Towers - University of Idaho Newsletter - Vol. 16, Issue 3 (2013)

Towers Newsletter of the Library Associates of the University of Idaho Library Early Fall 2013

Staff member studies in Spain ........ .2 Students use SPEC........................ 3 Scholarly communications............... 3 Student assistants graduate............. 3 Dean’s Message............................ 4

Do you remember your first year as a student at the University of Idaho? Rachel McHail does. Although the sophomore from Harrison, Idaho, now feels at home on

the UI campus, she recalls her first days as a new Vandal. “It was overwhelming,” she said. “Everything seemed so confusing — especially the library.”

UI librarians are doing their part to help ease the transition to college. Diane Prorak, a reference librarian who coordinates outreach to new students, points to a mix of activities that engage students in the library during their first year at the university.

NW Postcard Collection.................. 2

Welcome to the library, new Vandals!

Inside this issue:

Volume 16, Issue 3

“We host an open house for admitted students on Vandal Fridays as sort of a pre-introduction to the library. Then, once they enter the university we collaborate with the INTR101, English 102 and ISEM courses to provide library instruction. But Welcome Week orientation Joe Vandal loves the library! sessions for students and their parents are our big push to familiarize them with the library before classes get underway.”

Librarians orient a variety of groups during Welcome Week including parents of traditional students coming from high school or community college and nontraditional students who are typically over the age of 25 and returning to school after an absence. “Each group has a slightly different perspective on entering the university,” said Prorak. “We tailor each session to their unique needs.”

Cori Planagan, director of the UI Orientation Office, oversees Welcome Week activities to help students bridge the gap between high school or previous college experience and the University. “Having the library as part of our overall orientation package really helps students get their feet on the ground. The library is an integral part of academic success on our campus, so it’s important to show new students what it has to offer and to encourage them to make full use of this essential resource during their time here.”

Prorak added, “We try to reinforce this message with parents, because first year students are simply overwhelmed. We tell them that when their child calls home, frantic that the instructor wants them to use ‘scholarly sources’ and they don’t have a clue what that means, they should have them contact one of us.

875 Perimeter Dr. MS 2350 Moscow, ID 83844-2350 Phone: (208) 885-6534 Email: librdean@uidaho.edu

“We reiterate that we’re here for them with one main goal in mind — to help students succeed in their coursework. Just like the tutoring and writing centers, the library has people who can make it easier for students to get through the semester.”

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Online release of Northwest Historical Postcards garners rave reviews The recent release of more than 800 digitized postcards by the University of Idaho Library’s Digital Initiatives is receiving accolades in regional and national press.

The Northwest Historical Postcards Collection was reviewed by the Internet Scout Report, the Missoula and Billings (Montana) newspapers, and American Libraries Direct, where it was named by the American Library Association as Digital Library of the Week.

The collection features images of people and places during the late nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth century in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, British Columbia and Alberta. It includes rare depictions of turn-ofthe-century buildings, thriving mining towns that later became ghost towns, and Mount St. Helens before the eruption.

The postcards, which were given to the library by a wide variety of donors, come from the historical photograph collections housed in the UI Library’s Special Collections.

“The history of the postcard is quite fascinating,” said Devin Becker, Digital Initiatives Librarian. “At least a billion postcards have been sent each year since about 1910, so

Postcard of Alturas Lake in Idaho’s Stanley Basin by D.M. Dorward, from the UI Library Digital Initiatives, Northwest Historical Postcards Collection.

they’ve become a staple of our correspondence and a fundamental record of the era.

“We are proud to offer this collection online to the general public,” he said. “These postcards are a valuable resource for researchers interested in the historical and cultural development of the western states.”

Briefly . . .

Archival assistant studies in Spain

• Two new traveling exhibits are on display in the library throughout September. A series of eight silkscreen panels from the Idaho State Historical Society celebrate our territorial sesquicentennial year with photographs and descriptions of the journey from territory to statehood from 1863-1890. Bookers Dozen, the state’s only juried exhibition of book art, makes its stop here courtesy of the Idaho Center for the Book.

Archival Assistant Laura Guedes (right, front row center) attended the University of Idaho and the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) 2013 summer program in Alicante, Spain through a Faculty/ Staff International Development grant.

• Beth Canzoneri is the new Reference/Instruction Librarian Resident. She previously served as Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the library. Canzoneri has a BA degree from Millsaps College and an MLIS from the University of Alabama.

To enhance her knowledge of Spanish language and culture, Guedes studied 20th Century Spanish Poetry. The program included field trips to the towns of Altea, Calpe, Guadalest, Fuentes de Algar, and Benidorm. She also visited the University of Alicante Library (Biblioteca de la Universidad de Alicante) and the Archives of Alicante (Archivo Municipal de Alicante), accompanying her husband, USAC Visiting Professor Dale Graden, who taught a course on the Spanish Civil War.

• The library is bringing information about personal finance to university students and young professionals.

Librarians Kathleen Monks and Robert Perret are partnering with the UI School of Family & Consumer Sciences to offer a workshop, “Financial Fitness: Smart strategies for handling finances,” September 18 on the first floor of the library.

Guedes, who is Brazilian, has used her knowledge of the Portuguese language in her SPEC job to locate and retrieve materials, requested by students and faculty that are located in Brazilian libraries.

