Author Archives: hmurphy@illinois.edu

November Library Office Notes

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

FACILITIES NEWS

BUSINESS NEWS

HR NEWS

EVENTS AND TRAINING


ANNOUNCEMENTS: University Librarian Note
Last week’s visit from the Provost’s office was nothing short of fantastic. The event showcased the dedication each one of you puts into our Library day in and day out. Your commitment has made it effortless for us to boast about the important work happening here. Read more…
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Cheers for Peers
To view the full Cheers for Peers submissions please view the Growing People blog.

Library Human Resources is happy to announce this month’s Cheers for Peers submissions. The following Library employees have been cheered by their peers:

  • Mirella Bajric
  • Stephanie Baker
  • Sarah Christensen
  • Nicolette Coleman
  • Amy Fry
  • Tim Newman
  • Dani Postula
  • Dustin Reinhart

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Did You Know? A Monthly Factoid from Library Assessment

The new fall semester began on August 21st, and by the “10th” day of class, on September 1st, students started to settle in and find their place. While classes paused for the first weekend, the libraries did not and continuously provided students with space to explore, prepare, and relax for the full first twelve days. From the records of the study rooms booked through LibCal we can see they spent a total of 2,773 hours in library study areas across campus, or over 115 days in the libraries in less than two weeks.

On the first day of class, 19.5% of available hours were booked, and by September 1st, 28.6% of bookable hours had been occupied. The Funk ACES Library, in particular, was over half of its capacity at 54% during these first days. While the Main Library, including the Scholarly Commons Studios, hosted the most people at 415 unique users, the Grainger Engineering Library and the IDEA Lab had people stay the longest, for a total of 1226 hours. By the end of the first 12 days, every unit with study space available saw use.

Graphic created and text written by Gabriel Foster, Library Assessment Graduate Assistant.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Update
Victor Jones, Jr., Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

DEIA Education Workshop Series:

The Diversity Committee will be having our next meeting on Thursday, November 30th, at 11 a.m. in 323C Main and via Zoom.  If you’re interested in joining us, please feel free. Please see the DEIA Office Hour below.

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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 meeting 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: Facilities Update
Tim Newman, Assistant Dean of Libraries for Facilities

For a complete list of projects in planning and construction, please
see wordpress.library.illinois.edu/staff/facilities.
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BUSINESS NEWS: Patsy the Purchaser!

We are happy to introduce to you the newest member of the Library Business Office, Patsy the Purchaser! Located on top of the dropbox outside of 450Q, among the business offices, Patsy is there to greet you with a fantastic “oink” when you squeeze her, and it’s sure to make us laugh! And if you have anything to drop off to the business office, the dropbox is the spot. Come by, say “hi,” and give Patsy a squeeze!

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HR NEWS: Filled Positions

  • Jennifer Vargo – Library Specialist – Central Access Services – 10/30/2023
  • Lee Whitacre – Library Operations Associate – Acquisitions & Cataloging Services – 11/7/2023

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HR NEWS: Departures

  • Marina Kolodyazhnaya – Library Specialist – Acquisitions & Cataloging Services – 10/20/2023

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HR NEWS: Civil Service Vacancies

  • Library Specialist (2 PM – 10 PM) – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – Offer pending
  • Library Specialist (4 PM – Midnight) – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – Interviews
  • Library Specialist (Midnight – 8 AM) – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – Closed 10/19/2023
  • Accountant I – Business & Human Resources Service Center – Closed 10/23/2023
  • Library Specialist (2 Positions) – Music & Performing Arts Library – Closed 10/31/2023 Library Specialist – Funk ACES Library – Awaiting approval

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Staff Events Calendar
To see the most up-to-date staff events calendar, please visit uiuc.libcal.com/calendar/staff.
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Entrepreneur Days 2023
November 1st at 4 p.m. & November 8th at 5 p.m.

Join us for an inspiring 2-day celebration of innovation, research, and entrepreneurship at this year’s Entrepreneur Days, where we shine a spotlight on the transformative work of entrepreneurs and those dedicated to the study of entrepreneurship. Under the compelling theme “practice makes scholarship,” this event promises insightful talks, engaging discussions, and invaluable networking opportunities.

https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/4092?eventId=33475017

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Haute Couture in Ancient Greece: The Spectacular Costumes of Ariadne and Helen of Troy
November 1, 2023  6:00 – 7:30 p.m.Virtual Event on ZoomZoom link (no registration required)

Have you ever wondered what Homer’s heroes and heroines would look like if they lived today? Please join us on November 1st and admire the fabulous costumes of the Minoans and Mycenaeans. Of the utmost luxury and decorated with exquisite patterns and appliqués of gold and precious gems and topped with exquisite jewelry, the costumes were the royal regalia of queens and goddesses.

This lecture brings to life the fabulous costumes of the Minoans and Mycenaeans. Of the utmost luxury and decorated with exquisite patterns and appliqués of gold and precious gems and topped with exquisite jewelry, the costumes were the royal regalia of queens and goddesses. No longer preserved, the costumes are replicated through detailed analysis of art and texts and draped on live models posed as in art and juxtaposed with the sculptures and wall paintings they imitate. Fragmentary figural frescoes are reconstructed to restore lost scenes of palatial and everyday life. Ultimately, the reconstructed costumes and wall paintings virtually bring Homer’s heroes and heroines to life and emphasize their concurrent ancient, contemporary, and eternal significance.

https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/4092/33474816

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Hub Training

  • November 7 at 2 PM and November 10 at 3 PM: ILL / Doc Express & Policies on Access to Physical Collections
  • November 14 at 2 PM and November 17 at 3 PM: Working with Neurodiverse Individuals
  • November 28 at 2 PM and December 1 at 3 PM: Reference in Special Collections

Please contact the Reference Management Team (rmt@library.illinois.edu) if you have any questions about the Hub Trainings.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Residence Hall Libraries Events
Laura Poulosky, Residence Hall Librarian

Both Ikenberry and Illinois Street Residence Hall Libraries are open M-F (noon to 7 pm) for the academic year. We have lots of fun outreach planned for November, including:

  • Craft Night | Wed., Nov. 8th, 5-7 p.m.
    Open to all students, with materials—and snacks—provided for free!
    • ISR: 50A/B – Crochet—with a choice of projects for beginners and more advanced yarn artists.
    • SDRP: 2003 – Decorate papier mâché letters to spruce up your space.
  • Book Club – The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett | Tues., Nov. 28th, 6:30-7:30 pm
    Co-sponsored by the Honors Living Learning Community, students get a free copy of the book when they sign up to attend, while supplies last!
    • ISR Room 93
  • Trivia Night | Thurs., Nov. 30th, 5:30-7:30 pm
    Thanks to funding from the Central Residential Funding Board, play pub-style trivia–with pizza, snacks, and extra goodies for the winning teams!
    • ISR: 50 A/B

For any questions, please contact Laura Poulosky at l-poulo@illinois.edu .

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: NISO Webinar

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

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Steven Booth: Piloting Archival Processing: Insights from the Johnson Publishing Company (JPC) Archive
November 8, 6:30 p.m.Virtual Event on ZoomRegister Here

Archivist Steven Booth joins the Rare Book & Manuscript Library virtually to discuss the Johnson Publishing Company (JPC) archive: acquired in 2019 by a consortium of philanthropic and cultural heritage organizations, the Johnson Publishing Company (JPC) Archive is co-owned by the Getty Research Institute (GRI) and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). Dating from 1942, when John H. and Eunice W. Johnson founded JPC, to the 21st century, the Archive contains over 4.5 million photographs of published and unpublished works documenting the Black experience, many of which were taken by staff photographers and featured in JPC’s 12 publications, most notably Jet and Ebony.

calendars.illinois.edu/detail/4092?eventId=33459098

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Hangout
November 9, 10am

Keep a lookout for an email (with a Zoom link) from Christina Bonse via LIB-NEWS. If you have any agenda items you want to share at this Hangout, please send them to bonse2@illinois.edu.

Also, we are always looking for volunteers who would be willing to host social time following the Hangouts. Please consider being on an “on-call” list. We need volunteers to keep the social times going! Email hmurphy@illinois.edu if interested.
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Library Friends Webinar: Reflections of Everyday Lives, Cultural Memory, and Heritage
November 9, 2023 at 12 p.m.

A Special Presentation by the Slavic Reference Service: Joe Lenkart, Olga Makarova, Katherine Ashcraft & Serenity Stanton Orengo

Founded in 1976, the Slavic Reference Service (SRS) provides research support to students, faculty, visiting scholars, and independent researchers in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at Illinois and beyond. Through inclusive, year-round programming that includes training workshops, research forums, thematic discussions, and cultural events, the SRS is committed to providing a supportive environment for researchers, regardless of institutional affiliation or academic status. To assist scholars, the SRS maintains an extensive online collection of research guides and curated digital collections. These collections are designed to raise awareness of physical collections, sources, and expand access to unique materials for users from around the globe.

This webinar will highlight four collections: The Blondheim Judaica Digital Library, Memoirs of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Women, The Sisters Khvoshchinskaya, and Central Asian Memoirs of the Soviet Era. These collections reflect everyday lives and cultural memories from the nineteenth to late twentieth centuries.

https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/4092?eventId=33473705

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Reddit Ask Me Anything with Claire Stewart 
November 14, 2023, 1 – 3 p.m.

REDDIT ACCOUNT: u/UIllinoisLibrary

We’re thrilled to announce an exclusive opportunity to connect with our new Dean of Libraries and University Librarian, Claire Stewart. Join us for a Reddit Ask Me Anything with Dean Stewart. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to gain insights, share your thoughts, and explore the future of the University Library together!

https://www.library.illinois.edu/geninfo/ask-me-anything/

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Illinois SCOERs: Copyright Basics and Creative Commons Licensing
November 28, 2023, 2 PM

CARLI is pleased to offer a course with Sara Benson, Copyright Librarian at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. This course is designed for the Illinois SCOERs grantees and is open to all CARLI members. Learn how copyright is formed, licensed, and how to find copyright free or openly licensed images and articles.

Registration Link https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqce-qpzkjHtz8egqFkPfD0k4ta3Q2546W
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Introduction to LibGuides Training
November 28, 2023, 3 PM

This hands-on training session is intended for anyone who has, or will have, responsibility for creating and maintaining LibGuides in their library unit, including those new to LibGuides and those looking to refresh LibGuides skills. Access to your unit’s LibApps account is required for this session, and is open to all library staff and GAs.

In this session, participants will…

  • …learn what LibGuides are and best practices
  • …learn how to access, create, edit, and maintain accessible unit LibGuides
  • ….learn where and how to receive LibGuides help and support

Questions about this session, and other LibGuides queries, may be directed to libguides@library.illinois.edu.

Related LibGuide: Getting Started with LibGuides by Teaching, Learning, and Academic Support Library

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: DEIA Office Hour
November 30, 11 am

Victor Jones will be available to answer any questions you may have regarding DEIA at the Library. Find more information at DEIA Office Hours – LibCal and Spaces – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

LibCal link (including Zoom link): https://uiuc.libcal.com/event/11005321

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If you would like to submit content for the December issue of Library Office Notes, please submit it to Heather Murphy or Tom Teper by Friday, November 17, 2023.

October Library Office Notes

Posted on by


ANNOUNCEMENTS

FACILITIES NEWS

BUSINESS NEWS

HR NEWS

EVENTS AND TRAINING


ANNOUNCEMENTS: University Librarian Note
We might not know it by the weather, but fall is fully upon us and it’s been truly amazing to see how busy you all are, and how strongly our academic community has responded to the openness and quality of our spaces and our exceptional programming. I think I’ve counted no less than three international conferences hosted by someone in the Library within a 30-day window! Read more…
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: IOPN Update

The Illinois Open Publishing Network (IOPN) has published two new textbooks as part of the OPN Textbooks series in the Windsor & Downs Press imprint.

Stay tuned for other publications coming soon!
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Residence Hall Libraries’ Update
Laura Poulosky, Residence Hall Librarian

Both Ikenberry and Illinois Street Residence Hall Libraries are open M-F (noon to 7 pm) for the academic year.

We have lots of fun outreach planned for October, including:

  • Craft Night
    Wed., Oct. 11th, 5-7 p.m. | ISR: 50A/B – Decorate large papier mâché letters to display in your room. SDRP: 2003 – Make an easy needlepoint craft using a cute kit. All materials—and snacks—provided!

  • Card Game Night
    Tues., Oct. 24th, 6:30-8:30 p.m. | ISR: 50A/B – Play a variety of card games and enjoy snacks on the house. Bring your friends and meet new people, too!

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Cheers for Peers
To view the full Cheers for Peers submissions please view the Growing People blog.

Library Human Resources is happy to announce this month’s Cheers for Peers submissions. The following Library employees have been cheered by their peers:

  • Sara Berthier
  • Paula Carns
  • George Gottschalk
  • Kim Hutcherson
  • Jake MacGregor
  • Megean Osuchowski
  • Katie Slough
  • Anthony Stewart
  • Gennye Varvel
  • Jen-chien Yu

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Did You Know? A Monthly Factoid from Library Assessment

October is the National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM). It was established by Americans for the Arts in 1993 with the goal to raise awareness and support for the arts and humanities across the nation.

