Library News

Nowadays, students from China feel right at home in Bird Library. That's because the Library has partnered with SU's Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) to build a collection of books in Mandarin Chinese.

CSSA members asked the Library to help make Mandarin-language books available. Doing so required identifying Mandarin-speaking Library staff and assigning them to the project, as well as programming the Library's computers to be able to search in Chinese characters. While most of the titles are academic and scholarly texts, the collection also includes leisure reading and reference materials such as dictionaries, writing guides, and preparation books for standardized tests. This collection is used by students and faculty from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia.

CSSA collects and delivers donated books, while the Library catalogs and maintains the collection. CSSA President Ronghong Lin says "Our goal is to collect 500 books each year. This is a great opportunity to have our language represented in the Syracuse University Library." CSSA member Hui Zhao (in photo) agreed: "Having these materials available to us is so important. Being able to read in Chinese allows us to be transported back home without leaving Syracuse University."

The CSSA built the collection by purchasing books with money raised from their annual fundraiser and by collecting donated books from families and friends. They send a wish list to incoming freshman from China each year, asking students to bring one book from the list with them to donate to the Library when they come to campus in the fall. Books are also donated by authors and academics in China who want to have their work included in the collection of Syracuse University Library.

Posted by Pamela McLaughlin on November 17, 2009 | Permalink

Nancy Turner is not your typical librarian. One day she's roaming the floors of Bird Library jotting down notes about how students are interacting with one another while they study. The next day she's sitting with a student on the first floor of the Library while they draw their ideal library with markers and crayons. Some may wonder what she's up to, unaware that she's conducting serious research as a part of her anthropological study of library users.

Nancy is head of user research and assessment at the Library, charged with finding out what library users need and how effective the Library is at meeting those needs. Equipped with her degrees in anthropology, social science, and library and information science, Nancy uses a 'toolbox of methods' to make her discoveries. She conducts personal interviews, structured surveys, and usability testing with Syracuse University students and faculty to better understand how they are using the Library and what improvements they need to help them succeed academically. "I believe talking with patrons directly is the best way to gain honest insight into how they view the Library," Nancy says.

Nancy also conducts quantitative research to determine the Library's impact across campus. In one fifteen-minute block of time, Nancy discovered that students from 24 departments at seven schools and colleges came in to use Library resources and services. She collects information like this in a systematic way to help uncover ways the Library can change as new technologies emerge and students' research needs change over time.

She often takes her findings to library administration, where the students' concerns are addressed and their requests considered. Dean of Libraries and University Librarian Suzanne Thorin believes Nancy's work demonstrates the Library's commitment to supporting the entire campus community. "Nancy's position exemplifies Scholarship in Action. She's putting students' needs first to ensure that we're doing all we can to help them succeed."

Posted by Pamela McLaughlin on November 17, 2009 | Permalink

To ease a serious space shortage, the Library was exploring the option of sending less used material to a commercial offsite shelving facility. Based on recent feedback received from faculty and students, the Library has put those plans on hold and is now exploring alternatives to sending materials offsite.

Possibilities under consideration to ease the space crunch include the relocation of some collections within the library, the installation of additional shelving in some areas on the upper floors of Bird Library, and the purchase of additional online journal backsets.

The Library will share new details as they become available.

Posted by Pamela McLaughlin on November 17, 2009 | Permalink

The libraries at Syracuse University, Syracuse University College of Law, and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry will offer a Food for Fines amnesty day on Thursday, December 3rd. On that day, individuals who owe overdue fines will have $1 deducted from their fine balance for each nonperishable food item they donate. To qualify for credit, bring food items to the business office in the lower level of E.S. Bird Library, any branch library or reading room, or the SU Law Library from 8:30 a.m.to 7 p.m., or ESF's Moon Library from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

All food collected will be donated to Syracuse Downtown Emergency Services for distribution to those in need across Onondaga County.

Posted by Pamela McLaughlin on November 15, 2009 | Permalink

Learning Commons Librarian Pam Thomas has developed a series of video tutorials to introduce commonly used research tools and techniques. The videos are available as a subject guide and also on the Learning Commons' YouTube channel.

Contact Pam for more information on this project.

Posted by Pamela McLaughlin on November 9, 2009 | Permalink

An exhibition entitled "Luminous Construction: The Photography of Howard Bond"will run through January 14, 2010 in the gallery on the 6th floor of Bird Library. Howard Bond is a renowned American photographer and former student of Ansel Adams.

Since committing himself fully to photography in 1979, Bond has been regarded as a master of large-format film photography. His signature black and photography has been featured in more than 60 single-artist and 40 group shows all over the world. He is the author of two books, Light Motifs (1984) and White Motif: The Cyclades Islands of Greece (1991), both published by Goodrich Press, and more than a hundred articles for Photo Techniques magazine. In addition to Adams, Bond studied fine art photography with 20th-century masters Imogen Cunningham and Brett Weston. The Michigan-based artist has taught workshops on photographic techniques for more than three decades.

Recently, Bond's photography was the subject of a generous donation to SU by Carl J. Armani '60 and his wife, Marcy. The gift, which includes a set of 22 portfolios of dramatic landscapes and abstract close-ups taken between 1974 and 2005, is the subject of the aforementioned exhibition in Bird Library. Curator Kelli Pennington '10, an M.F.A. student in art photography, says Bond's aesthetic echoes that of his mentors. "I see in Bond's work a finely trained gaze, an ability to render the details and spaces that make up our world," she says.

