Library Newsletter Fall 2019

NEWSLETTER FALL 2019 Message from the Dean of the Library and Learning Technologies Susan M. Ryan The library employs 21 librarians and library staff, but we could not run our library seven days/104 hours a week without our student assistants. At any given time, we have about 35 student assistants who each work about 10-12 hours per week. Working at the duPont-Ball Library is often a student’s first job. We teach students to be contributing staff members, but more importantly we teach them workplace professionalism, responsibility, the importance of reliability, punctual attendance, and customer service. Our student assistants appreciate the opportunity to work with us: “What I enjoy most about working in the library is that I get to assist anyone who needs help and that every day is a learning experience” (Kevin Vega); “My supervisors all cultivate a hard-working, but friendly culture and I’m proud of our space’s atmosphere for studying” (Noah McGahagin); “Working while creating new friendships or bonds is an aspect that I’m definitely looking forward to!” (Gabriela Morales). Inside this Newsletter, you will read about one of our helpful student assistants who is also a Stetson legacy. We appreciate and thank all of our student employees. Canoe is installed in summer 2019 NATIVE AMERICAN CANOE GIFT Donated to the duPont-Ball Library in 2018 by local collector Jim Cara, the Native American canoe now hanging on the main floor of the duPont-Ball Library is believed to have been made by the Seminoles with metal tools in mid-late 19th century or early in the 20th century. The canoe was first known to be located at the Florida Exhibit in a Seminole mock village at the 1933-1934 Chicago World Fair. Earl Brown, Mayor of DeLand and a Stetson alumnus, managed the Florida Exhibit and brought the canoe to his Hotel Putnam in DeLand at the conclusion of the World Fair. The canoe hung in the hotel until 2018 when Jim Cara purchased it from the long-neglected and unused hotel building. According to floridamemory.com, “the canoes are made of cypress logs and are shaped and carved with axes and fire. Logs are carefully selected by a woodsman who chooses a log with the heart nearer the side rather than the center. After a log is selected and tested it is hewn into shape and buried in mud for 18 to 24 months. When it is dug up and cleaned, it is dried slowly for two weeks. The wood is removed from the inside out by burning. Later a boy strikes the sides with a stick while the builder listens to vibrations and cuts or scrapes away burned wood to a uniform thickness. When the vibrations reach a certain pitch the builder knows the correct thickness has been obtained.” The library is pleased to preserve this piece of local history. FACULTY MEMBERS HONORED The library has a tradition of honoring faculty members at our annual August reception who have been recently tenured and/or promoted. We ask each faculty member to choose a book that has been particularly meaningful to them in their personal or professional lives and we add that book to our collection with a commemorative bookplate. Christopher Bell, tenured and promoted to Associate Professor of Religious Studies: “I first read Inherit the Wind when I was an undergraduate student and it stands as one of the few works that I have reread numerous times. This fictional account of the 1925 ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’ vividly portrays the complex relationship between religion and science, especially in the US legal and education systems, and it resonates with debates happening in the courtroom and the classroom today. For a short play, it is full of unforgettable quotes and quips, and it fundamentally informed my thinking early in my adulthood.” Pamela Cappas-Toro, tenured and promoted to Associate Professor of World Languages: “This book [Coloniality at Large: Latin America and the Postcolonial Debate] is critical to understand the discursive construction about ‘Améfrica Ladina’ (term coined by the Afro-Brazilian intellectual Lelia González) and the long-lasting effects of White-supremacist European colonial and imperial legacies in our region. A must read for any Latin Americanist and ‘Ladin Amefricanist’.” Roslyn Crowder, tenured and promoted to Associate Professor of Biology: “The book I have chosen is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. I read this book as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. This book tells the story of a black woman in the early 1950s, Henrietta Lacks, and the unethical acquisition of her cervical cancer cells, later named HeLa cells. The research performed using HeLa cells has led to many scientific advancements including improved effectiveness of new vaccines and cancer treatments. We must never forget the unethical past of science and how minorities were often used as unknowing test subjects. As a cancer researcher, I want to drive the general knowledge in my field forward. This book serves as a reminder that scientists in general should never put a greater weight in scientific