At the University, there is a strong connection between the Library and the arts and humanities. The 2023 Ithaka S+R Faculty Survey results showed that Illinois respondents who are involved in undergraduate instruction in arts and humanities are more likely to work with librarians on course materials, reading lists or syllabi than faculty in sciences and social sciences. More importantly, the arts/humanities respondents’ support for library buildings and staff are significantly higher than business, science or social science faculty. Over 70% of the arts/humanities faculty strongly disagree that because scholarly materials are available electronically that funding towards library buildings and staff should be reallocated to other needs.

For more information about the 2023 Ithaka S+R Faculty Survey, please visit the Library Surveys page or contact Library Assessment (assessment@library.illinois.edu).
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Update
Victor Jones, Jr., Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

DEIA Education Workshop Series:

The Diversity Committee will be having our next meeting on Tuesday October 31st 11am in 323C Main and via Zoom.  If you’re interested in joining us, please feel free. Please see the DEIA Office Hour below.

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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 meeting 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: Facilities Update
Tim Newman, Assistant Dean of Libraries for Facilities

For a complete list of projects in planning and construction, please
see wordpress.library.illinois.edu/staff/facilities.
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BUSINESS NEWS: Prizes and Awards

If you anticipate that you will be giving a prize or an award to a student related to a contest, contact the Business Office (bhrsc@library.illinois.edu)  as soon as possible in your planning. All prizes and awards must now be processed by the Office of Student Financial Aid. This process can take considerable time. Any assistance you can provide in helping us to provide the awards in a timely fashion is appreciated.

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BUSINESS NEWS: Payments to Foreign Nationals

If you are paying a foreign national ANY amount for an incentive, a study, a drawing, or an honorarium, please contact the Library Business Office (bhrsc@library.illinois.edu) BEFORE payment can be made. We will need to arrange to obtain documentation from the individual in order to process a payment.

Due to increased restrictions by the IRS, all payments to foreign nationals are processed through payroll and could be taxed on the amount. Working with us in advance is key to helping everything flow smoothly.

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BUSINESS NEWS: Reimbursement for Small Cash Purchases

The Office of Business and Financial Services has updated policies and procedures regarding small cash purchases. In order to receive personal reimbursement for a small cash purchase (under $500) the following procedure must take place:

  • The Unit Head (this is the Dean) must determine that the best interests of the Unit and University are served
  • A University of Illinois system contract is not available for the purchase
  • A P-card is not available for the purchase

Cash purchases may not be divided up to circumvent the dollar thresholds established in this policy.

Individuals making authorized cash purchases for approve University business purposes must present a copy of the State of Illinois Sales Tax Exemption Letter to merchants and request that sales tax not be charged. The University reserves the right to not reimburse sales tax when reimbursing cash purchases.

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BUSINESS NEWS: Purchasing Policies and Requirements

It is illegal for the University to do business with vendors for goods and/or services without a means of payment in place. What this means is, that a form of payment either from the Library Business Office or from Acquisitions must be secured PRIOR to the delivery of the goods and/or services. If an invoice comes in after the goods or services are delivered/received without a means of payment in place, it is illegal for the University to pay the invoice. Subsequently the invoice MAY NOT BE PAID.Paying the invoice and then submitting for reimbursement is not a viable work around. The University scrutinizes reimbursement requests for this type of activity. Reimbursement requests of this nature will be returned by the University without payment.

Only Purchasing and the Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) may legally obligate or provide authorization on behalf of the University. (i.e. Only these offices may sign paperwork, contracts, or agreements for the University)Assistance for securing payment for non-acquisition items may be obtained from the Library Business Office by contacting them at bhrsc@library.illinois.edu.

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BUSINESS NEWS: Unit Employees and Their Major Duties

  • Kimberly Johnson – Associate Director of Fiscal Operations; Main contact for Library gifts and endowment funds; reports, My-UI-Financial questions and training
  • Chad Lewis –Grants and Contracts Coordinator:  provides support for the grants life-cycle, cost-share monitoring, and semi-annual certifications; contracts
  • Jennifer Gavel – Accountant II : Manager of Alma’s acquisitions payable system operations; Program Advances; contracts
  • Katie Slough – Accounting Officer:  Travel arranger; Reimbursements; P-Card & T-Card Processing
  • Theresa Appiah – Business Administrative Associate:  P-card Reconciler, Honorariums, p-card purchaser, travel arranger
  • Laura Eichelberger – Extra Help Accounting Assistant: Purchase Order Processing; Misc. Vouchers

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HR NEWS: Filled Positions

  • Sarah Park – Mathematics and Computational Sciences Librarian – Mathematics Library – 9/6/2023
  • Bing Wang – Chinese Studies Librarian – International & Area Studies Library – 9/11/2023
  • Kestrel Ikar – Library Specialist – Central Access Services – 10/16/2023

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HR NEWS: Departures

  • Peg Burnette – Medical & Biomedicine Librarian – Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library – 9/30/2023
  • Bernadette Braun – Library Operations Associate – Acquisitions & Cataloging Services – 10/6/2023
  • David Butler – Library Assistant – Music & Performing Arts Library – 10/31/2023

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HR NEWS: Civil Service Vacancies

  • Library Specialist (3 positions) – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – Interviews
  • Library Operations Associate – Acquisitions & Cataloging Services – Interviews
  • Accountant II – BHRSC – Posting soon

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HR NEWS: Academic Professional and Faculty Open Postings

  • Bioengineering and Engineering Medical Innovation Librarian and Medical & Biomedicine Librarian – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – closes 10/20/2023

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Staff Events Calendar
To see the most up-to-date staff events calendar, please visit uiuc.libcal.com/calendar/staff.
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: DEIA Educational Workshops

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: NISO Webinar

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

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Hangout
October 12, 10am

Keep a lookout for an email (with a Zoom link) from Christina Bonse via LIB-NEWS. If you have any agenda items you want to share at this Hangout, please send them to bonse2@illinois.edu.

Also, we are always looking for volunteers who would be willing to host social time following the Hangouts. Please consider being on an “on-call” list. We need volunteers to keep the social times going! Email hmurphy@illinois.edu if interested.
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Ada Limón: Working in the Service of Poetry
October 12, 7:30pm

Please join us for this special evening with U.S. Poet Laureate, Ada Limón. Part conversation and part poetry reading, the event follows Limón as she shares how poetry connects us to the world, allows us to heal, love, grieve, and reminds us of the full spectrum of human emotion.

Book signing to follow the event.

Support for this event was provided in part by Library Friend Dr. Daniel D. Shin.

https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/4092?eventId=33471577

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Beyond the Broomstick: Unveiling Truths and Demystifying the Witch-Demon Connection
October 13, 6:00pm

Join us via Zoom to delve into the captivating world of witches, demons, and women’s history through a spellbinding lecture and a rare glimpse into the past, as we explore the origins, powers, and misunderstood narratives surrounding these topics.

https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/4092?eventId=33459060

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: CARLI Professional Development Alliance Events
October 17, 10 AM

This is a CARLI Professional Development Alliance event. To register for this event, visit the CARLI Event Calendar.

In 2021/2022, Susan Howell and Tammie Busch conducted a focus group study with tenure-track and tenured librarians. One of the most prominent themes that came out of these focus groups was mentorship and how mentorship has been helpful and how it has been lacking. Although our focus group centered on tenure-track librarians what we have learned is mentorship benefits all librarians. In this program we will discuss the benefits of mentorship, how one finds mentorship, and how to be a mentor.
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Illini Cabaret: Music on Main
October 20, 4:00pm

Start your Homecoming celebration with a special performance in the University Library’s historic Reading Room. Join Archivist and Sousa Archives and Center for American Music Director Scott Schwartz as he and three School of Music students perform on three of the Center’s rare music instruments and discuss the importance of returning their voices.

https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/4092?eventId=33471476

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Annual Provost Visit
October 24, 3-5pm

Provost John Coleman and his team will visit. Details forthcoming!

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Hub Training

Please contact the Reference Management Team (rmt@library.illinois.edu) if you have any questions about the Hub Trainings.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: DEIA Office Hour
October 31, 11am

Victor Jones will be available to answer any questions you may have regarding DEIA at the Library. Find more information at https://uiuc.libcal.com/event/11005259.

LibCal link: https://uiuc.libcal.com/event/11005261

Zoom Link: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/84524494231?pwd=ZDFXRkpHWWdFYXNpekxzdXAxZ1dEdz09

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If you would like to submit content for the November issue of Library Office Notes, please submit it to Heather Murphy or Tom Teper by Friday, October 20, 2023.

September Library Office Notes

Posted on by


ANNOUNCEMENTS

FACILITIES NEWS

HR NEWS

EVENTS AND TRAINING


ANNOUNCEMENTS: University Librarian Note
What a thrill it was to see students returning to campus these last few weeks! Despite the intense heat that accompanied our first week of classes, I spied a few of you doing just what I found myself doing: sneaking off for a few minutes to listen to Illini Marching Band practice, adding detours during lunch walks just to see the crowds on the quad. As I was leaving the locked Main Library one day a few weeks ago, I bumped into the family of a first year, excited to be dropping off their new student and to be spending a last day together on campus, but disappointed that the Library had already closed for the day. It was such fun to be able to swipe my i-card and usher them back inside for a quick walk through the gallery. Read more…

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Residence Hall Libraries’ Update
Laura Poulosky, Residence Hall Librarian

Both Ikenberry and Illinois Street Residence Hall Libraries are open M-F (noon to 7 pm) for the academic year.

We have lots of fun outreach planned for September, including:

  • Craft Night
    Wednesday, September 13, 5-7 pm, ISR: 50A/B & SDRP: 2003
    All materials and snacks provided for free!
  • Board & Video Game Night
    Tuesday, September 19, 7-9 pm, Activities & Recreation Center 2nd floor
    Co-sponsored with the ARC; enjoy a variety of board games, card games, video games, and snacks!
  • Escape Room
    Thursday, September 21, 6:30-8:30 pm, ISR: 50 A/B
    Co-sponsored with the Honors Living-Learning Community with snacks and incentives for winners!
  • Trivia Night
    Wednesday, September 27, 5:30-7:30 pm, SDRP: 2009
    Play pub-style trivia on teams with free snacks!

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Strategic Communications and Marketing Committee Marketing Grant

Would you like the opportunity to secure some extra funds (up to $500) for upcoming marketing projects or initiatives?

The Strategic Communications and Marketing Committee accepts marketing grant proposals on a rolling basis and awards marketing grants year-round.

Please note that only one grant, for a maximum amount of $500, may be awarded per project; exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.

The purpose of these small grants is to help promote greater awareness of the University Library and its programs/services among the various user groups within our community.

The proposal form is located at https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2017/10/marketingrequestform.pdf.

Past grant recipients must turn in a brief report at the conclusion of their funded project; those who do not submit a report may not be eligible for future grant awards.

If you need further information about the grant or would like to discuss your proposed marketing project, please contact Committee Chair Heather Murphy or anyone on the Committee.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Cheers for Peers
To view the full Cheers for Peers submissions please view the Growing People blog.

Library Human Resources is happy to announce this month’s Cheers for Peers submissions. The following Library employees have been cheered by their peers:

  • Christina Bonse
  • Julie Bumpus
  • Evie Cordell
  • Jake Culbertson
  • Tabby Garbutt
  • Jennifer Gavel
  • Jon Gorman
  • Celenia Graves
  • Rachael Johns
  • Stephanie Luke
  • Rachel Miller-Haughton
  • Eric Mosher
  • Mary Ton
  • Hannah Williams
  • Kristen Zidon

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Did You Know? A Monthly Factoid from Library Assessment

The Library is at the start of many research and learning opportunities for all patrons from students to faculty. The results of the 2023 Ithaka S+R Faculty Survey demonstrate that the library plays a role at the beginning of a researcher’s journey. 74% of the respondents rated the Library’s function as a “gateway” for locating information for their research to be “Very Important.” Most respondents use the library website and resources to search for new journals for their research as well as interlibrary loans or document delivery to find materials. This extends to choosing materials to use for an instructional course, where 47.7% of respondents gave preference to materials that were available through the library when designing a course.

A note about the data: A summary report of the 2023 Ithaka S+R Faculty Survey is available at https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/assessment/libsurv/ithaka-sr-faculty-survey-2023-faq/. Questions used in the infographic were:

Q26 – How important is it to you that your college or university library provides each of the functions below or serves in the capacity listed below? [6 = extremely important; 1 = not at all important] – The library serves as a starting point or “gateway” for locating information for my research

Q1 – When you explore the scholarly literature to find new journal articles and monographs relevant to your research interests, how do you most often begin your process? Select one of the following: – Visit my university library’s website or online catalog

Q6 – When you want a scholarly monograph or journal article that you do not have immediate access to through your college or university library’s physical or digital collections, how often do you use each of the following methods to seek access to that material? – Use interlibrary loan or document delivery services provided by my library

Q29 – In general, how often do you perform each of the following when designing or structuring your undergraduate courses? – Assigning course materials that are available through the library

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Update
Victor Jones, Jr., Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

Check back next month for an update from Victor and please see the DEIA Office Hour below.

