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Resources Newsletter

Summer 2019

Steve Metcalf
Steve Metcalf
People come and go in our lives, daily. Some, make major impacts on how we think, react, explore, and act.  We learn from these people and we get to stand on their broad shoulders.

Over the years, I have gotten to work with the best of the best when it comes to the Presidents’ College (PC) and Steve Metcalf is no exception.  Steve leaves our program after administrating the PC for the past three years. He brought in speakers to test our knowledge and broaden our thoughts and minds.  Some speakers had us questioning what we took for granted.

But, to everything there is a reason and grandchildren had a greater hold on Steve than me locking him in his office. We want to thank Steve for helping push the envelope on our lectures and courses and we wish him well in all his future endeavors. 

So, in the meantime as we wait for an official acceptance on our offer for the next director, I will be the interim the next few semesters. I look forward to all your help and suggestions as I build the spring 2020 program.

Thank you,

Randi Ashton-Pritting
Director, Harrison Libraries and the new sheriff in town.
Libraries Online Catalog
You might already know that you can use the dropdown options in our online catalog toolbar, hartford.waldo.kohalibrary.com to perform more advanced searches. For example, you can search for authors or items in the reserves collection or search for DVDs found in just the Allen Library, or for items written in German. But did you know that you can use the catalog to search in other collections?

Try it out! The next time you are looking in the catalog at a book (you can use this for other resources, but it doesn’t work as well for non-print resources) take a look at the “Title Actions” box on the right-hand side. There you’ll find a button called “Search for this title in…"

It will give you the option to search for your item in a few more places like WorldCat, the largest catalog of resources the world has ever seen. This is really useful if you are off campus and you want to see if a library within driving distance has a copy you can borrow.

You can also do a search on the title in Google Scholar to see what other researchers have written. The “Google Preview” button, located under the book jacket images, can take you to a Google Books page with even more information and options.

Lastly, you can try a resource called Library Thing. This is a free utility, supported by readers around the globe. There you can read book reviews and get recommendations for other books you might like. You can also use Library Thing to catalog your own collection of books!

These options work best from a computer browser, so if you are on a mobile device, just select “view in desktop mode” to see these features. Soon, you’ll be a power user, too!
Jillian Maynard
Jillian Maynard
As a fellow in the SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) Open Education Leadership Program, Harrison Libraries Reference Librarian Jillian Maynard completed a capstone project in which she revitalized the existing OER LibGuide for the University.

The new LibGuide, to debut in fall 2019, includes three main sections:
  • What is OER?
  • Where can I find OER?
  • What is happening on campus?
Each section contains captioned video tutorials to help faculty learn more about OER, navigate the repositories, and find out how they can start their own OER journey. It also has a section highlighting the grant projects from the 2017-18 OER Adopt, Adapt, and Create Grants. The process of creating the guide involved surveying numerous OER coordinators across the country for feedback on the dos and don’ts of designing an online resource, and synthesizing and sharing the information with the OER community.

Additionally, the practice of putting the guide together was a true example of the spirit of being “Open.” Maynard created parts of the guide, but there were pieces adopted and adapted from other openly licensed guides. It was a great lesson in practicing what the OER community preaches, and it opened up channels of communication nationally with other OER coordinators. The hope is that the guide will be another educational tool to use when helping faculty who want to learn more about OER and start some of the research on their own. Also, the guide is openly licensed, so that other institutions starting their own OER initiatives could potentially use it as a starting point to create their own. To see the guide, visit libguides.hartford.edu/GettingStartedwithOER.
Mike Anderson has continued to perform in concerts across Connecticut, including University of Connecticut operas, a concert with premieres of works by The Hartt School Community Division composition students, and a recent Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra concert with a program of music by Hartt faculty and alumni.

Zachary Gilbert traveled with the Cathedral of St. Joseph's Schola Cantorum from Hartford to sing a mass at St. Patrick’s cathedral in New York for the beatification ceremony of Mother Celia Merloni, foundress of the Order of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He will also sing with Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus (Torrington, CT) on a CD of works commissioned for that ensemble.

Kyle Lynes traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to attend the 2019 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Conference. Held every two years, this conference features library-related topics specific to college and university libraries. Each of the sessions focused on this year’s theme, Recasting the Narrative, by addressing the challenges that academic librarians face while navigating the ever-changing landscape of higher education. Some of the underlying themes included diversity and inclusion; challenges and pressures our students are facing; and meaningful assessment in a big data world.

