Children of the Daasanach people, like all the tribes in Ethiopia, want your empty water bottles as they serve as an easy method to carry small amounts of drinking water. Water is in short supply in this part of the world. The tribal people drink and bathe from rain puddles, and so do their livestock. I will think about this every time I let water run in a sink.

– Leighton Gleicher, Average Joe Photo Show 2013

Leighton Gleicher’s observation accompanies her image of two smiling Ethiopian children, plastic water bottle in hand, posted above a display showcasing dozens of empty water bottles in the Average Joe Photo Show now on view in the Homer Babbidge Library’s Norman Stevens Gallery.  The show, which includes 234 eclectic images taken with cell phone or mobile device by professional and amateur photographers from this country and well beyond, all feature water and the human figure and were the result of an online appeal issued by two friends, one an accomplished artist and gallery owner, Lori Warner, the other an art historian, Rebecca Steiner, both from Lyme, Connecticut.  In devising the project, the two sought to examine the increasingly important role technology plays in our daily lives and to consider our use of water, something we simply cannot live without.

The project also includes a philanthropic twist:  a portion of all proceeds from photo sales benefits water.org, an organization providing access to safe water and sanitation to people in Africa, South Asia, and Central America.

“Working on this project I have been continually struck by how much we take for granted – and what is so easily accessible to us — in the developed world,” observed Rebecca Steiner. “Yet for so many people in other countries or walks of life, both ever-present technology and natural elements (like water) are true luxuries. Given how organically the “Average Joe Photo Show” evolved out of an intersection between seemingly contrasting components, perhaps this project will inspire people to see connections in our greater shared global community they might not otherwise have imagined.”

Lori Warner, left, and Rebecca Steiner, right, before their Average Joe Photo Show in Babbidge Library.

The Average Joe Photo Show is now on view in the Norman Stevens Gallery in Homer Babbidge Library through October 24.   A public reception will take place on Thursday, Aug. 28, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

For more information about the project or to submit a photograph, please see the website www.averagejoe photoshow.com.

In addition to the photography exhibit, the Libraries is featuring “Modeling the Art and Engineering of Roman Aqueducts with Legos™,” a series of aqueducts constructed of Legos™ by UConn Professor of Geology Gary Robbins.

To provide water to crowded cities throughout the ancient Roman world, the Romans built some 600 aqueducts. Not only were the aqueducts marvels of engineering and hydraulics but also wondrous works of architecture and art. Robbins’ original Lego™ models on display exemplify some of the diversity in design of these marvels and demonstrate both how the aqueducts worked and why their ruins still evoke a sense of awe.

For more information on both shows, please visit:  http://lib.uconn.edu/about/exhibits/.

Scott Martin from the University of Michigan and Lauren Olewnik from Castleton State College listen to Clinton Morse’s description of a plant in the greenhouse.

The South African “Bug Plant, Fly Bush,” is a carnivore…of sorts.  Unlike the better-known carnivorous Venus Fly Trap that closes on its prey and digests the insects who are unlucky enough to land on them, this plant has sticky hairs that trap insects, but doesn’t eat  them because it lacks the enzymatic activity needed to digest them.  Enter the aptly named assassin bug, Pameridea marlothi, with whom it enjoys a symbiotic relationship.  The assassin bug moves freely about the plant – unhindered by the sticky hairs – and happily eats the trapped insects.

This was just one of the observations shared by Clinton Morse, the manager of growth operations for Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, who led a group of science librarians through UConn’s nationally known greenhouses as part of “New England Science Boot Camp.”   The camp, a two-and-a-half-day educational event was hosted by UConn from June 11-13, and drew 67 participants from New England and well beyond.  In addition to the tour of the greenhouses, faculty from UConn and other universities in the northeast, provided overviews and information on the latest research on the event’s featured topics: computer science, evolution, and pharmaceutical science.

One of the librarians in attendance, Scott Martin, the Bioscience Librarian at the University of Michigan has an undergraduate degree in biology and a Master’s degree in Genetics, thoroughly enjoyed the greenhouse tour and exposure to the diversity of living plants.  “Although Michigan has an arboretum and botanical garden, I support the research in the herbarium, which has preserved and dried specimens.  Seeing them here has been a real treat!”

Among the many plants Morse pointed out to the group included:  tea  (camellia sinensis “the world’s most important caffeine beverage” whose many varieties — white, green, oolong & black – derive from this species but are processed differently after harvest; stevia, Stevia rebaudiana, a plant whose leaves are used as a sweetener and said to be hundreds of times sweeter than sugar;  Egyptian cotton, Gossypium barbadense, which is actually native to Peru, and whose fruit contains seeds covered with cotton fibers.

In addition to this biodiversity tour of the public collections, Morse led some of the librarians on a tour of the research facility not open to the public.

Aside from learning about the latest developments in various scientific fields, participants discussed use of library resources, research information needs, data management practices, and suggested new ways in which librarians can support their research communities.

Hosted each summer on a different New England campus, the casual ambience of Science Boot Camp promotes learning and camaraderie among librarians from New England and beyond.

