NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 26 number 1 - Fall 2005

New NCSU Libraries Personnel

Rob Rucker

Effective June 1, 2005, the NCSU Libraries’ Distance Learning Services Department merged with Research and Information Services (RIS) to create an expanded department that provides a full range of services to on-site and off-site users, including reference and instruction; patent, trademark, and government information; spatial and numeric data services; and assistive technologies support. Rob Rucker, formerly head of Distance Learning Services, became head of the new RIS at that time.

Rucker provides leadership within the expanded department to develop innovative technologies for teaching, learning, and information services, including general and subject-oriented interactive tutorials, virtual reference and collaborative tools, and Web-based search technologies. A new learning commons area in the D. H. Hill Library, which will be completed late in 2006, will offer students a well-equipped space for individual and group study where consultation and assistance will be available for research and technical questions.

One of the key lessons offered by the former Distance Learning Services program has been that resources and services that proved useful for students across the state are also useful for those across campus. Closer integration of distance learning specialists with other subject specialists and instruction librarians will enable a rich cross-fertilization of ideas and the ability to capitalize quickly upon successful initiatives.

Rucker served with skill and imagination as head of Distance Learning Services since 1999. He joined the NCSU Libraries as the librarian for Interlibrary and Document Delivery Services in 1998. Before that, he worked six years as a reference librarian at the New York Public Research Library. Rucker holds an M.L.S. from Columbia University and a B.A. in history and economics from the University of Washington.

Rob Farrell

Rob Farrell became the geospatial initiatives librarian in the NCSU Libraries’ Digital Library Initiatives Department on May 17, 2005. The Libraries has been a leader in geospatial services for more than a decade. Its partnership with the Library of Congress National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) is providing new opportunities for growth in this area. Farrell, who has outstanding experience and academic credentials, works closely with data services librarians to develop geospatial information services, including new tools for access and discovery.

Farrell came to the NCSU Libraries from his position as GIS programmer analyst for the Mecklenburg County Health Department. While completing coursework toward the doctorate in geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara, he taught geography and developed a Web-assisted project to enable students to apply “real world” data to textbook material. He has held progressively responsible positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers, L.L.P., as a senior analyst and a transportation system implementation team leader. He has extensive experience with GIS and statistical applications, programming, and a variety of project management experience.

Farrell holds an M.A. in geography with a concentration in location analysis and urban studies from UNC-Charlotte and an M.B.A. with a concentration in logistics and transportation from the University of Tennessee. He graduated with a B.S. in statistics from NC State. He has completed coursework toward the doctorate in geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Glen Wiley

Glen Wiley joined the NCSU Libraries’ Cataloging Department on March 7, 2005, as its serials and electronic resources librarian. He carries out original and complex copy cataloging, including description and subject analysis of print and electronic materials that are both serial and monographic in nature. He also participates in building and maintaining name and subject authority files.

 During his graduate studies, Wiley worked as an instructional programs intern and as a library technician and visual resources cataloger for the Syracuse University Libraries. As an intern, he redesigned the library’s online virtual tour, aided in instructional literacy sessions, and conducted a needs assessment to improve future instructional sessions. Wiley also performed original cataloging, researched and created digital image project specifications for the slide collection, and provided reference desk assistance.

Wiley graduated with an M.S.L.I.S. from Syracuse University, with an emphasis in art and architecture librarianship. He received a B.F.A. cum laude, with a specialization in the history of art, from Syracuse University.

Josh Wilson

Josh Wilson joined the NCSU Libraries as reference librarian for physical and mathematical sciences on July 11, 2005. He provides general information and research service at the reference desk and via electronic mail and virtual reference services. Wilson works closely with faculty and students of the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences to plan information services. He conducts classes and seminars and develops instructional materials and guides. As a member of the physical and engineering sciences subject team, he participates in collection management for those disciplines.

Wilson graduated in May 2005 with an M.S.I., with a specialization in library and information services, from the University of Michigan School of Information. He holds a B.A. in physics and astronomy, with honors, and minors in computer science and mathematics from the University of Montana. At Michigan, Wilson entered the University Library Associates program, which prepares graduate students for positions in academic and research libraries. He also served as instructor and outreach assistant for the university’s Shapiro Science Library.

Michelle Hayslett

Michele Hayslett became data services librarian in Research and Information Services at the NCSU Libraries on March 16, 2005. She develops and delivers spatial and numeric data resources and services and consults with faculty and students to analyze data needs and deliver data in appropriate formats.

Working closely with library colleagues, Hayslett collects and develops metadata for data collections; provides instructional sessions; and develops Web-based tutorials, data documentation, and research resources. She trains library staff in the use of data resources to cultivate excellent reference service and participates in outreach and collaboration with state and local government agencies.

