After 32 years in the Purdue University Libraries, Nancy Hewison, associate dean for planning and administration and professor, will retire from Purdue on June 30, 2017. Nancy joined the Libraries in July 1985 as an assistant professor and assistant librarian in the Life Sciences Library, after serving as head of reference and online services at Tufts University Medical and Dental Library in Boston and Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon.

Early in her Purdue career, Nancy was instrumental in bringing to Purdue direct end-user access to online databases. At that time, all database searches were performed by a librarian, following a reference interview, and the Libraries then billed the user to cover the cost of online time. Because of her efforts, Compendex and a group of Wilson databases, selected with undergraduate student users in mind, became directly accessible to end users at no cost.   

Nancy thoroughly enjoyed her work as a reference librarian: finding answers in response to reference questions (especially complex ones), performing online searches for library users, advising them on doing their own searches, and making referrals to knowledgeable individuals who could answer a user’s question. More than once, she was heard to say “If I wasn’t being paid to do this work, I would pay to be allowed to do it.” She also supported the reference work of other librarians by providing training and publishing in-depth reviews of   databases. In 1991, while continuing as a reference librarian in the Life Sciences Library, Nancy also served as interim pharmacy, nursing and health sciences librarian.

In 1992-1996, Nancy became planning librarian, reporting to then-Dean Emily Mobley, and led the Libraries’ first strategic planning effort, engaging Libraries faculty and staff, as well as members of user groups, in an organizational change process. Later, as director of administrative services from 1996-2004, she led the Libraries’ second strategic planning effort and prepared the architectural program plan for the renovation of the 60,000-square-foot Humanities, Social Science and Education Library (HSSE). 

As associate dean for planning and administrative services under Dean Jim Mullins from 2004 to the present, Nancy provided leadership for facilities, human resources performance management, and safety and ergonomics staff development, as well as guidance for the Libraries faculty promotion and tenure process. She collaborated with the dean, associate/assistant deans, and others in leading recent planning efforts, and enjoyed the opportunities to contribute, often in behind-the-scenes roles, to the exciting and significant changes and initiatives Purdue Libraries has made under Dean Mullins’ leadership. She is looking forward to the opening of the Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center, just one example of the many ways that Purdue Libraries has become a leader among academic research libraries. Nancy values the opportunities she has had to support diversity in the library and information science profession and at Purdue, contribute to campus safety and emergency planning, and participate in the renovation of a variety of Libraries spaces to meet changing user needs.

Reflecting on her Purdue career, Nancy notes that her transition from reference librarian to administrator resulted in many satisfying opportunities to support the Libraries’ achievements in meeting the changing needs of the Purdue community. Coaching and mentoring Libraries faculty and staff, and being able to contribute to their success, has been a source of satisfaction. With regard to leaving reference work behind many years ago to work in administration, she says, “I recently realized that one of the reasons I’ve so much enjoyed my job as a Libraries associate dean is that a lot of it is about finding answers to complex questions, gathering information, making helpful referrals, and assisting others in solving problems. In other words, it’s reference work!”

When asked what she has enjoyed most about the Purdue Libraries, Nancy says without hesitation, “The people! The staff and faculty of the Libraries, Scholarly Publishing, and Copyright Office are talented and committed people who care about each other as well as about meeting the needs of our users. It’s been wonderful being part of this community. I wish you all the best – and I will miss you!”

