Green Libraries

Michael Leverett Dorn PhD Environmental Librarian w/ helpful tips and links + examples from across the globe to inspire you

[edu-tourist]

Sharing by bikeyface on Flickr.

I am at Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library today checking out materials related to the history of cycling in New England and Old England. This cartoon originally posted to bikeyface's flickr feed is quite apt and speaks to the difficulties of pursuing a bicycle commuter lifestyle in autocentric American society.

[edu-tourist]

Action items from Meeting #3

We just finished our third LibGuide design meeting [3 hrs including writeup]. We spent much of the time discussing process and firmed up a number of action items for each of us to accomplish in the next two weeks.  Chris agreed to review the "Our Aerial Photographs" page on the current guide, and make updates to the Maps BETA page within a week's time.  Meanwhile, I will be figuring out how to update the digital materials page.  How easy, for example, is it to transfer material that is currently on another LibGuide? Over the weekend of November 3 & 4, I will be rearranging things on Maps BETA until we have a pretty good template for the "Finding Online Maps" guide. This may include borrowing from Kent State University's version.

I will also suggest a process for updating the maps website as a whole.

Next meeting date and time: Thursday, November 8 at 10:00 am 

[edu-tourist]

Our second LibGuide design meeting took place October 4th.

Before today’s meeting, I spent the better part of two work days examining the Maps and Remote Sensing Imagery guide in light of other map collection websites and other maps library guides that were available as templates through the LibGuides Community.  From from New York State Library, I was able to update a list of links in the area of gazetteers.  I also experimented on the Maps BETA which inserting annotated links to geoportals around the world.  I collected screen grabs from map library libguides - the University of Delaware, Kent State University, Miami University of Ohio, Florida State University, the University of California at Davis, and the State Library of Victoria - for presentation in PowerPoint. These slides were sent to Chris for his review before our meeting - 12 hours total prep time.

I also set along talking points for him to consider:

   - a better location map as well as a better breakdown of filing locations would make describing the location of different resources much easier    - wondering if the ‘Gazetteers’ tab might not be better called ‘Finding Places.’    - as you are aware, several tabs are currently not serving a purpose: articles, books/reference, citation, for starters. They need to be relocated and redesigned or removed. Hopefully we can spend some time tomorrow discussing design considerations.    - we need to develop a uniform style for the NYS Map Pathfinder and New York Historical Map reference pages – visitors should know that they are being referred to another library, for example – and these two resources need to be combined.    - map holdings on Content DM seem to be missing their images. Do you know what is up?    - if material is to remain on Library Wiki, it needs to be more adequately titled and described (with appropriate metadata) and linked into the LibGuide    - all of the guides need to make better use of the lefthand bar for navigation    - LibGuide mentions “locked storage” (outside of Special Collections).  Apparently this was done during the time when map libraries were being targeted for theft. I am wondering is such safeguards are still truly necessary.    - LibGuide makes reference to reference documents in Content DM that are not accessible through search    - LibGuide makes frequent reference and includes email links to former or retired map librarians    - Once the LibGuide is cleaned up, we should make more use of hyperlinks between sections rather than textual descriptions for navigation    - Map Loans & Reproductions policies are dated 2008 – are they still valid?    - What are your thoughts on Cynthia Dietz’s web publication “Implementing Geospatial Web Services: A Resource Webliography” - link – seems add that open source mapping platforms aren’t better linked into the site.

Final thoughts that I sent Chris: the LibGuide currently directs visitors to collections in a number of formats, including straight web pages with embedded images, the Library Wiki, and ContentDM.  Perhaps we need to look at each of these formats for presenting map information and identify which are the most helpful and ways to make them even more user-friendly.

During the 1 hour meeting, we first reviewed some of the changes that Chris had made to the home page of the Maps BETA (see other October 4th post below).  He asked me what I thought about the various elements that he had updated on the page - in particular the use of the Science and Engineering Library hours.  I suggested that there might be a way to link instead to the library calendar so that this listing is updated automatically every time the main listing is.  He felt that this was a good idea and promised to look into it.

