Leveraging GIS and Data Visualization in the Classroom
Joshua Been, social science data librarian at the University of Houston Libraries, will discuss geographic information systems (GIS) and data visualization in the classroom on October 9, as part of the UH Emerging Trends in Education Technology series.
Emerging Trends in Educational Technology
Data visualizations serve as both a tool to explore data as well as a means to tell the stories inherent within data. Attendees will learn about available visualization and mapping tools, explore interactive data visualizations, and discover support services available at UH. Examples discussed will include GIS, interactive visualizations, and digital humanities.
Collaboration: Women Re-Making American Political Culture
On Wednesday, October 14, the University of Houston Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) Program will present Collaboration: Women Re-Making American Political Culture, a one-day women’s history symposium, in partnership with the UH Libraries Special Collections Carey C. Shuart Women’s Archive and Research Collection and the UH Department of History.
Collaboration: Women Re-Making American Political Culture
The symposium events will be held in the MD Anderson Library Rockwell Pavilion and the Student Center at the University of Houston. In addition to panel discussions, the symposium will feature a keynote with National Public Radio White House correspondent Tamara Keith.
For more information, contact wgss@uh.edu or 713.743.3214.
Unique Holdings: Historic Maps
University of Houston Libraries invites faculty and staff, students, researchers, and anyone interested in discovering rare and unique maps to attend a brown bag presentation on Friday, October 9 in the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion at the MD Anderson Library.
Social sciences data librarian Josh Been and library specialist Kristine Greive will present “Historic Maps” housed in UH Special Collections.
Social sciences data librarian Josh Been and library specialist Kristine Greive will present “Historic Maps” housed in UH Special Collections.
The October 9 talk is part of Unique Holdings, a new series that highlights the rare archival items held by Special Collections and available for use by faculty, students and researchers.
Future Unique Holdings talks will feature liaison librarians discussing other books and manuscripts of Special Collections that can inform and shape scholarly endeavors in any discipline.
Bring your lunch and enjoy an enlightening discussion!
What: “Historic Maps” brown bag presentation
When: Friday, October 9 at noon
Where: Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion, MD Anderson Library
UH Libraries Takes Part in Walking Challenge
Librarians and staff of the University of Houston Libraries are exploring wellness at work through Walk Across Texas.
Librarians and staff of the University of Houston Libraries are exploring wellness at work through Walk Across Texas.
The UH Libraries Walk and Learn for Wellness microgrant team invited employees of the Libraries to participate in the eight-week walking challenge, a program designed to motivate people to engage in regular exercise and activity.
An event held in the MD Anderson Library kicked off the program. Participants received a pedometer to track their progress over the course of the eight weeks, and new resources, including half-mile and one-mile walking route maps around the University, as well as a treadmill desk that participants can use while they work, were established for Libraries staff.
The year of health and wellness at the Libraries culminates with a lunch-and-learn series in the spring semester.
Vacek Serving on Library Academy Advisory Board
Rachel Vacek
Rachel Vacek, head of Web Services at the University of Houston Libraries, joins a distinguished group of 20 experts from library organizations across the US who were invited to serve on the 2015-2016 Library Academy Advisory Board.
The Board was assembled as part of a grant awarded to the New Media Consortium (NMC), partnering with the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI). The Collaborative Planning Grant, given by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), under the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, will allow the NMC to develop a needs assessment for online professional development for academic and research library staff, and subsequently, a project plan based on those needs.
Libraries Digital Research Services Support Teaching Innovation
Josh Been, social science data librarian, and Irene Ke, social work librarian, connected with researchers at the Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) on the exploration and evaluation of innovative tools to enhance teaching effectiveness using data visualization.
Social Work and GIS
The research team was awarded a Teaching Innovation Program (TIP) grant to develop and implement a plan for new approaches to teaching. Been is featured in this video on the project, highlighting the role of the Libraries’ geospatial information services.
Head of Special Collections Brings New Outlook to Archives
University of Houston Libraries welcomes Christian Kelleher.
For the first time in over 30 years, a new head of Special Collections has joined the University of Houston Libraries.
Christian Kelleher, former archivist and assistant head librarian at the University of Texas at Austin Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection, began his appointment at UH this summer. As head of the thriving Special Collections, Kelleher envisions his role as providing direction and prioritization to the innumerable collecting opportunities, and as a supporter of the talented group of librarians and archivists working with unique and rare materials. He will continue to build upon the department’s robust collecting areas, and develop programs that bring the collections to more people.
One of Kelleher’s priorities is to broaden digital collections to support scholarship on a grand scale. In today’s environment of increased access and new forms of data, Special Collections is expanding its ability to bring more primary sources to more scholars in a number of fields, not the least of which includes digital humanities projects.
While the paradigm of the reading room is a mainstay of access to archival materials, Kelleher strives to supplement this practice by bringing more primary resources online and into the classroom. “We have wonderful collection materials that are being developed in such a way that they can support scholarship in the new scholarly environment,” Kelleher said. “Visitors do come into the reading room and use materials there, but it’s not always that way.”
