ACTIVE LEARNING CENTER PLANS UNVEILED

It is with great enthusiasm and appreciation that we can now unveil the design and plans for the Active Learning Center (ALC). As you know the planning has been ongoing for the past six months. President Daniels approved the design and schematics with budget late this past week, and so now it can be shared.

The image below is a view of the ALC from the perspective of the Bell Tower. As you can see it is traditional brick and limestone with a tile roof. The distinguishing feature on the front of the building is the two story reading room in the center that will serve as a beacon at night (on those cold snowy winter nights) that students need to make their way to the ALC to study. The ALC has four levels: the lower level will have the major tiered classrooms; the first floor is a combination of classrooms and study spaces; the second level includes not only the grand reading room but the stack area and offices for the Libraries staff; and the third floor has classrooms, study spaces, graduate study space and offices for the Libraries faculty.

On the first floor will be a cafè (presently scheduled to be Au Bon Pan) with a patio and covered area on the east side of the building facing the new green space south of Potter.

Planning for the ALC has been a major collaborative endeavor between Facilities, Architects, Space Planning, and Libraries. Collaboration extends to the close working relationship between the architects, facilities and clients (libraries and space planning) as well as colleagues in development who are working hard to raise the needed funds to complete the building. From the Libraries those particularly involved along with me were Vicki Killion, Michael Fosmire, Monica Kirkwood, Amanda Gill and Lisa Purvis. As you look at the plans please keep in mind that minor tweaks will be made to the exterior and interior as engineering and cost elements are further studied.

At our next All Staff Meeting in October a detailed presentation of the new building will be made.

Pictured above is the second floor plan of the Active Learning Center. More views of the ALC are in the process of being added to the website at https://www.lib.purdue.edu/adv/alc.

SUMMER PROJECT IN THE LYNN REPOSITORY

When the Hicks Repository (HKRP) opened in 1982 with 104,000 linear feet of shelving, it must have seemed that the facility was so big that it would never fill up. But by 2006, all but 6,000 linear feet were full of material transferred from the active collections. A moratorium on routine new transfers had to be imposed to preserve the small amount of unfilled space for emergencies.

The Lynn Repository, located in a section of the basement of Lynn Hall, opened in 2007. It is filled with shelving salvaged from the now-closed Psychology Library and the Consumer and Family Sciences Library, as well as some from what was then known as the Management and Economics Library (now Parrish). It was intended as an overflow facility, mainly for large blocks of material. Over time, it was filled with material such as the Atomic Energy Commission reports, long runs of government documents like the Congressional Serial Set, the volumes (mostly books) from the now-closed HSSE Repository, and the volumes from our first major effort at de-selecting print journals when we had perpetual access to the equivalent content in electronic format (the JSTOR and Elsevier projects from the summer of 2007). Purdue’s participating volumes in the Indiana Light Archives (government documents) are also located in the Lynn Repository.

Over time, some material that went into the Lynn Repository later came out of it, such as selected government documents for the Google Books government documents project (2011) and, more recently, the JSTOR and Elsevier journal titles from the 2007 project. An inspection earlier this year revealed that the space in the Lynn Repository was not being used as effectively as it could be, so staff discussed plans for shifting material to improve efficiency. It was clear that implementing the plan would be a very lengthy process if only HKRP staff and student assistants were assigned to carry it out as time permitted. A better solution would be to make a big effort to complete the shifting over the summer.

With approval from the administration, a call for volunteers asked Libraries staff to step up to devote several hours a week to the summer project, with their supervisors’ approval. Karen Fields from Resource Services was identified as the right person to guide the volunteers’ efforts. Staff came forward from all over the Libraries; each person spends between four and twenty hours a week helping in the Lynn Repository. The staff come from these units: Engineering Library, Life Sciences Library, Hicks Undergraduate Library, Physics Library and Resource Services. There is also one part-time student assistant who works sixteen hours a week and one full-time student assistant who was hired specifically for this project.

What is it like to work on the Lynn Repository project? Perhaps one of our newest staff members, Danielle Schiewer from the Hicks Undergraduate Library, said it best: “Volunteering for the Lynn Repository project was a great decision. At first I was excited to have the opportunity to do something that was a bit more active, but it grew to be much more than that. I can honestly say that this is an enjoyable experience and that is because of the people that I am working with. While we have a lot of fun, I feel like this was a huge learning experience for me. This project has given me the opportunity to learn new things in Alma, I’ve been introduced to JSTOR, and overall I now know more about the life of a book at Purdue.”

In the future we expect more transfers to the Lynn Repository, mostly as the six libraries that will move to the Active Learning Center in 2017 downsize their physical collections. By the end of the summer, the Lynn Repository will be in excellent shape to receive some of this material.

Many thanks go to everyone who pitched in to help with this project and to their supervisors who approved their participation. A task that might have taken many months with only a few people working a few hours per week will be completed within a total of a little over two months. The old saying “Many hands make light work” is true, although the participants can attest to the fact that shifting thousands of volumes is hardly “light” work!

Left photo, pictured front to back: Karen Fields, Danielle Schiewer, Hollie Wokoun, Kathy Garner, Sandy Galloway and Frances Christman.

Right photo, pictured front to back: Ashley Reisert, Lil Conarroe and Derek Williams.

LIBRARIES ALL STAFF PHOTO DIRECTORY

I am pleased to share with you that a new All Staff Photo Directory is now available to all Purdue University Libraries staff members. The site is secured so that you must log into it to view and it can be found on the Libraries intranet site or saved as a bookmark to your computer https://www.lib.purdue.edu/photodirectory. Please keep in mind that it is for Libraries staff only and should be treated as such. The goal is to help new, as well as seasoned, staff put names and faces together with our contact information and library locations.