discovery than a person’s human rights.” Mayhill Fowler, tenured and promoted to Associate Professor: “I read this book [Revolution from Abroad: The Soviet Conquest of Poland’s Western Ukraine and Western Belorussia by Jan T. Gross] in my Soviet history seminar in my first semester of graduate school at Princeton. I remember closing the book, looking out the window at the fall leaves, and having one of those epiphanies, a feeling that I sort of understood something about this place that was so terribly incomprehensible. I also thought it was a beautifully written and beautifully argued book. Because of this book, I signed up for Jan Gross’ seminar on Totalitarianism, in which we read Arendt, Camus, Milosz, and Solzhenitsyn, among others. This class fundamentally shaped how I came to understand the intertwining of artists and officials in my own work. I think this book – and the seminar – broadened my horizons, previously focused exclusively on Russia, to include Eastern Europe. I learned Polish and Ukrainian, went to Ukraine and Poland, and ended up more an Eastern Europeanist than a Russianist, perhaps the perfect combination for a lifetime of studying Ukraine.” Krista Franco, tenured and promoted to Associate Professor of Theatre Arts: “This book [A Place of My Own by Michael Pollan] chronicles Pollan’s insight into the curation of ‘habitable space.’ It has influenced me as a designer in comprehending the ‘making of space’ from instinctive measures already at play in my approach. When designing environments, especially onstage, we are challenged to create new, authentic and imaginative spaces that are rooted in a basic set of rules for the world before us, as often presented in the text. Pollan’s perspective helped me as a young artist to define my own principles in approaching my creative work as a designer for all spaces and habitats I am charged with producing.” Melinda Hall, tenured and promoted to Associate Professor of Philosophy: “Prenatal Testing and Disability Rights was given to me as an undergraduate by my Capstone (undergraduate thesis) advisor and friend, Dr. Lucinda Joy Peach. She knew that I was interested in disability rights, and the problems clinical bioethics poses for disabled people, and reading this book opened up concerns for me which followed me into graduate school and toward my dissertation topic. Dr. Peach tragically passed away not long after my college graduation, but her influence as a teacher and person has continued to be a guide for me. The book was co-edited by another scholar and friend, Dr. Adrienne Asch, who is also now deceased but lives on in her work fighting for the value of disabled lives. The book is a reminder of what drives my work and the women who went before me.” Matthew Hurst, tenured and promoted to Associate Professor of Finance: “This book [Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman] sparked my intellectual curiosity into the mind, rationality, decision-making and behavioral finance. I regularly incorporate the lessons from this book into my teaching pedagogy and learning philosophy.” Mary Ellen Oslick, tenured and promoted to Associate Professor of Education: “I read this work [The Reader, the Text, the Poem: The Transactional Theory of the Literary Work by Louise Rosenblatt] at the start of my doctoral program and her Reader-Response theory has influenced my teaching philosophy and most of my research. Rosenblatt argues that reading involves a ‘transaction’ between the reader and the text; each transaction is a unique experience where the reader and the text interact and influence each other. I use this theory in my teaching and research to honor the important transactions all readers can have with diverse children’s literature.” Joshua Rust, promoted to Professor of Philosophy: “Max Weber’s Economy and Society resists summation precisely because it represents a still-needed antidote to simple or politically convenient explanations of social phenomena. Weber understood that while the social world may in some sense depend on us, that fact does not entail its transparency.” Page Thanasiu, tenured and promoted to Associate Professor of Counselor Education: “When I was in graduate school to become a mental health counselor, I didn’t initially know the client population in which I would like to specialize. That is, until I read Dibs in Search of Self (by Virginia M. Axline). The first time I read this book, I found my purpose and a passion that I didn’t even know existed in me. I learned to recognize and appreciate the strength and wisdom that is within every child. I discovered that children who are clients can truly heal even when their parents don’t wish to participate in their treatment. This book helped me to determine the direction I would take my clinical focus and this, ultimately, led to the creation of Stetson’s Play Therapy Certificate program. The knowledge I gained from reading Dibs in Search of Self positively influenced me as a clinician, as a member of our society, and as a parent to my own children.” Joseph Woodside, tenured and