From the Desk of Dr. Sam

Update from Davis College, May 6

2011-05-23T10:16:00.007-04:00

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Today was the 3^rd Hooding Ceremony here at the School of Library and Information Science. We had over 50 graduates being hooded with their MLIS and more than 300 family members and friends joined us for a lovely reception in the halls of Davis. It was a party! Carolyn Delton and our staff put on the Ritz. We didn’t even mind that there was a cooling sprinkle of rain. Everyone was so happy and honored and the sense of accomplishments was palpable. Thank you all for coming and thank you faculty and staff for being the very best of hosts. A link to a video of the ceremony is included in your five things below.

Last night I was invited by our student association, LISSA and the spring 2011 graduates to give their Last Lecture. I thank you all for the honor. I have included a link below to the video but the sound wasn’t very good when I tried it. A transcript of my talk will be available on our website and I suggest you read it before you watch the video. I have a wonderful ‘portfolio’ presented by the students, wrapped in a garnet silk scarf and I will treasure both forever.

Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor delivered the commencement address at the general ceremony this afternoon. Her theme was the power of mothers and how belief in education is one of our great levelers. I hope you will take time to hear her speech as it really was a powerful and lovely piece. And speaking of mothers – Happy Mother’s Day to you all! It is a great day to celebrate so enjoy.

A couple of fall dates to save are September 13 for the 5^th Annual Literacy Leaders’ Award Ceremony -- details to come – and the first week in October for ICOMM week, our celebration of all the great scholarly endeavors from our College. This year we will be hosting an ‘Infocamp unconference’ on the weekend of October 1 so stayed tuned for details.

I’ll be in Tucson helping my mother mend her broken hip for a bit but will be available by email or phone so just holler if you need me.

In the meantime, here are five things to view, read and think about. Hope you enjoy them and let me know if you have comments or questions.

1. Last Lecture, Thursday 5/5/2011:
http://breeze.sc.edu/p77679712/

2. Hooding Ceremony, Friday 5/6/2011:
http://breeze.sc.edu/p17878465/

A next-generation digital book [TED]

3. http://www.ted.com/talks/mike_matas.html

4. Transforming Traditional Organizations [Jeffrey Trzeciak]
http://live.libraries.psu.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=c16bf3c92af14d76a316a5acb5faa0af

5. The Architecture of Access to Scientific Knowledge: Just How Badly We Have Messed This Up [Lawrence Lessig] http://vimeo.com/22633948

Always yours,

Dr. Sam

GENERAL NEWS: End of Spring Break, SCASL, Five Things

2011-03-17T13:09:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Today is the last day of Spring Break. The campus is quiet, the phones are almost silent and I just caught up with the hundreds of emails that never seem to stop. It’s not natural! I miss the students and the faculty and the noise and commotion and challenge of meeting the needs of such a diverse clientele! It’s good to be reminded that the reason we are here is for the students. It’s easy to forget that education is a two-way street and doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It is in the intersection of ideas that real education happens and it doesn’t work in solitude. I will be so happy when everyone is back to school!

In the meantime, we had the loveliest alumni tea at the SC Association of School Librarians’ (SCASL) conference. Cocky joined us as our special guest and the room was full of fun and laughter and good friends. Thank you to Nonie Price and Kim Jeffcoat for putting it together -- you make it perfect! I felt that we were spot on for the theme of the conference “Building Community @ your library,” we just build community wherever we go!

We have several fun events coming up that you don’t want to miss:

· March 17 Augusta Baker Endowed Chair Candidate Presentation (Dr. Michelle Martin) in the Hollings Library-Program Room of Thomas Cooper Libraries at 10:00.

· March 22 Augusta Baker Endowed Chair Candidate Presentation (Dr. Dianne Johnson) in the Hollings Library-Program Room of Thomas Cooper Libraries at 10:00.

· On April 2 we will be in Waynesboro VA for a day of fun with our West Virginia and Virginia students. Join us if you are in the neighborhood.

· On April 7 is our Deans’ and Directors’ Lecture and Dr. Michael Buckland http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~buckland/ will be our speaker. We will have Beta Phi Mu inductions around 6:30 and then our awards ceremony, the lecture and a reception following. I hope you will be able to join us. Our Advisory Councils will also meet on the afternoon of April 7 so if you have agenda items for consideration, please let me know by email to hastings@sc.edu .

We will webcast as much as possible from each event so watch the website for links.

I hope you had a great spring break and are ready to come back and finish up the semester. As a warm up, here are five things to read and think about:

1. Are Physical Interfaces Superior to Virtual Ones? [Technology Review]

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/mimssbits/26456/

2. Library of the future: Wi-Fi, flat screens, automated book sorting [Chicago Tribune]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/ct-met-library-of-the-future-0308-20110307,0,5528757.story

3. Long Overdue, the Bookmobile Is Back [Smithsonian]

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Long-Overdue-The-Bookmobile-Is-Back.html

4. Banned books return to shelves in Egypt and Tunisia [Guardian]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/feb/28/banned-books-return-egypt-tunisia

5. Librarians Join the Protesters in Madison [Library Journal]

http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/889461-264/librarians_join_the_protesters_in.html.csp

Let me know if there is anything we can do for you,

Dr. Sam

GENERAL NEWS: Cool article on the qualitative use of digital books

2011-02-03T10:48:00.001-05:00

2-1-11

You really need to see the cover of the Science issue this article appeared in for the full impact -- fascinating look at culture through ‘culturomics’ and a good scrubbing of the digital copies of 40 million ‘googlelized’ books for evidence in the study of human culture. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/331/6014/176.full.html

Enjoy!

Dr. Sam

GENERAL NEWS: A Report from ALISE, Spring Dates and 5 Things (Jan 25, 2010)

2011-02-03T10:36:00.001-05:00

1-25-10

Hello dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am pleased to report that we were a big hit at the ALISE conference in San Diego. Our doctoral students, Christine Angel, Chris Cunningham, Robin Kurz, Barbara Montgomery and Patrick Roughen presented posters for the Works-in-Progress session, and Clayton Copeland presented a paper. I received several comments about their professional poise and the excellent quality of their work. We knew that, yet it sure is good to hear it from your colleagues! Several of our faculty also presented at sessions and served on committees so SLIS was well represented and in the limelight. The San Diego weather was on the cool side for southern California but no complaints since it was snowing here! Next year, ALA mid-winter and ALISE will be in Dallas so I look forward to more great work being shared.

We are busy recruiting with our federal IMLS funding for doctoral students with interests in cultural heritage informatics leadership (CHIL). The committee, chaired by Dr. Arns is currently interviewing potential candidates as we continue to search for the best and the brightest to come ‘CHIL’ with us.

Cocky’s Reading Express is rollin’ down the roads of South Carolina, reading to the children and working to eliminate illiteracy – if you want to volunteer, please contact Ellen Hinrichs ellenh@sc.edu. We are trying to find a large van for CRE to carry the student volunteers, the books, and of course, the Cocky! We need the money to buy the van and hopefully, a discounted offer from one of our friendly car dealers! Wish us luck and let me know if you have some good ideas for making this happen.

Two very uplifting events this weekend left me with great hope for the future of libraries. Friday night the first LISSA colloquium featured Todd Stephens, Director of the Spartanburg Public Library System. The video of the session is available and I highly recommend it! Todd was on a roll and shared his plans for keeping the Spartanburg Public Library as a central focus for funding. Todd has been collecting the cultural history of the community, systematically and in every format – very inspiring and great evidence that libraries are vital parts of our lives. Then, on Saturday I attended the South Carolina Library Association Leadership Meeting at the State Library. I know how dedicated the volunteers of this organization are and Saturday just proved it again! Look out as the new, improved, and even more relevant SCLA takes off! Check out the website revisions that will be coming soon thanks to Rob Lindsey and check out the legislative updates. Also note that the SCLA list has moved to Googlegroups and you will need to register to join. Both SCASL and SCLA are vital pieces of our professional landscape and I encourage you to stay active and continue your memberships. By renewing your membership, you are speaking out for South Carolina libraries in a most positive and very important way!

Spring Dates that you don’t want to miss include:

SCASL in Columbia, March 9 – 12
Dean’s Lecture TCL Hollings Room, April 7
Infocamp Conference Davis College, April 9 – 10
Baker’s Dozen, April 14 – 16 (with Leonard Marcus and a cast of thousands!)

