Here to help!
Chambers Chat is a monthly email newsletter sent to UCO faculty to keep them informed of library news, resources, and services. This page chronicles each issue that has been released from March 2023 to the present.
Dear Deans, Chairs, and Faculty Library Liaisons,
We made it to May! As the semester draws to a close, I want to take a moment to highlight the ways the campus library continues to support students and faculty during this busy time along with preparations for the upcoming break.
This is our 4th year of hosting the UCO Faculty/Staff Art Show! You are invited to submit your 2D artwork to be included in a summer exhibition on the library’s 1st floor. The deadline for submission is May 16th with installation occurring in the second week of June. Contact Will Long with any questions.
We wanted to make you aware of renovations scheduled in the library this summer, so you can plan ahead for any physical materials you may need. Construction preparation will begin on May 12, and the project is expected to last 10-12 weeks. Work will be contained to the south sides of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors. While work is being done on a specific floor, the south side of that floor will be closed, and patrons and staff will not be able to access the area including any collection materials. If you or a student need materials that are inaccessible, please enter an ILL request instead and/or talk to staff at the Information Desk for up-to-date information on when the area might be accessible again.
As we receive updates from the project managers, we will post information regarding floor closure dates. Thank you for your patience and understanding, as we work to improve the library.
Additionally, due to light renovations and space improvements, the Special Collections Reading Room (LIB 215) will be closed to the public during intersession (May 12-30). We will continue to provide virtual research assistance during that time.
Finally, library hours will vary from the usual semester hours during intersession and summer sessions. Please check the library hours for current information.
The Friends of the Library invites retiring staff and faculty to donate books and other items. You can contact Jeffrey Musslewhite with any questions about potential donations. Library staff can assist in picking up donations from your office or other metro location.
My mother grew up in the Finger Lakes region of New York state. Frequently, their church would do a Sunday barbecue at the firehouse as a fundraiser. The region’s barbecued chicken is unique though in that it is an oil, egg, and vinegar base instead of a tomato base. That’s what I grew up on, so I’ve always preferred that style barbecue to anything else. Now my family loves it as well. You can learn more about the region and see regional recipes, including the Cornell style of barbecue. Our family uses white vinegar instead of the traditional cider vinegar. Our recipe calls for 2/3 cup oil, 1 1/3 cups white vinegar, 3 tablespoons of salt (yes, tablespoons!), 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and 1 ¼ teaspoons poultry seasoning. Blend it all together and baste frequently! Do watch the grill carefully as the oil and vinegar tend to catch pieces on fire if the flame is too high. Let me know if you’ve tried it and what you think!
Wishing you a productive end to the semester and a restful break! The Chat will resume in the fall with all the library news you need to start another semester!
Thanks,
Risa Jensen-Jones
Director of Research and User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
University of Central Oklahoma
(405) 974-5311
Dear Deans, Chairs, and Faculty Library Liaisons,
Welcome to April! I hope you’re enjoying the April showers we’re having to bring those May flowers.
Every three years the library has hosted the LibQUAL survey on campus, and we are running it again this year from March 24 – April 20. This online survey is sent to all students, faculty, and staff to seek out information on how we are doing with our spaces, materials, and services. While we are promoting it in various ways across campus, we would love your help reminding students to take the survey. Also, don’t forget to take it yourself!
Additionally, we are gathering more input at the library using white boards on each floor to find out information such as what types of spaces do students enjoy in the library, how much time do they spend in the library outside of class, and what kind of services or equipment would they like to see more of in the Innovation Studio. Since students often study in the same spaces each time they come to the library, the questions are moved around the library each week to gather opinions from different library users. These responses are gathered alongside the LibQUAL survey responses and will help us identify a bigger picture regarding any gaps in our services. We look forward to seeing how we can continue to meet the needs of our campus community.
Need a break from the stress of the semester? Did you know we have a leisure reading collection in the library? Library staff select new titles monthly to provide high quality leisure reading materials. The Ruby Canton Collection is named in honor of a librarian who worked here when UCO was Central State Teachers’ College. You can see the last three months of titles purchased in the catalog or in the library next to the Information Desk. You can also see all of the titles selected for this collection and where they are currently located.
If you’ve been following this section of the Chat, you probably know by now that we don’t eat out very much in my family. Our three kids all have birthdays though between January and March. So once again we were eating out for a birthday. My youngest child celebrated their 23rd birthday this last weekend, and the two of us found a newly opened restaurant at May and Memorial in OKC – Doc Greens, a restaurant for salads, wraps, and paninis. We both had the Dr. Caribbean salad, full of romaine, crispy strawberries, pineapple, fresh cooked salmon, and a sesame dressing. They also have fountain Maine Root sodas, and their plates and silverware are compostable – a lovely plus! After that, we headed just down the street to Penn and Memorial to T-Swirl Crepe to celebrate with some sweets where we shared a Banana Chocolate crepe. It was a sweet end to a special day.
Have a great April, and we’ll chat again in May as we wrap up the semester!
Thanks,
Risa Jensen-Jones
Director of Research and User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
University of Central Oklahoma
(405) 974-5311
Dear Deans, Chairs, and Faculty Library Liaisons,
Daylight Savings Time is almost upon us and Spring Break is within sight! We have several workshops coming up after Spring Break.
