SLA SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NEWSLETTER July/August 2014 Volume 39 Number 4 What s Inside 1 President s Message 2 News & Events 3 Scholarship Award 4 New Members 5 Events & Course Reviews 9 Extra Links President s Message G reetings colleagues, likewise, lush pink and purple hydrangeas mingled with multicol Fall is upon us, despite the still- ored blossoming rose bushes and late sunsets and fabulous warm many other thriving floral species. evenings that we will continue to Because I work at a university, enjoy for weeks ahead. Our ener- I have the privilege of experiencgetic SoCal SLA chapter continues ing fall as a time for renewal, an to vibrate with activity. In July, a opportunity to start fresh. The few colleagues enjoyed a Satur- excitement among brand new day afternoon tour of the Malibu graduate students embarking on canyon Rosenthal winery. The to- a program, taking on personal tally breathtaking property is completely invisible from curvy Las Virgenes road, and despite clear driving directions I drove right past the entrance. The grounds are thick with picturesquely gnarled California Oak trees. A creek, its waters nearly depleted due to our horrifying drought nevertheless snakes charmingly from one property line to the next. Crops of plump chardonnay and merlot grapes look healthy and blissfully unaware of any kind of shortage. In the gardens surrounding the main house, challenges, ready to commit to redirecting their lives is infectious! The fall term at Pepperdine s graduate WLA campus is exceedingly kind. The contrast between our morning at the bucolic Malibu winery where we lingered in the exquisite courtyard, sipping blush wine as warm raindrops languidly landed on us, and the bustling 1
focused fall graduate school scene is worth considering. Reflection, friendship, appreciation of our rich Southern California landscape and natural resources can have a meaningful place in and enrich our everyday lives. I will also commit to meditative moments, taking walks (even short ones, to have a look at some succulents or a palm tree). What will you commit to this new year s Fall? SLA-SCC President, 2014, News & Events Holiday Party Save the Date! When: Thursday, December 11 Time: Where: 6:30-10:00 pm Skirball Cultural Center 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049 WANTED: Executive Board Candidates! The Southern California Chapter needs new officers for 2015, and you might be the perfect candidate! At this time, we are soliciting nominations for: President-elect Treasurer Director-at-Large A brief description is available at our 2014 board member page and each description has a link to a more detailed description. If you re wondering about the commitment these positions entail, please contact me, or the current position holders. And when you do, be sure to ask about the benefits, such as the notches on your resume, and the chances to expand your skill set, to say nothing of the networking that leads to friendships and opportunities. You may self-nominate after all, who knows you better? or nominate another worthy member. (Note to all worthy members: we will not place your name on the ballot without your permission) Nominations close September 5. 2
Scholarship Award Essay SLA-SCC Karen Gersten Sternheim Memorial Scholarship Award by Erin Hurley My interest in special librarianship goes back a long way about ten years to one of my first library jobs, working at Oberlin College s art library the summer after I graduated in 2004. I had coveted that job for four years, and was thrilled to be one of a handful of student employees that summer. Prior to beginning my studies at Oberlin, I had never even seen an art library before, and it seemed to embody everything that I loved the most books, art, and a community of people that love both. As an English and Art History major at Oberlin, I spent much of my time working in the art library, where I had a carrel to hold all of my books. There was a long, forest green velvet couch underneath a window that looked out onto the yard, where one of Oberlin s Claes Oldenberg sculptures lived, and I spent hours there reading, either for class, or, if I wanted to be distracted, one of the library s many art magazines. That was my first experience with what I now know to call special librarianship, and it is a path that I have continued down as a graduate student in UCLA s Information Studies department. At UCLA, I found myself again working in an art library this time as a reference desk assistant in addition to pursuing the study of art librarianship whenever possible. I have also extended my interest in the subject to include related topics, like art archives and museum collection management, in order to cast the widest net possible. My career goal, broadly defined, is to work in some capacity with art-related information, and I believe that my passion for the subject, my professional experience, and my involvement with the SLA and other professional organizations will help me achieve this goal. I love my job at UCLA s Arts Library, both because of my incredible coworkers, and because I truly enjoy helping students