Fall 2018 CUS/ACRL-NJ Newsletter
Marketing & Outreach Committee Launches International Social Media Directory
By Gary Marks, Jr.
You may recall an article in the Spring 2018 issue of the CUS Newsletter, "Need a Social Media Compass?" The article discussed the development of a new social media resource for academic librarians who coordinate or manage their library social media accounts. The new development came to life with a live launch during the 2018 NJLA Annual Conference. The Social Media Directory of Academic Libraries (SMDAL) is now an internationally active website. The directory includes social media links for over 200 academic libraries worldwide, including hundreds of active links across numerous social media platforms. There are libraries from nearly 20 countries represented, with submission forms and directory tables available in 5 languages. As part of the international outreach, the directory leadership forged partnerships with librarians around the world, formalizing a directory liaison program with librarians in South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia.
In the first month after the directory launched, the site had nearly two thousand site visits from over 600 unique users spanning ten different countries. The website is designed and hosted using Google Sites, a free website development and hosting tool. All of the forms for submitting content to the directory are created using free Google Forms. The tables used to organize and display the directory content use Google Data Studio and a Google add-on from developer "Awesome Table." The SMDAL developers have included a social media resources page, compiling a list of relevant literature and social media groups to join or accounts to follow. The entire SMDAL website including all features has incurred ZERO financial costs.
The newest addition to the site is a beta version of a Social Media Documents Repository. A recent discussion among librarians has concentrated on an interest in social media policies, guidelines, and management or marketing plans. This new repository is designed to allow librarians to share their documentation with their colleagues and to have access to examples of documents that can help shape their social media activities. The Documents Repository uses JotForm’s document uploading ability linked to SMDAL Google folders to collect, organize, and display the materials on the website. The integration allows librarians to upload Word or PDF documents, or link directly to policies or documents published on their library websites. Users can find materials based on the desired document type, including policy or guideline, marketing plan, or management plan.
What began as an initiative to bring together academic librarians in NJ has evolved into an international collaboration. We envisioned a resource that would help librarians get the most out of their libraries’ social media efforts. We never imagined the growth, value, and international appeal that would follow. Recently, an LIS faculty member at the University of Costa Rica contacted us about the directory with the following comment: “I'm teaching library marketing, so I've found the directory very useful." We can add future librarians to the list of benefactors; the SMDAL has grown to serve.
The site was designed by Gary Marks, Jr., Reference & Outreach Librarian at William Paterson University, with Carina Gonzalez, Outreach Librarian at Raritan Valley CC, and Hilary Westgate, Reference, Instruction, and Outreach Librarian at Ramapo College. The Marketing & Outreach Committee supports the SMDAL and will ensure continuity of site development and management.
The SMDAL website can be found here https://sites.google.com/wpunj.edu/nj-social-media-directory/ and can also be accessed from the Marketing & Outreach Committee Webpage.
Gary Marks, Jr. is the Reference & Outreach Librarian at William Paterson University. He can be reached at marksg@wpunj.edu
From the President
A year of many opportunities for reflecting, sharing and moving forward!
By Bonnie Lafazan
This past September, our members met for the first ever Members Palooza, which included an escape room activity (see below: Offering an Escape to New Members: Revamping our Annual NJLA CUS/ACRL-NJ Open Meeting). By changing up the formality of a Fall open membership meeting, we used the rare opportunity of an in-person meeting to experience a fun activity together, while simultaneously sharing, networking and planning for our organization’s future.
In January we will again have the unique opportunity to join our fellow academic librarians in person at the 2019 VALE Users'/ ACRL-NJ/NJLA CUS Conference when we celebrate the 20th year of the New Jersey VALE Users Conference. This year’s conference theme, “Redefining Libraries’ Core Values in Disruptive Times” will provide us with the opportunity to reflect upon how we have reaffirmed and redefined libraries’ core values while continuing to serve our communities during disruptive times.
In the Spring, we look forward to ACRL 2019 Recasting the Narrative in Cleveland, Ohio where we will learn what it means to be an academic librarian professional in the 21st century and have the opportunity to connect with our peers from all over the country. Finally, in May, we renew our energy together in Atlantic City, NJ for 2019 NJLA Conference Engage and Inspire where we will connect, collaborate, share and be inspired by all different types of librarians from across our state.
