Information Update

Page 1

THE HARRY & JEANETTE WEINBERG MEMORIAL LIBRARY

update

SPRING 2012 • Vol.1 Issue 1

A Newsletter from The Weinberg Memorial Library SPRING 2022

Librarians Support Student Inquiry into Black History The Library played an important role in the student research that took place in Assistant Professor Aiala Levy’s Fall 2021 course HIST 190: Digital History. The syllabus states that the course “introduce[s] students to the discipline of history while exploring digital history’s fundamental theories and methods.” Students are guided to work collaboratively on digital history projects that develop their information and digital literacy abilities and dispositions. In Fall 2021, Dr. Levy redesigned the course to direct students to conduct digital and primary source research in the University’s Archives on the University’s Black history. This student research contributes to a larger University-wide effort to uncover this history as an act of reconciliation and growth toward a more equitable, inclusive, and just campus environment. (continued on page 4)

Portrait of Louis Stanley Brown, the first Black graduate of The University of Scranton, from the June 1919 issue of the Aquinas.


TH E U NI VER SI TY OF S CR ANT ON

Wei nber g Me mori al L i brary

From the Dean of the Library Happy new year! There is much to share since the Fall 2021 edition of Information Update and much to look forward to this spring. The fall was an exciting semester filled with both challenges and opportunities. Among the challenges was, of course, the ongoing pandemic. Though we wore masks, the Library bustled with activity as students returned to study, socialize, work with librarians, and check out materials. We will continue to wear masks and remain closed to the public for the start of the spring semester. In August, we experienced a flood that required staff to be out of the building while University facilities and maintenance staff restored power, air conditioning, and elevators. Once we could return, Library faculty and staff began assessing the damage to our collections in the basement. I will be forever impressed and grateful for the dedicated work of the Library faculty and staff. Many hours were spent in the basement removing unsalvageable books, itemizing lost titles, and searching for replacements. During this trying time, the Weinberg Memorial Library’s faculty and staff once again proved to be among the best. Once past the flood, there were many avenues for progress. In the issue, you will read about a new recreational reading collection which was a request of student government. We are excited to see how popular the rotating collection will be with students, staff, and faculty. Read all about the new collection in Prof. Svlvia Orner’s article on the Recreation Reading Collection. The Library also secured CloudSource OA, a resource that consolidates open access publications that do not 2

require institutional subscriptions to access. This resource will help support the community, including area high school students, by enabling the public to search for published research at home. For more information on CloudSource OA, see Prof. Banyas’s article on Affordable Learning. I also want to highlight the work of the faculty in their role supporting Black History at the University, which Professors Knies, Farry, O’Hara, and Witek write about in this issue. The Librarians have always been invested in the life and welfare of the University, and I am pleased to share that Library faculty serve on the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee, Core Curriculum Committee, and General Education Review Committee. For Spring 2022, Prof. Sheli PrattMcHugh will continue serving as Acting Chairperson of the Faculty Librarians, and Prof. Kelly Banyas will remain Acting Research & Scholarly Services Coordinator. Unfortunately, Kelly has decided to move to Maryland and will be leaving the University by August. Thanks to Kelly’s planning, we immediately began a search for a tenuretrack Research & Instruction Librarian for Business. We expect the new faculty member to start in August. We are also searching for a part-time Research & Instruction Librarian to replace Erica Getts, who decided to depart the university to take on a full-time position in January. Lastly, long-serving staff member Rita Williams decided to retire in November. Rita was a dedicated member of the Library’s team and contributed to multiple departments. Most recently she worked in InterLibrary Loan and coordinated delivery of the Library’s mail. By the time this issue goes to print, we will have hired a new InterLibrary Loan & Collections Assistant. In addition to the pending changes mentioned above, we also welcomed two new employees during the Fall semester.