I will continue to update the directory as folks join and leave us. If you would like me to take a new photo please let me know and I will arrange a time to meet with you.

Thank you to Noel Diaz, Matt Riehle and Sam Wehrspann for their assistance in making this available.

RETIRING TOGETHER

On July 25 two Purdue University Libraries employees with over 67 years of service will be retiring together. What makes this special for them is that they are step-sisters. Connie Smith and Marilyn Rogers have a history of working together along with their third sister, Cindy Smith (also a Purdue Libraries retiree), beginning as teenagers at the Wells Memorial Public Library in Lafayette and then at Purdue.

Connie graduated on a Friday evening from Central Catholic High School and began her Purdue Libraries journey the following Monday morning, June 8, 1970 in the Cataloging department. Thinking about how her job and the Libraries have changed over the years it doesn’t surprise her that we have become more streamlined and efficient and that is what made her job interesting, challenging and fun. Connie’s had many memorable moments over the years but really the most memorable thing about her job is the people and friendships she has made and continues to keep.

• “I’ve enjoyed working with a lot of really wonderful people. Some of the ones that worked here when I first started I still keep in touch with through Christmas cards and occasionally letters. I hope to stay in touch with many of the people I work with now. I hope to be able to do more clowning and catch up on some of the day time events I’ve missed out on. I also hope to get involved with more of Lafayette Urban Ministry’s programs because I’ve greatly enjoyed working with some very special wonderful people there, and help with programs at my church. I also look forward to sleeping later than 6 a.m. and maybe staying up past 10 p.m. to see what I’ve missed over the last 44 years! Thank you, heartily to all of the many people I’ve worked with over the years and just had the pleasure of knowing! I wish the best to all of you!” – Sincerely, Connie

Marilyn really began her Purdue Libraries career as student working in HSSE Library’s Reserve Book Room, 1969-73. She graduated with a Media Science degree and returned in 1976-81 to work in HSSE Library’s Periodicals department. After a few years hiatus she joined the Veterinary Medical Library in 1997. Marilyn has always had a fondness for the library environment and has been fortunate to be able to a part of such a rewarding step in the education process. She has especially enjoyed working in Lynn Hall and participating in their activities including winning a bake-off contest with her fudge recipe. She has had lots of memorable times and made many life-long friendships.

• “It has been a pleasure working with the Libraries staff and the Veterinary Medical staff the past 23 years. I love the library environment, the interaction with students, the faculty and even the animals and pets who on occasion wander the halls of Lynn Hall. I look forward to traveling to visit with my grandchildren and my family and will continue to do the things I enjoy during my retirement. I am grateful for the many opportunities I have had while working in the Libraries and I sincerely thank you all for your kindnesses, patience and friendships. Best wishes to all of you! – Go Boilers, Marilyn

THANK YOU

As much as I am looking forward to my new job at the University of Michigan, I will really miss the Purdue University Libraries. I have learned a lot in the past seven years from our efforts to explore how library science could be applied to data and I am a much better librarian for it. Thank you all for your comradery and support, especially to those of you who collaborated with me directly on data initiatives. We have accomplished great things together and earned a national, if not international, reputation for innovation. Special thanks to Michael Witt who convinced me to apply for the position in the first place and to Scott Brandt who helped me understand the possibilities for working with faculty on their data and then supported me in making these collaborations happen. It's a small world out there and so I am sure that I will see many of you on the conference scene or hopefully get to work with you in future collaborations. Carpe Data!

Comments from Scott Brandt
What can I say about this data guy Jake?
He’s given much more than he’ll take.
And he’s not gone,
While there’s still grants that he’s on,
He’ll have to Skype weekly for goodness sake!

But in all seriousness, Jake has been a huge contributor to the exploration of data issues at Purdue, and for librarianship in general. We are so much better off for his investigations, collaborations, partnerships and practical approach to solving problems related to data. However, my office will undoubtedly be a lot quieter, and I will have to Skype weekly just to get occasional doses of Jake’s humor and laughter.

THANK YOU

Thanks to all for a wonderful CLIR GIS and Data Curation Experience. During my fellowship here I’ve enjoyed many opportunities to meet, work and learn with you. I thank you for all the ways you’ve welcomed me into your community. I would like to wish the best to everyone at the PUL. It is my sincere hope that we will stay in touch (bdbranch@gmail.com).

Comments from Michael Fosmire
Dewayne has been very enthusiastic and engagement-focused in his time here, uncovering opportunities for collaboration, conducting an unprecedented number of Data Curation Profiles to help clarify the GIS data management needs on campus, and for taking GIS Day at Purdue ‘up a notch,’ bringing in a K-12 component, attracting vendors, local government and outside resources to present and engender conversations about geospatial information.

LIBRARIES STUDENT STAFF

Hollie Wokoun
Senior
Human Services/Psychology

Q. What Library or Library Unit do you work in and what is your job?
A.  Lynn Repository. I re-shelve, inventory and catalogue books.

Q. Where is your hometown?
A. Greencastle, IN.

Q. What do you like most about your job at Purdue Libraries?
A. I love the people I work with! We have so much fun while we work down in the Repository, and it definitely helps make the time go faster.

Q. If you could add a class to Purdue’s curriculum, what would it be?
A.  Acrylic painting.

Q. Who would you like to meet and have dinner with?
A. Neil Armstrong! Space fascinates me, and I would love to hear firsthand about being on the moon.

Q. What do you do for fun?
A. I love to bake! I also enjoy running, painting and watching movies.

Q. Future Plans?
A. I plan on attending Graduate School next fall, then pursue a career in Social Work in the medical field.