wanted you to know about this transition as soon as possible. Your support of the Press has been instrumental to its success and I know that you will continue that support going forward.

Please join me in thanking Steve for his leadership and service and wishing him much success in the future.

Sincerely,

Terry L. Birdwhistell, Ed.D.

Dean of Libraries and

William T. Young Endowed Chair

University of Kentucky

New leaders from UK Libraries for Kentucky Council on Archives

The Kentucky Council on Archives elected new leaders at a June 5 meeting, including Sarah Dorpinghaus and Megan Mummey of the UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center. Sarah, a digital archivist, is now chair of KCA. Megan, collections management archivist, is webmaster for the council. Congratulations, Sarah and Megan, on your leadership positions. 

Megan Mummey

Sarah Dorpinghaus

Jason Boczar departs from UK Libraries

Jason Boczar

Jason Boczar, Digital Scholarship Senior Technician, has resigned from UK Libraries. His last day will be July 17, 2015. Please join me in thanking Jason for his service. 

UK Libraries at ALA Annual Conference

Poster by Adrian Ho and Judy Sackett on display at ALA

UK Libraries faculty made a strong showing at the American Libraries Association (ALA) Annual Conference held in San Francisco June 25 - 30.

Adrian Ho, director of Digital Scholarship, and Judy Sackett, oral history librarian, presented the poster “Undergraduate Diversity Scholar Program: A Proactive Approach to Creating an Inclusive and Multicultural Workforce” on June 28. The poster is viewable via UKnowledge.

Dr. Stacey Greenwell, associate dean for Academic Affairs and Research, presented the poster

Dr. Stacey Greenwell presents her poster at ALA

“Creating Effective Instructional Materials with I-LEARN.”

Cindy Cline, Special Collections cataloger, attended ALA as a member of the ALCTS Program Planning Committee. Julene Jones, head of Database Integrity, introduced and moderated the program "Telling Your Story: Why Technical Services Matters.” Laura Hall of William T. Young Reference Services and Laura Whayne, head of the Transportation Center Library, also attended ALA.

UK Libraries welcomes ARL Career Enhancement Program Fellows

LaTrisha Blunt and Sarah Pham are working and learning at UK Libraries this summer as part of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Career Enhancement Program (CEP).  

LaTrisha Blunt

LaTrisha is studying for her MLIS at the University of Southern Mississipi while working full time in the public library system of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her supervisor at UK is Cindy Cline, Special Formats cataloguer, and her mentor is Senior Associate Dean Mary Beth Thomson.

Sarah recently completed her MLIS at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her supervisors at UK are Megan Mummey and Sarah Dorpinghaus, Special Collections Research Center, and her mentor is Jen Bartlett, head of Reference Services in William T. Young Library.

LaTrisha and Sarah began their internships June 15, and their last day at UK Libraries will be July 31. On July 27, all UK Libraries faculty, staff, and students are invited to a presentation by and reception for the ARL CEP Fellows, 10 to 11:30 a.m. in B108C Young Library.

Judy Sackett is the ARL CEP coordinator for UK Libraries.

 

Sarah Pham

The Career Enhancement Program, one of five diversity recruitment

programs of the Association of Research Libraries, offers master of library and information students from traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups the opportunity to gain practical internship experience in an ARL member library. Funding for the program is provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and ARL member libraries, with the goal of creating a diverse research library workforce. LaTrisha and Sarah bring to 12 the number of CEP interns hosted by UK Libraries.

More information about the ARL CEP and the 2015 fellows is on the ARL website.