with their research. I like that helping them also enables me to learn new things, and I enjoy asking students questions and getting to know them. There is also something empowering both for me and for the students about helping them find the information that they need. This feeling is what drives my desire to be a librarian. The SLA s motto is Connecting people and information a statement that I particularly love. This summer, I will be working at yet another special library The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Margaret Herrick Library in Beverly Hills. As one of the interns selected for the Academy s prestigious summer internship program, I will spend my summer cataloging and digitizing rare film periodicals from the 1920s and 30s in an attempt to make these unique materials accessible via the library s digital collections. I m excited to be involved in a project that so directly relates to my career goals of making rare collections available to the general public, and look forward to doing more of this kind of work in the future. I am also eagerly anticipating my internship for the next academic year, at LACMA s Balch Research Library, where I will be helping catalog books in their collection and also working to help establish their archives. I was surprised to learn that a museum as big as LACMA doesn t have an established archives, and am particularly excited to be involved in its inception. This will not be my first time working in an art museum s private library, and I have to confess that it is the kind of work that I love best. I have always felt inspired by my visits to art museums, which makes arriving at work every day feel exciting. Prior to applying to graduate school, I volunteered at SFMoma s library, sorting and filing ephemera for the museum s artist files. I felt lucky to be surrounded by enthusiastic and knowledgeable fellow art lovers, and can t wait to get to know the staff and collections at LACMA. Aside from a brief stint shelving books at Oberlin s main library, special libraries have been the only kind of libraries that I have known. I think of them as unique places for people with niche interests places outside the mainstream and they are important to me for this reason. They offer not only a wealth of interesting materials, but, perhaps more importantly, a place to connect with others who share similar interests. An organization like the SLA is particularly important, as it provides a network for those who work in these libraries, and who may share similar problems or concerns as result. 3
Scholarship Award Essay This coming academic year, in addition to acting as President of the SLA student chapter at UCLA, I will also be co-director of UCLA s Horn Press a group devoted to hand-press printing (such as letterpress) and book arts. Artist books and zines are of particular interest to me, since they represent the intersection of art and special collections. UCLA s Arts Library has a large collection of these artist books, and I often describe it to students as books by an artist, as opposed to books about an artist. I encourage them to look at these materials which are library-use only whenever possible, because I believe in making special collections as accessible as possible, and because I want students to take advantage of this unique, amazing collection. I am also a member of Artifacts a student group specifically focused on art librarianship and I hope to see this organization grow and to help plan exciting new activities. I m looking forward to leading the student chapter at UCLA. We have an exciting group of new officers with a variety of professional interests, including an aspiring archivist, as well as a fashion designer working at the FIDM library. I am also looking forward to working closely with David Cappoli, of UCLA s law library, and I often brag to friends that the SLA has one of the nicest advisors on campus. I am always interested to see the kind of people that are drawn to an organization like the SLA, and the diversity of perspectives and interests that each member brings. This diversity of backgrounds and careers is what I love the most about the SLA. While my involvement in art-related professional organizations allows me to connect with others in my immediate professional circle, I feel like my involvement with the SLA connects me to the world at large, and allows me to get outside of my professional bubble. I think this is extremely important. I love how inclusive the SLA is, and I plan on being an active member for years to come. Membership in an organization like the SLA is particularly important for people like me, who are looking to transition from student to professional. As a student, there are plenty of opportunities to meet and exchange ideas with other students, and this is a vital part of academic and social life. I hope that my involvement with the SLA with help me in my transition to the real world by providing me with a network of friends and fellow special librarians who can offer career advice and moral support. The SLA also offers resources for professional development - from webinars and podcasts to job