SLIS Graduation and Hooding Ceremony, May 6
SC Book Festival, May 13 – 15

LIBRIS Conference in Orangeburg, May 20

If there are events I have missed please let me know and I’ll post them for you.

I just realized it’s raining pretty hard so I think I will try to make it home before Harden & Gervais flood. Here are five interesting links to explore and think about:

1. Adults With College Degrees in the United States, by County (this is a great map!)
http://chronicle.com/article/Adults-With-College-Degrees-in/125995/ [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

2. Humans vs. automated search: Why people power is cool again http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/01/13/people.power.cashmore/index.html [CNN]

3. Network neutrality: A tangled web http://www.economist.com/node/17800141 [The Economist]

4. Library of the future: Despite Digital Age, expanded facility still likely to be utilized http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/oct/17/library-future-despite-digital-age-expanded-facili/ [LJWorld.com]

5. Ten Stories That Shaped 2010

http://lisnews.org/ten_stories_shaped_2010 [LISNews]

Sending all best wishes for a great new year and be sure to let me know if there is anything we can do for you.

Yours,

Dr. Sam

SLIS NEWS: Graduation and a recap of 2010 at SLIS (Dec 13, 2010)

2011-02-03T10:33:00.001-05:00

December 13, 2010

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Our weather is so cold! No snow but cold, cold, cold. Of course, we still have our beautiful, perfect blue Carolina skies so we can’t really complain! I hope you have some holiday plans that make you smile and keep you warm.

Everything is good here at Davis College. We had a wonderful graduation today with many happy graduates and proud families. And, the welcome brunch was great! LISSA president BriAnne Baxley, her officers (Jenny Goulden, Kayla Burns and Sara Mason), and our faculty and staff put together a lovely menu of special treats and we toasted with coffee and orange juice before heading to Rutledge Chapel for the hooding ceremony. Thank you each and all for helping to make this day so memorable for our graduates.

It is always emotional to see our graduating students and the scores of family and friends that helped them get to such a good part of their lives. It makes me think about truth and beauty and justice and the potential that each graduate brings to us – the potential to change the world. Because of the high caliber of our SLIS graduates, I am convinced that the world will be a much better place with them on the front lines of libraries, leading and lighting the way, taking each challenge in stride.

This has been a most exciting year at the School of Library and Information Science. Among many projects and collaborations, there are three initiatives that are near and dear to my heart. First, our undergraduate degree in Information Science continues to grow! We have the very best of students in this new program and we can see a bright and successful future. Second, our doctoral students continue to grow into scholars and shining stars. They have done posters and papers at several conferences including SCLA, SCASL, ALA, ASIS&T, and ALISE this coming January. Having these unique and talented students in Davis College has energized everyone. They bring a sense of adventure and exploration of new frontiers, engaging our masters’ students and faculty in research collaborations and hallway conversations. We are getting ready to admit our CHIL fellows with the federal IMLS funding. Third, we continue to be the nexus for major research initiatives in literacy and children’s services. We are currently searching for our endowed chair in childhood literacy named for Augusta Baker and look forward to finding the perfect scholar to lead us in new adventures.

Let me know if you need anything and in the meantime, I hope your holidays are wonderful!

Best wishes to you and yours,

Dr. Sam

ALUM NEWS: A Call for SLIS Alumni (Dec 2, 2010)

2011-02-03T10:28:00.002-05:00

12-2-10

Hello,

Hope you all had a lovely and restful Thanksgiving break. I need to know if any of our SLIS alumni are CEOs or company presidents. If you are or know of anyone, please send me names, company names and emails if possible.

Thanks much,

Sam

GENERAL NEWS: Thanksgiving, Mildly Attractive Men of SLIS Calendar 2011, and 5 Things (Nov 24, 2010)

2011-02-03T10:17:00.002-05:00

11-24-10

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Of course, I am thankful for my work and my good fortune to serve with such great colleagues. I am thankful for our students and the influence they will wield on library and information services in the future. I am thankful for each and every friend and alumni of our school for helping us be the best.

This year however I am thinking on a smaller scale, a more personal scale and maybe a touch on the hedonistic side. Being thankful for blue skies seems slightly goofy but hey, I find myself staring at our beautiful Carolina skies and I just feel good! And, for the smell of pies cooking, even if not from my oven (or maybe better yet, not from my oven) and the sound of crunching leaves and. . .the right to vote! Okay, I’ll stop there. I just finished the narrative for our ALISE report and I guess it made me a little wacky. On the other hand, when you see everything we do, set in a year’s timeframe, it is pretty darn impressive!

Madonna and I have the summer and fall 2011 draft schedules almost ready. I still love the puzzle part of figuring it all out. Of course, working with Madonna is the best part of the process. Remember, if you are distance student, Madonna is here for you!

Don’t’ forget to vote for Cocky’s Reading Express! Help give books to children and improve literacy in our state! We need your votes to win a Pepsi Refresh grant for $50,000. Vote once a day, every day from November 1—November 30 at http://www.refresheverything.com/readingexpress.

Check out the Davis Center 2.0 is Davis College's presence in Second Life! Please stop by to ask for help, ask reference questions, or just say hello! If you aren’t familiar with Second Life please visit our Davis Center 2.0 Homepage http://students.libsci.sc.edu/secondlife/index.html.

Most important! Just in time for the holidays! Your favorite grad students from the Library and Information Science Student Association (LISSA) bring you all the hits with a calendar that celebrates your favorite album covers throughout the years. Mildly Attractive Men of SLIS Calendar 2011 : Hot Covers! Now Available To Order!

http://slislissa.blogspot.com/2010/11/rock-holidays-with-2011-mildly.html

Tomorrow, I’ll fly to my mom’s in Tucson, returning next Wednesday. I will be checking email if you need me. In the meantime, here are five things to think about while you decide if want another piece of pie:

1. The Visibility and Invisibility of Librarians [Library Journal] http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/reviewsreference/887361-283/the_visibility_and_invisibility_of.html.csp

2. For Baseball Archivists, a Tag Ends Every Play [The New York Times]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/sports/baseball/13video.html

3. Searching For Better Research Habits [Inside Higher Ed] http://www.insidehighereducation.com/news/focus/teaching_and_learning/recent/search

4. Digital Keys for Unlocking the Humanities’ Riches [The New York Times] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/arts/17digital.html

5. Libraries reinvent themselves as they struggle to remain relevant in the digital age [Chicago Tribune] http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/la-fi-libraries-20101112,0,5930158.story

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have many things to be thankful for. Enjoy your families and friends and be sure to hug a librarian and a teacher!

Yours,

Dr. Sam

GENERAL NEWS: Cocky's Reading Express in the Paper (Nov 26, 2010)

2011-02-03T10:07:00.003-05:00

11-26-10

Check out this coverage for our beloved Cocky's Reading Express!

Cocky visits local elementary schools

Cocky, the University of South Carolina's mascot, greeted students at St. James-Gaillard Elementary School in Eutawville recently as part of "Cocky's Reading Express" tour, a collaboration of USC's Student Government and the University's School of Library and Information Science.

-- The (Orangeburg) Times and Democrat

http://thetandd.com/lifestyles/orangeburgers/article_286bc4ba-f467-11df-b97d-001cc4c002e0.html

GENERAL NEWS: An Award for Our Dr. Zimmerman! (Nov 16, 2010)

2011-02-03T10:05:00.001-05:00

11-16-10

Dr. Zimmerman was honored today by the Palmetto Center for Women with a 2010 TWIN Award for her work as associate dean of the graduate school. The award honors women as leaders and role models in business and the community.

Congratulations dear Dr. Zimmerman!

Dr. Sam

GENERAL NEWS: Homecoming, Fall Strategy Meeting, SCLA Meeting (Nov 5, 2010)

2011-02-03T10:00:00.002-05:00

11-5-10

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is Homecoming here in Carolina and we are gearing up for our Gamecocks on the Green event this evening. If you are in town, come by for pictures with Cocky from 4:30 – 5:30. Hope to see you there and for our distance students, we will post photos of the fun.