I look forward to connecting with you all of these and other future opportunities, and that no matter what changes come your way, that NJLA-CUS/ACRL NJ will remain consistent in your professional careers.
Bonnie Lafazan is the NJLA CUS/NJ ACRL Chapter President. She is also the Library Director of Berkeley College's Middlesex Campus Library.
New VALE Program Manager
By Joe Toth
It is with great pleasure to announce that VALE and NJEdge have secured the services of Melissa Lena, who recently started work as Program Manager for VALE. Melissa comes to us directly from NJLA, where she was office manager since 2014, the same year in which she received her M.L.S. from Clarion University. She also has organized a unique lending library at The Seed, a worker-owned vegan/vegetarian restaurant in Lancaster, PA, and served as an archival assistant at the Lancaster County Archives. Melissa brings extensive managerial and liaison skills to a position that, in addition to overseeing database licensing matters, asks her to serve on all VALE committees and to reach out to library organizations in and outside of New Jersey. She will work from her home in Jersey City and from the NJEdge offices in Newark. Please join me in welcoming Melissa.
I would also like to thank the search committee for facilitating this search, as this position--a shift from a part-time to a full-time VALE employee--signals a transition for VALE from being almost exclusively a purchasing agent to a consortium that serves the NJ library community in new and different ways. Ed Chapel chaired the committee that included Linda Beninghove, Steve Chudnick, Ann Hoang and Kurt Wagner. Their good work is appreciated!
Joe Toth is the Director of Library Services at the Richard E. Bjork Library at Stockton University. He serves on the VALE Executive Committee.
* Melissa is also currently featured in the NJLA CUS / ACRL NJ Member Spotlight! Be sure to check it out on our homepage.
Two NJLA Award Winners from Hudson County Community College
On June 1st, 2018, two of the Hudson County Community College’s Library staff were presented with awards at the recent NJLA Conference in Atlantic City. Mei Xie won for her achievements in Technical Services, and Devlyn Courtier won the Technology Award.
Leading the Library catalog migration from SirsiDynix to open-source Koha, Mei updated library catalog records to RDA standards, modernized the library’s authority file and subject headings, improved access to electronic resources for all users, and added support for emerging technologies such as linked data.
Devlyn, along with Johnathan Cintron (a former HCCC employee), won the NJLA Technology Award for their application of Rasberry Pi technology to advance the current manual door count to an automated system. By building three different prototypes using lasers, PIR (passive infrared sensor), and ultrasonic technology, they created devices which can collect and transmit door counts to a database, making record keeping much easier.
From the Newsletter Archives
Immerse yourself in the Fall 1998 throwback issue to learn more about Middlesex County College's "New Insturctional Resource Center," and NJIT's grant that would mean catalog searching capabilities for "users with a web browser on their PC." See if you recognize names in the "Focus on the People" section, and learn what was happening at institutions like Atlantic Community College, Bergen Community College, Camden County College and William Paterson University.
Welcome New Officers!
Three cheers for our new President, Bonnie Lafazan, and Vice President / President-Elect, Cara Berg!
Librarians Escape the Room!
This September, librarians came together at our newly named NJLA-CUS/ACRL-NJ Members Palooza to Escape the Room! Members worked in groups to solve puzzles in hopes of finding the key that would allow them to escape the room.
As you can see from Gary Marks's "Epic Fail" sign, some members were not so successful. Read more below in the article, "Offering an Escape to New Members: Revamping our Annual NJLA CUS/ACRL-NJ Open Meeting."
Announcements
Bergen Community College
Edith Sirianni retired in July after 33 years of service to the college. Edith served as collection development librarian and liaison to horticulture, biology, and health professions. Over the three decades, she was instrumental in transitioning the library through three different system migrations. Edith is looking forward to spending more time with family and traveling.
Berkeley College
Library Directors Bonnie Lafazan and Jessica Kiebler's book chapter "Build Your Own Technology Toolkit: Create Awesome Outreach for Your Campus Community" was published in The Library Outreach Casebook.
Library Directors Bonnie Lafazan, Jessica Kiebler and Amanda Piekart presented Encouraging Experimentation and Creativity through Professional Development: Turning our Failures into Best Practices at ACRL New England Annual Conference, Plymouth, MA, May 2018.
Georgian Court University
Gary Schmidt has been appointed as the new Systems/Emerging Technologies Librarian.
Cristina Ergunay has been appointed as the new Information Literacy Librarian.