• Digital Initiatives now has a blog. Enjoy daily posts of historic images and descriptions at http://uidahodigital. tumblr.com/

“I appreciate the opportunity to improve my Spanish language skills. This will be useful to the library in various ways, including translating and cataloguing documents and working with Hispanic students attending the university,” she said.

“The USAC experience is open to both faculty and students, and I would encourage anyone to consider attending.”

• A new database allows users to browse the library’s DVD list online. The DVDs Database makes the library’s holdings of more than 5,000 film titles searchable by keyword, language, title, cast member, director, credits, subject, genre, language or date. Anyone can access the DVD Database at http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/dvds/

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Special Collections and Archives offer experience with primary sources Original documents are “purest glimpse into history”

Guenthner examined resources from the library’s Map Room for a research project on representations of the American West.

She says she believes that without the ability to access primary documents, her historical research would be lacking.

Rachael Guenthner (Class of 2015) absolutely delights in conducting historical research. And these days, the junior from Nampa is even more enthusiastic because she discovered the satisfaction of working with primary sources — original documents or records from which subsequent works are derived.

“Primary documents are the main source for my research here at the university because they give me firsthand experience,” she said. “There are no better tools because they provide the purest glimpse into our history.”

Taylor Howell (Class of 2014) concurs. The anthropology major from Boise says she used the library’s special collections for several class projects, including her History 290 research portfolio and a recent poster focused on the Kooskia internment camp for her Historical Artifact Analysis course.

“The library’s special collections are an invaluable resource for all students,” said Guenthner, who is pursuing a double major in history and literature. “As a history student, I am awed; even more awesome is that as an undergraduate I have access to those documents. I experience true joy when I hold a primary source in my hands. As an historian it doesn’t get any better than this.”

Rachael Guenthner, history major

“Too many people rely on Internet sources for information and believe that if it’s not online, it’s not worth their time,” an assessment with which Howell strongly disagrees.

“The sources in the archives are fantastic for research whether you’re a student or faculty member,” she said. “And the Special Collections staff are very knowledgeable and patient,” Howell added. “I urge everyone affiliated with the university to see for themselves.”

Primary sources include items such as original manuscripts, diaries, memoirs, letters, journals, photographs, drawings, film footage, sheet music, songs, interviews, government documents, public records, eyewitness accounts, or newspaper clippings.

Student assistants receive degrees

Scholarly communication position will focus on open access issues

Annie Gaines

The library has received funding for a Scholarly Communications Librarian, and staff member Annie Gaines has been appointed to the position. Dean Lynn Baird, who appointed Gaines said, “This new position directly addresses emerging research and scholarship needs within the university and will enable the library to develop plans and strategies to meet these needs.”

Gaines is working with Devin Becker, Digital Initiatives Librarian, to digitize collections, deliver open access content, and provide information to the campus community on issues related to copyright, intellectual property, and scholarly communications. Their mission includes preserving and maintaining access to important digital content produced by and/or related to the University of Idaho and its institutional mission.

Five of the library’s student assistants have moved on after receiving degrees at the 2013 Spring Commencement. Pictured clockwise from top left are: Ian Hill, computer science; Erin Stanley, history; Kaydee Holmes, J.D., School of Law; Josh Strole, psychology; and Keila Dubois, music.

Gaines, who earned her MLIS degree from Drexel University, previously served as the Scholarly Communications Assistant in the Digital Initiatives department where she was involved in many projects that led to her appointment. Her work included the design and development of the Journal of Rangeland Applications, and she was instrumental in creating the Northwest Historical Postcards Collection.

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Dean’s Corner: A brand new academic year As summer comes to a close ushering in a brand new academic year, we all take a deep breath and prepare for another adventure.

I am pleased to announce that our Provost recently approved one-year funding for a new librarian position to address emerging research and scholarship needs within the university.

Our new Scholarly Communications

• Cash Gifts • Planned Giving • In-kind Gifts (Materials and Personal Collections) • Tax Benefits Appreciated Assets • Memorial or Honorary Gifts For more information, please visit: www.lib.uidaho.edu/giving/ways.

Contact Lynn Baird (208-885-6534) to ensure your gift is used as you wish.

Dr. Lynn Baird, Dean of Library Services

Librarian is Annie Gaines, and she is already hard at work alongside our digital initiatives librarian, Devin Becker, to deliver open access content to our university community in alignment with the University of Idaho’s mission.

We thank you, as we do in each edition of Towers. But we also thank you on behalf of our students and faculty who benefit from the tools and service that your generous donations allow us to provide.

All of these exciting activities are possible because of your support.

875 Perimeter Dr., 2350 Moscow, ID 83844-2350 Phone: (208) 885-6534 Email: librdean@uidaho.edu

But we are ready, with exhibits and workshops and library instruction for our students. During the month of September we are featuring two excellent displays on our main floor — one celebrates our state’s territorial sesquicentennial; the other displays book art from the Idaho Center for the Book. Our librarians are busy preparing lesson plans for close to 100 class sessions scheduled before Fall Break in November. They are also preparing for an upcoming workshop on personal finance for students and young professionals on campus.

Ways to Give