Towers - University of Idaho Newsletter - Vol. 19, Issue 2 (2016)

Fall 2016

Towers Newsletter of the Associates of the University of Idaho Library

U I L i b ra r y : T h e n a n d N ow Inside this issue:

UI Library: Then & Now

1

Vandal Giving Day Before & After: First Floor Renovation

2

News from Special Collections

3

Message from the Dean

4

Fall semester 2016 has come with lots of exciting changes for the library. Most obviously, we have had the privilege of sharing the excitement of our first floor renovation with new and returning students and faculty, as well as parents, community members and alumni, many of whom remember the library in at least one of its many previous incarnations, like the 1957 library pictured above left.

After spending many months providing library services in temporary quarters with a soundtrack of

jackhammers, library faculty and staff are thrilled to see how enthusiastically the changes have been greeted by students this semester. Our new cafĂŠ, furniture, service desks, study spaces, classrooms, and computer lab have been flooded around the clock with busy students looking for places to study, meet friends, or just hang out between classes.

Seeing students taking advantage of the updated facilities has made us even more grateful to the supporters like you who make our services possible!

Vandal Giving Day: September 13, 2016

875 Perimeter Drive MS 2350 Moscow, ID 83844-6534

The Library participated in Vandal Giving Day to raise funds to allow us to continue moving our renovation excitement up the floors of library and it was a great success!

Thanks to our Ambassadors, our donors, and the generous fund-matching provided by the Library Advisory Board, we were able to raise $22,441 from sixty-one gifts! We sincerely thank everyone who participated in this two day University-wide social

1

media fund-raising blitz! You can see the results and donors list on the Library’s Vandal Giving Day page: https://vandalsgive.uidaho.edu/giving-day/378/ department/389/donors

Page 2

T o w e rs

Before & After On April 1, 2016, the library celebrated the grand re-opening of the library’s first floor, but it wasn’t until this fall that we had our furniture and signage totally in place, making the construction process span almost a full year: from fall 2015–fall 2016 This project was more than a facelift for busiest floor; the renovation has allowed us to expand our services, adapting to the current needs of our university community. Our new first floor features a “living room” area with innovative furniture customized for learning and studying, 24-hour access, a coffee shop called “The Fishbowl@Twelve,” new group study areas and reservable meeting rooms, an expanded computer lab, and a new maker space: The Making Innovating Learning Laboratory (The MILL), which offers students the opportunity to experiment with 3D

(above) A view of the first floor, mid-construction. We started over almost from scratch! (right) The Fishbowl@Twelve (open 24-hours) offers coffee, soft drinks, fresh foods like sandwiches and salads, and the chips and candy late night study sessions sometimes require. (below) This picture of part of the “Living Room” was taken over the summer; these days every seat is usually filled with students.

printing and other technologies (see page 3 for more information).

We also now have a classroom on the first floor that has already hosted several library instruction classes and workshops and a brand new Special Collections Reading Room, where researchers can get help accessing our Special Collections treasures or just admire a vibraphone donated by Lionel Hampton that is currently on display.

The total cost of the remodel was approximately $1.3 million and was funded with both public and private support. We are now looking to bring these same improved research, study, and creative environments up to the other floors of the library (hopefully we can someday replace the 1950s furnishings we inherited from the Administration Building and are now still using)!

The generous gifts of our donors make it possible for us to better serve the Vandal community. We thank you for your support!

2

Page 3

T o w e rs

New Book from Special Collections The "University of Idaho" edition of the "Campus History Series" is available starting September 19 in the library.

The 128-page book was written by Katherine G. Aiken, professor of History, and Erin PassehlStoddart, head of Special Collections and Archives and associate professor at the University of Idaho. UI President Chuck Staben wrote the introduction.

who have shaped the history of the University of Idaho, and features images from the library's extensive Special Collections and Archives department, including images of the evolution of the University of Idaho Library, seen above in its 1957 incarnation.

This book commemorates the proud heritage and innovative spirit of students, faculty and staff

Vandal Poem of the Day is Back As of September 15th, Vandal Poem of the Day is back in business with a fresh poem everyday, courtesy of this year’s sponsor, BOA Editions, Ltd. If you are curious about poets featured this year, you can find a list here. In additional what’s-new-news, Corey Oglesby has joined the VPOD team, helping main-

tain the website and manage the VPOD Twitter feed.

ALL of the books from which this year’s daily poems have been chosen are now on the shelves in the UI library —over fifty poets and over sixty books! So if you like what you read on Vandal Poem of the Day, you can find the books on

the first floor of the library, on the low shelves in the “Living Room.” ALL of the Copper Canyon Press poetry books from last year are also on display. We are very excited to get the poems going!

Welcome Ashlyn Velte!

Ashlyn Velte is the brand new Assistant Professor and Archivist in UI Special Collections. She will be working with Erin on work flows for processing and other projects as well as staffing the Spec Reading Room, providing SPEC reference as needed, and teaching instruction sessions.

2016. While pursuing her MSLS she worked for the Southern Historical Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill and also earned a certificate in Digital Curation. Ashlyn grew up in West Chester, Pennsylvania and received a Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY (home to the Moosewood Restaurant for all you vegetarians and fans of 1970s cuisine!).

Ashlyn comes to us most recently from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where she graduated with her MSLS in May

Though she has spent most of her

3

time in the eastern U.S., the west is not entirely foreign to her. Her mom owns the La Francaise French Bakery in Breckenridge, Colorado (it is worth clicking the link just for the cake pictures, btw).

In addition to librarian-ing, Ashlyn enjoys horseback riding, the outdoors, and reading. She recently read The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Ashlyn says she is happy to be here at the library and here in Idaho!

University of Idaho Library

A Message from the Dean This column is to say thank you: to all of you who have given your time and treasure to transform the library, we are grateful. Our students are very appreciative of the new spaces on our first floor and excited about the additional services we’ve added on the second floor.

Last year was a study in flexibility. As our staff and resources were forced out of the way of the construction, we were still able to offer basic —if reduced— services: the location of the reference desk made the reference librarians nearly invisible and construction forced drastic cutbacks in Special Collections’ hours.

Now the construction is complete and this new academic year has opened with a bang. Students are everywhere! All of the new seating that appeared over the summer is now filled with students. The study pods are populated early each morning (or maybe the students have been here since the middle of the night?) and the café booths find groups of students huddled over their computer screens. Those of us who may remember these booths from malt shop days look for the fountain glasses and the jukebox controls.

It’s too early to tell from gate counts but I’m impressed to see so many students using every part of the library—even on Saturdays—and truly enjoying this space. They don’t know how much you gave in order to provide them with a first class learning environment, but I do. And I thank you so very much. -Dean Lynn Baird

Ways to Give For more information on giving options and ensuring your gift is used exactly the way you want it to be, contact Dean Lynn Baird at (208) 885-6534.

• 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.html

Visit us online! http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/ You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, & tumblr!

Phone: (208) 885-6534 Email: librdean@uidaho.edu University of Idaho Library 875 Perimeter Drive MS 2350 Moscow, ID 83844-2350 4