Wendy Lougee head of ARL

University Librarian Wendy Lougee is serving this year as President of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL).

This nonprofit organization of 125 research libraries in the United States and Canada has a mission to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve.

Valerie Horton new director of Minitex

Valerie Horton is the new director of Minitex, a joint program of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and the University of Minnesota.

Horton is the former executive director of the Colorado Library Consortium (CLiC). She officially took the reins at Minitex in December 2012.

“Valerie brings an extraordinary portfolio to the Minitex leadership position,” said Wendy Lougee, University of Minnesota Librarian. “As the founding director of CLiC, she has developed robust programs of resource sharing, as well as open source library systems and continuing education.”

In previous roles, Horton served as library director at Mesa State College, systems and budget officer at New Mexico State University, International Library Fellow with the American Library Association, and systems librarian at Brown University.

“I am impressed by the suite of services available to our library patrons,” Horton said. “And I am committed to retaining Minitex’s dedication to excellence and to customer service.”

Horton has a Master’s of Library Studies from the University of Hawaii, and a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A. in English from the University of Utah.

Janice Jaguszewski new Health Sciences Libraries director

In November 2012, Janice Jaguszewski was named the new Director of Health Sciences Libraries and Associate University Librarian for Health Sciences at the University of Minnesota Libraries. University Librarian Wendy Lougee said that Jaguszewski drew strong support throughout the Academic Health Center for her leadership as interim director.

“Janice brings a strong background in sciences and innovative leadership to the Health Sciences Libraries,” Lougee said. “This expertise serves the University’s interdisciplinary interests well.”

As former Director of Physical Sciences and Engineering Libraries at the University of Minnesota, Jaguszewski’s contributions in faculty development programs, information literacy, and campus partnerships captured national attention.

“I am delighted to be working with the librarians and staff in the Health Sciences Libraries as they develop services to support eLearning, interprofessional education, evidence-based practice, and clinical and laboratory research in the Academic Health Center,” Jaguszewski said.

Jaguszewski has an M.S. in Library and Information Science and a B.A. in the Teaching of English, Minor in Mathematics, from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Joy Kirchner is head of content and collections

Joy Kirchner has been named Associate University Librarian for Content & Collections, a new division within the University of Minnesota Libraries. She began her new position in April 2013.

Kirchner most recently oversaw the management of the University of British Columbia’s Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office where she coordinated the University’s copyright education services, identified recommended and sustainable service models to support scholarly communications activities on the campus, and coordinated formalized discussion and education of these issues with faculty, students, research, and publishing constituencies on the UBC campus.

Prior to this position she was the Collections, Licensing, and Digital Scholarship Librarian where she was the chief content coordinator and electronic resources coordinator for the Library’s collections.

“Joy’s stellar record includes a rich repertoire of experience with collections, licensing, repositories, and digital publishing,” said University Librarian Wendy Lougee. “Her career has engaged her broadly with all disciplines – including health sciences – in campus-wide program development, and in national initiatives. This portfolio is an exceptional match for this new leadership position which will coalesce our content and collections activity on campus and pursue multi-institutional collaborations toward collective action.”

“I am thrilled to be joining the University of Minnesota Libraries – one of the most visionary and innovative research libraries in North America,” Kirchner said. “I am delighted to be working with such an exceptional team, our distinguished collections, and a truly engaged community. I look forward to collaborating with others on developing trusted and sustainable models to support our scholarship and fostering accessibility to our evolving notions of digital content.”

Sixty thousand seed catalogs and counting

The Andersen Horticultural Library (AHL) at the Arboretum recently acquired its 60,001st seed catalog.

The AHL’s Historic Seed and Nursery Catalog Collection is one of the largest in the country dating from 1828 and from all 50 states and 26 countries. Not only does the collection boast beautiful lithographs, engravings, and photographs, it is a veritable feast of advertising and printing trends.

Indulge your green thumb at z.umn.edu/dp3.

‘Quiet and quaint’—and very natural

“Quiet and quaint” is how students describe the new Natural Resources Library on the St. Paul campus, following the merger of the Forestry Library and the Entomology, Fisheries, and Wildlife Library.

The merger brings together two world-class collections and also saves $130,000 annually in operating costs. The consolidation earned campus recognition as an example of Operational Excellence.

Learn more at z.umn.edu/natural and hear students’ reaction to the new facility.

Student finds hidden map in 346-year-old book

Who knew what was hidden between the pages of a 346-yearold book?

Turns out it was a lavish, 40-inch x 16-inch map of the “course of the Volga River” — one of four bound into the 7-inch x 9-inch book found by Libraries’ student worker, Alex Hsiao. It was the 15,000th map discovered during a three-year project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The challenge: to locate, and make accessible the maps in approximately 11,000 rare books (ca. 1200 – 1800 CE) from the James Ford Bell Library. When the three-year project is complete, Alex and 11 fellow students will have discovered an anticipated 25,000 maps.