Weinberg Memorial Library’s collections, services, and spaces. The Friends board and the endowment are an incredible resource for us, and I urge you to become a Friends member and support the Friends’ fundraising activities if you are able (https://www.scranton.edu/ academics/wml/friends/index.shtml). The Schemel Forum will continue to offer evening and lunchtime classes. We’ve seen growth in participation with the advent of remote participation options, so we invested in improved audio/visual technology to enhance the experience of remote participants. The Schemel Forum was also formally reintegrated with the Library this year. Sondra Myers and Alicen Morrison now have a shared Schemel Forum office on the 3rd floor of the Library in the former Digital Services office. The Library’s Digital Services department moved to the space across from the McHugh Family Special Collections and University Archives. The work of these two Library departments go hand in hand and the move will help facilitate their ongoing collaborations. This spring, Special Collections will host an exhibit in the Heritage Room on Jesuit Rare Books. You can read more about the exhibition in Prof. Knies’s article. The Heritage Room will also host the Environmental Art Show and feature guest artist and speaker Laura Kern. The Seventh Jay Nathan, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar Lecture featuring Her Excellency Bergdís Ellertsdóttir, Ambassador of Iceland, is scheduled for Tuesday, March 29, 2022. The Ambassador’s lecture will begin at 4:00 pm in the Moskovitz theater and will be followed by a performance by classical violinist Eva Ingolfsdóttir. A reception will follow the performance in the McIlhenny ballroom. I hope you can join us. To all the readers of the Information Update, I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as I have. Sincerely,

Dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library

3

trying time,

the Weinberg Memorial Library’s

faculty and staff once

again proved to be among the best. ”

– George J. Aulisio

S PRI NG 202 2

George J. Aulisio,

“During this

I nfo rm ati on Up date

Margaretta Gilhooley accepted the position of part-time Media Resources Clerk enabling the Media Resources Center to maintain consistent hours throughout the week. The Media Resources Collection also saw a significant boost to resources by utilizing the Frank. A Cimini World Languages Collection Endowment fund. You can read about the fund in Sharon Finnerty’s article. We also hired Bridget Conlogue as an adjunct Research & Instruction Librarian to help staff the Research Services department. Our new hires have been great additions to the team! Other positive developments include the completion of Phase I of the 2nd floor renovation project made possible by a generous gift from the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Endowment fund. The renovations and new furniture are a major hit with students who quickly took to the new space. Sharing pictures of the renovation on Instagram led to what we think is the Library’s most liked social media post of all time! You can read about the renovation and see the images in this issue. Other renovations not mentioned in this issue include improving the 3rd and 4th floor stacks areas. The University’s tradespeople removed a dated architectural feature that improved walkways and allowed us to increase carrell seating on these floors. University carpenters and painters also built beautiful hardwood bookcases for the Special Collections Reading room. The update will help us put more books on permanent display, including a Franklin Library collection gifted by the Ghilardi family. Friends Advisory Board member Sid Prejean facilitated the gift. Speaking of the Friends, we had an experimental outdoor Booksale during the Fall Parents’ Weekend that was a huge success. Not only did we raise money for the endowment, but the volunteers had a lot of fun. We plan to make the fall mini sale a new tradition. The Friends also reinstated the Ann Moskovitz Leaves of Class Fundraiser. The subcommittee did amazing work finding generous local businesses to support the multidrawing raffle. To date, this year’s raffle raised over $9,000 that will go toward improving the


(continued from page 1)

Dr. Levy and Prof. Witek collaboratively redesigned key assignments focusing on students using specialized search engines to find primary and secondary sources and documenting their search process workflows. Prof. Witek offered two in-class presentations on the topics of hacking search engines and secondary sources in historical research. She also consulted with Dr. Levy on developing a website evaluation and assessment rubric used by both students and Dr. Levy in the course’s final project. Assistant Professor and Digital Services Librarian Colleen Farry provided an introduction to the University’s digital collections and instructed students on how digital primary sources are collected and can be interpreted. Later in the semester, Prof. Farry conducted a training session on the web-publishing platform Omeka S, which the students used to develop and publish their projects. The HIST 190 course site (digitalprojects.scranton.edu/s/hist190) brings together primary research on Black history at the University conducted and curated by students. The students were divided into groups that focused on three topics related to Black history: student activism in response to the civil rights movement, Black athletes, and examples of racial inclusion and exclusion amid the onset of affirmative action.