We also have our National Advisory Council and Diversity Leadership Group here today for the Fall Strategy Meeting. Thank you for the ideas and concerns that you have sent me. I will present them today and let you know the results. One of the major issues is the need for internships and work experience for our students before they graduate. Thank you for the libraries that have let me know they are willing to sponsor an internship. We can’t do it without you! Chris Billinsky is building a database for the internship listings so will let you know when we have it up and running.

Another important issue for our planning today is how to keep our distance students engaged and feeling loved. Our cohort students in New England, Virginia/West Virginia and Charleston, SC have formed social network groups so watch the listservs for news about events and meetings. There are many ways to become a part of the USC community and our faculty and staff are the best at making students feel welcome. Remember that Madonna Stoehr is our Distance Education Coordinator so don’t hesitate to contact her with your questions and suggestions. mstoehr@mailbox.sc.edu

Help! We need your vote! Please logon every day until the end of November to vote for Cocky’s Reading Express in the Pepsi Refresh competition. Go to http://www.refresheverything.com/readingexpress to place your vote. If we get in the top ten, we will get $50,000 to continue getting books to children and promoting literacy with the help of our beloved Cocky!

The SCLA meeting was just wonderful this year and our students won 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd places in the poster competition! It was great to see all of our friends and colleagues in person. A special thanks to Rayburne Turner and Nonie Price for hosting a Spectrum Scholarship fund raiser. As you know, these scholarships for diversity are one of the most important recruiting tools we have. Also, thanks to Cathy Cooper Mack for the best Karaoke party ever! So much fun and again, for a really great cause.

I need to get to the meeting so will send you 5 things to read or do next time. In the meantime, hope you can find your hat and gloves for the game tomorrow.

Let me know if there is anything we can do for you. Be sure to hug a librarian and tell a teacher thank you!

All best regards,

Dr. Sam

GENERAL NEWS: SC SLA's 25th Anniversary (Sept 24, 2010)

2011-02-02T13:15:00.001-05:00

Sept 24, 2010

Hello and happy Friday!

I’m on my way to offer congratulations to the SC Special Library Association meeting celebrating their 25^th anniversary! Just a couple of things to share – first, our ICOMM week events are spectacular, beginning Sunday, October 3 with an afternoon of events honoring the legacy of Augusta Baker and continuing through the week with Dr. David Carr speaking on “Communities of Aspiratiion” on Friday, October 8. Complete schedule is at http://www.sc.edu/cmcis/news/icomm/2010/index.html and many of the session will be taped for web streaming. Second, please look at this: The Future of the Book, from Ideo

http://vimeo.com/15142335. It is commercial but has some very interesting concepts that may influence how people read.

Have a great weekend, do a rain dance and hope that the cold front makes it to Columbia before we all melt. I am so grateful that I am not a roofer!

All the best to you and yours and let me know if you need anything!

Dr. sam

GENERAL NEWS: Labor Day and ICOMM plans (Sept 3, 2010)

2011-02-02T13:03:00.002-05:00

Sept 3^rd, 2010

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is Friday afternoon and the Carolina campus is very quiet and serene. It is the start of an official three day weekend AND the Gamecocks football team won their season opener last night. All is good! I have been meeting with students and trying to catch up on some of the research projects that I am working on. My work feels very scholarly and academic today and as you know, that is not always the case so I am very grateful.

Monday is Labor Day and I’ve always liked the holiday yet feel a little sad at the thought that summer is going to be ending soon. The first Labor Day celebration was in 1882 in New York and in 1885 as a national event. It has nothing to do with the end of summer; it is a celebration of the workers that helped give our country one of the highest standards of living in the world. The U.S. Department of Labor provides a brief history and describes the day as follows:

“Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm

So when you’re playing and studying and cooking good food on Monday, say a thank you for the billions and billions of hours of hard work from a labor force that more than deserves a day off every year!

Now, back to SLIS – our graduation celebration in Virginia was wonderful. The graduates and their families were very grateful and Dr. Wallace made the whole event very grand and elegant. Sara Mason, one of our Virginia students and secretary of LISSA, introduced our commencement speaker. Bradley Daigle is the Director of Digital Curation Services at University of Virginia Libraries. He told the graduates that any job with the words “analyst” or “data” or “information” were jobs that our MLIS graduates are qualified to do. By expanding the world of potential jobs, we show how valuable our skill set is for a variety of institutions and companies. Thank you Bradley for being a librarian and sharing your enthusiasm for the good work we do. You gave our graduates perfect advice!

Don’t forget that the 4^th Annual Literacy Leaders’ Award celebration is Tuesday, September 14 at 5:00 in the State Library on Senate. It makes the Academy Awards look pale and boring so please don’t miss the fun!

In October, two of my favorite events are I-COMM VII, October 3 – 8 and SC Library Association meeting, October 20 – 22. Be sure to check our website for information about the events on Sunday evening, October 3. Dr. Pat Feehan and a cast of hundreds are planning a fun filled tribute to Augusta Baker, story teller extraordinaire. We will have our SLIS Alumni Tea at SCLA in Myrtle Beach on Thursday, October 21. I look forward to seeing many of you there.

Since it is a holiday weekend, I only have three items for you think about:

1. Your reality augmented [American Libraries] http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/columns/practice/your-reality-augmented Note: We are developing some similar applications here at USC

2. For a fee, digital dirt can be buried [The Boston Globe]

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/08/26/for_a_fee_digital_dirt_can_be_buried/

3. Google’s Earth [The New York Times]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/opinion/01gibson.html

Take care and let us know if you need anything. Enjoy your Labor Day, try not to labor (at least on Monday), and hug a librarian every chance you get.

Dr. Sam

SLIS NEWS: Five Years with USC, Important Dates, CHIL Program and 5 Things (Aug 23, 2010)

2011-02-02T12:35:00.005-05:00

Aug 23, 2010

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

This is the beginning of my fifth year here at the University of South Carolina. I still wake up before my alarm, excited and ready to come to work. I still love walking through the doors of Davis each morning and treasure everyone I work with. I think we are doing important work and that holds its own reward. I really appreciate our alumni and all the great things you do for our communities! If there are things you think I should be doing differently please send your ideas by email to hastings@sc.edu or call me at 803-777-3858.

Our faculty and staff planning retreat was a great success with several good products. We have an updated working plan to share with our advisory councils at their November meeting, an orientation task force investigating different options and scenarios for our orientations, and a good start on feeding our evaluation data back into our planning process. Oh, and we all know what a QEP is. . .

I am headed to Virginia this weekend to celebrate the newest graduates of our West Virginia/Virginia Cohort. Dr. Wallace does a wonderful job at making all feel welcome and proud. She turns the Waynesboro Country Club into a graduation paradise. I hope to see you many of you there and am looking forward to the convocation!

We have a great new Calendar of Important Dates from our Student Services staff, located at http://slisstudentservices.wikidot.com/. Let me highlight a couple of fun events that you are most welcome to attend:

September 14, Tuesday – Annual Literacy Leader Awards Ceremony – 5:00 SC State Library (don’t miss this one! There will be a special announcement and star-studded cast!)

October 3 – 8 – ICOMM Week (scholarly showcase from our college with storytellers on the steps of Davis College, Sunday night October 3 and the seminar with Dr. David Carr at 2:00 on October 8 – plan on joining us for a reception for Dr. Carr immediately following the session -- see below for more details.)

October 20 – 22 – SCLA in Myrtle Beach (Don’t miss our students’ posters!)

November 5 – Gamecocks on the Green

November 19 – Fall Fling at Dr. Sam’s

Dr. Arns and Dr. Williams received federal IMLS funding for our doctoral program for "Cultural Heritage Informatics Leadership (CHIL): An Experiment in Responsive Doctoral Education" We will use the IMLS funding to support seven doctoral fellowships. Students will participate in an experimental course with a curriculum that will require interdisciplinary coursework and full-time field placements specifically designed to explore the common threads that unite museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions. Partners include the McKissick Museum, the Digital Projects Lab in Thomas Cooper Library and the Center for Digital Humanities. There is a link to apply off the main SLIS website.

