February Library Office Notes

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

FACILITIES NEWS

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: Alma Squad Report
Michael Norman, Discovery Services Librarian and ILS Coordinator

Analytics work in Alma – A wide range of analytics tasks can be completed directly in Alma, for example, it is possible to produce lists and sets of titles/items in Alma for collection development and maintenance work. We can do some advanced and very detailed searches in Alma and then export those searches out as Excel spreadsheets (see image below for sample search) for this sample search of Items on Loan at the Music and Performing Arts Library.

To view a recorded session on producing lists and sets in Alma Advanced Search, see this link: https://uofi.box.com/s/jimd2bvv25m4acposhfo70cfpk5y1rby

On February 2nd and 4th, we will have new information sessions on creating analytics lists and sets in Alma. Here is the Zoom information:

Topic: Creating Analytics Lists and Sets in Alma
Feb 2, 2021 01:00 PM
Feb 4, 2021 01:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://illinois.zoom.us/j/86267819673?pwd=MVVpNVIvVk1sSkREZklFeGsvYnpIQT09
Meeting ID: 862 6781 9673
Password: 828291

Primo to discontinue certification for Internet Explorer — Ex Libris has decided to discontinue Internet Explorer (IE) browser certification by May 2021. Users can still access Primo using Microsoft IE, however it will no longer be certified and tested as part of future releases.

Sandboxes to be refreshed — Ex Libris will update the premium sandboxes for both Alma and Primo VE on February 13, 2021. There are two refreshes a year, in February and August. A snapshot of the current settings will occur and this will update the data and configurations for the Library’s sandbox versions of both Alma and Primo Catalog.

Improved Summary Holdings Display in Primo Catalog — Currently, the Primo Catalog Locations screen displays partial holdings information for a location and requires the user to open the location’s items to see its complete holdings information. We have had many complaints about this feature. The new enhancement in February will allow the user to view the complete holdings information in the Locations screen by selecting View more. The user will continue to see the holdings information in the Location Items screen, but the user will now have the ability to see partial and complete holdings information by selecting View less or View more.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Non-Instructional Break Days
The first non-instruction day of the semester will be on Feb 17th, and our Library locations will not be open for public services on that day.

The main intent of this day is to provide people some time for self-care and recuperation. We aren’t requiring specific professional development, training, or other activities for the staff, faculty, or GAs. You should all decide for yourselves what will best help you prepare for the rest of the semester. You don’t need to report the specific activities. They can be specific training in professional skills, if that is what you feel is most appropriate to your situation, or something a bit more informal.

If you are looking for professional development opportunities, here are some options:

  • The Library Employee Calendar lists many upcoming training, webinars, and events announced on LibNews.
  • The Training for Library Employees channel now has over 20 recordings of in-house training, including Teaching in the Remote Classroom, Library IT’s WordPress Training, Mindful Meditation, and the Stress Management series.
  • The Library has access to many recent NISO webinars covering change management, teaching and learning, data science, open access monographs, and other topics. These webinars are being shared via this Box link.
  • Many recordings of past CARLI-sponsored Professional Development Alliance offerings are available and include sessions on assessment, accessibility, communication, and self-care.
  • LinkedInLearning (formerly Lynda) has more than 1,200 online courses covering a wide array of professional development topics, including project management, business, technical skills, and many more. As university employees, we have access to LinkedIn Learning for free.

For questions regarding professional development opportunities, please consult your supervisor or reach out to training@library.illinois.edu.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Did You Know? A Monthly Factoid from Library Assessment? 

In October and November 2020, 315 students responded to a Library Service Satisfaction Survey. 91% of the respondents have used library services. Most used services identified by the respondents are e-books/e-journals, checking out a book/equipment, consultation with a librarian, and bookable study spaces. Library services are important for students who are fully remote – 94% of respondents who took all classes online, as well as 93% of respondents who lived outside of the Champaign, Urbana and Savoy areas, have used library services in Fall 2020.

While there are many challenges providing library services during the pandemic, many respondents shared their appreciation to the Library and library staff. The image below highlights a few encouragement and thank-yous submitted by the respondents.


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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 January LTOTM at https://emails.illinois.edu/newsletter/685619209.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 share your award, recognition, or grant! To initiate a request for publicity, employees (or their supervisors) should submit this Awards/Recognitions/Grants Publicity Request Form.
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FACILITIES NEWS: Update
For a complete list of projects in planning and construction, please see https://wordpress.library.illinois.edu/staff/facilities/.
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IT NEWS: Library IT Non-instructional Day Support
The Library IT Help Desk will be available on the non-instructional days during the Spring 2021 semester.  Since these are technically work days, and some faculty and staff may be pursuing professional development, research, grant writing, etc., the Library IT Help Desk will remain open for support.  The Help Desk will handle any tickets that can be handled by the first line staff on the help desk that day, and will only escalate “critical” items to other staff.  The Help Desk may still redirect tickets to other queues, but these tickets are not expected to be addressed until the next business day unless they are “critical”. In this case, “critical” means someone cannot do their work or an online public service is unavailable.
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IT NEWS: Scholarly Commons Tools Available Virtually
By leveraging the new UIUC AnyWare Service, Library IT has been able to make the Scholarly Commons computers, with their specialized software offerings, available to University of Illinois students, faculty, and staff on a first-come, first-served basis.

