Purdue University Press Celebrates its Golden Anniversary

BY CHARLES WATKINSON

PILLAR: Robust Local Collections

Purdue University Press 50th LogoOn September 29, 1960, President Frederick Hovde issued the memo from which Purdue University Press dates its foundation, although the Press was originally known as “Purdue University Studies.” From the organization’s inception, the mission of its staff was to produce the kinds of publications not well served by commercial publishers and to promote the reputation of the University in some of its signature areas. While the list was initially restricted to books on the humanities, it soon expanded to include other disciplines in technology, agriculture and the applied sciences that seemed appropriate to a land grant university. The first chair of the Editorial Board was Robert B. Ogle from the English department and the first director was Bill Whalen, father not only of the Press but of our own Patrick Whalen in HSSE.

On September 29, 2010, we celebrate 50 years of scholarly communication at Purdue. The scale of the Press’s output has increased, from a few books a year right up to the early 1990s to between 25 and 35 books and 12 journals a year today. However, the non-profit, land-grant mission of the Press has not. Supporting important scholarship that falls between the cracks is still a specialty, and we are placing even more emphasis on aligning our publishing program with the University’s signature areas. For example, look for our new series of books on building construction management, where Purdue University’s course is #1 in the U.S. Or browse our titles on the relationship between pets and people, product of the unique interdisciplinary program run by Alan Beck at the Vet School’s Center for the Human-Animal Bond. You can see other “signature areas” on our website at www.thepress.purdue.edu

As we celebrate continuity, we also need to realize that the world of publishing is changing. Using digital technologies, scholars are producing a much broader range of different types of publication. It’s not just books and journal articles any more, but a whole continuum of types of scholarly communication (from technical reports to datasets) that need to be disseminated in a way that ensures that they are discoverable and durable-enough to be cited by other researchers. As the commercial publishers agglomerate, and set higher profit margins, it’s important that other avenues exist for authors who don’t wish to hand over their intellectual property to a commercial publisher.

Understanding and supporting the information needs of scholars has always been a core activity of Purdue Libraries. As these needs change, the presence of the Press at the core of the Libraries makes even more strategic sense. Being able to offer publishing services facilitates new relationships with disciplinary faculty and informs the Purdue Libraries’ research and scholarship program. As we publish, we also build local collections, promoting use of Purdue ePubs in particular.

It may be that all anniversaries feel momentous, but the sensation that this is a pivotal time in both librarianship and publishing is inescapable. What a great time it is to turn 50, especially when surrounded by friends and good neighbors! Thank you all for your birthday wishes.

Purdue University Press first director Bill Whalen 1960

Bill Whalen, “father” of Purdue University Press and its first director.
Photo courtesy of Archives and Special Collections

 

Bill WhalenBill Whalen came to Purdue on July 15, 1950 as the first full-time director of publications and associate professor of communications. In September 1960, he was named the first director of the Purdue University Press. As director, he was involved with the publication of more than 100 scholarly books. He retired in 1992. Bill passed away in 2008 and is survived by his wife, three daughters and two sons.

 

 

Research Update and Awards

BY SCOTT BRANDT

PILLAR: Robust Research

In the first round of Research Support Fund requests, Research Council has awarded funding for two proposals, both for travel to present research results. Judy Nixon has been awarded $1000 to present research findings on patron demand acquisitions research at ALA Midwinter (San Diego) in the forum “The Shift from Collection Development to Collection Management.” Megan Sapp Nelson will receive $1000 to support her travel to the 6th Annual International Digital Curation Conference (Chicago) to discuss her data curation research collaboration with Moi University (Kenya). Both projects promote strategic directions: Building Robust Local Collections, and in Robust Research and Scholarship.

The Libraries’ Research Support Fund helps facilitate research that supports strategic directions. Announced in August, grants will range up to $1000 and funds may be used for a variety of purposes including presenting papers and further supplementing an International Travel Grant. Calls for requests will be made quarterly. A link to the policy can be found on the Research Council intranet page: http://intranet.lib.purdue.edu/display/Councils/Research+Council

 

New Conflict Management Classes Available

BY JULIE MUSICK HILLGROVE

PILLAR: Infrastructure

Got conflict?
Of course you do; we all do. Conflict is necessary to drive change in any organization, institution or relationship. Should we avoid conflict? Not necessarily. Conflict can be good or bad, depending on how it is handled. How do you handle conflict in your life? Do you have a strategy or do you let conflict happen and then play your practiced role? Good conflict management begins with recognizing our own conflict style and the conflict style of those around us. This is my tip of the day: It helps to think about conflict BEFORE you are in its throngs.

