September Library Office Notes


ANNOUNCEMENTS

HR NEWS

IT NEWS

FACILITIES

EVENTS AND TRAINING



ANNOUNCEMENTS: University Librarian Note
We now come to an important juncture in our 2019–2023 strategic planning process. Many of you will recall that we kicked off our effort last December: the campus plan was imminent, and we launched our process with a focus on contributions from our divisions. The first phase of our planning process was capably led by co-chairs Clara Chu and Merinda Hensley, with major contributions by Jen-Chien Yu, and I would like to thank them again for their outstanding work. Clara, Merinda and Jen, along with members of the Library Strategic Planning Team (LSPT), produced a strong document that shaped our spring retreat. The outcomes of the retreat helped members of the Library’s Executive Committee and the AULs to refine and complete the strategic planning document. I am pleased to share that final document with you today. We must use that document to shape our work and the ways that we communicate to our constituencies. Read more…
Back to Top

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Library Update
John Wilkin, University Librarian and Dean of Libraries

We are long overdue for a Library Update and it occurred to me that our upcoming Library Building Project Update would be a good opportunity to combine two important events.

Please join me for a general Library Update on September 9 at 4 p.m. in 66 Main Library. I’ll kick off the hour with a brief update on the budget as well as planning and hiring. After answering any questions you might have, I’ll turn things over to Tom who will share the latest information about the building project.

Should you not be able to be there in person, the Library Update will be livestreamed (and recorded for future viewing) thanks to the Media Commons:
https://go.library.illinois.edu/livestream.
Back to Top

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Library Building Project Update – 9/1/2019
Tom Teper, Associate Dean for Collections and Technical Services

Committees and Working Groups – Programming the Main Library
In August, the Programming the Main Library Working Group kicked off a series of scheduled meetings with all units projected to be part of the Main Library Building post-construction. Intended to provide an open setting in which any attendees can learn about the project, voice concerns, and provide additional input into the process, members of the working group heard impressions about the project and its vision, learned about perceived strengths and weaknesses, and generally sought to develop a better understanding of how the proposed models would influence further discussions.

Earlier in the month, members of the working group reviewed and submitted comments on the three scenarios received from JLK and brightspot. Presently, the working group’s membership is continuing to meet with units and is preparing to engage in further conversations around the preferred scenario to be received in early September.

Kirstin Johnson chairs the working group, and more information on its efforts can be found here: https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/committee/the-library-as-catalyst-project-programming-the-main-library-building-wg/. Questions or comments can be directed to the group at any time.

Committees and Working Groups – Collections Management Working Group
Taking over from the Managing the Library’s Collections WG, the Library’s standing Collection Management Working Group met in mid-August to begin digesting recommendations from the project WG and integrating some of the recommendations into its broader operations.

The Managing the Library’s Collections Working Group’s final recommendations are here: https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/committee/the-library-as-catalyst-project-managing-the-librarys-collections-wg/. Ongoing communications about the Collection Management WG’s work will be forthcoming.

Committees and Working Groups – Special Collections Research Center (SCRC)
The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) Working Group continued meeting through August, in large part to develop and submit comments on the Part 1 Draft Submittal received on August 8, 2019. As August came to a close, JLK and brightspot integrated many of the comments received into a Final Part 1 submittal that was discussed with members of the working group and project leadership on Friday, August 30th.

As this phase of the project wraps up, the working group will engage with JLK and brightspot as needed to help develop a Part 2 Draft Report that focuses on Conceptualization & Design, Programming, and Phasing. Presently, this Part 2 draft report is expected to be received by the Library on September 25th with all comments to be gathered and sent back to the consultants via F&S by October 2nd, 2019.

The framework under which these and other working groups directly associated with this project will work is posted here: https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/committee/the-library-as-catalyst-project-a-framework-for-working-groups-and-input-solicitation/.

Committees and Working Groups – Library Consultation Working Group (Campus Level Cmte)
Members of the campus’ Library Consultation Working Group met in late August to discuss the Part 1 Draft Submittal on the Special Collections Research Center. Comments from this working group were sent to JLK and brightspot via our campus liaison.

