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

Tarida Anantachai, Resident Librarian, received her MLIS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and her B.A. in English and American Literature from Brandeis University. Prior to coming to SU, she worked at the UIUC History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library. In the past, she has also worked in public library adult services and for an academic publisher. Tarida will also be serving as (general & interdisciplinary) liaison to international students.


Lucy Mulroney, Curator in SCRC, is currently completing her Ph.D. in Visual and Cultural Studies at the University of Rochester. Her research and teaching focus on the intersection of 20th-century avant-garde art, independent publishing, and social history. This October, Lucy will present her research at the Art Book Fair Conference at the Museum of Modern Art PS1. Lucy also received her B.A. in Art History and Criticism from the University of California at San Diego in 2004. In addition to her academic work, Lucy has several years of experience in archives and museums, working as a research assistant at the George Eastman House Rare Book Library and as the Editor and Publicist at the historic San Francisco Art Institute where she worked with curator and critic Okwui Enwezor.

Anne Rauh, joined the Syracuse University Library in August 2011 as the Engineering and Computer Science Librarian. Prior to arriving in Syracuse, she served as Liaison Librarian at the University of Wisconsin - Madison where she was liaison to the departments of Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering and their related research units. She is an active member of the American Society for Engineering Education and sits on the Engineering Libraries Division's board of directors. Anne holds a B.A. in International Studies and a M.A. in Library and Information Studies, both from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the South Campus Annex facility will take place on Friday, October 7 at 9 a.m. adjacent to the Hawkins Building.

July was an active month in the Library! One event that was new for us was the Youth Impact Program (YIP), a summer football program for inner-city, at-risk youth, founded by Riki Ellison (former linebacker of the San Francisco 49ers). Although it was the program's second year at SU, it was the first year for the library. When Dean Thorin heard about YIP, she promptly offered our help with the academic portion of the program.

A number of staff answered the Dean's call for volunteers and a planning committee was formed: Brett Barrie, Linda Galloway, Patricia Hunt, Lesley Pease, Sean Quimby, Ron Thiele, and Fantasia Thorne. Fantasia led the group in brainstorming and planning. She also solicited input from local YIP director Joseph Fields.

What could we do in 45 minutes that would be memorable, interesting, and important? We wouldn't expect them to leave knowing how to search our databases, but we could show them that the library is a friendly place where they are welcome and where interesting things can be found. The team decided to ground the activities in a sports theme, using a worksheet, created by Richard Ortiz, that was laid out like a football field. Each yard line required the boys to go to a certain place in the Library and accomplish an activity. Small letters which were meant to spell out "Ernie Davis" where given to each staff volunteer.

A number of staff members provided their time and resources in order to make the activities come to life. Eli Liquori created a jigsaw puzzle using the Drew Brees ALA Read poster. John Olson created a large map outlining the Syracuse Middle Schools and the Onondaga Public Libraries. Abby Kasowitz-Scheer contributed her time and glue sticks to creating the Football Book Cover Memory Game, and also found some football related facts and figures for the Wits and Wagers Games. Charlene Martin created almost a dozen magnificent SU tiled paper footballs, for the most popular activity, which Brett Barrie was kind enough to facilitate.

On the visit days, many staff members and student workers helped at the activity stations. It was clear that their enthusiasm and kindness went a long way to making the activities successful.

We also received significant support from our library partner, the Office of Multicultural Affairs. OMA's Coordinator of Student Engagement, Cedric Bolton (a nationally known poet and spoken word artist), was kind enough to facilitate our poetry workshops. The boys did a wonderful job with Cedric, and displayed their incredible talents while reading their work aloud to their peers.

It was a wonderful feeling to see the boys' faces as they entered the Library, as some verbalized their awe while entering such a large library. Fantasia talked to the boys before the activities began and encouraged them to visit their public libraries. We can only hope the positive experience they had here at Bird will convince them to give their own public library a visit, and that the building and staff are not an intimidating place after all.

Under Fantasia's strong and enthusiastic leadership, the planning committee did a great job developing creative and engaging programs for YIP. Thank you to all who participated for making this year's program such a success.

We look forward to doing this again next year!

The idea for a brief video to advertise the helpline service arose in a brainstorming session of the LC's Ad Team. We wanted to convey the idea of fast, friendly help wherever you need it in the building!

View the video

Charulata Chawan created this video, with acting assistance from Charlene Martin and Matt Reschke. Pam Thomas served as technical advisor. Charlene Martin found the instrumental music on the Creative Commons. Matt Reschke added lyrics and some music production.

A critical function of any quality organization is to recognize the excellence of its staff. Each year Syracuse University Library Association presents its prestigious Distinguished Service Award to one member of the library staff who has made significant contributions to SUL and the SU community.

Because the DSA is a peer-based award honoring co-workers for their achievements, SULA is seeking two individuals to serve on the committee to select this year's winner. Since the ideal committee will include a diverse group from varying departments and job categories, volunteers are sought from all areas of the library.