Jennifer Olson was appointed in March 2019 to serve a four-year term on the Music Library Association’s Vocabularies Subcommittee of the Cataloging and Metadata Committee (CMC), which works to maintain and update national-level vocabularies (such as the Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms), and maintains best practices documentation for using those vocabularies when describing music materials. She also participated in the 2018-20 cohort for the Laura Johnson Program for Women Leaders, a leadership development program for women faculty and staff at the University of Hartford.

Sean Parke attended the New England Archivists’ 2019 Spring Meeting in Burlington, VT, during which he spent an afternoon volunteering at the Vermont Queer Archives, and attended a number of sessions and panels on the conference’s theme of collaboration.

Tracey Rudnick continued her role on the Music Library Association’s Board of Directors, and in February 2019 became MLA’s Administrative Officer, which oversees the financial and administrative functions of the Association. This role works closely with the Association's president, board, business office, and special officers to carry out the organization’s mission.

Lisa Wollenberg gave a presentation at the New England Music Library Association meeting at Boston University in May titled, Too Many Students and Not Enough Time: Solving Practical Challenges with Augmented Reality Library Tours. She shared her work using the free, open-source augmented-reality platform, ARIS, to create an iPad-narrated library tours customized for various performing arts majors in HLM 020, an online information literacy course she teaches for all incoming Hartt students each fall. She was also appointed in April 2019 to a four-year term on the Music Library Association’s Instruction Subcommittee, which develops tools and presentations to foster music instruction in libraries and music bibliography, and advocates for information literacy, critical thinking, and library skills embedded in music programs.
March is known for the NCAA basketball tournaments but, at the University, is it also known for the Staff Faculty Recognition Day! Each year the University celebrates staff and faculty with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and more anniversary years.

This year, two of our Libraries’ staff received the coveted University chair for 25 years of service: Barbara Dessureau and Judy Kacmarcik. Both deserve a hearty round of applause!

Congratulations to Laurie Haggan, who has received her 15 years of service award at the University of Hartford. Laurie began working with us in 2004 as a technical services specialist and was promoted to university cataloger in 2008.

Congratulations to Kyle Lynes for completing five years of service to the University.  She excels at offering services to students, staff, and faculty.  She has spearheaded the development of curricula for the WRT110-111 classes, and she continues to provide services online and in person to our library using community. Congratulations, Kyle!

Congratulations to Melanee Van Haelen who is celebrating her fifth year of service at the University of Hartford. Although she started as an administrative secretary at Athletics, she has been working at the Harrison Libraries since 2015.
The Music Library Association held its 88th meeting at the St. Louis Union Station, a grandiose National Historic Landmark that opened as a passenger train terminal in 1894, and was converted to a hotel in the 1980s.

The conference’s theme of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion arose after the NAACP issued a Missouri travel advisory for African Americans. The president of the St. Louis NAACP County chapter asked MLA to reconsider its potential decision to move its meeting from St. Louis, noting that travel supports jobs in the state and city. MLA stayed, and adopted its theme.

Attendees heard about St. Louis area black jazz musicians who participated in an oral history project for the National Ragtime and Jazz Archive at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and listened to an interview (recorded live for MLA’s Oral History Project) with local speaker Brian Owens, Soul of Ferguson musician and organizer of non-profit music initiatives benefiting urban youths in the wake of unrest in Ferguson in 2014.

Some sessions focused on helping users in our own libraries, from exercises that can raise students’ awareness of biases in our own reference resources, to tips for student workers assisting students for whom English is a second language

Other sessions focused on our own organization, including preliminary results from an internal climate survey, and discussion of how to address uncomfortable conversations in social media. Sessions were more interactive than usual, and many members were encouraged that such discussions are taking place.
UHart and Libraries Launch New Website
The new hartford.edu.
Members of the Harrison Libraries Web Committee have been instrumental in the University of Hartford’s new website design, with some of the Libraries’ pages being the most complex.

The Office of Marketing and Communication spearheaded this University-wide project in conjunction with an independent consultant web firm. Special commendation goes to Craig Campbell, director of University web communication, who has been working one-on-one with our Web Committee to get the Libraries’ pages ready. There’s still more work to do over the summer to customize the Libraries’ pages to accommodate our specific needs, but it is important to recognize everyone’s efforts. Good job!
World War I button
World War I button which belonged to Moshe Paranov. Photo courtesy of John Reuter.
The Hartt School is celebrating its centennial in 2020. To honor this special occasion, The Hartt School is planning a number of events, as well as the release of a book about its history, One Hundred Years of Hartt:  A Centennial Celebration of The Hartt School in spring 2020.

