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September 8th, 2017
The Archivist of the United States, David S. Ferriero, will share the many information preservation challenges and opportunities faced by the nation in the Inaugural Hiler Theater Lecture sponsored by the Purdue University Libraries.
Ferriero, confirmed as the 10th archivist of the United States in November 2009, will deliver, “Preserving the Past to Inform the Future: The View from the National Archives,” in the Hiler Theater, located in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28. The lecture is open free to the public.
At the entrance to the National Archives building in Washington, D.C., the monumental statues declare: “Study the Past” and “What is Past is Prologue.” According to Ferriero, in 1934, when Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the legislation that created the agency responsible for government records, he had in mind a vision of the power and responsibility of the American people to use those records in the ongoing work of creating a more perfect union.
“At the dedication of his Presidential Library, FDR stated, ‘It seems to me that the dedication of a library is itself an act of faith. To bring together the records of the past and to house them in a building where they will be preserved for the use of men and women in the future, a Nation must believe in three things. It must believe in the past. It must believe in the future. It must, above all, believe in the capacity of its own people so to learn from the past that they can gain in judgment in creating their own future.’ Now, 83 years later, the world is a very different place,” Ferriero noted. “The government has grown, the methods of creation and dissemination of information continue to multiply, the attitudes toward privacy and secrecy shift, citizen expectations for access and participation in their government increase, and the veracity of information available is under attack. This view from Washington will share the challenges and opportunities before us as we strengthen FDR’s original vision of the mission of the National Archives.”
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) preserves, and provides access to, the records of the U.S. Government and has 43 facilities across the country, including 14 Presidential Libraries, containing approximately 13 billion pages of textual records; 42 million photographs; miles and miles of film and video; and an ever-increasing number of electronic records. The Rotunda of the National Archives Building in downtown Washington, D.C., displays the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence.
Before his 2009 confirmation as the 10th U.S. Archivist, Ferriero served as the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries and held top library positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Duke University. Ferriero earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature from Northeastern University and a master’s degree from the Simmons College of Library and Information Science. He also served as a Navy hospital corpsman in Vietnam.
For more information, contact Teresa Koltzenburg, director of strategic communication, Purdue University Libraries, at (765) 494-0069 or via email at tkoltzen@purdue.edu.
Filed under: general, press_release, SPECSeptember 5th, 2017
LibGuides and the Databases A-Z list are currently experiencing an outage. Springshare, the company that makes these products, is aware of the issue and expects a resolution soon.
Filed under: Alerts: ExpiredSeptember 5th, 2017
The newest issue of the Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research, Volume 7 (2017), debuts this week online and in print. This volume, like all previous volumes, is available online and open access. Below is a first-person account of an experience with undergraduate research and the subsequent publication process via JPUR with the student featured on the cover, Jack VanSchaik, who investigates spatial soundscape ecology on page 65 of the volume. The open access version of his article may be found here. 
What is undergraduate research? I first heard about it at a Purdue summer biology camp during high school. Immediately, I knew it was something I wanted to pursue in college. After being accepted to Purdue, I was determined to participate in research my freshman year. However, it proved more difficult than I imagined, and at first, I was rejected due to lack of experience. Then it was hard to find a project that was compatible with my interests and coursework.
However, halfway through my freshman year I received a call from Dr. Mark Ward of the Statistics Department encouraging me to apply to his Sophomore Statistics Living Learning Community (LLC). I did and was accepted into what turned out to be a vital experience of my undergraduate career. Dr. Ward collaborated with professors from a variety fields and disciplines to create undergraduate-friendly research opportunities for LLC students. One professor’s project fascinated me. It was Dr. Bryan Pijanowski and his idea of soundscape ecology. Dr. Pijanowski introduced me to his lab, the Center for Global Soundscapes, where I found my undergraduate research project! I applied my newfound knowledge of big data from my LLC courses to my areas of interest: sound and the environment. I spent a year and a summer at Purdue completing my research project. This experience opened up doors for me to be involved in other projects at the Center, working on statistics, education, and community outreach. I ended up staying after my sophomore year at LLC to continue work on other projects.
