Changes to St. Paul Media Services

After 42+ years working in Media Services in the St. Paul Library, Ann Piotrowski is retiring. We wish Ann well.

With her retirement some things in Media Services in St. Paul will be changing. Here are some of the changes.

Video Reserves & Booking

Need a St. Kate's-owned video for class? Please now contact:

Jenny Peters
St. Paul Library, CdC 133
651.690.6648
japeters@stkate.edu

Video Purchases

Want St. Kate's to purchase a video for classroom use? Please now contact:

Heather Tompkins
St. Paul Library, CdC 65
651.690.6653
hltompkins@stkate.edu

Media Services

Need classroom technology or support? Contact:

Rodney Fillmore
St. Paul Library, CdC 130
651.690.6658
rwfillmore@stkate.edu

National Library Week - Our Staff

You might be familiar with some of the reference and instruction librarians in the library, the people who may have helped you with research or taught one of your classes about research.

But there are a lot of other people who also help make our libraries the wonderful places they are.

We have great circulation student workers and staff who manage our student workers, the helpful people at the circulation desks who make sure you're able to access and check out materials.

And then there are the people you might not see as much, those who work behind the scenes like our systems librarian and collection services staff, the people who make sure our systems, electronic resources, books, magazines, newspapers and more are ready for you to use.

And then there's a group of people you might not notice who do a lot of work around campus, the students and staff who work in our media services department. They make sure all the equipment in classes around campus is working and they support your access to additional electronic equipment and media.

Our archivist is also someone you may not see unless you're doing a history project, trying to track down St. Kate's information, or need some access to our special collections. She preserves our history and maintains all the wonderful special collections you may see highlighted from time to time on library displays.

And then there's our fearless leader, the library director, and her administrative assistant, the ones who are usually pouring over things like budgets, but who every now and then take a little break for some fun.

So the next time you enter the library or use one of our online resources, you may not see all these wonderful people, and many of the others not pictured here, but just know there are many people working hard to make sure everything in the library runs smoothly. And we love our St. Kate's community!

Staff Favorites 2015!

It's that time of year again where you're seeing "best of" lists and "favorites of 2015," so we are joining in on the fun.

Here are our (library staff and student worker) favorite books, movies, TV shows, music, and more of 2015.

BOOKS

We read a lot of books in 2015, and some favorites that more than one person mentioned included The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins and Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. Check out some of our others favorites on our Staff Favorites Pinterest board:

Follow St. Catherine University Library's board Staff Favorites on Pinterest.

MOVIES

We watched a lot of movies this year, and none of us overlapped on our favorite, so look at the variety of movies we loved in 2015:

TV SHOWS

There was some great TV this year, and a lot of us enjoyed Fargo, The Americans, Orphan Black, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Check out some of our other favorites:

MUSIC

Like most of the world, the St. Kate's Library is glad Adele is back. Her name came up most for our favorite music of 2015, and it's not hard to see why:

Some of the other songs & musicians that were our favorites this year include:

• Sleater Kinney
• Lizzo
• D'Angelo and The Vanguard
• Wiz Khalifa
• "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
• "Writing's on the Wall" by Sam Smith
• "Locked Away" by R. City featuring Adam Levine;
• "Good for You" by Selena Gomez
• "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran
• "Can't Feel My Face" by the Weeknd
• "Girls Chase Boys" by Ingrid Michelson
• "Style" by Taylor Swift
• "Take Me to Church" by Hozier
• "Chandelier" by Sia
• "Want to Want Me" by Jason Derulo
• "The Shade" by Metric
• "WTF" by Missy Elliot featuring Pharrell Williams
• "Phone in a Pool" by Ben Folds

What are some of YOUR favorites of 2015? What did we miss?

Summer Reading Staff Picks

We know you're busy with final papers and tests, but summer is just around the corner and what's more fun to do in the summer than read? You need to catch up on some good books and we have some recommendations for you!

