Thursday, September 24, 2015

Community Alumni Network of Drexel University - CAN DU Fall Service Project

Join Drexel alumni and friends for the Community Alumni Network at Drexel University’s (CAN DU) Annual Fall Service Project on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015 at Parkside Evans Playground. 

This year, CAN DU volunteers will make an impact in Drexel's West Philadelphia neighborhood by working with Fairmount Park Conservancy, cleaning up and restoring the Parkside Evans playground and park area. Projects include trash and debris clean-up, playground upgrades, painting, trail restoration, fall planting, and more.
The day will kick off with a volunteer breakfast at Drexel Pizza followed by transportation to Parkside Evans playground. Refreshments will be available on-site throughout the morning and volunteers will receive a complimentary commemorative CAN DU T-shirt!
Date: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015

Time: 8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Schedule for the day:
8 - 9 a.m. Volunteer breakfast at Drexel Pizza
9 - 11:45 a.m. Service project at Parkside Evans
11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Wrap up and lunch at Parkside Evans

Locations:
Drexel Pizza
107 N 33rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Parkside Evans Playground
5300 Parkside Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19131

Parking: Complimentary parking will be available for volunteers at Drexel University. Volunteers should not drive directly to service site, as parking is extremely limited. Drexel shuttle buses will transport volunteers to and from campus and the service site.

Suggested Attire: Long sleeves and pants, and sturdy shoes. It is recommended that volunteers wear clothes and shoes that can get dirty or muddy. Gloves will be provided.

Visit drexel.edu/alumni/involved/candu/ for more info!

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Shortchanging School Libraries Shortchanges Students

In a recent article, written for The Conversation and republished by The New Republic, Debra Kachel, Professor of School Library and Information Technologies at Mansfield University (and Drexel MLS alumna) denounces the disappearance of school libraries.

Kachel writes:

"...look at my state of Pennsylvania, where schools are not required to have libraries. Prisons must have them. Barber and cosmetology schools must have them. They are compulsory in nursing programs. But in public schools they are optional."

To read the full article, go to: http://theconversation.com/the-calamity-of-the-disappearing-school-libraries-44498

Sunday, July 5, 2015

If You Don't Already Have A Library Card...

Library Card Sign-Up Month is coming up in September and the ALA has announced that the 2015 Honorary Chair will be none other than Snoopy!

Michael Cavna of the Washington Post has written a terrific article praising the choice, which you can read here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/06/30/why-snoopy-is-the-first-perfect-pick-to-be-the-alas-library-card-month-luminary/

And to learn more about the ALA's Library Card Sign-Up Month and to access promotional materials for the event, visit:

http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/card

Friday, November 7, 2014

The Naked Truth

Love Banned Books Week?

Then check out "Outlawed: The Naked Truth About Censored Literature for Young People."

Outlawed is a conference on censorship, being held April 10-12, 2015 in the Madden Library at Fresno State. The conference is being hosted by the Arne Nixon Center for Children's Literature.


And although this is a little late notice, interested persons still have time to submit presentation proposals to the conference. Deadline is November 26th, 2014/

For more information, visit http://www.outlawed2015.com/

Friday, November 8, 2013

GIS EVENT: Applications of Geographic Information Systems in a Research Environment

Join SCALA on Friday, December 6th, at 6 PM, for the first in a series of GIS talks and workshops hosted by Scott Haag.

Scott Haag is a PhD Student at the College of Computing and Informatics and the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Database Administrator at The Reinvestment Fund (TRF) a non-profit focused on lending to disadvantaged communities.  Scott has used GIS and Remote Sensing (RS) technologies for the past 14 years to study a variety of research questions, from the location of prime fish habitat in the Hudson Canyon to the identifying areas with inadequate access to supermarkets. In the past Scott has held research positions at the Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis and the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences both within Rutgers University.  Scott has a master of Sciences in Ecology and Evolution and Certificate in Engineering Geophysics.

The session will cover the history of GIS, what's happening in the field, and the practical application of GIS skills as illustrated by Haag's work. At the end of this session, participants will be able to ask questions, propose topics for future workshops, and express community needs related to GIS skills.