Libraries wins University diversity award

The Libraries’ commitment to diversity was acknowledged with the Equity and Diversity Outstanding Unit Award, which recognizes the good work of the Libraries in reflecting the values of diversity within collections, services, and programs.

These include the Archie Givens Sr. Collection of African American Literature, the Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies, student Peer Research Consultants trained in cultural competency skills, our partnership in the Ojibwe Language Dictionary project, and national leadership in diversity projects.

We accept the honor with deep gratitude to Jody Gray, Diversity Outreach Librarian.

Learn more at z.umn.edu/diverse.

Happy 85th Anniversary, University Archives

The University Archives, official home for the University’s valuable historical documents, photographs, and films, currently holds more than 1,500 unique collections of administrative records and faculty papers totaling 18,000 linear feet of material. It’s a heavily used collection by faculty, staff, genealogists, and the public — in fact, each year the archive sees 500 onsite visitors and gets 2,500 email and phone inquiries.

In 2012, the entire run of Gopher yearbooks beginning in 1888 and ending in 1967 — and a few smaller yearbooks in the ‘70s and ‘80s – are available and full-text searchable. Even if you aren’t an alum, you can take an enjoyable walk through history.

Check out the photos in the collection, including a rather thin Goldy Gopher 1957 and the Women’s League Council 1910, at z.umn.edu/dp6.

Justice  Anderson donates his collections to the Children’s Literature Research Collections

Tom Swift, the young scientist/inventor hero of six series of books totaling more than 100 volumes, has inspired readers since 1910. Counted among his fans are Steve Wozniak (Apple), Isaac Asimov (writer), and Justice Barry Anderson (left) of the Minnesota Supreme Court, who generously donated his collection to the Children’s Literature Research Collections.

The collection will join the original Tom Swift materials in the Hess Collection. The books also inspired hundreds of “Tom Swifties”, including our favorite, “Who discovered radium?” asked Marie curiously.

Students rule!!!

Brush off your periodic table and answer this question: In 1829 German chemist Johann Dobereiner pointed out that chemical elements which resembled each other often occurred in groups of three.

For 10 points — name the middle member of the Dobereiner’s triad with first and third members calcium and barium.

Give up? Perhaps you can ask a member of Team Yodzis (Jonathan Hank, Max Nagarajan, Josh Tveite, and Ankan Ganguly), winners of the 10th Annual Science Quiz Bowl sponsored by the University Libraries and staff at Walter Library.

Twice besting the second place team, E Pluribus Factum, Team Yodzis went undefeated throughout the 32-team double-elimination tournament, involving 125 undergrads in the College of Science and Engineering. The event kicked off CSE Week activities.

Check out WCCO coverage by reporter, Esme Murphy atz.umn.edu/QuizBowl.

DiCamillo wins 2013 Kerlan Award

Kate DiCamillo received the 2013 Kerlan Award, presented each year “in recognition of singular attainments in the creation of children’s literature and in appreciation for generous donation of unique resources to the Kerlan Collection for the study of children’s literature.”

DiCamillo, who accepted the award June 8, is the author of “The Magician’s Elephant,” a New York Times bestseller; “The Tale of Despereaux,” awarded the Newbery Medal; “Because of Winn-Dixie,” a Newbery Honor book; and six books starring Mercy Watson, including the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book “Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride.” She shares writing credit on her Geisel winning easy reader series Bink and Gollie with Allison McGhee.

A resident of Minneapolis, DiCamillo was born in Philadelphia and raised in Florida.

“I want to thank the Kerlan Committee – and readers and writers, all of you – for this recognition, for giving me the chance to do the work, DiCamillo said.

She accepted the award in honor of Jane Resh Thomas, “my teacher, friend, and fellow writer.” Thomas is a past recipient of the Kerlan Award and author of 15 books.

Louise Erdrich speaks at Friends’ Annual Dinner

Louise Erdrich, the 2012 National Book Award winner for fiction, was the guest speaker at the Friends of the Libraries Annual Dinner in May.

Her acclaimed novel, “The Round House,” is narrated by a 13-year-old Ojibwe boy who investigates an attack on his mother on a reservation in North Dakota. Author of 26 books including 14 novels, Erdrich has won the National Book Critics Circle Award and has been a previous finalist to both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.

A program of historic proportions

As the leaves fall in September, yellow school buses ferry eager 6-12 graders to the University of Minnesota campus to prepare for History Day.

This past year, more than 3,000 students visited University Libraries to do research using primary and secondary sources with the help of librarians and mentors. In Minnesota, it culminated with 1,000 students participating in a spring event on campus.

The winners of the Minnesota contest advanced to National History Day, which was held at the University of Maryland.

Read more at z.umn.edu/history