Professorship for Mischo

William H. Mischo

A gift from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign alumnus and Library Friend Carol A. Berthold has established a professorship at Illinois. William H. Mischo, head of the Grainger Engineering Library Information Center, will be the inaugural holder of The Berthold Family Professorship in Information Access and Discovery.

Mischo, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Carthage College in 1971 and a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1974, joined the U. of I. faculty in 1983. He was selected for the professorship as he has interest, expertise, and academic abilities in creating, directing, and maintaining accessible and searchable digital data platforms for end users. Most recently, the American Association for the Advancement of Science recognized Mischo as a 2015 AAAS Fellow for “research relevant to the development of new digital library technologies.”

“This professorship represents not only a great honor for me personally, but is also a testament to the work of many of my colleagues, both here at Illinois and across the country,” said Mischo. “It also recognizes the important role that the Library plays in the teaching and research mission of the University. The professorship will provide support for the continued development and implementation of enhanced information discovery and access services that will benefit our students and faculty and the information retrieval community in general.”

“We’re very proud of Bill. Throughout his remarkable career, his research and practice have advanced the work of the profession and have distinguished him,” said John Wilkin, University Librarian and Dean of Libraries at Illinois. “He embodies the Jeffersonian ideal, sharing his efforts generously in ways that advance the work of his colleagues without diminishing his own research agenda.”

Berthold has been a longtime supporter of the University Library. In 2008, she created the Berthold Family Endowment Fund. As part of her gift establishing the professorship, that bequest has now been designated to support the position as a permanent Chair in Information Access and Discovery.

“At the University of Illinois at Chicago, I was fortunate to work with Chancellor Donald N. Langenberg, a physicist and a truly articulate visionary, who wrote and spoke about using information technology to make the flood of data available and usable by all, from the scholar to every citizen,” said Berthold. “Grainger is already one of this century’s most valuable players in developing cutting-edge, user-friendly search engines for databases and printed and electronic resources. The work done here comes closest to meeting the challenge issued by Langenberg to integrate information technology with the more traditional role of libraries—and Bill Mischo is leading the way. Inspired by Langenberg’s vision, I am establishing this professorship in honor of my family to continue this work in the future.”

“Carol Berthold is a very special friend of the Library,” said Wilkin. “Her inspired support of this professorship is a proud example of the way that she has partnered with our great institution.”

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

PSAP is Now Live

PSAP

The University of Illinois and its project partners are proud to announce that after two years of development and testing, the Preservation Self-Assessment Program (PSAP) is available for use. The PSAP is a free online tool that helps collection managers prioritize efforts to improve conditions of collection materials. Through guided evaluation of items and collections, storage/exhibit environments, and institutional policies, the PSAP produces reports on the factors that impact the health of cultural heritage materials, and defines the points from which to begin care.

The PSAP was created to assist any organization that collects paper documents/books, photographic and image materials, and audiovisual media, including library special collections, archives, museums, and historical societies. Like the Audiovisual Self-Assessment Program (AvSAP) which preceded it, the PSAP is designed to assist in organizations where little to no prior preservation training exists. The goal is to help collections managers develop a prioritized preservation plan as well as to educate them on the “health risks” posed to their collections and what they can do to mitigate them with the resources at hand.

In addition to the assessment functions, the PSAP also offers the Format ID Guide among other useful resources. The Format ID Guide is a stand-alone guide that can assist collection managers in identifying the formats of materials in their collections ranging from matte collodion photographs to U-matic video recordings. Once identified, the Format ID Guide provides useful advice on that material type’s history, composition, preservation challenges, and optimal storage and display.

About the developers of PSAP:
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library partnered with Heritage Preservation, the Spurlock Museum, the Illinois State Library, the McLean County Museum of History, the Chicago History Museum, The Urbana Free Library, and the Illinois Heritage Association on this project. The PSAP was made possible with generous support through a National Leadership Grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS).

For more information on the Preservation Self-Assessment Program, visit the PSAP website at https://psap.library.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 ).

Image of Research 2016

Image of Research 2016

The Scholarly Commons of the University Library and the Graduate College are partnering to host The Image of Research, a competition celebrating the diversity and breadth of graduate student research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Graduate and professional students at Illinois are invited to submit entries consisting of an image and brief text that articulates how the image relates to the research. Entries will be judged by a multidisciplinary panel for connection between image, text, and research; originality; and visual impact. The entry deadline is Thursday, January 15, 2016.

Finalists will compete for First, Second, and Third Prize; the top prize is $500. In addition, there will be a People’s Choice Award and Honorable Mentions. All awards will be presented at a reception on April 6, 2016, in conjunction with Graduate Student Appreciation Week at Illinois. The reception, as well as an exhibition of the semifinalists and finalists, will take place at the Illini Union (1401 W. Green Street, Urbana).

The Image of Research is supported by a generous gift to the Scholarly Commons from the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. For more information about the competition, including requirements, deadlines, judging criteria, and a forthcoming online exhibition of all entries, please visit publish.illinois.edu/imageofresearch .

###

SCHOLARLY COMMONS
The Scholarly Commons is a technology enriched space for faculty, researchers, and graduate students to pursue research and receive expert copyright, data, digital humanities, digitization, scholarly communications, and usability consultation services. Scholarly Commons services are supported by experts in the Scholarly Commons, subject specialists at the University Library, and partners throughout campus. For more information, visit www.library.illinois.edu/sc.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library holds more than thirteen million volumes, more than 120,000 serial titles, and more than nine million manuscripts, maps, slides, audio tapes, microforms, videotapes, laser discs, and other non-print material.  The University Library is ranked highly nationally and globally, and its collections and services are used heavily by students, faculty, and scholars. More than one million items are circulated annually, and many more are used on site and virtually from anywhere in the world. For more information, visit www.library.illinois.edu .

GRADUATE COLLEGE
The Graduate College provides campus-wide leadership for the advancement of graduate education; promotes excellence, integrity, and equity in all graduate programs; and serves the scholarly and professional needs of prospective and current graduate students from recruitment and admission through graduation. The College works with graduate faculty and staff to establish academic policies and programs designed to assure quality and support student progress, and provides a number of services and resources for graduate students and postdocs on at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For more information about Graduate College resources and initiatives, visit www.grad.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 ).