Wei nber g Me mori al L i brary

Faculty librarians engaged and supported the work of HIST 190 in four ways: 1. Through collaboration with Dr. Levy on an Information Literacy Stipend to more deeply integrate information literacy learning and assessment into the course 2. Through education and support provided by the Digital Services department on digital archives and web-publishing platforms for sharing scholarly research with public audiences 3. Through direct training and assistance in conducting primary source research in the University’s print archives 4. Through University service on the Council on Diversity and Inclusion’s Subcommittee on Institutional Black History Information Literacy Coordinator and Professor Donna Witek collaborated with Dr. Levy on an Information Literacy Stipend whose purpose was to redesign assignments so that information literacy abilities and dispositions are strengthened in students through their work in the course. Dr. Levy sought to strengthen her students in the following research abilities: designing and refining search strategies, persisting in the face of search challenges, and matching information creation processes to an information need.

TH E U NI VER SI TY OF S CR ANT ON

September 1975. University of Scranton students Karen Pennington ‘76 and Patricia Jackson in Fayette House. In 1980, Pennington went on to become one of the first Black administrators at the University as the Associate Dean of Students.

4


Following her training session with the class, Prof. Farry held individual research consultations with each student group to assist with the discovery of primary sources and to develop their course site. Prof. Farry also provided support for data visualizations developed by the students, including a map of civil rights protests, a timeline of Black athletes at the University, and a storyline with enrollment data. Digital Services Assistant David Hunisch assisted with primary research in the Library’s digital collections (digital services.scranton. edu), and Digital Services Web Developer Jennnifer Galas provided invaluable expertise and support for the development and design of the site. Clipping from the March 1, 1968 Aquinas issue. In 1971, Gene “The Machine” Mumford became the first two-time AllAmerican in University of Scranton men’s basketball history.

Cover of the Feb. 17, 1970 Aquinas issue. Gene “The Machine” Mumford ‘71 is the Royals’ all-time leading scorer with 1,903 points in just three seasons.

I nfo rm ati on Up date

5

S PRI NG 202 2

(continued on next page)


Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist Professor Michael Knies spoke to the class about the resources in the archives that might be useful. He demonstrated how to search some of the resources, like the Aquinas student newspaper, and provided examples of how one could find information while cautioning that problems with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) could limit results. For instance, searching for “slave auction” will miss at least one instance where the phrase was used in an article because the OCR broke “auction” into “auc-tion.” Prof. Knies told students they would also need to search using terms no longer considered preferable.

“Working to excavate the

largely undiscovered racial history of the University provides the University

community with a ground truth from which to work

towards reconciliation and growth towards a truly

equitable, inclusive, and

just campus environment. ”

“Phil Johnson Cast in Role As ‘Team Leader’ of Royals.” Clipping from The Scrantonian, Jan. 9, 1977. Copyright Times-Shamrock Communications.

TH E U NI VER SI TY OF S CR ANT ON

Wei nber g Me mori al L i brary

“Friendship Day Slated: Interracial Project Started by Group of College Students.” Clipping from the Scranton Times, March 20, 1964. Copyright Times-Shamrock Communications.

6


Prof. Knies and Special Collections Assistant Christian Scipioni provided one of the student research groups with a substantial amount of archival documentation of student demographics and the University’s response to an inquiry from the Office of Civil Rights in the mid-1980s concerning the lack of diversity in the student body. Much of this material was digitized to make the material available to the students outside of the Library and has also been made available to the Council on Diversity and Inclusion’s Subcommittee on Institutional Black History. Prof. Farry serves on the Subcommittee on Institutional Black History along with Assistant Professor and Research & Instruction Librarian for Health Sciences Ian O’Hara. Through their service, Prof. O’Hara and Prof. Farry contribute to collaborative efforts that aim to enfold this research work on the racial history of The University of Scranton within the teaching and learning of the University community-at-large. This work has been undertaken by multiple campus constituencies involving close collaboration between Library faculty and staff, History faculty, administrators, and students. Working to excavate the largely undiscovered racial history of the University provides the University community with a ground truth from which to work towards reconciliation and growth towards a truly equitable, inclusive, and just campus environment.

