|
Bernd Mohr's
Oregon Picture Album | |
This website is an informal communication forum for staff members of the University of Oregon Library Staff Association. Contents and opinions expressed herein or on linked personal or external pages are those of individual authors and do not represent official statements, policies, or positions of the Libraries, the University of Oregon, Oregon University System, or State of Oregon. Page maintained by the LSA Web Committee |
LSA NewsNo. 55, June 2004If you have anything you want in the next newsletter, send it to lsaweb@lists.uoregon.edu .
Retirement Tea 2004By L.R. Sexton; pictures by Hilary HartThe Library bade "Bon Voyage" to several long time employees at this year's tea. Mandi Garcia, Beach Conservation Lab, joined the Peace Corps and is on her way to Africa. Our recent retirees are: Sharla Davis, Archives Assistant; Ellen Klaastad, Reserves and Video Clerk; Duffy Knaus, Special Collections; Dennis Hyatt, Director, Law Library; Jean Murphy, Music Cataloger, Metadata and Digital Library Services, and Ann Muller, Slavic Languages Cataloger, Metadata and Digital Library Services.
Several former library employees turned out for the tea this year. Rosemary Batori admits to passing her 90th birthday. She is active in social, political, and charitable organizations. Rosemary shared a couple of jokes with the guests. Deliver us from email, forsooth! Helen Rounds worked in the IMC (now media services) for Bill Leonard. Helen is active in the local watercolor society. Her works show up occasionally at exhibit sales, including at Maud Kerns. DREAMING AT MY DESKby Harriett SmithJam In June the school year is winding down, spring fever is rampant in the office, and my choral commitments have drawn to a close with end-of-season concerts for both the Eugene Symphony Chorus and the Eugene Chamber Singers. So it's in June that I begin to concentrate on my other life - the more "rural" life. Perhaps it's because I live only a block from Eugene's former downtown mall, with no real garden space of my own…or perhaps it's because my 1914-era kitchen conjures up images of a farm kitchen and a time before "convenience food"…but gradually more and more of my summer "leisure" time has been devoted to one of life's absolute basics: hunting for, gathering, and preserving fruits and vegetables. KNIGHT STAFF LOUNGE VENDING MACHINES RETIRINGreport from LSA Ways and Means Committeeby Lisa SierackiLong-time LSA members no doubt remember hearing about the "coke fund," the Library Staff Association account to which proceeds from the staff lounge vending machines accrued. We've had that fund and a pair of vending machines since at least 1977, according to Marion Obar, who arrived that year. The money has been used to help fund catering needs (food, napkins, plates, etc.) for events such as the May Tea and Holiday Potluck. These machines faithfully provided income to the staff association for decades, but some things happened over time that reduced the profits we received. The EMU opened the Daily Grind in the student lounge just across the hall and added several more vending machines there, which drew business away from the vending machines in our lounge. And, more recently, Pepsi won the university's beverage vending contract, which Coke had held for many years. Some unhappy customers vowed to boycott the new beverage machines. Meanwhile, over the years, LSA occasionally heard a few rumblings about the vending machines, such as "too noisy," "snacks are stale," and "they're always broken." It was also a challenge for Ways and Means members to make sense of the account reports on Banner. Earlier this spring, LSA got word that Pepsi wanted to pull their machine from our lounge. Evidently the sodas often sit in the machine for so long that the pull date passes and they have to be discarded. While LSA considered various options -- encouraging staff to use the machines, improving signage, etc. -- Library Administration stepped up with a proposal that seemed to work well for all parties. They graciously offered to donate to LSA a portion of the student lounge vending proceeds, roughly equal to what LSA was getting through the "coke" fund, to replace income lost from removing the vending machines from the staff lounge. LSA gratefully accepted this offer. The snack and drink machines will be removed from the staff lounge on July 1 or shortly thereafter. But until they're gone, you're all invited to plug them with money!
Wet 'n Wild! Library Staff join the 2004 Faculty/Staff Fitness WalkBy Jennifer RowanLibrary staff turned out in force at noon on Thursday, May 27, to circumambulate a walking route through campus for the 2004 annual Faculty/Staff Fitness Walk. The Library contingent of nine stalwart souls gathered in a drizzly mist in front of Knight Library, then walked en masse over to the Student Recreation Center turf field where registration tables were swamped with damp but enthusiastic walkers. The UO duck, soggy but relentlessly perky, was on hand for photo opportunities. Walkers started out briskly, but were temporarily bogged down as bottlenecks occurred at stations along the designated course where raffle tickets, informational literature, snacks and small prizes were distributed. Participating Library staff included Stephanie Midkiff from Law; Lisa Sieracki and Betsy Kelly from Systems; Harriett Smith from Metadata, Donna Pellinger from the Librarian's Office, Michelle Page from Access Services, Jennifer Rowan from the Visual Resources Collection of the A & AA Library, Carol Goodyard from Knight Reference, and former Library staffperson, Stacy Marquardt.
