Campus Updates

[alana]

Please share any campus updates using this thread! Thank you!

[Tina Kiernan]

Dutchess Community College is thrilled to welcome Anne Deutsch as our new Library Director.  Anne comes to us from SUNY New Paltz.  Her leadership roles there included: Instruction Program Coordinator, Research and Education Team Leader, Chair of the General Education Board, and Co-Chair of the MSCHE Ethics and Integrity Working Group.  Anne has also worked at Rasmussen College as a Campus Librarian, Subject Matter Expert, and Instructor and at Minneapolis Community and Technical College as an Instructor. Prior to her career in librarianship, she was the Director of Development for several nonprofits and the NYC Department of Education. Anne earned an MS in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology at University at Albany - SUNY, and an MLS at Queens College - CUNY.  Welcome aboard, Anne!

Presently happening at the Ritz Library is on-going work with faculty to integrate zines into the curriculum and development of a unique work-study project for the fall.  We are also working directly with the Teaching Learning Center to flesh out the professional development collection and to include links to various resources on our libguides for campus-wide use.  Our liaison work and collection development for departments continues and our work to bring information literacy to the dorms through the Learning Commons is in full swing this semester.  Also, our embedded librarian program continues to grow on campus.  This semester is the first time that a librarian has been completely embedded into an online only classes for DCC’s Direct Support Professional program.





 

[Chrissy O'Grady]

As Tina from DCC shared, Anne Deutsch left NP after 11 years to become DCC's new Library Director.  Of her many accomplishments while at NP, Anne served in leadership positions, mentored several librarians, and created lasting collaborations across campus that enhanced and supported information literacy. Although we miss her, we are thrilled she stayed within the SUNY system!

Natalie Brill joined STL as an ILL Clerk 2 in Feb. Natalie previously worked in prison and public libraries. Welcome, Natalie!

Two librarians received sabbatical leaves for 2024-25! I will try to share more information about their sabbatical projects in the next newsletter.

The library held it's annual Celebration of Faculty Authors event on March 6th. 17 faculty were celebrated at the event for publishing book-length works in their areas of expertise. Read the campus re-cap here: https://sites.newpaltz.edu/news/2024/03/celebration-of-faculty-authors-2024/

Morgan Gwenwald, Outreach Librarian & Head of Special Collections, has begun to create digital newsletters to share current library news. Morgan and a library student employee are working to have those newsletters shared via Instagram (@sunynplibrary)

Our annual Poem in Your Pocket celebration call for poems is now live. I would love to hear if other campuses are planning poetry month events and how we can support each others efforts. Email me at ogradyc@newpaltz.edu if you do something similar! Feel free to browse poetry from previous years and maybe submit a poem yourself: https://newpaltz.libguides.com/pocketpoems

[Adam Saunders]

The SUNY Morrisville Library has been at the forefront of planning our 2024 Solar Eclipse events on and leading up to April 8th. On March 1st speaker Matt Fagan from the Syracuse Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology (MOST) was on campus to talk about the eclipse. This event was free and open to the students, faculty, staff, and the public. Coming up on March 25th we will be providing transport to a private presentation at the Colgate Hung Visualization Laboratory (VisLab). The presentation titled Following the Shadow of the Moon: Scientific and Cultural Perspectives from around the Globe will allow students to explore their historical significance and learn about their profound impact throughout history. Finally on the day of the eclipse we will be out in our academic quad passing out free solar eclipse glasses, showcasing a scale model of the inner solar system, having helioscopes and sunspot viewers available, among a number of other amazing activities. We are hoping for a good show that day!

[Dana Laird]

SUNY Brockport has hired a temporary part-time archivist who will be starting in late April. We are excited to welcome them! More information will be shared in an upcoming newsletter.

Drake Memorial Library welcomed Deborah Brague as Library Clerk II in Circulation in January. She was a student worker during her undergraduate career, and we are so happy to have her back!

We are planning our end of semester events, including extended hours before exam week and stress relief activities.

[Kate Brent]

Here at Cobleskill, the library hosted a midterm "Pause for Paws" therapy dogs session at last week and will have another the week before finals.

Our monthly Saturday Crafternoons continue, with the next on April 13.

Cobleskill will see only 97% totality for the eclipse, but we will have programming for it rain (NASA live stream) or shine (telescope set up for solar observation).  Hopefully it is "shine," because we also have some eclipse glasses to give out to students.