Though the HIST 190 Fall 2021 student research has been completed, the site remains under development as new materials on Black history from the campus and wider community are discovered, and a narrative of this history is further developed. Library faculty and staff continue to search the archives for related primary sources, and the Subcommittee on Institutional Black History, chaired by Assistant Vice President of Community Engagement & Government Affairs Julie Schumacher Cohen, is planning an open call to campus to collect materials for the collection. The historical research on Black history at Scranton will continue to be connected to teaching and learning at the University. The HIST 190 project is one step in a longer process of discovery and history work around the memory and legacy of Black and other diverse communities at The University of Scranton. ­— Assistant Professor Colleen Farry, Digital Services Librarian ­— Professor Michael Knies, Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist ­ Assistant Professor Ian O’Hara, Research — & Instruction Librarian for Health Sciences ­— Professor Donna Witek, Information Literacy Coordinator

S PRI NG 202 2

7

I nfo rm ati on Up date

“U of S Students Discuss Progress of Civil Rights.” Clipping from the Scranton Tribune, March 20, 1964. Copyright Times-Shamrock Communications.


Phase I Renovations to the 2nd Floor Welcome to the Newest Friends of the Library We would like to thank the newest members of the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library for their contributions.

Dr. Paul & Theresa Lanunziata Virginia Morrison

TH E U NI VER SI TY OF S CR ANT ON

Wei nber g Me mori al L i brary

Thanks to a generous gift from the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library, the Library completed Phase 1 of its second-floor renovation plan. The $100,000 gift from the Friends Endowment allowed the Library to redesign the student area at the top of the grand staircase, refresh and update the open computer lab, and create a Collaborative Teaching Room for Information Literacy Instruction and research consultations. The gift went toward improving the carpeting, lighting, and color palettes, and a variety of new seating options, writing surfaces, and technology layouts. —George J. Aulisio, Dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library

The new Collaborative Teaching Room provides librarians with another classroom for small group Information Literacy Instruction as well as a new space for librarian-hosted research consultations and meetings.

8


Students enjoy the new counter-height laptop tables as well as the dining room-height tables, with built-in power outlets.

S PRI NG 202 2

9

I nfo rm ati on Up date

The computer lab area is refreshed with new built-in tables and fewer desktops to provide students with more table space for their course materials and research. The printers and book scanner are conveniently located on the left side of the room, and students have the option of utilizing dual monitors or plugging their personal computer into a library-provided screen.


Collection Updates

TH E U NI VER SI TY OF S CR ANT ON

Wei nber g Me mori al L i brary

Frank A. Cimini World Languages Collection

Many years ago, Governor William W. Scranton audited an Italian class taught by the late Professor Frank A. Cimini. Gov. Scranton enjoyed the class and would have his sister, Mrs. Marian Issacs, quiz him on Italian vocabulary. He grew to know Prof. Cimini on a personal basis. Gov. Scranton was so impressed and motivated to help others have the same kind of transformational experience that he and his wife Mary designated a $100,000 endowment in honor of Professor Frank A. Cimini as part of a larger contribution from their estate. This was a fitting honor for a man who throughout his long career at The University of Scranton had been named “Pro Deo et Universitate,” “Phi Delta Kappa Educator of the Year,” and was awarded the Ignatian Medal for being a distinguished colleague in Ignatian Education. Prof. Cimini pursued post-graduate work at the Ibero-Americana University in Mexico and researched language arts in Spain. His influence went beyond the classroom. He made learning a new language an immersive experience by organizing and moderating the Spanish Club with its annual highlight, the Spanish Fiesta. The fund continues to grow, with many memorial donations made after Prof. Cimini’s death in 2019 at the age of 104. A substantial contribution was added by the Class of 1970 at the 50th reunion. Frank Cimini’s son Joseph Cimini, J.D., was a member of the class of 1970 and served as 10