A catalog of the exhibition is available in the SU Bookstore and from Amazon.com.

Posted by Pamela McLaughlin on November 5, 2009 | Permalink

This fall, Syracuse University Library welcomed new Learning Commons Resident Librarians Tina Chan and Fantasia Thorne.

The Learning Commons Resident Librarian Program is new to the Library and provides experiential learning opportunities for new librarians interested in working with undergraduate students. Each Resident Librarian is appointed to a term of either two or three years. During this time, they are able to explore career opportunities under the guidance of experienced librarians. In return, they provide the Learning Commons with a steady infusion of the latest scholarship, research, and practices regarding undergraduate services.

Resident Librarians are within two years of receiving their master's degree in library/ information science. To increase the diversity of the Learning Commons staff, the program also requires that individuals be members of underrepresented populations.

These new positions fill a need within the Library and also provide an example of best practices in the profession. Learning Commons Director Lesley Pease particularly appreciates the mentorship aspect of the program: "So many times, new graduates begin their first professional assignment without the support and guidance of library professionals. This program creates a support structure that allows residents to explore the profession while fulfilling an important role as Syracuse University Librarians."

Tina and Fantasia both graduated from Simmons College with Masters in Library Information Science (MLIS) degrees. As Resident Librarians, they provide core services, such as reference and student outreach, while contributing to other Learning Commons initiatives. They will also conduct research on undergraduate student learning and communication behaviors.

Both Tina and Fantasia are excited by the prospects of their new positions at Syracuse University Library. They share a passion for helping people and are looking forward to interacting with students.

As an undergraduate student, Tina spent a lot of time in the library and routinely asked librarians for help finding resources. "Not only did they help me in my research, they inspired me to become a librarian. After learning about my interests, they encouraged me to pursue an advanced degree. They are the reason I'm here at S.U." She looks forward to having a similar impact on student's life and work. She is particularly excited about the Learning Commons practice of "roving research" where librarians seek out students who may need help. She believes this is the best way to help students because it meets them where they are, both physically and literally.

Fantasia hopes her experience in technology will contribute to, improved communication with students. As a Resident Librarian, she will teach classes on conducting research to Writing 205 students. Fantasia enjoys teaching and looks forward to her role as a mentor. She was drawn to SUL's residency program because it specifically sought out members of underrepresented populations to enable the Learning Commons to reflect the diverse student body it serves. She believes encouraging diversity in the field is important and applauds the Library for this aspect of the residency program.

Posted by Pamela McLaughlin on November 5, 2009 | Permalink

The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) at Syracuse University Library invites applicants to its Alexander N. Charters Adult Education Research Grants-in-Aid Program, now in its third year. As much as $5,000 of grants-in-aid will be awarded in 2010 to researchers in the history and practice of adult education who wish to use the collections in SCRC's Charters Library. The actual amount of each award will depend upon the scope of the research outlined in the applicant's proposal.

The Charters Library of Resources for the Educators of Adults is the world's most comprehensive collection of English-language materials in the field of adult and continuing education. Among the resources available to researchers are: more than 55 discrete manuscript collections, 2,100 books, 50 professional journals, 220 newsletters, 400 sound recordings, 100 video-recordings, 10,000 photographs, and some 2,800 master's theses and dissertations in the field. Online finding aids to the manuscript collections are available on SCRC's website.

With more than 145,000 printed works and 2,000 manuscript and archival collections, SCRC is home to some of SU's most valued treasures, including early printed editions of Gutenberg, Galileo and Sir Isaac Newton, as well as the library of 19th-century German historian Leopold Von Ranke. Holdings are particularly strong in the 20th century; they include the personal papers and manuscripts of such luminaries as artist Grace Hartigan, inspirational preacher Norman Vincent Peale, author Joyce Carol Oates, photojournalist Margaret Bourke White and industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague, as well as the records of organizations such as avant-garde publisher Grove Press. SCRC regularly hosts exhibitions, lectures and classes and offers fellowships and internships in library instruction and conservation.

The application deadline is Dec. 1, and winners will be announced by Jan. 15, 2010. To apply, submit a letter of intent outlining the proposed research topic, including the term of stay, a current résumé and the name, along with contact information, of one professional reference to:

Mary Beth Hinton
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Library
222 Waverly Ave.
Syracuse, N.Y. 13244-2010

For more information, see http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/a/AlexanderNCharters/grants.htm.

Posted by Pamela McLaughlin on October 28, 2009 | Permalink

In recognition of the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, a display featuring images of Lincoln gathered chiefly from SU Library materials is presently on view on the 4th floor of Bird Library. This display briefly examines some of the more familiar and affecting images of Lincoln created by painters, sculptors, printmakers, and photographers during the past two centuries, including works by Mathew Brady, James Earle Fraser, Gutzon Borglum, and Anna Hyatt Huntington.

Posted by Pamela McLaughlin on October 27, 2009 | Permalink

Double sided printing will become the default printing in the library beginning on Friday, October 9th, to change to single print please see the computer consultants or reference desks for assistance.

Posted by Jeremy Morgan on October 9, 2009 | Permalink