Going to Ghanaby Amanda GarciaMany of you may not know this, but I started working here when I was just 17 years old. In the fall of 1996 I received the Underrepresented Minority Achievement Scholarship, providing me the opportunity to study at the U of O for five years tuition-free (thank God and my Cuban father). As a graduate of South Eugene High School, I became a U of O student and Knight Library employee. In the summer and fall of 1998 I studied at La Universidad de San Francisco in Cumbaya, Ecuador (a fabulous experience, which later provoked my interest in the Peace Corps). When I returned, I applied for the Visual Design program in the Art Department and continued working in what was then the Preservation Department. I left the library one more time in order to spend the summer in Miami seeking out some of my Cuban roots. Back at the library and school, my classes consisted mostly of photography and multimedia. I graduated in Visual Design with a minor in Spanish in 2001. Jan Roberson, former senior technician in the lab, had taken me under her wing, teaching me the ins and outs of the lab and the work. After she left, I was hired on as staff in January of 2002. Since then I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Marilyn in the lab. She has been a wonderful mentor and friend. I've taken advantage of my staff tuition benefits and continued my studies at the U of O, taking chemistry and more art studio classes. I have been at the library for eight great years, but the time has come for me to take leave and learn from another part of the world. I have no kids, no partner and no debt. The Peace Corps is something I have always wanted to do, so, I figure it's either now, or when I retire, 35 years from now. I leave on June 14th to travel to Ghana to teach visual art and art history through the Peace Corps. I will serve for two years. When I interviewed for service last November, I told my recruiter, Kristen, that I would move anywhere if I could teach art. I really had no idea that art teaching programs existed at all. Kristen was a champ and not only found me the only art teaching program offered, but convinced the folks in D.C. to open up another position for me. So what about Ghana? Well, Ghana was the very first country to invite the Peace Corps into it in 1961 when Kennedy first established the program. It is a country about the size of Oregon in West Africa. Colonized by Britain, English is the official language. Many describe it as a "model" country. It was the first state in sub-Saharan Africa to gain political independence from European colonial rule. I won't know where in the country I will be working until I start my training. During my training, I will have access to email, so when I get the specifics of my job and location I will continue to share with you my experiences. I expect Peace Corps service to be both challenging and rewarding. I will not only be facing the challenges of starting a new job, but also a new life in an unfamiliar country. While sharing my knowledge about visual art and the preservation of art, I hope to inspire and be inspired.
2004 LAMBING JOURNAL
When February rolls around, lambing time does too. But really the whole lambing
process begins on Labor Day in September. That's the day the rams get turned
out with the ewes. They have 35 days to earn their keep for the year - talk
about the "Life of Reilly"!
This spring was especially challenging as I had five rams to turn out, and only
thirteen ewes to breed. They didn't complain though. Into each small pasture I
separated the ewes: the ram Lightning got Maria and "4" (yep that's what her ear
tag says) with hopes that this year they would have ewe lambs sired by my old
champion ram. Nelson got three ewes, Angus got three, Brutus got three, and Blue
my young gorgeous cross of Nelson's and Lightning's genes got the remaining two.
Into a stall in the back of the barn went "5" (twin to "4"), who I didn't breed
because one side of her udder had been scarred by a bout with mastitis, and
Sarah, a ewe born in 2003 that I was adding to the flock.
By February, the boys had been back together for months and months, with the
exception of Brutus, a huge white lamb at birth, who I had sold in October to a
nice woman whose ram (Caesar) had died that spring. Brutus went happily to a
10-acre pasture with his own ten ewes east of Noti. It seemed to be fate that
Brutus would usurp the place of Caesar.
Governer Ted Kulongoski recently endorsed the Oregon Commemorative
Coin Commission's selection of a design featuring Crater Lake as Oregon's
selection for the state quarter, which will be released by the United
States Mint in 2005. The deepest lake in the United States, it lies
within a volcanic basin created when Mt. Mazama erupted some 7,700 years
ago. Crater Lake National Park attracts
some half
million
visitors
each year. Most Oregonians know that Crater Lake is a national gem, but they also
know that the state is rich with lakes and rivers less well known to
non-Oregonians. And while few would have trouble figuring out
how Crater Lake got its name, you might not know how some of Oregon's
other lakes, reservoirs and waterways were named. Test your
knowledge of
Oregon geographic names by identifying the eight
locations described in the clues below. The information is taken from
Oregon Geographic Names by Lewis McArthur, and other sources.