This Pinterest board is full of library staff book recommendations, from short stories about interesting women to post-apocalyptic science fiction to a riveting story of trapped miners to some seriously good graphic novels. You're bound to find something you'll like.

And while you're checking out this board, follow us on Pinterest!

Follow St. Catherine University Library's board Summer Reading 2015 Staff Picks on Pinterest.

Do you have any book recommendations for us?

Photo by Anjum Malkana / licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Earth Day Archives Display

In honor of Earth Day, April 22, this month’s display highlights the work of Mel Knapton, groundskeeper at St. Kate’s from 1967 - 1976. Known as “Mr. Green Thumbs,” Knapton was recognized for his efforts in making St. Kate’s one of the most beautiful urban campuses in the nation. In addition, he was a pioneer of ecological and sustainable practices in landscape gardening long before these were widely used.

Knapton was awarded the Blue Flame Ecology Salute from the Blue Flame Gas Association in recognition of his achievements in ecology and conservation in 1972. That year, Knapton released 10,000 ladybugs on campus in an effort to control other insect pests while avoiding the use of potentially harmful pesticides.

Knapton’s work was recognized on a national level when St. Kate’s was named one of the top five best kept campuses by the Professional Grounds Management Society in 1975. He attended the awards ceremony in Williamsburg, VA and noted that St. Kate’s was the only school not on either coast that was given an award. An article was written about this achievement in St. Paul's evening newspaper, The Dispatch.

This display will be on view during the month of April on the main level of the St. Paul Library, in the case in front of the video of the carrels. Stop by to learn more!

Our 2014 Favorites

There are so many "best of" and "favorites of" 2014 lists out there, so we thought it'd be fun to see what library staff and library student workers call their favorites of 2014.

Here are our favorite books, movies, television shows, music, and more that we loved in 2014.

BOOKS

Library staff

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Ms. Marvel: Volume 1 by G. Willow Wilson
A Shiver of Light by Laurell K. Hamilton
The Darkest Whisper by Gena Showalter
The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better by Richard G. Wilkinson and Kate Picket
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
From Pompeii: The Afterlife of a Roman Town by Ingrid Rowland
The Girl in the Blue Beret by Bobbie Ann Mason

Library student workers

Noah Gordon by Der Medicus
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
What I Thought was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Hard Choices by Hillary Clinton
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Divergent Series by Veronica Roth
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Gone Series by Michael Grant

MOVIES

There were a lot of movies that came up again and again, with students and with staff, so we decided to combine them. Here's a word cloud of the movies library staff and library student workers loved this year.

TELEVISION

Library staff

Library staff favorite TV shows include: Gotham, Homeland, The Walking Dead, Falling Skies, Criminal Minds, Sherlock, Bones, NCIC, Covert Affairs, The Roosevelts, and Downton Abbey.

Library student workers

Library student workers favorite TV shows include: Revenge, The Blacklist, New Girl, Brooklyn 99, Broadchurch, Hemlock Grove, Bones, Elementary, NCIS, Once Upon a Time, Project Runway, and Supernatural.

MUSIC

Library staff

Apparently library staff are "All About That Bass." That song by Meghan Trainor came up the most for staff members.

Other musical interests of the staff include: The Avett Brothers, Trampled by Turtles, Father John Misty, Kacey Musgraves, and "Everything is Awesome" from The Lego Movie.

Library student workers

The library student workers were really loving Sam Smith this year.

Other musical interests of our student workers include: James Vincent McMorrow, G-Eazy, Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Coldplay, Lorde, Taylor Swift, One Direction, and Pentatonix. Some songs highlighted include: "Am I Wrong" by Nico & Vinz, "Bang Bang" by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nikki Minaj, "Take Me to Church" by Hozier, "All of Me" by John Legend, and "Rude" by Magic.

