Category Archives: People

by | June 10, 2009 · 6:58 pm

Summer in the Library

This summer the students and staff of Helm Library are in the process of shifting large amounts of periodicals to make way for more titles to come in the Fall. The titles will be moved from the Second Floor Periodicals room to the basement compact shelving area. Some titles, those already available on Jstor, will be moved from the Compact Shelves to The Gordon Wilson Storage Building.

Even though we are moving things around, we are still available to help! Just stop by the Reference Desk on the First Floor of Helm for any help. Just AskUs!

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by | April 26, 2009 · 9:42 pm

Dr. Brian Coutts Presented His Choice of Best Reference Books

Dr. Brian Coutts Presented the Best Reference Books of 2008Dr. Brian Coutts, Head of Library Public Services at WKU, publishes his “Best Reference Sources” of the Year annually in the April 15 issue of Library Journal, the nation’s leading library trade journal. It’s one of two such “Best Ref” lists. Each year he gives a workshop on the “Best Reference Books” of the past year for WKU Library faculty and staff. This year’s presentation was held on Friday, April 24 at 9:00 a.m. A reception followed.

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by | March 23, 2009 · 9:29 am

Meet and Welcome Josh Hawkins, New Director of Development

Josh HawkinsJosh Hawkins graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Social Studies (emphasis in Education). He is currently enrolled in the Master of Public Administration program at WKU and is expected to graduate in December 2009. After spending three years as a student in the Phonathon program, Josh began his career in Institutional Advancement as an office associate in the Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving at WKU.

In July 2004, Josh was hired as the Director of Development for the College of Education at Auburn University. His responsibilities included prospect identification, cultivation, proposal and stewardship to foster gifts of $25,000 or more. This included not only prospect research, but working with the college’s faculty, staff and alumni in researching and developing detailed giving opportunities within the college.

In August 2006, Josh returned to WKU as an Assistant Director in the Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. While in that position, he was responsible for the Alumni Association Membership campaign, Faculty-Staff campaign, President’s Circle membership solicitation (gifts of $1000 or more) and seven alumni chapters throughout the region. During this time he also served as an adviser for the Alumni Leadership Scholar program.

In January 2008, Josh was hired as the Director of Development for Co-Curricular Activities at WKU. His responsibilities included the areas of Student Affairs, Campus Services, Honors College, DELO, Leadership Studies, University College and several others within the university.

In March 2009, Josh began serving as Director of Development for University Libraries and Student Affairs.

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by | March 9, 2009 · 11:39 am

Christy Spurlock Received Award from the Kentucky Historical Society

Christy Spurlock Awarded by KY Historical SocietyChristy Spurlock was awarded the Frank R. Levstik Award for Professional Service from the Kentucky Historical Society. The KHS Awards Dinner was held at the History Center in Frankfort March 7, 2009. The Levstik Award is presented to a staff member of a museum, historical society, genealogical society, or other history-related organization in the state for exemplary work.

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by | March 4, 2009 · 4:10 pm

Nancy Richey Awarded New Faculty Scholarship

Nancy RicheyNancy Richey was recently awarded a New Faculty Scholarship to pursue research into the the life of an influential Kentucky musician, Moses Rager. Rager is credited with teaching Merle Travis the unique thumb-finger picking style, that has influenced a generation of guitarists. The award is available to new faculty members within three years of appointment, and “provides project operating support of up to $4,000 to regular, full-time, tenure-track Western Kentucky University faculty for research and creative activity. Western Kentucky University’s mission focuses on scholarship in its four forms — discovery, integration, application, and teaching — thus, all professional activity by faculty, regardless of the discipline, is encompassed in this definition of scholarship.”

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by | February 16, 2009 · 12:37 pm

Charlie Smith on His Recent London Expedition

Charles SmithA reception (with refreshments) and a slide show featuring Charlie Smith’s recent London expedition took place on the afternoon of February 11 in Helm 108 (InfoLab).

Dr. Charles H. Smith, Western Kentucky University Libraries’ Science Librarian and Professor of Library Public Services, had been invited to give a presentation on British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace on Nov. 22 at a conference at The Linnean Society of London — the world’s oldest active biological society.