All our events are viewable on our shiny new events Libcal that our e-resources librarian, Faye Starman, created: https://cobleskill.libcal.com/calendar?cid=18765.

[jenndevito]

We are sad to announce that former interim Dean of the University Libraries Shafeek Fazal passed away. Shafeek joined the Stony Brook University Libraries in 2014 as the Associate Dean for Library Technology, Discovery, and Digital Initiative. From 2018-2022, he also served as the Interim Dean. He was an advocate for our library and a kind and supportive colleague. He is dearly missed.

SBU Libraries staff news:
We welcome Louis Rodriquez as an Evening Weekend Supervisor in Access & User Services.

Caterina Reed is now the Academic Engagement Librarian. Caterina has worked at the Stony Brook University Libraries since 2020 as an Instructional Support Associate in the Content Acquisitions and Services. She started in her new role on February 8, 2024.

Congratulations to Sunny Chung, Health Sciences Librarian, who was recognized by the Medical Library Association as a Rising Star. https://library.stonybrook.edu/2024/02/15/health-sciences-librarian-sunny-chung-selected-for-the-mla-rising-star-program/

The University Libraries hosted an event to promote the strengthening of research skills in high school students. The Ready for Success Summit was held on March 15. https://library.stonybrook.edu/2024/03/11/summit-on-strengthening-research-skills-in-high-school/

[Jocelyn Ireland]

MVCC Utica campus library is excited to welcome back Venerable Tenzin Yignyen, ordained Tibetan Buddhist Monk, to create a ceremonial sand mandala based on the theme of compassion from April 15-18. https://www.mvcc.edu/news/2024-03-13-monk-returns-to-mvcc-for-sand-mandala-demonstration.php

For the month of February, there was an interactive "I Love my Library Because" bulletin board in Utica.  Visitors wrote what they love about the library. See attached picture. Thank you to the front desk staff and librarian Kristen VanValkenburg for putting that together.

We recently hired a new library clerk. Welcome Elaine Ojeda!

We will have more updates for the next newsletter!

[cfishner]

Delhi's library partnered with our Center for Student Leadership and Engagement during the first week of the semester to hold a "Book Fair" - we provided free books and fun little items as giveaways. Set up like an old-school book fair, students were able to come in and browse and take one book and a couple small items (like bookmarks and pens). The event was a huge success and is being planned again for next spring.

The library participated in the campus How To series of talks with Librarian Carrie Fishner presenting "How not to be TRAAPed in Research"

We are also planning some eclipse events for the campus, although we will only be at 97% totality. Librarian Carrie Fishner has been on the SCRLC Eclipse Task Force as well.

We are looking ahead now to end of the semester events including Therapy Dog visits, our next is scheduled for March 29th, and more Stress Less activities after that throughout April and May.

Respectfully,
Carrie Fishner, Delegate

[kstanwicks]

We are hosting an event on 3/27 to seek feedback from students on space and service design. We will have technology, furniture, wayfinding, and design concepts for students to explore and provide feedback on.

Personnel: our search for the next Director of Academic Success is underway, and we are recruiting for a Personnel Coordinator

UAlbany is hosting the IDS conference this July, and we hope to see a number of colleagues from SUNY libraries in Albany.

The Libraries charged working groups to explore marketing and outreach, digital scholarship, operational efficiencies, and student success. These groups are exploring paths forward in each of these areas for our libraries.

Amanda Lowe will be awarded the President's Award for Excellence in Librarianship on April 4.

The Libraries, in partnership with ITS, rolled out free printing for students this semester.

UAlbany Libraries received Insight into Diversity Magazine's inaugural Library Excellence in Access and Diversity Award.

[mbeechey]

MCC's Brighton Campus Library is currently displaying works by Artist in Residence, Political Cartoonist, and Illustrator Pedro X Molina who also spoke on campus this week.

The Libraries are planning for upcoming Scholars' Day and Celebration of Learning events, as well as Take a Brain Break week at the end of the semester.  We have increased the frequency of therapy dog visits which are now happening several times a week and include more than one dog friend.

[Rebecca Hewitt]

SUNY Polytechnic welcomed Susan Webster in the new position of Library Evening Operations Assistant this month!
We look forward to introducing Susan to the SUNYLA community soon.

Best wishes all,
Rebecca