May Library Office Notes


ANNOUNCEMENTS

IT NEWS

HR NEWS

EVENTS AND TRAINING



ANNOUNCEMENTS: University Librarian Note
I’ve temporarily suspended my Dean’s note for LON in light of the communications surrounding our response to COVID-19. Please see library.illinois.edu/staff/covid-19/ for the full list of notes that have come out. We will continue to adjust and respond to circumstances as they change, and I will send out notes on changes in the way we deploy our services and budget implications for the University and Library as the implications become clearer. I am ever grateful for the ways that you have all adapted and contributed to our engagement with the campus during the stay-at-home period, and I look forward to our being back in our library buildings with all of you.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Sara Benson Appointed Interim Head of the Scholarly Commons
We are pleased to announce that Sara Benson has been appointed Interim Head of the Scholarly Commons starting June 16th. Sara joined the Library in 2016 as the Copyright Librarian, and she has brought boundless energy, enthusiasm, and creativity to the position. Sara has gained tremendous respect on campus for her work in this role. While formally part of the Scholarly Communication and Publishing unit, Sara has worked in the Scholarly Commons throughout her time in the Library by providing instruction, desk coverage, and regularly contributing to Scholarly Commons meetings and planning. We are grateful for Sara’s outstanding contributions and her willingness to step into a leadership position during this critical time.

Sara will continue her copyright role so while you can rest assured she’s still at the ready to be contacted for copyright questions, please feel free to send her congratulations, too!.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: ILS Coordination Team Report
Michael Norman, Discovery Services Librarian and ILS Coordinator

We are 54 days from the Go-Live date of Wednesday, June 24, 2020, for implementing the Alma and Primo VE systems. Many in the Library are working to complete the setup and configuration of both systems. We have made good progress in optimizing Alma and the Primo Catalog and we will be ready to release the new Primo Library Catalog to our user communities on June 24th. To see the production version of the Primo Catalog, navigate to this URL to view the updated Discovery interface:

https://i-share-uiu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01CARLI_UIU:CARLI_UIU&lang=en.

New Zoom information session on Alma and Primo implementation
On May 9, 2020, the ILS Coordination Team will have a new overarching session on both Alma and the Primo Catalog. Michael Norman, Janelle Sander, Alisha Taylor, and Stephanie Baker will demo each of the individual work sections of Alma including Acquisitions, Cataloging, and Fulfillment/Circulation. Also, we will show the interoperability of the backend functionality with the Primo Catalog and how all this impacts our users. 

An email will be sent to LIBNEWS soon with the login information for this Zoom session.

Training information for Alma and Primo Catalog
The ILS Coordination Team has created a site to centralize our training documentation and recordings of the various training sessions that have occurred over the past several months. Check out the site to see full training calendar occurring over in May and June and the informative sources collected for working in Alma and Primo:  https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/alma/ 

Updated Calendar for May and June 2020 to prepare for Go-Live of Alma/Primo:
We continue to progress on the timeline for the final implementation of Alma and Primo Catalog. The important dates over the next two months for the remaining schedule includes:

  • May 8 – Library stops updates to SFX; no new activations of e-resources will occur after this date and we are active in Alma and Primo
  • May 14 – Voyager Technical Freeze begins; Stop adding, updating, deleting BIBs, Holdings, Item records in Voyager; Stop updating acquisitions and serials data in Voyager
  • May 14 – Voyager and VuFind public catalogs will remain available; local circulation of Library materials would continue through June 19
  • May 14 – Patron updates in Voyager will continue through June 19th
  • June 11 – Universal Borrowing (UB) of I-Share resources in Voyager and VuFind catalogs has been suspended currently;  if I-Share borrowing is re-instituted, this date would be the last day for placing Universal Borrowing (UB) requests in Voyager and VuFind catalogs and would not resume until after June 24th 
  • June 11 to June 18 – Continue Local UIUC Library Circulation in Voyager
  • June 19 – Stop Circulation in Voyager; Start to use Alma offline circulation (more information to come from CARLI regarding using Alma offline circulation)
  • June 24 – Go-Live on Alma and Primo Library Catalog for all use

For more detailed information about the Alma/Primo implementation, the most recent report of the ILS Coordination Team is posted at: https://www.library.illinois.edu/geninfo/discoveryservices/ils-coordination-team/
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: May Grant Support Office Hours, OVCRI Grant Announcement List Reminder, and SPA COVID Info
Our first month of Grants Office hours went pretty well, with multiple people attending the April 2 and 16, but none on the 29th. We’ll continue to monitor need and timing to adjust. To facilitate proposal preparation and submission, we’ll be holding Grant Office Hours (remote!) twice a month. Skype details will be sent out the day before. Look for those emails for these dates in May:

  • Thursday, May 14, 9:30 – 10:30 AM
  • Thursday, May 28, 4:00 – 5:00 PM

Our thanks to SPA, and Kathie especially, for working out this arrangement with us.

If you’re interested in a digest of open grant opportunities across disciplines, the OVCRI’s list is still going strong and you can subscribe at https://groups.webservices.illinois.edu/subscribe/19149. There is also an “archive” of past announcements if you’d like to peruse content before signing up: https://research.illinois.edu/resources-research/archive-email-annoucements-and-opportunities-research-funding

Finally, Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA), our campus’ office for managing proposal submissions and resulting awards for all externally sponsored projects, has assembled a page on the impact of COVID-19, including guidance from specific agencies such as IMLS, etc. https://sponsoredprograms.illinois.edu/covid19-sponsoredprojectFAQs
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Did You Know? A Monthly Factoid from Library Assessment
While all University Library locations are closed to the public in accordance with the “stay-at-home” order, the Ask a Librarian virtual reference service continues to support students, faculty, and the broader user community. Data show that the Ask a Librarian service answered 201 chats during spring break 2020 (March 14-22) – a 100% increase compared to spring break 2019. During the first week after classes resumed online (March 23), the Ask a Librarian service answered 252 chats, which marks the busiest week since October 2019.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Library Tip of the Month
The Library sends a monthly email to new faculty at Illinois during the fall and spring semesters. These emails introduce many of our services and resources to this important audience.

