Tag Archives: Top News

Livingstone Undergraduate Research Award winners announced

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The Livingstone Undergraduate Research Awards—formerly known as the Library Prize—are Temple University Libraries’ reshaped, expanded, and improved initiative rewarding the best undergraduate work at the university. The Livingstone Awards address the depth and breadth of undergraduate research subjects, methods, and projects through five distinct categories: humanities and social sciences; science, technology, engineering, and mathematical disciplines; creative works and media production; policy, practice, and public life; and sustainability and the environment. The awards have been renamed to honor our generous donor, John H. Livingstone, SBM ‘49, who has supported undergraduate research through the Library Prize and now Livingstone Awards for more than a decade.

We are happy to announce this year’s award winning projects!

Livingstone Undergraduate Research Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences
“Glory of Yet Another Kind”: The Evolution & Politics of First-Wave Queer Activism, 1867-1924 by GVGK Tang

Livingstone Undergraduate Research Award in the STEM Disciplines
Using Green Infrastructure to Minimize Combined Sewer Overflows by Morgan Nemtuda

Livingstone Undergraduate Research Award in Creative Works and Media Production
Two awards given:
Mother Internet : Blessed Virgin : A Coming of Age Story by Elizabeth Baber

This Side of Main Street by Daniel Clark

Livingstone Undergraduate Research Award in Policy, Practice, and Public Life
Cultural Property Repatriation: History, Legality, and Ethical Precedent for Museums in the United States by Rhiannon Bell

Livingstone Undergraduate Research Award in Sustainability and the Environment (sponsored by Gale, part of Cengage Learning)
The Mobilization of the Environmental Justice Movement in Louisiana: EJ Disputes and Grassroots Organizing in the Mississippi Industrial Corridor by Joseph Gallagher

Congratulations to all of our winners! Please join us for the Livingstone Undergraduate Research Awards ceremony on April 12th from 4-6pm in the Library’s Lecture Hall to celebrate Temple’s outstanding undergraduate research.

Got Sources? Libraries Unveil New Promotional Campaign to Help You Get to Know Your Librarian

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Perhaps you’ve noticed the brand-new, colorful signs and posters around Temple University’s Samuel L. Paley Library today; if not, look around and you may find you recognize some familiar faces. Today marks the launch of the Libraries’ new public relations campaign, Got Sources?, which features your very own librarians and highlights the personalized instruction, guidance, and support they provide.AAL_got_sources_spring_slides4_small

According to Jenifer Baldwin, Head of Reference and Instructional Services and Media Services, this campaign will serve to remind students of the level of personal support available to them. “Engagement with the library can be very important to student success,” notes Baldwin. For example, did you know that you can quickly connect with Temple librarians in-person; online; or via chat, text, and email? Essentially, this new campaign functions to draw renewed attention to our suite of services, all available via Ask a Librarian.

The Libraries’ graphic designer, Rachel Cox, designed the campaign materials and directed the librarian photo shoot. As a designer, she’s concerned with clearly communicating complex ideas, particularly to students who may not be familiar with all the library has to offer. Her vision for the Got Sources? campaign is direct, challenging, and visually appealing. The new signs also serve as a way to recognize faces around the library.

Got Sources? reminds us that librarians can help you locate, use, and cite sources, but that librarians are also sources of support themselves. And, ultimately, the photos serve to reconnect human interaction to the research process.

Next time you wonder if you’ve Got Sources, remember to Ask a Librarian!

Paley Library Will Close at Midnight, Thursday Feb. 4

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Paley Library will close early this Thursday, February 4.

Instead of closing at 2 am (Friday morning) the Library will close at midnight.

All operations in the Paley and Tuttleman Building are affected by this early closure.

We are closing owing to a building repair that requires a water shutdown at midnight.

All operations will resume at Friday, Feb. 5 at 7:00 am.

