Welcome: Fall 2017
Hello colleagues, and thank you for checking out The Library and U, the Forsyth Library newsletter. Each issue of the Library and U will feature important information about the library, our print and digital resources, upcoming events, and more.
Forsyth Library has had an exciting start to the 2017 Fall semester. We welcomed new staff, added new digital collections, and held instruction sessions for almost 1,000 University 101 students. Read on to learn more about our exciting new and upcoming developments!
In our September issue:
Welcome: New Outreach Specialist Cyndi Landis & University Archivist Anna Obermayer
Changes to the Forsyth Library Catalog
Forsyth Library Welcomes First Graduate Student Assistant
Open Textbook Grant Program Rolling Application
FHSU Reveille and Football History added to Forsyth Scholars Repository
Database Spotlight: Atomic Learning
Times Talks: Banned Books and Fake News
Faculty Testimonial: Carol Solko-Olliff
Special Library Hours and Events
Be sure to check in throughout the semester for more issues and information, and if you have any questions about anything you read in our Newsletter, be sure to “Ask a Librarian!”
Welcome: New Outreach Specialist Cyndi Landis & University Archivist Anna Obermayer
Please join Forsyth Library in welcoming our new Outreach Specialist Cyndi Landis and new University Archivist Anna Obermayer. 
Cyndi Landis received her Master of Library Science (MLS) degree from Emporia State University, and most recently worked with the University of Denver providing library instruction and outreach as the science liaison. Additionally, Cyndi served as the Adult Services Librarian at Jefferson County Public Library in Lakewood, Colorado.
As the library’s Outreach Specialist, Cyndi identifies and evaluates opportunities for library outreach and implements appropriate programming for events. She also acts as the library's primary liaison with student life units, facilitating service and outreach to student diversity organizations and special populations. Working with library colleagues, Cyndi is a driving force behind the planning and creation of public displays and exhibitions that feature library collections and services. Cultivating a compelling public face and consistent branding for the library through publications, social media, and the library's web presence. Relatedly, Cyndi is responsible for developing an ongoing marketing and publicity plan for the library focused on building awareness and increasing use of library services.
Cyndi earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in Advertising, Spanish, and International Studies from Kansas State University. She also has a strong marketing background, having formerly worked with small businesses and higher education clients in the Denver Area.
Anna Obermayer joins us from Syracuse University where she recently earned a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree. While at Syracuse, Anna worked in the University Archives and Book Preservation Unit. She has also worked at the Archives and Special Collections of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
As the University Archivist, Anna will be responsible for the organization and curation of institutional records, manuscript collections, and historical documents donated to the University Archives, providing intellectual and physical access to archival materials while advising and assisting researchers in the use of these materials. Anna will also work with University entities in the creation and ongoing maintenance of the university’s records retention schedules for Forsyth Library’s records retention program. She will also manage the acquisition, preservation, arrangement, and accessibility of university records. Anna will also be responsible for the appraisal of potential collection additions, recommending the acquisition of new collections, and the de-accessioning of existing collections.
Changes to the Forsyth Library Catalog
Over the summer, Forsyth Library completed a transition to a new User Interface for our library catalog, also known as Primo or the "Search Everything" tool. This catalog provides access to records of all of Forsyth Library's physical content, as well as a majority of our digital resources, including eBooks, videos, eJournals, and more. This new interface retains all the features of our previous catalog, with an updated look and feel for our modern, internet savvy users. Please try our New Catalog Interface, and let us know what you think!
If you have any questions or feedback, please contact Nathan Elwood, Electronic Access Librarian, at 4742, or neelwood@fhsu.edu.
Forsyth Library welcomes first Graduate Student Assistant
As part of an initiative to further develop services for our international student populations, Forsyth Library has hired Alick Lei as our first Graduate Student Assistant. Alick received a Bachelor of Arts in Global Business English from the FHSU Sias campus in China, and is here in Hays pursuing his Master of Arts in Political Leadership. Together with the Forsyth Library Teaching and Research team, Alick will be helping to assess and develop instructional materials and other resources specifically targeted at our international students both on the Hays campus and abroad.
If you have any questions or would like to suggest content for our international students, please contact Nathan Elwood at neelwood@fhsu.edu
Open Textbook Grant Program Rolling Application Announcement
Forsyth Library and the Open Educational Resource (OER) Committee would like to announce that the Open Textbook Grant Program is now accepting applications on a rolling basis, whenever faculty feel the need for funding. With funding provided by a generous donation from Richard and Delores Fischli through the FHSU Foundation, the Program offers grants of $500-$3,000 for faculty who want to write, adapt, or add supplementary materials to an openly licensed textbook. To learn more, please read the Program FAQ.
We will be holding four information sessions to answer questions about the Program throughout the semester in FL133:
If you are unable to attend an information session or want to learn more, please contact Claire Nickerson, Learning Initiatives & OER Librarian, at x4543 or cenickerson@fhsu.edu.
FHSU Reveille and Football History added to Forsyth Scholars Repository
Forsyth Library is excited to announce two great additions to our Scholar's Repository.
Eighty years of Fort Hays State University football history is now available digitally through our Athletic Programs Collection. Check it out at http://scholars.fhsu.edu/athletic_programs/.
Complete issues of Fort Hays State University’s Reveille yearbooks – from the first in 1914 to the last in 2003 – are also now online, freely available to the public in clean, crisp, fast-loading and searchable digital versions. The yearbooks are available at http://scholars.fhsu.edu/yearbooks/.
Both digital collections were established this summer by our new Forsyth Library Digital Curation Librarian, Elizabeth Chance. If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth at mechance2@fhsu.edu.
Please click on posters for more info!
Faculty Testimonial
"As a faculty member who brought their UNIV 101 class to the library for a tour this fall, I could not have been more pleased.
The students were broken into small groups and then rotated to different stations in the library. Each station covered a service area or topic related to the library that was hands on and interactive with the library staff. I think this model worked well and did not allow my students to just “sit and listen” but to be actively engaged, move around and was done within a very reasonable time frame.
The students received a thorough overview of the services the library has to offer and found that the library has more to offer than just a place with books and to study.
I know this model was a lot of work for the library staff to cover all the UNIV 101 sections, but it was very well organized and implemented.
Thank you to the library staff for helping our new freshman have a better understanding of all the great things at Forsyth Library!"
Carol Solko-Olliff
Director of International Student Services
Special Library Hours and Events:
Database Spotlight: Atomic Learning
Atomic Learning is an online software training resource available to FHSU faculty, staff, and students. It is most commonly used for training on a variety of commonly used software and technology applications, such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, HTML, Blackboard and many more!
It also expands beyond technology to such topics as leadership styles and business writing. Atomic Learning breaks down each subject into manageable tasks and explains each task through a one to three-minute tutorial. You can view a tutorial when you have a quick question about a program you’re using, or you can view a series of tutorials and master an entire topic.
You can access Atomic Learning by logging into Blackboard and clicking the link on the left hand column of the welcome page.
If you would like to learn more about Atomic Learning, please contact Andy Tincknell, Forsyth Library Learning Commons Coordinator.