Comments from Nancy's coworkers

• “Nancy and I were peers, both starting in the Libraries in 1984. I left five years later and came back in 1993 to find Nancy had become Planning Librarian. I saw in her someone who “climbed the ladder”. When the opportunity for me to become associate dean of research came 12 years later, her example helped me in making the decision to move into an administrative role. We became peers again, and I have appreciated working with her these many years.” — Scott Brandt
• “I don’t know if Nancy was a cheerleader when she was in school, but I do know she has always been one of the Libraries’ biggest cheerleaders. Her enthusiasm and smiling face will be missed. 2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate?! Nancy, Nancy, Nancy. Best wishes for your retirement!” — Mary Sego
• “It has been great to work with Nancy, who has so much knowledge of Purdue Libraries history and practice!” — Sharon Weiner
• “Nancy was one of the first people I met in the Purdue Libraries when I came to interview for my position back in 2003. Her kindness and professionalism impressed me that day, as it has many times since then. One of my favorite conversations with Nancy was when we were talking about the winter weather and she told me about the time she skied to campus. That image brought such a smile to my face, perhaps because I grew up so far from anywhere that snowed regularly that I couldn’t imagine skiing to work myself. After I was promoted to associate professor, she and her husband Bob welcomed me into their home with a lovely dinner. They have exquisite taste in food and art. I will miss Nancy and I’m grateful for her many years of being a mentor to me and all she has done for the Libraries.” — Sammie Morris
• “For those of us old enough to remember the commercial for Life Cereal, when three quite young brothers were given it for breakfast for the first time - the two older brothers said, “Let Mikey try it”, (Mikey being the youngest one). Sure enough, Mikey liked it. The brothers were shown all happily eating Life Cereal. Well, we don’t have a Mikey, but we have had Nancy as our person to explore, investigate, pilot and guide us as we have approached new or revised processes, policies and programs. We will be forever in her debt for her commitment to providing the highest support to us all and to our constituencies. Thank you, Nancy." — Jim Mullins
• “In 1992, I was appointed to serve on the Structure Action Team with Nancy serving as ‘Leader.' I knew right from the start that I would learn a lot from being on this team. Nancy has always worked tirelessly to make the Purdue Libraries a better working environment and learning organization. She always challenges me to think outside the box and always takes a positive approach to situations. I will miss her smile, words of encouragement, knowledge and love for the color purple! Thank you, Nancy, for all that you accomplished and your friendship.” — Teresa Brown
• “As you can imagine, there is a bit of a culture shock when coming from the corporate world and owning your own business, to working in the academic world in a world-class university. I could not have asked for a better guide, mentor and supervisor than Nancy. From my first day, I felt welcomed and a valuable member of the team. She also has wonderful listening skills – during our weekly meetings, I always felt that she not only heard me – but also understood and that she cared about me as an individual. As a supervisor, she has the ability to apply a gentle nudge to correct my course, until I was back on the right path. One “hmmm” from her was all that was required! One of Nancy’s most valuable attributes is her encyclopedic institutional knowledge. I loved listening to her explanations and histories as I dealt with issues that were new to me. During our weekly update meetings, she would often tell me the history of a building from the beginning! And, if she didn’t know an answer – she always knew someone who did. I wish her only the best in her retirement, and luck for her future endeavors!” — Nanette Andersson

Please join us for a reception in Nancy’s honor on Wednesday, June 28 from 3-4:30 p.m. in the West Faculty Lounge of the Purdue Memorial Union.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP by June 22, 2017 to http://go.lib.purdue.edu/events/hewison

David Hovde is retiring June 30, 2017, after 28 years at Purdue University Libraries

David began his Purdue career in 1989, when he joined the Libraries as the Sociology and Anthropology Bibliographer and Reference Librarian in the Humanities, Social Science, and Education Library (HSSE). Some of his early tasks were training HSSE staff on the new online catalog and the Purdue Libraries’ first CD-ROM product, ERIC. Over the years, he took on additional responsibilities in HSSE, such as serving as the reference coordinator and web master. He also was an early adopter of online technologies, creating the first Gopher site by a bibliographer at Purdue and a similar one in Web format, when it became available, containing bibliographies of Sociology and Anthropology links. He has many fond memories of his days as head of reference in HSSE. The HSSE reference desk, at its height, had a staff of 27 people; faculty, staff and graduate students that handled as many as 400 questions a day.

In 2003, David was featured in the August 1 issue of the Libraries newsletter, Inside Scoop, for his help in restoring the American Merchant Marine Library Association’s archives collection that was destroyed in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. He had visited the AMMLA offices in 1991, where he made copies of glass plate negatives, bookplates, bookmarks, promotional literature, and newsletters and was given duplicate copies of some items for his research on American benevolent societies that provided small portable libraries to various groups in the fringe of American society. The material that David brought back to Indiana was all that was left of the collection after the attack, and his efforts to return original documents and photocopies helped to rebuild some of the original collection.

In 2007, David began working in the small, but rapidly growing, Archives and Special Collections unit of the Libraries as Reference and Instruction Librarian.

During his ten years with the Archives and Special Collections, instruction requests grew rapidly, and David forged important connections with instructors of English 106 classes, which he taught frequently. David also conducted frequent in-depth research into various aspects of Purdue history, always responding enthusiastically to requests for information from Marketing and Media, the University News Service, Purdue Today, and the Exponent. He published articles and books on various aspects of Purdue history, such as the tank scrap tradition, Battery B, agricultural extension, and student life and traditions. He collected valuable information on the history of Purdue’s buildings and helped acquire archival materials for the collection.