Additionally, an outreach and exhibition program allows more students and faculty to interact with archival materials. Kelleher seeks to expand the reach of exhibits not only inside the Libraries, but also by contributing Special Collections’ archives to exhibits at museums or libraries worldwide. It’s about getting more materials out from behind the walls of the reading room of the archives, and facilitating interaction between the archives and members of the community.
Kelleher aims to develop more partnerships with students in order to bring their historical materials to the University audience, and provide a venue for them to tell their unique story. In this way, student engagement with archives in Special Collections presents great opportunities to have a positive impact on academic success and scholarship.
“One of the reasons I was so attracted to this position at the University of Houston Libraries is that the university and the city are both extremely diverse,” Kelleher said. Leveraging archives “is a great way to demonstrate to students that their experiences and cultures are important and valuable, and can inform the scholarship being produced at the University and beyond.” Oral histories, personal papers, and organizational records that reflect the diverse population of students signifies their importance in the cultural and historical narrative of the University.
Kelleher’s perspectives are influenced by the concept of post-custodial archives, which posits that custody of physical materials is no longer as important as it once was for archivists and librarians to do their work. The role of the archivist becomes that of a connector and facilitator. “Custody and preservation of primary resources, and the connecting of scholars with those materials, doesn’t have to happen only in the library and only with materials in our custody” he said.
Moreover, Kelleher sees new opportunities to partner with local businesses and foundations that hold records of scholarly interest reflecting the history of the community. “Special Collections can work with external organizations to provide access to material, to catalog and provide metadata, so that students and scholars can use that material for their goals,” Kelleher said. “That’s a really exciting development within libraries and archives.”
Kelleher recently earned a second master’s degree in journalism research and theory from the University of Texas at Austin. While working on his thesis, he became immersed in quantitative analysis, and became interested in applying this principle to work in archives. While efforts have long been taken to measure the impact of archives, including simple counts of materials accessed and the like, Kelleher notes that the relative numbers can offer deeper insights that show how archives are used and how research is conducted, informing future strategic appraisal decisions.
Kelleher is further inspired by the unique energy of the University of Houston campus. “The diversity that I’d heard about became really evident to me on the first day of class,” he said. “The amount of activity that happens in the library, the diversity of interests and experience that are represented in the students, is really exciting. I’ve met some great faculty who are equally excited about the students and the resources that we have in the library. And of course Chancellor Khator is a force to be reckoned with. She really inspires students, faculty and librarians. It’s a great thing to see.”
Resources for Student Success
Orientation to College Learning
University of Houston students have a new resource for building study skills and achieving academic success.
UH Libraries, in partnership with Learning Support Services, has curated a collection of books focused on helping students get ahead in academics. The growing collection, including titles promoting smart study skills and time management such as Orientation to College Learning, also has resources that are tailored for particular student populations, including first-generation, nontraditional and international students. Selections also include books on understanding specific academic disciplines.
This collection is accessible on the first floor of the MD Anderson Library, and available for check-out.
More information on this student success initiative can be found in the September/October 2015 issue of American Libraries Magazine (open PDF). The article, Improving Retention: Leveraging collections for student success, was authored by psychology and social work librarian Irene Ke, library specialist for liaison services Kristine Greive, and biology and biochemistry librarian Porcia Vaughn.
UH Libraries Observes Hispanic Heritage Month
Image from the Mary F. Lopez Papers, Courtesy of Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries.
During National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 – October 15, the University of Houston Libraries Special Collections honors and celebrates the contributions of Hispanic Americans with the exhibit, Reflexiones: Reflections of Houston’s Hispanic Heritage.
The exhibit reflects the immeasurable contributions of Latinos to the Houston community and greater Texas. Included books and archival material elaborate on landmarks in Latinos’ history, scholarship, social activism, and self-expression.
Of particular note are documents from the University of Houston University Archives and Hispanic Collections, which provide a lens for viewing the evolution of Hispanic organizations and leadership on the UH campus. The impact of this important work and leadership resonate throughout the landscape of the campus to this day.
Materials will be on view starting September 15 through October 15 in the MD Anderson Library. Questions and inquiries can be sent to archivist and curator, Lisa Cruces.
Digital Humanities and Data Storytelling
At the University of Houston Libraries, digital humanities and data storytelling projects are gaining momentum. Researchers take information from traditional humanities disciplines and use computing tools to derive data. Data storytelling involves the exploration and application of data in graphical or illustrative forms that make it meaningful for student and faculty research.
Joshua Been, social science data librarian, discusses some of the data storytelling collaborations happening at the University of Houston.
Joshua Been, social science data librarian, and Jesse Sharpe, English and linguistics librarian, discuss some of the digital humanities and data storytelling projects on which they are collaborating with University of Houston faculty and researchers in the following video collection.
Digital Humanities Collaboration – John Donne Society
Digital Humanities Projects – This Week in Texas
Mobile Data Mapping and 3D Visualization
Data Visualization – Analysis of Latino Population in Houston