Laurie N. Taylor, Librarian

Thanks to In These Times for sharing a term new to me, solastagia. The term is in the August 28, 2018 article by Elizabeth Catte “How Fallout 76 Can Help Us Rebuild West Virginia,” where the term is used in relation to videogames, memory, and nostalgia. The article is highly recommended reading for everyone for many reasons. In the article, Catte explains: Solastalgia, a corrupted form of nostalgia, is the psychic pain that occurs when one’s home vanishes, usually through unwelcome environmental change, be it a natural disaster or mountaintop removal. It’s a form of mental distress among individuals with a strong place connection and is characterizedRead More →

Join us to learn how to connect with students and faculty around the world through virtual exchange as part of UF’s Collaborative International Teaching Network (CITN). By interacting online with peers in other regions of the world and by collaborating on projects, students develop broader perspectives on global issues and develop digital literacy skills.   Tuesday, September 18, 2018  Virtual Exchange Faculty Showcase UFIC Large Conference Room 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There will be concurrent presentations, stop by, grab some lunch, and stay for as long as your schedule permits.   Thursday, October 4, 2018   Virtual Exchange Workshop UFIC Large Conference Room 9:00 a.m.Read More →

From the UF International Center website on this UF project: Collaborative International Teaching Network  (CITN) The CITN has been modestly funded by the Provost’s Creative Campus Initiative.  The goal of the CITN is to guide and support faculty to engage creatively with collaborative international teaching opportunities. Virtual exchange (VE) enables students and faculty to connect virtually across national borders and campuses to engage in asynchronous and synchronous project-based activities to examine global issues and problem-solving from diverse perspectives. The CITN will facilitate these opportunities by building upon existing UF VE initiatives to connect UF faculty with each other and with international partners. It will organize andRead More →

In partnership with the Digital Library of the Caribbean, University of Florida researchers led a collaborative project, which has been awarded $231,093 to host a week-long, in-person workshop and five additional monthly virtual workshops on collaborative Digital Humanities (DH) and Caribbean Studies. The project is entitled Migration, Mobility, and Sustainability: Caribbean Studies and Digital Humanities Advanced Institute. The lead researchers will open a call in October to select participants for the program. Participants will gain DH teaching experience and in-depth knowledge of how to utilize digital collections in teaching. The Institute will provide training in tools, processes, and resources for developing lessons, modules, and/or courses. Twenty-six participantsRead More →

“Collaborating with Strangers: Facilitating Workshops in Libraries, Classes, and Nonprofits”  Webinar on August 17, 1pm ET Below is from the ALA press release: Interaction with strangers cultivates creativity and provides opportunities for joining forces to achieve great ends. However, most people tend to avoid talking or working with people they do not know, whether in the library, a classroom, or in academic and nonprofit settings. And to do so is to short-circuit much of the creative potential that is so necessary for innovation, and that organizational stakeholders crave. Enter CoLAB, a workshop developed and presented by Bess G. de Farber at workshops across the country,Read More →

[Updated with more names thanks to Simone Clunie on 7/25/2018, 7/27/2018, and 8/6/2018); updated with names from UF files, on 7/24/2018 at 1:50pm; ] In speaking with the always-inspiring Dr. Julian Chambliss about his public-digital scholarship work and that he’s working on a potential project of 100 best/top, or just 100 of X, I–like most people–also thought about how inspiring work inspires, and how I want to contribute. Anthology and compilation projects are great ways to give overviews and openings to invite researcher and work with greater depth. I’m interested in finding/compiling and collaborating to support more information being available from and about Caribbean librarians,Read More →

I am excited to share the new podcast by Dr. Julian Chambliss (formerly of Rollins College and now at Michigan State University), Reframing History: https://anchor.fm/julian-chambliss7 I am also super excited because Julian recommended Anchor, which he’s using, to me for making podcasts because of the in/on-phone creation and editing tools, ease of use within a 16 week semester frame for teaching and producing podcasts, and wide and integrated distribution. I know Dr. Briley Rasmussen and I have been talking about podcasts and museum education, and I expect to see us on and using Anchor soon, to both make podcasts and of course to listen to Julian’s work!Read More →

I’m generally reading several books at once, depedning on location with different print books in different places (home, office, gym bag because before class is time to read if emails are handled and work is under control, and then always online readings to be done). I also am generally reading for projects and for serendipity. Right now, my major reading threads include Caribbean librarians and librarianship, labor and unions, the nature of work, and socialism. Below are notes from the three books I’ve most recently finished (and finished typing notes on, which often comes much later after reading). Posting here for my reference and inRead More →

POSITION VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT Scholarly Communications Librarian Associate University Librarian The Scholarly Communications Librarian is a year-round (12 month) tenure track library faculty position responsible for providing leadership for the Smathers Libraries’ services in support of students and faculty seeking guidance on copyright and intellectual property, as well as outreach and training efforts to build a scholarly communications program in support of Open Access (OA), Open Data activities, and OA publishing at UF. This role includes educating the university community about OA resources and services at UF, scholarly publication modes, and copyright and intellectual property issues and their impact on scholarly inquiry and instruction. The ScholarlyRead More →

The ACURIL Awards for 2018 are being announced, including institutional awards and the Caribbean Information Professional of the Year, and I’m the person being awarded! I am incredibly humbled and honored to be considered and awarded for this. ACURIL is my core professional and scholarly community. Judith Rogers (now retired) was Director of the University of the Virgin Islands Libraries, my mentor, and a leader for all of us. She received this award, so I am all the more humbled and thrilled to be able to follow in her footsteps, or at least I hope I’m doing so–she’s amazing, and I am working to do myRead More →