When my research neared completion, I submitted it to the Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research (JPUR). I was extremely excited when my project was selected for a full article! It was reassuring to know that after so many hours, my research was worth publishing. However, there was still a lot of work to do. I had to format, edit, and finalize my article. Working with JPUR gave me the opportunity to experience something I had only heard about from Dr. Pijanowski, Dr. Ward, and so many graduate students—paper writing. Participating in the writing and publishing process gave me a glimpse into academic research and ultimately helped me decide to attend graduate school.
Not only did working with JPUR help me decide my future path, but there are several benefits to being published as an undergrad. Graduate schools notice an applicant’s research experience, and it demonstrates his or her capacity to produce publishable work. Similarly, it demonstrates to a company an applicant’s ability to see a substantial project through to its end. Moreover, getting one’s work published also can be a personal milestone. However, I think the most important benefit for publishing one’s research is for the science itself. Every piece of new knowledge, regardless of the field, academic standing, flashiness (the list goes on…), is important. Science is constantly driven forward by humanity’s pursuit of knowledge. Every pursuit of knowledge pushes science forward. When that pursuit stops, science stops, and that cannot happen!
Filed under: general, press_releaseAugust 28th, 2017
Purdue Libraries to host the prominent EDC Program for GIS Research
Purdue University has recently been designated an Esri Development Center (EDC Program) by Esri, the developer of the ArcGIS mapping and spatial analytics software. According to Esri, the program provides special status and benefits “to a select few leading university departments that challenge their students to develop innovative applications based upon the ArcGIS platform.” The opportunity to participate in the EDC program will augment GIS (Geographic Information Systems) research and activities currently conducted at Purdue University.
As an EDC Program, faculty and students gain special access to Esri’s training and support application platform, which connects users from any field of academic research. As a member of the program, Purdue University students and faculty can benefit from exclusive professional development in data integration and geospatial analysis and training.
This fall, Purdue Libraries will sponsor the EDC GIS Development Contest, in which students participating in the EDC program will have the opportunity to compete for Purdue University’s EDC Student of the Year Award.
According to Assistant Professor and GIS Specialist at Purdue University Libraries Nicole Kong, the winner will have the chance to be internationally recognized at the annual Esri Developer Summit. All Purdue students are eligible to participate in the EDC Program and GIS contest, and the winner will be announced on Purdue Libraries’ annual GIS Day event, which is set for Thursday, Nov. 9 in Stewart Center, room 214.
“Purdue University was selected to participate in this prestigious program based on outstanding teaching and research in GIS. The EDC Program provides a centralized place to connect developers and GIS users across disciplines, which will promote many fruitful collaborations,” Kong noted.
More information about the EDC Student of the Year Award Contest will be forthcoming. For more information, contact Kong at (765) 496-9474 or via email at kongn@purdue.edu.
Filed under: general, GISAugust 27th, 2017
The From the Archives photo series returns with the start of the new school year. On alternating Mondays throughout the academic year, we will feature a photo from Purdue Libraries Archives and Special Collections in conjunction with Purdue Today and give readers a chance to answer what’s taking place in the image. The full story behind the photo will be revealed on the following Friday.
To kick off a new year, we look at a beginning. Can you identify this Purdue location and tell us what – aside from crowds of students – is missing from the finished space? Share your theories in the comments and we’ll reveal the full story on Friday!
UPDATE:
In 1954, construction began on Purdue’s Memorial Center, a new campus building that would incorporate the existing University Library, a newly reconstructed Fowler Hall, and new classroom and activity space. Construction finished in 1958 and crowds filled the new space for its dedication ceremony.
When Memorial Center first opened it was missing its most striking feature, “The Spirit of the Land Grant College” mural above what is now the entrance to the Humanities, Social Science, and Education Library. The mural was completed and dedicated on October 4, 1961.
In 1972, the building was renamed in honor of University Treasurer R.B. Stewart, becoming the Stewart Center we know today.
Congratulations to everyone who commented and recognized this building! Please join us again on Monday, September 11, and on alternating Mondays throughout the semester as we present mystery photos From the Archives.
Filed under: general, SPECAugust 25th, 2017
EBSCO databases are currently returning errors when attempting to search. We have a ticket into their support team. If you need assistance in the meantime, please Ask a Librarian.