promoted to Associate Professor of Business Systems & Analytics: “This book [Applied Health Analytics and Informatics Using SAS] has had a significant impact on me personally and professionally in terms of my interdisciplinary teacher-scholar development at Stetson, and my course delivery and advancement of student learning outcomes achievement. As a teacher-scholar, we model the intellectual values we seek to impart to students and share our knowledge. Stetson teacher-scholars follow interdisciplinary scholarship to keep current and understand the practical opportunities for students, such as connecting to wider worlds, communicating across varying audiences, and developing a classroom environment which engages and challenges students to develop skills both within and outside of the classroom.” John York, promoted to Professor of Chemistry: “Growing up on a farm in rural North Carolina, science was not something that was discussed, much less considered as a career choice. By chance, in 9th grade a friend suggested that I read Cosmos and I was literally blown away by what I read. This incredible work of both art and science opened my mind to the wonders of the universe. Never before had I contemplated the nature of the cosmos (nor really even imagined that others had done so before me), and it sparked in me a life-long passion to understand how things work and where we fit in. This book literally altered the trajectory of my life forever, leading me to dedicate my career to the pursuit of scientific knowledge and giving to others the same passion for learning that [Carl] Sagan gave me.” FACULTY AUTHORS Also celebrated at the library’s August reception were those faculty and staff members who wrote or edited a book in the past year: Ashely Chase (Library, College of Law); Yves Clemmen (World Languages); Michael Denner (World Languages and Stetson’s Program in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies); Josh Eckroth (Mathematics and Computer Science); Jesse Fox (Counselor Education); Angela Henderson (Institutional Research); Eugene Huskey (Political Science). Congratulations! STETSON LEGACY GOING STRONG AT THE LIBRARY Hunter Murphy George Ridgeway, a library student assistant, is a double legacy at Stetson. His parents, Debbie Freeborough Ridgeway (‘91) and Robert Ridgeway (’90), met at DeLand High School, attended Stetson together and had an outstanding experience on campus. Debbie majored in Accounting and Robert in Physics. After graduation (see Debbie and George below in 1991), they married and raised George in the area. They were thrilled when George chose to attend Stetson. George was drawn to the class size and the degree programs Stetson offered. His father’s interest in science inspired George’s studies, and he, too, is majoring in Physics. In the summer of 2018, George created a study involving two different sizes of tissue funded by a Stetson SURE grant. His goal was to gain insight into how collective cell migration occurs to help scientists and physicians understand wound healing, cancer metastasis, and embryo development. (George presenting his research at Stetson Showcase below.) George has utilized the duPont-Ball Library since the beginning of his freshman year. He found it to be a great study environment; he regularly took advantage of the mezzanine’s quiet zone along the windows. He checked out books for fun and made use of the library’s databases, books, and other resources for his research papers. George has had a rewarding experience working at the library (below). “During the summer, I joined the staff in the book-shifting project and during the winter, we worked on rearranging the media section. I’ve helped with everything from furniture assembly to helping students with the newest tech gadgets.” Most importantly, working at the duPont-Ball has made his Stetson experience more fulfilling. He told us, “Because of the library, I’ve met and befriended students and employees who I would not have met otherwise. The library offers a real sense of community.” George appreciates how the librarians and staff members interact with each other. “I’ve been impressed with this organization, the style of management at the library, and how well the different levels of management interact.” He appreciates working for an organization that relies on cooperation and community and congenial interdependence. The library has made a significant impact on George’s college career, and he has been a great asset to us. We look forward to the next generation of Ridgeways at Stetson and the library! EQUIPPED TO INNOVATE! Libraries today are not merely repositories for books and databases. They are change agents and learning incubators that foster collaboration and exploration. We equip our students with the capabilities to innovate regardless of the technologies of the moment. Our Innovation Lab, a library distinctive, exists to encourage experiential learning opportunities that will translate into lifelong skills. The technologies stimulate student interest in many disciplines. With a combination of computer modeling