Month: March 2011

2011-03-21

Barbara J. Ford, director of the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs, will be honored at the annual International Achievement Awards Banquet on the evening of April 14, 2011.  She will receive the Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement.  This annual award recognizes the work of a current University faculty member who shows exemplary work in teaching, research, and public service in the international arena.

Professor Ford, who received her MS in Library Science at Illinois in 1973 and her MA in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1969, is being honored for her long and distinguished academic career in developing educational programs for librarians around the world and promoting a global vision of librarianship through her work as president of the Association of College and Research Libraries from 1990-1991, president of the American Library Association from 1997-1998, and as an elected member of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Governing Board from 2005-2009. In addition, the Mortensen Center has brought librarians from over 90 countries to Illinois and, under Professor Ford’s leadership, has initiated international collaborations and partnerships in Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia.  Professor Ford’s international activities began when she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama and Nicaragua.

To read the full news release on the Illinois International website, please visit http://illinois.edu/lb/article/2500/49270 .

Do you have a story you’d like added to the Library News & Events? If so, please contact Heather Murphy ( hmurphy@illinois.edu ).

2011-03-18

The University Library is offering a new collection of digital resources at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  The streaming media includes almost 800 titles, including all of William Shakespeare’s plays presented by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)—unabridged with closed captioning.

The initial acquisition of this digital media was supported by the Library/IT Fee and streams 24/7, giving faculty, staff, and students at Illinois improved access to digital media—all through password-protected access.  Content is licensed for educational use, so classrooms, groups, and course reserves will all benefit.

“Digital media makes sense,” said Mary Laskowski, head of Information Processing and Management.  “For example, the Library could purchase a standalone DVD which one person could check out at a time or it could put the DVD content online where multiple users can view it simultaneously.”

Tom Teper, associate university librarian for collections, reiterated this point, noting that, “Our media collections are among our most heavily used collections. While not all of our media will be available online, these acquisitions will permit us to further the ‘whenever, wherever’ model that is increasingly typical of the resources that we offer.”

Digital resources for the campus, and other resources available to the general public, are located at https://digital.library.illinois.edu/ .  A variety of other technical services are available through the Library’s Information Processing and Management department ( https://digital.library.illinois.edu/ ).

This project is being made possible with the assistance of ATLAS (Applied Technologies for Learning in the Arts and Sciences). ATLAS provides information technology services that support and enhance the educational, research, and administrative activities of students, faculty, and staff in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  For more information, visit www.atlas.illinois.edu .

Do you have a story you’d like added to the Library News & Events? If so, please contact Heather Murphy ( hmurphy@illinois.edu ).

2011-03-03

Jessica Lapinsky, a graduate assistant at the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music and the Music and Performing Arts Library , has been selected to participate in the Smithsonian Affiliations Intern Partnership Program.  Ms. Lapinsky is the first person from the University of Illinois to receive one of these paid internships.  She will work with the Smithsonian Institution Archives in Washington, D.C., for 10 weeks this summer on a project concentrating on developing a specialized workshop series for library, archives, and museum collection at Illinois that will focus on disaster planning and responses.

“I’m very excited about getting to work with the professionals at the Smithsonian Institution Archives on the topic of institution-wide disaster planning and recovery,” said Jessica Lapinsky.  “A lot can be gained through the collaboration of cultural institutions, and I believe that the skills and knowledge I will gain at the Smithsonian will help to strengthen disaster planning here at the University of Illinois.”

Do you have a story you’d like added to the Library News & Events? If so, please contact Heather Murphy ( hmurphy@illinois.edu ).