a faculty member in the Sociology/Criminal Justice Department for more than 30 years. His classmates contributed toward a $10,000 gift, with fellow classmate Gary Green leading donations in honor of the many years of service of Professors Frank and Joseph Cimini. Today, the funds from the Frank A. Cimini World Languages Collection endowment are being used to help students have a transformational experience of their own. Through the generosity of this endowment, the Weinberg Memorial Library has been able to support the World Languages and Cultures Collection by purchasing perpetual streaming licenses or long-term licenses to films that will help students learn a new language as well as gain a better understanding of the histories, cultures, and customs of people in other countries. A special book plate has been designed to distinguish the films purchased using these funds. You can find all titles in the collection by searching “Frank A. Cimini World Languages Collection” in the Library catalog. As Prof. Frank Cimini pointed out in a quotation in the 1971 Windhover, the principal objective of learning new languages is “…the improvement of communication of man to man.” With purchases from the Cimini Endowment for the Library, this objective will continue and grow for future generations of University of Scranton Students. ­— Sharon Finnerty, Media Resources Coordinator


Updates to Theology Resources

The Weinberg Memorial Library has permanently acquired the online resource Library of Catholic Thought: “The Library of Catholic Thought … presents essential resources for studying the development of Catholic thought and theology. The core collection introduces students to Catholic biblical interpretation, to key figures in the history of Catholic thought, and to major doctrines, themes, and events. The resource also features works on the interaction between Catholicism and modern science, and on the history of Catholic moral theology. A key element of the Library is the new fully revised third edition of the Jerome Biblical Commentary.”1 The Library of Catholic Thought database can be accessed through our databases list on the Library’s website. The Jerome Biblical Commentary in electronic format is an important addition to the Library’s collection. To increase visibility and access to this and other biblical scholarship in electronic formats, a Remote Biblical Research Guide was developed and included in the Library’s collection of research guides. The Research Guide is designed to support remote biblical research using the Library’s electronic resources. This guide organizes and provides access to biblical sources including online Bibles, biblical commentaries in electronic format, and library databases for biblical research. The Remote Biblical Research Guide can be accessed at guides.library.scranton.edu/ remote-biblical-research.

Library to Launch New Recreational Reading Collection

After numerous student requests for more leisurely reading options, the Library has committed to starting a small collection of recreational reading materials for the Spring 2022 semester. We will be utilizing a subscription-based service with the Pennsylvania-based library products and services company Brodart to offer a variety of popular fiction and non-fiction.

With input from Student Government as well as Library faculty and staff, we have curated a small starter collection of approximately 90 titles that will be housed next to the current New Book area where members of the University of Scranton community are encouraged to browse and borrow. It is our hope that the addition of this new collection will help foster a love of reading and learning outside the classroom. ­ Assistant Professor Sylvia Orner, — Collections & Resource Management Librarian

1

I nfo rm ati on Up date

­ Professor Donna Witek, — Information Literacy Coordinator Source: https://weinberg.scranton.edu/search/

m?SEARCH=Databases+l

S PRI NG 202 2

11


Introducing Our Staff: Sharon Finnerty Sharon works as the Media Resources Coordinator. She has worked at the Weinberg Memorial Library for 19 years starting in 2003 as a part-time Circulation Clerk. Sheli Pratt-McHugh (SP), co-editor of Information Update, recently interviewed Sharon (SF).

SP: Tell us about your job as the Media

Resources Coordinator? What are some unique things that you do? What are your favorite parts of your position?

SF: In the position of Media Resources

Sharon Finnerty

Coordinator, I handle a variety of duties such as purchasing and licensing media for faculty to use in class, managing the Media Resources budget, and keeping up to date on new developments and best practices in academic media. There’s also physical media to maintain and patrons to assist, and there are two wonderful part-time Evening and Weekend Supervisors and student workers to help keep things running smoothly.

