Tom Haworth Retires after 34 Years

Tom began his Purdue career on August 18, 1975 as an assistant employment manager in Personnel. On October 2, 1978 he was hired by the Libraries as the personnel officer for the Libraries and Audio Visual Center. In the early 80s and approximately for the next twenty years, he served as the personnel officer for the Libraries and the Division of Academic Services, which included Continuing Education, Center for Instructional Services, and Purdue University Computing Center. His current position as Human Resources Administrator covers the Libraries, one of four departments on campus that has its own Human Resources representative.

Along with the help of Carolyn Dexter and recently Michelle Conwell, he successfully managed an office that oversaw the hiring of full-time, part-time, and student staff, made sure that the Libraries followed proper employment procedures and policies, worked closely with the Libraries Business Office staff, and promoted and represented the Libraries in a positive way.

During his tenure Tom worked for Libraries Director Joseph Dagnese, Dean Emily Mobley and Dean Jim Mullins. “I was very fortunate to have worked with these three individuals. Although they had different styles of leadership they were and are progressive thinkers that shared the goal of successfully advancing the Libraries’ status at the University and in the community,” said Tom.

Over the last three plus decades Tom has watched the Libraries move from a manually operated system (Remember filing catalog cards in the Union Catalog in HSSE?) to an advanced electronic system. “It was mind-boggling to believe that all staff members would one day have their own personal computer at their desks. Technology certainly has affected not only how we do our jobs but our role as educators and how we distribute and provide information to our users.What a rewarding accomplishment for all of our staff.”

Tom said his most memorable thought about the Libraries is how advanced we are in our planning and initiatives. “The Libraries was the first department on campus to offer flexible work schedules for its staff, we were the first to develop a strategic plan, and we continue to lead the campus in providing new learning environments and teaching methods for our faculty and students. It’s just an exciting and friendly place to work and the staff makes it that way.”

Nancy Hewison said, “Tom has touched the lives of hundreds of people in his years in the Libraries and at Purdue. As one of those people, I’ve benefited from Tom’s knowledge, his wisdom, and his matter-of-fact approach. And as someone who’s been fortunate to work closely with him in Libraries Administration for the past 14 years, I’ve learned a lot from him. Tom has a gift for making things make sense, and for finding ways to deal in a positive manner with just about anything that life brings. His actions every day have demonstrated his support for the Libraries’ purpose and goals, and his kindness and deep caring for us as individuals. I’m going to miss him!”

In the early stages of his retirement Tom has lots of “fixer-upper” projects planned for around his home. He hopes to travel and will continue to visit flea markets and auctions. You won’t find him as a greeter at Wal-Mart but you may eventually find him stacking lumber at one of the local Lowe’s or Menards stores.

“I want to thank everyone who has made my time in the Libraries so enjoyable. Everyone is professional, takes pride in their work, is helpful, and entertaining and that’s what makes the Libraries such a great place to work. Thank you for the wonderful memories and friendships.”

Walk in the Hicks Library and the major changes that have taken place in the last year are obvious. Where the core collection was once housed, students are sitting studying together or independently at moveable tables, some using large screen monitors. There is only one service desk for reference and circulation and you can check out Digital Learning Collaboratory equipment there. What you may not notice, though, is how Hicks staff members have had to adapt to these and other changes, the great job they have done with taking on new responsibilities, and how their efforts have contributed to the Libraries strategically. I would like to draw your attention to these individuals.

Last summer, all Hicks staff members spent much of their time pulling books from seemingly endless lists, putting them on carts, processing them for transfer, and then pushing the carts from one place to another.  The resultwas a consolidated collection in HSSE, providing easier access to patrons who no longer have to travel between libraries to find books on similar subjects.

As we moved to the single service point, the iDesk, Roger Strater was responsible for investigating the logistics involved and identifying potential problems. Circulating the media equipment, previously available downstairs at the DLC, proved to be no easy task. Learning to use the scheduling module and to fill out the detailed paper work came first. Then staff members had to quickly adjust to balancing serving patrons checking out equipment, patrons wanting reserve and other collection items, and patrons asking reference questions. Ann O’Donnell is to thank for patiently providing all the necessary training and continuing support on circulating the equipment and all DLC issues.

Some Hicks staff members now divide their time between other units, several serve at the HSSE reference desk, and all have taken on new responsibilities. Dan Yeoman spends half the day working in auxiliary services. Wendy Kelly assists in the HSSE bibliographic room and helps with coordinating the HSSE and Hicks reference collections. If you notice Teresa Balser is surrounded by DVD’s and video tapes, that’s because she is now responsible for media scheduling, a service that supports the academic initiatives of the University. Dawn Stahura has taken over digital reference scheduling, a service that truly demonstrates how the Libraries transcend the physical limitations of a building, and also schedules the study rooms for employment interviews. Jill Begley now checks in and shelves periodicals and Melinda Croker checks in the newspapers.

The Hicks Library will change in the future, and I am confident that the Hicks staff members will again successfully adapt as needed.

Migration to OnePurdue Domain Update

In December 2009 DPIA announced that staff workstations would be moved out of the Libraries AD and into the OnePurdue domain.

What Does This Mean?