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by | February 2, 2009 · 12:33 pm

Haiwang Yuan Published a New Book

Book Cover: Celebrate Chinese New YearProfessor and Web Site & Virtual Library Coordinator of Western Kentucky University Libraries Haiwang Yuan has a new book published recently. The new book Celebrate Chinese New Year is one of National Geographic’s children series “Holidays Around the World.” In the capacity of a consultant, Yuan co-authored the book with famed writer Carolyn Otto. The book explains the significance of the Chinese New Year traditions and captures of the festive mood with lively prose and spectacular illustrations.

Gung Hay Fat Choy or Happy Chinese New Year!

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by | November 12, 2008 · 1:32 am

WKU Science Librarian to Make Presentation at London Conference

Charles SmithDr. Charles H. Smith, Western Kentucky University Libraries’ Science Librarian and Professor of Library Public Services, has been invited to give a presentation on British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace on Nov. 22 at a conference at The Linnean Society of London — the world’s oldest active biological society.

The conference celebrates the double occasion of the 150th anniversary of the first presentation of the theory of natural selection in 1858, and the upcoming publication of Dr. Smith’s Oxford University Press book on Wallace titled “Natural Selection and Beyond: The Intellectual Legacy of Alfred Russel Wallace.”

“I’m looking forward to personally meeting several of the people I have been corresponding with over the years,” Dr. Smith said. “This conference is a great opportunity to share my views on Wallace as well as discuss related theoretical science ideas.”

Considered a leading expert on one of history’s most influential biology figures, Dr. Smith has reconstructed Wallace’s published bibliography and philosophy including making more than 500 of his publications accessible in full-text on the Internet. This work also has led to nine published papers and three book projects over the past several years.

Smith was recently nominated for membership in The Linnean Society of London and was made a “Fellow” by vote of Society members on Oct. 9, 2008. While in England, Smith will also be giving a lecture at the Wessex Institute of Technology. For more information, see Dr. Smith’s Alfred Russel Wallace website.

Charles Smith is quoted in an article linked to from the Huffington Post.

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by | October 10, 2008 · 9:58 am

Davis Named Kentucky’s Outstanding Academic Librarian

Rose DavisBowling Green, Ky. – Rose Davis, coordinator for Bibliographic Access and Training for the Department of Librarydavis Technical Services at Western Kentucky University, received the Outstanding Academic Librarian Award from the Kentucky Library Association last week at the annual KLA conference.

Davis has held several leadership positions regionally as well as statewide including chair positions for Kentucky Library Association-Academic Section, Ohio Valley Users Group of Technical Services Librarians, Kentucky Southeastern Library Network Users Group, and Kentucky Virtual Library and Voyager Users Groups.

“Rose Davis exemplifies faculty dedication through her leadership which has spanned decades,” said Connie Foster, head of WKU’s Library Technical Services. “Her willingness to serve and her leadership in key state positions highlights her contributions to Kentucky academic librarians and reflects well on WKU’s reach beyond the community.”

Davis is responsible for cataloging and training within the University Library System. She follows a legacy of WKU librarians who have received this honor: Cynthia Etkin (1995), Connie Foster (1999), Elaine Moore (2001) and Rosemary Meszaros (2006).

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu and at http://wkunews.wordpress.com/. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Jennifer Wilson at (270) 745-6977.

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by | October 1, 2008 · 3:41 pm

Yuan Led U.S. Delegation to China

Haiwang Yuan and other members of the U.S. delegation at a library forum in Kunming, Yunnan Province, ChinaHaiwang Yuan of WKU Libraries led a Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) delegation to China as a member of the Association’s Board of Directors. The delegation included James Rettig, President of the American Library Association; Robert Fernekes from the Zach S. Henderson Library of Georgia Southern University; Liana Hong Zhou, Director of the Kinsey Institute Library, Indiana University; Xueming Bao from the Seton Hall University Library; and Hong Miao from the Marywood University Library. James Rettig’s wife Monica Rettig was also among the delegates.

The event, named “The 2008 Sino-U.S. Forum on Library Practices,” was part of CALA’s 21st Century Librarian Seminar Series started in 2006. From July 11-13, this year’s forum took place at the Yunnan Dianchi Lake and Hot Spring Hotel in Kunming. The Forum was co-sponsored by CALA and the Yunnan Province Library Work Commission and was organized by the Yunnan University of Science and Technology Library.

About 200 librarians from over 50 institutions in China attended the Forum, including Beijing University, Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Tongji University, East China University of Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Yunnan Normal University, and Yunnan University.

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