Hudson County Community College
Alexandra Plante (Hudson County Community College), Annamarie Klose Hrubes (William Paterson University), Tara Maharjan (Rutgers University), Paul Martinez (Montclair State University), and Heather Perez (Stockton University) have contributed to the Society of American Archivists’ Archivists to the Rescue Pilot Project as workshop presenters and curriculum contributors. Please see Annamarie's announcement under William Paterson University for details.
Monmouth University
Eleonora Dubicki, Professor Librarian at Monmouth University presented a poster, "A Tiered Approach to Information Literacy Instruction in Academic Libraries" at ISIC 2018: The Information Behaviour Conference held at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, October 10, 2018.
Montclair State University
Paul Martinez (Montclair State University), Annamarie Klose Hrubes (William Paterson University), Tara Maharjan (Rutgers University), Heather Perez (Stockton University), and Alexandra Plante (Hudson County Community College) have contributed to the Society of American Archivists’ Archivists to the Rescue Pilot Project as workshop presenters and curriculum contributors. Please see Annamarie's announcement under William Paterson University for details.
New Jersey Insitute of Technology
Joanne Dera joined NJIT in June 2018 as the Science and Engineering Librarian at the Van Houten Library. She's perfect for NJIT with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University and an MLIS from Rutgers University. She worked as a mechanical engineer for 10 years in the power plant industry at Foster Wheeler, Inc. in Clinton, NJ, Sargent & Lundy, LLC in Chicago, IL, and Muscatine Power & Water in Muscatine, IA. She primarily worked on mechanical system and pollution control design and plant performance optimization. The merger of her engineering and library experience is a tremendous advantage in her work as a liaison librarian in providing research, instruction, and reference service for faculty and students in engineering.
Raritan Valley Community College
Janelle Bitter is the new full-time faculty Systems and Technical Services Librarian at the Evelyn S. Field Library at RVCC. Janelle worked for 2 years as an academic librarian at Ocean County College. Before that, she worked as a library clerk at The New School in Manhattan while she attended the Pratt Institute for her Master’s in Library Science.
The reason she became a librarian is because she had previously done work study positions in libraries while studying music in college, and realized how much she enjoyed the work. She especially enjoys keeping resources organized and helping people find what they need! Janelle is excited to work at RVCC because she will get to work with wonderful students, staff, faculty, and administration. To her, RVCC seems like a college that supports every member of the campus community, and she can’t wait to start making a difference.
Since Janelle studied trumpet in college, and originally planned to be a band teacher, this makes her the third classically trained musician amongst our full-time faculty! She also likes being outside, and runs a few times a week (unless it’s snowing too hard)!
Rider University
Melissa A. Hofmann (Associate Professor-Librarian, Rider University) published an article on the significance of fan textual analysis (meta) and queer readings of the BBC show Sherlock, examining the tension between author, text, and reader in interpretation and Johnlock fans' fight for critical legitimacy and respect.
Hofmann, Melissa A. 2018. "Johnlock Meta and Authorial Intent in Sherlock Fandom: Affirmational or Transformational?" In "The Future of Fandom," special 10th anniversary issue, Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 28. http://dx.doi.org/10.3983/twc.2018.1465.
On the left is a photo Melissa presenting this paper at Rider University in September 2018. She has also presented versions of this paper at South Hunterdon Regional High School's LitCon 2018 as an invited guest in January 2018 and at the American Comparative Literature Association (ACLA)'s 2017 Conference in Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Rutgers University Libraries
Reference and Instruction Librarian Zara Wilkinson co-authored an article with Erin Ackerman (TCNJ) and Jennifer Hunter (Penn State Abington). Please see Erin's announcement under TCNJ for details.
Tara Maharjan (Rutgers University), Annamarie Klose Hrubes (William Paterson University), Paul Martinez (Montclair State University), Heather Perez (Stockton University), and Alexandra Plante (Hudson County Community College) have contributed to the Society of American Archivists’ Archivists to the Rescue Pilot Project as workshop presenters and curriculum contributors. Please see Annamarie's announcement under William Paterson University for details.
Seton Hall University
Dr. Marta Deyrup was awarded the 2018-19 Albert B. Hakim Faculty Service Medal on Friday, September 14. This award is the University’s highest faculty honor for service.
Kyle Downey has joined our Integrated Health Sciences Library team from RWJ University Hospital Library, Somerset.