This event will be held at Drexel University Libraries’ Hagerty Library in room (L13-C). Refreshments will be served beforehand in room (L33) starting at 5:30 PM.

Please RSVP to Drexel SCALA (drexelscala@gmail.com).

Wednesday, April 10, 2013



Online social: This Thursday!
 
Please join us for the SCALA (Student Charter of American Library Association) / DUSLA  (Drexel University's Special Library Association)  joint online social tomorrow, Thursday (4/11/2013) from 7:00 - 9:00 PM EST, please click on http://bit.ly/SCALAevent
We'll be discussing ways that online students can get involved with both SCALA and DUSLA and chatting about how classes are starting out this quarter! New students are welcome and encouraged to join!

Details, Details!

WHO: Drexel Students and Officers, like you, who are interested in meeting with other online students and share ideas and experiences about your time here at Drexel.

WHEN: Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 7:00 – 9:00 PM EST; please join use for as long as you would like!

WHERE:  The link http://bit.ly/SCALAevent   will take you directly to our Adobe Connect chat- there is no need to download anything at all! If you would like to use the audio, we recommend that you wear earphones to block out feedback. You are also welcome to use a webcam for video if you feel comfortable!

"See" you Thursday!

Monday, April 8, 2013

DUSAA and SCALA Present: A Talk with Sarah Moore, Curator for The Design Center

On Friday, April 26th, DUSAA and SCALA will co-host a talk with Sarah Moore, Curator for The Design Center. Philadelphia University's Design Center houses more than 200,000 objects, textiles, and fashion materials, and their collection has been used by well known designers such as Free People.  The collection was also showcased by WHYY at their Downton Abbey event this year. Sarah will speak about her work at The Design Center, how she uses social media to help promote and digitize the collection, and give attendees an overview of her latest grant project. Sarah was kind enough to answer some pre-talk questions for the SCALA officers.




What made you decide to pursue textiles, what degrees do you hold, and where are they from?
I have always been excited about textiles; the perfect intersection of history, science, and beauty. I studied Fashion Merchandising and Fabric Design at the University of Georgia.  I took a history of costume class, and it opened up a whole new world to me, one outside of the fashion industry.  I had never thought about the intersection of museums and archives and fashion until that course. My history of costume professor, Patricia Hunt-Hurst, encouraged me to attend the University of Rhode Island, where I studied Historic Fashion and Textiles with an emphasis in curation. 

What made you decide to go into archival work? How did you get to where you are today?
IDuring my studies at the University of Rhode Island, I interned at Rough Point, the historic mansion of Doris Duke. It was amazing to research the personal collection of Ms. Duke! A collector of couture and rugs and textiles!  I then was a consultant at The Design Center and got to explore its vast collection.  I cataloged African factory printed textiles at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art. Then, started back at The Design Center, in January 2010.

How has social media helped, improved, and/or changed The Design Center? 
Social media has definitely helped The Design Center.  We'll hit 25,000 followers on Tumblr this week! We have over 200,000 colorful objects that live in archival boxes and cabinets, and only our staff, students, and designers who visit get to see them. I thought why not share our staff favorites online (which is something new everyday!)  It's so interesting to hear from people all over the world about our textiles and how they are inspired by them.  Social media has opened up huge promotional opportunities to TDC, whether it be a blog post or an upcoming collaboration on a fashion line for Art in the Age.

Can you briefly describe the grant you're working on? 
With generous funding from the Barra Foundation, our staff has been able to digitize and catalog 9,000 Victorian-era printed and 1960s woven swatches this year.  Our web development team at PhilaU leveraged Wordpress to create mobile website, Tapestry, that seamlessly adapts its format for iPhone, Android, tablet and PC users. Users are able to browse the collection by year, date, and motif for the first time.

Do you have any advice for students looking to go into archival work?
I'm sure you hear this all the time, but intern!  It gave me the chance to see the differences of working in small museum versus a large museum. It helps you get the opportunity to find out what is the right work environment for you. 

Please join us on Friday, April 26th at 6pm at the W.W. Hagerty Library in room L33. Please contact SCALA (drexelscala@gmail.com) if you have any additional questions.