TH E U NI VER SI TY OF S CR ANT ON

Wei nber g Me mori al L i brary

Some of my favorite parts of the position are working with faculty, staff, and students and helping them find the right films to meet their needs. I also enjoy learning about new feature films and documentaries.

SP: You’ve worked in Media Resources for

11 years. What were your past roles in the Library? And what brought you to the Weinberg Memorial Library?

SF: Before working in Media Resources, I

worked as a Cataloging Clerk for four years, and before that I worked part-time as a Circulation Clerk. I heard about the open position in the Library from the person who was leaving the position. Our daughters were in Girl Scouts together, and she suggested I apply for the position. I’m glad I took her advice.

12

SP: One thing you have tackled in your role was the shift from print media to digital/ streaming video. Since the pandemic, the need for streaming video has only gotten larger. How has that change been for you?

SF: March 17, 2020, was a scary day! The

requests for streaming media were already growing, but once we went virtual, streaming became a necessity. It was a busy time, and some vendors offered short-term promotions or opened some subject areas at no extra cost to help academic libraries get through the Spring 2020 semester. The switch to online classes resulted in more faculty becoming aware of the benefits of streaming, and usage continues to increase.

SP: What is something that students and

faculty may not know about the Media Resources Department?

SF: Streaming films is far more expensive than

purchasing copies of a DVD, so that is also a challenge. In most cases, films are licensed for a one- or three-year period, so the same film may need to be licensed several times.

SP: What are some favorite campus/Library memories of yours?

SF: All the parties, of course! The celebration

for graduating senior work-study students is always a fun and bittersweet occasion. Retirement parties, Distinguished Author events, Christmas brunches, Convocations and Wellness Days all bring good memories. Hosting the International Film Series was another highlight. Once a month during the fall and spring semesters, the Library would offer a free screening of an international film to the University community and the general public. It was a wonderful learning experience for the audience and me to have faculty


members offer their expertise and lead discussions after the film. I truly appreciate the generosity and kindness of our faculty.

SP: What else are you involved in on campus or in the Library?

SF: In the spring of 2021, I began moderat-

SP: What are some of your favorite films from the Media Resources Collection?

SF: “The Wizard of Oz,” “Lady Bird,”

“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” and “Waking Ned Devine” are a few of my favorites.

ing the Library Book Club. The discussions are held on Zoom and it’s been a fantastic way to stay connected with co-workers during the pandemic. I’m a Schemelite! I really enjoy the luncheon seminars, classes and bus trips offered by the Schemel Forum. The Employee Wellness program is great, and I participate in classes, Scranton Steps, and the Fitness Challenge.

“Some of my favorite parts

of the position are working with faculty, staff, and students and helping them

find the right films to meet their needs. I also enjoy

learning about new feature films and documentaries.”

– Sharon Finnerty

Rita Williams retired on Nov. 2, 2021. While she initially worked in Technical Services, Rita most recently worked in Interlibrary Loan and had been part of the Library staff for 24 years.

Margaretta Gilhooley joined the Library staff as part-time Media Resources Evening/Weekend

S PRI NG 202 2

Clerk on Nov. 29, 2021.

I nfo rm ati on Up date

Staff Changes

13


Spring Semester Jesuit Rare Book Exhibition

TH E U NI VER SI TY OF S CR ANT ON

Wei nber g Me mori al L i brary

In honor of the Ignatian Year, the Heritage Room will host an exhibit titled “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam: Rare Books from the Hill-Davis Jesuit Collection” during the spring semester. The exhibition will primarily feature books written by Jesuits from the founding of the order in 1540 through its suppression in 1773. The exhibit will be divided into categories reflecting the breadth of Jesuit intellectual and pastoral activities. There will be sections on Ignatius Loyola, the Jesuits as a corporate body, science and technology, the humanities, missionary work, the Counter-Reformation, and the suppression of the order, among others. On March 22, we are tentatively planning an exhibit reception at 6 p. m. in the Heritage Room with a lecture by Father Antoni Ucerler, S. J., Director of the Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History at Boston College. Father Ucerler will speak on the Jesuits’ use of printing technology