As the timelines for the two consulting reports on the Main Library and the Special Collections Research Center diverged, the group is planning on continuing under a slightly different membership and charge in order to ensure that members who are interested can continue participating with a more particular focus on the final parts of the Special Collections Research Center project.

Stress Management Workshops
The final installments of Michele Guerra’s Stress Management Workshop were held on August 6th. The Staff Development & Training Committee sponsored this series following the overwhelmingly positive feedback received after Michele provided an overview of stress management resources at the March 13 Building Project Update. The series ended up hosting approximately eighty-six attendees from the Library.

Thanks to Jake, Zoe, and the Staff Development & Training Committee for taking the lead on this.

Contracts and Firms – Main Library
As noted in earlier updates, the University Library is working with Chicago-based Johnson, Lasky, Kindelin (JLK) Architects and brightspot to develop the program for the Library Building Project. More information on JLK Architects, including information on other projects they have helped develop, can be found on the company’s website: http://www.jlkarch.com/. brightspot strategy’s website can be found here: https://www.brightspotstrategy.com/.

Following the March 14, 2019, kick-off meeting, activities moved forward at a reasonable pace with JLK and brightspot personnel on-site to lead three days of visioning activities focused on the Main Library Building. These sessions took place on May 14 – 16, 2019, and follow-up calls/discussions have been held with members of project leadership and the firms on May 22nd and 24th. These Main Library Building-centered activities are occurring as part of the Validation, Programming, and Space Planning Activities in the schedule below. The Library received 50% documents from JLK and brightspot in early June and responded with comments ten days later. We received 75% documents in early July and responded with comments in the middle of the month. On July 26th, the firms submitted three different sets of drawings outlining options for conceptual plans. The drawings were all posted in 220 from Tuesday, July 30th through Friday, August 2nd. Comments on these three versions were all recorded and conveyed to JLK and brightspot along with comments from the Programming WG in order so that they may be incorporated into a Final Preferred Scheme expected to arrive on September 6th, 2019.

Contracts and Firms – Special Collections Research Center
As noted in previous updates, the Library established a contract with JLK and brightspot for the Special Collections Research Center that would parallel the Main Library process. That contract was established in early June and a kick-off meeting was held with JLK and brightspot representatives on June 19, 2019. Following this kick-off meeting, a series of calls were held with members of the Special Collections Division and members of the Library’s administration. The input received helped shape a Part 1 Draft Report Submitted that was received on August 9, 2019. Comments from members of the working group, the Special Collections Division, and the Library Consultation Working Group were compiled and submitted to the firms in late August. Members of the Special Collections Research Center WG attended a meeting with the firms on August 30th intended to help review the comments and clarify anything that was uncertain.

Communications

  • Monthly Updates – As you know, monthly updates about the Library Building Project are distributed via LibNews. These will be posted in a separate section of LON. The intent of both is to ensure open communication of specific information related to the Library Building Project.
  • Quarterly Updates – The Library’s Quarterly Update is scheduled for September 9th, 2019, from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. in 66 Main Library. Dean Wilkin will discuss various issues associated with the Library, and we will have time to discuss the building project as well. We anticipate that the live stream provided by the Media Commons will be available at this location: https://go.library.illinois.edu/livestream.
  • Website – The Library Building Project has a website located at: https://www.library.illinois.edu/library-building-project/. Here you can read about the vision behind this program, seek answers to many of the Frequently Asked Questions that might arise, and read about upcoming events or project news. You can also submit additional questions to the project team at librarybuildingproject@library.illinois.edu.
  • ITHAKA Faculty Survey – The ITHAKA Faculty Survey is complete. For those that are interested in viewing some of the feedback received as part of that survey or others conducted as part of Library Assessment, please go here: https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/assessment/libsurv/.

Facilities Schedules
The assigned project coordinator from F&S is Dennis Craig. Dennis has been involved in numerous projects across the University Library. He also serves as the Campus Historic Preservation Officer and is serving on the feasibility study being conducted related to the instructional facility that may be situated adjacent to the Main Library as well as initial work related to the Special Collections Building.

As noted earlier, the University Library recently received approval to work with JLK Architects and brightspot Strategies. Based on the kick-off date of March 14, 2019, the schedule below represents the most current estimated project timeline for this phase, and it has shifted from last month’s update.

