On one very special day in June, the Library received a visit from the Chittenango Middle School's library media club. This group comes to campus every other year to learn about libraries and related careers. Vicky Williams, Graduate Recruiting & Marketing Manager at the iSchool, heard about the Library's photo activity that was created last year and asked if the Chittenango students could participate. With the help of a few wonderful staff members, we hosted 29 students on June 7.

The Library Photo Activity has been used for various groups and activities since it originated for the SummerStart students. In lieu of participating in a traditional instructional session, the activity is designed to get the students up and exploring the library on their own. The photos include various objects and spaces in the library that the students are then required to find and answer a question about.

 

In adapting the activity for younger students, planners focused on the fun and interesting aspects of the library, such as finding the picture of Bird and his wife, or the dog in the statue with Diana. "Minute to Win It" games were interspersed throughout the activity to give the students something fun to do as they moved around. Most recently, Abby created a "Book Cover Memory Game," using printed covers of books the middle school students were likely reading in class, including some oldies such as Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss!

 

Here is a comment from one of the teachers, commending the University staff who created a "phenomenal day" for the students:  

 

"The final program of the day, a Scavenger Hunt in Bird Library, was a total blast! The kids loved trying to be the first team to unravel all of the mysteries about where things are in that huge library and, in the process, learned about all the resources that a college library has to offer. This was done is such a fun, interactive way."  

 

Many library staff provided assistance, even though it was lunch time. Dorcas, Nancy, Patrick, Eli, Abby and Gerry, thank you for your help! We will certainly have more groups visiting the library, and hopefully everyone on staff can experience the fun of volunteering for an activity such as this!

 

Check out the media club's website to view photographs teachers took during the day.

We welcome the following new staff members, all of whom started this summer.

Amber Moore, Safire Project Archivist in SCRC, received an MLIS with a concentration in Archives Management from Simmons College (Boston) and holds a bachelor of liberal arts degree cum laude in history with a concentration in African American history from Spelman College (Atlanta). Most recently, Amber was Project Archivist at the Amistad Research Center in New Orleans.

Julie Sharkey, Advancement & Communications Associate, holds both bachelor's and master's degrees from Ithaca College, where she previously worked in alumni relations. She was also a temporary employee in the department of External Relations at the Newhouse School. Julie will be working for both Advancement and Communication areas within Library Administration.



Nicole Dittrich, SCRC Reading Room Supervisor, is a Syracuse native and a graduate of Syracuse University's MSLIS program. Nicole interned and most recently worked as a Reference Assistant in SCRC. Nicole manages the daily operations of the Reading Room, including reference  and research support,  supervising student workers, and supervising the retrieval and re-shelving of materials, as well as working on special projects.

Rachel Fox von Swearingen is the Librarian for Music, Dance, Musical Theater in SCRC. Rachel holds a MLIS degree from Kent State University and a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Theory from Ohio University. Before joining SU, Rachel held two positions at the Boston Conservatory, first serving as the Evening Librarian/Metadata Specialist and later as the Public Services Librarian.



Suzy Morgan, the Gaylord Preservation Intern, received her MSIS from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was trained in book and paper conservation. She has previously interned at the Cincinnati Art Museum, The Ringling Museum, and Northwestern University. Before coming to Syracuse, Suzy was a conservator in private practice in Chicago.

As you may have noticed, the book drop, a gift from Gaylord Brothers, has been installed in its new, permanent, outdoor location on the Waverly side of Bird Library!

Thanks to Tom and TC for their efforts in getting it set up.

With the incorporation of Interlibrary Loan into Access Services and the implementation of Articles-To-Go, the Access Services department name has been changed to Access and Resource Sharing. Melinda's title is now Head, Access and  Resource Sharing.

The Library recently purchased equipment and software to support the creation of video, screencasts, and other multimedia work for the Learning Commons. Software includes: Final Cut Studio, Camtasia Studio, Adobe Creative Suite, QuickTime Pro, and Audacity.

The workstation can be scheduled for any  library project; contact Gerry McCarthy or Lesley Pease to arrange a time.

Check out the latest news, library resources, green resources, events and other fun stuff that the Green Library Team has compiled by visiting the group's LibGuide.

If you know of something SU Libraries are doing to be greener, or have heard "green" library news from elsewhere, send it to mrrothen@syr.edu so we can share it!

And, if you have questions about SU Libraries "green" (or not-so-green) practices, drop us an email and we'll get an answer for you. Send your questions to emliquor@syr.edu. Thank you for your interest in a greener SU Library!

Congratulations to Yuan Li (RCSC) and her husband on the birth of their daughter, Vivian Z. Li, born on Father's Day, June 19. Vivian weighed 8 lbs., 11 oz.




Congratulations to Pamela (Administration) and Brian McLaughlin (Acquisitions and Cataloging) on the birth of their first grandchild, Anne Killian-Benigno McLaughlin, born on July 12 to their son Andrew and his wife Cara. Anne weighed 9 lbs., 15 oz.

Got news? Please feel free to send us any news items that you would like to share with colleagues -- graduations, weddings, new babies, travels, and such. As always, we welcome your feedback, comments, questions, or story ideas. Send your contributions to libcom@syr.edu.

Many thanks for your interest!