Snow Blizzard Weekend – Library Operations Update

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Paley Library is open Sunday January 24 from noon to 2 am – those are our regular operating hours.

The Paley Library “ASK HERE” desk will be closed. Those needing research assistance should use our Virtual Chat Service, which will be staffed from noon to 8:00 pm Sunday.

The Paley Media Services Desk is open noon to 10:00 pm on Sunday the 24th.

The Science and Engineering Library is normal hours on Sunday the 24th.

The Ambler Library is always closed on Sundays.

The Ginsburg Health Sciences Library is open at11:00 am on Sunday the 24th.

This blog post will update if and when our operations change throughout the weekend.

For information about any specific service desk or unit, check the Libraries operating hours calendar.

You can also call the Paley Library Circulation Desk at 215-204-0744 for information.

Hey Undergrads – Join Temple Libraries Student Advisory Board

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You are an undergrad student. You use Temple Libraries. Or maybe not.

Either way, you’d like to be more involved in shaping the future of the Temple Libraries.

If so, we are looking for you.

We have openings for 3-4 undergraduate students to join our Temple Libraries Student Advisory Board.

Here’s what you need to know:

The Temple Libraries Student Advisory Board is comprised of a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students who represent the various opinions and concerns of the entire student body regarding the libraries. The Board provides a forum for students to make suggestions to library administrators and for library administrators to solicit advice from students about library programs and services.

The Board includes the Dean of the Libraries, the Associate University Librarian and 6-8 students.

The Board meets two or three times a semester. Meetings are one hour. Advance preparation is rarely necessary.

While students who are familiar with the libraries are preferred, any student regardless of their degree of library use is welcome to serve on the Advisory Board. We are looking for students who care about their university library and wish to represent students on library-related issues.

If you’d like to get involved in the future of Temple Libraries submit an application for consideration.

Policy Update: Lost, Long Overdue and Damaged Books

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Temple Libraries announces an update to its policy regarding the replacement of lost or damaged books:

Effective January 1, 2016 Temple University Libraries will institute the following changes regarding lost and damaged materials.

The replacement fee for a damaged, long overdue or lost book is $100.00 per item.

Replacement copies are no longer accepted.

When long overdue or lost books are returned the $100.00 per item is removed but patrons are still responsible for applicable overdue fines.

Please note that Media Services will continue to accept new, sealed copies of DVDs as replacements, as these items require less staff time to process.  Please consult with Media Services staff prior to ordering a replacement to ensure that you are ordering an identical edition to the lost or damaged item.

New Study Points to Learning Effectiveness of Open Textbooks

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There are many good reasons to use open textbooks instead of costly commercially published textbooks. The obvious one is that it saves students a great deal of money. Faculty support that but may be hesitant to adopt an open textbook for their course over concerns of quality and impact on learning.

A new study by three researchers, one of whom is David Wiley, the prominent advocate for open education, may help to convince faculty that there is value in adopting open textbooks – and not just because of the savings for students. Open textbooks, in this study, proved beneficial to student learning.

“A multi-institutional study of the impact of open textbook adoption on the learning outcomes of postsecondary students” is by far the largest study of its kind conducted to date—nearly 5000 postsecondary students using OER and over 11,000 control students using commercial textbooks, distributed among ten institutions across the United States, enrolled in 15 different undergraduate courses. So what did the researchers learn?

In three key measures of student success—course completion, final grade of C- or higher, course grade– students whose faculty chose OER generally performed as well or better than students whose faculty assigned commercial textbooks. The article does discuss the challenge of identifying and using appropriate measures of student learning, but the findings should encourage faculty who may be averse to open educational resources.

The findings support the experience of Temple University faculty that have participated in our local Alternate Textbook Project. Their evaluations of student outcomes often confirm that replacing the commercial textbook with alternate learning content (including licensed library content in many cases) leads to improved student engagement with learning materials which results in better academic performance. If you are interested in additional information about open textbooks, OER or our Alternate Textbook Project contact Steven Bell, Association University Librarian(bells at temple.edu).