Previously, Hayslett held progressively responsible positions in the State Library of North Carolina as an information specialist and demographics specialist. She provided demographic and general reference service, developed and provided database training, wrote funding proposals, and maintained pages within the State Library’s Web site. She also completed the North Carolina Master Trainer program.

Hayslett received an M.L.S. from UNC-Chapel Hill. She graduated with honors from Earlham College with a B.A. in women’s studies. She interned with Aspen Systems Corporation and with the reference department at Duke University during her graduate studies.

Linda Sellars

Linda Sellars became head of technical services for the NCSU Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center on September 12, 2005. Sellars manages all activities relating to the center’s processing of manuscript, archival, and rare book collections, and she supervises processing staff. Sellars serves as the center’s expert on Encoded Archival Description (EAD), while evaluating emerging metadata standards for use in the context of special collections.

Sellars spent much of the last eighteen years in several positions with the Manuscripts Department at the UNC-Chapel Hill library. Most recently, she served as senior manuscripts processing librarian, supervising the arrangement and description of manuscript collections, creation and encoding of finding aids according to the EAD standard, and training others in its use. She also worked in the Southern Oral History Program and the Southern Folklife Collection. Previously, Sellars held several positions in UNC’s Academic Affairs Library, including project archivist, processing archivist, and reference assistant. She also served as visiting instructor in the NCSU history department and as teaching assistant in the history department at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Sellars holds an M.A. in United States history from UNC-Chapel Hill, where she also completed coursework for a Ph.D. in United States history. She earned a B.A. in history cum laude from Duke University. She is a member of several professional organizations and has made numerous presentations and published several articles.

Amy Rudersdorf

Amy Rudersdorf became the digital technologies librarian for the NCSU Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) on October 6, 2005. In this new position, she will be a key contributor in providing leadership for its digital initiatives, creating and delivering digital materials, and making primary resources accessible to researchers. She is an expert on new technologies and developments in digital applications and manages the identifying of priority collections for digitization.

Rudersdorf formerly served as acting cohead of the Digital Content Group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) Libraries’ Digital Collections Center (UWDC) and oversaw its digitization unit. She started her career as part of the UWDC’s founding team, serving initially as head of its Metadata and Encoding Unit. She became digital production coordinator and implemented improved project management practices of the unit’s production processes. Before that, Rudersdorf served as editorial and research assistant on the International Dictionary of Black Composers, published by the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College in Chicago.

Rudersdorf holds an M.L.I.S. degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.A. with honors in English from UW-Madison. She taught a course on creating digital libraries at the School of Library and Information Science at UW-Madison and has delivered many workshops and presentations on digital collections.

Thomas Eisenmann

Thomas Eisenmann became the NCSU Libraries’ academic personnel librarian on June 1, 2005. He manages the recruitment of librarians to the Libraries and leads library initiatives in recruiting to the profession. As manager of the NCSU Libraries Fellows Program, he establishes and maintains liaison relationships with graduate faculty in top library science masters programs; visits schools, placement centers, and conferences; and serves on the Fellows Advisory Committee.

Previously, Eisenmann worked in the field of executive recruiting. A long-term interest led to his pursuit of a degree in library science and transition to the nonprofit sector. He worked as a catalog librarian at New York University, providing original cataloging in multiple languages.

Eisenmann earned an M.S.L.I.S. from the Palmer School of Library and Information Science, Long Island University. He earned an M.A. in religion with a concentration in biblical languages and interpretation from Yale University, with a full-tuition academic scholarship, and he completed coursework toward a Ph.D. in religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania. During his studies at Yale, he received the Two Brothers Fellowship, designated for support of biblical or archaeological study, which funded his advanced studies of the Hebrew language at Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He holds a B.A. in history from Fordham University.

Michael Gulley

Michael Gulley became the NCSU Libraries’ development associate on May 4, 2005. He is a member of the Libraries’ development team responsible for raising funds to support its established priorities and emerging programs. Gulley is concentrating on major gifts by working with individuals, corporations, and foundations to help the library improve its facilities, expand its collections, further develop its digital library, and better serve its community.

Gulley came to the Libraries from Curamericas, where he served as the director of development, in charge of all fund-raising activities. Curamericas is a nonprofit organization based in Raleigh that provides health care and education to women and young children in Latin America and South America. Before joining Curamericas, Gulley was vice president of Workplace Campaigns with the United Way of the Bay Area, San Francisco. His experience included major gifts, direct mail, corporate relations, and foundations funding. He led the development of an online fund-raising tool that attracted new givers to United Way. He received the 2003-2004 United Way of the Bay Area CEO award.