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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 meeting 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: Facilities Update
Tim Newman, Assistant Dean of Libraries for Facilities

With the start of a new semester, we would like to remind everyone of the procedures for reporting a facility-related issue. All facility-related issues must be submitted through the TDX ticketing system (https://help.uillinois.edu/TDClient/42/UIUC/Requests/TicketRequests/NewForm?ID=ymEyoHxSlx4). Daytime facilities emergencies should be reported to 217-841-7874, and after-hours emergencies should be reported to police dispatch at 333-1216. This and other emergency information can be found on the facilities webpage (https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/facilities/emergency).

For a complete list of projects in planning and construction, please
see wordpress.library.illinois.edu/staff/facilities.

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HR NEWS: Filled Positions

  • Ivy Marie Gamble – IT Specialist – Library IT – 8/14/2023
  • Angela Watters – Digital Publishing Specialist – Scholarly Communication & Publishing – 8/16/2023
  • Damian Behymer – IT Specialist – Library IT – 8/28/2023
  • Adrienne Esserine – IT Specialist – Library IT – 8/28/2023
  • Dana Miller – Visiting Archives and Literary Manuscript Specialist – Rare Book & Manuscript Library – 8/28/2023
  • Dirk Ton – Senior Library Specialist 2nd shift – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – 9/3/2023
  • LaTasha True – Senior Infrastructure Specialist – Library IT – 9/5/2023
  • Natalie Collins – Senior Library Specialist 3rd shift – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – 9/11/2023

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HR NEWS: Departures

  • JJ Pionke – Applied Health Sciences Librarian – Social Sciences, Health & Education Library – 8/15/2023
  • Matthew Roberts – Literatures & Languages Librarian – Literatures & Languages Library – 8/15/2023
  • Courtney Becks – Librarian for African American Studies – History Philosophy & Newspaper Library – 8/16/2023
  • George Gottschalk – Director of Acquisitions – Acquisitions & Cataloging Services – 8/31/2023
  • Bruce Schatz – Professor of Library Administration – Library Administration – 8/31/2023
  • Bernadette Braun – Library Operations Associate – Acquisitions & Cataloging Services – 10/6/2023
  • David Butler – Library Assistant – Music & Performing Arts Library – 10/31/2023

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HR NEWS: Civil Service Vacancies

  • Administrative Aide – Dean’s Office – Interviews in progress
  • Library Specialist (2 positions) – Central Access Services – Interviews soon
  • Library Specialist (3 positions) – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – Posting soon
  • Library Operations Associate – Acquisitions & Cataloging Services – Posting soon
  • Accountant II – BHRSC – Posting soon

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HR NEWS: In Memoriam

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Staff Events Calendar
To see the most up-to-date staff events calendar, please visit uiuc.libcal.com/calendar/staff.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: CARLI Professional Development Alliance Events

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Rediscovering the Deseret Alphabet
September 7, 3-5 pm
346 Main Library

Professors Ryan Shosted (Linguistics) and Neal Davis (Computer Science) will present their research on the Deseret Alphabet, a 19th-century writing system. This phonetic alphabet, created by leaders of the Mormon Church, may encapsulate pronunciations of English dialect that have otherwise disappeared over time. Shosted and Davis are developing a digital corpus to examine and explore these texts and their historical and cultural context. Join us for a discussion of these texts and their historical and cultural significance, and view some rare examples of Deseret imprints! 

Visit https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/4092/33459873.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Let Claire Buy You a Beverage
Claire Stewart, Dean of Libraries and University Librarian

You pick, I buy! This one-on-one meeting will let us venture out together for get-to-know-you conversation. You pick the location and the beverage, Claire picks up the tab. We can leave campus, go for a walk-and-talk, hole up in your favorite campus café nook, connect over smoothies, or whatever you decide.  If your plans change, you can cancel or reschedule any time before the event.

Register for Let Claire Buy You a Beverage for the following dates:

  • September 12, 4-5pm, register here
  • September 13, 9-10am, register here
  • September 20, 4-5pm, register here
  • September 27, 4-5pm, register here

These are approved events; Civil Service non-exempt staff should get permission from their supervisor before signing up.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: NISO Webinar

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

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Hangout
September 21, 10am

Keep a lookout for an email (with a Zoom link) from Christina Bonse via LIB-NEWS. If you have any agenda items you want to share at this Hangout, please send them to bonse2@illinois.edu.

Also, we are always looking for volunteers who would be willing to host social time following the Hangouts. Please consider being on an “on-call” list. We need volunteers to keep the social times going! Email hmurphy@illinois.edu if interested.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Library Friends Webinar: Library Show and Tell
September 28, 12pm

Join the University Library for the first webinar in a Show and Tell series showcasing exciting and unique items from our world-renowned collection. This month, we’ll take a closer look at an “artist’s book” by the famous Czech bookbinder, artist, printer, and poet Josef Váchal. Next, we’ll examine two pieces of Cartographic Victoriana that bookend the 63-year reign of the Queen of the United Kingdom. Finally, we’ll dive into the Archives to uncover special and invaluable records for the University of Illinois’ Council of Administration.

Register at https://go.library.illinois.edu/sept28showtell.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: DEIA Office Hour
September 29, 11am

Victor Jones will be available to answer any questions you may have regarding DEIA at the Library. Find more information at https://uiuc.libcal.com/event/11005259.

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If you would like to submit content for the October issue of Library Office Notes, please submit it to Heather Murphy or Tom Teper by Friday, September 22, 2023.

August Library Office Notes

Posted on by


ANNOUNCEMENTS

IT NEWS

FACILITIES NEWS

HR NEWS

EVENTS AND TRAINING

ANNOUNCEMENTS: University Librarian Note
Check back next month for a note from Dean of Libraries and University Librarian Claire Stewart.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Math Library: Interim Closure and Relocation of Collections
Michael Norman, Interim Head of the Mathematics Library

We wanted to update the Library about the interim closure of the Mathematics Library due to the upcoming renovation of Altgeld Hall. The Mathematics Library closed to the public on May 12, 2023. We anticipate the renovation will take 3+ years to complete and the Mathematics Library will reopen in the refurbished and improved space in Altgeld when the project is finished.

Recently, we finished the transfer of the Mathematics Library collections to an interim space in the 1 East area of the Main Library Stacks.

The Mathematics Library unbound journal collection has been moved to the Grainger Engineering Library Information Center (GELIC) and is accessible in the 1st floor West room. In addition, the Mathematics Reserve collection will be integrated into the GELIC Reserves.

The Mathematics Library staff and the Interim Head, Mathematics Library are now physically situated in GELIC in Offices 159 and 155. Mathematics Library staff are available by phone (217-333-0258) and email (math@library.illinois.edu). The Mathematics Library webpage at library.illinois.edu/mtx/ is being maintained and kept current in the offering of our services to the Mathematics Library user community.

Please see Michael Norman’s email via LIB-NEWS on July 26, 2023, for more information.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: IOPN Update
Dan Tracy, Head of Scholarly Communication and Publishing

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Cheers for Peers
To view the full Cheers for Peers submissions please view the Growing People blog.

Library Human Resources is happy to announce this month’s Cheers for Peers submissions. The following Library employees have been cheered by their peers:

  • Theresa Appiah
  • Skye Arseneau
  • Nakia Bernard
  • Noel Chi
  • Jennifer Gavel
  • Joseph Hall-Ingram
  • Kim Hutcherson
  • Aneitre Johnson
  • Hanna Lafond-Hyman
  • Chad Lewis
  • Steven Liu
  • Kassandra Reyes
  • Cecylia Selwocki
  • Katie Slough
  • Anthony Stewart
  • Hannah Williams

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Update
Victor Jones, Jr., Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

Check back next month for an update from Victor and please see the DEIA Office Hour below.

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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 meeting 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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IT NEWS: The Future is Now
Tracy Tolliver, Director of Library Information Technology

Library IMS and Facilities removed the last remnants of physical server infrastructure this summer.

The library computing infrastructure is completely “in the cloud” whether it be AWS, Azure or campus shared Virtual Machine hosting. Over several years, the Library migrated over 200 “servers” and over a Petabyte, yes Peta as in seven zeros, of data to hosted services. The migration was finished in January 2020, but physical hardware cleanup was interrupted in March 2020.

As of July 2023 every last bit of the physical infrastructure has been moved to the surplus warehouses on campus.

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IT NEWS: Upgrade to Windows 11
Tracy Tolliver, Director of Library Information Technology

Library IT is prepping for Windows 11 and will be updating the Library classrooms and conference rooms to Windows 11 during the remainder of Summer 2023.  Good news, on the user end there is not much difference between Windows 10 and 11.  Listed below are the notable user end changes in Windows 11:

  • Start menu and Search are now located at the center of the taskbar at the bottom of the screen
  • Start menu when selected opens its own window.  Circled in red are the new locations for specific tasks within the Start menu window

    • Applications (All apps) – are located in the upper right, when selected it opens up the list of installed applications
    • Search – at the top of the Start menu window will change to the Search window once text is entered; used to also find applications
    • Sign out – select the User icon which is located in the lower left to log out.  Actions to log out: select Start menu > User icon > Sign out

    • Restart – select the Power icon which is located in the lower right.  Actions to restart: select Start menu > Power icon > Restart

  • Search – opens its own window, use this to quickly find applications and other items.  Note at the top of the Search window one can select specific areas to narrow the search; default search is All

As always if you notice any issues, please submit a Ticket to the Library IT Help Desk.

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IT NEWS: Skype for Business to MS Teams Migration Complete
Tracy Tolliver, Director of Library Information Technology

Thank-you all for your patience and support during the migration from Skype for Business to MS Teams in July. Overall, it went smoothly thanks to a lot of preparation and planning across campus.

Skype for Business has been removed from 95% of workstations. The remaining workstations that need to have Skype removed are primarily off campus. Skype will eventually be removed from these machines when they are on VPN during an overnight maintenance window, or when they are connected to the campus network during an overnight maintenance window. If a user would like to complete this process manually, they can go to Software Center and run the “Office 365 Professional Plus 2016 x64 – No Skype” Install. This update will remove Skype for Business.

We are seeing a few issues with a small number of desktop (plugged into a computer) and Bluetooth devices. Please send a ticket to Library IT Help Desk if you have any questions related to the migration.

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IT NEWS: Main Library Room 314 Upgrade Ready for Fall Semester
Tracy Tolliver, Director of Library Information Technology

The upgrade to Main Library Room 314 is on target to be completed and ready for the Fall 2023 semester. GA Training will be the first event to use the newly updated room.  They will enjoy a new enhanced projection unit, 2 additional displays on the walls, new integrated audio and video components, better power support in the middle of the room, new computers, and fresh paint.

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FACILITIES NEWS: Facilities Update

For a complete list of projects in planning and construction, please
see wordpress.library.illinois.edu/staff/facilities.

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HR NEWS: Filled Positions

  • Chris Bailey – Information Sciences Librarian – Social Sciences, Health, & Education Library – 7/21/2023
  • Gauri Joshi – Multi-level ITTA Assoc Software Developer/Software developer – Library IT – 8/14/2023

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HR NEWS: Departures

  • Catherine Nguyen – Library Clerk – Acquisitions & Cataloging Services – 7/21/2023
  • Ruairi McEnroe – Library Specialist – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – 7/28/2023
  • Evan Barber – IT Specialist – Library IT – 8/4/2023

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HR NEWS: Civil Service Vacancies

  • Multi-level ITTA Infrastructure Specialist – Library IT – Interviews in progress
  • IT Specialists (2 positions) – Library IT – Interviews in progress
  • Senior Library Specialist (2 positions) – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – Close July 26
  • Library Specialist – Central Access Services – Posting soon

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HR NEWS: In Memoriam

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Staff Events Calendar
To see the most up-to-date staff events calendar, please visit uiuc.libcal.com/calendar/staff.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: DEIA Educational Workshop Series: DEIA Engagement

We are pleased to invite you to participate in the second module of the University Library DEIA Educational Workshop Series. This series was developed by Dr. Ellen Burts-Cooper of Improve Consulting in collaboration with the DEIA Task Force. Dr. Ellen was our guest speaker at the Library’s Annual Recognition Event. As with the previous workshop, this workshop is a mixture of presentation and discussion, led by two library facilitators. By attending this workshop, you will have the opportunity to meet colleagues from across the library and learn from each other.

This summer, we will offer 2 opportunities to attend the second module, DEIA Engagement. This workshop builds on the previous module and focuses on what DEIA is, personal engagement and allyship as well as biases and things that impede engagement. We request that you have completed the first module before taking this second DEIA workshop module.