Since September 2017, Professor Dee Hansen, Music Education and Curator of The Hartt School Centennial History, has conducted hundreds of hours of research in the University Archives and conducted several interviews, about a dozen of which have been recorded and added to the archives. The book will include more than 100 images, most of which were scanned from the Archives.

University Archives student workers Amanda Talbot ’18, (Sociology & Criminal Justice), Joseph Spence ’20 (Saxophone Performance and Composition), and Prachi Bhandutia ’20 (English with Creative Writing, minor in Philosophy) have been working with the Hartt-related collections in the University Archives. They have been processing materials, updating descriptions, preparing materials for digitization, and digitizing portions of the collections. Since 2017, more than 1,500 items have been digitized including photographs, letters, yearbooks, and audio/video recordings.

Hartt faculty and students have also assisted with the creation of One Hundred Years of Hartt. Alex Michael Small ’20 (Music Management and Violin Performance), serves as the production assistant and Rachel Rosa ’19 (Visual Communication Design), is designing the book’s layout as part of an independent study and as a recipient of a Dorothy Goodwin Scholarship.

The Hartt Centennial project has also provided teaching opportunities for Adjunct Professor John Reuter’s photography students (Lighting PHO 340). They learned how to set up and take photos of Hartt-related artifacts for inclusion in One Hundred Years of Hartt in the photography studio at the Hartford Art School. Student also learned how to set up and light an on-location shoot in the library.
Presidents' College Courses
The University of Hartford’s Presidents’ College is a self-supporting learning community offering short, modestly-priced, non-credit courses and lectures for adults, taught by leading University professors and scholars.

We are all looking forward to the official announcement of the offerings for fall 2019. There will be offerings on memory and personal identity, civic engagement, popular music history, dialogue, U.S. President’s and their health records, U.S. Supreme Court, and art and architecture, just to name a few.  

We will have professors teaching for the first time for the Presidents’ College along with the tried and true. And there will be some surprises! Hopefully, your interest has been peaked!

As we finalize the fall semester, you will have to wait until August to be able to register.

Have a wonderful summer!

The Harrison Libraries are dedicated to advancing the knowledge of students, faculty, and staff by providing the human and technological resources that foster intellectual curiosity and skills for life-long learning.

Your support ensures the Harrison Libraries will continue to remain a thriving learning center that is continuously looking for ways to expand the breadth of its technology and resources for the benefit of our University Community as well as for our larger community. Thank you.

Library Donors: July 1, 2018–April 18, 2019.

Bruno Amato Dan Davis Charles Menoche
Nora B. Anthony Carally McKeever Deleon Arthur S. Meyers
Duffield Ashmead Deborah  Diemente Patrick Miller
Randi Ashton-Pritting Edward Duffy Monica W. Mills
Michael Austin Jane S. Edwards Agustin Muriago
Sally Austin Jennifer K. Eio Michael J. Panik
Catherine Banbury Estate of Raymond and Anne Hanson Nat Reeves
Bank of America Charitable Gift    Fund Jeffrey O. Feldmann Kristen Richards
Robert Barefield Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Christina B. Ripple
Barney School of Business Jim Giger
Celia A. Roberts
Jane M. Barstow Michael A. Glazier Bernard H. Rosen
Norman B. Barstow Warren Goldstein Jim Rosokoff
Barbara M. Bartucca Peter Grandy Robert F. Royce
Peter J. Bartucca Greenberg Center Alison Rusczyk
Lorraine Cervero Bauer Morton E. Handel Alexander Simonetta
Maxwell Bauman Dianne M. Harrison Stuart Saunders Smith
Anna Bigazzi Walter L. Harrison SME Giving Fund
Eva Botai Kenneth Hodge Bridgett Stapleton
Tom Bradley Cheryl Hoffert Ken Steen
Ira Braus Howard Lathrop/Sellers Catherine B. Stevenson
Sheelah Britt Lathrop Architects LLC Keith A. Stevenson
Sherry Buckberrough Gregory Huntington Diana Swenhall
Jeri Buttner Perry Daniels Huntington Anne-Paul Swett
Cherie Caluda Alice Hyland Colette Switay
Charles R. Canedy, III Douglas Hyland Humphrey R. Tonkin
Eleanor Caplan Cecily A. Isbell Ben Toth
Robert Carl Daniel Jacques Edith O. Turkington
David E. Carson Japanese Literature Project Edward Turkington
Center for Basque Studies, Univ. of Nevada, Reno Anthony S. Keller Charles Turner
Penelope B. Chittenden Barbara Keller Nancy Van der Vate
Charles P. Condon Robert Keller Joseph Van Hassel
Karen Cook George E. Landis Jean-Pierre van Rooy
Sam Cook Luella Daniels Landis Joseph Voelker
Susan J. Copeland Robert Lang Durward D. Wakefield
H. David Crombie Malek Lashgari Nick Wharton
Margaret O. Crombie Annamarie Lavieri John Woods
Michael Crosbie Meredith Libbey Bruce Zimmerman
Edward Cumming Helen Maxson

