University Libraries Newsletter
October 2023
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Jia He, Associate Librarian, Appointed to the Joint Council of Librarians of Color |
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Congratulations to Jia He on her appointment as a member for the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color 2026 Steering Committee, a national library organization that includes the American Indian Library Association (AILA), the Asian/Pacific American Librarians |
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Association (APALA), the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA), and the National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking (REFORMA). JCLC has a rich history of promoting the library and information needs of their constituent communities through a variety of initiatives. These initiatives include providing scholarships to students, awarding grants to libraries for cultural programming, acquiring and donating relevant library materials, and advising the American Library Association (ALA) and other professional organizations on constituent concerns. Ms. He's service is set to begin in January 2024, and highlights her commitment to furthering the goals of CALA and the broader JCLC coalition in addressing the unique needs of diverse communities within the library profession. |
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Marx Library Faculty and Staff Help with Transfer Student Orientation |
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On Tuesday, October 17th, 2023, Anita Lovelady, Kristie George, and Sonja Sheffield represented the Marx Library at the USA Transfer Orientation in the Student Center. They handed out swag and answered questions from new transfer students. Former transfer students spoke at the event, sharing their experiences. |
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USA Faculty and Staff Present at the Southeastern Library Conference in Hot Springs, Arkansas |
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The University of South Alabama was well represented at the Southeastern Library Association 2023 Conference held in Hot Springs, Arkansas October 13th - 16th. Ellen Wilson, Systems and Electronic Resources Librarian, and Michael Itaya, LTA 1, presented, "To Read or Not to Read: The Benefits of Supporting Leasure Reading in Academic Libraries." In addition, Gail Kouame, Director, Baugh Biomedical Library, and Paula Webb, Outreach and Communications Librarian, presented, "Shining an Artistic Light on a Health Sciences Library." |
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Panel Highlights USA Collaboration at the
Society of Alabama Archivists Conference
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Deborah Gurt, Interim Director of the McCall Library, and Dr. Ryan S. Morini, Director of Community Oral History Collections presented at the Society of Alabama Archivists conference together with USA colleagues Dr. Phil Carr, Dr. Kern M. Jackson, Alisha Palmer, and Rachel Hines. The panel entitled, “Stronger Together: Archaeology, History, and Oral History Collaboration at the Archives” explored the overlapping perspectives of each panelist and the synergy that emerges from seeing beyond our disciplinary frames in the work of the Down the Bay Oral History Project. This project, consisting now of over 100 recorded oral history interviews, explores the complex history of this Mobile neighborhood and its residents to seek new explanations and understanding of the past in hope of shaping a better future.
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McCall Library Acquires William C. (Bill) Shrout Photography Collection |
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This 1951 image comes from a series made for the Saturday Evening Post to go with an article titled Mama’s Got a Feeling. “Mama” here is Mrs. W. H. Gerald of Kirbyville, Texas who sits with her dog Sandy shelling peas in her combination sitting room and bedroom. |
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The McCall Library is delighted to share its acquisition of a large photographic collection created by renowned photographer William C. (Bill) Shrout, 1913-1986.
Bill Shrout grew up in Washington, DC where he worked for the Washington Post early in his career, and for LIFE magazine prior to and during WWII, where he served as one of the magazine's photographers assigned to several branches of the US armed forces. Shrout was present at Pearl Harbor at the time of the Japanese attack. In addition to LIFE, his work was also published in Time, the Saturday Evening Post, and Popular Mechanics.
The International Center of Photography includes an exhibit showing some of his work for LIFE, and he is included among 99 LIFE photographers in The Great LIFE Photographers, published in 2004. Following the war, Shrout lived and worked in Mobile (there were family ties in Alabama and New Orleans) as a commercial photographer. He documented area construction, including Dauphin Island's development, Bellingrath Home and Gardens, and events such as the arrival of the USS Alabama in Mobile. He was also employed by the EPA for its DOCUMERICA project to document the environmental crisis in the 1970s. His work for that project is held by the National Archives.
Shrout died in 1986, and his daughter Kathryne Elizabeth Shrout, who served as his assistant, died in 2022. The collection of slides, negatives, prints, and some personal papers, was graciously donated by Shrout’s grandchildren and will be preserved and available for use after processing. We look forward to celebrating this extraordinary collection with an exhibit and opening reception sometime next spring.