OTHER FAVORITES

Some library staff members listed some other favorites of 2014 including new staff at the library. There have been a lot of changes in the library, including the introduction of four new staff members and Emily Asch moving into the Library Director position.

Another staff member stated that the "introduction of shutting down interstate highways and malls as a form of protest with the "no justice, no profits" theme" is a favorite from 2014.

YOURS?

So, these are some of our favorites. What are some of yours?

Library director or Ms. Marvel?

You may or may not know that we have a new library director, Emily Asch. She's been working in the St. Kate's Library for many years as the Head of Technical Services, but in August we were delighted when she stepped into the Director of Libraries, Archives, and Media position. Within Emily's first couple of months we've already seen great changes in the library and we're looking forward to the future.

Another thing you should know about Emily is that she has a great sense of humor. Just look at this photo of her from last week:

Is that our library director or Ms. Marvel?

(P.S. We ordered a couple copies of Ms. Marvel, the first Muslim superhero to headline her own comic, so you'll have to check it out when it gets here.)

New Library Director

If you see an unfamiliar--and yet friendly--face at the Library, it's probably Randall Schroeder, new Director of Libraries, Media Services, & Archives.

The new director replaces Carol Johnson, who retired last December, and Jim Newsome, who has been serving as interim Director. Randall will arrive on campus in August.

Read the complete announcement.

Student Workers and Staff at the Library: Philanthropists

Student workers at the St. Paul campus Circulation Desk, under the direction of staff members Belinda Lawrence and Jenny Peters, created the winning video for St. Catherine University's Tobacco Free promotion. With their $250 in prize money, the group decided to donate goods to the Unidad Académica Campesina - Carmen Pampa in Bolivia. Carmen Pampa serves impoverished rural people through education and community service.The students sent stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs which will be used by the community.

More:

• "Breathe" Watch the winning video on YouTube 
• Uchumachi Blog: Read More About Carmen Pampa
• Carmen Pampa Fund

Graduate Student Library User Survey

Last spring, library staff conducted a survey of graduate students’ library usage and satisfaction with resources and services. Survey responses reflect the changes that have occurred in students’ information needs and behaviors since the last survey was done in 2000.

A total of 310 completed surveys were received from students in all nine graduate programs. The survey revealed that more than half of the respondents conduct their research away from the CSC Libraries. 59.1% of the respondents do their research at home, and only 28.9% use the CSC Libraries as their primary research site. This finding has significant implications for the delivery and access of library services.

While print sources are still important to graduate students, access to digital content is a big need and the top library priority for survey respondents. The overwhelming majority of students (90.4%) want the Libraries to provide more online full-text journal articles, with almost half (43%) requesting more library databases. Coming in at a distant third is more library computers (28.3%). Comments from respondents echoed the need for more full-text articles.

Library staff helpfulness and knowledge and interlibrary loan services were all given the highest ratings by survey respondents, and written comments confirm that the libraries’ greatest strength is its staff.

Survey responses affirmed the Library’s prioritizing of electronic resources, specifically library databases. Librarians are also providing more training workshops and individual consultations for graduate students and are engaged in a significant redesign of the library website to improve service to remote access users.

The staff is appreciative of the students who contributed their ideas and voiced their concerns, and we will continue to use the survey data as guidance in addressing graduate students’ information needs.

by Sue Gray, Reference and Circulation Librarian, Mpls Campus

Greener Printing

Rather than creating a paperless era, increased computer use has resulted in an explosion in printing. Remember that more printing translates to higher consumption of paper and toner ( and increased wear and tear on printers) -- all of which cost money and resources.

As students, you need to print research articles and papers to hand in. When job hunting or submitting to committees, you might need paper copies of resumes or reports. There are many reasons for keeping hard copies of electronic data -- but remember that there are many choices you can make when printing that will use fewer pages.

See the tips on greener printing!

