Staff news

Ann Campion Riley appointed Vice Provost for Libraries and University Librarian

By Grace Atkins   Posted in Cycle of Success Gateway Carousel Gateway Carousel Zalk Veterinary Medical Library J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library Staff news Zalk Veterinary Medical Library
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The University Libraries are excited to announce that Ann Campion Riley, acting director of MU Libraries, has been appointed to the new position of vice provost for libraries and university librarian effective July 1.

Riley joined MU in 2007 as the associate director for access, collections and technical services and was appointed acting director of MU Libraries in July 2015. During her tenure at Mizzou, she has increased partnerships with other AAU and SEC institutions and has been instrumental in fundraising, including a recent student initiative designed to enhance library offerings and services.

Riley is a nationally-recognized leader with nearly 30 years of professional service in academic and research libraries. She served as president of the Association of College and Research Libraries in 2015, representing more than 11,500 academic and research librarians, and was honored as a research library leadership fellow by the Association of Research Libraries. She is a writer and speaker on assessment and organizational culture in higher education.

Riley was formerly director for technical and access services at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. She was library director at Saint Louis Community College, Meramec, where she twice served as an acting dean and one year as chief campus academic officer. Other academic libraries where Riley has served in a professional capacity include Maryville University, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and New Mexico State University. She earned her B.A. in English and her M.S. in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois. She has an M.A. in English from the University of Missouri and pursued a Ph.D. in English at Saint Louis University.

Interim Chancellor and Provost Garnett Stokes released the following statement: 
"I am confident that she will continue to provide strong leadership for MU Libraries. She is a true champion and has tirelessly worked to support and preserve the library services and information resources upon which MU faculty, students and staff have come to rely."

We couldn't agree more. Congratulations, Vice Provost Riley!

Grace Atkins

Grace Atkins is the Outreach & OER Librarian at the University of Missouri Libraries. They focus on increasing the use of Open Educational Resources on campus, engaging with library users, and marketing library services, events, and resources.

Judy Siebert Maseles Retires from the Engineering Library

By Kate Wright   Posted in Engineering Library Staff news
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Retirement Reception

Judy Siebert Maseles, Engineering Librarian and Web Administrator, retired last week after working for the University of Missouri Libraries for 36 years. Her retirement party was held this past Monday at the Engineering Library. The party, filled equally with library collegues and Engineering faculty and staff, celebrated her long and successful career at the University Libraries.

Judy started her career at MU as a science librarian in 1980. From the beginning, she took an interest in technology which shaped her career moving foward. In 1988 she moved to the Engineering Library as Head of the Science Branch Libraries and in 2007 she took on the role as Web Adminstrator for the University Libraries.

In addition to her librarian responsibilities, Judy was involved in a number of projects. In 1999 she helped form ET@MO, MU's organization to improve teaching and learning using technology. In 2006, she combined the DoIT computing lab with the Engineering library to create a multifunctional study space. Later on she added two large screen TVs to the study rooms. This past month, those TVs were replaced with four LCD TV screens with easy HDMI hookups for laptops. As Web Adminstrator, her and the web advisory group published several website redesigns. She also helped roll out E-Reserves, LibGuides, LibAnswers and most recently the LibCal calendar all of which are vital to the functions of the library.

Judy's work and presence in the libraries will be greatly missed.

See below for some photos from her retirement reception! Congratulations Judy!

Grace Atkins and Kelli Hansen Present at the Electronic Resources & Libraries Conference

By Jennifer Gravley   Posted in Ellis Library Special Collections Staff news
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Grace Atkins, User Engagement Librarian, and Kelli Hansen, Print Collections Librarian, Rare Books & Special Collections, gave a presentation on the News Hub at the Electronic Resources & Libraries (ER&L) Conference on April 3rd. Both Grace and Kelli attended the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin, where the conference was held.

Immediately following their presentation, Grace presented #TheStruggleIsReal: How to Maintain Positive Social Media Engagement with Your Community Even When They're Saying Things You Don't Want to Hear with Allyssa Guzman, Digital Scholarship Librarian at the University of Texas at Austin. The two discussed using social media as a way to engage with library users, not simply to advertise.

The turn-out for Grace and Kelli's presentation, Library News Hub: Centralizing Marketing for Decentralized Outreach, demonstrated that lots of libraries are struggling with managing marketing and communications. The audience had questions about how to implement similar systems at their libraries.

Grace and Kelli started working on the News Hub in the summer of 2016. They didn't want to simply create another blog but to create a true content management system. With the help of testing conducted by the library's usability committee, they created a centralized system to compile announcements, post to social media, and create engaging emails and newsletters. Now they are focusing on the New Hub's ability to foster better communication with and among library staff. The News Hub's primary function is to be an anchor for distribution of marketing content across all of MU Libraries' digital communication channels.