Library Redevelopment Plan Programming and Conceptual Design Study (U18083):

Library Redevelopment Plan Programming and Conceptual Design Study Chart

In addition to the Main Library Building project, Dennis Craig prepared a schedule for the first phase of the Special Collections Research Center’s Programming Study. This schedule will be adjusted to accommodate changes in the project schedule; however, we anticipate seeing the completed report in late-October 2019.

Undergraduate Library – Special Collections Facility Programming Study (U19112):

Undergraduate Library - Special Collections Facility Programming Study Chart

Long-Term Project Schedule
Following the completion of the initial Programming and Conceptual Design phase, the schedule below represents a best guess as to the project schedule through December 2024.

Library Redevelopment – Design/Bid/Build (U20XXX):

Library Redevelopment - Design/Bid/Build Chart

Outreach and Engagement
Nothing pending.
Back to Top

ANNOUNCEMENTS: AP Promotions
John Wilkin, University Librarian and Dean of Libraries

I am delighted to announce the following seven Academic Professionals who were promoted, effective August 16, 2019, under the first year of the new AP Promotion Program:

  • Susan Braxton, promoted to Senior Associate
  • Jamie Carlstone, promoted to Associate
  • Quinn Ferris, promoted to Associate
  • Krista Gray, promoted to Associate
  • Eric Kurt, promoted to Senior
  • Tracy Popp, promoted to Senior Associate
  • Seth Robbins, promoted to Associate

The AP Promotion Program is designed to enhance career recognition and advancement opportunities for Academic Professionals working in the Library. I would like to thank everyone who played a role in helping this new program become a reality, especially those who served on the initial Task Force to Create Promotional Paths for Academic Professionals, the AP Promotion Implementation Team (APPIT), and the current AP Promotion Peer Review Advisory Committee, as well as members of the Library Committee of Academic Professionals (L-CAP) and the Business & Human Resources Service Center (BHRSC).

Please join me in congratulating Susan, Jamie, Quinn, Krista, Eric, Tracy and Seth!
Back to Top

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Copyright Chat Channel Videos
Sarah Benson, Copyright Librarian

I am creating a series of videos branded the Copyright Chat Channel. The first three are:

  1. The Campus Open Access Policy, available at go.illinois.edu/OpenAccessPolicyVideo. This video can be shared with new and more senior faculty to alert them to the campus OA Policy.
  1. 4 Copyright Tips for Grad Students, available at go.illinois.edu/CopyrightforGradsVideo. This video is aimed at graduate students who are writing a dissertation or thesis.
  1. Fair Use, available at go.illinois.edu/FairUseVideo. This video could be useful to anyone wishing to learn more about fair use in an academic context.

Please share these videos!
Back to Top

ANNOUNCEMENTS: INHS Bulletin on IOPN
The Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin published its first new article on the Illinois Open Publishing Network (IOPN) on August 19, 2019. The Bulletin has been published continuously since the late 1800s, including work of Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) authors and others on topics ranging from amphibians to Zygoptera. It was well established, widely held, and indexed in Biological Abstracts, but the cost of print publication had become prohibitive. In April 2017, the Scholarly Communication and Publishing Team and Prairie Research Institute (PRI) Librarian presented at PRI on open access publishing and the IOPN. Although uptake wasn’t immediate, continued publication of the Bulletin became a priority for INHS under Director Eric Schauber in 2019, and the PRI Communications Coordinator referred the INHS Publications Committee to the University Library. The IOPN offered a low-input, low-barrier option for continued publication of the Bulletin, supporting online submission and management of peer review as well as dissemination. This is a significant step for INHS and for IOPN as the Bulletin is the first STEM title to join them. The first article to be published via IOPN is a showcase for University Library services, as there is a related dataset published via the Illinois Data Bank. Additional articles are under review or in press.

Nowak, Jennifer, Andrew Sweet, Jason Weckstein, and Kevin Johnson. “A Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of the Genera of Fruit Doves and Allies Using Dense Taxonomic Sampling.” Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 42 (August 15, 2019): 2019001.
Relevant sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree files are available from the Illinois Data Bank (DOI: 10.13012/B2IDB-9797270_V1).
Back to Top

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Non-Acquisition Purchases
Kathie Veach, Manager for Research Administration

Since we are starting our new academic year, and we are likely to have many new employees, I thought it might be a good time to remind everyone of the policies and procedures for non-acquisition purchases.

