In a few weeks, we will be loading up the truck with the Library of Congress (LC) classified books destined for the Library of Engineering and Science in the WALC. At last count, there are approximately 22,000 books from the six libraries, but we still have new books arriving and books will be reclassified as review lists are completed during the next year. Eventually, we will reach the estimated maximum of 30,000. The collection will be a dynamic collection with books transferred to HKRP or withdrawn as new publications are added.

Recently, LC letters and numbers have been on my mind. As I prepared an Excel spreadsheet of the numbers of books within each LC class in each of the six libraries, I knew the majority of the collections would be in Q, R, S, T, G and H. (If you’re not sure what these mean, see https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/). What was surprising was that each of the libraries had some titles in the other classes, such as B, C, M, N and P. Obviously not huge numbers, but titles that are unique and intriguing and may end up on my TBR list:

• The Nobel banquets: a century of culinary history (1901-2001) – (What did Herbert C. Brown eat in 1979?)
• Cod: a biography of fish that changed the world – (One fish, two fish....)
• Symbol source book: an authoritative guide to international graphic symbols – (Did Dan Brown read this?)
• Food and philosophy: eat, drink and be merry – (My personal philosophy!)
• Riffing on strings: creative writing inspired by string theory – (Will anyone but physicists be able to understand the writings?)
• Phake: the deadly world of falsified and substandard medicines – (Phake news?)

On April 6, Instruction Matters: Purdue’s Academic Course Transformation (IMPACT) program hosted the 2017 IMPACT Symposium, featuring Purdue alumna and Kellogg W. Hunt Professor of English and Distinguished Research Professor at Florida State University, Dr. Kathleen Blake Yancey. The symposium included two workshops on writing for learning. Dr. Yancey spoke about the importance of incorporating writing into all academic disciplines, in order to support knowledge transfer to future academic and professional contexts. She also offered concrete examples and suggestions for Purdue faculty and instructors interested in adding writing assignments tailored to their courses and disciplines.

In the morning session on informal writing assignments, Dr. Yancey and the fifty attendees asked questions of a panel of five Purdue undergraduate students (Josey Cline and Lexi Eiler from Wildlife, Danny Zuercher from Landscape Architecture, Kenny Nguyen from Neurophysiology, and Sahej Bains from Biology) who described their experiences with academic writing. The students explained to the audience of faculty and staff what motivates them to complete writing tasks, and what they believe is critical to help other students recognize the value of writing in their academic areas. Thirty people attended the afternoon session, where participants focused on designing writing assignments that feature the writing genres specific to their academic disciplines. Following the day’s workshops, attendees joined Dr. Yancey at the Gerald D. and Edna E. Mann Hall for a reception.

The Symposium was hosted by Purdue’s IMPACT program, a Big Moves initiative that helps instructors redesign their courses to be more student-centered. The planning committee was comprised of Dan Guberman (Chair) and Laura Fritz from the Center for Instructional Excellence, Clarence Maybee and Rachel Fundator from the Purdue Libraries, and Sheree Buikema from Instructional Technology at Purdue.

The Learning Council recently established a new working group: The Libraries Instructional Support Working Group (LISWG). This is the charge of LISWG:

The Libraries Instructional Support Working Group (LISWG) will provide an instructional support network for faculty, staff and administration by unifying support structures across current and future Libraries Divisions. LISWG will:

1. Explore and enable professional development both within our group and other support staff across divisions, so that the benefits of LISWG spread both vertically and laterally within the Libraries.
2. Bolster the current infrastructure that links support staff with pertinent Libraries’ groups (e.g., the Web Steering Committee, IMPACT and the Operations Managers) and Purdue faculty.
3. Ensure that our instructional content is cohesive, high quality and accessible.

The LISWG reports to the Learning Council. Michael Flierl is the liaison from the LISWG to the Learning Council.

Membership:

Purdue Libraries are hosting several study break events in Hicks Undergraduate Library. All events are free and will be held in the main common area. In addition to these events, there will be art relaxation stations, bubble wrap, and Lego building available around the Library.

PREP WEEK
Mon., April 24 – Caring Paws
Students will have the opportunity to interact with therapy animals
7-8 p.m.

Tues., April 25 – Chair Massages
6-8 p.m.

Wed., April 26 – Therapy Dogs International
Students will have the opportunity to interact with therapy dogs
6:30-7:30 p.m.

Thurs., April 27 – Craft Night & Popcorn Bar
Create your own stress ball and enjoy the popcorn bar!
6-8 p.m.

FINALS WEEK
Mon., May 1 – Caring Paws
Students will have the opportunity to interact with therapy animals
7-8 p.m.

Tues., May 2 – Craft Night & Popcorn Bar
Bury your stress–decorate a pot and plant a seed to take home. Enjoy the popcorn bar!
6-8 p.m.

Wed., May 3 – Sidewalk Chalk and Bubbles
Watch your stress away float away by blowing bubbles, and tap into your inner artist and decorate sidewalks around Hicks with chalk
6:30-7:30 p.m.

Thurs., May 4 – Chair Massages.
6-8 p.m.

Clarence Maybee, the Libraries’ Information Literacy Specialist, and Chantal Levesque Bristol, Director of Purdue’s Center for Instructional Excellence, travelled over spring break to Lima, Peru to help a new technology university develop a program similar to Purdue’s Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation (IMPACT). The institution, Universidad de Ingeniería y Technología (UTEC), was opened in 2011 and enrolls about 1200 students. Elizabeth Barajas, Global Programs Coordinator for the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, arranged the visit. Across the week, Maybee, Levesque Bristol and Barajas met with several instructors and worked closely with staff developing a new teaching support center at UTEC. Using Purdue’s IMPACT program as a model, the new teaching center will work with instructors to create active, student-centered learning environments in UTEC courses.

All 2017 (May, August and December) graduating seniors and their immediate supervisors have been invited to a dinner that will be hosted by Dean of Libraries, Jim Mullins.They will be recognized for their dedicated service to the Purdue University Libraries and each Student will receive a Purdue Libraries mug and a letter of appreciation.

Gene Ann Fausett was randomly drawn from all those who were SMILED upon in March. 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.

2017 Library Scholars Presentations

Presentations by past Library Scholars Grant recipients were held in the Swaim Instruction Center on April 6. Pictured is Silvia Mitchell, assistant professor of History, talking about her research conducted in Spain for her project title, “Anglo-Spanish Relations during the Regency of Queen Mariana of Austria, 1665-1675.” Other presenters included: Jennifer Zaspel, assistant professor of Entomology; Rebekah Klein-Pejšová, associate professor of History; Yvonne Pitts, associate professor of History; and Brett Crawford, assistant professor of Technology Leadership and Innovation.