Message from the EditorsWelcome to the Fall 2008 edition of CUA Libraries Online. We are pleased to share with you recent news about the University Libraries and staff. As always, we welcome comments, questions, and suggestions at our online comment form. After you have finished enjoying this newsletter you can follow the latest news as they are posted at University Libraries News & Events. Please comment on our stories and subscribe to the RSS feeds.
Library Survey a Success!From October 1-October 31 CUA Libraries conducted a LibQUAL+(TM) survey of the University community. Participants in the survey were eligible to win prizes that included an iPod Touch, gift cards donated by the CUA bookstore, or a variety of gifts donated by Starbucks. LibQUAL+(TM) is a service that libraries use to solicit, track, understand, and act upon users' opinions of service quality. The program's centerpiece is a Web-based survey bundled with training that helps libraries assess, improve and market library services. The goals of LibQUAL+(TM) include:
More than 500 libraries have participated in LibQUAL+(TM), including colleges and universities, community colleges, health sciences libraries, law libraries, and public libraries. Over 794 students, faculty, and staff took the time to complete our survey last month, with nearly 400 of those providing comments.
Thanks to all who helped make the Survey a Success!
Library School in Practice: my summer practicum at National Geographic Society
One of the greatest benefits of going to The Catholic University of America for a Master's Degree in Library Science is being able to participate in a practicum in some of the most unique and exciting libraries in the country. This summer, from June through August 2008, I completed a practicum in the National Geographic Libraries and Information Services Department. I worked in the Indexing and Taxonomy Department and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to get experience in a renowned cultural organization where there was always something new to learn. After taking LSC 551: Organization of Information and learning about the creation of thesauri and taxonomies, I was interested in delving into these topics in detail. At National Geographic, one of my main projects was helping to organize subject terms within their subject heading taxonomy. A taxonomy is a set of controlled vocabulary terms, usually hierarchical. Once created, it can help users to navigate and search systems. This project was especially interesting, because it meant learning lots of geographical, travel, and scientific terms in the process. My supervisors, Jennifer Agresta and Anne Marie Houpper were eager to give me a well-rounded experience within a special library, so I helped with a variety of other projects, such as proofreading indices for National Geographic Traveler Magazine, indexing articles for National Geographic Kids Magazine, and researching and creating a bibliography of taxonomy resources for the library staff. Additionally, I was able to attend two "Taxonomy Tuesday" meetings at The Library of Congress with my supervisor Anne Marie. At these meetings, information professionals from DC area government and special libraries, came together to discuss their experiences with taxonomy creation and enterprise searching. My favorite presentation was given by information professionals at the Government Accountability Office who talked about the complex taxonomy they created and then integrated into their enterprise search engine. These talks helped me gain a glimpse of information management initiatives within high profile organizations. Being able to participate in a practicum was an extremely valuable experience for me - it helped me to see the scope of library career options, and enabled me to put library science principles into practice. I would recommend a practicum as essential to any well-rounded library science education; with dozens of fascinating libraries to choose from in DC, the possibilities are endless!
Text messaging comes to the Aladin Catalog
You can now send call numbers to your mobile phone from the Aladin Catalog. No more pencil and paper! To use, click on the new Text it button on the item record page. When you click on it, a window will pop up.  Enter your phone number and provider and click send. The call number, title, and author will be sent to your mobile phone. Note: standard text rates will apply.
Use the RAT for Research in Religious Studies and the Humanities!
Are you having trouble finding relevant material for your research? Are you unsure where to begin? Using the RAT may help! The RAT (Research Advisory Tool) is a citation database of select reference materials available through CUA libraries. It includes reference books, subscription databases, CD-ROMs, and web sites -- all designed to point you to pertinent and interesting resources. "The RAT is the middle ground between the information overload of a Google Book search and the paucity of the library catalog", says Kevin Gunn, the Coordinator of Religious Studies and Humanities Services. The database goes beyond what is offered in a standard library catalog by allowing the researcher to search annotations of sources relevant to CUA faculty, students, and staff. These sources have been selected for inclusion by subject librarians, who considered the research value of the resource per se, the value of the resource to CUA scholars, students, and staff in particular and to highlight the lesser known works that deserve a wider audience. The annotations were written by librarians, staff members, and graduate students. You can begin using the RAT by searching in the 'Search Resources' box or on the 'Advanced Search' page. If you need some help in deciding where to begin, try 'Browse Resources', where you can find the list of discipline and subject areas covered. The titles under this category are highly selective. Browsing resources will also help you by grouping the sources by format (e.g. dictionaries, encyclopedias, primary/critical editions, research guides, etc.). As of December 10, 2008, the RAT contains over 1600 records in Art and Art History, Biblical Studies, Canon Law, Church History, Comparative Literature, Drama and Theater, Media Studies, Medieval and Byzantine Studies, Modern Languages, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Theology. Another 400 citations are expected to be added during the spring semester. Faculty are invited to link to the database from their home pages and Blackboard accounts. So, the next time you need to find the perfect resource for your research, try the Research Advisory Tool. Please send any comments to Kevin Gunn at .