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 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 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 Candy Woodrum, Carole Kopp, Kathie Veach, or Susan Edwards.
Back to Top

ANNOUNCEMENTS: REDCap Help at Scholarly Commons
The Illinois Health Science Institute (IHSI) will have office hours this semester in the Scholarly Commons to help researchers interested in using REDCap, a tool for securely creating and managing research surveys and databases. Details about consultation hours and about REDCap are here: https://www.library.illinois.edu/sc/redcap/.
Back to Top

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Savvy Researcher
The fall sessions of the Savvy Researcher workshop series will start at the beginning of September. You can view the entire schedule on the Savvy Researcher calendar, which should be complete by September 1. A quick reminder that all of our workshops are requestable: http://go.library.illinois.edu/workshoprequest.

As always, library staff are encouraged to attend workshops as professional development.

Please make sure to forward information about the Savvy Researcher to any campus partner/department/college/school/unit that you think would be interested. We also have a poster outside Room 314 with the titles and descriptions of the workshops as well as ½ page flyers with the names of the workshops. Stop by the Scholarly Commons anytime after September 1 to pick some up for your learners.

If you have questions or comments, please contact Merinda Hensley at mhensle1@illinois.edu.
Back to Top

ANNOUNCEMENTS: ILS Coordination Team Report
Michael Norman, Discovery Services Librarian and ILS Coordinator

Alma/Primo VE Information Sessions
The ILS Coordination Team held three information sessions in July and August on the implementation schedule of Alma and Primo VE and highlighting screenshots of the various areas in the Alma and Primo VE systems including Acquisitions, Cataloging, Fulfillment, and Discovery. The sessions were well attended with about 100 participants over the three events. Also, over the months of June to August, representatives from the ILS Coordination Team attended Division Team meetings to update about the progress of the implementation, showcase the Team’s exploration and testing of the two new systems, explain some of the ongoing problems and issues with the implementation, and highlight the ongoing schedule for the next 10-11 months of the implementation period. We got good questions and feedback from all the sessions and look forward to working with some of the suggestions made over the past three months.

You can view the PowerPoint presentation at: https://uofi.box.com/s/qidbg400ndcmkquozq1mmapaf2f60z20.

Starting in mid-September, there will be additional information sessions, particularly about the way electronic resources are represented both in Alma (Backend) and Primo VE (Discovery layer). Watch for those announcements.

Ongoing Timeline for Implementation of Alma and Primo VE
We are currently finishing the migration forms and starting the configuration forms for the 2nd Test Phase of the implementation. Being part of the Vanguard Test Phase of five initial libraries helped the Team see where new decisions needed to be made in building up the structure in Alma and the display of Library holdings in Primo. For this phase, we are able to reduce the number of physical library locations from 92 down to 31 separate libraries and archive over 400 outdated sub-locations of libraries that have merged or closed over the past 17 years. We have been doing cleanup of patron circulation categories and decreasing the circulation matrices down to a more manageable number (it was highlighted on a recent CARLI conference call that the University Library had over 73,000 unique circulation policies in place in Voyager). We should be able to get this number down to 25-30 circulation policies in Alma.

On September 18th, we will submit the University Library’s configuration form to help set up the Alma structure regarding Acquisitions, Catalog, Electronic Resource Management, Fulfillment/Circulation, and Discovery. See the partial screenshot below of example data for the Alma Libraries form we had to provide to CARLI and Ex Libris:

By the end of September, CARLI and Ex Libris will extract the Library’s data from Voyager and SFX for the second time and map that over to Alma. Around October 15th, we will receive a new test instance of both Alma and Primo VE populated with this second extraction of data. After setting up clearances and permissions in Alma by the end of October, the ILS Coordination Team will make the test instances of Alma and Primo VE available to early adopters (several representatives from each library and unit) and start offering training on using the systems in early 2020.

We will make sure all in the Library are ready to utilize both Alma and Primo VE by the Go-Live date of June 24th, 2020, offering weekly training sessions on Fulfillment/Circulation, Course Reserves, Resource Management, Maintenance of Holdings, and Discovery in both Easy Search and the Primo VE standalone online catalog.