DEIA Engagement module (second module) will be offered on Zoom on the following remaining date:

Please register to attend this virtual event.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Let Claire Buy You a Beverage
Claire Stewart, Dean of Libraries and University Librarian

You pick, I buy! This one-on-one meeting will let us venture out together for get-to-know-you conversation. You pick the location and the beverage, Claire picks up the tab. We can leave campus, go for a walk-and-talk, hole up in your favorite campus café nook, connect over smoothies, or whatever you decide.  If your plans change, you can cancel or reschedule any time before the event.

Register for Let Claire Buy You a Beverage for the following dates:

  • August 3, 4-5pm, register here
  • August 22, 9-10am, register here
  • August 23, 4-5pm, register here
  • August 30, 9-10am, register here

These are approved events; Civil Service non-exempt staff should get permission from their supervisor before signing up.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: NISO Webinars

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

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: CARLI Professional Development Alliance Events

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: GA Orientation
August 16 – 18

The schedule for Library-wide GA Orientation & Training taking place Aug. 16-18 is now complete and available here. Each session is available for registration through the Library staff calendar: https://uiuc.libcal.com/calendar/staff

Day one includes sessions that will apply to all GAs working in the Library. The sessions on the other days may or may not be relevant. Please work with your GAs to guide them to the sessions that are appropriate for the work they will be doing (e.g., if they will not be answering questions via LibChat, let them know they should not register for the chat reference session). Supervisors can sign the GAs up individually, or ask GAs to sign up themselves. As with prior years, all of these sessions are also open to anyone working in these areas who would like to develop/refresh their skills.

Sessions will take place in three different Library buildings (Main, Funk/ACES, Grainger) and we’ve incorporated a tour of each building into the schedule. If you work in one of these locations, please consider being on hand to welcome the new GAs as they come through on the tour.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Coffee for 5
Claire Stewart, Dean of Libraries and University Librarian

These coffees are designed to help me get to know Library faculty, professional and Civil Service staff better.

This monthly gathering is designed for casual, small-group conversations. The locations will vary, so please check the description carefully. If your plans change, you can cancel or reschedule any time before the event.

  • August 24, 3:15 – 4:15pm, register here

These are approved events; Civil Service non-exempt staff should get permission from their supervisor before signing up.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: DEIA Office Hour
August 31, 11am

Victor Jones will be available to answer any questions you may have regarding DEIA at the Library. Look for an email with the Zoom link via LIB-NEWS.

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If you would like to submit content for the September issue of Library Office Notes, please submit it to Heather Murphy or Tom Teper by Friday, August 25, 2023.

July Library Office Notes

Posted on by


ANNOUNCEMENTS

FACILITIES NEWS

HR NEWS

EVENTS AND TRAINING

ANNOUNCEMENTS: University Librarian Note

I have so enjoyed the conversations we have been having in my first month here at Illinois, and I look forward to our upcoming academic year with excitement, pride, and a sense of optimism: we really are well-positioned to build on our excellent history of leadership, and to deepen our collaborations across the university.

Unfortunately, as I was writing this edition of my note, the United States Supreme Court had just handed down a set of decisions in two affirmative action cases that will strike a heavy blow to our ability to continue to build a more diverse and representative student body. Read more…

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Library Building Project Update – 7/1/23
Tom Teper, Associate University Librarian for Collections and Technical Services | Project Manager, Library Building Project

General Update

As discussed at the June Library Hang-Out, the project to renovate the Undergraduate Library and transform it into the Archives and Special Collections Building ran into two delays during the 100% drawing review. In essence, Library and campus personnel objected to the status of two parts of the 100% proposal – the state of the AV/IT portion of the submission and the proposed HVAC system. Without relaying extensive detail, both Technology Services and Library IT personnel objected to the completeness of the AV/IT submittal. The recurring problem of the IT sub-consultant not making requested changes came to a head at this point. The second reason for the delay centered on objections to the proposed HVAC system. In essence, the system was projected to be far too energy and maintenance intensive for the value that it returned. After a series of meetings and redesigns, the mechanical sub-consultants and the architects developed a revised system in consultation with F&S personnel. This new system was developed and included in a revised 100% submittal.

The revised construction documents were submitted on June 8, 2023. Comments on the revisions were submitted one week later and design comment review meetings were held on June 16th and 20th, 2023. By June 22nd, all revisions were completed, and the final documents were posted for competitive bid. A pre-bid meeting was held on June 29th and the first of two walk-throughs was held for prospective bidders on the same day.

The anticipated schedule through the target date for start of construction is as follows:

As noted in previous updates, members of the Special Collections Division are working diligently with representatives of Bradford Systems and SpaceSaver to finalize a shelving layout for the facility. Meeting roughly every other week, this group made great progress on zeroing in on a final shelving layout.

A third stream of meetings is occurring around finalizing the furniture package for the building. This will be advanced further in July 2023 in order to take advantage of state-negotiated IPHEC (Illinois Public Higher Education Cooperative) pricing.

Other Activities

Personnel within the Library continue to meet on a bi-weekly basis to touch base on progress, and members of the Library’s Administration continue meeting with Capital Programs’ project team on a weekly basis to touch base and monitor progress associated with this project.

Efforts to barcode and improve inventory management continue. The Special Collections Division is continuing work related to their opening exhibit. As noted, work on the shelving layout continues. Once done, members of the units will need to start preparing models for where specific portions of the collection will sit in the planned shelving layouts in preparation for an eventual move of library and archival collections into the facility.

Proposed Project Schedule

As the project progresses, the schedule becomes increasingly more detailed and accurate going forward. At present, the schedule below outlines dates going forward for the development of construction documents (CD), their review, the bidding and negotiation phase, construction, and post-construction. This schedule was updated and is accurate as of June 8th, 2022.

We anticipate changes to be released once final bids are received and negotiations are concluded with the successful bidders. At present, however, we anticipate a construction period of approximately 18 – 20 months from the start of construction.

Communications

Individuals may have noticed the following news item related to the anticipated name change for the building: illinoisnewsroom.org/university-of-illinois-library-has-a-new-name/. All building name changes require Board of Trustees approval, and the item appeared in the May BOT meeting schedule.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: IOPN Updates
Dan Tracy, Head of Scholarly Communication and Publishing

  • The journal Research on Diversity in Youth Literature has published its first issue with IOPN journals after moving to the University of Illinois with iSchool faculty member Sarah Park Dahlen. Issue 5.1 is a special issue focused on Diversity in Graphic Novels.
  • The Illinois Open Publishing Network (IOPN) has released the beta version of a scholarly digital edition of Tropic Death by Eric Walrond. Originally published during the Harlem Renaissance, Tropic Death is a collection of short stories featuring Afro-Caribbean life and dialect. In addition to a reading copy of the original 1926 edition, the new edition by Ryan Weberling and Caitlyn Georgiou features textual comparisons of stories that Walrond significantly revised after their magazine publications, and a glossary of slang used in the stories.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Cheers for Peers
To view the full Cheers for Peers submissions please view the Growing People blog.

Library Human Resources is happy to announce this month’s Cheers for Peers submissions. The following Library employees have been cheered by their peers:

  • Theresa Appiah
  • Susan Breakenridge
  • Emma Frieden
  • Jennifer Gavel
  • Hanna Lafond-Hyman
  • Chad Lewis
  • Jake MacGregor
  • Norris Purdy
  • Katie Slough
  • Shelby Strommer
  • Rebecca Wright

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Update
Victor Jones, Jr., Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

Check back next month for an update from Victor and please see the DEIA Office Hour below.

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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 meeting 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: Facilities Update

For a complete list of projects in planning and construction, please
see wordpress.library.illinois.edu/staff/facilities.

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HR NEWS: Filled Positions

  • Brett Hoffman – Library Specialist – Communications Library – 6/12/2023

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HR NEWS: Departures

  • Lucretia Williams – Administrative Assistant – Library Administration – 7/31/2023

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HR NEWS: Civil Service Vacancies

  • Multi-level ITTA Assoc Software Developer/Software developer – Library IT (SCaRS) – Decision soon
  • Multi-level ITTA Infrastructure Specialist – Library IT – Interviews soon
  • IT Specialists (2 positions) – Library IT – Interviews soon
  • Library Specialist – Central Access Services – Posting soon

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Staff Events Calendar
To see the most up-to-date staff events calendar, please visit uiuc.libcal.com/calendar/staff.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: DEIA Educational Workshop Series: DEIA Engagement

We are pleased to invite you to participate in the second module of the University Library DEIA Educational Workshop Series. This series was developed by Dr. Ellen Burts-Cooper of Improve Consulting in collaboration with the DEIA Task Force. Dr. Ellen was our guest speaker at the Library’s Annual Recognition Event. As with the previous workshop, this workshop is a mixture of presentation and discussion, led by two library facilitators. By attending this workshop, you will have the opportunity to meet colleagues from across the library and learn from each other.

This summer, we will offer 2 opportunities to attend the second module, DEIA Engagement. This workshop builds on the previous module and focuses on what DEIA is, personal engagement and allyship as well as biases and things that impede engagement. We request that you have completed the first module before taking this second DEIA workshop module.

DEIA Engagement module (second module) will be offered on Zoom on the following dates:

Please register to attend this virtual event.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: LEITC Series: Generative AI – Impact on the Library Mission and Services
July 11, 11am

What are the implications of Generative AI technologies for the mission of the library and its services in support of the research and learning mission in higher education? In this session, we will talk about the many challenges and opportunities we currently experience in the library and may encounter moving forward with these technologies. As we build an understanding of how Generative AI may impact our mission, we can begin to work on how to adjust or build new services.

Speakers: Alex (Elisandro) Cabada, Celenia Graves
In-Person: Room 220, Scholarly Commons, Main Library
Zoom Link: If you registered with this form, the Zoom information will be emailed to you after June 13.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: CARLI Professional Development Alliance Events

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: LEITC Series: Generative AI – Image Creation, Copyright, and Understanding Your Rights
July 25, 11am

You’ve asked an AI generator to create a cat portrait in the style of Picasso, now what? Although sampling the work of others has been a natural part of image creation since humans have communicated through art, new AI tools have complicated that conversation. This workshop will discuss the ways that people are using AI-generated images to create new bodies of work, streamline their research processes, and beautifully muddy current and future copyright waters. You’ll learn your rights as an image creator, and hopefully have a few more answers about where the machine’s art ends and yours begins.

Speaker: Siobhan McKissic
In-Person: Room 220, Scholarly Commons, Main Library
Zoom Link: If you registered with this form, the Zoom information will be emailed to you after July 11.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: DEIA Educational Workshop Series: Library Culture and Engagement

We are pleased to invite you to participate in a new University Library DEIA Educational Workshop Series. This series was developed by Dr. Ellen Burts-Cooper of Improve Consulting in collaboration with the DEIA Task Force. Dr. Ellen was our guest speaker at the Library’s Annual Recognition Event. These workshops are a mixture of presentation and discussion, led by two library facilitators. By attending this workshop, you will have the opportunity to meet colleagues from across the library and learn from each other.

This semester, we will offer 3 more opportunities to attend the first module, Library Culture and Engagement. This workshop covers important foundational topics requested by library employees, including belonging, psychological safety, collaboration, and how to contribute to a healthy workplace. Attending this module will be very helpful for engaging with the additional four modules offered later.

The Library Culture and Engagement module will be offered on Zoom on the following date:

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: DEIA Office Hour
July 31, 11am

Victor Jones will be available to answer any questions you may have regarding DEIA at the Library or the DEIA Taskforce Final Report. A copy of the final report can be found at this link through Box.

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If you would like to submit content for the August issue of Library Office Notes, please submit it to Heather Murphy or Tom Teper by Friday, July 21, 2023.

June Library Office Notes

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

IT NEWS

FACILITIES NEWS

HR NEWS

EVENTS AND TRAINING

ANNOUNCEMENTS: University Librarian Note

A sincere “thank you” to all of you for the warm welcome you’ve shown me in my first three weeks here as dean and university librarian. Although I didn’t get to meet everyone, the summer social was great fun and I am glad I did get to say hello to a great many of you. Read more…

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Library Building Project Update – 06/01/2023
Tom Teper, Associate University Librarian for Collections and Technical Services | Project Manager, Library Building Project

General Update

The renovation of the Undergraduate Library and planning for construction of the Archives and Special Collections Building continue apace. At present, all planned demolition of the Undergraduate Library spaces being completed by Facilities & Services is complete.

Initially, plans called for completing the Construction Documents in April 2023 following the mid-March submittal of 100% drawings. Unanticipated changes required to the HVAC system and AV/IT required that the final submission date be renegotiated between Capital Programs and RATIO. At present, the schedule for wrapping up the final details in the 100% drawings and preparing the construction drawings for competitive bid is as follows:

  • 5/18/23 – Design team submitted one line HVAC drawing.
  • 5/25/23 – HVAC and controls design meeting.
  • 6/8/23 – Design team submits drawings/specs.
  • 6/15/23 – Comments returned to design team
  • 6/16 and 6/20 – Tentative design comments review meetings.
  • 6/22/23 – Issue for bids.

Running parallel to these meetings are additional discussions around finalizing the outstanding AV/IT components.

Once the final drawings and accompanying materials required for the bid are submitted, the University will prepare the final bid package. This will be released for the public bidding process with the intent of having a construction package prepared for final Board of Trustees approval at the September BOT meeting. Construction could start shortly thereafter.

