University Libraries Personnel

Libraries Personnel

Pictured above are University Libraries personnel standing on the central staircase in Michener Library. Personnel met in May to discuss institutional values and priorities as part of the Libraries planning process for 2012-2015. (For more information, please see the University Libraries Mission, Vision, and Goals.)

We're All on the Same Page

No Impact Man cover

From August 14 to August 31, the book display in the Michener Library featured books about sustainable living. This was the first of many campus events and programs built around the First-Year Common Book for the year 2012-13. Colin Beavan's No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process chronicles the author's quest to live a year in New York City making as little environmental impact as possible. View the accompanying library research guide to learn more about sustainable living and local issues related to sustainability.

Tales of the South Pacific Traveling Exhibit

Tales of the South Pacific cover

The Archival Services Department has developed a traveling exhibit highlighting James Michener's novel Tales of the South Pacific. The exhibit consists of artifacts, documents, and photos and explores Michener's military service, the writing of the novel and the subsequent musical and film. During the months of September through November the exhibit will travel to Boulder Public Library, Sterling Public Library, Hudson Public Library, Westminster Public Library and the Farr Branch of the High Plains Library District. The exhibit is part of the Northern Colorado Common Read program.

For further information regarding the exhibit, tour or film viewing, please contact UNC Archival Services at 970-351-2854.

Voices From the Past

Dearfield Poster

The Archival Services Department is digitizing and transcribing over 100 oral history interviews focusing on western African-American history. The tapes of interviews were conducted by Paul Stewart during the 1960s-1980s. Stewart is an avid collector of African-American historical materials; his collection formed the basis of the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center in Denver, Colorado. He travelled throughout the region to interview a wide range of individuals from African-American cowboys to settlers in the Weld County African-American settlement of Dearfield, Colorado. Stewart maintained the collection of oral history interviews at his home in Aurora for years, but the tapes were starting to deteriorate.

Thanks to the work of George Junne, UNC Professor of Africana Studies, Stewart allowed the tapes to be digitized and made accessible through Digital UNC, a digital repository service. Staff members and student employees are digitizing and transcribing all of the tapes.

Currently, a sound recording of Professor Junne interviewing Walker Groves, who grew up in the African-American settlement, can be accessed through Digital UNC along with correspondence, promotional posters, brochures, and other various materials related to the history of Dearfield.

Creative Teaching and Learning

Colors Logo

During the last year the University Libraries launched a pilot project called the Collection of Online Learning Objects for Research Success (COLORS). The initiative merges the efficacy of peer education with the power of the Internet and Web 2.0 tools. The COLORS Project offers students enrolled in library research courses a creative method for learning by creating digital instruction videos about library research concepts, skills, and services. Moreover, the student-created videos provide online instruction to library patrons at their point of need. In order to create their videos, students were provided access to digital video cameras, screencasting software, and video editing software. Grant monies awarded by the UNC Faculty Research & Publication Board were used to support these equipment needs. After students drafted their scenarios, including scripted dialogue and actions, they began filming. While the end product often includes much giggling, the videos accurately communicate concepts and skills such as how to use the Summon discovery service, request books from other libraries, and differentiate between primary and secondary resources. In an evaluation of the project, students expressed enjoyment in this method of learning. Now members of the UNC academic community--whether students, faculty or staff--can learn to conduct research and use library resources regardless of physical location.

E-books, E-journals, and Streaming Media: A Click Away

With the use of tablet computers, smartphones, and laptops, library resources are just a few clicks away. To make resources available to students and faculty anytime and anywhere, the University Libraries is purposefully extending its reach by purchasing more resources in electronic format. Beginning with this academic year the Libraries has added important new electronic resources: JSTOR Arts & Sciences Collections IX and X and the JSTOR Life Sciences Collection; the Taylor & Francis Online Journal Library covering the social sciences, humanities, physical sciences, and technology; Filmmaker's Library Online; and Counseling and Therapy in Video (volume 1). In total, these resources represent more than 1,800 electronic journal titles and over 1,000 documentaries and other video content accessible online. These purchases increase the number of electronic serial titles provided by the Libraries to over 40,000 and the number of videos in physical and electronic formats to over 13,000.

The Libraries is also moving into the world of e-books. The Libraries currently provides access to more than 36,000 e-books published by Gale, Springer, and a variety of other publishers. While e-books have the advantage of being available electronically, they generally cannot be shared among libraries as a result of publisher licenses. The Libraries is participating in two initiatives as a member of the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries to explore the sharing of e-books among members of a consortium of libraries. One project involves Oxford University Press. Nine Alliance Libraries have agreed to purchase Oxford Scholarship Online titles that become available from September 2012 through May 2013. These e-books will be available to users from the nine libraries.