As part of the CHIL initiative, we are offering a seminar series this fall titled “Conversations with David Carr: Four Motives for Cultural Institutions: Grounded Trust in Libraries and Museums.” The conversations are devoted to the foundations of public cultural institutions, their value in contemporary American culture, learning in adult life, and possible futures for services and experiences in libraries and museums for the early years of the Twenty-first Century. The seminars are at 2:00 in Davis 112. The complete schedule and topics are listed at http://www.libsci.sc.edu/carr/davidcarr.html. Everyone is welcome!

We welcome three new faculty members this year: Dr. Karen Gavigan, Dr. Susan Rathbun-Grubb, and Gerry Solomon. Their information is at http://www.libsci.sc.edu/fsd/index.htm. We also have two new doctoral students, Anmol Kalsi and Peter Obidabe. Our faculty and staff are delighted to welcome them to Carolina. We will have our official welcome at the Fall Fling at my home on Friday, November 19 at 6 p.m. Details will follow but S’mores and Bocce Ball are on the venue!

We are pleased to announce that the first State Library Partnership and Collaboration Award winner is our own Ms. Helen Fellers, Coordinator of the South Carolina Center for Children’s Books and Literacy. We are sure proud to know her and look forward to the celebration and ceremony on September 8 at 2:00.

I am sure that I have left something out, so many other good things are happening for us so be sure to keep checking our website. In the meantime, here are five things to read and think about:

1. Net neutrality is foremost free speech issue of our time [CNN]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/08/05/franken.net.neutrality/index.html

2. Books Have Many Futures [NPR]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129251016

3. So-Called "Digital Natives" Not Media Savvy, New Study Shows [ReadWriteWeb]

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/so-called_digital_natives_not_media_savvy_new_study_shows.php

4. Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age [The New York Times]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/education/02cheat.html

5. The Latest Public Library Loan? Electricity Meters [Library Journal]

http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/886381-64/the_latest_public_library_loan.html.csp

It is an honor to work with you all! Here’s hoping you have a great school year filled with learning new things and making the world a better place. Remember, it takes many librarians to keep the earth in balance!

Let me know if there is anything you need!

Dr. Sam

GENERAL NEWS: SLIS at ALA Annual Conference (Jul 2, 2010)

2011-02-02T11:10:00.006-05:00

Jul 2, 2010

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is an absolutely beautiful day in Columbia! Perfect for the parade on Main Street welcoming our National Champion Baseball Team! How ‘bout those Gamecocks? A very exciting week for USC and just as exciting for library and information professionals. Following the American Library Association Annual Meeting, National Advocacy Day for libraries in Washington, DC brought the nation’s attention to many of the challenges that libraries face in a lean economy. The most important part to me is that libraries are economic developers by their nature. They bring people to a community, help support local businesses, improve the quality of people’s lives, help readers young and old and operate on a minimal budget. What a bargain!

Below are photos of one of my favorite libraries in DC. The Beaux-Arts style of 1903 made it one of the most expensive of all the Carnegie libraries. The Library continued to serve as the city’s central library until 1970 when the book collection moved to the Martin Luther King Library. The building is currently used by the DC Historical Society. I can still get emotional when I read the inscription in the benches, "university for the people" so I can’t say I am totally rational about the value of this beautiful old, hopeful building. Most Carnegie libraries have inscribed ‘free for the people” and that works also. I think it is a quote from Cicero, “if you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need” that says it perfectly. I just hope I don’t have to choose between home grown tomatoes and libraries . . .

Speaking of gardens, I hope you get to eat watermelon and corn and tomatoes and peppers and blueberries and all the good things that are fresh in the summer for your 4th of July celebrations. Independence as you know is at the very root of our constitution and desires. We all want to be free. So while you celebrate, think of your librarians and teachers and men and women in service that help us keep our freedom.

The photos below from left to right are: 1) The Newseum lobby http://www.newseum.org/ (great museum reaffirming the importance of journalism and a free press; 2) part of the Berlin Wall at the Newseum; 3)Natalie Merchant http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/arts/music/18merchant.html singing from her project Leave Your Sleep putting poetry for children to song; 4) view of the mall and 5) The Capitol at sunset.

Wishing you and yours a happy and safe 4^th of July!

Yours,

Dr. Sam

GENERAL NEWS: Famously Hot Summer Update! (June 23, 2010)

2011-02-02T10:58:00.004-05:00

June 23, 2010

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

If you haven’t heard, Columbia has adopted a city logo that says “Famously Hot.” The convention center even sent a package of incentives to book with them that included a barbeque lighter. . .Well, I don’t know how famous it is but it is darn hot! And, it is only June! And, it doesn’t cool off much at night! And, I am already tired of sweating and August is still to come! Yet, these are the only complaints I have right now. All else is going very well! Major good news pieces are:

1. We received the IMLS funding for our doctoral program fellowships that will help us develop a new program specialty in cultural heritage informatics and produce the next generation of library and information professionals that understand museums and other cultural institutions.

2. We are in Phase I of planning for a new HVAC system for Davis College. The actual installation won’t happen until next summer. Our beautiful building is just holding its breath for new cool, dehumidified air and fresh air returns! Will keep you posted on the progress.

3. Cocky’s Reading Express continues to garner funds to help us expand our programming and improve our evaluation/impact study. It is really encouraging to see the support from both corporate and community funders. We are ready to take on the state and take a bite out of illiteracy!

4. Carolina baseball is still in the College World Series! It is so fun to see such great baseball from a team with so much heart and obvious talent.

5. Our LISSA students made enough money off the “Mildly Attractive Men of SLIS” calendar sales that they are driving vans to DC for the American Library Association conference and staying at the dorms of Catholic University. If you are at the conference look for them and say congratulations! For many of these students, this is their first professional conference. Of course, their next conferences will be SCLA and SCASL!

We are proud and happy right now at SLIS. Our new faculty members are on their way to Davis and we are looking forward to seeing them soon. As I mentioned last update, we have a planning retreat scheduled for August 16 so if you have things you want us to consider please let me know. In the meantime, holler if you see me at ALA. I will be there through Monday 6/28 and then back to work. I’m going to try to take a break later in July and will let you know those dates when I have them.

All the best to you and yours and try to stay cool!

Dr. Sam

Just found out that Jessica Harrelson, 1996 SLIS Alumna is district teacher of the year in Johnsonville! Congratulations dear Jessica!

Jessica Ard Harrelson, librarian at Johnsonville Elementary School, has been named “Teacher of The Year” for Florence County District Five Schools.

-- WBTW-TV (Florence) / The (Florence) Morning News

http://www2.scnow.com/news/2010/jun/22/harrelson_xml_named_district_teacher_of_the_year_i-ar-527655/

GENERAL NEWS: Deans' and Directors' Lecture and New Faculty! (April 14, 2010)

2011-02-02T10:54:00.001-05:00

April 14, 2010

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Greetings from the most beautiful campus in the universe! Davis College is sparkling and reflecting all the wonderful colors of spring making it very difficult to stay inside. It’s 75 degrees and I have been officially diagnosed for the worse case of spring fever ever! So let’s have a Spring Fling I think. Please join the faculty and staff at my home on Friday evening April 16 for good food, fun and bocce ball in the yard. Family and friends welcome -- 2928 Delano, Cola 29204 around 6 p.m.

Last week we held our 25^th Annual Deans’ and Directors’ Lecture with the fabulous Michael Stephens presenting. If you missed it, please don’t miss the recording which will be available on our website. Speaking of websites, don’t miss our new design! Liz Qunell and Patty Hall have done a wonderful job at getting us ready for the next generation of information technologies!

We hired two new assistant professors to start in the fall, Dr. Karen Gavigan from UNC Greensboro and Dr. Susan Rathburn-Grubb from UNC Chapel Hill. We are delighted to welcome them to our Carolina! We will be sending our official notices over the lists singing about our good fortune!

All else is well. The budget is a nightmare but it gives us the opportunity to focus on our strengths and plan for the future. We will be okay, it is just going to be a might tight for a couple years.

Don’t forget that SCLA is accepting program proposals for their annual conference through April 19 (thank you Adam!) and that is a perfect way to share all the good work you are doing.

