Summer Renovation Projects to Begin in May

As soon as the last car drives off campus on graduation day, the Z. Smith Reynolds Library – with the help of Facilities – will commence with several summer renovation projects:

Starbucks Refresh: After six years of brisk business, the Starbucks will receive a much-needed refresh. New furniture, carpet and finishes designed by Starbucks will be installed on both levels. The work will begin on May 19, and Starbucks will be closed for four to six weeks. The two adjacent study rooms and the library entrance on the east (Tribble) side will also be closed for the duration.

Atrium: The final stage of the Atrium renovation will occur right after exams. Electricians will add new power sources. Existing furniture will be removed, and the cork floors will receive their annual strip/refinish process. This activity will begin the night of May 20 and will be completed May 22. During this time, the Atrium will be closed to make sure the new finish cures properly. Signage will direct visitors to alternate routes to the Wilson Wing. Right after Memorial Day, new furniture will be delivered and installed. Look for a complete update with flexible table configurations, cozy banquettes, tall tables, and cushioned bookcase seating, all with bright colorful fabrics!

Compact Shelving: ZSR has been installing additional compact shelving units in a multi-year effort to increase capacity for book storage using a smaller footprint, thus freeing up space in ZSR for people to use. Two installation projects will happen in Wilson 1 this summer, beginning in late June with completion slated for August. The books shelved in these areas will remain accessible throughout the project.

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Build.ZSR: Library-Faculty Partnerships for Scholarly Digital Projects

Beginning in May, ZSR Library will offer a new service called Build.ZSR, which enables faculty to partner with librarians to develop scholarly digital projects in support of research, teaching and learning.

ZSR provides considerable expertise in project development, from simple course blogs and online exhibits to more complex and experimental digital initiatives. ZSR can help by providing Web hosting and Web development or even by implementing a new tool. Throughout, Digital Initiatives Librarian Chelcie Rowell can consult with you to determine your desired results, shape your work plan and lay a strong foundation for your project’s success.

Why work with ZSR as you build your scholarly digital project?

1. ZSR brings expertise in project development, including metadata, digitization, preservation, web development, user experience design and more.
2. ZSR offers Web development services on a cost-recovery basis, which is often considerably less expensive than working with a commercial operation.
3. ZSR will help ensure that your scholarly product will be preserved long-term and shared widely for the greatest impact.

Learn more by visiting build.zsr.wfu.edu.

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Why So Many E-books?

E-books constitute a small portion of the library budget but provide big bang for the buck.

Most of the e-books available through the library come from two sources:

• 140,000 titles from the Ebrary subscription service. This service is provided through the statewide consortium NC LIVE.
• 180,000 titles in the demand-driven acquisition (rental) program.

For the titles in the rental program, the library pays for titles only as they get used. The library does not incur any cost for titles with no use. For that reason, the library can offer an extensive collection of recent academic e-books for a comparatively low cost. In the last fiscal year, the library spent less than $1 per e-book offered.

Still prefer print? ZSR has you covered. The library still spends over three-fourths of its monograph budget on print books. Please communicate your preferences and your research interests to your library liaison so they can accommodate you when making purchase decisions. The Interlibrary Loan department will also supply you with print even when ZSR already has the e-book.

Want to know more? Your liaison can answer specific questions or can arrange for a more comprehensive overview of e-books at a faculty meeting.

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Books for Young Readers: The Education Departmental Library

In the basement of Tribble Hall is a small collection of library materials, often described as a hidden gem, nestled among offices and classrooms. These books comprise the Education Departmental Library. The collection includes a diverse range of engaging literature for young readers— from preschool through young adult. Wake Forest University faculty and staff can check out these books for three months. You may even request delivery to your office through the ZSR Delivers service.

You can search the Education Departmental Library in the ZSR Library Catalog by title, or you can search by subject or keyword and limit your results to the location “Education Departmental Library” from the available search filters.

During the academic year, the Education Departmental Library is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The library has reduced operating hours during the summer: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Remember that before we are readers, we are read to. Please enjoy sharing books from the Education Departmental Library with your young reader today!

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Zotero Workshops in May

Interested in using the citation management tool, Zotero, to organize and cite your sources? Already a Zotero user and ready to take your research management skills to the next level? ZSR will host Zotero workshops on Wednesday, May 20 and Thursday May 21.