Andy Hickner has joined our Integrated Health Sciences Library team from Yale Medical Library.
Kaitlin Kehnemuyi has joined the University Libraries as our new Access Services Librarian from Teachers College Library.
Allison Piazza has joined our Integrated Health Sciences Library team from the New York Academy of Medicine.
Stockton University
Heather Perez (Stockton University), Annamarie Klose Hrubes (William Paterson University), Tara Maharjan (Rutgers University), Paul Martinez (Montclair State University), and Alexandra Plante (Hudson County Community College) have contributed to the Society of American Archivists’ Archivists to the Rescue Pilot Project as workshop presenters and curriculum contributors. Please see Annamarie's announcement under William Paterson University for details.
The College of New Jersey
Social Sciences Librarian Erin Ackerman co-authored an article with Jennifer Hunter (Penn State Abington) and Zara Wilkinson (Rutgers University-Camden). The article, "The Availability and Effectiveness of Research Supports for Early Career Academic Librarians," appeared in the September 2018 issue of the Journal of Academic Librarianship (volume 44, issue 5, pages 553-568). The article can be found online at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2018.06.001.
William Paterson University
Annamarie Klose Hrubes (William Paterson University), Tara Maharjan (Rutgers University), Paul Martinez (Montclair State University), Heather Perez (Stockton University), and Alexandra Plante (Hudson County Community College) have contributed to the Society of American Archivists’ Archivists to the Rescue Pilot Project as workshop presenters and curriculum contributors. The pilot, led by Deb Schiff (Chester Public Library), Michelle Ganz (McDonough Innovation), Alison Stankrauff (Wayne State University), Russ Gasero (Reformed Church in America), and Gary Saretzky (Monmouth County Archives) provides a workshop series that is a crash course in archiving for non-professional archivists and volunteers in cultural heritage organizations, religious archives, and community archives. The workshops cover the essentials of preservation, archival processing, arrangement, description, digitization, and identifying and caring for photographs, and has been presented in five locations in New Jersey: Plainfield, Trenton, Atlantic City, Chester, and Newark. Other presenters and curriculum developers in the project are Ashley Levine (Artifex Press) and Annie Tummino (Queens College - CUNY). The pilot has brought together professional archivists and librarians in academia, public institutions, and corporations for the shared goals of enhancing preservation and access to cultural resources in New Jersey. The overall SAA Archivists to the Rescue project aims to take those goals nationwide.
Distinguishing Facts From Fiction
Berkeley College Libraries Addressing Fake News Dilemma
By Laurie McFadden, Jessica Kiebler, and Maria Deptula
At a time when an Internet search of the phrase “fake news” turns up over a billion hits, Berkeley College librarians knew they needed to take action to address the growing phenomenon and to re-inforce the importance of information and media literacy. In the spring of 2018, four Berkeley College librarians came together to brainstorm ideas for programming in order to bring the issue of fake news and its consequences under closer scrutiny by students.
The Newark campus library organized two highly successful panel discussions that drew over 100 students. The panel included a librarian, a law professor, a business professor and two social science professors. Each panelist was asked to discuss how fake news impacted their discipline as well as individual thinking and our society. Bradley Jenkins, Humanities and Social Sciences, Berkeley College School of Liberal Arts, teaches a course in Cognitive Psychology. “In this course there is a concept called ‘availability heuristics,’ and fake news uses this in an unethical manner all the time to socially engineer public opinion,” Professor Jenkins said. The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to a given person’s mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method or decision.
Another faculty panelist, Christian Ehiobuche, PhD, Management, Larry L. Luing School of Business®, said: “Regardless of the academic definition, not all fake news is really fake or intended to mislead,” said “In America today the term fake news has become a weapon to discredit any media channel that one disagrees with. A news story is not fake simply because it is impolite or inconvenient.”
Fake News
By Lisa Iannucci
I am a relative newcomer here at Monmouth University, and since joining the faculty a little over a year ago, I have made the topic of “Fake News” a major focus of my work as an instructor librarian. To get started, I participated in a few webinars – Library Journal conducted a great one in 2017 – and gathered materials from suggested sources, including research guides. I am a big believer in active learning, so I am also a strong proponent of the use of research guides in library instruction because they are such a great way to engage students and encourage them to explore and learn on their own. I set about creating the most user-friendly research guide that I could, with an emphasis on currency, organization, and variety.