Then we considered the LibGuide page for US Coast Survey Maps of Long Island, 1830s to 1890s.  This is one of the most completely described pages as behooves materials that of tremendous historic interest and that are otherwise not available on the web.  However the navigation to the numbered T sheets is not ideal.  The clearest map of Long Island divided into towns is not used for navigation purposes. Rather are text strings referring to the sections of each county,  

Northern Nassau County

Southern Nassau County

Northwest Suffolk County

North Central Suffolk County

Northeast Suffolk County

Southwest Suffolk County

South Central Suffolk County

Southeast Suffolk County

that when clicked lead the user to "guide maps."  These are late twentieth century base maps with villages and hamlets in bright shades.  The T-sheet dividing lines (the ostensible purpose) are in yet another color (pink) which is very difficult to discern.  The purpose of this map is no means clear to the user, even though the need for such a guide is of tremendous importance, since it is very difficult to navigate the ContentDM site without it. I suggested that instead the much simpler map of Long Island towns be used. This has the advantage of using a geographical designation that is familiar to most if not all Long Islanders.  Multiple maps may need to be pulled up for each town but this shouldn't create too much difficulty for online users.

The rest of the time, Chris and I reviewed our various options for updating the LibGuide as a whole.  I asked Chris whether a print guide to map collections existed outside of what had been posted to the LibGuide.  He stated that he did not believe that there was one still around.  If there was one it might have been tossed with the printed materials had been cleared out when he took over the office from the former map librarian.  He was able to provide me with a Collection Development Policy for Maps dated 2011 that had been prepared by Cynthia Dietz, which has proved quite useful in my efforts to understand how the collections have developed over time.

Reviewing the screen shots of other maps library websites and guides, we agreed that Kent State University would serve as an appropriate model.  While Chris left the meeting with a number of action items, my task in comparison would be far more simple - 1 hr.  I agreed to develop schematic websites with SBU map library materials and links following the Kent State model.  I would also update progress to date on the tumblr internship blog [2hrs].

[edu-tourist]

This is our Maps Development Page, created by Darren Chase.  The ultimate goal of my internship is to develop a plan for updating the current LibGuide for Maps & Remote Sensing Imagery.  While we may in the end decide to configure it as a single LibGuide, right now we are considering the possibility of following Kent State's lead and set up a simply entrance page that then guides the visitor to several different, more focused guides [findingmaps, onlinemaps, gis, citingmaps, campusmaps, 19thcentury].

[edu-tourist]

Our first LibGuide design meeting took place September 18th. 

For today's meeting, I prepared a printout of the entire guide, along with a cover page that could serve as an overview of its organization.  Then in preparation for our meeting I also reviewed some of other map library sites, including those at Penn State and at Dartmouth University, to see if there might be organizational or content elements that we could easily adopt.  Finally I dropped by Chris' office with the printout so that he would have time that afternoon and the following morning to gather his thoughts - 6 hours prep time total.

During the 1 hour meeting, we discussed our ideas for reorganization.  Chris felt it would be important to use the entrance page to direct users to the online materials, since it would make sense that these might be the most popular features.  As we navigated the site together, Chris indicated that the most popular link on the site was the link to "Popular Maps for Long Island Research."  This page, which hasn't been updated in over ten years, is the first choice on the pull-down under Finding Maps.

It appeared to me that much of the website's organization was based on an old template - several of the features such as "Articles," "Book/Reference," and "Citation" also appeared in other guides I had been reviewing.  Chris agree to check with Darren on this, and whether any of these elements were in fact required.  We attempted to navigate the Long Island Maps collection on ContentDM.  It is quite difficult for librarians, let alone patrons, to find their way through the ContentDM holdings without some sort of external guide to the content.  Finally, Chris agreed to work with Darren to develop a test version of the Maps and Remote Sensing Imagery LibGuide.  This development site is now available, and is called simply "Maps BETA."

[edu-tourist]

Weekly Update - Sept. 5, 2012

1. Trained on LibGuide with Darren Chase [SBU Digital Librarian] 8/13/12, 2.0 hrs & met briefly with Chris Filstrup at his office.

2. Conversation w/ Mary Westermann-Cicio & other summer internship students 2.0 hrs - it was really seeing what sorts of placements other students had.  Many of them were working at public libraries that I had come to know since arriving out here on Long Island three years ago.  Mary was pleased by the learning contract with Chris F. and I agreed that we would have to arrange for her to pay us a visit here at Stony Brook.  The class was visited by Jody Howard who introduced the new graduation survey that they are looking to implement. It was designed to assess whether students agreed that they were now "qualified" in accordance with the program's SLOs (Student Learning Objectives).

