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January 7th, 2025
As part of its ongoing efforts to improve campus spaces and better serve students, Purdue Libraries has successfully relocated a significant portion of its collection to a new off-campus repository. This move, which took place throughout 2023 and 2024, helped to create more student-focused spaces within the HSSE Library in Stewart Center, freeing up room for additional seating and study areas.
The relocation process has been managed by Hallett Movers, a professional library moving company. The bulk of the move was completed in February 2024, and as of December 2024, over 70% of the relocated collection is now discoverable, a significant increase from the 52% available in August. This steady progress ensures that more materials are becoming accessible to patrons each day.
RaeLynn Boes, print collections manager, said “The biggest improvement was getting out of a basement that had leaks and no longer having to fight humidity. We had leaks from things like restrooms and when a pipe burst on Mitch Daniels Blvd., and we were constantly worrying about these materials being damaged.”
About the repository
The relocated materials are now housed at a new facility located at 2550 Northwestern Ave., in the former State Farm Insurance building. With nearly one million items now stored off-campus, this transition marks a major shift in how Purdue Libraries manages its collections. The majority of the materials that were transferred came from the HIKS and Archives repositories, as well as from the HSSE Library in Stewart Center itself.
In the new facility, Purdue Libraries has implemented a unique organizational system that departs from the traditional library classification methods. Instead of using call numbers and location codes, materials are organized by individual row numbers on shelves. While this approach may seem different from what students and faculty are accustomed to on campus, each item retains its original shelf number, ensuring a straightforward transition when retrieving materials.
How to access materials
Despite the materials now being housed off-campus, accessing books and other resources has not become more difficult for patrons. Purdue Libraries Facilities (PLF) makes two trips each day between the campus and the off-campus repository to retrieve requested items, which are then made available for pickup at the patron’s chosen library. More than 1,300 items were requested during the Fall 2024 semester, highlighting the continued demand for these resources.
Looking ahead
While the transition to the new facility is ongoing, the changes have already had a positive impact on the HSSE Library in Stewart Center’s environment. With more room for student study areas and collaborative spaces, the library continues to evolve to meet the needs of Purdue’s academic community.
For more information and instructions on how to request materials, please visit the Purdue Libraries borrowing website.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsDecember 20th, 2024
Effective January 2025, Dr. Beth McNeil is stepping away from her position as dean of Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies. She will begin a sabbatical and return in January 2026 to Libraries faculty.
Beth’s tenure
Beth has served as dean of Purdue Libraries for 5 ½ years. She first came to Purdue Libraries in 2007, serving as associate dean for information resources and scholarly communication, and became associate dean for academic affairs in 2009. She remained at Purdue for eight years, leaving in 2015 to become dean of library services and professor at Iowa State University. In 2019, Beth returned as dean of Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies and Esther Ellis Norton Professor of Library Science..
Throughout her tenure, Beth has led the Libraries to many accomplishments, including the launch of the 2022-2025 strategic plan, the formation of the new Information Studies minor, expanding Open Access opportunities for Purdue faculty and researchers, and the renovations in campus libraries. Her commitment to Purdue students will remain evident in library spaces that provide them with flexible study spaces, and the ongoing development of a curriculum to meet their academic needs.
Beth’s impact extended beyond Purdue’s campus; she served on the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) Steering Committee (2020–22) and remains a member of the Academic Libraries of Indiana (ALI) board. She is a past board member of the HathiTrust, the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA), Western Regional Storage Trust (WEST), the Rosemont Shared Print Alliance, and served as chair of the 2021 ACRL National Conference, “Ascending into an Open Future.” She serves on several BTAA Center for Library Programs committees, including as vice chair for the Executive Committee during 2024. She was elected to the Midwest Center for Library Services (MCLS) board in 2024. Additionally, Beth served as president-elect (July 2022–23), and president (July 2023–24), and is serving now as past president (2024-2025) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).
Joanne Troutner, chair of the Purdue Libraries Dean’s Advisory Council, reflects, “I have had the privilege of witnessing Dean McNeil’s steadfast support for staff and her ability to highlight the remarkable projects and achievements of the Purdue Libraries team. She has successfully steered the Information Studies minor through the rigorous approval process, further broadening academic opportunities for Purdue students. It has been both an honor and a pleasure to work alongside Beth and her vision, professionalism, and dedication.”
