In Memoriam: Rosemary Summers McBride

Rosemary Summers McBride, a 1942 University of Houston alumna and supporter of UH Libraries Special Collections, passed away in April.

Her appreciation for her alma mater involved continuing interest and participation in university programs. In 2001, she created The Rosemary Summers McBride Endowment, to which she contributed generously.

Head of Special Collections Pat Bozeman says, “Rosemary McBride not only was monetarily generous to Special Collections, but she took exceptional interest in its goals and programs, befriending a number of the staff over the years. I considered her a close friend and miss her very much. Her indomitable spirit will always be with me.”

Innovation at UH Libraries: Microgrant Program

University of Houston librarians and library staff have a unique opportunity to make a big impact.

The UH Libraries Microgrant Program, open to all UH library staff and librarians, is designed to foster the creation of new and innovative ideas in support of the Libraries’ Strategic Directions and the University’s Tier One Initiatives.

Librarians and staff are encouraged to submit fresh, experimental ideas for new services, methods, initiatives and technology. The Microgrant Committee has streamlined the submissions process, and detailed resources for applicants, including an FAQ and how-to guide, are available on the Libraries Intranet.

Librarians and staff who are awarded microgrants have a direct, positive influence on the Libraries’ mission of providing a high-quality library experience for each user, and also realize a substantial benefit to professional growth.

Why UH Librarians and Library Staff Should Apply

• Thought leadership: Share your ideas on a broad scale. Funded projects can generate valuable data and insights, with the potential for presentations and publications that advance careers and the profession.

• Unleash your creative side: Your vision moves the UH Libraries forward by translating inspired concepts into tangible successes.

• Collaboration: Learn from your colleagues. Projects funded by the Microgrant Program cultivate inter-departmental engagement and promote knowledge-sharing.

The Microgrant Committee invites UH librarians and library staff to an Open Forum on Wednesday, June 4 at 11:00am in Room 10-F. Meet the committee members and find out more about how you can participate, and bring your questions and comments about the application and process.

New Library Discovery Interface Improves Search for UH Students, Faculty

Students and researchers at the University of Houston will soon have an enhanced online discovery experience.

UH Libraries is implementing a new and improved OneSearch, making it easier for users to find what they are looking for.

The new OneSearch, accessible from the Libraries’ home page, provides targeted results from a wide variety of sources, including databases, the Libraries’ catalog and the UH Digital Library. The improved OneSearch goes live on June 2.

OneSearch users will benefit from the following enhancements:

• Greater relevancy of results
• Easy filtering for full text only
• Clean and simple user interface
• The Recommender Service offers additional full text results related to your search
• Save Your Citations feature
• Export results to RefWorks

The Libraries’ OneSearch Implementation Team and the Resource Discovery Systems department will gather user feedback over the course of the summer to further enhance the discovery interface. Users who are interested in sharing feedback, taking part in focus groups or participating in usability testing may contact discovery systems librarian Kelsey Brett to be included.

UH Libraries Wins ‘Best of Show’ Award

The University of Houston Libraries was chosen as a winner of the Best of Show Awards Competition at PR Xchange, for its video titled University of Houston Libraries.

The Best of Show Awards Competition is sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) Library Leadership Administration and Management Association – Public Relations and Marketing Section, and is overseen by the PR XChange Committee.

The annual Best of Show Awards Competition at PR Xchange recognizes top public relations materials produced by libraries. Winners are selected for content, originality and design by a team of public relations, graphic design, communications and marketing professionals.

The UH Libraries winning entry in the Advocacy – Electronic cateogory was created as a strategic centerpiece for the redesigned Libraries employment web page. The video includes dean Dana Rooks and librarians discussing the Libraries’ high-performing organizational culture, and showcases its services and features designed to support the academic and research needs of UH students, faculty and staff and the scholarly community.

The video was produced as a collaborative effort by librarians and staff, and was coordinated by the Libraries Office of Communications.

The UH Libraries will be recognized at the Best of Show Ceremony at the ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas next month.

UH Libraries’ Dean Rooks Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Dana Rooks, dean of Libraries and Elizabeth D. Rockwell chair, was presented with the Texas Library Association Lifetime Achievement Award at the 101^st TLA Annual Conference last month.

The award recognized Dean Rooks’ distinguished career, noted for her excellence in librarianship and outstanding contributions to the profession. She is known amongst her colleagues as a committed leader and mentor.

Her career began in 1970 at the University of Oklahoma Libraries. After four years, she moved to the University of Missouri – St. Louis Libraries. Rooks then joined the University of Houston in 1980 as the Business and Economics Librarian. She was named Dean in 1997.

Dean Rooks has held several national leadership roles, including serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). She is an active member of the American Library Association (ALA), having served on the Board of Directors of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).  She also served on the Board of Directors of the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA), and as Vice-Chair of the Board of AMIGOS Library Services.

Dean Rooks founded and served as president of the Texas Council of Academic Libraries, and is one of the founders of TexShare, providing leadership in the creation and development of the innovative model for statewide library resource sharing. She has served as president of the Texas Library Association, and currently serves as Chair of the Texas Digital Library Governing Board Executive Committee.

Dean Rooks is the recipient of the 2009 TLA Distinguished Service Award and the 1997 Librarian of the Year Award. She is a prolific author and expert in the areas of administration and organizational development, the application of library technology, and library fundraising.

Her achievements in fundraising have had an impact on the academic careers of countless students and scholars. She completed a $20 million campaign for a Library building addition, secured significant support for collection endowments, three endowed chairs, and numerous endowments for program support, including staff recognition and library excellence