Exhibition Celebrates
Faculty Scholarship

University Librarian Marianne Gaunt stands with stacks of the books donated for the Celebration of Recently Published Faculty Authors.

The Rutgers University Libraries wanted to highlight faculty scholarship and make sure their publications are well represented in the collections. Rutgers-New Brunswick English professor Larry Scanlon offered an idea. Thus was born the Libraries' new "Celebration of Recently Published Faculty Authors" exhibition, opening later this month.

To build the exhibition, University Librarian Marianne Gaunt invited faculty members to send in copies of their books published in 2003. Contributed volumes would be featured in the exhibition and added afterwards to library collections. To underscore the value of faculty publications to the university community, University Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Philip Furmanski agreed to speak at the exhibition reception. FAS-New Brunswick Associate Dean Barry Qualls wrote to all the department chairs in his area, asking them to encourage their faculty to participate. Dean Quall's assistant Maureen Dekaser worked assiduously to compile a full list of FAS-NB faculty publications in 2003, enabling the Libraries to send personalized invitations to each.

The response has been quite gratifying, with faculty donating seventy three publications to the Libraries on subjects ranging from chemistry to communications and art history to Asian studies. Donations include seventeen books produced by university presses, representing the pivotal role of the presses in supporting faculty scholarship. The exhibition will also mark the Libraries involvement in the "Year of the University Press," a joint initiative of the American Association of University Presses and the Association of Research Libraries.

Reservations have also started to pour in for the exhibition reception on March 25th at the Douglass Library. All members of the university community are invited to attend the exhibition reception. To RSVP, send an email to events@rci.rutgers.edu or call 732/932-7505.

Libraries Leader To Go
On the Road for Rutgers

President McCormick promised to send away some key Rutgers personalities. We're pleased that our own Ruth Bogan will be joining the group.

In his speech to the university community in September, President McCormick outlined his vision for a new initiative to promote a greater awareness of Rutgers throughout New Jersey: "Next spring, we will launch the New Faculty Traveling Seminar. Each year, 35 new faculty from across the university will be invited to join me on a five-day bus trip around New Jersey to get to know their new state, meet its people, and understand its needs. The bus tour will provide an unparalleled opportunity to speak directly with the people in New Jersey's communities, to build personal relationships, and to add a human dimension to the work we do. ... I hope some of you will join me on the first Rutgers road trip."

President McCormick recently informed Ruth Bogan, Head of the Libraries' Database & Catalog Portal Mgmt. Section, that University Librarian Marianne Gaunt and Associate University Librarian for Technical Services Grace Agnew had nominated her to participate. The president welcomed her participation and asked her to join a traveling seminar leaving in May.

Congratulations, Ruth! We look forward to hearing your tales from the road, upon your return.

Int'l Partnership Taps Our Rep
For Executive Group

Head of Access and Interlibrary Services Judy Gardner just received an international platform to share our experiences with interlibrary loan and document delivery. In January, she was elected to serve as one of the nine members of the Executive Group of SHARES - the Interlending and Document Supply Partnership of the Research Libraries Group (RLG).

Founded in 1974 by Columbia, Harvard, and Yale Universities and The New York Public Library, RLG was conceived to help achieve the economies and power of service that come from pooling resources, expertise, and operations. Today RLG is an international member alliance with over 160 constituent groups, including universities and colleges, national libraries, archives, historical societies, museums and independent research collections, and public libraries.

SHARES encompasses eighty six institutions that use RLG technology to expand and enhance their local collections with materials from partners around the world. Executive Group members serve two year terms and provide guidance to RLG on all issues related to resource sharing programs.

Congratulations Judy on your influential new post!

Is Your PC Productive
Or Pesky?

The Libraries' PC Working Group is currently assessing the hardware and software needs of all Libraries personnel. They hope to involve all Libraries' PC users in this assessment by offering an online survey.

Please visit the following URL, which will be available from 3/15-3/26, to participate in the survey:

http://libserv4.rutgers.edu/phpESP/public/survey.php?name=Hardware_Needs_Assessment

If you have any questions about the survey, kindly email the PC Working Group at pcwg@rci.rutgers.edu

	February 22, 2004 February 8, 2004 The Agenda Archive

Contributors for this issue were Jeanne Boyle and Anne Butman. Contributions for future issues of The Agenda should be sent to Harry Glazer, editor of The Agenda, at hglazer@rci.rutgers.edu.