listings and information on local chapter meetings that will no doubt be invaluable to me as a new librarian. I will continue to pursue my chosen career of art librarian with one foot planted firmly in the art community, and another in the special library community. Perhaps one could even view them as concentric circles, with special libraries encompassing art libraries. Librarianship is a field that particularly values its professional organizations, and this is one of things that I love about it. SLA meetings and conferences provide a place for dialog and exchange of ideas, and it is these ideas that help the profession grow, expand, change, and adapt. This is particularly important right now, when the very idea of what constitutes information is changing rapidly, as is the role of the librarian. I hope to contribute to the future of librarianship, whatever shape that it may take. New Members JULY Mark Harrison Erin Hurley David Isom Keri Marken Haroldeane Snell Heather Snodgrass Svetlana Ushakova AUGUST Pamela Lieber 4
Event & Course Reviews Rosenthal Vineyard and Estate: A Hidden Malibu Treasure by Grace Rosales On Saturday July 19th a small group of SLA-SCC members ventured to beautiful Malibu to tour the private Rosenthal Vineyard and Estate, a gem hidden away in the Malibu mountains, to taste some amazing Rosenthal wines. We were met at the unmarked private gates by our tour guide Louie who gave us the special tour of Rosenthal s private estate and vineyard. The scenery was breathtaking. We walked through the estate and vineyard with wine in hand while the Louie explained to us that the Rosenthal family once lived in the amazing villas. He also told to us that Rosenthal is so proud of his vineyard that it is the only business where he actually puts his name on the product. 5
Event & Course Reviews After the tour we tasted more incredible wines and noshed on gourmet cheese platters. Who would have known such a place existed in Malibu! It was an awesome day! Grace Rosales 2014 SLA-SCC President-Elect California Rare Book School Course Review by Keri Marken Byzantine Illuminated Manuscripts This summer I had the opportunity to attend one of the courses offered by the California Rare Book School. As a second year MLIS student at UCLA, the California Rare Book School appealed to me as soon as I entered the program, as these courses are centered on topics pertaining to rare books, manuscripts, and archival materials. During the first week of August, classes were held in the Department of Information Studies at UCLA or the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, and focused on subjects such as the history of the book, book collecting, rare book cataloging, and a brand new course covering Byzantine illuminated manuscripts. I was fortunate to be a part of this new course, which included class discussions, as well as field trips and hands-on experiences. 6
Event & Course Reviews As Susan Allen, director of the California Rare Book School, explained, the Byzantine illuminated manuscript course was a new addition, and grew out of a unique collaboration with the Getty. The course combined lectures and discussions lead by Justine Andrews, associate professor in the Department of Art & Art History at the University of New Mexico, with visits to the Getty Center and Getty Villa, as well as UCLA s Special Collections. The collaboration between CalRBS and the Getty was inspired by the Getty Villa s current exhibition, Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections, which closes at the the end of August, as well as its recent sister exhibit at the Getty Center, Heaven and Earth: Byzantine Illumination at the Cultural Crossroads, which closed in June. The week began with an introduction to the scriptorium and the production of a medieval manuscript, followed by a trip to UCLA s special collections. Here we were able to inspect the materials firsthand and to discuss certain formal elements, such as the regularity of text and margins, as well as various types of manuscript images, including intertextual, marginal, and full page. The class was composed of librarians, curators, professors, and graduate students, from all over the country, which provided a variety of interesting perspectives concerning the materials. Later in the week, after a discussion on the intersection of the Byzantine world, we were able to view examples in the Getty manuscripts reading room that displayed this exchange between east and west, in addition to learning about collecting, preservation, and providing access from Elizabeth Morrison, senior curator in the Getty Center s Manuscripts Department. Similarly, our lesson on Byzantine iconography and style was reinforced at the Getty Villa. Here, curator, Mary Louise Hart, led us through the current exhibit of Byzantine art objects and manuscripts, which illustrated the potential relationship between manuscript illuminations and other art of the period, such as icon painting, textiles, and architecture. However, the highlight of the week was a lesson in manuscript illumination taught by artist, Sylvana Barrett. This hands-on experience provided the class with an opportunity to not only learn about the pigments, binders, and techniques used during the Byzantine period, but to also work directly with these materials, becoming modern day illuminators. 7
