University Libraries Newsletter
June/July 2023
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Kathy Wheeler Retires from USA Libraries |
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Kathy Wheeler, Senior Librarian and Assistant University Librarian for Collections, USA Libraries, retired effective June 1, 2023. She was appointed Electronic Services/Reference Librarian at the University of South Alabama in 1997, and as Head of Reference & Instruction for Marx Library in 2013. She previously served as Director of the library at the United States Sports Academy. She received a BA in Chemistry and English from Newberry College, an MA in English from the University of South Carolina, and an MLIS from Louisiana State University.
As the Electronic Services/Reference Librarian, she was instrumental in the procurement and installation of the Voyager integrated library system as well as the University Libraries move to the EBSCO Discovery Service. Also while in this position, she ushered in the purchasing and cataloging of e-books which greatly improved the libraries’ access to a broader variety of subject areas. Under her leadership as the Head of Reference & Instruction, the liaison librarians offered more instructional classes, increased outreach to faculty, and reinvented the traditional model of reference service to students. In her current role as the Assistant University Librarian for Collections, she has kept abreast of purchasing models for electronic resources as well as investigated the value of open educational resources. When colleges added new degree programs, she researched and then purchased the appropriate resources to improve the libraries’ collection to support these programs. She has also updated the libraries’ collection development policy to include a diversity and inclusion statement that will impact the future acquisition of library resources.
She served as president of the Alabama Association of College & Research Libraries, as an editorial board member for The Alabama Librarian, and as editor for the Alabama ACRL Newsletter. She held numerous chair and committee roles within the American Library Association, Southeastern Library Association, the Alabama Library Association, and the Alabama Association of College & Research Libraries, and was a frequent presenter and contributor at professional association conferences. She published in the Canadian Journal of Chemistry, Electronic Resources Review, the Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery and Information Supply, the Charleston Advisor, Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, and Reference Reviews.
She served on USA’s Faculty Senate and as Senate Caucus Leader for the University Libraries. She served on a number of university and library committees, including the USA Libraries Diversity and Inclusion Council, the University Libraries Committee, and as Faculty Advisor to the American Association of University Women. Since 2013, she has served as a committee member for USA’s Common Read/Common World initiative, and has developed extensive guides highlighting teaching and discussion resources to support faculty and students engaged in these annual book discussions.
In summation, Kathy has been an integral part of the progress and expansion of University Libraries. In her three positions over 25 years, access to the libraries’ varied collections improved, resources to support student and faculty research were a priority, and the diversity and inclusion of subject areas and different formats of materials were championed.
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USA Libraries DEI Council Sponsored Juneteenth Presentation with Eric Finley |
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The USA Libraries DEI Council sponsored a Lunch & Learn with Eric F. Finley on Thursday, June 15th in observance of Juneteenth. He is a fourth-generation native of Mobile who can trace his ancestry back to 1850. Mr. Finley’s engaging presentation focused on the history behind Juneteenth and why it is important to commemorate this holiday. He also shared some intriguing historical facts regarding people and places in the Mobile area. Mr. Finley currently serves as a Storyteller and Board of Director Member for the Friends of the African American Heritage Trail. He is active on committees with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Mobile County Community Remembrance Project Coalition, Old Plateau Cemetery Restoration Project, and Africatown Tours and Development Committee.
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USA's I-10 Mobile River Bridge Archaeology and Down the Bay Projects Presented at Ben May Library |
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Dr. Phil Carr, Professor of Anthropology, Dr. Ryan Morini, Director of Community Oral History Collections, and Rachel Hines, Coordinator of Public Outreach, USA Center for Archaeological Studies, presented on the University of South Alabama’s archaeological and oral history work through the I-10 Mobile River Bridge Archaeology project and the Down the Bay oral history project on Saturday, June 24 at Mobile’s Ben May Library.
Dr. Carr discussed the development of Mobile and shared maps showing excavation sites in Mobile and Baldwin Counties associated with the current project. His presentation included photographs of the development of the I-10 corridor south of the city, a home and home sites in the Down the Bay area, and photographs of artifacts. Items excavated dated from Native American settlements, the colonial era, and through the early twentieth century. Dr. Carr touched on the history of the area, the social impact of the construction of I-10 and urban renewal, and the environmental impact of infill along the Mobile River.
Dr. Morini discussed conducting oral history interviews as part of the Down the Bay project. Dr. Morini, Dr. Kern Jackson, Director of USA’s African American Studies program, and Jada Jones of the McCall Library have interviewed some eighty people associated with the Down the Bay area. The recorded interviews will be transcribed and added to USA Libraries JagWorks, the institutional repository supporting the university and USA Health.
Ms. Hines discussed other ways the I-10 Mobile River Bridge Archaeological project will be highlighted and made available online, including an interactive website, YouTube videos, a blog, and through social media.
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USA Libraries Upgrades to ProQuest Dissertations and Theses |
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The University of South Alabama’s subscription to PQDT was upgraded to PQDTGlobal. You can access this database through Marx Library’s website. Users will have access to full-text dissertations and theses from academic institutions worldwide.