David has contributed to the library profession through leadership in a variety of ALA committees, chairing 11 and serving as a member of 14. He has served in a leadership capacity with ALA’s Library History Roundtable for over a decade. He has published numerous works in library and information science, history, and archaeology publications, including co-authoring two books and an ACRL Spec Kit, seven book chapters, ten journal articles, five memoir chapters, and 26 archaeological reports. He has worked in an editorial capacity on four professional journals, a newsletter, and a book series.

He has always believed in giving back to the community. As well as being active in the Mulberry Friends of the Library Board, TCHA, the Camp Tippecanoe Civil War Round Table, and the Boy Scouts; he has delivered fifty-five local presentations for groups like WALLA, TCHA, Greater Lafayette Museum of Art, the Camp Tippecanoe Civil War Round Table, the Rotary, reading clubs, public libraries, and schools.

David will be missed, but I know he is looking forward to having more time to devote to a variety of research projects, including a forthcoming visual history of Purdue that he is working on collaboratively with colleagues in Archives and Special Collections. His plans for retirement include continuing work on his sabbatical projects and continuing his volunteer work with the Tippecanoe County Historical Association and Boy Scouts of America. He is also looking forward to expanding his pottery business.

Please join us for a reception in David’s honor on Thursday, June 29 from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Swaim Conference Room on the 4th floor in the HSSE Library.

Purdue University hosted the second Annual National Institutes of Health (NIH) Boot Camp in KRAN 250 in the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management and Economics, June 3-11. This nine-day intensive Boot Camp provided biomedical researchers, who were inexperienced in biomedical big data science, with entry-level training in big data science. The Boot Camp offered the researchers a series of problem-based activities, through which they could achieve familiarity and build basic competency with established tools and publicly available resources. Formal lectures (on topics important for big data science) complemented the activities.

There were Ph.D. candidates, post-doctoral students, faculty and clinicians from across the United States here to learn about Big Data for Translational Omics.

The project is co-funded through the Department of Statistics, with co-principal investigators from the Department of Nutrition and the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. 

While no Purdue Libraries faculty members are formally associated with the project grant, Libraries Assistant Professor Pete Pascuzzi was asked to join the project, informally, as an instructor and a course developer. Purdue Research Computing was also involved informally and provided access to computing resources.

A special thanks goes out to RaeLynn Boes, who was hugely helpful in reserving the space and arranging access to the Parrish Library on weekends and after hours.

Carol Deputy
Library Assistant
Acquisitions & E-Resources
Collections & Access

Born and raised in Lafayette, Purdue has always felt like a second home. From family traditions growing up to my own time working through high school at the Engineering Library. After spending a year and a half at Ivy Tech, I found my way into the optical industry. While working in that area for three years that ranged from optician to technician, I felt the need to continue to grow. As they say, life comes around full circle and I couldn’t be happier to find myself back here. I’ve been in Acquisitions since May 16, and look forward to learning all I can at the Purdue Libraries.

My primary duties will be ordering monographs in all formats, receiving print approval plans, firm orders and standing orders. I will also be processing serial transfers and withdrawals.

Some of my hobbies include photography, drawing, and spending Saturdays in the fall tailgating and going to the Purdue football games with family and friends. My office is located in STEW 370 and I can be reached by email at cdeputy@purdue.edu or by phone 49-47970.

Meet the Patrons of Purdue Libraries
BY EMILY LITTLE and LISA CARTER

“I am currently researching the history of American office cubicles or “open plan offices,” and this summer am digging through old design periodicals from Hicks Repository to find stories, images, and ads related to the history of American office design and office furniture. As a new faculty member at Purdue, I feel especially grateful for the amazing staff in the Purdue Libraries and Special Collections who have bent over backwards to help connect me with the materials I need. For students just getting started in research, the most important advice I can offer is to be patient with the research process. You are not always going to find a useful or relevant source right away, but persistence and creativity in research will pay off. Try not to get too fixated on one narrow set of ideas, subject areas, or search terms, but instead take some time to explore the intersections and connections on the edges and margins of your topic; often the most interesting and relevant things are in places you never would have thought to look initially. Finally, some of your most valuable allies in any research project are the library staff—don’t be afraid to ask for help!”

Jennifer Kaufmann-Buhler is an assistant professor of Design History in the Department of Art and Design and a recipient of a 2017 Library Scholar Grant.