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Library News for February 2020

Library News for February 2020

  • Open Educational Resources Mini-Grants for 2020-2021
    Posted: February 21, 2020
    Apply Now Open Educational Resources Mini-Grants

    Calling all faculty and instructors! Randall Library will be awarding another round of $1,000 mini-grants this spring to support faculty adoption of open educational resources (OER). All UNCW faculty members teaching undergraduate or graduate classes during the 2020-2021 academic year are eligible to apply.

    Applications are available now and due by March 31. Submissions will be reviewed by faculty and librarian judges with extra weight being given to courses with 50 students or more, applications that provide a greater cost savings to students, and/or creation of new materials. Submit your application today!

    Want to learn more about OER? Interested in exploring the mini-grant program? Register here for our informational workshop on Wednesday, March 4, 1:00-2:00 pm in Randall Library 1039.

    Learn more about this project and explore other resources here: https://lib.uncw.edu/oer.

     

  • Faces of Randall
    Posted: February 14, 2020
    Faces of Randall

    We love our Randall Library staff, so for this month's Human Library please give some love to our Coordinator of Liaison Librarian Services, Stephanie Crowe.

    Name: Stephanie Crowe (@shcrowe on Twitter)

    Title: Coordinator of Liaison Librarian Services.

    What that means: Liaison librarians are the links between Randall Library and academic departments, helping students, staff, and faculty in those departments with research and other library-related needs. Stephanie coordinates our liaison program. She’s also the liaison librarian to five departments: Anthropology, History, International Studies, Public and International Affairs, and Sociology/Criminology.

    Favorite book and current read: Stephanie is currently reading The Rosie Project, the story of a genetics professor setting out in a very orderly, evidence-based way to determine if he is capable of love. Her favorite book of all time, though, is Pride and Prejudice.

    Favorite place in the library: Special Collections! It’s a completely different atmosphere than anywhere else in the building and has amazing collections (as does University Archives). Stephanie was a history major and feels archival research is far and away the most fun type of research. (Yes, really.)

    If you could travel to any fictional world, which one would you go to and why?: She’d go to Arendelle (the world in which the movie Frozen is set) because her four-year-old daughter would never forgive her if she had the opportunity to see Elsa in person and didn’t take it. Also because, when it’s not under constant blizzard conditions, it seems pretty idyllic.

    About Stephanie: Stephanie has just been in her current position as Coordinator of Liaison Librarian Services since July of 2019, but she’s been at Randall Library since 2013. She started as a general Research and Instructional Services Librarian, and then moved into being the Social Sciences Librarian. Her extracurricular skills are just as varied as her titles. Stephanie was also the table tennis champion at her middle school (a title she nabbed by winning a tournament in gym class), though she added that her ping pong skills probably peaked then, too. She can count to ten in six languages but isn’t fluent in any of them other than English. BONUS: Stephanie’s favorite non-fictional place is Tanglewood in the Berkshires, pictured here: https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/photos/870bfe12-e1d6-445b-9226-21d970ccfcd3

     

  • African American Read-In 2020
    Posted: February 10, 2020
    African American Read-In 2020

    "It is IMPORTANT for ALL OF US TO SEE OURSELVES in books"

    Every year, hundreds of celebrations of the African American Read-In take place across the country and around the world.  These events feature the texts, talks, and discussions by and about African American authors and serve as a way to recognize and amplify their work (source).

    Join us as we celebrate Black History Month by taking part in our African American Read-In event on February 26, 2020, from 5:00-7:00 pm, in the Education Building, Room 162.

    UNCW students, faculty and staff along with special guest readers will be reading passages from African American authors who have inspired or impacted their lives.  Each reader will have 5 minutes to briefly tell the audience about their selected book, how the book has inspired them, and lastly read their passage.  UNCW faculty member and spoken word artist Dr. Wilson Okello will be the opening keynote speaker, and refreshments will be served.   

    Want to be a reader at this event? It’s not too late! Sign-up at https://lib.uncw.edu/aa-read-in-2020

    If you are interested in learning more about African American Read-Ins visit https://ncte.org/get-involved/african-american-read-in/

    This event is co-sponsored by Randall Library, Watson College of Education, and Department of English.  

    In conjunction with the African American Read-In and Black History Month, stop in and peruse the Black History book display located in Randall Library, on the first floor.

  • Big changes ahead!
    Posted: February 07, 2020
    Coming Soon: More 1st floor study space

    In order to continue to expand study space for students, we are clearing space occupied by bound journals on the 1st floor. These are older journals that we previously had bound together and placed on our shelves. Now, most of these journals are more easily accessible online through our vast collection of databases. This is made possible through a significant university investment over the last several years. A small collection of journals will be kept and moved to the 2nd floor later this spring. 

    We are clearing close to 4,000 shelves of bound journals for this project. That means over 7,000 sq. feet of new study space for students!  

    Our work begins now, and the new study area will be available by Fall 2020. 

  • Laura Wiegand McBrayer Named New Senior Associate Director
    Posted: February 06, 2020

    Portrait of Laura Wiegand McBrayerLaura Wiegand McBrayer has been named the new Senior Associate Director of Randall Library.  McBrayer, who currently oversees Library Information Technology and Digital Strategies, will now assume additional responsibilities in general library operations, including human resources and budget oversight.  She will also share responsibility with University Librarian Lucy Holman in representing Randall library on campus-wide committees and task forces.

    Laura has served in her current role since 2015 and has held several positions of increased responsibility since her arrival at UNCW as the Information Systems Librarian in 2008.  She has a Master of Information and Library Science from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Loyola University Chicago.  Before arriving at UNCW, Laura worked at the University of Minnesota’s University Libraries, the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library and the Madison Public Library.

    In her new position Laura will oversee the budget and project timeline for an internal renovation of Randall’s bound periodicals and government documents areas this spring/summer and other future large-scale projects, including participation in schematic design for the library’s renovation and expansion.  She is also co-leading the development of a new suite of scholarly research services designed for faculty and graduate students.

    Randall looks forward to McBrayer’s new role and her continued commitment to UNCW’s students, faculty and staff.