‘Storied’ Exhibit Opens at UH Libraries

University of Houston Libraries welcomes visitors to the new exhibit, Storied: The First Ten Years of the Creative Writing Program.

From the exhibit:

In 1979, the University of Houston founded its Creative Writing Program under the co-directorship of poets Cynthia Macdonald and Stanley Plumly. Within a short time, it would become a leading program for teaching the craft of writing, and one of the few to offer a PhD in literature and creative writing.

Macdonald, who would remain at UH until her retirement, was joined on the faculty by famed short story writer Donald Barthelme, poets Edward Hirsch and Richard Howard, essayist Phillip Lopate, novelists Robert Cohen and Rosellen Brown, and playwright Ntozake Shange. During the mid 1980s, Inprint formed as a fundraising group for the program, providing fellowships for graduate students and backing for the student-run magazine Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts. The UH Creative Writing Program founded other successful programs, including the Houston Reading Series and Writers in the Schools (WITS), which contributed to the development of a strong literary community in Houston.

Using UH Libraries Special Collections materials, this exhibition details the founding and first decade of the program, spotlights the lives and careers of faculty members Cynthia Macdonald and Donald Barthelme, and showcases works by alumni who graduated between 1979 and 1989.

Visitors are invited to view Storied: The First Ten Years of the Creative Writing Program on the first floor of the MD Anderson Library starting August 22, 2016 through January 2, 2017. For more information, contact Julie Grob, 713-743-9744, or Mary Manning, 713-743-5893.

UH Libraries Announces Microgrant Winners

The University of Houston Libraries has awarded funds to several teams through the 2016-2017 Microgrant Program.

Now in its 8th year, the Microgrant Program fosters new and innovative ideas in support of the Libraries’ Strategic Plan and the University’s Strategic Initiatives.

Librarians and staff submitted proposals for new services and programs which would benefit teaching, learning and research objectives of the UH community, and will work in cross-departmental teams to implement their ideas.

The UH Libraries Microgrant Program winners for 2016-2017 are:

Project title: Cougar Cub Day
Nora Dethloff (project lead), Xiping Liu, Wenli Gao, Jackie Bronicki

A fun-filled day for eligible school-aged children of university employees from selected colleges, departments, and the library.

Project title: Fair Use Week 2017
Nora Dethloff (project lead), Jeannie Castro, Julie Grob, Stephanie Lewin-Lane, Ashley Lierman, Adam Townes

In celebration of Fair Use Week 2017, the members of the Copyright Team will hold an event which will include the screening of the film Freedom of Expression: Resistance and Repression in the Age of Intellectual Property and a panel discussion about copyright and fair use in the creative arts.

Project title: Crafty Coogs: Recycled Plastic Book Bag
Stephanie Lewin-Lane (project lead), Tim McGittigan, Kaylie Kahlich

As part of the UH Office of Sustainability‘s “Crafty Coogs” series, the Music Library and the Office of Sustainability will partner to host a recycled book bag creation event utilizing recycled plastic bags, damaged/unusable music scores, and recycled clothing.

Project title: Free Tax Preparation
Gillian Bautista (project lead), Susan Ryan, J. Michael Thompson

Free federal income tax preparation for our students/staff/faculty who are US residents.

Project title: More User-Friendly Distance Education Interlibrary Loan
Margaret Dunn (project lead), Nora Dethloff, Selina Khan, Gillian Bautista, Lakeshia Clark, Alma Gallo, Susan Ryan

A pilot project to provide a trackable and user-friendly way for patrons to return items to ILL by including a return-shipping label with a shipment.

Project title: Women on Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon
Mary Manning (project lead), Bethany Scott (project lead), Melody Condron, Vince Lee, Catherine Essinger

A day of events focused on creating and improving Wikipedia pages related to women and feminism.

UH Libraries Data Management Plan Resources

The Data Management Planning Tool, or DMPTool, is a resource that will help in the creation of a funding agency-specific data management plan for grant proposals.

A data management plan is a document that describes what a researcher will do with his or her research data both during a research project and after the completion of a project. The DMPTool enables University of Houston researchers to easily create a formal data management plan that can be inserted into a grant application, generate documentation on data management procedures for a project, or help new researchers and graduate students to plan for critical points in the data lifecycle, such as data sharing, preservation, reuse, and transitions.

With DMPTool, researchers can:

• Create ready-to-use data management plans for specific funding agencies
• Meet funder requirements for data management plans
• Get step-by-step instructions and guidance for data management plans
• Walk through the steps necessary to create data management plans for several funders (NSF, NEH, NIH)

For more information on data management or the DMPTool, please contact Adam Townes.

New Business Librarian at UH Libraries

The University of Houston Libraries welcomes Orolando Duffus, the new business librarian in Liaison Services.

Please describe your role at UH Libraries and talk about some of your professional goals and/or research areas.

As the business librarian, I will liaise to five departments: economics, finance, accounting, information and logistic technology, and decision and information sciences. That includes information literacy instruction, helping to support data needs and develop the collection. I hope to be embedded in the classes as I continue to build relationships with faculty.

My research interests focus on mentorship of underrepresented students and understanding the information and research needs of international students. Regarding service to the profession, I’m currently on the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 2017 National Conference Invited Papers Committee.

Please share a bit about your background and interests. How do these inspire and shape your approach as a librarian?

I’m from Jamaica and came to the US on a track and field scholarship. My early beginnings influenced my interest in library science. I had a different understanding of libraries in general. In Jamaica, libraries were seen as sacred and somewhat uninviting. Many high schools didn’t have libraries. Students didn’t know what databases were. I became interested in library science as a way of reaching those students. Inspiration came from my library internship as an undergrad. It opened my eyes to what libraries were, and I found that there is so much more to librarianship. Working in a library, you see a human side, and there are lots of opportunities for outreach.