Researchers can now access packages like ABBYY FineReader, ArcGIS, ATLAS.ti, SPSS, QGIS, R, RStudio, and SAS remotely via these virtual desktops.

More information about the UIUC AnyWare Service can be found in the Technology Services Knowledgebase: UIUC AnyWare: Documentation and Additional Information

To use this service, simply log in to UIUC AnyWare using a browser. Choose the Scholarly Commons desktop group to access the Scholarly Commons virtualized computers.

Please remind patrons to save all of their work to Box (the cloud) or their local desktop, as the work will not be saved on the remote desktop where they are accessing the software.

Contact the Scholarly Commons at sc@library.illinois.edu with questions.
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HR NEWS: Vacancies (Open)

  • Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEIA) – Academic Professional – Business and Human Resources Service Center (BHRSC) – Closes 2/12/2021
  • Library Assessment Specialist – Academic Professional – Closes 2/19/2021

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HR NEWS: Vacancies (Closed)

  • Library Specialist Western European Language – Acquisitions & Cataloging Services – Closed 1/12/2021

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HR NEWS: Searches Completed 

  • Asst. Dean of Business and Human Resources, AP – Mary Laskowski, Chair
    Kick-off meeting scheduled for May 19, 2020. On Hold. Live on job board with closing date of August 28, 2020. Phone screenings held Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 9 & Oct 15. Virtual interviews held Nov 18, Nov 24, Dec 3, Dec 8 and Dec 9. Offer extended to Susan Breakenridge. Start date March 16, 2021.
  • Head, Scholarly Commons – Scholarly Commons, FAC – Kyle Rimkus, Chair
    Kick-off meeting scheduled for March 24, 2020. Interim Head position offered to Sara Benson: Phone screenings held 9/9 & 9/10. Virtual interviews held Sept 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 & Oct 6. Offer extended to Michelle Reed. Start date March 16, 2021.
  • ACS Electronic Resources, FAC – Tom Teper, Chair
    Kick-off meeting scheduled for May 20, 2020. EC approved position. IHR approved JD July 1, 2020. Live on job board with closing date of August 21, 2020. Phone screenings held Sept 30, Oct 5, Oct 6 & Oct 7. Virtual interviews held Nov 11, 16, and 17. Offer Pending

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HR NEWS: Searches in Progress or Pre-announcement

  • ACS Cataloging Coordinator, AP – Mara Thacker, Chair
    Kick-off meeting scheduled for May 13, 2020. EC approved position. IHR approved JD Oct 7, 2020. Live on job board. Closed Nov 6, 2020. Phone screenings held Jan 4, Jan 5, Jan 6 & Jan 7, 2021.
  • Student Success Librarian – Undergraduate Library, FAC – Sara Williams, Chair
    Kick-off meeting scheduled for February 19, 2020. EC approved position. Live on job board with closing date of March 27, 2020. Closing date extended to May 1, 2020: Vacancy Suspended until further notice. Kick-off meeting held 10/29/2020. Live on job board. Search closed Dec 11, 2020. Phone screenings scheduled for Jan 12, 14, 19, 20, 22 & 25.
  • Visiting Design and Materials Research Librarian – Ricker Library, FAC – Kirstin Dougan Johnson, Chair
    Kick-off meeting scheduled for April 14, 2020. Vacancy Suspended until further notice. Kick-off meeting held Nov 2, 2020. Awaiting for EC to approved JD. EC approved JD. Live on the job board with a closing date of Jan 29, 2021.
  • Visiting Project Conservator, AP – Tom Teper, Chair
    Kick-off meeting held Nov 5, 2020. JD approved by EC. Live on the job board with a closing date of Jan 22, 2021.
  • Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility – Business and Human Resources Services, AP – Cindy Ingold, Chair
    Kick-off meeting scheduled for March 5, 2020. Position description pending approval. Vacancy Suspended until further notice. Kick-off meeting held Oct 28, 2020. Awaiting for EC to approve JD. EC approved JD. Live on the job board with a closing date of February 12, 2021.
  • Library Assessment Specialist, AP – Sara Benson, Chair
    Kick-off meeting scheduled for May 4, 2020. Vacancy Suspended until further notice. Kick-off meeting held Nov 4, 2020. Still awaiting IHR JD approval. JD approved. Live on the job board with a closing date of February 19, 2021.

