The
Network: Personalities
Amanda French, Coordinator of E-Learning
and Reserves Services
When Amanda French came to Emory from North Carolina State University in October 2007, she took on duties with three important libraries technology projects: Reserves Direct, iTunes U and Primo.
Reserves
Direct
French is the project manager for Reserves Direct, working with technical
lead Jason White. They are developing the next version
of this open source software with plans to better integrate it with
Blackboard in particular, but also with LearnLink, and eventually with ILLiad and possibly the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC). ReservesDirect is also being developed to automate some or all copyright compliance checking; Heather Williams, the libraries’copyright specialist and rights management coordinator, currently checks all Reserves Direct submissions for copyright compliance manually.
Additional enhancements to Reserves Direct might include a more seamless way of adding reserves, as well as the ability to track requests and get data on reserves, such as turnaround time and the number of new items vs. carry-overs from previous semesters.
iTunes
U
French has been designated the iTunes U Champion for the Emory Libraries.
In this role she has been named a member of the University Technology
Services iTunes U Project group. This group developed an iTunes U portal
that is available to the university community only. Library staff can
access this site
in a test version now if they have downloaded the iTunes
U software. Emory is moving toward making a public iTunes U
repository available in the fall, when it expects to have the necessary
critical mass needed to launch such a site, French said.
“My role with the libraries is largely to set up some processes for capturing materials and for uploading it to the private site specifically, and hopefully those processes will translate to the iTunes U public site,” she explained. “Once we have that set up, we will be publicizing it to the rest of the libraries to make sure that people who do have content that is interesting or useful to people at Emory can upload it.”
The “Library Survival Guide” and the library tour are already on the private site and would also be appropriate for the public site, as would symposia and lectures by guest speakers. Materials for the private site might include Libraries Director Rick Luce’s chats, staff forums and other items. iTunes U can handle video, audio, enhanced audio (audio with slides) and PDF documents, French said.
“Some people have speculated that because iTunes U can handle PDF’s it might replace Reserves Direct, but I don’t really expect that to happen because of the copyright issues involved,” she said.
“iTunes U is also a great place for research,” French noted. “A lot of it is just discovering what is out there. The iTunes software also allows you to choose to share what you’ve downloaded, whether it’s iTunes U content, podcasts, or music. Other Libraries staff members have shared what they have downloaded or copied from CD. If you have the iTunes software and are on the GENLIBAD network, you’ll find not only my ‘library’ of content, but also the libraries of Scott Turnbull, software engineer, Sarah Ward, interlibrary loan specialist, and Marcus Rodriguez, desktop computer support specialist, for example.”
The next step is to designate a staff member to upload iTunes U content from each library, French noted.
Primo
Implementation
Building on her experience at N.C. State, French also is working on the
usability sub-team for the Primo Portal Implementation Project. Usability
studies determine whether people can use an interface to do what it is
designed to accomplish.
The library will be conducting usability studies on the libraries’ current discovery tools, i.e., the libraries’ numerous web sites. Arthur Murphy, web services leader, has set up a usability lab on Level 1 using the Morae software to formally capture and record how a user answers various test questions. Reference librarians know much of this type of information informally, but this software records the screen activity in a very formal way, French explained.
“We will be
conducting the tests on a variety of people with varying research interests
now and after Primo goes live to determine any problems,” French
said.
The Network: High Fives
…to Melanie Bunn, Woodruff Library’s circulation and stacks leader, who began new supervisory responsibilities in the Storage Library beginning Feb. 11, 2008. Bunn will manage daily operations at the Storage Library, including retrieval, shelving, document delivery and staff scheduling. She’ll report to Library Preservation Officer Lars Meyer about Storage Library matters and to Frances Maloy, director of access services, about Woodruff Library Access Services Division matters. Lars will continue his work developing policies and priorities for the Storage Library in collaboration with Librarians' Council and librarians, archivists and curators throughout the libraries.
…to Kitty McNeil, director of the Oxford College Library, her library team and the development staff who worked on the Oxford Library’s mini-case statement for the campaign. The document won a CASE DISTRICT III Award for fundraising at the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education Conference held in Atlanta, Feb. 17-20, 2008.
…to Randall Burkett, curator of African-American collections, who was filmed on Feb. 2 by documentary filmmaker Laura Zinger. Burkett was featured along with materials from the Amos P. Kennedy Jr. collection.
…to all library staff members who helped make the recent Salman Rushdie events such great successes: “The New Covenants in Special Collections” symposium on Feb. 1, continuing through the development dinner that evening in MARBL, and culminating in the Rushdie lecture “Autobiography and the Novel” and reception on Feb. 10. These successful events created very positive buzz about all the good things that are happening in the Emory Libraries. Thanks to all MARBL staff, and special thanks to Nancy Books, Jessica Burris, Donna Bradley, Ginger Cain, Laura Carroll, Steve Enniss, Charles Forrest, Denise Funk, Bill Holden, Dennis House, Sandra Jefferson, Terence Jefferson, Carl Jeter, Susan Potts McDonald, Lea McLees, Mayfred Nall, Keith Nash, Naomi Nelson, Joyce Piatt, Elizabeth Russey, Kathy Shoemaker and Marcia Wade.
