Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research promotes Information Literacy

BY CHARLES WATKINSON

PILLAR: Scholarly Communication

Keep a look out for the first issue of the Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research in public spaces around campus this fall. You can also find it online, Open Access, at www.jpur.org. This journal is yet another way in which the Purdue Libraries are contributing to student success, helping undergraduate researchers learn about best practices in writing and editing and supporting the work of faculty and administrators through providing professional publishing services. There are over 2,000 undergraduate research projects happening at Purdue every year, but they are widely distributed across different departments.

Two of the largest programs are the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), based in the College of Engineering, and the Discovery Park Undergraduate Research Internship (DURI), based in Discovery Park. The idea of starting a journal to provide a central showcase for undergraduate research at Purdue and encourage even more students and faculty to participate originated in conversations in summer 2010 between University Press and Libraries staff and Greg Michalski, an associate professor in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Start-up funding was obtained from the Office of the Provost last fall, and then the process of soliciting article proposals and selecting the best ones lasted through the spring. Sharon Wiener and Catherine Riehle represent the Libraries on the Faculty Advisory Board that made the selection and then coached the chosen authors through the writing process. The Libraries and Press partnered with the Office of Marketing and Media and the Online Writing Lab to help produce the journal, but the majority of the production process was handled by student designers and editors, led by Journal Coordinator, Paul Sliker, who was a senior in Professional Writing.

The resulting product has been very positively received. It contains seven highly illustrated research articles on topics ranging from the future of aerospace propulsion to school consolidation and its effect on quality of education. There are also two interviews exploring the impact of undergraduate research on the educational experience: Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Dale Whittaker, describes how it can turn “C” students into “A” students by making learning relevant to the real world. Shuttle astronaut Drew Feustel talks about his recent experiences in space and how a Purdue education got him there.

Preparation for the second issue is now underway (the first deadline for proposals is November 15), and the new student Journal Coordinator, Richelle Wescott, will be working with Libraries staff to raise awareness among student authors and their faculty research advisors. She’s always interested in hearing about promotional ideas and opportunities at jpur@purdue.edu.

PILLAR: Scholarly Communication

Last week was quite busy in the copyright world. There were two major developments in the litigation arena.

First, as I've written about previously, Google and the publishers were due back in court on September 15 to inform the Court if they were able to reach an agreement in the settlement discussions. They were not successful but insisted that they were close. Judge Chin requested that they continue their talks but has also moved forward in setting pre-trial deadlines. If no agreement is reached then Google and the publishers will litigate their dispute next summer.

Second, in what was a surprise to many, the Authors Guild and several others filed suit against the HathiTrust, University of Michigan, Indiana University, University of California, University of Wisconsin and Cornell for copyright infringement specifically as it relates to the Orphan Works project. The universities listed above signed on to the project which was to identify orphan works (works where the author cannot be identified or located) which are currently in the HathiTrust and provide full text to those works to their respective campuses. The belief was that even though there is no copyright legislation that specifically addresses orphan works, that section 108 of the copyright law which is the libraries preservation section and the section on fair use would allow for the use of orphan works. The University of Michigan was spearheading the project. Several months ago Michigan released an initial list of titles that they declared were orphan works. They said they had a process in place that would investigate the status of the author. It recently came to light that the process was flawed and at least some of the works that Michigan had designated as orphans were not. Given that revelation it will be interesting to see how the suit proceeds.

Archives and Special Collections collaborates with English 534 Class

PILLAR: Robust Local Collections (Digital and Print)

About 50 West Lafayette High School and Purdue undergraduate students viewed artifacts of biblical manuscripts, bibles and other assorted pieces from Purdue’s collection held in Archives and Special Collections. The centerpiece of the display was the1935 Oxford Lectern edition of the King James Version of the Bible designed by Bruce Rogers, an 1890 graduate and central figure in the history of typography and book design.

The class was arranged in honor of the 400th anniversary of the printing of the King James Version of the Bible. Presentations about different sections of the display were led by Purdue doctoral students in Associate Professor Angelica Duran’s English 534: 17th-century British Literature

To learn more about Purdue’s Archives and Special Collections visit: www.lib.purdue.edu/spcol.

Libraries Fall Picnic a great time for all

PILLAR: Infrastructure

Libraries staff and their family and friends enjoyed good food, a challenging crossword, white elephant gifts and each other’s company at the Annual Fall Picnic.

“Lots of laughs and great conversation, a new baby and other offspring of various ages, two puppies and great food to boot. What could be better?” said Nancy Hewison.

For several years Libraries Clerical Service Staff Advisory Committee (LCSSAC) members and the Dean work to provide the staff with an enjoyable event. Thanks to all who participated and shared a covered dish — especially the desserts!

For more information about LCSSAC visit the Libraries intranet.

Libraries Staff A-Z

SAMMIE MORRIS
Head, Archives and Special Collections Division and University Archivist
Associate Professor of Library Science
Archives and Special Collections (ASC)

Q. What do you enjoy most about your job and why?
A. I enjoy bringing in new, unique collections and working with others in ASC to connect those collections with the researchers who need them. It can be very rewarding when a researcher who has been seeking that one key piece of evidence for his/her dissertation, book, or article discovers this item in ASC through one of our online finding aids or through digitization of the item.

Q. How long have you worked in the Libraries and at Purdue?
A. About three months now, plus a previous seven years.

Q. What is one unforgettable experience that has happened to you or your coworkers while working in the library?
A. I think we will always remember the feeling of moving into our beautiful new facility on the fourth floor. And the time an alum showed up with his Grand Prix cart to donate to the archives.

Q. What’s your favorite book, website, movie or database?
A. Wow, so many to choose from. With movies, if I’m in a serious mood I would say Vertigo or anything Hitchcock, and if I’m in a silly mood Clue or Talladega Nights.

Q. Coffee, tea, water or soft drink?
A. I have a huge weakness for sweet tea, so I try to avoid it. These days it’s mostly hot tea, an occasional coffee and water.

Q. What do you like to do for fun?
A. Scouring flea markets, junk sales and antique shops. Reading and watching movies.

Q. Feel free to include any information about yourself that you would like to share with the staff?
A. The staff in the Libraries are the reason I wanted to return to Purdue after being gone for a year. We are lucky to work with such a wonderful group of people.