Looking forward, Grace and Kelli see lots of possibilities for further use of the News Hub. In June, the marketing team will discuss what's working and what needs improvement at their annual retreat. They look forward to providing more personalized training for staff to become comfortable using the News Hub and surveying subscribers to the newsletters.

 

 

Jennifer Gravley

Reference and Instruction Librarian

Grace Atkins and Kate Wright Win Scholarships to Association of College & Research Libraries’ Annual Conference

By Jennifer Gravley   Posted in Ellis Library Engineering Library Staff news
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Grace Atkins, User Engagement Librarian, won an Early-career Librarian Scholarship and Kate Wright, Library Specialist Sr. at the Engineering Library, won a Library Support Staff Scholarship to the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) annual conference in Baltimore, MD, March 22-25. This was Kate's first national conference and Grace's second time attending ACRL (she previously attended as a student).

Conference Highlights

Winning scholarships presented Grace and Kate with extra networking opportunities. They attended a breakfast for scholarship winners and were able to meet members of the scholarship committee. Business cards were exchanged at each table, with a twist. Each person wrote answers to two questions on the back of the card, allowing everyone a chance to get to know a little more about the others, both professionally and personally. Kate says it was a nice conversation starter.

Dr. Carla Hayden's keynote address was a "huge highlight" for Grace because she "worships her." Because of her scholarship, Grace was also able to attend the preconference workshop Running Effective OER and Open Textbook Initiatives at Your Academic Library. Grace says she tweets during sessions and connects with others who attended the session in person afterward. The conference events felt like "a reunion" to Grace because she was able to connect with librarians she attended graduate school with and meet the professionals they know.

Both Grace and Kate enjoyed ACRL because it is a large national conference–and yet focused at the same time.

Exploring Baltimore

Both Grace and Kate were able to attend a reception sponsored by the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) at the National Aquarium. Grace visited Edgar Allan Poe's grave, and Kate enjoyed exploring the Inner Harbor and the amazing restaurants, including this incredible French Dip.

Tips for Scholarship Success and Attending a National Conference

First, apply for scholarships, always! Grace recommends looking at the theme for the conference and tying that into your application. It needs to be clear that your interests connect with the theme of the conference. Kate recommends "getting over your fear" of showing your application essay to other colleagues. Having several people look over your materials helps you make sure that they are personalized. Sending a generic essay usually isn't successful.

As far as attending a large conference, be sure to download the conference app, if available. When it comes to scheduling your time, Grace recommends having a tentative schedule for each day but being flexible; for example, continuing a conversation with a knowledgeable colleague can be a valuable reason to alter your schedule. When making her schedule, Grace tries to balance sessions related to her current projects with her personal interests. This allows her to gain tools in areas where she is building her expertise while learning more about social justice within the profession. Grace also recommends asking yourself whether you are interested in a practical session about a particular tool or a session about theoretical approaches to a particular problem.

Choosing which sessions to attend can be a learning experience in and of itself. Kate recommends the career-oriented sessions for students on the job market. She attended several sessions relating to her current position, such as designing LibGuides and encouraging faculty to use open resources in the face of rising textbook costs. Kate also learned that it's okay to (politely) skip out early on occasion if you need to get to another session.

Jennifer Gravley

Reference and Instruction Librarian

Federico Martinez-Garcia Presents on Diversity Standards

By Jennifer Gravley   Posted in Ellis Library Staff news
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Federico Martinez-Garcia, Head of Access Services, co-presented a roundtable discussion (with Tarida Anantachai of Syracuse University) at the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) annual conference in Baltimore, MD, on March 23rd. Both are members of the ACRL Diversity Committee, which is in the process of revising the ACRL Diversity Standards.

Resteering the Standards: Revisiting the ACRL Diversity Standards & Cultural Competencies offered attendees insight into a 2015 survey, which highlighted issues missing from the current standards. Questions the roundtable considered included possible implications of revisions as well as the need for new concepts and terminology. Participants also discussed personal experiences regarding institutional commitment to and changing campus climates regarding diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.

Jennifer Gravley

Reference and Instruction Librarian

Noel Kopriva Presents on 4-H Digitization Project

By Jennifer Gravley   Posted in Ellis Library Staff news
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Noel Kopriva, Agriculture Librarian, presented a poster at the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) annual conference in Baltimore, MD, on March 23rd. Bringing a Piece of 4-H History into the Twenty-First Century: Creating a 4-H Circulars Digital Collection at a Land-Grant Library was a collaboration between Noel and Felicity Dykas, Head of Digital Services. The poster introduced attendees to scope of the collection as well as the work done to make these items accessible to the public. Noel manages the project, and Felicity and her team digitized and cataloged the circulars.