The Carpentries project provides introductory training in data and analysis skills for research. UCO collaborates with Oklahoma State University to host workshops on a variety of topics each semester by certified instructors. Several instructors and helpers for the sessions are from the library. We have two more series of trainings coming up this spring. Workshops are free and open to everyone, regardless of experience level, but do require registration.
After Spring Break, we will be hosting our Citation Workshops. These upcoming sessions are in person and online at 10am and 5pm. Information is available on the Library Events - Workshops page.
I love replicating dinners that we normally eat out for! In February, my oldest son asked to go out for Italian for his birthday, and he rediscovered manicotti while we were out. We hadn’t made it at home before, so I did some searching and found this great manicotti recipe. I love this recipe because you fill the manicotti noodles while uncooked and let them cook in the sauce in the oven, so you don’t have to worry about filling floppy noodles. I increased the servings from 4 to 8 so we would have plenty of leftovers after serving 5 people. I doubt it’s quite as authentic as it could be, but it’s a very easy recipe to put together! What is your favorite take-out fake-out recipe?
Thanks,
Risa Jensen-Jones
Director of Research and User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
University of Central Oklahoma
(405) 974-5311
Dear Deans, Chairs, and Faculty Library Liaisons,
Happy February! We have a few exciting announcements this month.
ProQuest has enabled some AI features in all of their ProQuest Central databases as of February 4th.
Do you see a gap in the library’s collections? The Friends of Chambers Library supports growth in needed areas of the Library's collection by offering two grant opportunities. Two $1,000 grants will be awarded to the faculty members who submit the best proposals identifying a specific need or gap in the Library's collections. These funds will be used to purchase titles in the deficient areas. To participate, submit a one-page essay by Friday, February 21, 2025, describing a subject area need with a list of titles you would like to see purchased. Submissions should be sent to libdev@uco.edu.
Library instruction workshops that are open to everyone continue in February! These upcoming sessions are in person and online at 10am and 5pm. Information is available on the Library Events - Workshops page.
The Innovation Studio hosts an open house every month highlighting a different tool available. The next one will be February 19th 5-6pm. Bring your laptop and design a bookmark to be cut out on the Cricut! The Cricut is very popular right now as a DIY tool. They allow you to program in a design and then have it cut out on your preferred medium, such as cardstock, vinyl, sticker paper, and iron-on transfers.
With February comes that special time – Valentine’s Day! Whether you’re celebrating with a beloved, doing a GALentine’s Day, or just staying in on your own with your cat, there are lots of cookbook options to cook for two servings. You might also try out the Best Steak Marinade from Cooking Classy and Chef John’s Twice Baked Potatoes, both of which I have found adapt well from 4 servings to other multiples of 2.
Stay warm and dry this week!
Thanks,
Risa Jensen-Jones
Director of Research and User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
University of Central Oklahoma
(405) 974-5311
Dear Deans, Chairs, and Faculty Library Liaisons,
Welcome back from the break, and happy spring semester!
A couple of reminders:
Don’t have time to make it to the library? Library Express brings the library to your door or inbox! Just find what you want from Central Search and then fill out the form to have materials delivered to you. If you haven’t registered with ILLiad before, you’ll need to fill out your contact information the first time. We also pick up library items to be returned from your office. Deliveries are made each weekday after 2pm.
Stress Paws returns to the library on Thursday, January 30th at 3pm in a new location! Therapy dogs will be on the first floor to better accommodate the dogs and to be more visible to participants.
Library instruction workshops that are open to everyone begin next week! These upcoming sessions are in person and online at 10am and 5pm. Information is available on the Library Events page.
The deadline to submit collection materials orders to your liaison librarian is March 14th. Here’s what’s been ordered so far this fiscal year, and your budget balances are here.
Did you get a pressure cooker or an air fryer over the holidays? So far, we’ve tried tater tots, chicken fried steak, and hash browns in our air fryer (not the healthiest of choices, I know!). I’m looking forward to trying out air fryer salmon and sweet potato fries. I’m also enjoying the “I Love My Instant Pot” series of cookbooks available from the public library or Amazon. There’s one for soups and stews, which has been great for some of these cold days!
Thanks,
Risa Jensen-Jones
Director of Research and User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
University of Central Oklahoma
(405) 974-5311
Dear Deans, Chairs, and Faculty Library Liaisons,
The semester is coming to a close, but we still have plenty to offer at the library!
Looking for ways to keep up on what’s happening in higher education? We have a campus-wide license for The Chronicle of Higher Education. If you want to read from off campus, just sign up for a free account with your UCO email to take advantage of the site license. When you sign up for an account, you have the option to receive email digests on the news of the day.
It’s not too early to think about library instruction for the spring! We offer instruction sessions in your classroom, in the library classroom, via Zoom, or via Teams. Please enter a request for each class that you would like instruction for. The library classroom has a capacity of 45 students complete with student laptops so students can follow along with the librarian.
If you have new faculty joining the team for the spring semester or who just started this fall, let us know! We would love to meet the new people on your team and give them an overview of how the library can help them and their students.
The library is hosting a treadmill desk until Spring Break as part of a research project by student Julia Shawn and Dr. Kevin Fink. The treadmill is on the north side of the 2nd floor, next to the library instruction classroom. The remote can be checked out from the 1st floor Information Desk for 4 hours at a time. Users will need to complete a brief waiver form each time they check out the remote. Treadmill users can stretch their legs while getting work done!