The Emory Libraries’ own Lars Meyer, preservation officer for the Emory University Libraries, is one of two campus employees selected to attend the Frye Leadership Institute on campus in June. Also among the 48 members of the class of 2008 will be Emory’s Paul Petersen, director of architecture/engineering in University Technology Services (UTS), A total of 48 participants from as close as Atlanta and as far away as France, Hong Kong and South Africa will participate in the 2008 training.
The Frye Leadership Institute develops creative leaders to guide and transform academic services for information higher education in the 21st century. The institute seeks to bring to tomorrow's higher education leadership the insights and understanding of the issues that will inform this framework, including academic, technology, economic, public policy, student and constituent-relations
dynamics. The two-week, on-campus program in June is followed by a year-long practicum project for each participant.
Past Emory participants in the Frye Leadership Institute have included: Barbara Brandt, manager of classroom technologies in academic technology services; Alan Cattier, director of academic technology services; Martin Halbert, director of library systems; Kitty McNeill, director of the Oxford College library; Frances Maloy, director of access services; Linda Matthews, former vice provost and director of libraries; and Carole Meyers, senior director of information technology and facilities for Emory College. John Ellis, director of infrastructure technical services for UTS, also is a Frye Institute alum who we were lucky enough to entice away from the University of Memphis!
The Frye Leadership Institute is named in honor of Billy E. Frye, now retired, who served as Chancellor and Provost of Emory University and is a distinguished leader in higher education. Emory University is a co-sponsor of the Frye Leadership Institute together with the Council for Library and Information Resources (CLIR) and EDUCAUSE.
The Network: The Roster
Welcome!
…to Kerri-Ann
Ferguson, human resources assistant, who joined the library’s
human resources office on Jan. 23. Kerri-Ann has several years of experience
working with students and staff in the Admissions Office of Clayton State
University, where she also earned her B.S. degree in May 2007. You can
reach her at 7-6885 or kfergu3@emory.edu.
When Nancy Books arrived at the Emory libraries in July 1979 as one of the first librarians hired by then-director Ted Johnson, she served as head of the humanities and social sciences reference department. Located on the main floor (level 2) of the original Woodruff Library building, that reference department was distinct from the science collection and its science reference desk on the ground floor (level 1).
One of Nancy’s first Emory experiences was a flood on the main floor that sent water cascading all the way down to the ground floor. The culprit was an unfortunate collision of deck repairs to fixleaks, open drains and a sudden summer thunderstorm. Early in her tenure, Nancy set up a suggestion box and heard from a student who suggested that the library create a place where students could go for help when they had a paper or needed information. Displaying her usual sense of humor, Nancy thanked him, credited him with a brilliant idea, and announced that the library had created a reference desk just to address his concerns.
In 1981, following a library reorganization, Nancy became head of general reference and director of public services. In late 1983, she took maternity leave for the birth of her twins, Christine and Beth. Nancy returned from leave in 1984 and worked at the reference desk. Then in 1985, she resumed her former role as director of public services.
Her decision to leave that position resulted in one of the library’s most memorable catering capers. Even as guests were arriving in the Woodruff Room for the farewell party, the caterer’s business partner was cleaning out the company’s bank account and taking off with the company’s van, which contained every morsel of food for Nancy’s party. All was not lost however, as there was plenty of wine along with vegetables, cheese and crackers rustled up in a rush from the nearby DeKalb Farmers’ Market and from the Houston Mill House.
Nancy never really left the library, returning when appointed publications editor by interim director Larry Kipp in October 1987. Since then, Nancy has been involved in the library’s communications and publicity efforts. Most staff members know Nancy as the editor of 496 issues of the library’s newsletter General News. Such regular communication has had a positive effect on morale for generations of library staff. Each year, the steady flow of information in General News was interrupted by Generally News, the eagerly anticipated April Fool’s Day issue for which Nancy and her secret team of writers are famous. Nancy also helped plan and execute the transition from General News to the KeyWords newsletter you are reading right now.
Nancy will be missed by many, including Lea McLees, director of communications.
“I have really appreciated Nancy’s knowledge of all things libraries at Emory,” Lea said. “Nancy has worked here for 28 years, knows everyone and has a stellar memory. She also has a great sense of humor. We have laughed together just as hard as we have worked together, and I value that immensely.”
Nancy, we’ll miss you and wish you and your family well!
…to Jocelyn Johnson, administration office.
…to Shavon McNeary, reserves.
…to Urvashi Gadi, digital programs and systems.
…to Mae Bell Jackson of the Acquisitions Team, upon the recent death of her sister.
Robert W. Woodruff Library, 540 Asbury Circle
Atlanta, Georgia 30322