 

Spring 2019

Harrison Libraries Reference Librarian Jillian Maynard has been named a fellow in the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition’s Open Education Leadership Program. She is one of 24 fellows selected nationwide for the intensive professional development program that provides library professionals with the knowledge, skills, and connections to lead to successful open education initiatives that benefit students. Open Educational Resources (OER) is openly licensed educational material that is low- to no-cost to students.

“The University of Hartford and the Harrison Libraries are extremely excited that Jillian has been selected as a SPARC Open Education Leadership Fellow,” said Harrison Libraries Director Randi Ashton-Pritting. “Jillian’s work on this project will not only benefit our students but she will be helping to guide the OER project nationwide.”

As part of her fellowship, Maynard will work with a mentor to implement a capstone project that will help advance open education at UHart and contribute back to the broader open education community.

“My goal is to become a more confident and knowledgeable advocate for OER, help interested UHart faculty find and implement OER in their courses, and contribute to the broader culture of open course content,” said Maynard. “I know that starting an OER initiative can be daunting, and my hope is to potentially use the capstone project as a way to create a guide to help others getting started.”

Harrison Libraries is a member of SPARC and has been working to expand the adoption of open educational resources on campus for nearly two years. It started by launching a mini-grant program. Since then grants have been awarded to six faculty, who have adopted OER in their courses. Read more about OER and grant opportunities.

The Archives recently completed two large-scale audio-visual digitization projects.

The first was digitizing 147 audio reels and cassette tapes from Keller Lectures which include Q&A sessions with many significant thinkers and scholars of the 1950s-70s like Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry Kissinger. The project was made possible due to the generosity of Robert and Anthony Keller, as well as additional funding from the Women’s Advancement Initiative’s Dorothy Goodwin Scholars Program. Interested researchers can learn more about the collection.  

The second project was digitizing all University presidents’ inaugurations, commencements from 1958-69, and two reels of film that documented a number of important moments in the history of the University of Hartford, including the signing of the Act Incorporating the University and the dedication of Hillyer Hall. Five of these newly digitized films were on display at this year’s Hawktober weekend pop-up exhibit. In honor of President Woodward’s inauguration, the theme of the event was UHart leaders and their respective eras.

Looking for cross-disciplinary musical topics for your papers or class discussions? Need something new to read? Check out these and other exciting books at the Allen Library:

  • 3 Kings: Diddy, Dr. Dre, Jay Z, and Hip-Hop's Multibillion-Dollar Rise/Zack O'Malley Greenburg. Little, Brown, and Co. ML3531 G74 2018. Check status.
  • The Disney Musical on Stage and Screen: Critical Approaches from Snow White to Frozen/ed. George Rodosthenous. Methuen. PN1995.9 D575 2017. Check status.
  • Dolly Parton, Gender, and Country Music/Leigh H. Edwards. Indiana. ML420 P28 L45 2018. Check status.
  • Just One of the Boys: Female-To-Male Cross-Dressing on the American Variety Stage / Gillian M. Rodger. Illinois. ML1711 R63 2018. Check status.
  • Listening for Africa: Freedom, Modernity, and the Logic of Black Music's African Origins/David F. Garcia. Duke. ML3479 G33 2017. Check status.
  • The Routledge Research Companion to Popular Music And Gender, edited by Stan Hawkins. Routledge. Check status.
  • Spirituals and the Birth of a Black Entertainment Industry / Sandra Jean Graham. U. Illinois. ML3556 G73 2018. Check status.
  • Unlimited Replays: Video Games and Classical Music/William Gibbons. Oxford. ML3540.7 G44 U53 2018. Check status.
  • When Genres Collide: Down Beat, Rolling Stone, and the Struggle Between Jazz and Rock/Matt Brennan. Bloomsbury. ML3785 B74 2017. Check status.

