Dean’s Corner: Travels to Africa

Every year, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) hosts a general conference where leaders in the global library community gather together to exchange ideas, network with fellow delegates and share the latest advancements in librarianship. This is a conference I relish attending as over the years I have formed valuable relationships and learned a great deal from my colleagues around the world.IFLA%20LOGO-Colour_no-text[1]

My direct involvement with IFLA began in 2001, when I gave a poster presentation for the Metropolitan New York Library Council at IFLA’s Boston conference.  My current role is as a member of the Knowledge Management (KM) Standing Committee, after serving two four-year terms as chair of the section.  This section was approved as a part of IFLA in 2003, with objectives to: support the implementation of KM culture in libraries and information environments; provide an international platform for professional communication and understanding of the significance of KM for librarians and their institutions; and follow the developments in KM and promote its practical implementation within the IFLA community. Continue reading

Are You A Fan of the Renovated Langsam Classroom? The Bearcat Is.

BearcatThis summer, Langsam Library classroom 462 was renovated to improve functionality and to provide new capabilities for both students and instructors.

The renovated learning classroom has been enlarged and features a curved, glass wall for added visibility. New modular furniture and six large display screens connected to a main projection screen allow for flexible and responsive collaboration opportunities. Wireless access provides for seamless connectivity to the Internet with laptops.

The renovations to Langsam 462 are part of a university pilot project to create an active learning classroom. Four UC professors are using and testing the enhanced learning classroom this semester and providing feedback for use in planning similar spaces across campus.

The Bearcat visited the learning classroom recently and gave it two paws up.

Library Research Guides: Digital Literacy

Libraries provide hundreds of online research guides that point you to tools for all of your research and information handling needs – from finding information to citing sources and publishing the information you created. Some guides are specific to a software product, course or discipline, while others cover a broad range of resources.

This month’s featured guide, Digital Literacy, is a collection of links and tips on finding and evaluating information in digital environments. There is information on how to use online technologies to stay current, organize your citations, files and data, and how to create and publish digital content, as well as how to network and collaborate effectively, protect your online identity, and how to be an ethical and responsible digital citizen.

All these aspects of digital literacy apply to many facets of daily life, but the primary goal of the Research Guide is to equip students with the tools and techniques that would enhance their academic careers and future employment.

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Image source: Digital Literacy Forum.

Check Out the Latest Issue of Source

sourceRead Source, the online newsletter, to learn more about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.

This latest issue of Source includes an An Update from Dean and University Librarian Xuemao Wang on the Implementation of our Strategic Plan, a Celebration of William Shakespeare and an interview with Lori Harris, NLM Associate Fellow. There are articles about two exciting spaces in the Health Sciences Library – the new Informatics Lab and the newly named Dr. Stanley B. Troup Learning Space, as well as a list of fall events in UC Libraries. Read these articles and more.

Source is available on the web at http://libapps.libraries.uc.edu/source/ and via e-mail. To receive Source via e-mail, contact melissa.norris@uc.edu to be added to the mailing list.

Join UC Libraries October 17 at Books by the Banks

books by the banks logoOn Saturday, October 17, the 9th annual Books by the Banks: Cincinnati USA Book Festival will take place downtown at Duke Energy Convention Center from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Once again, UC Libraries is an organizing partner of the literary event that allows readers to meet and greet favorite authors.

The day-long festival will feature over 100 regional and national authors, book signings, author panels and activities for the entire family to enjoy. The popular “Writing and Getting Published” series returns this year with panel discussions covering hot topics for writers and workshops to help hone the craft of writing. All events are free and open to the public. Continue reading

Dean’s Corner: Building Connections

As the dean of UC Libraries, I serve as an ambassador for the university and the Libraries on a global scale.  My travel takes me across the United States and around the world for conferences and site visits from San Francisco, California to Zhejiang, China.  It is equally important, however, for me to foster my relationships on a local and regional level with the universities and library systems across the state.

This summer, Ohio University hosted a two-week Institute for Chinese Academic Leaders.  Scott Seaman, the university’s dean of libraries, invited me to Athens to participate in a panel about “Current Trends & Changes in U.S. Research Libraries.”  This gave me the opportunity to spend time with the OU library leadership, support their international partnerships, and to reinforce the ties between our two libraries.

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From left to right: Liu Wanguo, director and research librarian and Huang Ying, head of Research and Development at Northeast Normal University with Scott Seaman, dean of Libraries at Ohio University

Upon their arrival at Ohio University, the visitors presented dean Seaman and OU’s dean emeritus Dr. Hwai-Wei Lee with handmade scrolls decorated with Chinese calligraphy commemorating the visit.

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From left to right: Huang Ying and Liu Wanguo with Ohio University’s dean emeritus Dr. Hwai-Wei Lee

Continue reading

Library Research Guides: A Makeover

research guidesThe Libraries’ research guides underwent a makeover this summer with a new look and feel, responsive design and enhanced browsing functionality, resulting in a user friendly interface.

With over 450 guides, there is something for everyone. Users may  browse the guides by:

  • Library
  • Subject
  • Type: Course, Research Help, Subject Guide, and Special Topic
  • Owner

Continue reading

Introduction to Cytoscape: Network Visualization Software

Cytoscape is an open source molecular interactions visualization tool that allows the exploration of molecular interactions and biological pathways and integrates these networks with annotations, gene expression profiles, and other data. The Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library is facilitating a webinar on Cytoscape that will provide an introduction to some of the core functionality of Cytoscape, including the loading and manipulation of experimental data.

The webinar will be held on Monday, September 21st at 9am.

Registration: UC Cytoscape Webinar