3. Conversation with Elaine Hoffman, SBU Government Documents Librarian 2.0 hrs.  I had originally met Elaine at the LibGuide training.  We noted that the Maps and Remote Sensing Guide has been getting more hits than Government Documents, but once I visited I saw that she manages a truly impressive collection.  One of the things that I learned from Elaine that I wish to follow up with Chris F. on is the locked map storage that was put in place by the former map librarian during the period when so many maps collections were seeing their collections pilfered.

Next step: create a .pdf of the Maps and Remote Sensing Guide.

[edu-tourist]

Learning Contract

In order to meet Long Island University's internship requirements, intern agrees to complete, and the map librarian & webmaster/digital production librarian agree to support, the following internship goals/activities/tactics:

Goal I:  Put theory to practice 

  Strategy I-A. Demonstrate an understanding of the functions and features of online retrieval systems. Tactic: Catalog maps

  Strategy I-B.  Utilize and assess new resources. Tactic: Register maps with Old Maps Online

  Strategy I-C. Analyze information needs of individuals and communities. Tactic: Develop a purchase list for materials

  Strategy I-D. Demonstrate competency in multiple literacies. Tactic: Create useful and easily accessible documentation, for training purposes

Goal II: Use effective communication skills

  Strategy II-A. Understand basic management principles and practices, including those affecting fiscal, facilities and operational functions. Tactic: Participate in library strategic planning

  Strategy II-B. Understand and be able to apply a variety of information systems and technologies to facilitate the development, management, use, and dissemination of information and information services. Tactic: Analyze use of Stony Brook Map Library website in light of other regional and national map library websites

  Strategy III-C. Assess and respond to diverse user needs and experiences. Tactic: Observe map library reference requests; Develop a map user focus group to discuss website improvements

  Strategy III-D. Demonstrate the identification, selection, retrieval, evaluation and synthesis of multiple sources. Tactic: Create online addendum, regarding early bicycle maps, to former Stony Brook University Map Librarian David Yehling Allen’s web guide entitled "The Mapping of New York State." 

Note: to comply with the requirements, intern must accomplish at least one tactic under Goal I and one tactic under Goal II

[edu-tourist]

libraries unsung national treasures on Flickr.

Inspiring editorial. Like teachers, librarians are essential public servants who do not always get the credit they deserve. We need to find ways to cultivate supporters like Mr. Rightmyer, who loves his libraries and wants everyone know it. Via Flickr: Jack Rightmyer, "Viewpoint: Libraries, and those who work there, are unsung national treasures," Sunday Gazette [Schenectady, New York] Sunday, August 5, 2012, link

[edu-tourist]

Recolonizing tufts of marsh grass on Flickr.

If you don't know where to begin walking small, consider joining a local organization that sponsor field trips. Stony Brook staff, students and faculty are particularly active in geology, marine science, and astronomy. Last spring fellow photographer Hemant Khanna and I enjoyed the opportunity take one of the trips sponsored by Long Island Geologists. Through the trip as well as some of my background reading, I learned about how destructive many of the practices that have supported suburban development here, such as mosquito spraying and swamp dredging, have been to the marsh ecosystem. As part of my internship at Stony Brook University's Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy Library, I hope to learn more about resources that can help communities reconnect to their local environments. Via Flickr: This shot was taken during the June 11, 2011 morning nature walk "Geology of the Flax Pond Salt Marsh and Adjacent Gravel Beach," sponsored by Long Island Geologists - flyer Walk leader: Glenn Richard, Education Coordinator at the Mineral Physics Institute, Stony Brook University.

[freewalkers]

[edu-tourist]

New Jersey native Paul Kiswick advocates taking a day out to explore and really get to know a place - not necessarily a humid day like today but one when you are likely to meet other people going about their daily business.  Wise counsel for everyone - particularly librarians looking to get to know a little better the communities they serve.

except c/o FreeWalkers

The great irony of walking a long distance is that you get to appreciate a smaller scale.

Over a long day, your perspective on time changes, speed gives way to endurance, groups become individuals, towns break into neighborhoods and houses, environments divide into unique spaces, even broad...