With a winter full of feast days, it might be nice to settle in for a meal with smaller portions. There are several cookbooks on the market dedicated to cooking with a coffee mug and a microwave. One of my favorites is Meal in a Mug by Denise Smart. Try her Beef Cobbler and follow it up with a Toffee Banana Cake! You can find it on Amazon or at the Metropolitan Library System. You can also search “mug recipes” in your favorite eBook source or recipe website and find a new favorite way to cook!
Enjoy your winter break!
Thanks,
Risa Jensen-Jones
Director of Research and User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
University of Central Oklahoma
(405) 974-5311
Dear Deans, Chairs, and Faculty, Library Liaisons,
Greetings to you all! As Christine introduced me last time, my name is Risa Jensen-Jones, and I am the new Director of Research and User Engagement. I am so excited to get to know you all and share upcoming news. First up, a couple of notes:
You know that our fantastic Research and Learning Librarians help students with research, but did you know we can help you too? Each month I’ll highlight a way that the library can help faculty. Additionally, I am happy to attend department meetings to share more about how the library can support faculty. First up, research assistance! We provide assistance for faculty research. You can schedule one-on-one sessions with a librarian to review the best library resources on specialized topics. Both in-person and virtual appointments are available.
Do you have a surplus of books? Are you or a department faculty member looking at retiring? The library loves book donations! Library staff can pick up donations on campus or in the metro area. Any materials not added to the library collection will be sold at one of our book sales. All proceeds from the library book sales go to the Friends of Chambers Library to be used to support library services, events, and collections. Contact Jeff Musslewhite for more information about donations.
Lockdown Browser Chambers Library public computers all have licensed copies of the Respondus LockDown Browser pre-installed. This means students can log in to any of our public computers and access LockDown Browser to take their quizzes and tests. Students just need to click on the Launch LockDown Browser button from the D2L page. An option to download and install LockDown will also appear, but do not choose it as it is not necessary.
I hear it has been tradition to share great eateries in this newsletter. I happen to have a large family at home of three adult children, a pair of in-laws, and my spouse, so sharing cooking responsibilities at home is essential. If you’re looking for a good turkey recipe for the upcoming holidays, check out this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa. Our family loves this recipe. It’s easy to put together and comes out so juicy and tender. Double the recipe if you’re cooking a whole turkey. Other holiday favorites include Black Forest Pie and Candied Sweet Potatoes. Feel free to send me your favorite recipes as well!
Thanks,
Risa Jensen-Jones
Director of Research and User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
University of Central Oklahoma
(405) 974-5311
Dear Deans, Chairs, and Faculty Library Liaisons,
Happy Fall Break week! I hope you have something fun or relaxing planned for your extended weekend. A couple quick reminders before I get into the new stuff:
The Melton Zine Library has a new home at Chambers and they are ready for you to use! Zines are small, self-published magazines that cover everything from punk rock to commercial fishing. There’s definitely something for everyone, so come take a look or even check one out and take it home for a bit. Want to find out more? Look at our Zine Collection Guide or attend our Innovation Studio’s Zine open house on Oct. 23 from 5-6pm and learn how to make your own (some supplies provided, but feel free to bring your own, too!).
Toward the end of this month we will be opening our Art as Resistance exhibit on the first floor. This exhibit illustrates how art both highlights societal issues and functions as a mechanism of personal and collective resistance. Join us as Dr. Magnusson presents on this topic on Wednesday, October 30 from 3:30pm – 4:30pm. Refreshments will be provided, sponsored by the Friends of the Library group.
It’s that time of year when things can get stressful and frustrating. Why not come pet a dog? Stress Paws has returned to the library every Thursday from 3:00pm – 5:00pm. Feel free to come over and get a little stress relief!
Risa Jensen-Jones has come on board as our new Director of Research and User Engagement (DRUE). Risa earned her MLIS from OU in 2010 and has previous experience at Oklahoma City University and with the Metropolitan Public Library, where she spent the last six years as a regional director. If you would like to send her a note of welcome, you can reach her at rjensenjones@uco.edu. We are excited to have her as part of our library’s administrative team!
It has been fun chatting with you and I now leave you in the good hands of Risa for future Chambers Chats. I also leave you with one last dining recommendation – Joey’s Pizzeria in the Arts District at 700 W. Sheridan Ave in OKC. A friend took me here recently and I was so impressed with the freshness of the food, the atmosphere, and the customer service. It would be a great place to grab a bite before a show or a Thunder game. Buon appetito!
Best,
Christine
Christine Edwards
Interim Director of Research & Learning
Graduate Research Librarian
Performing Arts Liaison
Max Chambers Library
University of Central Oklahoma
(405) 974-5199
Dear Deans, Chairs, and Faculty Library Liaisons*,
Greetings from the Chambers Library! I hope your 2024-2025 school year has started well. We have seen many students in the library and there is an exciting buzz having them back on campus. Speaking of exciting, here are a few upcoming things to know about the library:
Chambers Library is hosting its annual lunch for deans, chairs, and faculty library liaisons on October 24. This is an opportunity for us to show how much we appreciate you, our faculty partners, and the work you do with the library. It is also a great chance to hear about new updates and information and to communicate with your librarian liaison. Plus…Ted’s! Who doesn’t want some fajitas for lunch?? I will send a formal invite in the next couple of weeks so you can get it on your calendar. We look forward to hosting you again!