• The Libraries will have a single sign-on rather than a Libraries account and a Career account.
• Libraries faculty and staff must login to their machine with their Purdue Career account.
• All Libraries resources (such as Louie and the Intranet) will require a Purdue Career Account login.
• All Libraries AD accounts will be disabled.

As of Monday, February 22, 2010, ITD has completed 50% of the ONEPURDUE migrations. Departments remaining include:  AA, ADMN, ADV, ASC, RS, UGRL, HSSE, MEL, EAS, and COPY. 

Due to a large volume of trouble tickets, several reimages due to viruses, and scheduling difficulties, progress has been slow. We anticipate that work should be completed by Friday, April 2, 2010.

If you have questions contact Lisa Purvis.

Wanted: One Book Higher 2010 Posters

Have you worked on an interesting project lately? Has your library or unit implemented a new and innovative service or practice? Share your experience with the rest of your colleagues in the Libraries' 3rd annual One Book Higher poster session!

What: One Book Higher poster session
Where: PMU South Ballroom
When: April 19, 10am-noon (setup at 9:30)
Who: all Libraries employees

Vote for the best poster in these categories:

• Most interactive
• Made me LOL
• Most creative
• Most innovative idea
• Most scholarly
• Best furthers strategic plan
• Viewer's Choice

The dean will present the poster awards during the luncheon.

To present a poster, email the following information to Dawn Stahura (stahurad@purdue.edu) before April 5th:

1. Title of poster
2. Presenter(s)
3. Estimated cost if supplies are needed
4. Whether or not you will need access to an electrical outlet.

More information will be posted to the One Book Higher intranet site, which will be updated with new submissions as they are received: http://intranet.lib.purdue.edu/display/HOME/One+Book+Higher+Information

HKRP Barcoding Project Update

Kelly Stingle, Pharmacy Library, has recently accepted a new opportunity for an enhanced role with the the HKRP Barcoding Project. Kelly’s extensive barcoding experience and knowledge of serial records has earned him this challenging new role. His new role will keep him busy in HKRP for ten hours a week. Kelly’s new duties include:

• Oversees work of other staff involved in the project to ensure compliance with scheduled time commitment and accurate item records; communicates with barcoders on progress, changes, or other project-related issues.
• Troubleshoots problem pieces, resolving what can be done in HKRP and/or referring onto the appropriate staff person.
• Reports progress and other issues routinely to the Project Coordinator, Laurie Sadler.

Please extend your congratulations to Kelly the next time you see him!

MEL Gaming Event Winners

An enthusiastic group of participants met the challenges of the gaming opportunities hosted in the Learn Lab by the MEL staff during the month of February. Winners from three of the events are pictured below.

Left to Right: George Bergstrom and Lemonade Stand winner, Venkat Surapaneni. George Bergstrom and Coffee Shop winner, Arpan Nayak. NetAcquire winner, Charlie Reitsman, and Hal Kirkwood.

The Digital Literacy Contest will be held tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Learn Lab.

Green is hip. Green is in. Green is going mainstream. To what extent is that a good thing? 
It is good that more people have become aware of issues and care. It is good that companies respond with products. It is good that people begin to see green or not-green in processes as well as products and let that influence their purchases. It is good when people check for green labels.

But what about those labels? Enter “greenwashing,” a term analogous to “whitewashing,” but applied to environmental claims. There are various definitions; one of my favorites is this: spending more money on marketing green than doing green. In an article in Press Enterprise, Leslie Berkman  illustrates green-washing, explains concerns, describes agencies trying to standardize meanings, notes variations in usage, and presents some  economically successful green enterprises. Here is the link:
http://www.pe.com/business/local/stories/PE_News_Local_W_green01.46c7f14.html

Berkman mentions the green-washing index, http://www.greenwashingindex.com/index.php. The index is a great site for advertisement junkies, where viewers present “green” ads and rate them from authentic to bogus. Here too, you will find a shorter discussion of the concept and a list of other longer articles.

And in Scientific American, Gabriel Nelson writes of the upcoming Federal Trade Commission review of its Green Guides and wonders if other related terms—sustainable, carbon neutral—will be included as well as markets for carbon offsets and renewable energy credits.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=greenwashing-environmental-marketing.
Links within the article to these various terms also provide interesting reading.

Further browsing turned up a 2007 NY Times article; greenwashing is not a new issue. The term “greenwashing” is not used, but some revealing complexities are explored. And interestingly, it claimed the FTC was going to quickly revise the guidelines
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/13/fashion/13green.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5090&en=
e44df01c5876a6df&ex=1355202000&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Till that revision, and even after, look deeper than the label.

Applications for Student Scholarships & Awards Deadline Date

Applications are now being accepted for the Albert Viton and Dorothy Newby McCaw scholarships and the PULSE award for the Purdue Libraries/Press undergraduate student employees. All information regarding the scholarships/awards, as well as the online application form and the supervisor recommendation form, can be found at: http://www.lib.purdue.edu/adv/pulsescholar/

The deadline for applications/recommendations is Friday, March 5, 2010.

Staff Awards' Deadline Date

Please note that the deadline for Staff Awards nominations is Friday, March 12, 2010.

• Joseph M. Dagnese Award: clerical, service, and administrative professionals
• John H. Moriarty Award:  faculty
• Dean’s Awards: all Libraries staff

Please contact Michelle Conwell with questions and copies of the application forms.