According to Carolyn Mills, the Libraries’ Biology, Agriculture & Natural Resources Librarian and prime organizer of the event: “Science Boot Camp is held each year to give science librarians access to science topics from the viewpoint of researchers, and also to meet and network with other science librarians while having as much fun as possible.  Boot camp at UConn was a big hit this year. The campers really enjoyed the friendly welcoming campus, the greenhouses, and the researchers they met!  It made me proud to work at UConn.”

Those interested in learning more may view the presentations online, which are expected to be available sometime in July, at the New England eScience Portal:  http://esciencelibrary.umassmed.edu/

Since about 2010, the electronic book, or ebook, has rapidly increased its market share in the publishing business, and in 2013 it accounted for 27 percent of adult trade-book sales. Academic audiences have been somewhat slower to adopt this format, but as the general market for ebooks has begun to plateau, the academic market has been picking up. Now – and probably not coincidentally – academic libraries find themselves facing sharply increased pricing for commercially published electronic books.

Like many library consortia, the Boston Library Consortium offers an ebook program to its members. Nine of the BLC libraries – Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Northeastern University, Tufts University, University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts at Boston, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, and University of New Hampshire – participate in the program, which includes commercial publishers such as Wiley and Taylor & Francis, as well as a number of university presses. In the BLC program, publishers charge libraries for ebooks based on a model that combines payment for short-term use of a title by a student or researcher with the purchase of the title after a few short-term uses. In this way, libraries pay full price for an ebook that meets the needs of multiple readers, and pay a fractional price for ebooks that are of use to only one or two people. This month the BLC was surprised to learn that a number of the publishers in this program planned immediate, significant, and unexplained increases in price. Even worse, the new pricing goes into effect at a time when library budgets are already committed for the 2015 fiscal year.

These newly announced price increases, amounting to several hundred percent in some cases, are levied on short-term uses, and this regressive pricing model is being adopted by the publishers whose ebooks are already among the most expensive in the scholarly market. More reasonable library pricing – both for outright purchase and for short-term use – is being offered by other publishers and we are pleased to see many (though not all) university presses in this latter category.

The BLC recognizes that the scholarly ebook market is a developing one and that publishers need to ensure that they have a sustainable revenue stream as they invest in evolving digital technologies. However, this move looks like an experiment in predatory pricing, designed to make the most of rising demand, but without justification in terms of either production cost or use value. Academic libraries and the universities they serve have already seen the results of this kind of experiment, in the pricing of scientific journals, which sky-rocketed as publishers transitioned from print to electronic delivery. And although electronic publications have some new costs not attached to print, it is abundantly clear that a small number of commercial publishers, who control over 40 percent of the scientific journals, have reaped major profits in this transition. Price inflation in scientific journals (which has been four times the general rate of inflation since 1986) has taken a major toll on academic-library budgets for books, including ebooks. This shift in resource allocation is not discipline-neutral, either: science and technical disciplines publish primarily in the form of the journal article, but the book remains central to the humanities and the social sciences. These new ebook price increases (by some of the same publishers who have hiked the price of science journals) are unjustified and therefore ethically unacceptable, and they are economically insupportable.

Consequently, the BLC will lower the price ceiling below which individual titles are eligible to be included in our ebook program, we will reduce the availability of back-list titles at high price points, and we will increase the portion of our consortial budget that is allocated to those publishers whose pricing remains reasonable. In this way, we mean to reward what we regard as fair dealing, as we attempt to limit the budget impact of what appears plainly to be price-gouging.

We have no choice but to take action. The acquisitions budgets of academic libraries do not increase at four times the rate of inflation each year, nor are universities scaling back the teaching and research programs their libraries are called upon to support. As a library consortium focused both on purchasing partnerships and pragmatic advocacy for research libraries, the Boston Library Consortium believes it must call out these escalating ebook prices as being inimical to access and contrary to fairness. We’ve seen it before, and we should not stand for it again.

We encourage campus leaders to support their libraries in this and other efforts to control costs, and we ask faculty to keep affordability in mind when next considering where to publish. Finally, we thank those publishers, primarily university presses, who make ongoing efforts to offer high quality ebooks at affordable prices.

Susan Stearns
Executive Director
Boston Library Consortium
Boston

John Unsworth
President Elect, Boston Library Consortium
Vice Provost for Library and Technology Services
Chief Information Officer
University Librarian
Brandeis University
Waltham, Mass.

Originally published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 27, 2014

The UConn Libraries and the UConn Co-op Bookstore at Storrs Center welcomed Norman H. Finkelstein to campus last night for a talk about his new book Schools of Hope: How Julius Rosenwald Helped Change African American Education. After listening to the story of Rosenwald, it is clear to me why Norman was so compelled to write the story. Julius Rosenwald is relatively unknown in name before you hear that he was the man responsible for the early 20th century success of the Sears, Roebuck Co. But what may be even more surprising and arguably more impressive was his commitment to improving education for African Americans at a time when discrimination was a way of life.

