THE LIBRARIES PUBLISHING DIVISION'S COLLABORATIONS IN ACTION

The Purdue University Libraries Publishing Division (PULPD) unites the traditional strength and worldwide reputation of Purdue University Press (PUP) with the latest advances in open publishing services, platforms and consulting from Scholarly Publishing Services (SPS).

Through Purdue University Press and Scholarly Publishing Services, PULPD develops and disseminates a variety of information solutions, including books, journals, digital collections, innovative electronic products, technical report series and conference proceedings. In this naturally collaborative environment, PULPD delivers targeted scholarly communications services to Purdue faculty, staff and students, as well as to scholars from other leading institutions. Here are just a few examples of these successful relationships:

Affordable Textbooks at Purdue
The Registrar's Office, ITaP, PULPD, the Treasurer's Office and the Provost's Office have prioritized a textbook affordability initiative for Purdue students. PULPD’s publication consultants and ITaP's Innovations in Technology and Learning team are working on a pilot program to help Purdue faculty to build their own teaching texts and deliver them under alternate pricing models for students. Solutions explored include free and low-priced texts, as well as OERs, as tailor-made alternatives to high-priced commercial textbooks. Successful examples of the program’s impact include Paul Wenthold’s Organic Chemistry for Chemical Engineers, at a cost of $10, replacing a $285 book. “For a semester, for this one class, that’s a savings of up to $40,000 for students,” Wenthold says. Additionally, Purdue is a partner of the Open Textbook Library, which helps instructors locate affordable, quality, open access textbook options.

Conferences Division and SPS
Recently, SPS partnered with the University’s Conferences Division to provide publishing opportunities for Purdue’s partners through the institutional document repository, Purdue e-Pubs. Two notable projects are the Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on the Durability of Concrete Structures — which includes papers from fifty-seven leading experts on freeze-thaw deterioration of concrete, carbonation, corrosion of steel reinforcement, concrete transport properties, emerging binder materials, materials characterization methods, structural performance and damage monitoring and repairs — and the Proceedings of the 10th Annual Conference of the International Institute for Infrastructure Resilience and Reconstruction — which brings together a great deal of useful research about improving built infrastructure planning, design, response and recovery for disastrous events. The relationship between SPS and the Conferences Division continues to grow.

College of Education and Becoming a Spacewalker
In September 2014, PUP published Becoming a Spacewalker: My Journey to the Stars, co-authored by Jerry L. Ross and Susan G. Gunderson. Gunderson is a faculty member in the College of Education and created educational resources for teachers to use, which are freely distributed on Purdue e-Pubs via www.jerrylross.com. The College of Education helped to launch the book in September and recently chose to commemorate their 25th anniversary by giving more than 3,000 books to fourth grade teachers across the State of Indiana.

Joint Transportation Research Program
The Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP) encourages information exchange and tech or knowledge transfer between the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), advanced research centers such as Purdue, and leading business across the state to drive continuous improvement in the planning, design, construction, operation, management and economic efficiency of the Indiana transportation infrastructure. Over 1,500 technical reports have been published open access through Purdue e-Pubs as part of JTRP, a collaborative venture between Purdue University and the Indiana Department of Transportation. As a measure of the information shared from scientists in classrooms to work boots on the ground, on December 7, 2014, JTRP reached 1 million downloads. JTRP's managing director, Darcy Bullock, is a professor in the School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University.

Moving Forward
Collaboration accelerates the exploration of the new, expanding landscape of scholarly communications. There remain many exciting avenues yet to explore. Visit us in Stewart Center, room 190 and meet Peter Froehlich, the new director of Purdue University Press and head of Scholarly Publishing Services, and learn more about Purdue’s publishing resources for faculty, students, staff, and researchers at www.lib.purdue.edu/publishing.

LIBRARIES NEW STAFF

Peter Froehlich
Director, Purdue University Press
Head, Scholarly Publishing Services

Though my official start date was May 1, I believe I joined the Purdue Libraries just a few minutes into the interview process, during my first visit to campus earlier this year. What an exceptional place! Even after a couple days of meetings here, I felt energized, as if I had spent a weekend vacationing and chatting with friends, and I believe I had (spent time with friends [to come], that is; we did not do much skiing). I am delighted to be joining such a convivial and intriguing intellectual, professional community in the Purdue Libraries, and I look forward to getting to know everyone.

Personally, I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but moved after six months; I couldn’t find work. I lived most of my life in northern California. I love skiing, architecture, language, fine food and wine, tennis and film. I dabbled irresponsibly in screenwriting and start-ups, had a ponytail in college that absolutely no one will ever see, and as for the most random science background facts that I can think of about myself, I was given a brief tour of the CERN particle accelerator by a scientist there, while visiting friends in nearby Gex, and I once spent a summer surveying Nuraghe as part of an ongoing archeological dig outside Norbello, Sardinia.

Professionally, I have worked in scholarly communications for over eight years, most recently for another library-based university press to the south of Indianapolis. True, there is some red and white in my wardrobe and lineage — or, as it is also described, cream and crimson; however, blue and gold run deepest in my veins (Cal, not the M place). So, black and gold are a mighty good fit!