So, enjoy the air and the sky. Here are five things to read and think about that won’t keep you inside too long:

1. Survivor: The History of the Library [History Magazine]

http://www.history-magazine.com/libraries.html

2. The relationship between public libraries and Google: Too much information [First Monday]

http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2477/2279

3. Teaching About Web Includes Troublesome Parts [The New York Times]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/education/09cyberkids.html

4. Publishers & Librarians: Two Cultures, One Goal [Library Journal]

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6652447.html

5. Libraries as places to linger and mingle [The Christian Science Monitor]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0113/p09s02-coop.html

Take care and remember to hug a librarian!

Yours,

Dr. Sam

GENERAL NEWS: Spring Fling (from March 30, 2010)

2011-02-02T10:44:00.003-05:00

March 30, 2010 (sorry for the hiatus from the blog, I'm back!)
Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Eighty degrees! That’s right, 80° and watching each spring bud is like time-lapse photography as they are opening so quickly. Bradford Pears and Cherries are out, Dogwoods and Azaleas on the way! Hurray!

So it must be time for a SPRING FLING! Join us in celebration at Dr. Sam’s house on Friday, April 16 around 6 p.m. Dress is casual and families are welcome. I hear there may be a BOCCE BALL game, good food, cold drinks, great music and fun for all – rain or shine.

2928 Delano
Columbia 29204
803-782-3256

In the meantime, here are 5 things of interest:

1. How we'll get a gigabit to US hospitals, libraries, colleges [Ars Technica]
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/03/how-well-get-1gbps-to-every-us-hospital-library-and-college.ars

2. Decision on Google library likely to change publishing indelibly [The Seattle Times]
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011400151_googlelibrary21.html

3. Texts Without Context [The New York Times]
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/books/21mash.html

4. How today’s college students use Wikipedia for course-related research [First Monday]
http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2830/2476

5. Library of humans [Macleans]
http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2010/03/05/library-of-humans/

Yours,
Sam

GENERAL NEWS (from March 5th)

2010-03-19T13:27:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I love the South! Here in Columbia, the trees are budding just in time for Spring Break! We are very ready for some warm days. Baseball season has started and it just doesn’t feel right sitting in the bleachers with coats and gloves and hats. If you can’t make a game, I hope you take the time to do something fun – enjoy the beach, go for a hike, plant your tomatoes or __________.

This is such a good time to be at the University! Despite the budget cuts, we have many exciting opportunities to serve the people of South Carolina and help libraries meet the challenges of being so needed and so busy! Our interviews for new faculty are going well and the search committee will make final recommendations on March 19.

Cocky’s Reading Express™ was awarded the South Carolina International Reading Association’s (SCIRA) Literacy Award in Myrtle Beach on February 20. The annual award honors individuals or groups who make significant contributions to improving literacy in their community and/or state. “The literacy committee was very impressed with this literacy program and the impact that it is having on the lives of young students in our state,” said Linda Grant, literary committee chairperson of SCIRA. Hurray!

Remember that on Friday, March 12 our National Advisory Council and our Diversity Leadership Group are meeting. If you have concerns or suggestions for either group, please let me know and I will bring it to their attention.

We are having our annual Alumni Tea at the South Carolina Association of School Librarians Conference on March 25 from 4-5 pm. The conference is being held at the Embassy Suites Charleston Area Convention Center in North Charleston. At the Alumni Tea this year we are honoring six of our graduates who have been wonderful mentors to our school media interns. It is going to be 10 for 10 in 2010. These mentors have each supervised at least 10 interns over the past 10 years. We are presenting them with special certificates at this event. I hope you will be able to join us!

I am going to check on my Mother for a couple days so wish me luck! I hope you have a safe and happy Spring Break and let me know if you need anything! In the meantime, here are some interesting items to read and think about while you have your toes in the sand or your hiking boots on:

1. Teaching kids to read from the back of a burro [CNN]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/02/25/cnnheroes.soriano/index.html

2. 'Future library' goes on display in Abu Dhabi [The National]

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100303/NATIONAL/703029811/1010

3. Libraries dealing with homeless try new approaches; San Francisco hires a social worker [Los Angeles Times]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-homeless-library-patrons,0,4108516.story

4. In the digital age, librarians are pioneers [The Boston Globe]

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/02/10/in_the_digital_age_librarians_are_pioneers/

5. Do School Libraries Need Books? [The New York Times]

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/do-school-libraries-need-books/

Yours,

Sam

GENERAL NEWS (from March 5th)

2010-03-19T13:27:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I love the South! Here in Columbia, the trees are budding just in time for Spring Break! We are very ready for some warm days. Baseball season has started and it just doesn’t feel right sitting in the bleachers with coats and gloves and hats. If you can’t make a game, I hope you take the time to do something fun – enjoy the beach, go for a hike, plant your tomatoes or __________.

This is such a good time to be at the University! Despite the budget cuts, we have many exciting opportunities to serve the people of South Carolina and help libraries meet the challenges of being so needed and so busy! Our interviews for new faculty are going well and the search committee will make final recommendations on March 19.

Cocky’s Reading Express™ was awarded the South Carolina International Reading Association’s (SCIRA) Literacy Award in Myrtle Beach on February 20. The annual award honors individuals or groups who make significant contributions to improving literacy in their community and/or state. “The literacy committee was very impressed with this literacy program and the impact that it is having on the lives of young students in our state,” said Linda Grant, literary committee chairperson of SCIRA. Hurray!

Remember that on Friday, March 12 our National Advisory Council and our Diversity Leadership Group are meeting. If you have concerns or suggestions for either group, please let me know and I will bring it to their attention.

We are having our annual Alumni Tea at the South Carolina Association of School Librarians Conference on March 25 from 4-5 pm. The conference is being held at the Embassy Suites Charleston Area Convention Center in North Charleston. At the Alumni Tea this year we are honoring six of our graduates who have been wonderful mentors to our school media interns. It is going to be 10 for 10 in 2010. These mentors have each supervised at least 10 interns over the past 10 years. We are presenting them with special certificates at this event. I hope you will be able to join us!

I am going to check on my Mother for a couple days so wish me luck! I hope you have a safe and happy Spring Break and let me know if you need anything! In the meantime, here are some interesting items to read and think about while you have your toes in the sand or your hiking boots on:

1. Teaching kids to read from the back of a burro [CNN]
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/02/25/cnnheroes.soriano/index.html

2. 'Future library' goes on display in Abu Dhabi [The National]
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100303/NATIONAL/703029811/1010

3. Libraries dealing with homeless try new approaches; San Francisco hires a social worker [Los Angeles Times]
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-homeless-library-patrons,0,4108516.story

4. In the digital age, librarians are pioneers [The Boston Globe]
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/02/10/in_the_digital_age_librarians_are_pioneers/

5. Do School Libraries Need Books? [The New York Times]
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/do-school-libraries-need-books/

Yours,

Sam

GENERAL NEWS (From Feb 11th)

2010-03-19T13:23:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

2010 is off and running! We went to Boston for the ALISE conference the first week of classes. Several of us gave presentations and posters that were well received. We also interviewed 40 potential candidates for our faculty positions. We have on-campus interviews scheduled with 5 candidates for our two assistant positions in 3 day schedules beginning 2/17 and ending right after Spring Break.

Several interesting topics came up at ALISE and ALA midwinter. We discussed the new core competencies in Deans & Directors Council and I recommend you review them http://www.ala.org/ala/educationcareers/careers/corecomp/corecompetences/index.cfm so you can help us plan to integrate the core into our curriculum. Oh and in case you haven’t heard – We received re-accreditation for 7 years! Next visit will be 2016 and we are already planning and strategizing!

Another topic of interest in Boston was the introduction of several open source library catalog packages. Our State Library has been instrumental in developing the Evergreen consortia that uses open source software. SC Lends stands for “South Carolina Library Evergreen Network Delivery System.” This is a very innovative and exciting arrangement – for more information http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/sc-lends-information . Other topics at conference confirmed that support for the open source software is needed yet savings in licensing/contracts are being seen.

Our National Advisory Council and our Diversity Leadership Group will be meeting in Davis on Friday, March 12. If you have items for the agendas, please send them directly to me at hastings@sc.edu. We will be discussing new cohorts, strategic plans, leadership development and what SLIS will look like in 2020.

Our student association LISSA rocks! They continue to experiment and try to reach every student, no matter location! Check it out on Facebook, Twitter or the Blog! It is a real joy to work with such creative and wonderful students! Look for them at the SC Book Festival http://www.scbookfestival.org/ and be sure to join us for a great weekend (2/27-2/28) of authors and events – stop by our booth in the exhibit hall!