The Research and Learning librarians have worked this summer to bring a new workshop to our list of offerings. The AI for Everyone workshop is Thursday, September 26 at 10:00 a.m. or 5:00 p.m. in the library instruction room 226, or join us via Zoom. We will discuss how AI tools work, their limitations, and how you can use them to supercharge your research workflow. This workshop is open to faculty, students, and staff.
Did you know that the library holds a book sale once a month in the basement? We do! In addition to books, there are CDs, DVDs, Video Games, and Vinyl. Better still, most items are only $1! The proceeds from these sales go toward our student contest prizes, library events, and even the faculty material grants in the spring. Our next sale is on September 23 from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. I hope to see you there!
If you are feeling peck-ish after reading this email, might I suggest you hop over to Panda Express on South Bryant Ave? The Max Chambers Friends of the Library are hosting a fundraiser today until 10:30 p.m. and 20% of the sales will go to our organization. Simply show them this flyer when you checkout and thank you for your support! Keep an eye out for more fundraiser opportunities, too (following us on social media is a great way to stay up to date!).
Looking forward to another great year! Roll ‘Chos!
(*I tried to update the list of deans, chairs, and liaisons, but I certainly could be mistaken after the long summer. If you believe you received this in error, please let me know!)
Best,
Christine
Christine Edwards
Interim Director of Research & Learning
Graduate Research Librarian
Performing Arts Liaison
Max Chambers Library
University of Central Oklahoma
(405) 974-5199
Dear Deans, Chairs, Faculty Librarian Liaisons, and other library friends,
Happy Valentine’s Day! Lee Anne has run off and started her new position on campus where I have no doubt she will be just as fabulous. I will therefore do my best to live up to your Chambers Chat expectations, so let’s dive right in:
The library is celebrating Black History Month with a first-floor exhibit highlighting Juneteenth. Tomorrow, February 15, at 3:00pm we will be hosting Phillip Tolbert, who created the display, to share the story of Juneteenth with our campus community. We hope you will be able to join us. Students who attend the event or view the exhibit can earn STLR credit for exposure to Global & Cultural Competencies by scanning a QR code by the display. The exhibit will be up until March 1.
Do you have a book, DVD, or other material suggestion for the library collection? Each area of study has a budget for ordering materials. Requests for purchases can be made through the library liaison program. Please contact the library liaison in your department to submit a request. Ordering deadlines for the current year are coming up before Spring Break, so get those requests in soon!
This month I would like to feature two databases in recognition of Black History Month: Black Life in America and Black Drama.
Black Life in America offers comprehensive coverage of African American experiences from the early 18th century to the present. The information contained within this database is sourced from over 19,000 news sources, including 400 current and historical Black publications.
Black Drama contains the full text of more than 1,700 plays written from the mid-1800s to the present. They represent over 200 playwrights from North America, Africa, the Caribbean, and other African diaspora countries. More than 40% of the collection is rare, out of print, or previously unpublished plays.
In honor of the day of love, I recommend the French-chef-owned Ganache Patisserie (13230 Pawnee Dr., OKC). The sandwiches or quiche are wonderful options, but what makes this place special is the pastries and other French desserts. These are not your average macarons, folks, and they have over a dozen flavors to choose from daily. They would also be a great place to pick up your next special occasion dessert – I had the Mousse Citric for my last birthday and it was merveilleux!
Please let me know if there’s anything more the library can do for you and your students!
Best,
Christine
Christine Edwards
Interim Director of Research & Learning
Graduate Research Librarian
Performing Arts Liaison
Max Chambers Library
University of Central Oklahoma
(405) 974-5199
Dear Deans, Chairs, Faculty Librarian Liaisons, and other library friends,
Welcome to the “Winter Break has come to an end” edition of the Chambers Chat! As you may have heard, I will be changing positions at UCO as of the end of this week, so future Chambers Chat emails will be sent by Christine Edwards, who will do an amazing job. I’ve really enjoyed working with many of you on library endeavors and look forward to working with you on curriculum and academic policy in the future. And now to the important stuff:
Disclaimer: I’ll do my very best to keep this section short and sweet, but the library offers lots (and lots) of plagiarism help, so it’s a little longer than my usual updates. First, to help students learn to use information ethically, our fabulous librarians have created an online plagiarism guide with a number of tools that can help prevent plagiarism. Second, if you’d like to request library instruction on plagiarism (or any other research topic) for your courses, librarians would be happy to visit your class virtually or in person to share those resources. Third, the Chambers Library will also offer workshops on plagiarism (in room 226 and virtually) at 10am and 3pm on both Jan. 31 and Mar. 5 as well as a workshop on basic information management tools on Jan. 30 (same times & places). Finally, the library now has an online plagiarism guide specifically for international students since definitions of plagiarism can vary across cultures.
Confused about copyright? On Wednesday, January 24 from 1-2 pm the Center for eLearning & Connected Environments will host a copyright webinar with Dr. Jennifer Barger-Johnson, UCO’s Copyright Compliance Officer, and your very own librarians Christine Edwards and Jennifer Flygare. Please sign up for the webinar if you’re interested in attending.