Please describe your first impressions of the University of Houston.

When I began looking, people I knew spoke highly of the institution. Great things are happening here; colleagues are widely presenting and publishing. I wanted to be a part of a warm and collegial unit where I can contribute to the literature and to the profession. What appeals to me is the scholarship that has been ongoing here, as well as the opportunity to be mentored as I mentor others.

What is your favorite book/movie/cuisine/hobby?

Book: To Kill a Mockingbird
I learned a lot from reading this book in high school. We spent time discussing being brave and standing up in the face of injustice, and also knowing when to select your battle. Those are principles that can be applicable to many different areas. The book inspired an interest in reading.
Movie: Titanic
Cuisine: Jamaican jerk chicken with rice and peas with plantains
Hobbies: Soccer on Sundays; volleyball; track; road races

New Digital Collection: Hines College of Architecture Posters

The Gerald D. Hines School of Architecture Posters feature striking graphic designs advertising course offerings as well as lectures and other events. The School of Architecture had a screen printing press in the 1970s, and many of these posters were produced by students, faculty, and staff in-house. They come in a variety of sizes, some as small as legal paper size, while others are much larger. Although many of the posters are undated, the bulk of the posters are from the 1970s. There are more than 80 posters in the collection.

Architecture first appeared at the University of Houston in the 1945-46 school year. At that time, it was a two-year program offered through the College of Technology. Beginning in 1946, both architecture and architectural engineering were offered within the College of Engineering. While the study of architecture remained within the College of Engineering through the 1956 school year, a “new plan” for architectural training incorporating elements of design, construction, aesthetics, and graphics was initiated in 1950. Eventually the program was moved to the School of Architecture in 1956, and in the fall of 1961 it became the College of Architecture.

The original materials are available in UH Libraries Special Collections in the Hines College of Architecture Records.

Libraries Open House

As part of the University of Houston Weeks of Welcome, the UH Libraries will welcome students back to campus during its Just Ask! Libraries Open House, Monday, August 22 through Wednesday, August 24 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Students are encouraged to drop by the MD Anderson Library to learn more about library services and programs. Library staff will be on hand to answer common questions about MD Anderson Library and the campus branches.

UH Special Collections Wins Grant to Digitize Historical News

University of Houston Libraries Special Collections has received a grant to digitize and increase access to two important series from the KUHT Collection.

The TexTreasures grant in the amount of $24,305 will provide for the digitization of “The Capitol Report,” a series on the Texas legislature that was broadcast in the early 1990s; and “Almanac,” a news magazine focusing on local matters and featuring prominent businesspeople and politicians of the day.

TexTreasures is a yearly competitive grant program of TexShare, a consortium of Texas libraries joining together to share print and electronic materials, purchase online resources, and combine staff expertise. TexShare is administered by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

The TexTreasures awards are made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.

Townes Awarded Fellowship to Attend DLF Forum

Adam Townes, coordinator of research support services at the University of Houston Libraries, has been awarded a joint fellowship from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and Digital Library Federation (DLF) to attend the DLF Forum in November.

From the DLF announcement, Townes said, “My work at the University of Houston (UH) involves supporting faculty and graduate students with data management planning, addressing research-related inquiries, and coordinating with the Division of Research and Graduate School here at UH. I recently moved to Texas from Philadelphia where I completed my graduate studies. I look forward to actively participating in the DLF Forum, and it is my hope that other attendees can learn as much from me as I know I will learn from them.”

DLF Forums convene once a year and include digital library practitioners from DLF member institutions as well as those interested in joining the DLF community. Forums serve as a meeting place, a marketplace, and a congress.

Discovery Camp 2016

Discovery Camp 2016 at University of Houston will return this fall for a full day on Friday, October 7. This free event is intended for librarians and staff of academic, special, and public libraries with discovery platforms and next-gen library systems, and those who want to learn more about them.

This year’s keynote speaker is Carl Grant, associate dean for knowledge services and chief technology officer at University of Oklahoma Libraries. Grant will discuss discovery systems and the future of library resource management.

The event will also feature presentations and breakout sessions. More details will be coming soon. Registration is now open.

For more information, contact Kelsey Brett.

August 2016 New Databases

The following databases are now available from the University of Houston Libraries:

Legal Information Reference Center
Providing online full text for many of the top consumer legal reference books, Legal Information Reference Center contains more than 310 full-text publications and thousands of legal forms. Many of the full-text legal reference books are provided through Nolo, the nation’s oldest and most-respected provider of legal information for consumers and small businesses. This database offers the everyday user the necessary tools and detailed “how-to” instructions to independently address a wide-range of legal issues including business & corporations, family affairs & divorce, immigration & travel, money & financial planning, patents, copyrights & trademarks, property & real estate, rights & disputes, and wills & estate planning.

Music ID
A single search of international charting albums and singles under exclusive academic licence from Billboard, the Official Charts Company. Sophisticated tools allow you to interpret, graph, analyse, compare and contrast musical trends and interactions at the touch of a button. Listen to audio samples for each track and album quickly and easily.

SciTech Premium Collection
“The SciTech Premium Collection provides full-text titles from around the world, including scholarly journals, trade and industry journals, magazines, technical reports, conference proceedings, government publications and more. For researchers who need to conduct comprehensive literature reviews, this database includes specialized, editorial-controlled A&I resources for discovery of relevant scholarly research and technical literature critical to the discipline.”