Spotlight on a Staff MemberDr. Maria Mazzenga, Education Archivist, American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives
Book ReviewsHolland, Jesse J. Black Men Built the Capitol. Globe Pequot Press, 2007. (F205 .N4 H65 2007) When the author, a political reporter for the Associated Press, was first assigned to Washington D.C., he took the usual tours, but remained curious about what part African Americans played in the history of this great city. He began to research this question, which resulted in this fascinating book. Part tour guide, part history, this is the perfect book for your out of town guests: Chapters on the Capitol, the White House, the National Mall , etc. begin with what we know about each, then follow with what we don't know. Most of us don't know, for example, that slaves from surrounding farms were rented out to build the Capitol (the rent payment going to the slave owner); nor that the National Mall was the site of slave markets and slave pens, where slaves were imprisoned before or after being sold and shipped to their new owners, usually to the port of New Orleans. Perego, Jeanne; Joseph and Chico, translated by Andrew Matt; introduction by Father Georg Ganswein., San Francisco : Ignatius Press, c2008., E .P4575 J6 2008 Joseph and Chico is a unique illustrated book for children and is also an authorized biography of Pope Benedict XVI, as told by his cat Chico! Pope Benedict XVI's love for animals, and cats in particular, is well known, so it is somewhat fitting that a children's biography of the Pope be told from the feline perspective. If you are familiar with cats then you know that a cat wouldn't think twice of befriending a Cardinal or a Pope. Chico, the narrator, is a feisty golden tabby that tells the story of his friend from the young Joseph Ratzinger's birth up to his election as Pope. The book covers Ratzinger's birth and childhood, his teenage years during the Nazi era, which Chico describes as, "one of the most dramatic and shameful times in the history of man" (notice he doesn't say cats!). Chico wistfully recalls that later, when Joseph Ratzinger became a Cardinal and returned home for visits, he would sit on his friend Joseph's lap when Joseph played the piano. The book is beautifully illustrated in color by Donata Dal Molin Casagrande and is recommended to readers of all ages!
Staff NotesLibrary Staff Honored for their years of Service at CUA On Nov. 18, Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, C.M., university president, hosted a dinner for faculty and staff members to celebrate their 20- or 10-year anniversary of employment with the university. Four members of the Library Staff were honored: 20 years of service:
10 years of service:
Robin Pike, Audio Visual Archivist, American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives, was published in the Society of American Archivists (SAA) Case Studies Portal. This group publication is a case study entitled: Survey of the University of Pittsburgh and Association of American Universities' Websites and Physical Holdings. (pdf) David Rice, CLS Coordinator, Access Services, and Anna Ramach, are engaged to be married. Their wedding date is July 25, 2009. Congratulations to the happy couple! Linda Todd (Library and Information Science), Acting Head of the Nursing/Biology Library and Nirmal Gomes (Education) , Technical Services Technician, Fast Track Project both passed their comps! Well done both of you! 
Kevin Gunn, Coordinator of Religious Studies and Humanities Services is running for Vice-chair for the College Libraries Section (CLS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). Elections will be in March 2009. Kevin serves on other American Library Association committees, including the CLS Research for College Librarianship Committee (where he is updating a database on library science publications for librarians looking for suitable publications for their research) and the ACRL Committee on the Status of Academic Librarians (which is involved in updating and revising ACRL policies and is formulating a policy on e-portfolios for tenure-track librarians). Kevin is also an incoming member of the University Libraries Section (ULS) Bylaws and Procedures Committee and will begin serving his term in January at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver. Megan Gates, Stacks Supervisor, Access Services, entered a "pope mobile" themed book cart in Unshelved's Pimp my Book Cart competition. Alas, Megan did not win but her entry was an imaginative and creative effort and we enjoyed it at Mullen very much! For more information about the context and the winners please go to: http://www.unshelved.com/PimpMyBookcart/
ContributorsThe editors would like to the thank the following contributors to the Fall 2008 Newsletter: Maria Koshute, Kevin Gunn, Maria Mazzenga and Anne Lesher Content Editor: Anne Marie Hules, Reference Librarian for Library and Information Science Web Editor: Jonathan M. Smith, Electronic Services Librarian Back to top |
I sometimes say I'm from Scranton, Pennsylvania, just because it's easier than saying I'm from Lake Como, which is a tiny town about as far northeast of Scranton as you can get without being in New York state. I like cities (my family moved to Lake Como from the New York City area when I was young enough to remember it), so it was just a matter of where I would go after my schooling. My husband (then my fiancé) was working in D.C. when I finished graduate school so off I went to join him. With a Master's in history, I applied to the graduate program in CUA's History Department, and studied U.S. and American Catholic history here in the 1990s.
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