Don’t forget to get your print of the Davis College painting! We are selling out so please go to http://www.libsci.sc.edu/print.html for information on ordering your print!

Happy Spring to you and yours! When it gets a little warmer, lets meet in the sunshine and wait for the pollen ;-} In the meantime, check out the following three things to read and think about:

1. Sociological implications of scientific publishing: Open access, science, society, democracy, and the digital divide by Ulrich Herb

http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2599/2404

2. How Video Games Can Help [Frontline]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/learning/schools/how-video-games-can-help.html

3. Jaron Lanier on the limits of Web 2.0, intellectual property, and libraries as a place of refuge [Library Journal]

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6716277.html

Let me know if there is anything we can do for you. With much appreciation,

Dr. Sam

SLIS NEWS!! WE DID IT!!!!!

2010-01-20T09:11:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

With congratulations and gratitude to all involved in our accreditation process, the ALA Committee on Accreditation voted to continue our accreditation through 2016!

Thank you for all of your good work,
sam

GENERAL NEWS: A New Year, Fall Orientation 2010, Accreditation Update and 5 Things

2010-01-13T09:38:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

We just finished another wonderful orientation for our new students and again, we have a diverse and super intelligent incoming group. It is so good to know that so many are committed ensuring that people get the information they need and leave the world a better place!

Everything is good here at Davis and USC. We are searching for two new faculty members so will be in Boston at ALISE interviewing and hoping to find candidates to bring in for onsite visits. I will also be meeting with the ALA Committee on Accreditation Sunday, January 17 at 9:30 a.m. Think good thoughts for us.

The weather here has been freezing for a week but luckily NO SNOW! I just keep thinking about all the people that can’t stay warm and the crops that are getting frozen. . . Makes me so very grateful for my furnace!

So, Happy New Year! Hope you are safe and warm. I will let you know how we fare in Boston. In the meantime, here are 5 things to read and think about:

1. Ten Stories That Shaped 2009 [LISNews]
http://www.lisnews.org/ten_stories_shaped_2009

2. A Library At The End Of The World [Book Patrol]
http://blog.seattlepi.com/bookpatrol/archives/190109.asp

3. New and Creative Leniency for Overdue Library Books [The New York Times]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/29/us/29library.html

4. E-Reader Boom Kindles a Variety of New Options [ABC News]

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=9504985

5. As books go beyond printed page to multisensory experience, what about reading? [The Washington Post]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/27/AR2009122701973.html

Let me know if there is anything we can do for you and don’t forget to hug a librarian!

sam

GENERAL UPDATE: Winter at Davis College and welcoming in a New Year!

2010-01-04T11:25:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends and Colleagues, (From December 18th, 2009)

Our weather is frightful! Sleet, cold, wet -- and when I was talking with one of Virginia students this morning, she said it was snowing! Must be time to head South ;-} I’m looking forward to a break with foggy mornings and my toes in the sand. I hope you have some holiday plans that make you smile.

Everything is good here at Davis College. We had a wonderful graduation ceremony with many happy graduates and proud families. It is so rewarding to see our students finished and ready to change the world!

We are ready to bring in a new year with new challenges and opportunities. We remain grateful for our friends and each of you that support our projects and desires to eliminate illiteracy. We also appreciate all of the help to increase our scholarship funds. If you made a donation for one of the prints of Davis College – THANK YOU! If you want one of these beautiful prints, please go to http://www.libsci.sc.edu/print.html.

So happy holidays to you and yours! If you want to have some fun, check out the Reading Rooster on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/scstatelibrary#p/a/u/1/7AgqupoSBzk. Also, check out the following five things to read and think about:

1. Children who use technology are 'better writers' [BBC News]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8392653.stm

2. Book 99 Years Overdue Returned To Mass. Library [NPR]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121491276

3. Beyond 1923: Characteristics of Potentially In-copyright Print Books in Library Collections [D-Lib Magazine] http://www.dlib.org/dlib/november09/lavoie/11lavoie.html

4. Saving Africa's precious written heritage [BBC News]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8386866.stm

5. Entrepreneur made pop-up books popular again [The Washington Post]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/22/AR2009112202143.html

Let me know if there is anything we can do for you.

With much appreciation,

Dr. Sam

GENERAL NEWS: Thanksgiving update

2009-11-25T14:01:00.006-05:00

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

This update is about being thankful.

Last night we held the dedication of the Penny Hayne Memorial Collection in our Center for Children’s Books and Literacy at the State Library. Dr. Pat Feehan and Ellen Hinrichs did a wonderful job and gave all of us a chance to remember Penny and be thankful that we knew her. The collection of books receiving the Caldecott and Newbery awards is available for review, just email Ellen at ellenh@sc.edu for times.

Mary Douglas Hayne gave a beautiful rendition of her mother’s characteristics with a series of children’s book titles. We will try to get a video up on the web soon. Dr. Feehan made a wonderful slide show about Penny and her influence in our lives. It will be available on our website and I encourage you to take the time to view it.

So tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I am so thankful to have known Penny Hayne. I can still hear her laughing in the Davis College halls. She taught me about being a real southern woman and I treasure that!

I am thankful for my work and my good fortune to serve with such great colleagues. I am thankful for our students and the influence they will wield on library and information services in the future. I am thankful for each and every friend and alumni of our school for helping us be the best.

Just one more for now – I am thankful to live in a democracy and send gratitude to the men and women that keep us safe. Well, I guess you can see where my mind has been. . .

Other news is that our accreditation visit went very well and the COA has us on their agenda at the midyear ALA meeting in Boston in January for Sunday at 9:30. Keep thinking good thoughts!

I’m meeting with Madonna this afternoon to work on the summer and fall 2010 schedule and am looking forward to working the puzzle again. Working with Madonna is so much fun! I’m not sure you all get to know what a great sense of humor she has – I love it!

Tomorrow, I’ll fly to my mom’s in Tucson and on 12/2, I’m giving a talk at the University of Arizona. I’ll be checking email if you need me before next Friday. In the meantime, here are five things to think about while you decide if want another piece of pie:

1. Can video games spur interest in real history? [MSNBC]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33883613/ns/technology_and_science-games/

2. Digital School Library Leaves Book Stacks Behind [All Things Considered]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120097876

3. Comic books are good for children's learning [Telegraph]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6516323/Comic-books-are-good-for- childrens-learning.html

4. The Future of Reading [Library Journal]

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6703852.html

5. The power of time off [TED]

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/stefan_sagmeister_the_power_of_time_off.html

May you have many things to be thankful for. Enjoy your families and friends and be sure to hug a librarian and a teacher!

Yours,

Dr. Sam

UPDATE FROM DAVIS COLLEGE! October Events: COA Update, 100th Birthday, and more

2009-10-15T11:07:00.005-04:00

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Hello dear Colleagues and Friends,

Exciting times are afoot here at Davis College! Fall is finally here with a deep long rain yesterday and the smell of Yankee air; the State Fair starts this week and pumpkins are popping up in peculiar places. We are getting ready for five great events: first, the visit from the Great Pumpkin – oh whoops, no not this year. First, our National Advisory Council and the Diversity Leadership Group are meeting together with our faculty and staff on Friday, October 16. The main agenda items are a review of the COA documentation, planning for a curriculum review, and discussion of internship and scholarship opportunities. If you have additional agenda items please send them directly to me and I will make sure they get added.

Our second great event is the arrival of our six External Review Panelists for our accreditation visit. They arrive on Saturday, October 24 and will be with us through Tuesday, October 27. Thanks to a generous gift from Jack Bryan, they have a newly redecorated Conference Room in Davis 112 to call home for their visit.

Carolyn, Chess and Jenny have been organizing and color coding our files and creating maps to the evidence from our presentation. We are so ready and looking to the visit. Let me know if you have any questions about the process or have something you want to share with the panelists.

Third, our traditional Gamecocks on the Green homecoming will be Friday, October 23 from 4:30 – 7:00. Join us on Gibbes Green for meeting old friends, making new friends, getting a picture taken with Cocky and generally enjoying the celebration. RSVP to Elaine Taylor by October 15 (taylorem@mailbox.sc.edu).