In the process of preparing for a class session, I mentioned to the professor that I had created the “Fake News” research guide, and we worked together to incorporate it into my instruction. As we prepared for the class, we discovered that students were eager to explore the topic, so we included interactive activities in order to derive maximum benefit from the session. One of the most popular class activities was a module in which students broke into small groups and played Factitious, an interactive game developed by the American University Game Lab. Factitious encourages discovery by presenting news articles and asking students to determine whether they’re “fake” or not by analyzing their content and source. Students shared and discussed results, and ended the session by writing about what they had learned.
Since this initial class, I have seen excellent traffic to my research guide, and have been asked to give talks on the subject of “Fake News”/Information Literacy at a number of community libraries in the area. I have kept current by attending related conferences and by following academics and journalists who have studied the subject. I have also developed an extensive and diverse collection of reference resources. The topic of “Fake News” – a term recently banned by U.K. authorities – is endlessly fascinating and timely, and I look forward to continuing both my exploration of the subject and to serving as a resource for students, colleagues, and the larger community.
Lisa Iannucci is a Reference & Instruction Librarian at Monmouth University and can be reached at liannucc@monmouth.edu.
Berkeley College Libraries Champion VR/AR Exploration
By Matthew LaBrake
Matthew LaBrake (Senior Director, Online Library & Technology Services at Berkeley College) is featured as part of the Vanguard Series on Leaders in Higher Education by NJBIZ; and was recognized for his work establishing a Virtual Reality Faculty Interest Group as part of his research into immersive technologies to enhance teaching and learning. Participating faculty engaged in research related to virtual reality curriculum integration in their areas of study; then shared new information, best practices, and successes/failures as the actively experimented in their classes. Part of this experience involved assessing student learning in relation to the use of virtual reality technology, and early data is available demonstrating an increase in student learning, engagement, and participation when consuming information through this emerging medium.
- Read more about the project here: https://berkeleycollege.libguides.com/vrcontent
- The Virtual Reality Faculty Interest Group was featured in Campus Technology: https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/09/05/berkeley-college-faculty-test-vr-for-learning.aspx
All of Berkeley College’s seven campus libraries have virtual reality equipment available for loan. Various headsets are available for individual exploration, classroom sets of google cardboard devices are available to faculty, and 360 cameras are available to graphic design students. In the fall, the library’s Online Book Club will be reading Ready Player One; virtual discussions will be supplemented with a faculty panel on the future of virtual reality in education. LaBrake feels VR technology could ultimately revolutionize the way we deliver distance education and plans to focus future research in this area.
LaBrake’s research also extends into augmented reality. One of his most successful projects with this technology was done in collaboration with Maria Deptula (Library Director, Paramus Campus) in the form of an Augmented Reality Scavenger Hunt to supplement New Student Orientation for the College. In this gamified activity, students play detective attempting to solve “The Mystery of the Stolen Laptop.” Through this activity, the library introduces students to a new cutting-edge technology in a practical way, while engaging them in an important learning activity. Given the success of this project at the Paramus Campus, a library-specific iteration was recently rolled out at the much larger NYC Campus.
- Learn more about this project in an article LaBrake and Deptula published in Marketing Libraries Journal titled Reinventing New Student Orientation with an Augmented Reality Scavenger Hunt
LaBrake feels VR/AR (soon to be known as “mixed reality”) technology is in its infancy, and there is much opportunity for academic libraries to be at the forefront of this innovation as it evolves and becomes more mainstream.
Matthew LaBrake is the Senior Director, Online Library & Technology Services at Berkeley College. He can be reached at matthew-labrake@berkeleycollege.edu.
Civic Engagement and Academic Libraries a Round-Table Workshop
By Gary Marks, Jr.
On April 27, 2018, academic librarians throughout NJ participated in a Civic Engagement Roundtable Workshop, hosted by Raritan Valley Community College and sponsored by the Marketing & Outreach committee of the NJLA College & University Section / ACRL-NJ Chapter. The purpose was to provide academic librarians an opportunity to share and discuss Civic Engagement within their educational environment. Overall, the event focused on how libraries and librarians are positioned to be leaders in this vital component of democratic society.