After you have identfied the eight rivers and bodies of water above, submit your answers to Fact File. Answers must be received by June 25. The winner will be determined by the number of correct answers; in the event of a tie, a single winner will be selected by lot. The winner will receive a gift certificate worth $5.00 toward puchases at the U.O. Bookstore, courtesy of the Library Staff Association. All staff and faculty of the University of Oregon Libraries are invited to participate, although the winner of the most recent Fact File contest is ineligible to win this contest's prize. Two Truths and A Lie!The Suspense Continues to build.....Last month, we tantalized our readers with torrid revelations about our library colleagues and proposed that attempts to distinguish fact from fiction be submitted to the LSA Newsletter Committee. Apparently, you were all too stunned, stumped or shocked to hazard even a guess. Well, we can't make it any easier on you but we can offer CHOCOLATE to the person who makes the best effort to untangle our bewildering morass of confounding claims. A box of truffles will be awarded to whomever gets the greatest number of hits! Revisit the original puzzle, match name with number and send your answers to Jennifer Rowan. Answers must be received by June 25. The winner and the correct answers will be published in the July newsletter. If no entries are received, the LSA Newsletter Committee will keep all those truffles for ourselves.....!
EVENTS OF INTERESTAs well as featuring upcoming LSA events, we'd like to get the word out about events staff are involved in that might be of interest to co-workers. If you'd like the world, or at least your co-workers, to know about something cool coming up, please email Harriett Smith or lsaweb. LSA EVENTS LSA Program Committee invites you to the 27th annual Gonzo Revue on Tuesday, June 15th from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Knight Library Browsing Room. Our Master of Ceremonies for the occasion will be the amazing Dennnis Hyatt. Performers should contact David McCallum before June 11 at mccallum@darkwing.uoregon.edu or 6-1456 to schedule a time for their act. Former faculty and staff who need a ride to the Gonzo should contact Stephanie Midkiff at smidkiff@law.uoregon.edu or 346-1661.
Help Wanted:
Web/Newsletter is also always looking for contributors, whether it be for a one-time report on a conference, a series of essays, photos, or a notice for the Events or Congratulations columns. Email Terry McQuilkin or phone him at 6-0380 to join the committee, or contact lsaweb@lists to make a submission or suggestion for a story. NON-LSA EVENTS Don't miss the UO Libraries Book Sale on Wednesday, June 2, 2004, in the Knight Library Browsing Room from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. A UO ID will be required from 10 a.m. to noon, and after that the sale will be open to the public. Book lovers will find top-quality used books at very low prices: $1 for paperbacks and $3 for hardbacks, with a few books priced individually. Books on all subjects will be offered, along with some serials, maps and recordings. All proceeds are used to acquire new library materials. For more information on the sale, visit the book sale information page,or contact Lisa Levitt at 346-3096 or llevitt@darkwing.uoregon.edu. Donna Pellinger has recently joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program and will be running in the Chicago Marathon (26.2 miles) on October 10 to benefit the Society. She is running in honor of a friend, Christie Hollis Mahathey, and in honor of our own Ted Smith. Both are currently in remission from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Donna's goal is to raise $5000 to fight blood-related cancers, and she will be sending out letters and forms to some folks, but everyone is invited to sponsor her. If you would like to donate to this cause, please contact her by July 23, 2004. She notes that she'd be glad to wear the name of someone you know who has battled cancer as she runs the marathon, so please let her know if you'd like her to do that. You can contact Donna at dpelling@uoregon.edu or phone her at 346-1890. Welcome:Jaye Barlous began working part-time in Metadata and Digital Library Services May 17. Jaye is a long-time volunteer in the Library, working on retrospective conversion, the Moorhouse Collection and other digital projects. It is a pleasure to welcome her as a permanent staff member. CongratulationsDennis Hyatt, retired Law Library Director, was recently awarded the Wayne Westling Award for University Leadership and Service. This prestigious award caps Dennis' long and distinguished career at the University of Oregon. Reflecting much luster upon the LSA Newsletter by her presence on its editorial staff, Harriett Smith published an article in this month's Library Mosaics. The article appeared in last month's newsletter as Dreaming at my Desk. Nice job, Harriett! GoodbyesKathy Heerema is resigning her position as Information Technology Center/FITT Program Coordinator as of May 31. Kathy has been with the University for almost 21 years, seven of them at the Library. Good luck, Kathy! Farewell to Sherrie Soleim, Library Personnel. Her last day of work is June 4. She is moving to Newberg, where she will be entering the psychology program at George Fox University. We wish Sherrie the best in her endeavors.
Been to an interesting conference?Send us a brief report for publication in the next newsletter. Thanks! | |||||||||
Last updated: 030902 |