If you’re retiring, changing offices, or have been inspired to spring clean your office, please remember that the Chambers Library would be very happy to come pick up any books you’d like to donate. Book donations are tax deductible, and we can provide a list of titles donated for your tax records.
This month’s featured database is (cue ominous music): Opposing Viewpoints, a database of essays that provide overviews of topics of current interest. Each essay presents basic information and a list of “critical thinking questions” for topics varying from “Self-Driving Cars” to “Emotional Support Animals;” the material is particularly helpful to students (or anyone else) trying to understand both sides of an issue.
I had to give my last restaurant recommendation quite a bit of thought, but I’ve decided on one of my very favorite lunch spots: Cafe 501 (501 S Blvd, Edmond). Everything I’ve ever eaten there has been great, but my fave is probably the pan-seared salmon, which I may or may not have talked about for an entire week after I first had it. My family LOVES the flourless chocolate torte, and, yes, I do have the recipe because my then-seven-year-old son managed to charm it out of the chef (just FYI, it’s a lot of work, so I highly recommend letting Cafe 501 make it for you instead).
I hope that your first week of classes is going well!
Best,
Lee Anne
Lee Anne H. Paris, PhD
Director of Research & User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
E: lparis@uco.edu | O: 405-974-2880
Dear Deans, Chairs, Faculty Librarian Liaisons, and other library friends,
Welcome to the Dead Week edition of the Chambers Chat! I'm sure you don’t need another long email to read at this point in the semester, so, much like FDR, I will be sincere, be brief, and be done:
As you may recall from my November email, the Chambers Library offers extended hours the last two weeks of the semester for frantic students (and faculty) who are trying to get all the end-of-semester work done. The library opened this past Sunday afternoon (December 3) for 24-hour access and will not close again until Friday night at midnight. We will be open Saturday (December 9) from 10 am to midnight, and then 24-hour access will begin again on Sunday afternoon (December 10). All of these changes are documented on the library’s website for your viewing pleasure.
Book lovers, beware! The Chambers Library has added a new section of book sale shelves directly across from the Information Desk, so walking into the library may well result in an immediate book purchase. All proceeds from the sales go to the Friends of the Library (if you'd like to know more, you might want to take a look at their newsletter linked below).
The wonderful Chambers librarians have created a whole host of helpful videos, but many of the most recent additions provide specific directions for using the MLA and APA citation styles. You can find those videos (and more) on the Chambers Library Training channel of UCO On Demand, if you’d like to share the link with students or include the videos in D2L.
The featured database this month is UpToDate, a medical database used widely by doctors and medical professionals as they treat patients. It includes evidence based medical content on more than 10,500 clinical topics as well as access to 5,400 unique drug entries, a drug interaction tool, 28,000 graphics, and 160 commonly used medical calculators. I wouldn’t really recommend browsing UpToDate if you’re feeling hypochondriacal, but it is very handy if you need information about a specific disease, health condition, or drug. (NB: You do have to create an account to use it.)
And this month’s restaurant recommendation is... Pepperoni Grill, both the Edmond and OKC varieties. All of their food is tasty, but I have a hard time not ordering the grilled chicken risotto. The Parisi (I know, it’s a little pretentious, but it’s way more fun than Parises) have also been known to order an entire loaf of the bread (with melted Parmesan in the middle!) for each family member.
I hope that the hope of winter break can sustain you through the grind of grading, and that your break is both restful and productive.
Best,
Lee Anne
Lee Anne H. Paris, PhD
Director of Research & User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
E: lparis@uco.edu | O: 405-974-2880
Dear Deans, Chairs, Faculty Librarian Liaisons, and other library friends,
Happy Thursday and welcome to the “Is it summer, fall, or winter?” edition of Chambers Chat! I have a lot of information to share, so I’ll get right to it:
On Thursday, November 9 at 3 pm, Rachel Adams-Heard will discuss UCO's Drummond Collection and its significance for her award-winning podcast series In Trust about the transfer of wealth from Osage hands to White ones. Please join us either in person on the 1st floor of the library or virtually using the link found on the event page. If you have any questions, please feel free to email libdev@uco.edu.
As you may recall, the Chambers Library offers extended hours the last two weeks of the semester for frantic students (and faculty) who are trying to get all the end-of-semester work done. Beginning December 3, the library will be open 24 hours from Sunday afternoon to Friday night along with some extra hours on Saturday (please thank the amazing library staff who work those extra shifts if you happen to see them). Coffee, pizza, and other study fuel will be provided in the library at various times during those weeks. And should you happen to forget the specific times, the library’s hours can always be found on the library’s website.
The library will be offering three workshops on citation styles in November:
I apologize for the late notice, but I wanted to let you know that the Council for Online Learning Excellence (COLE) and the Online Consortium of Oklahoma (OCO) invite faculty, staff, and students to the 2023 Oklahoma OER Summit at 9am-3pm tomorrow (November 3). Attendees will hear of new funding opportunities for open educational resources (OER), discover faculty-led open textbook projects, and gain access to numerous resources provided to our colleges and universities at no cost. Virtual attendance is free, and you can register online if interested.