A New "GLO" in the Library

The St. Paul campus library now has a new GLO: the Green Library Organization. This group, consisting of staff members Emily Asch, Barbara Klug, Belinda Lawrence, Jim Newsome, Kathi Rickert, and Martha Vest, is dedicated to finding ways to lower the library’s energy consumption and its uses of non-renewable resources.

The group was formed after Rickert and Newsome attended a session on energy saving at the 2008 Midwest Library Technology Conference. The St. Kate’s Library tends to use lots of paper in copiers, printers, and in print media such as journals and books.

In recent years, print consumption has reduced somewhat as library collections migrate from print to electronic formats. New Computing Services printing policies capping free printing for each user have also helped reduce paper use in the Library and across campus. The group hopes to investigate better ways to reduce waste from abandoned print jobs to old handouts and more.

GLO has begun an energy audit, so we can determine what energy resources the library is currently consuming. The goal will then be to analyze how best to reduce consumption, whether it be by finding more energy efficient lighting or heating patterns, other earth-friendly options.

GLO has just launched, but it should be a key player on campus as it networks with new student groups who have also formed to create a more sustainable campus environment. GLO will also seek ways to build our library book collections in the area of environmental sciences and also hopes to create an annual display for Earth Day in an effort to educate users to be better stewards of the planet.

Whatever happens, it will no longer be business as usual for wasteful consumption. GLO appreciates any comments or suggestions, and readers may contact any of the members listed above.

by Jim Newsome, Head of Public Services

Please Pass the Pie

As part of the faculty and staff opening workshop in August, President Andrea Lee presented The Art of Possibility, a video based on Rosamund and Ben Zander’s book of the same title. Its subtitle is Transforming Professional and Personal Life, and the Zanders present practices that are truly transformational. My personal favorite is Rule Number 6.

“Two prime ministers are sitting in a room discussing affairs of state. Suddenly a man bursts in, apoplectic with fury, shouting and stamping and banging his fist on the desk. The resident prime minister admonishes him: “Peter,” he says, “kindly remember Rule Number 6,” whereupon Peter is instantly restored to complete calm, apologizes, and withdraws. The politicians return to their conversation, only to be interrupted yet again twenty minutes later by an hysterical woman gesticulating wildly, her hair flying. Again the intruder is greeted with the words: “Marie, please remember Rule Number 6.” Complete calm descends once more, and she too withdraws with a bow and an apology. When the scene is repeated for a third time, the visiting prime minister addresses his colleague: “My dear friend, I’ve seen many things in my life, but never anything as remarkable as this. Would you be willing to share with me the secret of Rule Number 6?” “Very simple,” replies the resident prime minister. “Rule Number 6 is ‘Don’t take yourself so damn seriously.’” “Ah,” says his visitor, “that is a fine rule.” After a moment of pondering, he inquires, “And what, may I ask, are the other rules?” “There aren’t any.”

This simple rule, along with another suggesting that we throw ourselves into life, making a difference, contributing freely and allowing others the opportunity to contribute what they have to offer, was the inspiration for a pie contest.

Before our full staff library meeting in November, all staff received a recipe card in their campus mailbox with minimal information regarding the contest. The only rule? Number 6. Despite lower than expected turnout due to scheduling conflicts, the November 21st meeting included a total of eight pies (accompanied the 16 library folks able to attend the meeting). After business, the final agenda item was the pie tasting and “judging.” Karen Harwood, former head of Technical Services, made a guest appearance to help with the event, and a fine time was had by all. Prizes were awarded based on appearance and delectability. Because the pies did appear, and all eight were delectable, all participants received a prize. The very best prizes, of course, were those served on plates to everyone who could stay and enjoy a pie breakfast.

Thanks to everyone who did not take themselves too seriously, contributed freely, and made the event possible. Who knows? One of our all staff library meetings next year could just Take the Cake!

by B. Klug, Technical Services

Note: The book, The Art of Possiblity by Rosamund and Ben Zander, is in our library’s collection (BC199.P7 Z36 2000).