Join Us For the Presidents’ College 2019 Spring Semester

With courses such as:

  • Hot Topics, 2019—Chris Doyle
  • You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet!—A Short History of Vaudeville – John Pike
  • Back to the Future—Richard Freund
  • American Collectors I Have Known: A Passion to Possess—Douglas Hyland
  • Kiss Me Cole—Frank Rizzo
  • Vive La France!—Michael Lankester
  • Baseball in the 21st Century: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times—Walter Harrison
  • The Arrow of Time—James McDonald
  • Decameron: Boccaccio's Portrayal of the Religious Other—Maria Esposito Frank

Registration opens January 3, with courses beginning January 22 , 2019.

For more information, call 860.768.4495, email pcollege@hartford.edu, or visit Presidents' College.

While anybody can take a course in the Presidents’ College, many people sign up as Fellows, making them active members of the Presidents’ College community. The open and supportive atmosphere not only enriches knowledge but also encourages friendships as Fellows meet in classes and enjoy special events.

The membership fee for the full academic year is in $100; membership for spring is $75. To learn more or to register online to become a Fellow, visit hartford.edu/presidentscollege.

Current Fellows:

Meg Aldrich

   

Rona Gelber

Carol Noyes

Cheri Altman

Barry Gelber

Rose Mary O'Connell

Arnold Altman

Joy Glassman

John Pearson

Barbara Andrews

Landy Gobes

Annabel Pedemonti

Ray Andrews

Laurel Goodgion

Linda Pepin

Daniel Arnold

Susan Gowen

Peggy Quiros

Jane Arnold

Allan Grotheer

Nancy Roberts

Mary Babbitt

Doris Guenter

Stephen Roberts

Catherine Banbury

Mary Healey

Michele Rosenberg

Leonard Banco

Marie Healey

Irving Rosenthal

Fran Barringer

Gail Herson

Shirley Rosenthal

Jennifer Barrows

Victor Herson

Joel Rottner

Laura Berlin

Diana Hughes

Susan Rottner

Jean Blair

Beverly Hughes

Jeffrey Rudikoff

Nelson Bondhu

Cecily Isbell

David Satlof

Ann Brandwein

Sharif Islam

Judith Satlof

Dorrie Brass

Rosalind Katz

Elaine Savin

Nancy Brennan

Sharon Kelly

Edith Schatz

Grace Brondum

Robert Kelly

Ada Scott

Jeffrey Brown

Michele Kostin

Bernd Selig

David Brown

Dane Kostin

Donna Sera

Barbara Brown

Paul Kramer

Lynn Shea

Janet Bruner

Candice Kramer

Amy Silverman

Robert Bruner

Nancy Kramer

Geraldine Sklarz

Ingeborg Buhrmann

Roberta Kurlantzick

Jane Smith

Karen Byrne

Hernan LaFontaine

Arlee Smith

Elinor Caplan

Evelyn LaFontaine

Elizabeth Snow

Austin Carey

Jane Lennox

Janet Sorokin

Sten Caspersson

Shirley Leong

Carolyn Spencer

Linda Cohen

Michael Levine

Jay Stoppelman

James Cohen

Andrea Levy

Susan Stoppelman

Marsha Cohen

Helen Lewtan

Max Strubel

Marsha Cohen

Julie Lindquist

Elsa Suisman

Robert Cone

Carl Lindquist

James Sutton

Michele Cone

Lillian Lindy

Margery Swigert

Beth Cook

Irene Loretto

Stephen Swigert

Marcia Cornell

Adlyn Lowenthal

Marjorie Taylor

H. David Crombie

William Mackay

Edee Tenser

Ruth Ann Davis

Patricia Magee

Molly Townsley

Paul DeLeeuw

Bette Marafino

Elaine Traverso

Nena Donovan Levine

Kett Marks

Henry Traverso

Jean Dusard

Leta Marks

Margo Turrentine

Joe Fichandler

Nancy Mather

Dianne Veale

Gayle Fierer  

Ellen Meinke

Lynn Hayden Wadhams

Florence Filosa

Margaret Milch

John Wadhams

Ellen Freedman

Monica Mills

Jim Ward

William Fuller

Clifford Morin

Elinor Wetson

Norma Gallagher

Jane Napieracz

Robert Whalen

Catherine Gallo

Charles Nathan

Louise Wilder

Mary Jane Gately

Arlene Neiditz

Ellen Zeman

Ken Geisler

Mary-Ann Nessel

Jennifer Geisler

Jenifer Noble



Diana Hellyar, reference librarian, co-authored a book chapter titled Improving Digital Experience through Modeling the Human Experience: The Resurgence of Virtual (and Augmented and Mixed) Reality in the book, Reconceptualizing Libraries: Perspectives from the Information and Learning Sciences, published in August 2018. Hellyar was approached to write the chapter due to previous research on virtual reality while interning at MIT Libraries’ Program on Information Science. Her co-authors are Renee Walsh and Dr. Micah Altman, the director of research at MIT.