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Navigating High School, Authored by USA Student
Avik Banik
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President Jo Bonner, USA student author Avik Banik, and Executive Director of University Libraries Lorene Flanders. |
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Avik Banik recently published Navigating High School: A Student’s Guide to Achieving Straight-A’s, Creating an Exciting Social Life, and Making the Varsity Team!, a self-help book for students that began as a project while he was a student at Mobile County’s Davidson High School. Avik noted that he “worked with over 100 straight-A, ‘popular’ kids, and varsity athletes from 21 different schools in Mobile County and Baldwin County,” as well as with teachers, counselors, and coaches, to compile ideas for the book, which includes sections on academics, social issues, and athletics.
Avik is currently an engineering student at the University of South Alabama, and is thinking of writing a follow-up book to provide a road map for success in college. The USA Libraries Cataloging unit performed original cataloging for the copy purchased for Marx Library, including the record in USA’s SOUTHcat catalog, as well as in OCLC’s WorldCat, which provides records of materials held in libraries around the globe.
Avik has been interviewed by a number of news organizations, including Mobile’s CBS, FOX, and NBC affiliates.
From the back cover:
"The four years you spend in high school are going to be some of the most important years of your life. It's the starting point of your professional life, so you need to make the most of it! High School can be broken down into three sections: Academics, Social Life, and Extracurricular Activities. Your status in each will ultimately determine how successful and happy you are in school. High School graduate, Avik Banik has worked with countless straight-A students, "popular" kids, and varsity athletes to learn how to achieve success in high school. He has then put all the notes together in an easy-to-read guide that can help any student succeed in school academically, socially, and athletically. From students who got accepted into Ivy League schools to students who received a perfect score on the ACT, the academic section includes lessons, techniques, and tips from the most academically successful students. For the social section, many students who are considered "popular" by their peers have given all the information you need to create an exciting social life. In the athletic section, we will go inside the minds of many head coaches to understand how they determine who should be on the team - and what you can do to make the team. Many varsity athletes will also teach you techniques that helped them reach varsity status and how you can balance both your academic and athletic responsibilities without feeling pressured."
SOUTHcat Record:
Navigating high school: a student's guide to achieving straight-A's, creating an exciting social life, and making the varsity team! /
· Title:Navigating high school : a student's guide to achieving straight-A's, creating an exciting social life, and making the varsity team! / Avik Banik.
· Pub. Info:[Place of publication not identified] : [Avik Banik], [2023]
Format:Book
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Biomedical Librarians Promote Health Information at
the Senior Lifestyle Expo
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Three librarians from the Biomedical Library - Rachel Fenske, Outreach Librarian, Leesha Coleman, Assessment & Collections Librarian, and Gail Kouame, Director - staffed a booth at the Area Agency on Aging's Senior Lifestyle Expo held at the Greater Gulf State Fairgrounds on Thursday, October 5th. The booth contained relevant health information and handouts from authoritative sources such as the National Institutes of Health. They also gave live demonstrations of medlineplus.gov, the National Library of Medicine's consumer health website. Between 500 and 800 seniors attended the Expo.
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University Libraries Presentations |
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Gail Kouame - Gail Kouame, Director of the Biomedical Library, was invited to be a panelist for a webinar titled, Doing More While Avoiding Burn-Out: Helping Medical Librarians Balance Emerging Demands. The webinar took place on Wednesday, October 4th and was co-sponsored by the Medical Library Association and Wolters Kluwer. The session was moderated by Michele Kraft, Director of Library Services at the Cleveland Clinic.
Fellow panelists were Bridget Jivanelli, Medical Librarian at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, and Beverly Murphy Assistant Director, Communications and Web Content Management at the Duke University Medical Center Library & Archives. A recording of the webinar is available: https://ce-vid.wolterskluwer.com/watch/1VARED23mHfeLSWekxbVGv
Gail Kouame and Paula Webb - Gail Kouame, Director, Baugh Biomedical Library, and Paula Webb, Outreach and Communications Librarian, presented at the 2023 Gulf South History and Humanities Conference in Natchez, Mississippi. Their presentation was titled, "The Life and Influence of Madame Octavia Walton LeVert."
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USA Libraries Exhibits & Events
November/December 2023
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Marx Library to Commemorate the 2023 Donation to the Agnes Tennenbaum Holocaust Collection |
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The Marx Library is hosting a presentation to commemorate the 2023 donation by the Gulf Coast Center for Holocaust & Human Rights Education to the Library’s Agnes Tennenbaum Holocaust Collection. The presentation will be held in the Library on Thursday, November 9th, at 2:00 p.m. in Room 181. Join us to learn more about the new books and materials that will be gifted to the collection this year. |
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Key Points & Happenings October 2023
from the Executive Director of University Libraries
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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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