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HR NEWS:  Nelly Gonzales in PBS NewsHour

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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: WordPress Training
February 4, 10 AM CT

Training for Library employees to cover the Library’s implementation of WordPress. This is introductory training required for access to WordPress.

Registration is required. https://uiuc.libcal.com/event/7371788
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Bringing Subject Expertise Online: BTAA E-Learning and Liaison Collaborations
February 4, 11 AM CT/12 PM ET

The E-Learning and Instruction Big Ten Academic Alliance Library Groups are pleased to announce a special panel focused on subject librarians moving instruction online. Our panel will feature three subject librarians from the University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, and the University of Illinois who each took a different path in moving their instruction into a unique e-learning initiative. Panelists will provide an overview of the e-learning project, how they collaborated with campus or library partners, and how they plan to continue their project post-pandemic. There will be time for participants to ask questions. This will be a great opportunity to gather new ideas and strategies for delivering instruction across the disciplines.

Please register beforehand to get access to the Zoom meeting link.

Registration Link: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwvfuCvrzgjEteCl2ddhG9O4ADGDnQSffN6

If you have any questions please contact one of the following: alex.stark@wisc.edu, deeke3@illinois.edu, or nbinnie@umich.edu


EVENTS AND TRAINING: Virtual Demonstration of the Music and Performing Arts Library’s Player Piano
February 5, 12:00 PM CT

Join the Music & Performing Arts Library for a virtual lunch hour demonstration featuring the Library’s Steinway Duo-Art reproducing piano and collection of piano rolls. See the piano in action and learn more about the instrument and roll collection. The demonstration will last approximately 30 minutes and there will be additional time for questions.
For more information about the piano and the library’s collections, see: https://www.library.illinois.edu/mpal/about/collections/specialcollections/steinway-duo-art-player-piano/


EVENTS AND TRAINING: Scrap, Excerpt, List: Making Indigenous Archives, A Conversation with Dr. Kelly Wisecup
February 5, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM CT

Join the Rare Book & Manuscript Library and the Champaign Public Library as we explore the archives of Indigenous groups from the Great Lakes region. Across the nineteenth-century, Indigenous people extracted and juxtaposed printed and manuscript materials by assembling them within their own albums, scrapbooks, and even printed texts. These textual archives were experiments in translation, combination, and recirculation. They illuminate the many uses to which Indigenous people—both well-known writers and those all but absent from histories of the book and of literature—put textual material, while also providing insight into surprising histories of reading and use across the Great Lakes.

You will receive a YouTube Live streaming link via email the day of the event by registering for this livestream event. The livestream link will also be available at https://champaign.org/live, just prior to the event.

To register, please visit: https://champaign.libnet.info/event/4784368?registration=true

About the Presenters:
Dr. Kelly Wisecup is an associate professor of English and affiliate of the Center for Native American & Indigenous Research at Northwestern University. Her research and teaching focus on Native American literatures and archives, including several recent digital community archive projects, the American Indian Center Community Archives and the NAES College Digital Library Project.

Dr. Cait Coker is the co-Editor of the Women in Book History Bibliography, author of numerous essays on the history of genre, popular culture, and women in publishing.

This online event is free and open to all, and is presented in partnership with the Champaign Public Library.
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Designing Surveys: An Introduction
February 9, 1 PM CT

Dawn Owens from CITL will give you a basic introduction to programming and deploying surveys in Webtools or Alchemer. We will cover basic question types, skip logic, formatting issues, email campaigns, and extracting data and reports. Along the way we will touch on best practices for questionnaire design and language.


EVENTS AND TRAINING: AI Infodemic Reading Group: Session 1
February 9, 4:00 PM CT

Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping the future of information seeking, discovery, and curation. While AI may claim to make these practices easier, several scholars have been raising essential questions about the nature of this technology and its implications for racial justice, political polarization, and privacy in the information ecosystem.

The first session of the AI Infodemic: Interrogating Algorithms of Information Seeking reading group kicks off via Zoom on Tuesday, February 9 at 4:00 CT with readings about the context under which AI has become a concern in information professions. Topics covered will include surveillance capitalism, corporate ethics, and the current state of AI technology. The second session on Wednesday, February 24 at 12:00 CT is focused on the theme of system design. Topics covered include a basic overview of AI technology, design pedagogies, and racial bias within coding practices.

For a complete list of materials covered in this session, view the schedule on the program website. Join our mailing list to receive the link to the Zoom meeting and regular updates about the program.