Willie Reed, dean emeritus of the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine and professor of comparative pathobiology, notes, “It has been an honor and privilege to work with Dean McNeil. She is a consummate professional who tirelessly worked to support Purdue faculty and students. Her efforts to enhance the learning environment for students will be impactful for many years to come. In the face of many obstacles, Dean McNeil never wavered in support of her team. She was a strong partner with the College of Veterinary Medicine and fully understood the unique needs of professional students. I am forever grateful for her support and friendship and will miss my interactions with her.”
During her sabbatical, Beth plans to work on editing a book on library leadership from a global perspective and write a 4th edition of “Fundamentals of Library Supervision.”
Interim leadership
Vice provost for faculty affairs Sunil Prabhakar will serve as interim leader of Purdue Libraries. Professor Prabhakar served as head of the Department of Computer Science during its time as a Purdue Move and was the inaugural director of Purdue’s Integrative Data Science Initiative (2019–20). Sunil’s interests and expertise in data, data science, and data literacy proved indispensable in his prior service on the search advisory committee that brought Dean McNeil back to Purdue.
The search for a new leader will commence in due course, and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this transition.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsDecember 18th, 2024
As of July 2024, UBorrow has been replaced with a new system for sharing materials that will happen seamlessly for requests submitted to interlibrary loan, where all incoming requests are now searched automatically against other Big Ten libraries’ catalogs. Purdue Libraries continues to prioritize libraries that lend materials for the longest period of time and requests will be filled as quickly as possible.
Purdue’s resource sharing agreement offers:
Reciprocal borrowing is the ability for Purdue users to borrow materials from BTAA libraries as though they were members of those libraries’ communities both in-person and online. Purdue’s commitment to its BTAA resource-sharing agreements includes several important priorities:
In summary, this shift represents a step forward in how Purdue Libraries supports resource sharing. As Libraries continues to strengthen its partnerships with BTAA libraries, users can expect even greater access to academic materials in the future.
For more information on how to use this service, visit the Purdue Libraries answers website or view the BTAA’s announcement.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsDecember 12th, 2024
Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies collaborates with instructors to locate affordable course materials to support student success. During the fall 2024 semester, Purdue Libraries saved students over $930,000 in textbook fees by acquiring required course materials for Libraries’ electronic collection, including over $36,000 in savings for more than 470 students at Purdue Indianapolis.
The cost of course textbooks can place a significant financial burden on college students and impede their academic opportunities. According to the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, “65 percent of students reported skipping buying assigned course material—a textbook, an access code, or both—during their time at school because of its cost.” Libraries provides access to a wide range of library-licensed materials, including over 800 new ebooks and streaming videos since July 2022. These materials are accessible via the Brightspace integrated electronic reading list, Leganto, where students can readily find and read them in the context of other course assignments and activities.
Affordable course materials website launched
To help instructors create more equitable learning environments, Purdue Libraries launched an affordable course materials website. This resource offers guidance and tools for instructors on how to integrate affordable materials into Purdue courses.
For more information about affordable learning materials or to schedule a consultation with a librarian, please contact Emily Little, open education and affordable content librarian.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsDecember 10th, 2024
2024 Eli Lilly Case Competition winners announced
The Eli Lilly Case Competition is a longstanding component of the Intro to Management and Information Strategies course (MGMT 110) and is organized in collaboration with Libraries assistant professors Zoe Mayhook and Annette Bochenek, Eli Lilly and Company, and the Larsen Leaders Academy Executive Board.
In MGMT 110, students focus on the development of their academic and professional goals, while building and sharpening their information-gathering skills, by developing systematic methods for finding, evaluating, and presenting information. The Larsen Leaders Academy offers high-achieving business students a community of like-minded peers and professionals dedicated to fostering their natural aptitudes and encouraging their success.
The case competition presents a complex pharmaceutical investment case that requires students to conduct comprehensive business research, including analyzing company financials, evaluating patents and regulatory environments, assessing scientific risks, and examining industry and competitive landscapes and market and consumer profiles. It includes two rounds: an initial virtual presentation round, followed by an in-person, final round for the top six teams. This year, 16 teams competed, six advanced to the final round, and three teams earned top placements. The teams that earned top placements include:
1st Place:
2nd Place:
3rd Place:
As a member of the 3rd place team, Sara Negishi reflected on her experience and said, “Participating in the Eli Lilly case competition pushed me to become a well-rounded researcher by challenging us to analyze five key metrics (scientific risk, legal risk, competitive profile, market size, and financial profile), each requiring its own, unique research strategy. For example, my team studied clinical trial data for scientific risk and evaluated similar drugs, analyzing their efficacy and safety to assess competitive profile.”