The workshop format featured five 15-20 minute presentations, and two roundtable and workshop discussion sessions, comprising a half-day event. The first challenge presented to participants and presenters was to define Civic Engagement. Event organizer Gary Marks, Jr., asked participants to “broaden their minds when attempting to define Civic Engagement, and to consider everyday aspects of society which are taken for granted that can be transformed into civic engagement learning opportunities.” A framework for accomplishing this task began with the definition of Civic Engagement utilized by the Association of American Colleges & Universities:
"working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes." (https://www.aacu.org/civic-engagement-value-rubric)
With a definition to build from attendees were enlightened by librarians from five academic institutions in NJ discussing their experiences and ideas for civic engagement activities and initiatives. First, Bart Everts and Zara Wilkinson (Rutgers University Camden) explained their involvement in the Faculty Civic Engagement Fellows program at Rutgers Camden. Both Bart and Zara had been selected amongst a pool of Faculty members to develop civic engagement opportunities for students at the Rutgers Camden Campus. Second, Nancy Kranich (Rutgers New Brunswick), an exceptional scholar on the topic of Civic Engagement and Libraries, discussed the potential role academic libraries can fulfill in a new era of civic participation and civic learning. Marks (William Paterson University) shared efforts developing a Civic Literacy Initiative that is forging a partnership between the Library and the Office of Campus Activities and Student Leadership to provide additional academic components to the university’s thriving Civic Engagement efforts. Steven Shapiro (Montclair State University) gave an extremely informative presentation on science and humanities literacy programming to provide civic engagement educational opportunities for Montclair University students and surrounding communities. To end the presentation session, Jennifer Sulligan (Raritan Valley Community College), provided participants with a hands-on demonstration of the Voter Registration and Information initiative led by the library. Jennifer generously walked participants through the development and execution of the program, giving everyone the ability to bring such a successful effort to their institution.
Caldwell University to Host St. John’s Bible, A Gift of Sacred Art
By Colette Liddy
Visitors to Caldwell University will soon have the opportunity to experience a timeless gift of sacred art, the St. John’s Bible, the first illuminated, handwritten Bible to be commissioned by a Benedictine monastery in over 500 years.
The Bible was created by Donald Jackson, senior scribe to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Crown Office, along with a collaborative team of scribes and artists.
Beginning on Jan. 28, 2019 for one year, Caldwell will host the Heritage Edition of the Gospels and Acts volume of the Bible, a work of art that unites the ancient Benedictine tradition with today’s technology and vision.
Saint John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minnesota, along with Jackson and the team, produced the Bible to ignite the spiritual imagination of believers throughout the world. Over a period of 15 years, Jackson and six calligraphers handwrote all 1,150 pages on approximately 300 sheets of calfskin vellum with over 160 major illuminations. The work was done in a scriptorium in Wales. A Jewish scribe drew the Hebrew script. The translation of the Bible is the New Revised Standard Version.
Caldwell will present programs and lectures in theology, art, science, music and more as they relate to the Bible. “We are looking forward to sharing the St. John’s Bible with the campus community and with the wider community,” said Dr. Nancy Blattner, Caldwell University’s president. “The Bible will provide many opportunities for study and discussions. We hope that it will promote dialogue, inspire hope and educate.”
Sower and the Seed, Aidan Hart with contributions from Donald Jackson and Sally Mae Joseph, Copyright 2002, The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Rutgers University Digitizes Historic NJ and Local Bike Routes
By Julie Still
A unique window into travel narratives of the late 19th century, the transcription and digitization of a series of 46 bicycle routes from the 1897 and 1898 Philadelphia Inquirer is now available online at: https://libguides.rutgers.edu/historicalbikeroutes. A third of the routes go through New Jersey, most focusing on the southern part of the state, but one combined route goes from Philadelphia to New York City. The route author, Alphonse Estoclet, was French and immigrated to the United States by way of Ireland and Great Britain. His routes often include literary allusions, snippets of songs and poems, and detailed descriptions of what he sees as he cycles around the Delaware Valley and beyond. He comments on historical sites and passes along what we could consider urban legends. He also provides information on road conditions, the price and quality of restaurants along the way, and includes a hand drawn map for each route. Estoclet was one of the original translators for two of Jules Verne’s novels. His own writing is concise and thoughtful but a wry sense of humor clearly comes through. In one route (#27) he discovers that laws in New Jersey prevent him from filling up his flask on election day, and is not happy about it. In another (#9) he remarks that Rutgers College has 350 students, and the name Brunswick translates into “Bruno’s cattle-shed.” The menu and cost for inns and taverns in Gloucester County in 1742 are listed in route #39. This is the first digital project for the Paul Robeson Library on the Camden Campus of Rutgers University.
