Liaison Librarian Supports English Teaching and Research

A new English librarian will join the University of Houston Libraries in March, cultivating excellence in collaboration with UH faculty and increasing awareness and usage of library resources and services for students.

As the world of research grows increasingly complex, the librarian’s role in helping students navigate through the maze of print and electronic resources is essential in shaping the path for academic success. Jesse Sharpe will provide teaching and research support for scholars in the UH department of English, bringing expertise in effective search techniques and the delivery of information literacy instruction.

“We are excited to bring Jesse on board,” said Christina Gola, Head of Liaison Services for Instruction and Outreach, and Miranda Bennett, Head of Liaison Services for Collections and Research Support. “He has a strong background in English literature and information literacy, as well as experience providing library services to undergraduates, graduates, and faculty. With his impressive record of scholarship, including work on several digital humanities projects, he will be a great addition to the Liaison Services team.”

Sharpe joins UH Libraries from the University of Bridgeport Magnus Walhstrom Library.

Explore the Dynamic Culture of UH Libraries

The University of Houston Libraries continues to implement programs and services in support of the teaching, learning and research needs of our scholars, faculty, staff and the Houston community.

The focus on strengthening our culture of excellence was the impetus for a comprehensive employment web site that reflects the vibrancy and dynamic environment of the Libraries, said Beth German, web services coordinator.

The new site, released this month, is dedicated to professional opportunities at the UH Libraries. It provides a unique perspective for those interested in contributing to a culture of service and collaboration, innovation and assessment, and continuous learning.

The design and user experience of the web project itself reflects a high level of creativity and teamwork that is representative of the UH Libraries culture.

Explore the UH Libraries culture, strategic directions and organizational structure.

UH Libraries Enhances Instructional Design Strategy

To better serve the learning objectives and research needs of students and faculty, the University of Houston Libraries will enhance its library instruction program.

A new instructional design librarian, Ashley Lierman, joins UH Libraries Liaison Services next month. Lierman will establish general and course-specific learning objects, instructional modules and other library instruction materials, and will provide leadership in developing a comprehensive online learning plan that includes e-learning objects accessible through course management systems and the library web site.

“Liaison Services is very excited about the addition of Ashley Lierman to the instruction team,” said Kerry Creelman, coordinator of undergraduate instruction and outreach. “Ashley brings instructional design skills, with strengths in learning theory and instructional technologies, that will help us advance our online learning plan and better meet the information literacy needs of our students.”

Lierman brings over a decade of expertise in information literacy education and digital technologies. She received an MS in library and information science from Drexel University in 2010. Her most recent presentation, “Small Institution = Big Opportunities,” was part of the Collaborating with Faculty panel at the PA Forward Information Literacy Summit.

Planned Service Outage on Sunday January 12

The University of Houston Libraries will undergo necessary server maintenance on Sunday, January 12, starting at 7am and expected to run to 1 pm.

All library online resources will be unavailable including: library website, catalog, databases and journals, digital library, finding aids, and weblogs.

Maintenance should be completed before the library opens at 1 p.m. We apologize for the inconvenience.

New Initiatives in Metadata and Digitization at UH Libraries

The University of Houston Libraries is boosting its application of technology in metadata and digitization with a new metadata librarian.

Andrew Weidner will provide consulting and support for both UH Libraries and UH campus repository metadata needs and data management services; assist with creation and maintenance of descriptive, technical, and preservation metadata for UH Digital Library collections; and participate in exploring, evaluating and recommending alternative metadata and emerging technologies that can be applied in the Libraries’ broader discovery environment.

“Metadata and Digitization Services Department is excited about the arrival of Andrew Weidner,” said Annie Wu, head of Metadata and Digitization Services. “His addition will help advance us in our application of new initiatives and technology in UH Libraries digital efforts.”

Weidner received his MS in Library and Information Science from UNT in 2011. His most recent publication, “Workflow Tools for Digital Curation,” appeared in Code {4} Lib Journal.

 

 

 

 

UH Libraries 7th Annual Student Art Exhibit – Call for Artists

The Architecture and Art Library is now accepting artwork for the UH Libraries’ seventh Annual Student Art Exhibit, a competitive juried exhibit that will be on display in the M.D. Anderson Library February 12 – April 25, 2014.

