USF Bloggers Planet

Elisa Rodrigues joined the Systems team this summer as a Library Assistant! Having previously worked in the Acquisitions Department, her new role will expand her Gleeson Library expertise as she assists with troubleshooting and maintaining library technology. We asked her some questions so the USF community could get to know a little about her and her work.

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. I come from island people and am a first generation American and first generation degree holder. I received my B.A. from UC Davis in English – Critical Theory and Analysis, and just finished my MLIS in June 2019 from the University of Washington, Seattle. I have been working in public libraries since 2007 in Circulation, Interlibrary Loan, Acquisitions, and Systems. I joined USF in 2018 as an Acquisitions Assistant before becoming the Systems Assistant in June 2019. I have a strong passion for information literacy and data ethics. Technological advances don’t impress me when they are unusable to the general public and disenfranchise our most vulnerable communities.

What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

I have three shelter rabbits at home, so all the rabbit paraphernalia around me is my equivalent to being a crazy cat lady. Their names are Scarlett, Stanley, and Eleanor. They’re a bunch of troublemakers, but know how to behave when they smell fresh greens.

What is your favorite place in the library?

I like wandering the stacks, both to find gaps in discoverability and looking at books on unfamiliar topics. I’m particularly fond of N – Fine Arts, P – Language and Literature, and Z – Library Science (but also typography).

What do you do at Gleeson?

I assist in troubleshooting software, system integrations and implementations, and special projects. I also create technical documentation for the Systems Department.

What is one thing you would like faculty to takeaway?

USF has an open access policy and the institutional repository is hosted by the Gleeson Library! Check out how and why open access is so important to education, check out the repository to see what papers are being read and where, and then submit your own research!

Welcome back! With fall semester right around the corner, we wanted to provide a refresher on our Course Reserves library service. Course Reserves are fair use, which makes course materials as accessible and inclusive as possible for your students. With textbook costs on the rise, we encourage all faculty to utilize this library service to benefit your students.

Here is an info-graphic highlighting key points about our Course Reserves.

To learn more, check out the links below:

• Course Reserves Info Page
• Online Request Form

Questions? Contact our Course Reserves Coordinator, Billy Wong. email: gleesonreserves@usfca.edu; phone: (415) 422-6908

Thank you Billy Wong for your contribution to this post.

Who is Associate Dean for Technical Services Erika Johnson, and what’s her role at the library? We asked Erika the tough questions and bring you the answers!

Tell us about your path to USF.
Originally from Wisconsin, I’ve covered all points of the compass here in the US, having lived on both coasts, the south, and the frozen north, and am delighted to be back on the west coast. I have a B.A. in French and International Relations from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.

I’ve been working in libraries and related fields for over 20 years, ranging from public libraries and state archives, to working for the American Library Association, but found my home in academic libraries. Before coming to USF, I served as the Electronic Resources & Technical Services Librarian at Boston College, which is where I first learned about social justice and Jesuit education.

Previous work lives also include Acquisitions & Serials Librarian at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and Program Officer for the American Library Association. In the latter role, one of my proudest professional achievements was coordinating nearly 1000 volunteers at the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans in 2006, the first major conference to return to the city after Hurricane Katrina. Our volunteers spent two days cleaning out and rebuilding homes, libraries, and other community sites ravaged by the hurricane. I was really worried about all those volunteers climbing around on unstable roofs, tearing out moldy insulation and drywall, doing heavy lifting, etc. all in 100 degree heat. But they all came back sweaty, dirty, and with huge smiles on their faces! I’m very grateful to have been part of that experience for both the librarians and the folks in NOLA.

How long have you worked at Gleeson?
I started in January 2014 as the Head of Acquisitions and Collection Management, with responsibility for managing the library materials budget, working with liaisons to select resources for purchase, and overseeing periodicals and electronic resource services.

What’s your role as Associate Dean for Technical Services?
In addition to my areas of responsibility in acquisitions, collection management, and the related activities above, I now have administrative oversight of the functional areas of cataloging and metadata management, digital collections, and library systems. If this sounds a bit jargony, think of it as the behind-the-scenes work that supports student and faculty access to all of our books, databases, journals, and other content for study and research.

I’m guessing many people outside of libraries don’t really understand what “technical services” means. One of the reasons I was interested in this position was to strengthen awareness of and support for the key areas that make reference and instruction successful. The dedicated folks in these departments ensure the right materials are purchased, received, and made available to all our users.