Gulley holds a B.A. in sociology and history from the University of South Florida. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Raleigh and of the Downtown Toastmasters Club

The NCSU Libraries welcomes the Fellows Class of 2005-2007. Hilary Davis and Jim Tuttle began their appointments in January, and Emily Lynema and John Vickery joined the Libraries in July and August, respectively.

The Class of 2005-2007 is the seventh class of Fellows. The program began in 1999 with the objective of recruiting and retaining future leaders for academic libraries, with a focus on science, engineering, and digital librarianship and on library management. The program also provides opportunities to enhance the ranks of academic libraries from traditionally underrepresented populations. The Fellows are appointed to the rank of librarian for a two-year term, combining work on a project in support of the Libraries’ strategic objectives as well as gaining experience in a home department.

Hilary Davis’s home department is Collection Management, and her project will involve working on the Libraries’ ongoing development of an institutional repository. She earned her M.L.S. in 2004 from the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UM-St. Louis). Davis most recently worked as a library assistant for engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, where she provided reference assistance, document delivery, and information literacy services for faculty, staff, and students. She also was involved for several years in the design and maintenance of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Web site hosted by the Missouri Botanical Garden. She has previous work experience as a graduate teaching assistant and research assistant with the Department of Biology, UM-St. Louis. She earned her M.L.S. from UM-St. Louis, where she also earned an M.S. in biology (with a focus on botany). She received a B.S. in biology from Guilford College and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Ronald G. Bohley Scholarship from the Missouri Library Association and the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, General Biology Laboratory, from UM-St. Louis.

James Tuttle, in addition to his appointment as a Fellow, is the Libraries’ geospatial data librarian and will be assigned full-time to the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) project. In 2004 Tuttle received an M.S.L.I.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIU-C), where he also earned a B.A. in cultural anthropology. Tuttle has several years of experience in digital libraries. He served as an information architecture intern in the digital libraries of Abbott Laboratories, where he managed a multidisciplinary team that consolidated several data sources consisting of approximately 2,600 documents into a digital library for the Pediatric Nutrition Division of Abbott International. As a graduate assistant at UIU-C, he worked with the Prairienet/Community Networking Initiative in East St. Louis and as a technology consultant at the Helen Matthes Library in Effingham, Illinois.

Emily Lynema’s home department is Research and Information Services, while her project in the Systems Department involves helping implement a new catalog search application obtained from Endeca. Once implemented, it will enable faceted browsing for patrons searching the Libraries’ catalog.

Lynema completed her M.S. in information from the University of Michigan in 2005, where she received such academic awards as the Karen Horny Scholarship, the MaryLouise Meder Scholarship, and the Kenneth E. Vance Scholarship. She earned a B.S. in computer science from Hope College, where she received the Computer Science Senior Prize, the Sigma Xi Senior Research Award, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.

While earning her master’s, she served as a library systems intern at the University of Michigan Libraries, compiling reporting requirements for the entire university library system, customizing reporting functionality in its new library management system, and providing staff training on related reporting tools. Lynema has also worked as an information systems intern for Gordon Food Service, Inc., where she focused on Oracle database management and worked with users to define technical modifications required for new business initiatives.

Lynema is a member of the American Library Association’s Library Information Technology Association. At its May 2004 meeting, the OCLC Reference Advisory Committee invited her to give a presentation on “Reference Services for the Next Generation” and to participate in discussions. Her constructive input led OCLC staff and committee members to decide to appoint a student to future committees.

John Vickery’s home department is Collection Management, and his project assignment is in Digital Library Initiatives. In May 2005 he received an M.S.L.S. from UNC-Chapel Hill. He also holds a B.A. in English and Spanish, cum laude, from Appalachian State University and pursued graduate studies in applied linguistics at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

As a graduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill, Vickery received a two-year appointment as a Carolina Academic Library Associate. In that capacity, he held collection management responsibilities for Latin American and Iberian resources, conducted library Web site and database design and maintenance, and provided reference service and bibliographic instruction. He was also active in student leadership roles, serving on the Administrative Board of the Library, the Scholarly Communications Committee, and the Student Library Advisory Board. He also served as president of the university’s Student Chapter of the American Library Association.

Vickery has received numerous awards and scholarships, including the Margaret Ellen Kalp Fellowship (UNC-Chapel Hill) and the Bilingual Teacher Training Scholarship (University of Massachusetts Boston). He attended the Feria Internacional del Libro in Guadalajara, Mexico, with support from UNC-Chapel Hill’s Institute of Latin American Studies. In March 2004 he made a presentation at the World View Seminar on “Hispanics/Latinos in the Carolinas.