Alma and Primo VE Certification
So far, we have had nine individuals successfully gain certification in Alma including Megean Osuchowski, MJ Han, Janelle Sander, Kristen Blankenship, George Gottschalk, Alisha Taylor, Stephanie Baker, Wendy Shelburne, and Michael Norman. We have two who have also gained certification in Primo VE as well. Both of these systems are very customizable and the certification allows this Team to configure and structure the systems how we would like to meet the Library’s needs in this management of work across these areas. This group will constitute the Systems Admin Team for Alma and Primo VE. Congratulations to all who completed the training program (almost 30-40 hours of video watching and testing). We look forward to putting in all this knowledge during the 2nd Test Phase of the Implementation. Congratulations to all who achieved this certification.

Discovery and Integration with Easy Search

We are working to incorporate Primo VE results into Easy Search Bento. We want the Primo results to showcase the online catalog holdings related to the search words input by users. Currently we are pulling the online catalog results from the VuFind catalog (utilizing the returned XML data to populate the Easy Search results seen above in the screenshot). For Primo VE we will need to utilize the available Primo Search API or possibly the Alma Bibs API or Alma Electronic Resources API (to pull back e-access availability for electronic resources, mostly e-serials titles). We are encountering performance issues with all of the Ex Libris APIs currently with most initial calls against Alma and Primo timing out and not returning the XML metadata associated with each resource or record. We do hope these performance issues will be addressed by Ex Libris and improve the response times for these API calls during the second Test Phase in the Fall. We have reached out for some additional help from colleagues at the University of Wisconsin at Madison to better understand the use of API calls against Alma and Primo for their Blacklight instance. We have just learned that Ex Libris will be offering a webinar to us from their API Development Team in early September and this will hopefully benefit us to learn more about incorporating the various APIs into our developing workflows in both Alma and Primo VE.

We did have some good news last week regarding the ability to pull in metadata records from our IDEALS Institutional Repository into Primo VE. We are able to map over the Dublin Core records into Primo’s structured XML setup. We can use OAI-PMH to harvest in all records currently in the IDEALS system and make weekly updates from these external sources. We did encounter an issue with the mapping of resource type (labelling IDEALS holdings as “Other” rather than its true format of dissertation, conference dataset, presentation, article, etc.) from IDEALS to Primo but we should be able to correct these errors with the next refresh of data harvested from IDEALS.

We will start to experiment with uploading some of the Library’s other local digital collections in the second test phase of the implementation including the Digital Library and possibly the Illinois Data Bank. Primo VE does have the capability of harvesting various schemas including Dublin Core, XML, and, starting in October, MODS metadata. Below is a sample search that shows many of the IDEALS records appearing in the results list in Primo VE:

For continuous updates regarding the Alma/Primo VE implementation, see the new ILS Coordination website at: https://www.library.illinois.edu/geninfo/discoveryservices/ils-coordination-team/.
Back to Top

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Grant Announcements for External Fundraisers
As always, if you are interested in all grant opportunities across disciplines, feel free to subscribe to the OVCR’s list at https://groups.webservices.illinois.edu/subscribe/19149.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Heidi Imker or Kathie Veach.

09/19/2019 – Humanities Connections Planning Grants
Output: Curriculum, Community Partnerships, Faculty Development, Teaching Resources

09/19/2019 – Humanities Connections Implementation Grants
Output: Linked Courses, Curriculum, Community Partnerships, Faculty Development, Teaching Resources

09/27/2019 – IMLS – National Leadership Grants for Libraries and Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (LB21) (Preliminary Proposals)

10/03/2019 – NHPRC – Access to Historical Records: Archival Projects

10/15/2019 – Dialogues on the Experience of War
Output: Curriculum, Community Partnerships, Discussions Groups, Facilitator Training

10/16/2019 – University of Illinois – Campus Research Board

12/04/2019 – Scholarly Editions and Translation Grants
Output: Book, Translation, Edition, Music edition

12/04/2019 – Collaborative Research Grants
Output: Book, Digital Material & Publication, Other Scholarly Resource, Themed issue of peer reviewed journal, Conference, Workshop