[edu-tourist]

Steps Over the Coming Week

In process: 1. Money orders from the Post Office 2. Burn CDs at church 2. Reading & writing at home

Sunday: 1. Church (8:00 am) 2. Laundry 3. Revisions to autism manuscript

Monday: 1. Scan & upload local news story 2. 9:45 arrive at work 3. Review Learning Contract [LC] with Chris 4. Revisions to autism manuscript 4. Book group meeting in Setauket

Tuesday: 1. 6:30 am workout session 2. 8:00 am distribute CDs 2. 9:30 am Bible Study 2. Review Learning Contract instructor & students (LIS 690)

Wednesday: 1. Revisions to Learning Contract 2. 9:45 arrive at work 3. Revisions to autism manuscript 2. Carla leaves for Philadelphia after work 3. Gain approval for revisions 4. Secure signatures and submit

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Proposal for Map Library Internship

Location Math, Physics and Astronomy Branch, Stony Brook University Libraries August through December 2012  

Abstract Review and make recommendations for improving the map website for improved access to digital maps.

Background The Stony Brook Libraries Map Collection is preeminent among the SUNY campuses and on Long Island.  Almost all the use of this collection comes through the web site, currently titled Maps and Remote Sensing Imagery (http://guides.library.stonybrook.edu/maps) - the site is a good attempt to provide guidance to both the print and digital collections but much of the site is more than five years old and needs review.  This is especially true of its representation of the digital collection which is modest but ready for significant expansion because the library now has a digital production unit which can produce .jpeg images and place them on a ContentDM server.   Before this happens the library needs to simplify the web site to improve access to, and use of, digital maps on ContentDM. 

Working with the library’s webmaster and map librarian, the intern will review the design and content of each section of the web site.  This will involve analysis of usage of different sections of the site, some investigation of a backlog of approximately one hundred digital maps not represented on the web site, and a quick look at other university map collection web sites.  The intern will produce a succinct report articulating the steps the library needs to take to improve its web site and its organization of the digital maps on ContentDM.   This report will also suggest priorities for creating metadata for the digital maps in the backlog.   This report will benefit the following people:  map librarian, and the webmaster/digital production librarian.  N.B.:  the output of the intern is a report, not its implementation. 

Distribution of Time & Effort

Review overall website

15.0 hrs

Review websites of other university map collections

17.5 hrs

Review each of the 18 sections of the website         

45.0 hrs

Review the relationship between the Digitized Map Collection pages and images on ContentDM    

15.0 hrs

Review backlog of digital maps         

17.5 hrs

Articulate priorities for rewriting the website          

15.0 hrs

Articulate priorities for cataloging backlog of digital maps 

17.5 hrs

Write final report      

17.5 hrs

Total 120 hrs

Overview of Organization The Stony Brook University Libraries serve the research and curricular needs of university faculty, students, and staff.  Operating with an annual budget of approximately $13M and a staff of 90, the libraries provide access to a print collection of 1.5M volumes and electronic collections of tens of millions of articles, books, audio files and other content suited to the wide research and curricular mission of the university.  The map collection comprises more than 100,000 print maps in various formats and a small collection of digital maps. 

Key Staff E. Christian Filstrup, Instruction and Map Librarian; Darren Chase, Webmaster/ Digital Production Librarian; F. Jason Torre, Head of the Preservation Department.

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Greetings from Stony Brook, New York

I've started this tumblr. weblog in order to document my Library and Information Science internship. As described below, I plan to pursue a schedule of work under the supervision of Chris Filstrup, Map Librarian attached to the Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy Library at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, USA.

As I see is, there is a four-part structure to internship in the field.

1.) finding the site

2.) developing a Learning Contract

3.) following through on the provisions of the contract

4.) wrapping up the work

I hope to document here all of the important aspects of this experience so that, as you embark on your own internship, it will be possible to assess where your experience mirrors or diverges from my own.  Keep in mind that the blog will be functioning at two levels.  Some posts will serve to illuminate broader outlines of the process: where I move from the planning to the initiation phase for example.  Other posts will be more detail oriented, identifying a process or a technique that I've learned or tried out for the first time.

One of the key reasons for blogging is to make the daily stuff of life more vivid - for you the reader, certainly, but more importantly for me and my classmates.  Life out in the remote wilds of Suffolk County, Long Island, New York can seem somehow less important or eventful (definitely less stressful) than working in the City.  This record of the process and the daily grind of learning a new trade will hopefully aid you in claiming your internship - while at the same time making you want to visit Long Island's North Shore some day. ;)