Event & Course Reviews All in all, my week with CalRBS was a unique and valued experience. By studying the history, art, and production of illuminated manuscripts alongside the manuscripts themselves, this course provided a deeper understanding, not only of the manuscript as a book, but as an art object, which, I feel, will ultimately benefit how I approach and perceive special collections materials in the future. Digital Culture and Society Course Review by Lesley Farmer CSULB: International and Comparative School Librarianship The librarianship program at California State University Long Beach (CSULB) offered a graduate online course on international and comparative school librarianship this summer. Students explored how school libraries differ around the world in terms of education, roles, staffing, resources, and services. They examined the role of school libraries as a universal construct and in the context of their countries and cultures. Students analyzed information technologies and media issues of politics, equity, bias, and impact. They also examine national and international school library professional associations, practiced cultural competence, and addressed information needs of international students through the school library program. To make the course more engaging and authentic, students communicated in real time with school librarians in several representative countries: Canada, Jamaica,,Costa Rica, South Africa, India, Australia, and Malaysia. Here are a few representative student comments: I am with you! I feel so discouraged about the library situation in other countries when I read the articles (India was just heartbreaking to me), and so hopeful when I listen to the speakers. For me, I still see a lot of inequalities in the system. and I am not sure if they are particular to a school district or general, and that speaks to the reality that we currently have in California. I too was excited by our conversation with Dr. Combes! I agree that it can be difficult to compare libraries in two countries with such a disparity in resources, but as Dr. Combes pointed out many of these changes can be made with even the smallest of resources. As teacher librarians in a global community it is our job to help disseminate and support our fellows in other countries. Sharing these tips and ideas is helpful to us all. The great thing about taking this particular class and being in the field is to find out what other librarians are doing to improve their school libraries in other countries. It changes our mindset and breaks up the monotony that we hear from colleagues that have similar backgrounds and ideas. Ideas are expanding to improve learning and for the promotion of the use of the school library which in turn will help improve student achievement and the show the need and importance of the teacher librarian. Dr. Lesley Farmer, Librarianship program coordinator, taught this course as a way to further internationalize the curriculum. Dr. Farmer noted that one of the students began working in the Dominican Republic during the course, so could apply her new understanding immediately. She leveraged her activity in the International Association of School Librarianship to invite outstanding school librarian leaders to share their expertise via webinars. We live in an interdependent global economy, and we serve international students, so it makes sense to broaden the perspectives of incoming teacher librarians. 8
SLA-SCC Resources & Links Follow Us! Get Involved! Dear SLA-SCC members, Have you ever thought about getting more involved with SLA-SCC but aren t able to commit to a long term position? There are lots of ways you can get involved from writing a newsletter article or blog post to leading a tour of your institution s library or archive. To explore the ways you can participate, please click here. If you decide to submit the survey, we ll be in contact with you to discuss details. Thanks for your interest in being a greater part of SLA-SCC! Write for Us! We would like to encourage anyone who has special library related news to contribute! We aim to better represent all perspectives and interests, so please feel free and inspired to submit an article from any range of topics that relate to our field. This can include something as simple as what you do at your job, to introducing a new library technology, to personal experiences at SLA events. Please send questions, pitches and submissions to: newsletter@southerncalifornia.sla.org Clarice De Veyra & Erin Hurley SLA-SCC Newsletter Editors Advertising Opportunities! Interested in advertising in the SLA-SCC newsletter? Thinking of sponsoring a chapter program? Contact Ed Vazquez at: vendor.relations@southerncalifornia.sla.org Be a part of SLA Southern California which brings together resources, innovative programming, and networking opportunities, so that members can strengthen their roles as information leaders in their organizations and communities. 9