• Managing your Research Library with Zotero, Part 1: Saving, Organizing and Citing Sources
• Managing your Research Library with Zotero, Part 2: Zotero Web, Groups and PDF Management

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Philomathesian Banner Reviewed by Professional Textiles Conservator

Special Collections & Archives (SCA) recently sponsored a visit from textile conservator Claudia Walpole, who reviewed a historic banner, which was tentatively identified as belonging to the Philomathesian Literary Society of Wake Forest College. The banner was painted on silk and is rapidly deteriorating. The banner was named an Endangered Artifact for the State of North Carolina by the North Carolina Preservation Consortium.

Read more ›

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Senior Showcase

From present-day IVF treatments in Israel to the picturesque travel market of 18th-century Ireland to an evaluation of Basel III to the Netizens of contemporary China to advancing antibiotic development, the research presented at the Sixth Annual Senior Showcase captured the breadth and depth of undergraduate research interests. The Senior Showcase, hosted by the ZSR Library on April 21, honored five seniors with the opportunity to share their research with the campus community, and through the awarding of a $1,000 prize to each honoree.

The audience heard presentations from:

• Shoshanna Goldin, “The Land of Milk, Honey, and Motherhood: An Examination of Jewish, Muslim, and Druze Women’s Perspectives of IVF Policy in Israel”
• Caroline Huskey, “A Revolutionary Civil Society: The Rise of the Micro-blogger and Innovative Censorship in Contemporary China”
• Rachel Rhine, “Strangers in their Own Land: An Exploration of Irish Travel Images in the 18th Century Within the Wider Context of British Isles and the Depiction of Travelers in William Ashford’s Killarney Series”
• Rachel Brown, “Basel III and Financial Inclusion: Unintended Consequences of Risk-based Capital Requirements on Financial Access and Inclusion in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDEs) “
• Courtney Smith, “Mechanism of Action of Metronidazole, a Nitroheterocyclic Antibiotic”

Nominated by their faculty advisors, these women were selected to present at the Showcase by a panel of library faculty. Selection was based upon both the strength of the faculty nomination and the student work.

The original inspiration for the Senior Showcase came from Jermyn Davis (’10) who desired a campus-wide forum for his peers to share their research more broadly. During its six-year history, the Showcase has received nominations from 53 faculty representing 20 College departments.

Following the presentations and a joint Q&A that ended with a lighthearted question to all honorees about their pre-graduation jitters, the Showcase concluded with a reception sponsored by the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Center (URECA).

See slides from this year’s Showcase, as well as select slides from past Showcases, on WakeSpace.

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RootsMOOC for Genealogy Research

Since 2013, ZSR has been developing ZSRx, a platform of free online learning opportunities for the greater WFU community. The most recent ZSRx offering, RootsMOOC, launched on March 23 and is the most ambitious ZSRx initiative to date. The free course, which introduces the basics of genealogy research, was developed in collaboration with the State Library of North Carolina and is funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

RootsMOOC, like all ZSRx courses, differs significantly from the classes you may have taken in college. For starters, RootsMOOC is free and not for credit, so there are no graded assignments or final exams. It also has close to 3,900 participants, making it the biggest course offered by ZSRx so far. Instead of having one expert teacher, RootsMOOC has become a community of learners of all levels of experience. This community includes professional librarians and archivists (including those at the State Library of North Carolina), family history researchers who have been researching their families’ stories for decades, as well as complete newcomers, all of whom are sharing questions, advice, and fascinating stories of their own experiences.

You can still sign up and complete the course at your own pace. RootsMOOC will run until June 1. To enroll, visit the RootsMOOC website.

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Database News, May 2015

The library has begun subscribing to these three new databases:

• Berg Fashion Library
  Includes the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion, plus various other e-books, reference works and images.
• Digital Dictionary of Buddhism
  A compilation of Chinese logograph-based terms, texts, persons, etc., found in Buddhist canonical sources. Also includes a Chinese-Japanese-Korean-Vietnamese to English dictionary.
• Garland Encyclopedia of World Music
  Organized by geographic region, this online encyclopedia is indexed and searchable, and includes links to associated audio examples.

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This is the final issue of the ZSReads newsletter during my tenure as Dean of the Z. Smith Reynolds Library. It has been my honor to serve the information needs of the students, faculty and staff of the university for 11 years. There is no better academic library anywhere, thanks to the wonderful library faculty and staff who work at ZSR. The next issue of ZSReads will feature a profile of the next Dean, who will carry on the tradition.

For ways to support the library and its mission, please see Giving to the Library.

Lynn Sutton
Dean

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