Jillian Maynard attended the Open Education Conference in Niagara Falls, New York, in October. She attended as a Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition’s (SPARC) Open Education Leadership Fellow and also led a presentation titled “Private Institution, Public Outlook: Lessons Learned from the Early Start of an OER Initiative,” which detailed her work on UHart’s Open Educational Resources (OER) initiative and the unique challenges faced by private institutions in this movement. Social justice emerged as an important theme of the conference, with keynote speakers from across the country sharing their insights as to how OER help combat issues with equity in education and access to resources.    

Sean Parke, University archivist, recently concluded his term as news and notes editor and co-chair of the New England Archivists Newsletter Committee.

Harrison Libraries’ Donors—July 1–December 5, 2018

The Harrison Libraries are dedicated to advancing the knowledge of students, faculty, and staff by providing the human and technological resources that foster intellectual curiosity and skills for life-long learning.

Your support ensures the Harrison Libraries will continue to remain a thriving learning center that is continuously looking for ways to expand the breadth of its technology and resources for the benefit of our University Community as well as for our larger community. Thank you.

Duffield Ashmead

Jeffrey O. Feldmann

Malek Lashgari

Randi Ashton-Pritting

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund

Annamarie Lavieri

Michael Austin

Michael Glazier

Meredith Libbey

Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund

Peter Grandy

Helen Maxson

Barney School of Business

Morton E. Handel

Helen Maxson

Lorraine Cervero Bauer

Walter L. Harrison

Nat Reeves

Maxwell Bauman

Cheryl Hoffert

Christina B. Ripple

Anna Bigazzi

Gregory Huntington

Jim Rosokoff

Eva Botai

Perry Daniels Huntington

SME Giving Fund

Tom Bradley

Alice Hyland

Bridgett Stapleton

Sherry Buckberrough

Doug Hyland

Catherine B. Stevenson

David E. Carson

Cecily A. Isbell

Keith A. Stevenson

Penelope B. Chittenden

Daniel Jacques

Diana Swenhall

Charles P. Condon

Anthony S. Keller

Colette Switay

Sam Cook

Barbara Keller

Humphrey R. Tonkin

Susan J. Copeland

Robert Keller

Charles Turner

Dan Davis

George E. Landis

Nancy Van der Vate

Deborah Diemente

Luella Daniels Landis

Jean-Pierre van Rooy

Edward Duffy

Robert Lang

Durward D. Wakefield

Jennifer K. Eio


Bruce Zimmerman



Diana Hellyar, reference librarian, co-authored a book chapter titled Improving Digital Experience through Modeling the Human Experience: The Resurgence of Virtual (and Augmented and Mixed) Reality in the book, Reconceptualizing Libraries: Perspectives from the Information and Learning Sciences, published in August 2018. Hellyar was approached to write the chapter due to previous research on virtual reality while interning at MIT Libraries’ Program on Information Science. Her co-authors are Renee Walsh and Dr. Micah Altman, the director of research at MIT.

Jillian Maynard attended the Open Education Conference in Niagara Falls, New York, in October. She attended as a Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition’s (SPARC) Open Education Leadership Fellow and also led a presentation titled “Private Institution, Public Outlook: Lessons Learned from the Early Start of an OER Initiative,” which detailed her work on UHart’s Open Educational Resources (OER) initiative and the unique challenges faced by private institutions in this movement. Social justice emerged as an important theme of the conference, with keynote speakers from across the country sharing their insights as to how OER help combat issues with equity in education and access to resources.    