As noted in previous updates, members of the Special Collections Division are working diligently with representatives of Bradford Systems and SpaceSaver to finalize a shelving layout for the facility. Meeting roughly every other week, this group made great progress on zeroing in on a final shelving layout. Their target completion date is within the coming weeks.

A third stream of meetings is occurring around finalizing the furniture package for the building. This will be handled in parallel to the construction bid in order to take advantage of state-negotiated IPHEC (Illinois Public Higher Education Cooperative) pricing.

Other Activities

Personnel within the Library continue to meet on a bi-weekly basis to touch base on progress, and members of the Library’s Administration continue meeting with Capital Programs’ project team on a weekly basis to touch base and monitor progress associated with this project.

Efforts to barcode and improve inventory management continue. The Special Collections Division is continuing work related to their opening exhibit. As noted, work on the shelving layout continues. Once done, members of the units will need to start preparing models for where specific portions of the collection will sit in the planned shelving layouts in preparation for an eventual move of library and archival collections into the facility.

Proposed Project Schedule

As the project progresses, the schedule becomes increasingly more detailed and accurate going forward. At present, the schedule below outlines dates going forward for the development of construction documents (CD), their review, the bidding and negotiation phase, construction, and post-construction. This schedule was updated and is accurate as of June 8th, 2022.

We anticipate changes to be released as the final bid package is prepared.

Communications

Individuals may have noticed the following news item related to the anticipated name change for the building: https://illinoisnewsroom.org/university-of-illinois-library-has-a-new-name/. All building name changes require Board of Trustees approval, and the item appeared in the May BOT meeting schedule.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Fall New Graduate Assistant Orientation

On behalf of the Reference Management Team and Organizational Development & Training, the schedule for Library-wide GA Orientation (taking place Aug. 16-18) is now complete. Each session is available for registration through the Library staff calendar: https://uiuc.libcal.com/calendar/staff

Day one includes sessions that will apply to all GAs working in the Library. The sessions on the other days may or may not be relevant. Please work with your GAs to guide them to the sessions that are appropriate for the work they will be doing (e.g., if they will not be answering questions via LibChat, let them know they should not register for the chat reference session). Supervisors can sign the GAs up individually or ask GAs to sign up themselves. As with prior years, all these sessions are also open to anyone whose work relates to these areas and who would like to develop/refresh their skills.

Sessions will take place in three different Library buildings (Main, Funk/ACES, Grainger) and we’ve incorporated a tour of each building into the schedule. If you work in one of these locations, please consider being on hand to welcome the new GAs as they come through on the tour.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Residence Hall Libraries Update

Ikenberry Residence Hall Library will re-open for the summer on Monday, June 5th. Summer hours will be M-F, 10 am to 2 pm. (Illinois Street Residence Hall Library is closed for the summer, but pick slip requests will be filled.)

All U of I students, staff, and faculty with an active I-card are invited to participate in the Res. Hall Libraries’ Summer BINGO! Bring your completed BINGO card (4 in a row in any direction) to Ike Library for a treat and to be entered in a raffle for an Advanced Readers’ Copy of a book of your choice from our stash. Winners will be drawn in September.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Internal Marketing Group
A new Internal Marketing Group has formed to create and maintain a portfolio of internal signage, templates, maps, and other informational and wayfinding resources in alignment with campus branding and University Library standards. The IMG is a working group committed to user-focused, inclusive, and accessible practices deployed in agile and tactical ways to best represent the University Library and user needs throughout campus libraries. More from this group is forthcoming!

Members include:

  • Paula Carns
  • Sarah Christensen
  • Kate Lambaria
  • John Laskowski
  • Heather Murphy
  • Tim Newman

Any immediate questions should be directed to Heather Murphy or John Laskowski.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Cheers for Peers
To view the full Cheers for Peers submissions please view the Growing People blog.

Library Human Resources is happy to announce this month’s Cheers for Peers submissions. The following Library employees have been cheered by their peers:

  • Mirella Bajric
  • MJ Han
  • Megean Osuchowski
  • Janelle Sander
  • Dulcie Vermillion

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Update
Victor Jones, Jr., Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

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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 meeting 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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IT NEWS: Library Emerging Technology Talk Series – Generative AI
Tracy Tolliver, Director of Library Information Technology

LEITC (Library Emerging and Integrated Technologies Coordination – CAPT) is putting on a series of hybrid workshops on the topic of Generative AI. These sessions are intended to help inform the library audience about the current state of the art of Generative AI technologies and what the implications and the potential are for these technologies for scholarship and the mission of the library.

These sessions also provide the library audience with an opportunity to bring up topics of concern or interest that we can discuss together and potentially cover more in-depth in future sessions. From these early understandings, we can plan out what funding, resources, and partnerships would be needed to implement new support services for Generative AI.

These sessions are organized by the Library Emerging and Integrated Technologies Committee (LEITC). Interested in proposing or organizing a future talk about Generative AI? Please contact us now at leitc@library.illinois.edu

Summer Schedule:

  • Topic: LEITC Series: Generative AI – What is it?
    Short Description: The current state of generative AI is changing by the day and while it has already had a profound effect on the future of technology and many other industries it will almost certainly not lead to the end of all humanity as shown by many news headlines. Join us as we talk through the basic concept, history, and current state of generative AI and large language models.
    Speakers: Eric Kurt, Jake Metz
    When: Jun 6, 2023, 11 am to 12 noon (CST)
    In-Person: Room 220, Scholarly Commons, Main Library
    Zoom Link: If you register with this form, the Zoom information will be emailed to you after May 30th.
  • Topic: LEITC Series: Generative AI – Current tools and services
    Short Description: What kinds of things can AI create? And are there alternatives to the Big Tech services? Join us as we experiment with the latest tools in this hands-on workshop. We’ll discuss how to write effective prompts as we explore possibilities (and potential pitfalls) of using AI to generate text, images, code, and more.
    Speakers: Jake Metz, Mary Ton
    When: Jun 13, 2023, 11 am to 12 noon (CST)
    In-Person: Room 220, Scholarly Commons, Main Library
    Zoom Link: If you register with this form, the Zoom information will be emailed to you after June 6th.
  • Topic: LEITC Series: Generative AI – Impact on the Library mission and services
    Short Description:  What are the implications of Generative AI technologies for the mission of the library and its services in support of the research and learning mission in higher education? In this session, we will talk about the many challenges and opportunities we currently experience in the library and may encounter moving forward with these technologies. As we build an understanding for how Generative AI may impact our mission, we can begin to work on how to adjust or build new services.
    Speakers: Alex (Elisandro) Cabada, Celenia Graves
    When: Jul 11, 2023, 11 am to 12 noon (CST)
    In-Person: Room 220, Scholarly Commons, Main Library
    Zoom Link: If you register with this form, the Zoom information will be emailed to you after June 13th.
  • Topic: LEITC Series: Generative AI – Image creation, copyright, and understanding your rights
    Short Description: You’ve asked an AI generator to create a cat portrait in the style of Picasso, now what? Although sampling the work of others has been a natural part of image creation since humans have communicated through art, new AI tools have complicated that conversation. This workshop will discuss the ways that people are using AI-generated images to create new bodies of work, streamline their research processes, and beautifully muddy current and future copyright waters. You’ll learn your rights as an image creator, and hopefully have a few more answers about where the machine’s art ends and yours begins.
    Speakers: Siobhan McKissic
    When: Jul 25, 2023, 11 am to 12 noon (CST)
    In-Person: Room 220, Scholarly Commons, Main Library
    Zoom Link: If you register with this form, the Zoom information will be emailed to you after July 11th.

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FACILITIES: Facilities Update
Tim Newman, Assistant Dean of Libraries for Facilities

The summer facility renovations are upon us, but it will not be as crazy as last summer. To highlight a few projects, we have classroom technology upgrades occurring in Rm 314 of the Main Library and a few minor repairs occurring throughout spaces across the University Libraries. We are also kicking off the roof renovation project at the Main Library with design starting in July and expected construction starting next summer. The project information document has been updated. As a reminder, if you are in need of any space renovations, maintenance, or services, please submit a ticket through Team Dynamix.

For a complete list of projects in planning and construction, please
see https://wordpress.library.illinois.edu/staff/facilities/.

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HR NEWS: Filled Positions

  • Bernadette Braun – Library Operations Associate – Acquisitions & Cataloging Services – 5/15/2023
  • Claire Stewart – Dean of Libraries and University Librarian – Library Administration – 5/16/2023
  • Alexander Klec – Assistant Distribution Services Supervisor – Library Facilities – 6/5/2023

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HR NEWS: Departures

  • Margo Robinson – Library Specialist – Central Access Services – 4/30/2023
  • Jamie Hansen – Library Specialist – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – 5/11/2023
  • Lisa Miller – Senior Library Specialist – Central Access Services – 5/31/2023

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HR NEWS: Civil Service Vacancies

  • Multi-level ITTA Assoc Software Developer/Software developer – Library IT (SCaRS) – Email Screenings
  • Multi-level ITTA Infrastructure Specialist – Library IT – Posting Soon
  • IT Specialists (2 positions) – Library IT – IHR Reviewing JD
  • Library Specialist – Communications – Decision soon

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HR NEWS: Academic Professional and Faculty Open Postings

  • Visiting Social Sciences Librarian (Faculty) – Social Sciences, Health, & Education Library – Closes 6/9/2023
  • World Languages Cataloging Coordinator (Faculty) – Acquisitions & Cataloging Services – Closes 6/16/2023
  • Chinese Studies Librarian (Faculty) – International & Area Studies Library – Closes 6/23/2023

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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: Library Emerging Technology Talk Series – Generative AI
View the Summer Schedule here.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Gwendolyn Brooks’s Birthday
June 7, 3 – 5pm

Come and celebrate the birthday of Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000), former Illinois Poet Laureate and the first African American writer to win the Pulitzer Prize. Take a look at some of our favorite gems from Miss Brooks’s literary archives, and enjoy a slice of her birthday cake! This event is free and open to all.

https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/4092/33451402

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: DEIA Educational Workshop Series

We are pleased to invite you to participate in a new University Library DEIA Educational Workshop Series. This series was developed by Dr. Ellen Burts-Cooper of Improve Consulting in collaboration with the DEIA Task Force. Dr. Ellen was our guest speaker at the Library’s Annual Recognition Event. These workshops are a mixture of presentation and discussion, led by two library facilitators. By attending this workshop, you will have the opportunity to meet colleagues from across the library and learn from each other.

This semester, we will offer 3 more opportunities to attend the first module, Library Culture and Engagement. This workshop covers important foundational topics requested by library employees, including belonging, psychological safety, collaboration, and how to contribute to a healthy workplace. Attending this module will be very helpful for engaging with the additional four modules offered later.

The Library Culture and Engagement module will be offered on Zoom on the following dates:

  • Thursday, June 8th, 2pm-4pm register
  • Wednesday, June 21st, 2pm-4pm register
  • Thursday, July 27th, 10am-12pm (registration is full)

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Library IT phase 1 – conference room training
June 9, 2pm

Training is for full-time Library faculty and staff for the Library conference rooms in order to log on to the dedicated room PC.

Who needs training? Full-time Library employees that plan on hosting a meeting that requires using the Library Conference Room computer equipment will need training. This training is required only once. If you are a new Library Employee, or if you plan to video conference, host a webinar, or participate in a library search committee (regarding interviews and candidate presentation days), then the Library IT phase 1 training session is necessary in order to log in to the conference room computer and use the room equipment. Also, anyone who would like a room training refresher is always welcome to attend.

We will go over what the rooms have to offer and where to find this information. Demos include laptop connection, using the dedicated room PC, sound checks, enlarging text within documents and websites, and troubleshooting common issues.

Due to limited seating, please register if you plan to attend.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: NISO Webinar: Controlled Digital Lending
June 14, 10am

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

Future NISO Webinars to consider:

  • August 9 at 10 AM: Metrics: Assessing Usage (Part One)
  • August 16 at 10 AM: Metrics: What Additional Metrics Are Needed? (Part Two)
  • September 13 at 10 AM: Multilingual Content and its Use
  • October 11 at 10 AM: Building Connectivity Between Diverse and Diffused Resources
  • November 8 at 10 AM: Strategic Planning
  • December 13 at 10 AM: Trend Spotting, Trend Setting

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If you would like to submit content for the July issue of Library Office Notes, please submit it to Heather Murphy or Tom Teper by Friday, June 23, 2023.

October Library Office Notes

Posted on by


ANNOUNCEMENTS

FACILITIES NEWS

HR NEWS

EVENTS AND TRAINING


ANNOUNCEMENTS: University Librarian Note
Check back next month for a new Note from Dean Wilkin. 
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Library Building Project Update – 10/1/2022
Tom Teper, Associate University Librarian for Collections and Technical Services | Project Manager, Library Building Project

Project Meetings and Updates for September 2022
During the month of September, representatives from the University Library, University Administration, and Facilities and Services met on several occasions to discuss elements of the project:

  • September 19th: Demolition Discussion – Library and campus personnel met to discuss demolition plans. This was followed later in the week with another meeting with F&S personnel.
  • September 21st: Landscape Design – Library personnel met with F&S, Capital Programs, and A/E representatives to onboard and discuss landscape design for Archives and Special Collections Building with new landscape architecture subcontractor.