Filed under: Alerts: ExpiredAugust 24th, 2017
The unification at Purdue Northwest (PNW) and the coming separation of Indiana University (IU) and Purdue at IPFW (Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne) are resulting in significant changes at those campuses. For the libraries at Purdue Northwest, soon-to-be Purdue Fort Wayne, and Purdue West Lafayette, these changes come at a time when libraries are in flux as more resources and services are available online. These circumstances create an opportunity to explore strategies to more fully integrate the three libraries.
As a commitment to positive change, the Purdue University Office of the Provost has created a Purdue System Library Working Group.
Principles for the work of this group are outlined below.
The goal—enhance the research and learning at each campus:
Members of the task force include:
Candiss Vibbert and Alex Macklin will serve as co-chairs for the Working Group.
To see full charge, see Purdue System Library Working Group Charge on the Purdue Libraries’ website.
The Purdue System Library Working Group is asked to explore the following points:
After the data is provided to answer these questions, the larger more inclusive questions follow:
Questions and comments to assist the work of this group are encouraged. Contact one of the individuals below for comments or questions.
August 15th, 2017
Starting Monday, Aug. 21, the Wilmeth Active Learning Center, which houses the Library of Engineering and Science, will be open 24 hours per day, seven days a week (most of the year) with Purdue University ID (PUID) swipe access. Hicks Undergraduate Library will provide 24/7 access through Sunday, Aug. 20.
For a comprehensive list of Purdue Libraries’ hours, visit www.lib.purdue.edu/hoursList.
Filed under: general, Uncategorized, WALCAugust 10th, 2017
Learn how project-management tools and techniques can help you successfully reach your project goals in a one-hour presentation sponsored by the Purdue Libraries Seminar Committee.
Sasja Huijts, a certified project management professional (PMP), will present, “Project Management: A Roadmap to Reaching Your Goals,” at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 25 in Stewart Center 278. The presentation is open free to the public.
In her talk, Huijts will provide a general overview of the key aspects of project management and outline how employing project-management techniques not only can benefit your professional and personal projects, but also the programs and projects within your organization.
Huijts is certified in project management by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and serves as the principal and senior management consultant at PPM Consulting. She has 20 years of experience in the project-management field. Huijts specializes in leading large and complex program and project efforts, leveraging project management practices to seek strategic alignment, driving informed decision making, and working to develop high-performing teams that successfully deliver solutions in highly diverse and decentralized organizations.
Huijts earned her master’s degree in communications science from the University of Amsterdam. In addition, she has completed several leadership programs with Educause and Cornell University.
Filed under: events, faculty_staff, generalAugust 9th, 2017
Later this month, the Purdue Libraries Seminar Committee will present “Xenophilia: How the Love of Difference Is Essential for Information Literacy,” a lecture delivered by Andrew Whitworth, director of teaching and learning strategy, Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, U.K.
Whitworth’s talk, which is set from 10-11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29 in the Purdue Memorial Union’s West Faculty Lounge, will focus on the notion of “xenophilia” and how it can support information literacy practices. Online registration is available at https://purdue.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1MTFxeCG7hEppVb.
“We should see information literacy as a set of practices that emerge as practitioners in various settings learn to navigate ‘information landscapes.’ As with real landscapes, while these may come in particular types, each is essentially unique; thus, information literacy—the ability to make critical judgments about the relevance of informational resources—is a set of context-specific practices,” Whitworth explained.
According to Whitworth, although this view compels attention to the role of brokers and boundary zones that allow dialogue between different contexts, in these zones, different practices are negotiated and shared visions can potentially emerge.
“What is required to make best use of these zones is not an information literacy focused on searching strategies, but on an openness to difference and variation—thus ‘xenophilia’: the love of difference,” he added.
Whitworth’s presentation will expand on the notion of xenophilia—not only how it can be defined as a moral and ethical principle, but also as a pedagogy and a feature that can be designed into information systems.
“In a world where political currents took notable shifts toward insularity in 2016, it may be one basis for practical strategies of resistance to these trends,” Whitworth said.
Whitworth, whose scholarship focuses on critical theory and education, information practice and information literacy, mapping of information landscapes, and workplace and community learning, is the author of two books on digital and information literacy, “Information Obesity” (2009) and “Radical Information Literacy” (2014). He is also a co-author of the 2012 “Moscow Declaration on Media and Information Literacy.”
For more information, contact Clarence Maybee, associate professor and information literacy specialist, at (765) 494-7603 or via email at cmaybee@purdue.edu.
Filed under: events, general