Gaspar Schott, S. J. Mechanica HydraulicoPneumatica Ad Eminentiss: Wurtzburg: Henricus Pigrin for J. G. Schönwetter. 1657. Acquired for the Hill-Davis Jesuit Collection by the Jesuit Center. 14

Jan David, S. J. Veridicus christianus: Antverpiæ ex officina Plantiniana, 1606. Acquired for the Hill-Davis Jesuit Collection by the Jesuit Center.

to further missionary activities in Asia. The lecture will be co-sponsored by the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library, the Jesuit Center, the Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities, and the Schemel Forum. The exhibit will run through April 24, 2022. For further information, contact Special Collections Librarian Michael Knies at Michael.Knies@ Scranton.edu —Professor Michael Knies, Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist


An Update On Affordable Learning Initiatives The Weinberg Memorial Library once again called for proposals for Affordable Learning Implementation Grants for Spring 2022 courses. The grants incentivize full-time faculty to replace for-cost course materials with no-cost materials in their courses. No-cost materials can include Open Educational Resources (OER), which are openly licensed and freely available, and certain licensed Library resources accessible to all students enrolled in the course. Three grant implementations were completed during the Fall 2021 semester, saving 63 students a maximum of $12,169. An interdisciplinary judging panel evaluated the applications for Spring 2022 courses and awarded an Implementation Grant to Dr. Brian Snee, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication & Media. The Library will once again offer Affordable Learning Implementation Grants for courses taught in the Fall 2022 semester to reduce costs for our students.

To aid in these grants and other affordable learning initiatives, the Library also recently acquired a search tool called CloudSource OA. The tool searches a repository of Open Access publications, or scholarly publications made freely available online to anyone without access restrictions, often published in various hard-to-find places across the web. The platform also includes some Open Educational Resources geared more towards classroom use and teaching. The CloudSource OA search bar can be found under the Open Access Search tab on the Library’s homepage (www.scranton.edu/library) and can be utilized without the need for providing credentials. It is the Library’s hope that this resource will assist students and lifelong learners who are looking for reliable information online. ­— Assistant Professor Kelly Banyas, Research & Instruction Librarian for Student Success

S PRI NG 202 2

15

I nfo rm ati on Up date

Joel Krisanda, Circulation Services Clerk, also designed a logo for marketing the Affordable Learning Implementation Grants and associated programs and projects, featured in this newsletter. The OER Committee feels this design embodies the goals of providing equitable access to our students and promoting the use of open resources


The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Memorial Library Scranton, Pennsylvania 18510-4634

OER Committee Members Receive PA GOAL Grant In the summer of 2021, members of the Open Educational Resources (OER) Committee were awarded a mini-grant from PA GOAL to purchase library materials that could be used as classroom alternatives to forcost texts. Professor Kelly Banyas, Professor Sheli Pratt-McHugh, and Professor Sylvia Orner partnered with Dr. Teresa Grettano, Dr. Darlene Miller-Lanning, and Dr. William Miller to provide three library-licensed texts for First Year Seminars. The texts were made available for students to download and use at no cost to them. Since the texts purchased align with the First Year Seminars’ mission of articulating the Ignatian identity and mission of The University of Scranton, it is our hope that these materials continue to serve as resources for future First Year Seminars and have an impact beyond this semester.

— Assistant Professor Kelly Banyas, Research & Instruction Librarian for Student Success

update

Co-Editors: Sheli Pratt-McHugh and Marleen Cloutier

A Newsletter from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Memorial Library

Dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library: George J. Aulisio

Scranton, Pa 18510-4634

Phone: 570.941.7816

The University of Scranton is committed to providing a safe and nondiscriminatory employment and educational environment. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other status protected by law. Sexual harassment, including sexual violence, is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational, extracurricular, athletic, or other programs or in the context of employment. Inquiries regarding nondiscrimination and sexual harassment and sexual misconduct policies may be directed to Elizabeth M. Garcia, J.D., Executive Director and Title IX Coordinator, Office of Equity and Diversity, 570.941.6645.

16


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.