Northeast Children’s Literature Curator Terri Goldich with Norman H. Finkelstein. Photo credit Suzy Staubach, UConn Co-op

Finkelstein educated the audience on the type of person that Rosenwald was and the friendship between himself and Booker T. Washington that changed history. Washington, the famed African American educator, asked Julius Rosenwald to help him build “well-designed and fully equipped” schools for black children. The result was a clearly defined road map of building specifications, including details like what became the trademark large windows to utilize daylight, and the necessary financial support through a foundation with a philosophy that engaged that same community in the fundraising efforts. Over the 20 year period more than 5,300 schools attended by 600,000 black students were built. Many are still standing around the country today thanks to a movement to preserve these sites.

The book, available at the UConn Co-op is a fact-filled publication for young adult readers. It is bursting with amazing images, quotes and a detailed bibliography that helps tell the story of this unique alliance and how it changed the course of educating African American students in the early 20th century.

Photo credit Suzy Staubach, UConn Co-op

Norman Finkelstein is no stranger to children’s books or the UConn Libraries. Recently retired as a public school librarian, Finkelstein is the author of eighteen nonfiction books for adults and young readers. Two of his titles, Heeding the Call and Forged in Freedom won the National Jewish Book Award. His biography of Edward R. Murrow, With Heroic Truth, received the Golden Kite Honor Award for Nonfiction. His archival collection including manuscripts, proofs and other editorial materials are a resource offered as part of the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection. His donation yesterday will allow for us to include the materials created during the 4+ year process of creating Schools of Hope.

These types of events are always fun for us. It allows us to connect with our donors and learn more about the stories that are important to them. Yesterday also gave us the chance to check out the new UConn Co-op in Storrs Center. If you haven’t had a chance to visit them yet, please do. And while you’re at it, pick up a copy of Schools of Hope. We promise you won’t regret it.

The mission of the University of Connecticut Libraries’ includes the desire to “provide our users with access to intellectual content that fulfills their academic and research needs.” But what happens when that intellectual content is protected by copyright? The complicated issues surrounding copyright and fair use are a reality in today’s academic environment.

On April 16th we welcome Peter Hirtle, Senior Policy Advisor to the Cornell University Library to talk about the challenges of copyright, specifically how we manage the risks associated with it. Hirtle is an archivist by training and specializes in intellectual property issues. In addition to his role at Cornell, he is also currently a Research Fellow in the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and a contributing author to the LibraryLaw.com blog. He has written and spoken widely on this topic, including a paper in 2012 with the title of his lecture “Learning to Live with Risk”, works on the complications of the public domain and the challenges of copyright when digitizing archives & special collections.

The public is invited to attend the lecture, which is scheduled for

Wednesday, April 16th
10:00-11:30am
Class of ’47 Meeting Room
Homer Babbidge Library
University of Connecticut, Storrs

Please RSVP to library@lib.uconn.edu by April 11.

A flyer is available (pdf version) here

The UConn Libraries will host three distinctly different art exhibits this spring:  contemporary Aboriginal artwork from Australia;  fine wood sculpture focusing on social issues, and  punk art, music, and songs from the 1980s,  now  through June 27.

The opening reception will take place on Thursday, March 13 from 4-6 p.m. and feature live music by “Blues  Beyond  Borders,” a musical ensemble of members of the UConn community. Members include:  Harry A. Frank, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Chemistry on bass; Lewis Gordon, Professor of Philosophy and African American Studies on drums; Harvey A. Swadlow, Professor of Psychology, vocals and harmonica;  Mark Overmyer-Velázquez, Associate Professor of History & Director, Institute of Latina/o, Caribbean and Latin American Studies on piano; and Cyrus Ernesto Zirakzadeh, Professor of Political Science on guitar.  Refreshments will be served.  The public is cordially invited to attend this free event.

“Utopia Lives:  Symbolic Aboriginal Art from Australia,” is art based on important ancient stories (Jukurrpa) and symbols centered on ‘the Dreamtime’ – the period in which Indigenous people believe the world was created.  These large and bold works by four contemporary Indigenous artists are from the collection of David Glenn, a UConn Ph.D. candidate in Public Health.

Sculptor John Magnan’s installation, “Strangers in Class:  Gazing Across the Economic Divide,” features unique wooden sculptures which depict contemporary economic struggles.  “These works touch on blue-collar economic struggle, the digital divide, abject poverty and other issues, and the refinement of the work makes it resonate far beyond finger wagging,” says the Standard Times of New Bedford, MA.  Magnan, who holds an M.F.A. from the University of Massachusetts, lives and works in the National Park Waterfront Historic District of New Bedford.

“Out of the Frame: Alternative Arts of the 1980s Poets, Punk Rock and the Printed Book,” draws upon materials from UConn’s Archives & Special Collections and highlights works including:  the “Dial-a-Poem” movement, in which callers could listen for free to a variety of poems on social issues, cyberpunk writers, punk rock music and memorabilia and recordings documenting punk rock music and offset printed artists’ books of the period. The exhibit ends May 11.

For more information, please visit:  http://lib.uconn.edu/about/exhibits/.