And the fourth great event is the birthday party tea at 4p.m. on Sunday, October 25 to celebrate Davis College turning 100! Dr. Pat Feehan and a committee of party planners have great fun planned, with special guests and the University Archivist, Elizabeth West will be giving a tour of the horseshoe at 3:00. So hope you can join us to honor our beautiful building!

Finally, fifth fun event is the SC Library Association Conference and all the fun that brings. Join us for a Diversity Pre-Conference on Wednesday, October 28 and stay for the USC SLIS Alumni tea at the Marriott on Thursday afternoon. For more information: www.scla.org.

You can see that we are staying out of trouble, planning great things and looking forward to seeing you this fall. In the meantime, here are five things to read and think about:

A Library to Last Forever [The New York Times]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/opinion/09brin.html

The Dewey Dilemma [Library Journal]
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6698264.html

A digital "think-in" -- this could be a good idea for library leaders and thinkers, too, no?
NPR’s Honchos Talk Digital at “Think In” in San Francisco (Also, Scoble!)
Source: kara.allthingsd.com
http://digitalthinkin.ning.com/

Google’s Abandoned Library of 700 Million Titles [Wired]
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/10/usenet/

Got a Burning Question? Ask the Net [The New York Times]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/technology/personaltech/03pogue-email.html

Don’t forget to hug a librarian and a teacher and let me know if there is anything we can do for you!

Yours,

sam

SLIS NEWS: Our Doctoral Student wins ALA Diversity Grant!

2009-09-14T11:46:00.002-04:00

Great News!
ALA Congnotes from July 14th, 2009 published an article that named the winners of the 2009 Diversity Research Grants and OUR VERY OWN Doctoral Candidate, Clayton Copeland was awarded the FIRST of three grants!! Her study is titled "Library and information center accessibility: The differently-able patron's perspective" and will focus on giving voice to the differently-able patrons and and revealing areas of libraries that, with change, can improve accessibility. Congratulations Clayton!

If you want to find out more about these awards and her study, check out this article from the Office of Diversity:
http://ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/july2009/researchgrants_ofd.cfm

Always yours,
Dr. Sam

GENERAL NEWS: COA report, ALL Ceremony, Fall Semester, Third Year Review and More!

2009-09-14T11:20:00.002-04:00

September 11, 2009

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It’s Friday afternoon at Davis College. Carolyn is at the post office, mailing printed copies of our Accreditation report to the ALA, Committee on Accreditation and the members of our External Review Panel. I just hit the send button on the electronic copies. Am I happy, you ask? Oh-my-gosh! I feel like an anvil just got lifted from my chest! I’m giddy and excited but mostly, I feel an intense pride in our faculty, staff and students. They made this happen. Check it out on our website – if you find a typo, don’t tell me until next week.

Now, I can look forward to the ALL Award Ceremony on Tuesday night, 9/15 at 5:00 p.m. at the State Library on Senate Street. This is the third annual and our awards go to Callee Boulware, Rodney Graves and Ida Thompson. Fox TV is giving us a live spot on Tuesday morning so look for Ellen Hinrichs; WIS is giving it air time; and Darci Strickland from WXTL is our master of ceremony for the event. I hope to see you there as we honor the individuals that make a difference by helping people read!

The semester is sailing smoothly – classes are running, research projects are humming and all of the community service we do is continuing to bring good results to both us and the people we serve. I’m most delighted with the possibilities we have to grow and improve on how we influence our field. From staffing libraries with professionals that know how to meet the needs of diverse communities to working to eliminate illiteracy in South Carolina, our School is there!

Thank you for the responses to my third-year review. I appreciate the accolades but really enjoyed hearing what you had to say and taking your suggestions to heart. I will try to communicate more ways for our alumni to volunteer and am working on getting more synergy between Journalism and SLIS. If you are one of my advisees, please note that nothing is more important than you! Don’t hesitate to contact me for anything you need.

Tomorrow (Saturday, September 12) is "Reading Rocks Our World," the kick-off of the Richland District One's focus on literacy, from 10 am to 2 pm. The parade and events are all at Crayton Middle School on Clemson Road. Hope to see you there! Jerry Pinkney is a featured author!

Remember:

· Our Panning for Gold series of continuing education programs (http://www.libsci.sc.edu/ce/September.html). There are some really good choices this month!

· October 25 for the 100^th birthday party for our beautiful Davis College

· SCLA October 28 – 30 http://www.scla.org/index.php/AnnualConference2009/HomePage

Here are five things to read and think about:

1. The lost art of reading [Los Angeles Times]

http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-ca-reading9-2009aug09,0,1920172.story

2. Why Academic Libraries Matter [Library Journal]
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6675616.html

3. The future of libraries, with or without books [CNN]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/04/future.library.technology/

4. What Are You Doing for Library Card Sign-up Month? [School Library Journal]

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6686647.html

5. Clive Thompson on the New Literacy [Wired]

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/17-09/st_thompson

Enjoy the fall -- I love these nights in the sixties! Hug a teacher and let me know if there is anything we can do for you.

Always yours,

Dr. Sam

GENERAL NEWS: Summer Graduations and Events for the Fall Semester!

2009-09-14T11:02:00.002-04:00

August 10, 2009

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Our Summer Graduation event on Saturday was fantastic. I always get emotional when I look out at so many graduating students and the thousands of family and friends that helped them get to such a good part of their lives. It makes me think about truth and beauty and justice and the potential that each graduate brings to us – potential to change the world. When I talk to our SLIS graduates, I am convinced that the world will be a much better place with them on the front lines of libraries, holding the right to information like a banner. . .

And, the party was great! LISSA president Chess Schmidt, members (Amy, Kelly and Natalie), and our faculty and staff put together a lovely menu of special treats and even though it was VERY, VERY hot, we had a good time! Thank you each and all.

Now we are getting ready to welcome our new students. On Friday night we have a reception for our doctoral students, Saturday is orientation for the Masters and Sunday is convocation for our undergraduates. So much fun! As you know, graduation and orientation are my two most favorite events. It is important to remember that almost everything we do is for students, to be sure that they have the resources they need to succeed, to educate and help them protect our cultural heritage and yet be prepared for whatever the future might hold.

This is the beginning of my fourth year here at the University of South Carolina. I still wake up before my alarm, excited and ready to come to work. I still love walking through the doors of Davis each morning and treasure everyone I work with. I think I am doing a good job but would hate to find out that I am missing something critical or could improve in some area or. . . So, please do me a favor and go to http://CTLSilhouette.wsu.edu/surveys/ZS93685. It is a very short, anonymous survey for you to evaluate me as Director of the School. There is a place for you to comment and make suggestions – I’m counting on your help!

On August 28, we will have our first faculty/staff planning meeting of the year. In addition, to making plans and preparations for the external review panel visit from the ALA Committee on Accreditation, we will be working on the job descriptions for our two new tenure-track faculty, taking a strategic look at what we want our school to look like in 5 years and generally, making sure we have a plan ;-} If you have agenda items you want us to consider, please send them directly to me by email.

Mark your calendars for the following star-spangled events:

September 15 -- ALL (Annual Literacy Leaders) awards. Don’t miss seeing the people who make
difference in literacy initiatives receive awards for their service!

October 16 – Fall meeting of the National Advisory Council and Diversity Leadership
Group

October 25 – 100^th Birthday Party for Davis College at 4 p.m.

October 25-28 – ALA COA External Review Panel Visit

October 28-30 – SCLA 2009 Annual Conference. This year’s theme is: South Carolina Libraries: Diverse People and Exceptional Services. Don’t miss this premiere continuing education event offering a Preconference on diversity, dozens of workshops and networking opportunities for all. The Preconference on Diversity will open the Conference on Wednesday, October 28, beginning at 9:00 a.m. The Preconference is co-sponsored with the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) and its theme is, Diversity in the Workplace.

I look forward to seeing you at as many of these events as possible and if you are a distance student, we will have a web version of at least part of the event for you!