Information literacy is a key component of this case competition. Very little data or information is provided, and students must fill in the gaps with research and informed assumptions. This requires students to spend time locating different types of business information, synthesizing and analyzing their findings, and using that information to make evidence-based decisions and recommendations.
Also reflecting on his experience participating in the competition, MGMT 110 student Gregory Kotsiviras said, “By participating in the Lilly Case Competition, I developed a strong repertoire of research skills and applied critical thinking to develop strategic solutions. Moving forward, I intend to leverage the valuable insights I gained to inform my approach to future case competitions.”
A special thank you to Yana Petrova, Katarina Nikolovski, Preston Holb, Bailey Harris, Maggie Viewegh, and Brynna Walthers at Eli Lilly and Company for their contributions to this event. We are proud of all students who participated, and congratulations to the three teams who earned top placements. Well done!
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsDecember 6th, 2024
Purdue Libraries, as a result of its membership in the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), has partnered with Google to digitize books in its collection that are rare, out of print, and generally unavailable and are no longer needed in print at its facilities. Google aims to digitize these books from libraries across the world and make them searchable on Google Books to promote accessibility and advance the knowledge of users worldwide.
In September 2021, Libraries began the process of sending books to Google in test shipments to solidify logistics and project workflow. The project officially began in March 2022, and Libraries selected and sent over 40,000 books to Google to be digitized until October 2023. The project was then paused to categorize and move books to Libraries’ repository, and will restart in May 2025.
More about the project
The Google Library Project makes it possible for users to search through millions of books written in different languages via Google Books. If a book from the Library Project is in the public domain, Google will make it fully available to the public to read in its entirety. If a book is not in the public domain, the book will still be text-searchable, but Google Books will only display a few lines of text to show the user where their search appears within the context of the book.
Sometimes rights holders of copyrighted books grant permission to show more than a few lines of text; in those cases, a percentage of pages from the book or the entire book may be available for viewing. Also, if a book exists but has yet to be digitized, basic bibliographic information about the book will be available for users to view.
Google works with a number of libraries throughout the world to digitize their collections—once digitized, the libraries also receive a copy to preserve and make available to their patrons as copyright law allows. To learn more about the Google Library Project, visit its website.
December 5th, 2024
On December 3, Purdue Libraries celebrated the contributions of its faculty and staff at the annual Libraries staff recognition event held in Stewart Center. This long-standing tradition honors those who have demonstrated exceptional service to the Libraries, showcases the creativity of Libraries staff members, and recognizes new hires, retirees, and promotions throughout the year.
The event featured a craft show, where Libraries faculty and staff had the opportunity to browse and appreciate the talents of their colleagues. Handcrafted jewelry, original paintings, crocheted stuffed animals, abstract prints, and more were on display, highlighting the creativity of Susan Zeyher, Jessie Scott, Sarah Merryman, Will Ferrall, Ann O’Donnell, Morgan Richert, and Patricia Swanson.
The event also recognized those who reached significant service milestones in 2024. Employees who have contributed their talents and dedication to Purdue Libraries were acknowledged for their invaluable service. These milestones were a testament to the lasting impact of their hard work and commitment to the Purdue community.
Service recognitions
We are proud to recognize the following staff members for their outstanding years of service to Purdue Libraries. Their years of service enrich the library community and continue to foster an environment of learning, creativity, and innovation.
10 years of service:
15 years of service:
20 years of service:
25 years of service:
30 years of service:
35 years of service:
40 years of service:
November 20th, 2024
Celebrating Research aims to highlight the work, innovation, and dedication of Libraries faculty by providing an opportunity to share their research with colleagues. This year, over 30 Libraries faculty members—and one undergraduate student alongside their Libraries faculty mentor—participated and showcased their work throughout the year. From projects in their beginning stages to those that are completed, faculty members shared what they have been working on and what we have to look forward to in the future.
Those who presented and the topic of their projects include:
One of the highlights from the event included professor Zoe Mayhook and her mentee Christopher Ghita, a Purdue senior majoring in finance, presenting his research. With Mayhook’s guidance and expertise, Ghita worked to research the impact of finance case competitions on undergraduate learning and professional skill building.
When reflecting on his experience working with Mayhook, Ghita said “Zoe is the best mentor I could have had. I’ve never done a lot of research, and her understanding of the literature review side and the analyzing data side has been nothing but valuable to me. It’s been a fantastic experience, and I couldn’t ask for a better mentor.”