01/15/2020 – University of Illinois – Campus Research Board

01/15/2020 – Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections
Output: Preservation Supplies/Equipment, Reports on Preventive Conservation

01/15/2020 – National Digital Newspaper Program
Output: Web Resources, Digitized Newspapers

01/16/2020 – NHPRC – Access to Historical Records: Major Initiatives (Preliminary)

02/01/2020 – IMLS – Collections Assessment for Preservation Program

02/05/2020 – Public Scholar Program
Output: Book

02/13/2020 – Summer Seminars and Institutes for Higher Education Faculty
Output: Conference/Institute/Seminar

02/13/2020 – Summer Seminars and Institutes for K-12 Faculty
Output: Conference/Institute/Seminar

03/04/2020 – University of Illinois – Campus Research Board

03/04/2020 – Institutes for Advanced Topics in Digital Humanities
Output: Conference/Institute/Seminar

04/08/2020 – NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication
Output: Digital Material & Publications

05/15/2020 – NEH Research and Development
Output: Web Resources, Report, Computer Program

05/15/2010 – NEH Preservation and Access Education and Training
Output: Preservation Course or Curricular Materials, Conservation Graduate Program, Preservation Workshop, Fellow Positions in Conservation

05/15/2020 – NEH Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grants
Output: Buildings, Equipment, Digital Infrastructure

06/19/2020 – NEH Digital Projects for the Public
Output: Game/Simulation, Mobile App, Virtual/Augmented Reality, Website

07/15/2020 – NEH Humanities Collections and Reference Resources NEW!
Output: Digitized Collection, Web Resources, Catalogs, Databases, Encyclopedias
Back to Top

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

The library conducted a faculty survey in spring 2019 and found a considerable increase (19%) in the importance of undergraduate library instruction. 79% of the Illinois faculty who participated in the survey viewed the function of “The library helps undergraduates develop research, critical analysis, and information literacy skills” to be important/extremely important. In 2013, only 60% of the participants valued the undergraduate library instruction as important.

For more information about the survey, please visit https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/assessment/libsurv/ithaka-sr-faculty-survey-2019-faq/ .
Back to Top

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

The first LTOTM email of the fall semester will send in September. If you have ideas for future emails, please feel free to share them with Heather Murphy.
Back to Top

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/
Back to Top

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Content Access Policy & Technology Meeting Minutes
The meetings minutes of CAPT (including work group reports) are posted at:
https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/committee/content-access-policy-technology-capt/
Back to Top

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Recognizing Excellence

Please forward journal editorships or editorial board membership, elected and invited external service appointments, honors, and awards information to Heather Murphy.
Back to Top

HR NEWS: Departures

  • Angie Gruendl, Grainger and Math (July 26)

Back to Top

HR NEWS: Filled Positions

  • Tim Newman – Assistant Dean for Facilities (August 16)
  • Tiffany Brennan – Library Specialist, UGL (September 3)

Back to Top

HR NEWS: In Memoriam

Back to Top

HR NEWS: New International Travel Safety Policy
If you travel internationally, please be aware that the Board of Trustees recently approved a new International Travel Safety Policy. As an extension of that new policy, the System will pay the fee for faculty and staff who register for International Insurance for travel after August 1, 2019.
Back to Top

IT NEWS: Adobe Licensing Changes
After the renewal of the campus Adobe license this summer, a few changes have taken effect when using Adobe applications. Please be aware of the following changes.

  • Library faculty and staff now need to sign in with an Enterprise ID (your netid and password) to use Adobe applications. If you’re unable to sign in, try activating your account for Adobe by using this free Webstore offer.
  • Students will also need to sign in when they are using Adobe applications on the authenticated public machines in the Library. Their session will last 2 hours, after which they will be prompted to extend their session or be signed out if no action is taken.
  • An additional license will need to be purchased for each student employee (graduate or undergraduate) who needs to use Adobe applications on a staff computer. To request a license for a graduate or undergraduate student employee, contact the Library IT Help Desk at help@library.illinois.edu and provide your department CFOP. These licenses are currently $40/semester/student. The license expiration date for Fall semester is 2/1/20. The license expiration for a Spring license will be 8/1/20.