The second project uses a demand-driven purchase model to acquire e-books to be shared among another group of nine Alliance libraries. Twenty-four publishers are participating in the project. E-books published during the course of the project are available for browsing and use by patrons of the participating libraries. If the use of an e-book meets the criteria for purchase, the book is bought and permanently available to patrons from all of the participating institutions.

Refugees Anthology Encourages Family Literacy

On February 23, 2012, the Friends of the UNC Libraries, the UNC Hispanic Studies Program, and the UNC Center for Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) co-hosted a reception and reading event to celebrate the publication of the book Telling Tales: Immigrants' and Refugees' Multilingual Stories of Transition, Resilience and Hope. At the reception, the student authors, their families, and UNC community members gathered in the Mari Michener Gallery of Michener Library while the students read selections of their contributions to the book, answered questions, and signed copies for purchasers.

Telling Tales Event Telling Tales Event Telling Tales Event

Telling Tales contains multilingual stories conveying the experiences of a diverse group of immigrant and refugee students and their family members. The new arrivals to the United States hail from Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The book is dedicated to "the many students and families who shared with passion and enthusiasm their tales of adventure and strife as they found themselves forced to relocate, to abandon their hometowns, their countries and families . . ." The book's preface explains the importance of storytelling; its four chapters are entitled: "Family and Culture," "Life and Memories," "War Refugees," and "Transition and Resilience." The first person narratives are interspersed with photographs and artwork. A noteworthy entry was written by Ethiopian native Mohammed Aden, a refugee from Somalia. In it he describes his journey to Greeley from Somalia, via Phoenix. He then shares an Ethiopian proverb: "Give advice; if people don't listen let adversity teach them."

Dr. Deborah Romero, the book's editor, is an Associate Professor in English as a Second Language and Bilingual Education in the Hispanic Studies Program. Dr. Romero was assisted in her editing duties by Weld County School District Six teachers Jessica Cooney (Greeley West High School), Laura DeGroote (Greeley Central High School), and Sally Reid (District Six). The collaborative project also involved ten UNC undergraduate student volunteers.

The book can be previewed online and purchased for $24.95 from the Blurb website, a self-publishing utility. Also, copies are available for viewing and check out at Michener Library. The publication of Telling Tales is a non-profit endeavor; all proceeds will support the participation of immigrant and refugee students and families in theater and family literacy programs. The purpose of the programs, as described on the Blurb website, is to "encourage high school students to stay connected to their families, traditions, and culture, while providing them with a legitimate audience for self-expression and building self-esteem." For more information or to order copies directly from the editors, please email: jcooney1@greeleyschools.org or deborah.romero@unco.edu.

Connie Willis Receives the Grand Master Award

Connie Willis Connie Willis

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America have awarded Connie Willis the 2011 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award. The award, given for "lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy" was presented at the 47th Annual Nebula Awards. Willis is an alumna of the University of Northern Colorado. The special collection of her work (donated to UNC in 2010) can be accessed through UNC Archival Services and updates regarding her recent activities can be found on her official website.

Summon and Online User Experience

Summon logo

The University Libraries website is an essential part of how students, faculty, staff, and the community interact with the Libraries. As part of a focus on user experience, the University Libraries Assessment Committee surveyed patrons in spring 2012 to determine which library home page elements are used most often. The survey results reflect the centrality of research tool use by students. Due to the increased importance of online access, the Libraries realigned a vacant Reference Department position into the position of User Experience Reference Librarian and Webmaster. The position was filled by Sara O'Donnell in August, and Ms. O'Donnell will contribute greatly to the ongoing optimization of the Libraries website.

In fall 2011, the Libraries introduced a new search tool called Summon. Summon provides search results that encompass not only the library catalog, but also many online library databases and similar tools. A patron can enter search terms in a simple search box and obtain access to books, articles, multimedia, and a variety of other library resources. Usage statistics since the implementation of Summon indicate that the new service is helping UNC patrons access the varied sources made available by the Libraries.

WorldCat logo

Additionally, this fall the Libraries introduced WorldCat Local, which offers a version of WorldCat.org that is customized for UNC patrons. It gives on- and off-campus patrons links to full-text content, the ability to request materials locally and through interlibrary loan, and a direct path to library services.