Project-Related Meetings Scheduled for October 2022 (as of 9/27/2022)
At present, there are only a few scheduled meetings for October 2022.

  • October 5th: Shelving Meeting – Library and campus personnel will meet with A/E and representatives from Bradford systems to further refine shelving needs.

Other Activities
Personnel within the Library continue to meet on a bi-weekly basis to touch base on progress, and members of the Library’s Administration continue meeting with Capital Programs project team on a weekly basis to check on progress associated with this project.
Efforts to barcode and improve inventory management continue. The Special Collections Division is continuing work related to their opening exhibit.

Proposed Project Schedule
As the project progresses, the schedule becomes increasingly more detailed and accurate going forward. At present, the schedule below outlines dates going forward for the development of construction documents (CD), their review, the bidding and negotiation phase, construction, and post-construction. This schedule was updated and is accurate as of June 8th, 2022.

Communications
Nothing to report.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Cheers for Peers
Are you particularly grateful to someone at the Library? Have you observed a random act of kindness? If you’ve wondered how to let that person know it was noticed, we have the answer!

The Library is launching an opportunity to quickly recognize a co-worker with this form Cheers for Peers. By answering three questions you have the ability to share appreciation and gratitude and create an energizing and positive moment for others.

  1. Who are you cheering?
  2. Brief description of why you are submitting a cheer for your peer.
  3. Do you wish to be anonymous, or include your name?

Once per month, cheers will be gathered and shared on the “Growing People” blog and included in the monthly LON submission.

The person that has been cheered will receive a certificate to celebrate their recognition along with a small gift.  

The Fine Print

  • All Library employees are eligible (Employee includes Extra Help, Academic Hourly, Graduate Hourly, Student Hourly, Visiting and Permanent appointments). 
  • Submissions will be reviewed prior to posting publicly. 
  • Submissions must be received no later than the 21st of each month to appear in the upcoming blog post.
  • Any submissions received on or after the 22nd will appear in the following month.
  • Multiple nominations within one month for the same person will yield multiple certificates and one sticker.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Did You Know? A Monthly Factoid from Library Assessment

We can’t promise haunted tomes bound in human skin, but the Library’s collection is full of books that will twist your mind, haunt your thoughts, and bedevil your senses. This October, consider sampling from the plethora of options within the subject headings in the above graphic.

For even more fascinating frights, check out these collection highlights of illustrated horror from Mara Thacker, our South Asian Studies and Global Popular Culture Librarian:

Ghosts of India: Horror Comics Anthology

The Book of Indian Ghosts by Riksunder Banerjee, illustrated by Raka Chowdhury

Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror by Juji Itō, translated by Yuji Oniki

Graphic created and text written by Virginia Haverstic, Library Assessment Graduate Assistant. Mara Thacker provided collection highlights. Michael Norman provided collection statistics.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Task Force Meeting Minutes
Minutes from past DEIA Task Force meetings are online on the Task Force web page.
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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 meeting 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: Facilities Update
Tim Newman, Assistant Dean of Libraries for Facilities

For a complete list of projects in planning and construction, please see https://wordpress.library.illinois.edu/staff/facilities/.
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HR NEWS: Filled Positions

  • Marina Kolodyazhnaya – Library Specialist (Government Documents) – Acquisitions and Cataloging Services – 9/6/2022
  • Celenia Graves – Visiting Experiential Learning and Engagement Librarian – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – 9/23/2022
  • Rachel Miller-Haughton – Visiting Preservation Outreach and Education Librarian – Preservation Services – 9/23/2022

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HR NEWS: Departures

  • Rand Hartsell – Library Operations Associate – Central Access Services – 10/14/2022

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HR NEWS: Civil Service Vacancies

  • Library Specialist (2 PM – 10 PM) – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – second interviews soon
  • Office Support Associate – Dean’s Office – interviews
  • Senior Library Specialist – Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery – interviews soon
  • Senior Library Specialist – History, Philosophy, & Newspaper Library – posting soon
  • E-Resources Library Specialist – Acquisitions & Cataloging Services – posting soon
  • Accounting Officer – Business & Human Resources Service Center – closed without hire 

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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: Residence Hall Libraries’ Student Events

  • Monthly Game Night
    October 5 from 5 PM – 7 PM
    Ike: SDRP 2003 and ISR: 50 A/B
    Come play board games from the Residence Hall Libraries’ collections. Snacks provided. Bring your friends and make new friends!
  • Monthly Craft Night
    October 11 from 5 PM – 7 PM
    Ike: SDRP Lobby and ISR: 50A/B
    Make a craft to decorate your room, with all materials (and snacks) provided for free from the Residence Hall Libraries.
  • Monthly Book Club
    October 27 at 6:30 PM
    Ike: SDRP 2003
    Discussion of The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Vol. 1 of the Hercule Poirot series) by Agatha Christie; snacks provided!

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: CARLI Professional Development Alliance Events

  • FL-OER-ishment Webinar Series: Dismantling Barriers to Student Success Through Affordable Learning Materials
    October 6 at 1:30 PM
    An interdisciplinary panel including professors Taurie Gittings Wheeler, Allison Thomas Johnson, and Pamela Williams from Miami Dade College will share how they implemented OER and other affordable learning materials in their classes to reduce cost and increase access for students. They will demonstrate different approaches to using learning materials and discuss the challenges and successes they encountered along the way. 
    Register for this event
  • Managing Difficult Conversations 
    October 12 at 10 AM
    This one-hour workshop will discuss the nature of and challenges in holding difficult conversations, and strategies to overcome those challenges and increase the likelihood of success. Polls, discussion/chat, and Q&A will be used to involve the audience to ensure that specific fears and concerns are addressed. Tools and references will be provided or identified to support participants in putting learning into action.
    Register for this event
  • Accessibility Series: Social Media Accessibility Basics
    October 27 at 1 PM
    Join Mark McCarthy in this first of a two-part accessibility series and learn more about several facets of social media accessibility, including learning a little about disability itself, a brief overview of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, why social media access matters, and more!
    Register for this event
  • FL-OER-ishment Webinar Series: Teaching Jacksonville History at FSCJ: Strategies for an Affordable and Rigorous Course
    October 27 at 1:30 PM
    This presentation will discuss the origins of the first comprehensive course on the History of Jacksonville offered at a college or university and how its creators conducted research and decided on a rich set of open-access resources for students.
    Register for this event

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: In Search of Marcel Proust
October 7 at 3 PM

Are you curious to find out who Marcel Proust was, or how to say his name? Are you a devoted reader? Join Professor François Proulx (Department of French and Italian) and RBML curator Caroline Szylowicz for a conversation about Proust’s life and works. We will mark the 100th anniversary of his death with an exploration of his books, manuscripts, and letters, we’ll share favorite characters, passages, and we might even set the record straight about the cork-lined bedroom!  

This event will be located at The Rare Book & Manuscript Library and is free and open to all; refreshments will be served. 

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Hub Training 

  • ILL / Doc Express & Policies on Access to Physical Collections 
    October 11 at 2 PM and October 28 at 3 PM
    Who should attend: All first year GAs and anyone who has not attended this training before or would like a refresher. 
    Instructors: Cherié Weible and Janelle Sander
    This training will be recorded.
    Please contact Sara Holder at sholder@illinois.edu if you have questions about this training. 
  • Reference in Special Collections
    October 25 at 2 PM and October 28 at 3 PM
    Who should attend: All first year GAs and anyone who has not attended this training before or would like a refresher.
    Instructors: Jenny Johnson, Sammi Merritt, Jameatris Rimkus, Cait Coker, Caroline Szylowicz, Krista Gray, and Rachel Tomei
    This training will be recorded.
    Please contact Sarah Holder at sholder@illinois.edu if you have questions about this training. 

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: NISO Webinar: Cybersecurity
October 12 at 10 AM

This NISO educational event will bring together a group of experts in systems and cybersecurity to discuss the key challenges currently facing the information community. From issues of authentication to the threats posed by ransomware, all organizations must prioritize protections for digital identities and assets. Libraries, funding agencies, content and platform providers, and end users are largely aware of the dangers, but hesitate over the potential inconvenience and hidden costs of addressing them. What can be done? This roundtable discussion will provide insights and encouragement. 

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

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Women in Science Lecture Series: Dr. Imanni Sheppard
October 13 at 12 PM

The University of Illinois Archives is hosting a monthly virtual Women in Science Lecture Series that will feature speakers from across the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s diverse and multidisciplinary scientific enterprise. October’s lecture features Dr. Imanni Sheppard, Assistant Teaching professor and Co-Director of Medical Ethics and Humanities thread at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. Dr. Sheppard will discuss her work in developing medical humanities and medical anthropology curricula and her work with community based participatory research. Register for the Zoom link here. 

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: De-Escalation Series

Margaret Ann Paauw will be doing a two-part Zoom training series for Library employees on de-escalation techniques. This training opportunity is particularly relevant to those in public-facing roles but could be generally useful for any Library employee. Each session has different but complementary content. Attendees do not have to commit to both sessions. They can attend either, or both, sessions and benefit.

De-Escalation Series
Margaret Ann Paauw is a licensed clinical social worker and Ph.D. Candidate at Loyola University Chicago. Margaret Ann practiced as a library social worker at Chicago Public Library for over two years, providing support for staff, crisis navigation, and community outreach. Margaret Ann was very active with the Public Library Association’s library social work task force and co-authored the book A Trauma-Informed Framework for Supporting Patrons. Margaret Ann is currently studying the practice of library social work and hopes to contribute to the literature on this emerging field.

Session I: Navigating Difficult Interactions with Patrons
Tuesday October 18th, 2022, 2 PM – 3 PM
In the library, we serve so many different types of people with many different experiences. How do we approach those who might be upset, communicate in different ways than we do, or are potentially dealing with some form of mental illness or mental health struggle? In this session, we will learn about basic mental health issues and symptoms followed by exercises navigating common scenarios. 

Session II: Trauma Informed Library Approaches
Friday October 21st, 2022, 3 PM – 4 PM
Following the session “Navigating Difficult Interactions with Patrons”, this session will focus on incorporating trauma informed approaches in the library on a more general basis. In this session, we will learn about how trauma informed approaches can help us navigate a wide variety of client interactions in an empathetic manner. 

Registration is not required, but very helpful to us so that we can plan for expected audience size. You will also get reminders about the training and a way to download it to your calendar.

This training is sponsored by Organization Development & Training in the Business & Human Resources Service Center.

For any questions or concerns please contact Organization Development and Training at training@library.illinois.edu.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Hangout
October 26 at 10 AM

Please keep a lookout for an email (with a Zoom link) from Lucretia Williams via LIB-NEWS. Complete and submit the Library Hangout Suggestion and Volunteer Form if you have a topic to share.

Also, we are always looking for volunteers who would be willing to host social time following the Hangouts. Please consider being on an “on-call” list. We need volunteers to keep the social times going! Use the form above if interested.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Hysteria: Tracing Early Modern Witchcraft 
October 26 at 7:30 PM

Rare Book & Manuscript Library Curators Ruthann E. Mowry and Dr. Cait Coker will host this live, interactive presentation of materials documenting the history of European witchcraft. Bring your questions as we discuss witch trial records and accounts in their historical context and our contemporary parallels. 

This is a virtual-only event hosted by Lewis & Clark Library in Helena, Montana. Please register here to receive the Zoom link! 

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If you would like to submit content for the November issue of Library Office Notes, please submit it to Heather Murphy or Tom Teper by October 21, 2022.

September Library Office Notes

Posted on by


ANNOUNCEMENTS

FACILITIES NEWS

HR NEWS

EVENTS AND TRAINING


ANNOUNCEMENTS: University Librarian Note
It’s the start of a new academic year at Illinois and, though I don’t want to jinx things, it’s feeling almost back-to-normal. I’m excited to see a large number of people all across campus—and in our library spaces. I’m happy to report there are already large numbers of students utilizing our new Orange Room in the Main Library. Foot traffic in our libraries is vastly outstripping what we saw last year with the return to in-person instruction. Read more…
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Library Building Project Update – 9/1/2022
Tom Teper, Associate University Librarian for Collections and Technical Services | Project Manager, Library Building Project

Project Meetings and Updates for August 2022
During the month of August, representatives from the University Library, University Administration, and Facilities and Services met on several occasions to discuss elements of the project:

  • August 4th – Lightning Protection – A/E and campus personnel to review lightning protection for facility.
  • August 15th – Generator Location and Refueling – A/E and campus personnel to review generator location and refueling procedures for facility.
  • August 16th – FFE Samples Discussion – Internal meeting with project team to discuss initial FFE samples.
  • August 17th – Public Safety Review – A/E and Campus personnel to review public safety in building.
  • August 22nd – Lighting Impact on Morrow Plots/Observatory – A/E meeting with Library personnel, F&S, Capital Programs, College of ACES, and Observatory representatives.