Temple Library Operations During Papal Visit Weekend

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Will the Temple Libraries be open during the Papal visit weekend?

If so, which ones and what will the hours of operation be? Here is a listing of our operations from Friday, September 25 through Monday, September 28.

Paley Library will be open throughout this period as follows:

Friday – 9 am to 5 pm
Saturday – 9 am to 7 pm
Sunday – Noon to 2 am
Monday – 8 am to 2 am

Please be aware that even though Paley is open it will be operating with limited staff and services. The only service desk location that will be staffed is the Access Services desk in Tuttleman. You will only be able to enter the Library through the Bell Tower entrance.
All guest computing services are suspended from Friday, September 25 through Monday, September 28 at 1 pm. No applications for guest computing or guest borrowing will be accepted during this period.

Those with research questions can obtain assistance through our virtual Ask-a-Librarian service. It will be available 9-5 Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The Science and Engineering Library located in the Engineering Building is closed  from Friday, September 25 through Monday, September 28 at 1 pm.

The Ambler Campus Library is closed on Friday, September 25, open from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday, September 26 and then closed for Sunday, September 27 and the morning of Monday, September 28.

The Health Sciences Libraries, Ginsburg and Podiatry, will be closed Friday, September 25 through Monday, September 28 at 1 pm.

All other service units such as the Special Collections Research Center, Media Services Desk, Blockson Collection, etc. are closed until Monday, September 28 at 1 pm.

For more information please call the Access Services Desk at 215-204-0744.

Paley Library Goes to 24/7 for Finals

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Starting today, Thursday, April 23, at 8:00 am, Paley Library will stay open continuously through Wednesday, May 6 at 8:00 pm.

By staying open 24/7 throughout finals, Temple Libraries provides students with a convenient study space…with all the amenities of a research library – but that’s not all.

We are once again having therapy dogs visiting the library to help students relieve exam week stress – and we have increased the number of visits by the dogs. Check the schedule to find out when the dogs will be at Paley Library.

We’ll also be providing coffee and cookies at 10:00 pm on April 30, May 1, May 4 and May 5. On Sunday, May 3 we’ll have coffee and muffins at noon. Quantities are limited.

students eating refreshments during finals week

Students enjoy the free refreshments at Paley during finals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make Paley Library your primary study spot for making it through finals.

Unlimited possibilities @ your library: celebrate National Library Week April 12-18

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April 12-18, Temple University Libraries joins libraries in schools, campuses and communities nationwide in celebrating National Library Week, a time to highlight the changing role of libraries, librarians and library workers.

The Temple University Libraries are committed to collecting the books, electronic resources and materials that serve our communities in research, teaching and learning. We are also committed to transforming lives through innovative educational resources and forward-thinking programming.

Please join us for a host of activities taking place at Paley Library, the central facility on main campus, throughout National Library Week:

Research Paper Clinics, April 13-16, Noon-5:00 PM, Paley Library Think Tank

 

From Digital Spaces to Real World Change: How Digital Storytelling Can Affect Social and Environmental Justice, Wednesday, April 15, 2:30 PM, Paley Library Lecture Hall

 

Great American Songwriter’s Series/Boyer Noontime Concert Series at Paley: Heart and Soul—The Songs of Hoagy Carmichael, Thursday, April 16, Noon, Paley Library Lecture Hall 

 

Temple Book Club Discussion: Ann Petry’s The Street, Thursday, April 16, Noon, Paley Library Room 309

 

Chat in the Stacks—50 Years Later: Voting Rights and Civil Rights, Thursday, April 16, 2:30 PM, Paley Library Lecture Hall

 

Film Friday: CitizenFour, Friday, April 17, Noon, Paley Library Lecture Hall

 

Digital Humanities Scholars: Project Presentations, Friday, April 17, 2:30 PM, Paley Library Lecture Hall

 

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.