and 3D printing, our science and math students and faculty conceptualize, analyze, and translate chemical structures and mathematical algorithms. Art students and faculty create beautiful professionally exhibited pieces, and are discovering new ways to incorporate 3D scanning and printing into sculpture. Business students design and build prototypes in our Lab, and successfully compete in entrepreneurial product pitch contests. Our award-winning library has become a hub for creativity offering 3D printing (additive manufacturing) and an Axiom AR6 Pro CNC Mill (subtractive manufacturing); tools to create Virtual Realities, including an Alienware gaming computer and gaming software; Augmented Reality equipment; and much more – all leading to exciting learning outcomes that distinguish Stetson. Students and faculty can choose from one of our twelve 3D printers. Our eight different models (below, left) meet a variety of design needs, and can print in various colors and types of materials, including plastics, wood fiber, and clay. Faculty report that adding a 3D printing component to assignments has increased student enthusiasm and has added experiential learning opportunities to courses. (Students work in the Innovation Lab, below.) Virtual Reality also has infinite possibilities. Students can use our Oculus VR headsets to create virtual worlds – and can use the equipment in conjunction with our high-end Alienware gaming workstation. Our HTC Vive kit (below) is a virtual reality headset that uses room scale tracking technology, allowing the user to move in 3D space and use motion-tracked handheld controllers to interact with the environment. It is not unusual to see a student in a VR headset weaving back and forth throughout the Innovation Lab as she explores unseen worlds. Music students have used our VR technologies to experiment with creating virtual concert experiences. Augmented Reality is technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the world – resulting in a composite, or augmented, view. Students can check out Google Glass, which is a wearable computer. Student Jacob Lite (’14) was one of the first students to use our Google Glass, experimenting with the AR technology for his senior research titled Internet of Things Status Monitoring with Augmented Reality on Google Glass. Library staff are currently investigating the use of Augmented Reality as a more visual method of communicating library services to students. WELCOME NEW LIBRARY STAFF Along with our many new student employees, we have three new staff members working as Circulation Supervisors at the front desk. Dani Pleines started with us a year ago working part-time at night, but in May she transitioned into a full-time position. Dani has a degree in Mathematics from UCF and is working on her MBA at Stetson. A huge chess fan, you will often see Dani’s chess set near the front desk – a set she 3D-printed in our Innovation Lab. Matt Garrett joined us as Night Circulation Supervisor in June. After a number of years in the military, Matt came to Stetson to study Digital Arts, receiving his degree in May. As an artist, Matt enjoys the library’s night shift which allows him to spend more time during the day in his studio and with his family. Colette Cacciola is our most recent team member, arriving in September. She is also a recent Stetson graduate, receiving her BA in Public History with minors in Religious Studies and Gender Studies. While at Stetson, Colette served as the Executive Editor of the school newspaper, The Reporter. ENDOWMENTS – LASTING GIFTS To create excellent collections, services, technologies, and facilities, the library depends heavily on our donors. Last year, more than half of our operating budget came from gifts and endowment funds. While gifts can be spent outright, endowments are invested to accumulate interest that the library can spend each year. The library’s oldest endowment was created in 1893 and was bequeathed by C.T. Sampson, a shoe manufacturer who had come to DeLand from New England, and who had generously supported the University, particular by purchasing thousands of dollars’ worth of books in Stetson’s early years. In honor of C.T. Sampson’s contributions, the first free-standing library (now Sampson Hall) was named for him. Each year, the library receives about $2,300 from Sampson’s $20,000 endowment gift made 125 years ago. Similarly, Elizabeth Stetson (below), wife of John B. Stetson, established a library trust circa 1907 that continues to yield thousands of dollars a year in support of the library. Throughout the years, a number of generous donors have created endowments both as gifts during their lifetimes and as estate gifts. We thank all of our benefactors for supporting our work. If you have not looked at our Digital Archives lately, you may be surprised at just how much Stetson history you will find. Our Special Collections are listed below. duPont-Ball Library • Stetson University • 421 N. Woodland Blvd., Unit 8418 • DeLand, FL 32723 (386)822-7183 • stetson.edu/library • facebook.com/StetsonLibrary