The UCO 21st Century Pedagogy Institute (21CPI) will host a lunch discussion event on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) in libraries from noon-1 pm on Monday, November 6, in the Center for Transformative Learning, Room 240. If you’re interested, please register online for the event.
This month’s featured database is A to Z World Culture - Country Profiles (link below), which provides a wealth of fascinating information about 175 countries. Topics are as varied as recipes, business culture, pollution levels, health care, and apartment rental costs, so you can learn how to conduct business in Peru, cook traditional foods in Nigeria, or build a budget for retiring to Italy (purely hypothetically, of course!).
Indian restaurants have come and gone in OKC and Edmond (RIP Ajanta), but my current favorite and this week’s recommendation is Mt. Everest (1169 E 2nd St, Edmond). My family loves the Chicken Tikka Masala and naan bread (plain AND garlic), but I always get the Palak Paneer (spinach and cheese) and Vegetable Korma (mixed vegetables in a creamy sauce). Perhaps even more importantly, one of the library’s Nepalese student employees recommends the MoMo (dumplings), although I’m told that the ones she makes are even better.
I hope you can find time to enjoy the warmer temperatures this weekend.
Best,
Lee Anne
Lee Anne H. Paris, PhD
Director of Research & User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
E: lparis@uco.edu | O: 405-974-2880
Dear Deans, Chairs, Faculty Librarian Liaisons, and other library friends,
Greetings and Salutations! I know the week before Fall Break is a little crazy, so let’s get right to it:
Interested in reducing textbook costs for your students? A panel with representation from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education as well as representatives of your very own Chambers Library will be discussing OER grants and how to get started with OER on Wednesday, October 4, on Zoom at 1:00-2:20 pm. And, as a gentle reminder, the Chambers Library has also created an online guide (linked below) to help you get started with using no/low cost course materials in your courses.
As those who wear dresses know all too well, the paucity of pocket parity is a pernicious and pervasive problem (sorry, my alliterating got a little out of control there). The Chambers Library would like to contribute to a solution by hosting a pocket party in the Innovation Studio on Tuesday, October 3 from 2:30-4:30. Participants will learn about the history of pockets and how modern pockets work and then have an opportunity to make their own historical pockets. Come join the pocket revolution!
As I mentioned in my last email, the Chambers Library will host the annual library lunch on October 19 for deans, chairs, library faculty liaisons, and other faculty who work with the Chambers Library. If you fall into one of those categories, you should have received an Outlook meeting invitation a couple of weeks ago (if not, please let me know). We would love for all of our library partners to join us for fajitas (we're ordering from Ted’s again) and some library updates and information.
Drumroll, please: in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, this month’s featured database is Hispanic Life in America (linked below), which provides comprehensive coverage of Hispanic American experiences from the early 18th century to present. The database contains material from over 17,000 publications, including 700 Spanish-language newspapers/periodicals (plus quite a few in Portuguese), and covers topics from telenovelas to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
And this month’s restaurant is Golden Phoenix (2728 N Classen Blvd, OKC), which serves dim sum (an extensive array of Chinese appetizers that you can select from carts that come by your table) every day for lunch. My kids have many dim sum favorites, but the wonton shrimp is probably at the top of the list. I should also mention that there is a regular menu that I hear is very tasty, but I’m afraid I don’t have any personal experience as our family feels strongly that Golden Phoenix = dim sum.
Full disclosure: I am currently out of the country (I composed and scheduled this email before I left), so please don’t be perturbed if you reply and get an out-of-office message. I solemnly promise that I will be back in time to eat fajitas at the library lunch. In the meantime, I hope you have a great week!
Best,
Lee Anne
Lee Anne H. Paris, PhD
Director of Research & User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
E: lparis@uco.edu | O: 405-974-2880
Dear Deans, Chairs, Faculty Librarian Liaisons, and other library friends,
Happy Brazilian Independence Day! Welcome to the Back in School edition of Chambers Chat -- we’ve got a lot to cover this month, so I’ll jump right in:
I am delighted to announce that the Chambers Library will once again host the annual library lunch on October 19 for deans, chairs, library faculty liaisons, and other faculty who work with the Chambers Library. We hold this lunch to show our appreciation to all our faculty partners for your work with the library (thank you, thank you!), and we also take the opportunity to share some updates and information. I will send an Outlook meeting invitation in a week or two, along with a reminder a week before the event, and we would love for all of you to come and eat lots of fajitas (yes, we're ordering from Ted’s again!).
Instructions for ordering library materials can be found via the Faculty Services page on the library’s website, or you are also welcome to reach out to the librarian responsible for your area. (If you don’t know who that is, the librarians for each area are listed on the library’s website or you can ask at libraryresearch@uco.edu.) Your librarian will work with you to make sure that your department’s funds for this semester are spent by the November 7 deadline.
As you may remember, I mentioned the library workshops on basic information management tools and plagiarism in August’s newsletter, so I wanted to be sure to let you know that we’ve got another in September: “Get Organized! Introduction to Reference Management” will be offered on Thursday, September 28, at 10am & 5pm in room 226 in the Chambers Library. Stay tuned to this channel to hear about workshops on misinformation, APA, MLA, and more in October and November!