Let me know if you need anything and in the meantime, here are five things to read and think about:

1. Keep up with your LISSA! Great new twist on the idea of a fireside chat. . .

http://www.youtube.com/user/LISSAfireside

2. This is a great remembrance of a wonderful school media librarian by Paul Wood. Life Remembered: Vickers-Shelley's students recall credo. Champaign-Urbana (IL) News-Gazette, Sunday, August 9, 2009. http://tinyurl.com/muggpg

3. Serendipity, Lost in the Digital Deluge [The New York Times]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/business/02ping.html

4. Mourning the Death of Handwriting [Time]

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1912419,00.html

5. Get Smarter [The Atlantic Monthly]

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200907/intelligence/

Stay cool and hug a librarian!

Yours,

Dr. Sam

GENERAL NEWS: Summer is here! Cohorts, SAC assessment, and Five Things!

2009-06-01T12:16:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Summer is definitely here. My dehumidifier bucket fills with water faster that I can pour it out! I’m not complaining. . .it wouldn’t be this green and beautiful without the moisture – at least that is what I tell myself.

The more fun sign of summer is our orientation for new students and it was this past Saturday in Davis 209 from 10 - 4!

Nonie Price, Fred Roper and I had a lovely time in New England, recruiting new students and getting all things ready for our New England Cohort. First students will matriculate this fall and we will do an orientation for them on August 8 in Portland, ME. We are so happy to be able to offer another opportunity for our northern friends to join us.

Our Virginia, West Virginia cohort is bubbling along and we continue to admit students. We will be celebrating the graduates of this new batch on August 22. This will include the December 08, May 09, August 09 and a few December 09 graduates. We will be in Waynesboro and you are welcome to join us in acknowledging and congratulating this great group of new librarians and information professionals.

We are working on our SACs assessment reports and plans and finalizing a draft of our COA presentation for our ALA accreditation. Our advisory committee members will give it a first read and response before we shine it up. Our external review panel will visit in October 2009 so we are planning a reception in Davis on the 25^th. We will be celebrating the 100^th birthday of Davis College and welcoming our reviewers. Please plan to join us!

This has been a welcome break and I always look forward to hearing from you yet I must get back to the COA report. . .so much fun, so little time ;-}

Here are five things to do, read or think about:

1. The Next Age of Discovery [The Wall Street Journal]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124173896716198603.html

2. Books Born Digital [Library Journal]

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6657392.html

3. Newspapers' Woes Worsening [CBS News]
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/28/earlyshow/main4835656.shtml

4. Some Thoughts on the Lost Art of Reading Aloud [The New York Times]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/16/opinion/16sat4.html

5. New Search Tool Aims at Answering Tough Queries, but Not at Taking on Google [The New York Times] http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/technology/internet/11search.html

Let us know if there is anything we can do for you and try to stay cool!

sam

GENERAL NEWS: Spring Graduation 2009, awards, rankings and tenure promotions (Oh my!) and Five Things

2009-05-08T12:19:00.002-04:00

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

It’s graduation this Friday! My favorite ceremony! I am so looking forward to seeing our graduates begin their professional lives and prepare to be our future leaders, movers and shakers! In addition to our celebration on Friday, May 8 at Davis College in Columbia, SC we will also hold graduation ceremonies for our Virginia and West Virginia students in Waynesboro, VA on August 22. I love having something to look forward to ;-}

I hear that good things happen in threes and we definitely have three major events to sing about! I list them in order of occurrence. First, Ann Stewart Plein, a University of South Carolina graduate student in the School of Library and Information Science’s distance education master’s degree program from Morgantown, W. Va., has won the Thomas Cooper Library Student Book Collecting Award for her collection of book binding designs by Margaret Armstrong.

“Margaret Armstrong was one of the most notable book cover designers of the late 19th and 20th century and one of only two women in the field. She broke ground at a time when women more typically worked as seamstresses or teachers.” Plein’s collection, “Beautiful Bindings: The Designs of Margaret Armstrong,” will be on display at the university’s Thomas Cooper Library through May.

Second, the USC School of Library and Information Science recently received high marks for our program in the U.S. News & World Report “America’s Best Colleges Guide” for 2009. We ranked No. 2 for our school-library media program. “These rankings are especially gratifying, in that they highlight our academic excellence,” University President Harris Pastides says. “This news reaffirms our commitment to providing our students a top-quality education, thereby ensuring that we are providing a well-educated workforce for South Carolina and our nation.”

I am pleased with the rankings, which included an overall program rank of No. 17, out of 62 accredited schools nationally. Being ranked No. 2 in the nation for our school-library media program validates our mission to produce the best qualified leaders in our field. It helps us compete with an ever-challenging distance education market that recruits students without regard to geographical boundaries. Our faculty, staff and students are the best. Being in the top 20 is important and as we continue to improve and grow, we will continue to receive good rankings.

School-library media student, Roxanne Spray of Columbia, says she will be ultra-prepared when she earns her master's degree in May. "I really do believe that school library media specialists and programs are crucial to students' success and achievements," she says. "The professors, classes, and internships have helped me blend the theoretical and practical, so I'm ready to fill my role and be a leader and have a high-functioning media program on the first day of school." Of the ranking, she says, "Certainly it's nice to have that kind of national validation for a program that I already knew was wonderful."

THIRD, Dr. Jennifer Arns and Dr. Feili Tu are tenured and promoted to associate professors when the USC Board of Trustees votes at their June meeting. This is wonderful news and shows that our scholarship is of worth to the university and our profession as well as to our school. Please join me in saying “Good Work, Kudos, Thank You and more. . .” to Dr. Arns and Dr. Tu. We are so very proud of you!

So yes, good things come in threes and now I am ready for the next trio! In the meantime, here are five things to read or do:

1. Each year a panel of museum professionals reviews the sites nominated for Best of the Web awards, and honors the best work in the field. This year two of the MW2009 Best of the Web Awards go to:

Brooklyn Museum Collection, http://www.brooklynmuseum.org for Best Overall; Educational Site winner: Tate Kids http://kids.tate.org.uk/

2. Check this out if you are into new generation cataloging--Survival of the fittest tag: Folksonomies, findability, and the evolution of information organization [First Monday]

http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2447/2175

3. Print a book while you wait? Revolutionary Espresso Book Machine launches in London [Guardian]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/apr/24/espresso-book-machine-launches

4. The U.N.'s World Digital Library [Time]

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1892916,00.html

5. Online Catalogs: What Users and Librarians Want [OCLC]

http://www.oclc.org/reports/onlinecatalogs/default.htm

Let me know if there is anything we can do for you. Don’t forget to hug a teacher, it is the end of another semester! You can start with our wonderful faculty.

Yours,

sam

SLIS NEWS: I-COMM Week and SLIS awards

2009-03-31T10:32:00.005-04:00

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I-COMM week is here! Our college is celebrating our two schools, Library and Information Science and Journalism and Mass Communications with programs and events that highlight the continuum of Information to Communication. Detailed information is at http://sc.edu/cmcis.

The I-COMM committee, co-chaired by Dr. Pat Feehan and Bonnie Drewniany have put together a spectacular week with much of the content available by webstreamed video. When you go to the schedule, check the programs that include breeze.sc.edu URL so you can join us wherever you are! Much appreciation to the committee and their great work with special thanks to the co-chairs! There is one typo on all of the programs. On Monday night the storytelling event that follows the SLIS Awards Ceremony and reception is NOT the first, nor an Augusta Baker Lecture. That honor goes to the partnership with Richland County Public Library and the long-standing Augusta Baker’s Dozen event (this year on April 24 and 25) http://www.myrcpl.com/children/augusta-bakers-dozen. Apologies for the confusion.

In addition to the I-COMM event, Graduate Student Day in Friday, April 3 and we have four students making poster presentations:

Clayton Copeland (SLIS Doctoral Student) at 9:05

Patricia Sasser (SLIS MLIS Student) at 9:45.

Barbara Montgomery(SLIS Doctoral Student) at 11:00

Robin Kurz (SLIS Doctoral Student) at 11:30

Also, the awards ceremony program will be held in the Russell House Ballroom at 2:30-4:00 p.m. and our own Chess Schmidt will be receiving the Trafton Outstanding Student Award. More information is available at http://www.gradschool.sc.edu/gsd/archive/gsdmain.php.

I am so grateful for the rain that I’m splashing in the puddles and loving it!

Have a wonderful week. I hope to see you during the events this week and in the meantime, if there is anything we can do for you, just let me know.

Yours,

Dr. Sam