In our four-hour training session on “Conflict Management,” we will explore when conflict is good, when conflict is bad and how to keep conflict from becoming ugly. We split the training into two-hour segments on two different days to make taking the course more manageable. The class will be fun and informative! Did you ever wonder why you are always dealing with difficult people? Did you know that you are one too? During the sessions, we will explore what causes conflict and how to manage it. It is our hope that you will walk away with practical information and methods to ease conflict within your department and find it transferable to other aspects of your life.

Note: You must commit to two hours training on both days. The course is open to any faculty or staff member of Purdue.

To register
Click the date of your desired class below
Click “Purdue Log In”
Log in using your Purdue Career Account
Click “Register for this course”

Tuesday and Thursday, October 26 and 28; 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m., HIKS B848
Click here: http://www.itap.purdue.edu/training/registration/?offeringid=4732

Tuesday and Thursday, November 2 and 4; 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m., HIKS B848
Click here: http://www.itap.purdue.edu/training/registration/?offeringid=4733

Openings still available in the PILOT class
This is a three-meeting series that will help further develop the course. You must attend both the October 11 and 12 sessions from 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. The October 15 session is optional. Click here to register for the PILOT: http://www.itap.purdue.edu/training/registration/?offeringid=4698

 

THE Secret of Management

BY JULIE MUSICK HILLGROVE

PILLAR: Infrastructure

Do you want to save countless hours of frustration? I am about to tell you one of the most important secrets of management. Well, I’ll tell you the secret in a minute. Read on and see if you can figure it out for yourself first.

Before my life here at Purdue, I worked for a large manufacturer. An unseasoned manager took over the sales team and within six months relationships within the team deteriorated. When the weekly sales meeting turned into a shouting match the manager realized he had a dysfunctional team. Interestingly, the team had worked together for years and never had issues until the new manager arrived.

Three of the five team members were talented and driven and were considered star performers. Two of the team members were marginal performers, but we never had a problem with any of them before. It was a surprise to find that the problem appeared to be with the top performers. What had changed? Our boss charged me with finding the problem.

I interviewed the manager and the employees on the team. Alex, one of the marginal performers, liked the new boss. He described him as flexible, helpful and willing to step in to help finish a project. He said the new manager wasn’t nearly as difficult to deal with as their old manager.

Tracy, one of the star performers, had a different viewpoint. She said that the manager assigned work equally at the beginning of a project. She would work hard to get her work done before the deadline. The two marginal performers would mess around and miss deadlines. If they turned in their work at all, it was late and full of errors. In the meantime, Tracy and the other star performers would be assigned additional work. Often it included correcting their less capable team members’ work.

The star performers were angry. They felt they were being punished for being efficient and diligent.

The marginal performers had learned that they could submit subpar work, ignore milestones and the manager would correct and finish the work himself or give it to one of the other team members.

The final straw came when they all got the same raise. Tracy said it seemed as though hard work wasn’t valued by the manager. She wanted to move out of the department.

“It is apparent that the more capable and intelligent you are, the more work you have to do. Why should I work hard? I work late every day, skip lunch, and for what?  So I can do the work of two people? Those slackers have the new boss trained and they get rewarded with the same pay and raise as me.”

She was right. Have you had this happen before? Let’s stop here to talk about THE secret.

THE secret: Managers get the behavior they reward.
It sounds easy enough. First, managers have to recognize the behavior they are rewarding. They also have to know the behavior they want. In the above case the manager rewarded employees for being late and submitting subpar work. The marginal performers were not held accountable and were rewarded the same as their hard-working peers.

In "Managing for Dummies," the authors offer a tip. “Nothing is as unfair at work as the equal treatment of unequal performers.” I would add that if you want to make a perfect stew of discontent and resentment, add unfair rewards to unfair workloads and mix vigorously. I have seen people tolerate abusive bosses, terrible working conditions and low pay but saw the same people walk away when they were treated unfairly compared to their coworkers.

When a manager sets up a system of rewards for employees, the manager must check periodically to ensure that the desired behavior is being rewarded and make adjustments if it isn’t. Always ask, “What behavior is actually being rewarded?” Look hard, it may not be what you think. Remember the reverse is also true. When managers punish behavior, even inadvertently, those behaviors—even the good ones—will go away.

The concept goes beyond management. When dealing with any behavior always ask WHAT is being rewarded. Yesterday I was at Payless and watched a young child screaming because he wanted some candy. The screaming got louder and louder as the child became more and more insistent, tugging on the mother’s blouse and kicking his feet at her from his perch in the cart. Embarrassed, the mother relented and handed the child a bag of M&M’s. The knowing grin on the child’s face when he was given candy made me cringe. We may hire that child someday.

What behavior did she reward? What behavior can she expect in the future?  Parents get the behavior they reward, too. It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Sometimes it’s not.