Sean Parke, University archivist, recently concluded his term as news and notes editor and co-chair of the New England Archivists Newsletter Committee.

A “Question of the Week” is posted outside of Starbucks Café, and in the Allen Library throughout the semester. Answer correctly and you have a chance to win a $5 Starbucks gift card.

Here are the questions and answers from the fall semester:

Mortensen Library

  • What country has the most natural lakes?
    Canada
  • In 1926, Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to accomplish what athletic feet?
    Swim the English Channel
  • What type of dog is Scooby Doo from the cartoon series, “Scooby Doo”
    Great Dane
  • Which Dickens novel was left unfinished at the time of his death?
    The Mystery of Edwin Drood
  • The Dracula legend is believed to be based on which historical figure?
    Vlad Tepes (or Vlad the Impaler)
  • In The Nightmare Before Christmas, what was Oogie Boogie made of?
    Bugs
  • What were the first Jack O’Lanterns made out of?
    Turnips
  • What is the alternative title of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein?
    The Modern Prometheus
  • What radio drama caused mass panic on October 30, 1938?
    War of the Worlds
  • What was the name of the first pizzeria to open in the United States?
    Lombardi’s Pizza
  • What planet has the most moons?
    Jupiter
  • What are the names of the four ghosts in Pac Man?
    Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde
  • Where did the sport of curling originate?
    Scotland
  • The character Lightning McQueen, in the 2006 movies “Cars”, finds himself stuck in what town?
    Radiator Springs

Allen Library

  • What TV show inspired Wade Madsen's method for teaching collaborative choreography?
    Project Runway
  • What is the title and who is the composer of this work, banned in the Soviet Union for its overt Christianity? (The score was shredded in a glass jar.)
    Credo by Arvo Pärt
  • In 1868, Franz Liszt wrote that "Schubert would not be displeased" with his reworking of what piece in modern piano form?
    C major Fantasia (Wanderer Fantasy)
  • Some have said Maria Anna “Nannerl” Mozart criticized her sister-in-law as not being a “fitting girl” for Wolfgang, but her manuscripts proved that sentence was not in her handwriting. Who wrote that sentence?
    Albert von Mölk
  • Drummer Jimmy Hopps once lived in a building with members of the jazz band Apogee. He occupied an unfinished room above the top floor; how did he heat the room in winter?
    By warming a brick on a hotplate

We had a busy fall semester at Harrison Libraries with events, activities, contests, and even dogs!

We welcomed students to campus in September with some giveaways and a chance to win a gift basket filled with Starbucks items and a UHart blanket. All students had to do was guess the weight of a full set of McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Biography volumes. Our winner guessed within one pound of the correct weight (61 lb., 13 oz.)!

On Halloween we set up a table at Gengras Student Union called ExCITEing Snacks. Library staff made baked goods and cards with citations for the recipe in MLA, APA, and Chicago Style. We played scary movies on a laptop and a small display of creepy books, music, DVDs, and CDs. The Allen Library also highlighted their collection with displays for National Piano Month, pumpkin-themed music, and materials of Hartt composer Stuart Saunders Smith. With the help of the Student Government Association in December, the Libraries hosted our annual Holiday Fest which featured Tails of Joy therapy dogs, an ugly sweater contest, and some holiday treats. We also collected cat and dog food to donate to Our Companions Animal Rescue & Sanctuary.

We didn’t just host events! All semester Mortensen and Allen Libraries continued stumping our library-goers with Questions of the Week. Every week in Mortensen Library, and every other week in the Allen Library, one lucky winner was awarded a $5 Starbucks gift card for correctly answering a trivia question.   

Hodges, the UHart therapy dog, hosted “office hours” on the main level of the Libraries on Thursdays from noon-1 p.m. The Mitten Tree also reappeared after Thanksgiving for our annual hat, gloves, and scarf collection. With the help of UHart’s Center for Community Service, these winter items were donated to My Sister’s Place and the Second Chance Boutique, which supports the Village for Families and Children. The semester ended with some stress-busting activities and snacks during finals week. For this bi-annual tradition, we supplied students candy, puzzles, and coloring pages so they could take much-needed break from studying.