Dean of University Libraries
Rebecca L. Mugridge has been appointed Dean of University Libraries, as of August 26. She had been acting as Interim Dean and Director of University Libraries since Mary Casserly’s retirement. Ms. Mugridge joined the University at Albany in January 2013, as Director of Technical Services and Library Systems. She previously held positions at the Pennsylvania State University, Yale University, Robert Morris University, and the University of Pittsburgh. We will be conducting a search for the Director of Technical Services and Library Systems in the future.
Personnel Highlights:
New hires and promotions
Ms. Camille Chesley is joining the University Libraries as Reference Librarian and Subject Librarian for Journalism. She received her MS in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and was previously Reference and Instruction Librarian at the University of Montevallo. Her research interests include gaming and gamification in library instruction, information literacy assessment, critical librarianship, and diversity and inclusion in library and information science.
David H. Dickinson was hired as Interactive Media Center Training Specialist on July 28, 2016. David has an MA in Interactive Multimedia from Long Island University and a BA in Communications from SUNY Plattsburgh and is currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Leadership.
Cathy Dwyer was appointed Director of Scholarly Communications and Head, Dewey Graduate Library, effective July 14, 2016. In this role, Cathy will oversee scholarly communication and research data management initiatives, including the Libraries’ institutional repository, Scholars Archive. She will also provide administrative leadership, develop goals and objectives, and monitor progress for the Dewey Graduate Library.
Jennifer Moore was hired as part-time reference librarian on August 11.
Ms. Kelsey O’Brien is joining the Information Literacy Department in the University Libraries as senior assistant librarian. Kelsey received her MSIS from the University at Albany, and had come to us from Siena College. Her research and teaching interests focus on alternative credentialing, competency-based learning, gamification, and creative publication tools. Other areas of interest include scaffolded learning, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and addressing the affective needs of students during the research process.
Stephanie Sampsen was hired on May 5, 2016 as the Lending & Access Services Clerk, at the Science Library.
Departures:
Lorre Smith, Subject Librarian for Sociology, Anthropology, Geography and Planning, Linguistics and Cognitive Sciences retired in June.
Gregory Baron, Instructional Support Specialist, also retired in June.
Morissa McQuide resigned as the Evening Circulation Clerk at the University Library to pursue a graduate degree in international education at New York University.
John Heffernan resigned as the Evening Circulation Clerk at the Science Library to return to his former position with the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
Libraries Sponsor Visiting Scholar Librarian from China
In support of President Jones’s vision for internationalization, Yu-Hui Chen, PhD, Subject Librarian for Education and East Asian Studies initiated a collaboration between the University Libraries and the Center for International Education and Global Strategy to recruit librarians from overseas to attend its newly established Institute for International Visiting Scholars (IIVS). Dr. Chen developed a proposal for the Libraries to host an international visiting librarian for the Fall 2016 Semester. The program will allow the visiting librarian to gain an understanding of how American libraries operate by observing many facets of our operation and taking field trips to other libraries. In addition, the visiting librarian would take part in seminars and other cultural activities hosted by IIVS.
On September 12, the University Libraries welcomed its first IIVS visiting librarian, Ms. Rong Xiao. Ms. Xiao works at the Library of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE) in Chengdu, Sichuan. We believe that Ms. Xiao’s visit will provide both the library and the campus community with meaningful exposure to diverse perspectives. This, in turn, will enrich our learning environment. Additionally, this mutually beneficial program can further enhance the existing partnership between SWUFE and the University at Albany.
Renovation of Interactive Media Center
The University Library’s Interactive Media Center (IMC) was renovated over the summer months to facilitate the growing demand for IMC’s services, including equipment loans, and consultation and instruction. The IMC is the only place on campus that lends recording and presentation equipment to UAlbany students, faculty, and staff. Storage space was created to house the ever-increasing volume of equipment needed to support academic research and student activities.
The service desk was redesigned to accommodate lengthier interactions with patrons. An additional sitdown desk area with a double sided monitor was added and will be used to demonstrate how to use recording equipment and to assist students in using applications on Windows and Macs.
Upcoming events include:
Joseph LeDoux, September 27,
http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/Joseph LeDoux is a world-renowned expert on the neurobiology of anxiety and fear. Director of the Emotional Brain Institute at NYU, he has helped to redefine the current understanding of those psychological states and their associated disorders. His new book is Anxious: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety (2015), an accessible, elegantly written guide to the history and science of his field.
Campus Conversations in Standish Speaker Series, September 28,
http://liblogs.albany.edu/librarynews/2016/09/rockefeller_colleges_julie_nov.htmlDr. Julie Novkov, Chair of the Department of Political Science at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, and also a professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies will address "The Supreme Court's 2016 Term: Interesting Times" on Wednesday, September 28, 2016 from 12:35 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Science Library's Patricia and J. Spencer Standish Board Room. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
Open Access Day, October 25, 2016