Next time, let’s talk about what constitutes a reward and different ways to reward employees. It’s not about the money, although it’s always nice. What matters to employees may surprise you.

 

Reconfigured iLab Appreciated by Students

PILLAR: Reconfigured, Relevant, Strategic Space

iLab fall 2010

Students are taking advantage of the renovated iLab in HKS when it is not in use for classroom instruction. One student noted that it's great to have another place to go and work on an assignment without having to leave the library.

 

CONTENTS
  • Research Updates and Awards
  • New Conflict Management Classes Available
  • THE Secret of Management
  • Off the Shelf
  • Libraries in the News
  • Announcements
  • Libraries Staff A-Z
  • Green Week at Purdue
  • Connect with Purdue Libraries
  • What's Cooking?

 

OFF THE SHELF

New Listing

Continuing Vacancy

To view all Purdue job postings visit the Purdue employment page. If you have additional questions, contact Michelle Conwell, 494-2899.

 

LIBRARIES IN THE NEWS

Purdue Alumnus, September/October 2010
Purdue Ink, Press Books: Project and Program Management: A Competency-Based Approach and Women Count: A Guide to Changing the World, pg. 65
Advocating equality, social change in Women Count; Susan Butler, pg. 67

UNS News Release, September 13, 2010
Purdue to celebrate Constitution Day on Sept. 21

UNS News Release, September 17, 2010
Purdue Libraries to celebrate noted Indiana authors with exhibit, events
Also appeared:

The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 19, 2010
3 Scholars Take On the Business of Book Publishing; Charles Watkinson

Arizona Daily Star, September 18, 2010
Saturday Reader: Tucsonan has lived 'Women Count,' a guide for changing the world; Susan Bulkeley Butler interview

UNS News Release, September 21, 2010
Fiction novelist T. Coraghessan Boyle event rescheduled for March
Also appeared:

IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services), September 27, 2010
Purdue Libraries awarded $100,000 IMLS National Leadership Grant

WBAA, September 28, 2010
WBAA - Indiana Authors exhibit at Purdue Libraries; Dawn Stahura interviewed

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Purdue’s Bellwether of Diversity: The Life and Legacy
of Dr. Cornell Bell

Archives & Special Collections
September 23-December 29, 2010
HSSE 4th floor

The Golden Age: Indiana Literature (1880-1920)
September 17-October 15, 2010
Hicks Undergraduate Library

Fall LCSSAC Picnic
Thursday, September 30, 2010
5:30 p.m.
Happy Hollow Park, Shelter 1

Conflict Management Training
October 11 and 12
9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
HIKS B848
Register with Linda Foster

 

LIBRARIES STAFF A-Z

Marsha HillMARSHA HILL
DPIA  Acquisitions
Invoice clerk

Q.  What do you enjoy most about your job and why?
A.  I enjoy the people I work with. They are a neat bunch of ladies and have a wealth of information about serials, monographs and databases and government documents.

Q.  How long have you worked in the Libraries and at Purdue?
A.  I’ve worked at Purdue a total of 13 years; two years in the Aviation Technology department when my husband was in graduate school and 11 years with the libraries.

Q.  What is one unforgettable experience that has happened to you or your coworkers while working in the library?
A.  Not too long after I started working in Technical Services, I answered the phone of a coworker. The caller recognized my voice from when I worked at the Purdue airport more than 25 years ago.

Q.  What’s your favorite book, website, movie, or database?
A.  My favorite movie is probably “Hoosiers.”

Q.  Coffee, tea, water or soft drink?
A.  Coke, but I’m trying to cut back.

Q.  What do you like to do for fun?
A.  I enjoy cross stitch, quilting, basketry and stained glass. I also like to read and to attend Purdue men’s basketball games. I don’t get a lot of housework done!

Q.  Feel free to include any information about yourself that you would like to share with the staff?
A.  I have an identical twin. She’s older—by 5 minutes. I was a big fan of the TV series “Mission: Impossible” when it was on the air, but I’m really dating myself, aren’t I?

 

GREEN WEEK AT PURDUE

Green Week at Purdue LogoPurdue faculty, staff and students are sponsoring several events to celebrate the University's Green Week 2010 (October 4–9), including a Wabash River cleanup, an alternative energy transportation show, and contests to reduce water and energy usage and increase recycling.

A full schedule of Green Week events and how to participate is available at http://www.purdue.edu/greenweek/ 

 

CONNECT WITH PURDUE LIBRARIES

Connect with Purdue Libraries logo

Become our fan on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter: @PurdueLibraries

 

WHAT'S COOKING?

Apple Cider Recipes
Visit the Libraries Intranet site for this recipe.

Send recipes to Teresa Brown.

 

COPY DEADLINE

Copy for the October 13 issue is due by October 11, 2010. Send to Teresa Brown.