Do you have any special projects underway?
My research interests recently have focused on managing and assessing Gleeson Library collections. Since 2015, I have been engaged in a collaborative longitudinal collections study with colleagues at Santa Clara University Library and Loyola Marymount University Library, using interlibrary loan data to inform collection development at our respective institutions. I am also interested in investigating new liaison models, and the Gleeson Library is about to launch our new 2019-2022 strategic plan, which will provide numerous opportunities to evaluate and improve the services and collections we provide to the campus community.

What do you like to do when you’re not at the library?
One of the best things about living in the Bay Area is exploring all the parks, trails, beaches, and other natural beauty of this region. Nothing clears my head better than watching the fog curl over the hills, or hearing the waves crash at Land’s End. I also try to get to a yoga class at least once a week, and on weekends I volunteer with a local dog rescue organization.

Anything else you want people to know?
We want to hear from you! If there’s a book you need, a journal you want access to, or a suggestion to add to our digital collections, please reach out to a librarian, to your librarian liaison if you’re faculty, or to me directly.

Thank you, Erika!

Did you know…that Gleeson Library has digital collections? We do! Currently, there are over 15 collections in Gleeson Library Digital Collections. Highlights include:

• USF Yearbooks: Starting with 1910, you can browse through the University of San Francisco’s yearbook collection, page by page. Each year of the Don, originally called the Ignatian, features that year’s fashions, events on campus and off, and more. You may even find class photos of your parents or grandparents!

• The Foghorn – USF Student Newspaper: An extensive newspaper archive of USF’s official student newspaper, this digital collection chronicles nearly 100 years’ worth of news from a student perspective. From 1926 through 2006, each page tells a story through articles, advertising, and fascinating pictorials.

• Japanese American Confinement Sites: A collaboration between Gleeson Library and the National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS), this digital collection consists of photographs, personal objects, and historical documents depicting the federal internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

• Writing for a Real World: In partnership with the Dean of Arts & Sciences and the Department of Rhetoric & Language, this annual anthology of USF student writing has been made available online and can be perused essay by exceptional essay. Currently, there are sixteen volumes in this digital collection.

Every collection in the Gleeson Library Digital Collections is accessible for free through the Gleeson Library website. No special login or credentials are required for you to enjoy these digital collections, which are updated regularly. If you have questions about the library’s Digital Collections, or if you wish to contribute to an existing collection or collaborate on a prospective one, feel free to get in touch with Gina Murrell, the Digital Collections Librarian at Gleeson.

This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of an important moment in the fight for civil rights in the United States. In 1969, the Stonewall Inn, located in Greenwich Village, New York City was known as a safe space for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. In the early morning of Saturday, June 28 of that year, police forcefully raided Stonewall and started making arrests. Fed up with being unfairly targeted, discriminated against, and criminalized, many people at Stonewall that night pushed back against the raid and arrests. The uprising at Stonewall continued locally into the following days, inspired Pride celebrations and parades nationally the following summer and beyond, and energized awareness of and activism for LGBTQ rights. 

We’ve gathered some library resources and other web links in remembrance of this event and all of those who have fought for LGBTQ rights and social justice before, at, and after Stonewall. 

Films:

• After Stonewall: America’s LGBT Movement
• Rebels on Pointe

Books: 

• Before Stonewall: Activists for Gay and Lesbian Rights in Historical Context
• The Stonewall Riots : a documentary history
• Stonewall by Martin Duberman
• Victory : the triumphant gay revolution
• The Stonewall Reader
• Love and Resistance: out of the closet and into the Stonewall era

Current and Archival Periodical Databases:

LGBT Magazine Archive: Archival runs of 26 of the most influential, longest-running serial publications covering LGBT interests. 

Independent Voices: Independent Voices is a digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries. 

Additional Web Resources:

• New York Times: Stonewall Riot Apology: Police Actions Were ‘Wrong,’ Commissioner Admits
• Stonewall and Its Impact on the Gay Liberation Movement: Primary Sources from the Digital Public Library of America
• Stonewall in pictures – Getty Images
• Stonewall: Riot, Rebellion, Activism, and Identity: Oral Histories and Archive 
• The Stonewall Oral History Project
• StoryCore: Remembering Stonewall
• Information about SF Pride 2019