In 1922, the Missouri Extension Service published its first circular aimed directly at children, the Boys' and Girls' 4-H Club Circular. Published into the 1960s, the circulars cover a wide variety of topics, including food and nutrition, music appreciation, livestock, gardening, sewing, posture, and more. The 4-H Circulars collection includes all the issues in the MU Libraries' collection (almost 200, housed in Special Collections and Rare Books) and is freely available in MOspace.

Jennifer Gravley

Reference and Instruction Librarian

Gemille Purnell headed to Washington D.C.

By Taira Meadowcroft   Posted in J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library Staff news
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Gemille Purnell, a graduate library assistant with the Health Sciences Library, recently won a scholarship to attend the Consumer Food Safety Education Conference, January 25th-27th in Washington D.C. 

Gemille was among twelve awardees chosen by the committee of the non-profit Partnership for Food Safety Education. In order to be eligible for this opportunity, Gemille had to complete an application, write an essay on how attending the conference would have a positive impact on her professional future, and have a faculty member submit a letter of recommendation. 

When asked why she decided to apply for this scholarship, Gemille said "food safety is a public health concern that often gets overlooked, so I felt this conference would be a great opportunity for me to enhance my professional readiness." 

Congratulations Gemille! 

Taira Meadowcroft

Taira Meadowcroft is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Missouri. She focuses on quality improvement, emergency medicine, and social media for the health sciences library.

Gig Faces: Karen Marshall

By Grace Atkins   Posted in Staff news
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Our own Karen Marshall has been featured in the "Gig Faces" series of the Missouri Business Alert:
Gig Faces: Karen Marshall turns lifelong interest into part-time business

This Missouri Business Alert series profiles individuals who work jobs in the gig economy. When Karen isn't capturing and selling her breathtaking photos, she works full-time in our Journalism Library. You can view her photography portfolio at www.katevernaphotography.com.
 

Grace Atkins

Grace Atkins is the Outreach & OER Librarian at the University of Missouri Libraries. They focus on increasing the use of Open Educational Resources on campus, engaging with library users, and marketing library services, events, and resources.

Rebecca Graves selected for Interpretations IV

By Taira Meadowcroft   Posted in J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library Staff news
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Interpretations IV features 40 visual artists and 40 literary artists. Each artist submitted one work of his/her own choice with any theme. Those lucky to have their work selected, participated in an art swap. Each artist received a work from one of the writers; each writher received an artwork.The pairs were tasked with creating a second piece, interpreting the work of their partner. The end result is a showcase of 80 pieces of artwork and writing, currently on display at the Columbia Art League.

This exhibit is a reminder that we all see the world differently and our interpretations are uniqeuly our own. What's even more exciting about this years show is that our very own Rebecca Graves was selected as one of the literary artists. With her partner, Kim Carr, they created 4 pieces of original work. Interpretations IV is up until November 4th. 

Rebecca's initital submission, entitled Heavenly Hosts, was matched up with Kim Carr's photograph, Virture and Vice. Once selected, Rebecca was given Kim Carr's How Far to the Sky?, and interpreted the photograph into a writing titled Relative Value.

 Why did you submit your writing? img_2932

Short answer, to improve my writing and to have people read it.  Long answer is having a goal – the deadline of the submission date plus getting accepted – is a big way to improve.  It’s easy working alone to not finish projects, not carve out the time for them, or not to polish them by revising.  Committing to a submission deadline gives me an added reason to follow through on what I want to do and to also do the revisions and re-writes.  The dirty little secret is that I have been jealous of friends who had had submissions accepted in the past. I’d submitted to this show a couple years ago and didn’t make the cut.  (Not my only rejection either.)  I’ve learned to follow the jealousy.  It’s telling us something.

 

What do you like most about the exhibt?

The word count limit of 100 words is both a low bar and a high bar.  Low in the sense that most of us can get 100 words down on paper.  High in that you have to have it pretty tight and well-crafted to convey a story or sketch a scene.  I like the collaboration with an artist, the pairing of works and art.  It was fun to find “my” artist and see how she had interpreted my piece and then to see her reaction of my interpretation of hers. 

 

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How did your partner's intrepretation differ from your writing? Were there any surprises?

I love her interpretation.  I think it captures the piece.  Though, yes, I was surprised by the muted colors and tone of her work.  I was expecting bright colors and action.  Funny expectation that, as I don’t have much color in the piece.

 

Will you be submitting next year? 

Yes!

 

Any other comments?

Check out the show. It’s up through Nov 4th.  And the Art League will be holding the Interpretations book reading night on Tuesday 1st November, from 6.30-7.30pm in the Missouri Theatre lobby. 

Taira Meadowcroft

Taira Meadowcroft is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Missouri. She focuses on quality improvement, emergency medicine, and social media for the health sciences library.