- University Librarian Note
- Library Building Project Update – 2/1/2020
- #TheJayZMixtape Named 2020 Open Scholarship Award Honourable Mention
- ILS Coordination Team Report
- Grant Announcements for External Funders
- Did You Know? A Monthly Factoid from Library Assessment
- Library Tip of the Month
- Collection Development Committee Notes
- Content Access Policy & Technology Meeting Minutes
- Recognizing Excellence
HR NEWS
IT NEWS
EVENTS AND TRAINING
- Staff Events Calendar
- “The Best of Uncanny” Book Launch (February 5)
- NFAIS Webinar (February 12)
- Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday (February 12)
- Lovely Introductions (February 14)
- Celebrate Fair Use Week with the Library (February 24 -28)
ANNOUNCEMENTS: University Librarian Note
For this month’s note, I’d like to share my remarks from our all-staff event on January 15, 2020.
This moment in the year has always been a bit special for me. We’re deep into the academic year and have the momentum of a great deal of work behind us. And, ahead of us, we can see a number of critically important possibilities made possible for all of that groundwork. Let me reflect on a few things to remind you of all that we’ve done together. Read more…
Back to Top
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Library Building Project Update – 2/1/2020
Tom Teper, Associate Dean for Collections and Technical Services
Over the last several months, the Programming the Main Library Working Group focused its efforts on developing a concluding report of its activities and items that require further examination as the project moves forward. This narrative list attempts to highlight key issues at a high level and to begin to provide some recommendation for which bodies might be responsible for the next phases of that work.
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 – Collection Management Working Group
Taking over from the Managing the Library’s Collections WG, the Library’s standing Collection Management Working Group met in September to begin digesting recommendations from the project WG and integrating some of the recommendations into its broader operations. It also met with the unit heads for the departmental libraries that are proposed to be located in the Main Library Building in order to work with those units as they seek to identify the collections that should remain within their units.
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 received the preferred scenario on November 21, 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)
Following receipt of the preferred scenario for the Special Collections Research Center, the LCWG held a townhall on January 22, 2020 in the Illini Union. This well-attended, open forum solicited further feedback and comments from the community about the project and the overall directions outlined for the Special Collections Research Center that would be included in further project development.
The LCWG will meet in early February to discuss the working group’s recommendations and to plan next steps for soliciting further feedback from the campus community.
Contracts and Firms – Main Library and Special Collections Research Center
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 for the Main Library and the June 19, 2019 kick-off for the Special Collections Research Center, activities moved forward at a reasonable pace with JLK and brightspot personnel. The University has received a final submittal for both the Main Library Building and the Special Collections Research Center.
Communications
- Monthly Updates – 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.
- Library Quarterly Updates – The Library’s next Quarterly Update is scheduled for March 5th, 2020 from 3:00 – 4:30 in 66 Main Library. 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.
Facilities & Services and Project 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 developing south campus instructional facility.
As we wrap up the latest phase of the project, 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 represented the estimated project timeline for this phase.
Library Redevelopment Plan Programming and Conceptual Design Study (U18083):
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; The final report was received on November 21, 2019.
Undergraduate Library – Special Collections Facility Programming Study (U19112):
Long-Term Project Schedule
Following the completion of the initial Programming and Conceptual Design phase, the campus will move into a set of phased that will carry us through project completion. In the schedule below, F&S based dates off of the original project start with Programming and Project Approval slated for July 2019. We are now approximately eight months behind that date. The schedule below represents a best guess as to the project schedule through December 2024; however, all dates can likely be shifted eight months later.
Library Redevelopment – Design/Bid/Build (U20XXX):
Outreach and Engagement
Nothing pending.
Back to Top
ANNOUNCEMENTS: #TheJayZMixtape Named 2020 Open Scholarship Award Honourable Mention
One of the Library’s Illinois Open Publishing Network (IOPN)‘s publications, Kenton Rambsy’s #TheJayZMixtape, has been named an honourable mention for an award.