In addition to advancing and championing the fruits of scholarship in the arts and humanities, it is exciting to get to work with engineers and scientists as well, on all manner of scholarly communications — and for entrepreneurial Purdue especially. My undergraduate training is in the humanities, focused on literary theory and cultural studies, and I just received my MBA from the Kelley School of Business, completing majors in entrepreneurship, marketing and supply chain management. I am a fan of the arts and cross-cultural inquiry, as well as data-driven decision making and analytics, and I have worked with at least one Purdue scientist already, as part of my MBA consulting/service learning in the Indianapolis start-up community. Also, many of my MBA teammates were themselves engineers, some fortunate enough to hail from Purdue. So, it is wonderful to bring it all together and put it to work for the Purdue Libraries.

Last, in succeeding my colleague Charles Watkinson, I am getting to work for and with his longtime mentor, Dean Mullins, and getting to lead an exceptionally talented team in our Publishing Division. I have followed the trendsetting work of the Purdue Libraries for several years, as well as the exploits of my team. I am mindful of the traditions of excellence in the Purdue Libraries and am excited to advance our work in scholarly communications. Thank you, everyone, for the warm welcome! I look forward to continuing to get to know you all and to exploring what we can do together. My team and I are at your service. Do drop by STEW 190 to say hello! My email is pfroehli@purdue.edu.

THANK YOU PURDUE LIBRARIES

My time at Purdue has provided me with many opportunities for learning and professional growth. I very much appreciate all of the hard work, ingenuity and determination demonstrated by my colleagues involved in the Alma Project, as well as other units that I have worked with. I also appreciate the chance to learn more about some of the interesting innovations in library and information science that are being developed here at Purdue. Thank you for all of your good wishes as I transition to working with electronic resources again at Auburn University.

A DREAM COMES TRUE WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY CO-WORKERS

Something you may not know is that I have Multiple Myeloma cancer (cancer of the plasma cells) that has no cure and no remission; they just try to keep my protein counts down. One day at work I was talking to Brenda Meagher at HSSE about the cancer and the chemotherapy and the things I would like to do on my Bucket List. I told her the one thing that I wanted to do the most — my Big Dream — was to take an airplane ride. I know it is hard to believe that a 53 year old woman has never flown in an airplane before but, it was true. Without my knowledge Brenda took it upon herself to do a little networking and e-mailed Frances Christman at AVTE to see what they could find out.

Here is the actual conversations between them:

• Brenda: Hi Frances, How are you doing? I’ve got an off the wall question for you. Cindy Yeoman has cancer that is terminal. On her bucket list she wants to fly in an airplane. With your networking, do you think that at PU airport that someone would do that for her at no charge? I know it would make her day. I asked her if she thought of doing make a wish…but she just shook her head. Do you have any ideas?
• Frances: I asked some students here and they gave me a contact name. I have sent him an email. Hopefully, I will get a positive answer.
• Brenda: Thanks so much. I think it would be great!
• Frances: I think we might have something. Talking to my student this week. Will keep you posted.
• Brenda: Ok, thanks. FYI Cindy is out next Monday for doctors’ appointments at Indy.
• Frances: Ok...talked with my student. He and his dad (both pilots) would take Cindy up in a single engine (so small plane, 3-seater). Matt and his dad would like to have Cindy have her doctor give his/her permission/blessing on this endeavor. Matt promises no loop-de-loops...and both he and his dad will be keeping an eye on the weather. This will happen on a weekend day. Cindy will also have to sign a waiver, promising no legal repercussions.

This is the e-mail I received after all of the networking between Brenda and Frances:

• Hi Cindy, I know that flying in an airplane is on your bucket list so I talked to Frances and she did some networking and found you a ride. May all your dreams come true. - Brenda

This is where I read all of the correspondence between them and cried tears of joy. Then I contacted Frances thanked her over and over and asked her if we could set up a meeting with Matthew and she did. When I met Matthew, a Libraries student worker at the AVTE Library, he told me how he loved flying so much that he could not imagine that there was anybody that had never gone up in an air plane. He also said when he talked to his dad, David, he said that this was something they had to do. On April 26 at about 8 p.m. I had my first and maybe my last flight!

This DREAM came true because of two Libraries staff members and one Libraries student and his family. So, I am no longer going to look at how many pats on the back I get, the awards and if I get enough money for what I do — I am going to look more at the people all across Libraries and remember those that helped fulfill a fellow Libraries co-worker’s Dream of Flight. Maybe if we all look a little closer, we might find a Blessing or a DREAM come true.

Cindy with her co-pilots Matthew and David Groh and the plane she flew in.

APRIL SMILE AWARD

Kaitee Hardesty's name was randomly drawn from all those who were SMILED upon in April. She received a $25 Von’s Book Shop gift certificate.

All faculty, administration and staff are invited to send a note of appreciation for a kindness or thoughtfulness given, assistance provided to or by a Libraries, Press or Copyright Office colleague.

To learn more about how to participate in our SMILE Program, please visit and bookmark this page on the Libraries intranet: http://intranet.lib.purdue.edu/display/HR/SMILE+Program/

AROUND THE LIBRARIES

The Hicks Undergraduate Library hosted several study break activities during prep and finals weeks to help students relax and refocus while studying for exams. Students took advantage of going outside to express their creativity with sidewalk chalk drawings and letting the 'little kid' show through with bubble blowing activities. A great time was had by all.