The AI Infodemic: Interrogating Algorithms of Information Seeking reading group is sponsored by the HRI Research Cluster: AI & Society: Privacy, Ethics and (Dis)Information.

Co-organizers: Sarah Appedu (MLS Student) & Lisa Hinchliffe (Library Faculty)
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: NISO Webinar – Content Presentation: Diversity of Formats
February 10, 10 AM

How content is presented is critical to how frequently it gets used and understood. Technology has made a wider variety of content formats possible — data, text, video, audio — but presentation can be equally important in the more traditional formats, such as books and journals. How content is presented, emphasizing different affordances for different types of use, requires thoughtful design choices. For content providers, scalability is one major challenge. Meanwhile those charged with preservation and future use must determine how best to migrate and house different formats, and everyone is concerned about making all formats readily searchable and discoverable. The speakers on this webinar will share their experiences of wrestling with the issues from a variety of perspectives.

Please email training@library.illinois.edu for login credentials or recordings.


EVENTS AND TRAINING: CARLI Professional Development Alliance Events
February 12-26

Project Management for Libraries: Mapping Out Projects
February 12, 1 PM CT
This is the third of the six webinar series Project Management for Libraries that will introduce library staff to the concept of what a project is and the basics of project management.
https://www.carli.illinois.edu/pda-series-project-management-libraries-mapping-out-projects
Meet Harriet Tubman

February 16, 10 AM CT
If you could step back in history, with whom would you like to have a conversation and
lunch? If Harriet Tubman is your choice, please join Kathryn Harris as she presents her
first-person presentation as “Harriet Tubman.” Harriet Tubman is perhaps the most famous Conductor on the Underground Railroad and Ms. Harris tells her life story, including not only her own escape to freedom, but also the trips she made back South to free her family and others so that they could also experience the “sweet taste of freedom”.
https://www.carli.illinois.edu/pda-series-meet-harriet-tubman

Patron-Driven Acquisitions: Implementing a Transferable, Sustainable Model
February 18, 12:00 PM CT
In a continuation of the September webinar “Creating Patron-Driven Acquisitions For Your Library,” Dr. Jeffrey Waldrop, now Dean of the Mercer University Libraries, describes how he brought the PDA model originally developed at Fuller Seminary to a much larger and different institution. This webinar will discuss how to partner with faculty and other stakeholders to encourage the adoption of a PDA model, restructure budgets and staff in support of it, and reflect the diversity of changing student bodies and online education through a balance of print and e-textbooks.
https://www.carli.illinois.edu/pda-series-patron-driven-acquisitions-implementing-transferable-sustainable-model

Project Management for Libraries: Project Leadership
February 26, 1 PM CT
This is the fourth of the six webinar series Project Management for Libraries that will
introduce library staff to the concept of what a project is and the basics of project
management.
https://www.carli.illinois.edu/pda-series-project-management-libraries-project-leadership
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Behind the Scenes – LIS Graduate Assistants
February 18, 3 PM CT

We will have another session this year for graduate assistants who are seeking full-time
positions.

We will be giving our GAs behind the scenes look at the search process (i.e. search
committees) and hopefully, cover some of these points:

  • Position descriptions & the search committee
  • Cover letters and resumes – tips for job applicants
  • Ranking candidates and the screening process
  • Onsite interviews

Please register at https://bit.ly/3hXHrdt.
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Fair Use Week Gameshow
February 25, 11:00 AM CT

The Library will celebrate Fair Use Week with an interactive Fair Use Gameshow through Zoom!

Topic: Fair Use Week Gameshow

To register for the event, please go to https://go.illinois.edu/fairuseweek.
Please join us!
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: U of I Library Blood Drive 
February 25, 11-2:30pm

Hello! On Thursday, February 25th, we’re coming together to help save lives and really need your help!

*Will you please consider taking an hour of your time to donate blood during this time of critical need?*

Remember:

  • Blood donation is safe!
  • Extra precautionary measures are in place to ensure that our donors and staff remain safe and healthy.
  • All donors are required to have an appointment and wear a mask throughout the donation process.
  • All donors will receive a voucher for a St. Patrick’s themed t-shirt or a $5 gift card
  • You’ll be a hero to the person on the receiving end of your donation!

See below for details on our upcoming blood drive, and please consider scheduling an appointment.

To see the time slots available for appointments, just click on the blood drive name, below.

University of Illinois Library
Thursday, 02/25/2021 (11:00 am – 02:30 pm)
1408 W Gregory
Undergraduate Library- Bloodmobile in Circle Drive
Urbana, IL 61801

*Don’t forget to bring a picture ID, wear a mask, drink lots of extra water and eat a meal prior to donating.*
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If you would like to submit content for the March issue of Library Office Notes, please submit it to Heather Murphy or Tom Teper by February 19, 2021.