#TheJayZMixtape presents an interactive, visually engaging qualitative and quantitative discussion of the literary contributions of the creative artist Jay-Z. Drawing on a rich dataset that includes the lyrics from 189 songs, it uses computational approaches to explore Jay-Z’s musical influences and allusions to other Black artists and historical figures, revealing new dimensions of Jay-Z’s body of work and making a compelling case for Jay-Z’s place in the greater African American literary tradition.
Back to Top
ANNOUNCEMENTS: ILS Coordination Team Report
Michael Norman, Discovery Services Librarian and ILS Coordinator
The Alma and Primo VE implementation is accelerating in the New Year. We continue preparing both systems for the Go-Live date of June 24, 2020. We have started working with Early Adopters teams to introduce the Acquisitions, Cataloging, and Fulfillment functions in Alma. In March 2020, we will start offering Library-wide training on working in Alma/Primo. Watch for those training schedules with multiple sessions to be announced soon.
Additionally, an internal Library launch of the Primo Library Catalog occurred last week. You can access and explore the new beta instance of the new Primo Library Catalog at:
https://i-share-uiu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01CARLI_UIU:UX2019&lang=en
For more information about the Alma/Primo implementation, the most recent report of the ILS Coordination Team is posted at:
https://www.library.illinois.edu/geninfo/discoveryservices/ils-coordination-team/
Back to Top
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Grant Announcements for External Funders
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.
02/13/2020 – NEH – Summer Seminars and Institutes for Higher Education Faculty
Output: Conference/Institute/Seminar
02/13/2020 – NEH – 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
Output: Digitized Collection, Web Resources, Catalogs, Databases, Encyclopedias
08/20/2020 – NEH Fellowship Programs at Independent Research Institutions
Output: Fellowships
09/16/2020 – NEH Humanities Connections Implementation Grants
Output: Linked Courses, Curriculum, Community Partnerships, Faculty Development, Teaching Resources
09/16/2020 – NEH Humanities Connections Planning Grants
Output: Curriculum, Community Partnerships, Faculty Development, Teaching Resources
Back to Top
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Did You Know? A Monthly Factoid from Library Assessment
Since September 2019, the Library has been using Splunk (a large scale data analysis tool) to process EZProxy logs in order to record the aggregate use of electronic resources by off-campus users. From September to December 2019, 33% of faculty as well as 32% of students have accessed the library resources from off-campus. The graph below shows the percentage of students who accessed resources from off-campus for each college. The top colleges/schools are the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, iSchool, the College of Education, and the School of Social Work.
The data analysis and visualization of usage logs would not be possible without extensive work by the Library IT, especially Jon Gorman and Jason Colwell.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Library Tip of the Month
The Library sends a monthly email to new faculty at Illinois during the fall and spring semesters. These emails introduce many of our services and resources to this important audience.
You can view the January LTOTM at https://emails.illinois.edu/newsletter/252561.html.
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
- Carns Invited to British Library’s International Library Leaders Programme
- Kenfield and D-CRAFT Project Team Awarded IMLS Grant
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
- Chris Morgan – Resignation, Acquisitions and Cataloging Services – January 20, 2020
- Krystle Simmons – Resignation, Advancement – January 14, 2020
HR NEWS: Filled Positions
- Russell Clark – Library Specialist Grainger Library – January 13, 2020
HR NEWS: In Memoriam
Back to Top
HR NEWS: Vacancies
Back to Top
IT NEWS: Antivirus and Software Update
Technology Services’ Privacy and Information Security recently updated campus recommendations for supported antivirus and security software from Malwarebytes (Windows) and Sophos (Mac) to a new tool called CrowdStrike (Windows & Mac). Library IT began pushing out CrowdStrike remotely to all computers and laptops and uninstalling Malwarebytes and Sophos on January 22, 2020. The process is automated, so you don’t need to take any action, but you may notice a CrowdStrike application on the computer.