Project-Related Meetings Scheduled for September 2022 (as of 8/31/2022)
At present, there are no scheduled meetings for September 2022.

Other Activities
Personnel within the Library continue to meet on a bi-weekly basis to touch base on progress, and members of the Library’s Administration continue meeting with Capital Programs project team on a weekly basis to check on progress associated with this project.

Efforts to barcode and improve inventory management continue. The Special Collections Division is continuing work related to their opening exhibit.

Proposed Project Schedule
As the project progresses, the schedule becomes increasingly more detailed and accurate going forward. At present, the schedule below outlines dates going forward for the development of construction documents (CD), their review, the bidding and negotiation phase, construction, and post-construction. This schedule was updated and is accurate as of June 8th, 2022.

Communications
Nothing to report.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Rooms 450A, B, C – Available for Reservations
As part of its charge to identify and prepare appropriate offices and workspaces for all employees impacted by the building project, the Staffing Working Group recommended this past summer to convert unused office suites in the 450 Main Library area into bookable, shared workspaces.  These spaces are now complete and ready for use.

Rooms 450 A,B, and C are bookable through Outlook, and keys can be picked up from the 230 Main Library office suite, following the same process for booking other shared spaces in the building.  450 A&B have a single workstation, and 450 C is split into two workstations, each of which is separately bookable (Listed as 450C1 and 450C2 in Outlook). These spaces are intended for occasional use by employees who have need of private workspace for job-related activities such as Zoom meetings, personnel discussions, etc.  Any permanent library employee is eligible to book one of these spaces.  As these are shared spaces filling a need for a large number of library employees, please do not book them for regular, lengthy amounts of time, until we have a chance to assess use and measure demand.

For questions about

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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Nominate a Library Outstanding Academic Professional (AP)
The Awards and Recognition Committee is accepting nominations for the Library Outstanding AP Award through September 20, at 5 pm. Any member of the Library community can nominate a Library AP for this award. Nominators are welcome (and encouraged) to work with co-nominators to develop a thorough nomination with details and examples. For eligibility and nominee requirements, please see the call sent to LibNews on August 31. Nominations can be submitted at https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/345362199.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Did You Know? A Monthly Factoid from Library Assessment

Which of the following questions did you answer the most during the first week of class? Was it…

“Where can I find a place to study?”
“How can I use the printer?”
“Where is Room 66?”

No matter how simple these questions are, the effort we make to help students navigate library buildings and services is important. The University’s Student Experience Survey (Fall 2021) found that students who used library services had a higher sense of belonging and connectedness to the University. An undergraduate student survey conducted by the Library (Fall 2018) also found that students who used library space “once or twice a year” reported higher GPA than those who had never been to a library on campus.

Thanks to Beth Hoag, Ph.D. for providing the Student Experience Survey findings. For more information about these studies, please contact Library Assessment (assessment@library.illinois.edu).
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Task Force Meeting Minutes
Minutes from past DEIA Task Force meetings are online on the Task Force web page.
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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 meeting 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: Facilities Update
Tim Newman, Assistant Dean of Libraries for Facilities

Welcome back to campus! As a new semester has started, the Facilities Team wanted to remind everyone of a few general procedures and policies:

For any facility related request(s) such as, furniture needs, key request, event setup, general maintenance, and remodel, or when not sure, please submit a ticket request.  This way all of facilities can track the request and ensure that we are providing the best customer service for you.  Our ticketing system has changed to Team Dynamix.  These links will help with varied ticket submissions:

Team Dynamix (general facility/default request) https://go.library.illinois.edu/logaticket
Key Request Form https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/facilities/keyrequest/
Event Checklist https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2019/02/EventCheckList-Revised-2019.02.08.xls

For shipping/delivery, please bring any shipments to Shipping/Receiving the day prior. We make daily deliveries starting at 8:00am, as well as multiple deliveries throughout the day. We try to accommodate rush orders, but request at least a day’s notice. Additionally, for any packages being shipped FedEx or UPS, please have them by noon at the shipping/receiving desk at the Main Library. Lastly, ensure that you please provide as much detail regarding the order as possible (vendor, quantity, price, etc.).

For a complete list of projects in planning and construction, please see https://wordpress.library.illinois.edu/staff/facilities/.
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HR NEWS: Filled Positions

  • Sarah Blanco – Library Specialist – Teaching, Learning, and Academic Support – 8/15/2022
  • Alyson Bell – Associate Director – Library Advancement – 8/16/2022
  • Megan Sapp-Nelson – Head – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – 8/18/2022
  • JD Tanaro – Library Specialist – Funk ACES – 8/29/2022

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HR NEWS: Departures

  • Megan Johnson – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – resigned 8/6/2022
  • Brian Agnoletti – Library Facilities – resigned 8/12/2022

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HR NEWS: Civil Service Vacancies

  • Library Specialist (Government Documents) – ACS – decision soon
  • Office Support Associate – Dean’s Office – interviews 8/24-8/26
  • Accounting Officer – Business and Human Resources Service Center – interviews soon
  • Library Specialist (2 PM – 10 PM) – Grainger – posting soon
  • Senior Library Specialist – History, Philosophy, & Newspaper Library – posting soon
  • Senior Library Specialist – Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery – posting soon
  • E-Resources Library Specialist – Acquisitions & Cataloging Services – posting soon

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HR NEWS: Academic Professional and Faculty Open Positions

  • Digital Humanities Librarian – Scholarly Communication & Publishing, FAC – Celestina Savonius-Wroth, Chair. Live on the job board with a closing date of 9/16/2022.

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HR NEWS: In Memoriam

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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: Residence Hall Libraries’ Student Events
September 7 at 4pm

The Residence Hall Libraries are holding their First Monthly Game Night of the semester! Board games from the Residence Hall Libraries’ collections will be available and the event will provide the opportunity for students to make new friends. This event will be held at both the Ikenberry Library (SDRP 2003) and the Illinois Street Residence Hall Library (50A/B).

Additional information and a list of all the events already planned for the semester can be found here:
https://housing.illinois.edu/Resources/residence-hall-libraries/events

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: CARLI Professional Development Alliance Events

  • Building a Successful Budget
    September 13 at 1 PM
    This session will provide attendees with a high-level overview of budgeting in libraries. We will examine nuances of the word “budget” and what that implies about how we discuss budgets with various departments within the organization, share similarities and differences in the budget process across organizations, and discuss long-term strategies for weathering budget cuts. We will finish by demonstrating how human bias impacts budgetary decision-making.
    Register for this event
  • Racial Equity in Libraries
    September 19 at 1 PM
    In this session, Kristyn Caragher and Tatiana Bryant will highlight select results of their national survey and provide implications for libraries to consider in their racial equity work regarding the hiring, retention, and promotion of BIPOC employees.
    Register for this event
  • Leading Together: Academic Library Consortia and Advocacy
    September 20 at 1 PM
    There is strength in a consortium voice and through the agency of the consortium the opportunity to lead together under a unified plan. This presentation reviews the landscape of effective consortia advocacy work, while presenting an approach to developing an advocacy plan. Drawing from the recent book by the same title, participants will leave with a sense of options and opportunities to build a consistent message to influence and persuade throughout the consortium (or any group) for agreed-upon goals.
    Register for this event

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: The Viceroyalty of Peru and the Times of the Conde de Montemar
September 16 at 3pm

Please join us for the opening reception of RBML’s Fall Exhibit, The Viceroyalty of Peru and the Times of the Conde de Montemar. The exhibit is curated by Ana D. Rodríguez and Dr. Antonio Sotomayor, and will remain on view through May 12, 2023.

For nearly 300 years (1542-1824), the Viceroyalty of Perú was an integral part of the extensive Spanish Empire in the Americas. The Spaniards had taken over the Inca Empire that had ruled those lands for generations and had established a complex civilization. By taking the Inca Empire, its riches and lands, the descendants of these conquistadors developed a new society characterized by the diversity of communities where they lived, with the indigenous peoples placed at a disadvantage. As a stratified society, the white noble class was at the top of the social pyramid, including the family of the V Conde de Montemar, which had vast interests throughout the territory. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign holds a unique and sizable collection of letters that belonged to this family; this exhibit will showcase a fraction of its content, alongside other equally rare and fascinating material from the University of Illinois collections.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: 32nd Annual Mortenson Distinguished Lecture
September 21

BROWN BAG SESSION: 12:15-1:15 pm CT (in person, 106 Main Library)
LECTURE: 3:30-5:00 pm CT (iSchool, Room 126, 501 E. Daniel Street, Champaign AND livestream)
REFRESHMENTS: 5:00-5:45 pm CT

A lecture to celebrate Libraries for Peace (L4P) Day as the world community observes International Day of Peace on September 21, 2022. The United Nations General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. The theme for the International Day of Peace in 2022 is “End racism. Build peace.” Join the UN to #FightRacism.

For more information and to register for the lecture, visit library.illinois.edu/mortenson/lectures/.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Small Press Fest and Human Library at PYGMALION
September 22-24

The University Library will host Small Press Fest (part of Made Fest from 5-10pm on September 23) and Human Library (from 11-3pm on September 24) at PYGMALION. More information is forthcoming via LIB-NEWS. 

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Chicago Immigrant Orchestra – IAS Library Outreach Event
September 27

The Chicago Immigrant Orchestra (CIO), a world music ensemble, will be visiting UIUC campus, sponsored by the International and Area Studies (IAS) Library in collaboration with the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (and other university co-sponsors). The CIO will give two performances, both free and open to the entire university community.

The CIO was originally established in 1999 by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Recently re-constituted by guitarist Fareed Haque and oud player Wanees Zarour, its performances typically involve 10-12 instrumentalists and singers representing musical traditions from all over the world, from East and South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. The group explores the relationships and differences among these traditions, creating a unique and cohesive tapestry of cultures.

A video of a virtual CIO concert from September 2020 can be found here.

The first performance, to be held in the IAS Library (321 Main Library) at 2:00 p.m., will feature a subset of the CIO at which listeners will be able to interact with the musicians and ask questions about the music and the instruments. Refreshments will be served.

At 7:30 p.m. the full ensemble will give a more formal performance in the Cowell Playhouse at the Krannert Center. Though admission is free to members of the university community and their guests, tickets should be reserved ahead of time at the Krannert Center website at this link. 

For any questions, please contact:
Atoma Batoma (batoma@illinois.edu) or Bob Geraci (rpgeraci@illinois.edu)

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Hangout
September 28 at 10am

Please keep a lookout for an email (with a Zoom link) from Lucretia Williams via LIB-NEWS. Complete and submit the Library Hangout Suggestion and Volunteer Form if you have a topic to share.

Also, we’re always looking for volunteers who would be willing to host social time following the Hangouts. Please consider being on an “on-call” list. We need volunteers to keep the social times going! Use the form above if interested.
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Recognition of William H. Mischo – Celebrating 40 Years of Library Leadership and Research
September 28 at 4pm

Please join us for a special celebration for William (Bill) Mischo, who served as Head of the Grainger Engineering Library Information Center, Information Systems Research & Development Librarian, and Professor from 1982-2022.

Professor Bill Mischo oversaw the planning and construction of the Grainger Engineering Library Information Center. His contributions were instrumental in establishing a leading engineering library at a world-class university. Professor Mischo is also known for his development of UIUC’s digital portal and the “Easy Search” gateway software, a cornerstone of the Library’s search and discovery strategy. In 2015, he was elected as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow. Professor Mischo also held the Berthold Family Professorship in Information Access and Discovery from 2015-2022.

This celebration will be held Wednesday, September 28th from 4:00pm – 6:00pm at Grainger Engineering Library Information Center in the Grand Gallery, second floor.

Please RSVP to Alex Cabada by Wednesday, September 14.

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If you would like to submit content for the October issue of Library Office Notes, please submit it to Heather Murphy or Tom Teper by September 23, 2022.

August Library Office Notes

Posted on by


ANNOUNCEMENTS

FACILITIES

HR NEWS

EVENTS AND TRAINING


ANNOUNCEMENTS: University Librarian Note
As many of you are aware, we received the external review report in mid-July. You can read the full report here.

This report is a critical step in the Academic Program Review, a process coordinated by the Provost’s office. This process is intended to help academic units examine their strengths, deficiencies, and strategic goals. The two main components of this review include a self-study and external peer review, and these are complemented by regular reporting and discussion with the Provost.

This is the first year the Library participated. Read more…
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Library Building Project Update – 8/1/2022
Tom Teper, Associate University Librarian for Collections and Technical Services | Project Manager, Library Building Project

Project Meetings and Updates for July 2022

During the month of July, representatives from the University Library, University Administration, and Facilities and Services met on several occasions to discuss elements of the project:

  • July 7th and 8th – Design Development (DD) Review Meeting – Following the June 9th submission of a final draft of the project’s design development, library and campus personnel compiled comments and suggested edits to the 600+ page submittal. These comments were reviewed during a two-day long meeting held on July 7th and 8th, 2022.
  • On July 19th – FFE Review – the project team met with the firm’s interior design team to conduct a preliminary review of furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FFE).
  • On July 25th – Demolition Planning – Library personnel and F&S met to discuss the planned beginning of demolition on the Undergraduate Library. Presently, plans are under development to have construction fencing installed in mid-August 2022 with interior demolition work to being in September.
  • July 26th – Budget Review – A/E, F&S, Capital Projects, and Library personnel met with project estimator to review current status of library project budget and projections in advance of bidding period.