Please contact Library IT with any questions at help@library.illinois.edu or 217-244-4688.
Back to Top

FACILITIES: Update
Tim Newman, Assistant Dean for Facilities

First, I wanted to say, “Thank You, for the warm welcome I’ve received from all Faculty and Staff!” I look forward to the opportunities in being able to advance the University Library Facilities to meet all your space needs. As I continue to learn more about what each library and collections provide and how facilities can help, I did want to update you on a few current projects:

  1. Room 220 Conceptualization Study – We received the final submission for this and will look at the final concepts provided to determine, based on funding and need, how to proceed forward. Additionally, we will review how this concept fits within the Main Library redevelopment plan.
  2. Reading Room (Rm 200) – Chicago Commercial Construction is the contractor for this job and we are waiting on the Notice to Proceed (NTP). It’s anticipated that we will receive the NTP by September 6th, at which time we will be able to discuss a schedule for construction and develop a plan for how to phase construction while trying to maintain some operations within Room 200.
  3. 1st Floor Central Service Point – Construction has started with completion of this occurring in January 2020. Please pardon our dust, as we work to ensure that dust and noise is controlled, while work moves forward.

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

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

EVENTS AND TRAINING: Music & Performing Arts Library’s 75th Anniversary
Friday, September 6
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.,1300 Music Building

MPAL 75th Anniversary Digital Sign

Join us on Friday, September 6 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. for an Open House to help us celebrate the Music & Performing Arts Library’s 75th Anniversary! There will be activities, giveaways, refreshments, and an opportunity to learn more about the Library’s history.
Back to Top

EVENTS AND TRAINING: NISO Webinar – Preservation and Archiving of Digital Media
Wednesday, September 11
12:00 – 1:30 p.m., 428 Main Library

Libraries have long collected audio and video content in varying formats housing those materials in special archives and collections. However, unlike the static documents that have been digitized for purposes of enabling Web access by users, some collections of audio and video content may not have received the appropriate attention and resources that ensure long-term preservation. This session will look at a variety of such collections and associated archiving initiatives focused on what is an increasingly at-risk set of materials.

Confirmed speakers for this event include: Kira M. Sobers, Digital Media Coordinator, Smithsonian Institution Archives; Clifford B. Anderson, Associate University Librarian for Research and Learning, Vanderbilt University; Other TBA.
Back to Top

EVENTS AND TRAINING: Human Library
Thursday, September 26
5:30 – 9:30 p.m., KCPA

Human Library Hero Image

A Human Library is an event that aims to create dialogue and understanding between people. Individuals volunteer as human ‘books’ and participants in the event can ‘read’ the book—meaning they would have a one on one conversation with the volunteer and share in a dialogue about that individual’s experience. ‘Books’ are volunteers from all walks of life who have experienced discrimination based on race, religion, sexual preference, class, gender identity, sex, age, lifestyle choices, disability, and other aspects of their life. The Human Library provides the opportunity for the community to share and understand the experiences of others in their community.

For more information about the Human Library, please visit humanlibrarycu.org. Additional details about the multi-disciplinary event known as PYGMALION are located at thisispygmalion.com/.

Please contact Sarah Christensen if you are interested in volunteering. Human ‘books’ are still in need!
Back to Top

EVENTS AND TRAINING: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Conservation Treatments and Decision Making Through the Ages
Friday, September 27
3:00 – 5:00 p.m., 346 Main Library

Person conducting conservation treatment

Every book lover has encountered a poor volume that is in need of repair and wondered what to do. When pages are detaching and the binding is falling apart, tape can seem like a very appealing solution–but is it really the best option?

Conservation, as a profession, has developed over decades from traditional craft-based approaches to scientifically-informed treatment methodology in order to preserve our most precious books and manuscripts. Modern conservation approaches bring together a fascinating blend of historic bookbinding and papermaking expertise with a modern application of organic chemistry and instrumental analysis in order to inform how to slow deterioration and extend the useful lives of our priceless collections. Perhaps it is this blend of art and science that makes the field so fascinating.

While contemporary conservators strive to apply innovative modern conservation treatments for our objects, we see the good, the bad, and the ugly of past repairs through the ages in our collections every day. In this lecture, Consuela Metzger, Head of the UCLA Library Conservation Center, will discuss modern book and paper conservation.
Back to Top


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 20, 2019.