In order to properly detect and respond to bad behavior, CrowdStrike collects information from the computer it is installed on. This data is used only for protecting against viruses, malware, and phishing attempts. Access is restricted and controls are in place to ensure that data is secure and protected. More information about CrowdStrike is available on Technology Services website.
Back to Top
IT NEWS: Slight Update to Web Print
Library IT has worked with Technology Services to address reported usability concerns in Web Print, and on January 17th an update was implemented in Web Print as a response. The Quick Search field was moved to the left side of the screen and a drop-down list of departments was added to facilitate easier selection/identification of the correct print queue to use. Library IT updated the printing flier they provide and distributed copies to service points. If you have any custom print instruction materials, you may want to check to see if they need to be updated as well. This is the updated screen:
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: “The Best of Uncanny” Book Launch
February 5, 2020
6:30 p.m., Author’s Corner, Illini Union Bookstore, 809 S. Wright Street, Champaign, IL
“The Best of Uncanny” features 44 original stories and poetry from Uncanny Magazine, the Hugo Award-winning science fiction magazine. Meet the editors Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas. Lynne is the head of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Illinois.
Back to Top
EVENTS AND TRAINING: NFAIS Webinar
February 12, 2020
12:00 – 1:30 p.m., 428 Main Library
NFAIS Forethought: Cybersecurity: Protecting Your Internal Systems
Every organization, as a standard course of action, should be implementing protection policies and updating protective measures surrounding their confidential data and internal systems. Phishing and malware are a constant threat. As a response, reliable cybersecurity requires an integrated approach in ensuring the safety of networks, devices, and data. How should enterprises and institutions be thinking about their cybersecurity needs? What basic requirements should be in place? What guidelines or best practices exist? What are the best resources? This roundtable discussion will bring together experts active in the field to address these and other questions.
Confirmed participants in this roundtable discussion include: Daniel Ayala, Founder, CISO/Chief Privacy Officer, Secratic; Blake Carver, Senior Systems Administrator, LYRASIS, Becky Yoose, Principal, LDH Consulting Services; Hong Ma, Head, Library Systems, Loyola University of Chicago; Wayne Strickland, Acting Associate Director at Department of Commerce, National Technical Information Service; Other TBA.
Back to Top
EVENTS AND TRAINING: Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday Celebration
February 12, 2020
3:00 – 5:00 p.m., Illinois History and Lincoln Collections, 324 Main Library
Celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday with the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections. Color your own Lincoln-themed valentine, view our exhibit Here I Have Lived: Recreating the Land of Lincoln before it closes, explore treasures from our collections on display in the reading room—including original letters by Lincoln—and enjoy light refreshments.
Back to Top
EVENTS AND TRAINING: Lovely Introductions
February 14, 2020
3:00 – 5:00 p.m., RBML, 346 Main Library
Speed Reading: Date A Book at the RBML
Need more books in your life, but not sure what you’re looking for? Tired of using the same online apps that try to match you with the perfect book?
Come to the RBML this Valentine’s Day for Lovely Introductions. Visit some of the most fun, fine, & flirty books in our collection. Spend ten minutes each with six of our favorite books. You will learn about, see, smell, & even gently touch the books!
RBML Curators will be on site to chaperone your dates & discuss the most attractive & compelling parts of each book.
Back to Top
EVENTS AND TRAINING: Celebrate Fair Use Week with the Library!
The annual celebration of fair use takes place from Feb. 24-28, 2020. Get a head start on your celebration by attending a Fair Use Gameshow event on Thursday, Feb. 20 from Noon-1pm in Room 220 of the Main Library. Copyright experts are joined by the audience in this fun, interactive event where you will test your fair use knowledge and skills. No need to register for this free event.
The celebration continues the next week by attending one of the following Savvy Researcher events:
- Monday, Feb. 24: Do You Know Your Fair Use Rights?
- Friday, Feb. 28: Do You Know Your Fair Use Rights?
If you would like to submit content for the March issue of Library Office Notes, please submit it to Heather Murphy or Tom Teper by February 21, 2020.