The library’s Innovation Studio, a space to dream and create, will have an Open House on September 20 at 5-6 pm. Come tour the human body in virtual reality, use the Cricut to make stickers and magnets, watch the 3D printer at work, and explore the myriad of tools available to turn your idea into a real, live object. (NB: The use of the word “live” was hyperbole on my part; surprisingly few of the Innovation Studio projects have the same results as Dr. Frankenstein’s.)
And now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for: this month’s featured database is Underground & Independent Comics (linked below), which includes thousands of comics, many extremely rare and hard to find. The collection contains over 200,000 pages of original material accompanied by interviews, commentary, scholarly criticism, and other supporting materials, including the complete transcripts of the senate subcommittee hearings that created the Comics Code Authority. You can find answers to questions like “What were the political, cultural, and economic conditions that led to the rise of the superhero in US comics?” or you can just have fun browsing.
I thought hard and long before recommending a BBQ restaurant this month, but I decided to go ahead and hope that our relationship can survive any differences of opinion. So today’s restaurant is: Steve’s Rib (941 W I- 35 Frontage Rd, Edmond). The smoked turkey and BBQ sauce are lovely, but the real reason my family keeps going back are the cobblers (I’m looking at you, apple), which are simply the best.
NB#2: I did my best to update the Chambers Chat mailing list for the new academic year, but I’m confident that there are changes of which I am unaware. If you feel you received this email by mistake please feel free to contact me and I will edit as needed. Have a great weekend!
Best,
Lee Anne
Lee Anne H. Paris, PhD
Director of Research & User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
E: lparis@uco.edu | O: 405-974-2880
Dear Deans, Chairs, and Faculty Library Liaisons,
Welcome to the End of (what felt like a very short) Summer edition of Chambers Chat! I hope you had a wonderful summer break full of rest, renewal, and lots of ice cream. In case you’ve been desperately concerned that you didn't receive any library information/restaurant suggestions over the summer, please let me assuage your fears: the Chambers Chat only goes out monthly during the fall and spring semesters (August to May), so you haven’t missed anything, I promise. And now for a few tips that will hopefully be helpful as you’re preparing for the fall semester:
To help students learn to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively and ethically, our fantastic research librarians have created an online plagiarism guide that presents a plethora of practices to prevent plagiarism (yes, I’m apparently feeling alliterative today). Additionally, if you’d like to request library instruction on plagiarism or any other research topic for your courses, our librarians would be happy to visit your class virtually or in person to share those resources. The library is also offering two workshops in August: one on basic information management tools on Aug. 29 and another on avoiding plagiarism on Aug. 30. Both workshops will be offered in room 226 in the Chambers Library at 10am and 3pm.
As I mentioned last spring, open educational resources (also known as OER or open source materials) are materials for teaching or learning that are FREE to students (they are either in the public domain or have been released under a license that allows them to be freely used, changed, or shared with others). The Chambers Library has created an online guide to help you get started if you’re interested in using OER to reduce textbook costs for your students. And please don’t forget that you can also link to the Chambers Library’s digital books and articles (which are free to you and your students) in your D2L courses! As a quick reminder, multiple students can read an article at the same time, but most of the library’s ebooks only allow one reader at a time because we only own one “copy” (I know that doesn’t make sense, but publishers are frequently more interested in revenue than sense). If you need help using any of these resources, just call 405.974.3361 or email libraryresearch@uco.edu.
This month I thought I’d do a double feature recommendation of a database + a restaurant, so here goes: Dissertations & Theses Global (see link below) provides a comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses that includes citations to dissertations and theses written in over 80 countries from 1637 (let me repeat, 1637) to the present day. The database includes more than 5 million citations and 3 million full text works from thousands of universities, with most of the works created after 1996 being full text. You can follow my example and search for your own dissertation or thesis, but it’s also a great resource for comprehensive literature reviews and citation mining.
You probably don’t want to get out in the heat (or ask a delivery person to get out, either), but this month’s restaurant for when you leave the house again is La Baguette (7408 N May Ave, OKC). The pecan-crusted baked Brie and the chicken mushroom crêpes are délicieux, but the fabulous desserts are the real attraction – the chocolate mice were always a huge hit with my kids.
NB: While I did my best to update the Chambers Chat mailing list for the new academic year, I’m absolutely positive that there are changes of which I am unaware, so please feel free to send me a sternly worded email if you feel you received this email in error so that I can edit as needed.
Stay safe and cool!
Best,
Lee Anne
Lee Anne H. Paris, PhD
Director of Research & User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
E: lparis@uco.edu | O: 405-974-2880
Dear Deans, Chairs, and Faculty Library Liaisons,
Welcome to the Star Wars Day edition of Chambers Chat! Today we're diving into library resources for D2L, interlibrary loan logins, book donations, and library research help:
One of our outstanding research librarians, Jean Longo, has worked with CeCE to develop an APA Style Tutorial for D2L including videos and more that can be easily uploaded into your D2L courses. Thanks to the very helpful Nick Poss from CeCE, that tutorial is now available as a zipped D2L Brightspace Package file (please click here for video instructions on uploading the file into D2L). Stay tuned to this channel for future D2L tutorials that could be helpful in your courses, and please don’t forget that you can also embed a librarian in your D2L courses (instructions are attached below) to provide your students with direct access to research help. (Our thanks to all the faculty who are already using embedded librarians!).