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses: Global (PQDTGlobal) is the world's most comprehensive collection of full-text dissertations and theses. As the official digital dissertations archive for the Library of Congress and as the database of record for graduate research, PQDTGlobal includes millions of searchable citations to dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day together with over a million full-text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format. Over 2.1 million titles are available for purchase as printed copies. The database offers full text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full-text coverage for older graduate works. It also includes PQDT UK & Ireland content. (About ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global)
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McCall Library hosts USA Alumna Isabel Machado |
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The McCall Library hosted USA Alumna and oral historian Isabel Machado on June 29 to discuss her recently published book, Carnival in Alabama: Marked Bodies and Invented Traditions in Mobile (2023). Machado also discussed her new project, Queens of the South(s) which will feature interviews with drag performers in different parts of the world, including Mobile. These local interviews will be archived at the McCall Library as part of our partnership with Invisible Histories Project which is committed to documenting the lives and experiences of LGBTQ Southerners.
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University Libraries Publications & Staff Updates |
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Deborah Gurt - Deborah Gurt, Interim Director of the McCall Library, attended the Oral History Network of Ireland conference in Waterford, Ireland in June. The conference theme was Power and Resistance and offered a varied look at projects from Ireland, Britain, and Mobile, Alabama. History Professor Kathy Cooke presented a paper on the Blakeley Bluff Oral History Project, a grant-funded collaboration with the McCall Library in 2019-20.
Deborah Gurt - Deborah Gurt, Interim Director of the McCall Library, presented at the Society of American Archivists Oral History Section Annual Meeting on the collaborative work behind the Down the Bay Oral History Project. This project draws on the work of several units and departments including the African American Studies Program and Center for Archaeological Studies. Together, the collaborators explore many facets of Down the Bay history and community. The resulting work reflects a rich picture of the community, explored through archeology, the photographic and documentary record, and the present-day reflections of residents and former residents.
Mike Itaya - Mike Itaya, Marx Library Reference and Instruction, Interlibrary Loan Department, earned his Masters in Fine Arts in Writing (MFA) from Pacific University's low-residency MFA program.
Vicki Tate - Vicki Tate, Head of Government Documents & Serials at Marx Library and Federal Depository Library Coordinator, was a speaker at the Spring 2023 Depository Library Council Virtual Meeting on May 1st on the topic of “FDLP 101: Collection Management Basics.”
Vicki Tate -Vicki Tate, Head of Government Documents & Serials at Marx Library, was invited to speak at the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) Collaborative Federal Depository Program (CFDP) Annual Town Hall Meeting on June 14th on the topic “Using the Disposition Database in a Large-Scale Weeding Project.”
Vicki Tate -Vicki Tate, Head of Government Documents & Serials at Marx Library and Federal Depository Library Coordinator, completed her 3-year term as a member of the Depository Library Council (DLC) which serves as an advisory committee to the Government Publishing Office and the Superintendent of Documents. While on DLC she also served on the Collection and Discovery Services Working Group.
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USA Libraries Exhibits & Events
July/August 2023
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The 2nd Annual JAWSFest put its Own Unique Stamp on the
USA Campus
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The Jazz Art Writers South Festival Opening Night event provided visitors opportunities to view art exhibited in multiple galleries and meet the local artists responsible for the artwork with a series of live music and other programs in both the Marx Library and the ArtSpace @ BioMed.
During the inaugural Jazz Art Writers South (JAWS) Festival, the Marx Library featured local artists’ exhibits and jazz-themed art created by children from local Boys and Girls Clubs. A jazz documentary screening and a performance by Mobile’s famed Excelsior Brass Band were among the activities scheduled as part of the art galleries’ JAWS programming in May and June of 2022.
For 2023, JAWS Fest put its own unique stamp on the USA campus with the festival’s expansion into ArtSpace@BioMed. The Jazz Art Writers South Festival Opening Night event presented visitors with the opportunity to tour and view artwork in multiple galleries and meet the local artists responsible for the artwork with live presentations in both the Marx Library and the ArtSpace @ BioMed. It has been a very exciting time on campus, as several new interactive events were added to the festival including a live “Painting & Jazz Session” featuring Soynika Edwards-Bush, and “A Tribute to Wayne Shorter” jazz concert presented by the Mohammed Rafee Shakir Quartet performed at the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center. Additionally, weekly live jazz music was presented for free during “Jazzy Lunch” and bi-weekly “Jazz and Poetry” sessions were presented in an open mic format and hosted by Nikol Day at the BioMedical library ArtSpace @ BioMed.
The JAWS Festival continues to grow, and the expansion of JAWS Fest to the Biomedical Library was a huge success! The festival would like to thank all of the supporters and event partners for their efforts in creating the festival's success! Because of the excitement and efforts coming up with the future JAWS Festivals, the JAWS Association is now a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that you can support with your attendance and attention! We’re excited for the future and we’re looking forward to bringing more excellence in the celebration of jazz in our community! Get ready for what’s coming in 2024! It’s going to be so much more!
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USA Libraries Social Media Links |
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Have you checked out our Social Media sites?
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