Project coordinator Julie Still is the Reference Librarian/Collection Development Coordinator at Paul Robeson Library on the Camden Campus of Rutgers University. She can be reached at still@rutgers.edu.
Project ReShare Launches: Community-owned Library Resource Sharing Platform Attracts Significant Contributions
A group of leading library and information organizations has come together to create Project ReShare - a new and open approach to library resource sharing systems. ReShare aims to inject new life into this space by developing a community-owned resource sharing platform.
ReShare’s open source software will be built with a modular architecture focused on user-centric design. Organizations can adapt the system to their specific needs and experiment with new service models. Users will have the option to install the platform locally or select a preferred vendor for hosting and support. ReShare’s Apache 2.0 software license will allow libraries, developers, and vendors to innovate freely. Project ReShare is currently seeking membership in the Open Library Foundation, which will own the project’s intellectual property.
The greatest asset of Project ReShare is its robust community. Libraries, consortia, developers, vendors, and open information advocates are collaborating with a shared vision of strengthening the health of libraries’ resource sharing ecosystem. The community’s structure and governance minimizes barriers hindering innovation in current resource sharing solutions, and gives equal voice to all stakeholder groups.
Project ReShare’s Steering Committee includes representatives from Duke University Libraries, the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA), Index Data, Ivy Plus Libraries, Knowledge Integration, the Mozilla Foundation, the National Széchényi Library (Hungary), North Carolina State University Libraries, Northwestern University Libraries, the Open Library Environment, the Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium, Inc. (PALCI), the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN), the University of Chicago Library, the University of Houston, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Members of the community are contributing leadership, expertise, and resources to the ReShare project. PALCI is providing $100,000 to kickstart UX design and development. Index Data adds several staff to lead project planning and software development. Other partnering organizations are dedicating developer time, infrastructure support, and in-kind contributions. The Steering Committee will soon announce ways for other organizations to contribute toward ReShare’s vision.
Offering an Escape to New Members: Revamping our Annual NJLA CUS/ACRL-NJ Open Meeting
By Kate Hossain and Hilary Westgate
Each year, NJLA CUS/ACRL-NJ, which is the combined New Jersey Library Association’s College and University Section and the ACRL-NJ Chapter, hosts an Open Membership Meeting. It’s a typical business meeting of the Executive Board, and we invite potential new members who might want to learn more about joining our group. But the problem was – new members weren’t coming. We had been finding that most attendees were the same faces of our most active current membership. This year, we decided to change things up and offer a fun activity – a library Escape Room! Because escape rooms work best with smaller groups, we combined it with two other sessions: a brainstorming exercise and an informal networking discussion. Attendees rotated through each of these three activities during our newly named NJLA-CUS/ACRL-NJ Members Palooza and Escape Room.
The Escape Room activity, developed and led by Gary Marks of William Paterson University, was a fantastic challenge. It was held in a small library conference room with bookcases, artwork, cabinets, and a display case, almost all of which offered hidden clues and components of the puzzle to escape. None of our three groups successfully escaped the room, but we learned a lot about each other and problem solving. At the end of the day, Gary explained his process for developing a library escape room, and gave recommendations and tips for attendees interested in developing something similar at their own institution. Most importantly, he revealed the clues we had all missed!
The added activities of the Open Membership Meeting drew 6 new attendees and potential new members, as well as 15 current members, so we succeeded in our goal and overall had a great experience! The day was a wonderful example of collaboration, networking, teamwork, and learning.
Kate Hossain is a Reference and Instruction Librarian at Bergen Community College. She can be reached at khossain@bergen.edu.
Hilary Westgate is the Reference, Instruction, and Outreach Librarian at Ramapo College of New Jersey. She can be reached at hwestgat@ramapo.edu.
Editors
The CUS/ACRL-NJ Newsletter is edited by Joan Dalrymple, Reference and Instruction Librarian at Bergen Community College and Katie Maricic Cohen, Interlibrary Loan, Reference and Instruction Librarian at Ramapo College of New Jersey.
Editors Joan Dalrymple and Katie Cohen pose for a picture during the Summer 2015 Marketing and Communications Committee Meeting at Monmouth University Library.