Again this year, the DSA ceremony will be incorporated into the library's Winter Holiday Party. As the most widely attended library employee event of the year, an expanded Holiday Party and staff service recognition is a good venue for this important award ceremony.

The commitment for this group would be approximately 1-2 hours per week over a period of 6-8 weeks between October and December. If you are interested in serving on the committee, please check with your supervisor to make sure you will be available during that time frame.

Two members will be selected to represent the widest range of the library community and will be announced in early September. To apply for one of these positions, please email Marianne S. Hanley by Tuesday, September 6, 2011.

Green team members are working on a pilot to increase awareness of recycling options in Bird Library by setting up recycling centers on the lower level, 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors of Bird, with plans for the first floor under discussion.

These centers will have clearly identified containers, as well as information about what can and cannot be recycled. They are centrally located so as to be visible and consistent from floor to floor (on the upper levels). Ideally, the centers will be supplemented by information posted near vending machines, copiers, and other places where recyclables and/or waste is generated.

Information about recycling options in Bird Library is also available online. We welcome suggestions related to improving recycling and reducing waste. Please send them to: Bevan Angier, Tasha Cooper, Tom House or Lesley Pease.

The SU Library mentoring group is growing and we're looking for new members! Help us support the professional growth of library staff here at Syracuse University by coordinating the mentoring program, planning brown bag events and other activities.

The Mentoring Team connects Mentees and Mentors, sets meeting schedules and coordinates events (e.g., workshops, etc.), communicates with all librarians about Mentoring Program activities, and serves as a liaison between the mentoring team and the Associate Deans. It's informal, fun, and meets just once a month. Find out more on the Mentoring Program's page.

While you're on the site, visit our Brown Bag page to vote on your favorite upcoming topics for our popular, informal series. And check out new areas of the site, like the What's New page with up-to-date job information and news of the librarian/archives world. 

 

Questions? Ideas? Contact any member of the SUL mentoring group: 

Nancy Turner, Coordinator; Marty Hanson; Fantasia Thorne; Peter Verheyen. 

 

And be sure to mark your calendar for the first Brown Bag of the season, "When Opportunity Knocks and It's Not What You Expected" on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 12:00 in the Hillyer Room.

 

Getting to Know RDA (Resource Description and Access)

 

Monday, Sept. 19, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m., Salina Free Library, Mattydale, NY
Tuesday, Sept. 20, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., Dunham Public Library, Whitesboro, NY

Workshop:

FYI...the National Libraries has pushed back the implementation of RDA, the set of cataloging rules developed to replace AACR2, until at least 2013.  

 

Participants in this program will learn about the recent developments with RDA, future developments that are likely to take place, and the implications of the national libraries' decision for all libraries and library staff. This class is not limited to just catalogers. It is designed for all those who want to know what's going on.  

 

Topics will include:

• the changes RDA may bring and is already bringing to libraries
• how RDA may affect your ILS and library catalog
• what vendors are doing to prepare
• what library staff can be doing to prepare 

Presenter:
Brian Dobreski is Catalog Librarian at Syracuse University, where he oversees the projects cataloging unit. He previously served as Automation/Technical Services Librarian for OCPL, responsible for cataloging and systems work, and as Adult Services Librarian for Fayetteville Free Library. Brian holds a B.M. in Music Therapy from Nazareth College and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Syracuse University.

Registration:

www.clrc.org/wrf (choose preferred location from the drop down box)  

Members: free
Non-members: $6.00

 This workshop is partially supported by the Regional Bibliographic Database funds, awarded to the Central New York Library Resources Council by the New York State Library.

Peter Verheyen was included in American Craft Magazine's timeline of significant craft events over the past 70 years for starting the "Book_Arts-L listserv, connecting book artists throughout the world" in 1994. An interactive version of the timeline can be found here. The timeline is divided into decades and then by medium.

In addition, Peter's binding of Arthur Miller's The Crucible was selected for the Chicago Public Library's triennial exhibition "One Book Many Interpretations" that invited book artists to select one of 10 titles that were read throughout the city. The exhibit opens at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago and runs from August 27, 2011- April 15, 2012.

Through September 16, S. Ann Skiold's exhibition: "Synchronicity", will be featured at Limestone Art & Framing Gallery, located at 105 Brooklea Drive in Fayetteville.

"Synchronicity" features Ann's new paintings and collages that she refers to as "inscapes", which relate to the way in which people experience many things at the same time. Through processing of these concurrent experiences, people are able to make sense of it all in a very personal way. Skiold's paintings and collages have a raw, yet lyrical style with a mysterious undertone. She is a colorist and an abstract expressionist with a definitive recognizable voice. Skiold's "inscapes" invites the viewer to take an interior journey on a road less traveled.

The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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!