Project-Related Meetings Scheduled for August 2022 (as of 7/29/2022)

The following meetings include both scheduled project meetings (with project designation of U20118) as well as additional meetings that involve select representatives of the A/E, F&S, and University Library.

  • August 4th: Lightning Protection – A/E and campus personnel to review lightning protection for facility.
  • August 15th: Generator Location and Refueling – A/E and campus personnel to review generator location and refueling procedures for facility.
  • August 16th: FFE Samples Discussion – Internal meeting with project team to discuss initial FFE samples.
  • August 17th: Public Safety Review – A/E and Campus personnel to review public safety in building.
  • August 22nd: Lighting Impact on Morrow Plots/Observatory – A/E meeting with Library personnel, F&S, Capital Programs, College of ACES, and Observatory representatives.

Other Activities

Personnel within the Library continue to meet on a bi-weekly basis to touch base on progress, and members of the Library’s Administration continue meeting with Capital Programs project team on a weekly basis to check on progress associated with this project. 

Efforts to barcode and improve inventory management continue. The Special Collections Division is continuing work related to their opening exhibit.

Proposed Project Schedule

As the project progresses, the schedule becomes increasingly more detailed and accurate going forward. At present, the schedule below outlines dates going forward for the development of construction documents (CD), their review, the bidding and negotiation phase, construction, and post-construction. This schedule was updated and is accurate as of June 8th, 2022.

Communications

Nothing to report.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Task Force Meeting Minutes
Minutes from past DEIA Task Force meetings are online on the Task Force web page.
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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 meeting 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: Facilities Update
Tim Newman, Assistant Dean of Libraries for Facilities

Library Facilities has been busy this summer and we look forward to the students return this month. We are in the process of finishing up the UGL to Main Library services move and the schedule continues to be updated. Please see link below. Once we’ve completed the moves, we will then be able to circle back with all other library unit needs. As Fall Semester starts, please remember to continue submitting tickets through the Team Dynamix system.

For a complete list of projects in planning and construction, please see https://wordpress.library.illinois.edu/staff/facilities/.
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HR NEWS: Filled Positions

  • Dirk Ton – Library Specialist – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – 7/11/2022
  • Jennifer Gavel – Accountant II – Business and Human Resources Service Center – 7/18/2022

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HR NEWS: Departures

  • Sarah Bial – History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library – resigning 8/19/2022

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HR NEWS: Vacancies

  • Library Specialist – Teaching, Learning, and Academic Support (evenings) – offer pending
  • Library Specialist – Funk ACES Library (nights) – in-person Interviews August 5-12
  • Office Support Associate – Dean’s Office – posting closed 7/19/2022
  • Library Specialist (Government Documents) – Acquisitions and Cataloging Services – Posting soon

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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: Library Council Proposal Feedback Forums
August 2, 3, 11

The Task Force will be hosting open feedback forums on the Library Council Proposal (here) in the coming weeks. This is your chance to come ask questions, provide feedback, and recommend constructive criticism to improve the proposal prior to it being finalized and voted on. These feedback sessions have been scheduled as Zoom events on different days and times of day to try to accommodate different work schedules. Below is the schedule along with the Zoom links.

One point of clarification–the session on Tuesday, August 2 has an in-person attendance option and in fact given how hybrid sessions tend to go might even be described as in-person preferred. The location is 106 Main Library.

If you are unable to attend or would prefer to provide your feedback directly, you are welcome to reach out to any of the task force members:

Feedback Sessions

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: CARLI Professional Development Alliance Events

  • Building the Innovation Lab: A Technology Playground
    August 9 at 1 PM
    Learn about the development of the Innovation Lab (iLab), an exciting and expanding community hub that demonstrates what is possible with emerging technologies. On a shoestring budget, the iLab has grown into a respected community asset with a large impact. Get lots of ideas and hear what the presenter has planned for the lab’s future!
    Register for this event.
  • Through the Records: The Work of the Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston (CSSC) at the College of Charleston
    August 11 at 1 PM
    Like so many other colleges and universities, the College of Charleston has worked to reexamine its role in American history and the role that diverse communities have played in that history. The creation of the Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston (CSSC) is a part of this effort, which provides a way for faculty, staff, students, and the public to engage with issues of public history, history, education, and social justice. The presenters are archivists and will speak about how information and cultural heritage professionals can take part in challenging conversations about the nature of American history, engage in interpretation and exhibitions that forges emotional and intellectual connections, and how to use records to tell diverse stories.
    Register for this event.
  • Cultivating Civility and Resilience in Libraries: Challenges and Solutions
    August 16 at 1 PM
    Would you like to be part of the solution to creating a functional library work environment with workplace communications that are complete and clear?  During this webinar, the presenters will take you through the journey of their groundbreaking books Cultivating Civility and The Dysfunctional Library.  Hear their insights, suggestions, and solutions to a problem that has plagued some libraries for decades. 
    Register for this event
  • Transforming Scholarly Research with Blockchain Technologies and AI: A New Era of Possibilities
    August 17 at 1 PM
    Darrell W. Gunter, an experienced digital publishing executive, has been at the forefront of significant information industry initiatives, i.e., Factiva, ScienceDirect, Scopus, BiomedExperts.com, ReviewerFinder, Underline, and Ripeta. Gunter Media Group, Inc. has advised many CEOs from startups to the very most prominent publishers in his consulting practice. He is a published author of Transforming Scholarly Research with Blockchain Technologies and AI.
    Register for this event.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: NISO Webinars

  • Eliminating Outdated Workflows: Developing The New
    August 10 at 10 AM
    Could changing a workflow free up time for the information community — and the researchers we serve — to focus on other more valuable work? Hear from some of the professionals responsible for tweaking old workflows and processes and managing the resulting changes.
    Please email training@library.illinois.edu for login credentials or recordings.

     

  • Building Support for Non-Traditional Scholarly Outputs
    August 17 at 10 AM
    Following on from the previous webinar, this event will expand the discussion into the realm of non-traditional outputs. Video, audio, and data visualization are already increasingly common output formats, and those working in the arts and practice-based research require support for a host of other outputs, including images, performances, and more. What does this all mean for our research infrastructure? For editorial or content management systems? For discovery tools? For content platforms? We’re assembling a group of expert speakers (details to follow) for a round table discussion on this important and challenging topic.
    Please email training@library.illinois.edu for login credentials or recordings.

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EVENTS AND TRAINING: GA Orientation
August 16-19

On behalf of the Reference Management Team and Organizational Development & Training, I’m happy to announce that the schedule for Library-wide GA Orientation is now complete and available here. Each session is available for registration through the Library staff calendar: https://uiuc.libcal.com/calendar/staff

Day one includes sessions that will apply to all GAs working in the Library. The sessions on the other days may or may not be relevant. Please work with your GAs to guide them to the sessions that are appropriate for the work they will be doing (e.g., if they will not be answering questions via LibChat, let them know they should not register for the chat reference session). Supervisors can sign the GAs up individually or ask GAs to sign up themselves. As with prior years, all of these sessions are also open to anyone whose work relates to these areas and who would like to develop/refresh their skills. 

Sessions will take place in three different Library buildings (Main, Funk/ACES, Grainger) and we’ve incorporated a tour of each building into the schedule. If you work in one of these locations, please consider being on hand to welcome the new GAs as they come through on the tour.
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EVENTS AND TRAINING: Hangout
August 24 at 10am

Please keep a lookout for an email (with a Zoom link) from Lucretia Williams via LIB-NEWS. Complete and submit the Library Hangout Suggestion and Volunteer Form if you have a topic to share.

Also, we’re always looking for volunteers who would be willing to host social time following the Hangouts. Please consider being on an “on-call” list. We need volunteers to keep the social times going! Use the form above if interested.
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If you would like to submit content for the September issue of Library Office Notes, please submit it to Heather Murphy or Tom Teper by August 19, 2022.

July Library Office Notes

Posted on by


ANNOUNCEMENTS

FACILITIES

HR NEWS

EVENTS AND TRAINING


ANNOUNCEMENTS: University Librarian Note
While I’ve shared most of this information in library-wide discussions such as the “hangouts,” I wanted to put the information in writing to bring the various pieces of the 2022 budget and salary program together in one place. Read more…
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Library Building Project Update – 7/1/2022
Tom Teper, Associate University Librarian for Collections and Technical Services | Project Manager, Library Building Project

Project Meetings and Updates for June 2022

During the month of May, representatives from the University Library, University Administration, and Facilities and Services met on several occasions to discuss elements of the project.

The A/E submitted the final draft of the project’s design development (DD) on June 9th, 2022. The 600+ page project books were made available to members of the project leadership team and their staff to review. Comments were compiled and submitted to F&S for transmittal to the A/E in late June in anticipation of a two-day long review meeting in early July 2022.

Project-Related Meetings Scheduled for July 2022 (as of 6/30/2022)

The following meetings include both scheduled project meetings (with project designation of U20118) as well as additional meetings that involve select representatives of the A/E, F&S, and University Library.

  • July 7: Undergraduate Library Redevelopment Design Review Day 1
  • July 8: Undergraduate Library Redevelopment Design Review Day 2

Other Activities

Personnel within the Library continue to meet on a bi-weekly basis to touch base on progress, and members of the Library’s Administration continue meeting with Capital Programs project team on a weekly basis to check on progress associated with this project.

Efforts to barcode and improve inventory management continued over the last month. The RBML recently announced that they were 75% of the way through both their book and manuscript collections. The Special Collections Division is continuing work related to their opening exhibit.

Proposed Project Schedule

The kick-off meeting included a review of the proposed project schedule from the point that “conceptualization” began on July 21, 2021 through what is called “substantial completion” of construction work. Those dates in the future become increasingly speculative. At present, the schedule is as follows:

a. Conceptualization

  • 07/21/2021 work session
  • 08/12/2021 submission date
  • 08/26/2021 est. Concept review meeting

b. Schematic Design

  • 11/09/2021 submission date
  • 11/23/2021 est. SD review meeting

c. Design Development

  • 01/22/2022 submission date
  • 02/04/2022 est. DD review meeting-BOT Preparation

d. Construction Documents 50%

  • 03/31/2022 submission date
  • 4/14/2022 est. 50% CD review meeting

e. Construction Documents 95%

  • 07/04/2022 submission date
  • 07/18/ 2022 est. 95% CD review meeting
  • 08/18/2022 100% CD completion

f. Bidding/Award

  • 08/18/2022 Advertise for Bids
  • 08/25/2022 Pre-bid /Pre-pricing meeting
  • 09/30/2022 Bid Opening – To be confirmed
  • 01/04/2023 Notice Proceed

g. Board of Trustees approval (required on if individual contract is over $2,500,000.)

h. Construction – Start/End *

  • 01/05/2023 – 05/29/2024

Communications

Nothing to report.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Task Force Meeting Minutes
Minutes from past DEIA Task Force meetings are online on the Task Force web page.
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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 meeting 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: Facilities Update
Tim Newman, Assistant Dean of Libraries for Facilities

Thank you everyone for your continued patience as we work in moving services from UGL across all our libraries.  Library Facilities continues to contact units, at least one week in advance, regarding status of moves. The UGL Move Schedule is also updated weekly. Please continue to submit tickets through Team Dynamix, as we look to prioritize needs to get everything ready for Fall 2022.

For a complete list of projects in planning and construction, please see https://wordpress.library.illinois.edu/staff/facilities/.
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HR NEWS: Filled Positions

  • Leonel Ramirez – Application Integration Developer – Library IT – 7/5/2022

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HR NEWS: Departures

  • Paul Hollman – Interlibrary Loan – resigning 7/1/2022
  • Brenda Brown – Business and Human Resources Service Center – resigning 7/9/2022
  • Sarah Bial – History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library – resigning 8/19/2022

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HR NEWS: Vacancies

  • Accountant II – Business and Human Resources Service Center – final decision soon
  • Library Specialist – Grainger (evenings) – in-Person Interviews June 20-30
  • Library Specialist – Teaching, Learning, and Academic Support (evenings) – in-Person Interviews June 23-29
  • Library Specialist – Funk ACES (nights) – in-Person Interviews June 24-29
  • Office Support Associate – Dean’s Office – posting soon

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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: Hangout
August 24 at 10am (no July Hangout)

Complete and submit the Library Hangout Suggestion and Volunteer Form if you have a topic to share.

Also, we’re always looking for volunteers who would be willing to host social time following the Hangouts. Please consider being on an “on-call” list. Use the form above if interested!
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If you would like to submit content for the August issue of Library Office Notes, please submit it to Heather Murphy or Tom Teper by July 22, 2022.