You can view the April LTOTM at https://emails.illinois.edu/newsletter/3486513.html.

If you have ideas for future emails, please feel free to share them with Heather Murphy.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Collection Development Committee Notes
The most recent meetings minutes of the CDC are posted at:
https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/committee/collection-development-committee/
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Content Access Policy & Technology Meeting Minutes
The meetings minutes of CAPT (including workgroup reports) are posted at:
https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/committee/content-access-policy-technology-capt/
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Recognizing Excellence

Please forward journal editorships or editorial board membership, elected and invited external service appointments, honors, and awards information to Heather Murphy.
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IT NEWS: WordPress Training
Looking to further your skills in WordPress?

WordPress Essentials training is a 60-minute training session hosted by members of the Web Team. This session gives users basic knowledge of WordPress functionality, so they can be ready to edit their sites. Attendance of at least one of this type of training is required to gain access to your WordPress site. You can sign up for a training session here, through the Staff Events Calendar.

WordPress Essentials Training will be held on Zoom.

  • Wednesday, May 20th 10:00 – 11:00 AM, Zoom link will be e-mailed (fully booked)
  • Wednesday, May 27th 10:00 – 11:00 AM, Zoom link will be e-mailed

Space is limited, so please be sure to register beforehand.

*Note: If you want to log in to our practice site please download the University VPN software PRIOR to the training session.

If you have any questions about training opportunities or need to request training at a different time, please contact John Rutherford at johnrr3@illinois.edu.
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HR NEWS: Departures

  • Retirement – Lynne Rudasill, Global Studies – April 30, 2020
  • Retirement – Diane Pye – Library Specialist,  MPAL – May 31, 2020
  • Resignation – Courtney Horry – Office Support Specialist, Mortenson – May 1, 2020

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HR NEWS: Searches in Process (Approved and Posted)

  • Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Librarian – closing date extended to May 15, 2020
  • Head, Scholarly Commons – position description reviewed by EC, more information coming soon
  • Assistant Dean of Business and Human Resources – Currently – Kick-off meeting scheduled for May 19, 2020
  • Software Developer, SCaRS/Assoc Software Developer – With IHR
  • Web Application Developer – Interviews being scheduled
  • Grants and Contracts – With IHR
  • ACS Cataloguing, faculty position – Search committee TBD
  • ACS Electronic Resources, faculty position – Search committee TBD

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Staff Events Calendar
To see the most up-to-date staff events calendar, please visit https://uiuc.libcal.com/calendar/staff.
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Becoming a Trans Inclusive Library: “Pronouns in Practice”

Please join us for the second Becoming a Trans Inclusive Library brownbag workshop, “Pronouns in Practice,” Friday, May 1, 2020, Noon-1:30. We’ll conduct the workshop via Zoom, so grab your lunch and get ready to learn together!

In this workshop you will:

  • Learn about the work pronouns do for us.
  • Learn about why personal pronouns are important.
  • Learn how to manage and correct common pronoun mistakes.
  • Learn about microaggressions and what to do when you encounter them.
  • Learn practical applications for this information in a library setting.

To register for the workshop, please complete this webform. Registration is limited to 30 participants and will close at 5 p.m. on  April 29. Registrants will receive an Outlook calendar invitation with the Zoom information after registration closes.

This workshop is facilitated by Spencer Keralis and Karl Germeck. The workshop is supported by a Strategic Programs Initiative Fund award from the Library Executive Committee, and is offered in conjunction with the Diversity Committees of the Library and the School.
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Financial Wellness in Uncertain Times Webinars
Many employees are concerned about the implications of COVID-19 for their personal finances. These unprecedented times are fueling a heightened level of concern and anxiety for some.

Our financial wellness provider has crafted some new sessions to help people deal with their financial wellbeing during times of crisis. We will be offering these as live virtual seminars on Wednesdays through May 6. All sessions run from 12-noon to 1 p.m. The remaining session is:

  • Wednesday, May 6: Budgeting and Debt Management (how to prioritize bills, tips for saving and investing)

All sessions are free and can be accessed from a computer or phone. To register, visit this page
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Campus Wellbeing Webinar – Stress Management
Campus Wellbeing is hosting its May webinar featuring tips on how to manage stress. To register visit the registration page.

Managing stress takes thought and practice but is something that everyone can do. This program highlights the most important things you need to know to get a handle on your stress. Participants will learn valuable tips. This program is also a good foundation for our more in-depth stress management series:

  • Understand why the same stressor can affect two people differently (and what to do about it)
  • Build awareness of what creates stress in your life
  • Understand why you need several stress management tools
  • Discover the primary stress management categories: Physical, behavioral, perception, social, self-nurture and relaxation
  • Comprehend the role of control (or lack of it) in choosing a stress management strategy

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: NISO Webinar
NISOWebinar:  May 20, 2020 (recording available upon request)

NFAIS Forethought: Artificial Intelligence #2 – Processes for Media Analysis and Extraction

  • In order to implement artificial intelligence in a meaningful way, those holding large collections of material seek support for processing, analysis, and extraction of meaningful data. What should such providers know before engaging services from technology providers? This event will allow attendees to learn from the experience of others. Speakers will address the practical needs, barriers and benefits of embarking upon this process.

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If you would like to submit content for the June issue of Library Office Notes, please submit it to Heather Murphy or Tom Teper by May 22, 2020.