The exhibit is open to all UH students enrolled spring 2014 – any classification or major. Students are welcome to submit up to three entries. Requirements of submissions: 2D in any medium, ready to hang with wires/brackets or on foam core, not to exceed 5’x5’, 5 pounds, or extend more than 4” from the wall. Sculpture with pedestals, no more than 20 pounds total. All work must fit inside a library elevator.

Students should submit their work to the Architecture and Art Library, located in the College of Architecture. Deadline for submissions is January 31st, 2014. Artists must complete a waiver form, as well as an exhibition agreement for each work submitted.

For more information, contact archlib@mail.uh.edu.

French Scholar Uncovers World of Barthelme in Houston

University of Houston Libraries Special Collections recently welcomed a French scholar to its reading room for an extensive look into the world of Houston’s literary luminary, Donald Barthelme.

Aurélie Delevallée, a Ph.D. student at Université de Toulouse 2 – Le Mirail, traveled to Houston to investigate the late postmodernist writer’s mix of visual and textual elements in his illustrated works.

Delevallée became intrigued by Barthelme’s writing after reading “Me and Miss Mandible” in an undergraduate class on contemporary lit at Université d’Artois – Arras. The course curriculum included the works of Raymond Carver and Grace Paley too, but there was something about the Barthelme piece that drew her in.

“I just loved it,” Delevallée said. “It was my first time as a student that I felt I had something to say. I wrote a commentary that I gave to the teacher, out of the blue.”

Now pursuing a Ph.D. in English with a concentration in contemporary American literature, Delevallée has explored Barthelme for some time, having written two master’s theses on the prodigious writer as well.

Immersed in the life and work of Barthelme, Delevallée realized that eventually, the momentum of her research would take her deeper into his literary legacy.

UH Libraries Special Collections is home to Barthelme’s papers. Materials include typescript drafts, galley proofs, correspondence from Barthelme’s friends and colleagues, photos, art, collage sources, and work from students of Barthelme during his tenure at the UH Creative Writing Program, acquired from the writer’s widow, Marion Barthelme, in 2002.

“I knew I definitely had to come here to have access to all this incredible material,” Delevallée said.

Through a university program called AMID, and the French Association of American Studies (AFEA), Delevallée secured a travel grant to Houston that would allow her to stay for a brief period and work in the Special Collections reading room. She contacted Julie Grob, coordinator for digital projects and instruction in Special Collections and the curator of the Barthelme papers, as soon as she knew she would arrive in Houston.

She was overwhelmed upon her initial visit. “Entering Special Collections for the first time, I thought ‘I’ve been preparing for this for such a long time,’ and since Barthelme passed away in 1989 I knew this would be the closest to him I could get,” Delevallée said. “I only knew him through his writings and what people wrote about him, and then, wow, suddenly I could touch the typescripts, the paper on which he wrote the stories that I like so much.” Interestingly, Barthelme often disposed of working drafts of manuscripts; the collection holds almost-finished versions with slight corrections.

Delevallée uncovered a priceless trove of Barthelme particulars, including the sources of his collage stories and a firsthand glimpse into the circle of writers and artists with whom he collaborated.

In fact, Delevallée was delighted to be able to speak with a few of those friends and colleagues while in Houston, including Karl Kilian, who had invited Barthelme to present at Brazos Bookstore on several occasions.

Serendipity brought Delevallée to the writer Olive Hershey, one of Barthelme’s last students. She had been searching for a place to stay while in Houston and visited a prospective location. The owner of the home asked her which American writer she was here to research and when she told him, he informed her that his wife happened to be one of Barthelme’s last students and she knew him very well.

Delevallée gathered information that will allow her to hone her dissertation on Barthelme’s illustrated works, his collage short stories, two comic books and two illustrated novels. He used the practice of assemblage to mix Victorian and contemporary elements that commented on and served as counterpoints to the texts. Delevallée sees a comparison between Barthelme’s use of text and image, and the cultural phenomenon of the cabinet of curiosities, a popular practice during the Renaissance era involving the collection and exhibition of heterogeneous elements.

Joseph Cornell, the American artist who created boxes of visual poetry with discrete, commonplace objects shaped into new meaning, revived the practice of assemblage in tandem with the surrealist movement. Barthelme was influenced by the artist and had organized an exhibition featuring Cornell’s works.

During her time exploring Barthelme’s provenance of inspiration, Delevallée has uncovered more food for thought. “When I come back home, now that I know there is all this mixture of these elements, I have to figure out how it is going to feed my own research and analysis,” she said. The journey of discovery continues.