Celebrating Research was an excellent opportunity to catch up with faculty and learn about their research endeavors. We are proud of our faculty for their commitment and dedication to research and contributing to their fields of expertise, and look forward to seeing how their work will shape the future of their disciplines.
November 17th, 2024
WRDS, developed by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, provides single-point access to over 350 terabytes of data across multiple disciplines, including Finance, Marketing, and Economics.
Purdue’s WRDS instance includes access to the following: Bank Regulatory BoardEx Academic Research Data; CBOE Indexes; Compustat Capital IQ; Contributed Data; CRSP; DMEF Academic Data; Dow Jones ; FactSet; FAMA French & Liquidity Factors; IBES; IRI; Macro Finance Society; MFLINKS; MSRB; Nastraq; OTC Markets; Penn World Tables; Peters & Taylor Total Q; PHLX; Research Quotient; SAS Visual Analytics; SEC Order Execution; TAQ; Thomoson Reuters; TRACE; Zacks.
Please note that WRDS requires a user account. Undergraduate access may be approved on a case-by-case basis but cannot be guaranteed.
The List of Business Databases is an alphabetical list of databases filtered to those most applicable to business, entrepreneurship, and hospitality and tourism management programs of study.
Click Getting Started with WRDS to watch the basics of using this database.
Featured Database comes to you from the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management & Economics. If you would like more information about this database, or if you would like a demonstration of it for a class, contact parrlib@purdue.edu.
Want to see a specific database promoted in an upcoming edition? Send an email to parrlib@purdue.edu and we will gladly promote it.
Filed under: database, general, MGMTNovember 8th, 2024
Purdue GIS Day 2024, with the theme of “Exploring GeoAI,” was a success and brought together over 180 students, academics, and industry professionals in a day filled with insightful talks, poster presentations, and networking opportunities. The event, hosted by Gang Shao, showcased the latest advancements in geospatial analysis and its applications across many disciplines.
The conference featured two keynote speakers—Gregory Brunner, an experienced scientist, award-winning professor, and principal data scientist at Esri, a global market leader in GIS software; and Michael Johns, a lead geospatial product specialist at Databricks, a global data, analytics, and artificial intelligence company. Brunner spoke about the rapid growth of the AI model ecosystem and the potential impact it has and will have on GIS, and Johns discussed how to use Databricks to perform scaled spatial analysis while retaining full visibility and control over all of the underlying processes, code, models, and data lineage. Both Brunner and Johns enjoyed getting the opportunity to connect with students throughout the day and share their insights and professional experience with GIS.
After his talk and having an opportunity to connect with students, Brunner said, “I think they are making the connections between the trends that I’m seeing, the direction Esri is going with GeoAI generative AI and what they’re doing with their own work. I hope that work continues and that they continue to make these observations and connections between what they see going on in the broadview spatial community and how it impacts their research, their work, and their interests.”
The schedule also included 14 five-minute lightning talks, presented by undergraduate and graduate students, demonstrating the depth of our student body’s research and innovation in geospatial fields. Additionally, 21 undergraduate and graduate students presented posters at the event, tying in their respective disciplines to the field of GIS.
“I was really impressed with the quality of the posters and presentations. It feels like there’s a lot of grounding around real-world problems that speaks well of how students are being set up here through the program and I think there’s a lot of good questions that are being asked about how students take what they learned at the university and apply it at the level they aim to achieve,” said Johns, reflecting on his experience viewing the student poster presentations and lightning talks.
We were also honored to hear from industry partners during four research and industry presentations and a career panel discussion that connected the practical applications of geospatial technologies between academia and industry. From learning about how to build an open geospatial data ecosystem to finding and accessing statewide GIS data, the speakers highlighted the relevance of these tools in real-world scenarios.
A special thanks to the following individuals for their involvement, participation, and professional insights shared with attendees during the panel discussion and/or their research and industry presentation:
The day concluded by recognizing the best graduate and undergraduate student who had an outstanding lightning talk or poster presentation. Each winner was presented with a certificate and a $100 reward for their unique contributions to the field of GIS.
Undergraduate award winners:
Graduate award winners:
Congratulations to our winners for their outstanding achievements, and to all of our GIS Day 2024 participants for their commendable successes and contributions to the field of Geographic Informations Systems. As we look forward to another inspiring event, please mark your calendars for next year’s conference, which will be held on November 6, 2025.
Filed under: general, GIS, GIS Day, News and Announcements