Raynor Memorial Libraries Staff News
Fall 2006 — Transitions: Pat Berken, formerly co-cordinator of conference services, assumed new duties in collection development and management of the Dean's Office reception. David Frymark, circulation supervisor in Science and Raynor Libraries since 1982, has been named acting coordinator of Access Services, following the February retirement of Tom Holberg. Anthony (Tony) Bonta has been named part-time supervisor in access services. Mike Martin has been named coordinator of conference services following the resignation of Casey Timm; Mike rejoined the library staff after six years as an ITS consultant; he previously held library positions in Serials, Systems, and the Science Library. Casey graduated from MU in May and is now teaching social studies in a Milwaukee charter school. Barb Westfahl, processing technician in Bibliographic Control since 1986, retired in March.
In Memoriam: Staff were saddened by news of Dave Farley’s unexpected August death following heart surgery. Dave was assistant director for administration from 1971 until his retirement in 1995.
Volunteers in Service: Special Collections has been the beneficiary of a generous donation of time by two volunteers. Erin Passehl, graduate student in the archives and records management specialization at the University of Michigan’s School of Information, worked over the summer to prepare the first installment of the Libraries’ next digital collection, “Women in Blue and Gold.” Erin prepared 400 images documenting women’s sports at Marquette since the passage of Title IX; the new digital exhibit will debut mid-October as part of the University’s 125th anniversary celebration and as part of Wisconsin Archives Week. Andrew Blahnik, who received one of UW-Milwaukee’s first bachelor’s degrees in information science in 2005, volunteered during spring 2006, converting Marquette basketball films to DVD format. Both projects are supported in part by grants from the M Club.
The Libraries’ Intern program allows professional work experience and mentoring for UW-Milwaukee students in the graduate School of Information Science. 2006-07 interns are: Katie Blank, whose internship in Special Collections will entail processing 100,000+ photographs from the Holy Rosary Mission; Raina Bloom’s internship in Research & Outreach Services will emphasize working at the Information Desk and conducting training sessions for students; Joshua Hickman (MU B.A., psychology) will intern in Serials, cataloging serials held in Special Collections and assisting with the implementation of license records in the new electronic resource management system; Herb Morgan’s internship in Bibliographic Control will include cataloging books, sound recordings, videos, and electronic resources.
2005-06 interns with recent professional appointments include: Virginia Heidenreich, who interned in Special Collections, is now curator of the Southeast Museum of Photography in Daytona; Ka Ying Hui, 04-05 intern, worked during the first half of 2006 in Raynor as a temporary science reference librarian and will be greatly missed since her return home following the expiration of her Immigration employment authorization; Mark Lenker (MU Ph.D., philosophy) interned in Research & Outreach Services, is now assistant librarian for reference & instruction at Longwood University in Farmville, VA; and Tiffany Wait, who interned with the outreach librarian, is now youth services librarian at Shorewood Public Library.
Supporting Al’s Run and Children’s Hospital: staff and student employees of Raynor Memorial Libraries collaborated in mid-August to hold a fundraising luncheon buffet that netted $332 for Val Murrenus’ Al’s run team. The lunch, organized by Mary Frenn, Molly Larkin, Vicki Meinecke, and Susan Stawicki-Vrobel, was held in the Brew @ the Bridge with 100% of the gourmet spread contributed by staff. Val, who is currently a doctoral student in English, formerly worked as a research assistant in the Libraries’ Funding Information Center.
Supporting Literacy Efforts: Library staff recently delivered a vanload of used books to Literacy Services of Wisconsin (LSW). Over 1,600 hardcover and paperback books in all genres and for all reading levels (40 boxes!) were collected from library staff and library users over the past year and will be used to support LSW initiatives. Some of the contribution included books donated to the Libraries, but found not suitable for adding to the collection.
Conquering New Heights: the Libraries’ Sir Edmund Hillary Award goes to Julie O’Keeffe, coordinator of outreach services. Julie’s summer adventure took her to Tanzania, where she braved wind, thin air, and sub-freezing temperatures when she climbed 19,340-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro.