In order to make it easier for you to use our interlibrary loan (ILL) services (and also to comply with new federal rules), we are moving to a system where you can use your UCO username and password to login to the ILL system instead of having to use a different username and password. Before we make that change on May 15, though, we wanted to let you know that if your current ILL login does not use your UCO username, you might be asked to create a new account using your uco.edu information. Please rest assured that if that happens, we will merge your new account with your old one so that you will have ALL the information about what you've ordered through ILL in the past. On top of that, we’ll even deliver your library materials to your office for free if you can say “interlibrary loan login” three times really fast (yes, we already deliver materials for free to faculty and staff, but feel free to try anyway).
If you’re retiring, changing offices, or have been inspired to spring clean your office, please remember that the Chambers Library would be very happy to come pick up any books you’d like to donate (we’ll even bring boxes and pack them for you). Book donations are tax deductible, and we can provide a list of titles donated for your tax records.
To help students develop the skills they need to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively and ethically, our research librarians visit classes at the instructor’s invitation to show students how to search for and evaluate articles, books and more. The librarians also create online research guides for selected classes as well as for more general topics (for examples, see the guides for Psychology; Educational Sciences, Foundations, & Research 5013; English 1213; and Plagiarism). If you’d like to request library instruction or an online research guide (or both) for your summer or fall classes, our librarians would be happy to tailor the information presented to your course or a specific assignment.
Having grown up in Brazil, I was going to recommend Café do Brasil this week, but I very much regret to inform you that it closed its doors last Friday (please excuse me while I mourn briefly). Instead, I’m going to go with Hunnybunny Biscuit Co. in OKC and Edmond. Their biscuit sandwiches and chicken pot pie are pretty great, and their French toast biscuit and/or definitely-non-store-bought jams (with or without a biscuit) are lovely for dessert (or really any time at all).
May the Fourth be with you!
Best,
Lee Anne
Lee Anne H. Paris, PhD
Director of Research & User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
E: lparis@uco.edu | O: 405-974-2880
Dear Deans, Chairs, and Faculty Library Liaisons,
Happy Thursday! Welcome to the April (but not April Fools’) edition of Chambers Chat, where we'll be talking about finding preprints and avoiding predatory journals. Without further ado, here we go:
Web of Science™ recently launched the Preprint Citation Index™, a multidisciplinary collection of preprints from leading repositories that helps faculty stay current on research in their field (there’s more info on Preprint here if you’re interested). To access this database, you can use the link above or you can also:
If you have difficulties finding or using the Preprint database (or have any other library-type questions, really), please feel free to
Cabells (a reliable source for identifying predatory journals) is offering tutorial sessions on distinguishing between legitimate and predatory journals via Zoom during the week of April 24th.
Again, if you have any difficulties registering, please contact the library using the information listed above. If you can't attend the sessions, our amazing research librarians would also be happy to help identify predatory journals.
Some of you enjoyed the restaurant recommendation from the last email, so here’s one more for those who might be interested: Tamashii Ramen, both the Edmond and OKC versions. The Miso Butter Corn Ramen with added egg is my absolute fave, but the Garlic Fried Rice is also very tasty.
As always, if you feel that you received this email in error or if there’s someone you’d like me to add to my mailing list, please let me know. I hope your weekend is full of rest and chocolate (or whatever your favorite treat happens to be).
Best,
Lee Anne
Lee Anne H. Paris, PhD
Director of Research & User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
E: lparis@uco.edu | O: 405-974-2880
Dear Deans, Chairs, and Faculty Library Liaisons,
Greetings from the Chambers Library! I’ve been trying to give you a bit of a break since all the emails I sent you last fall about fajitas (and a few library things), but I did want to share a couple of grant opportunities for you and your faculty.
The Oklahoma State Regents' Online Consortium is offering a $50 grant to anyone who completes their free OER 101 training. Open educational resources (also known as OER or open-source materials) are materials for teaching or learning that are FREE to students (they are either in the public domain or have been released under a license that allows them to be freely used, changed, or shared with others). Please see the attached flyer for more information.
Faculty teaching at UCO are eligible to apply for $500-2500 in grant funding to support the adoption and/or development of no-cost textbook projects (please see the attached flyer for more information). In addition to the training mentioned above, the Chambers Library has created an online OER guide to help you get started if you’re interested in reducing textbook costs for your students.
And don’t forget that you can link to the Chambers Library’s digital books and articles, which are also FREE to you and your students! Please remember that books and articles work a little differently: multiple students can read an article at the same time, but some of the library’s eBooks only allow one reader at a time because we only own one “copy” (yes, I know that doesn’t make much sense with eBooks, but so far the publishers don’t care). If you need help using OER or the library’s digital resources, please feel free to email libraryresearch@uco.edu and our fabulous research librarians would be happy to work with you to find options.
As I close, I feel like I need to mention food somehow since it was such a constant theme in my emails last fall, so here's a restaurant recommendation for the weekend: Cous Cous Café (6165 N May Ave, OKC). The vegetable tagine is amazing, and the lamb tagine is life-changing.
As always, if you feel that you received this email in error, please let me know and I will do my best to reroute it to the right person. I hope you have a great weekend!
Best,
Lee Anne
Lee Anne H. Paris, PhD
Director of Research & User Engagement
Max Chambers Library
E: lparis@uco.edu | O: 405-974-2880
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