Annual Report 2019-20
Going above and beyond the library
Going above and beyond to support instructors
Three University Libraries staff members and two faculty members collaborated with the WMUx instructional support team to help instructors adapt and transition thousands of course sections to online delivery.
Reflection From the Dean
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Julie Garrison, Dean of University Libraries
Dean Julie Garrison recounts some of the milestones reached, projects completed, events held and challenges faced by University Libraries during the 2019-20 academic year.
Impact On Campus
Adapt and carry on: Our response to the COVID-19 pandemic
What happens when your library's physical space is closed for an extended period? We got to answer that question this year as the COVID-19 pandemic closed libraries across the state.
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WMU Libraries awards nineteen grants for open textbook adoptions
The University Libraries awarded nineteen, $1,000 grants to twenty-one faculty and instructors to adopt open textbooks and content for their courses in 2019-20.
Usage Statistics
*Affected by extended facility closure (Mar. 16 – Aug. 3)
Black Lives Matter Quote
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Black Lives Matter We will take action to make the University Libraries a safe place for all. We will foster an inclusive environment that breaks down barriers to equality. We will listen. We will ask questions. We are with you.
Julie Garrison, Dean of University Libraries
Impact Beyond WMU
University Libraries acquires David Small and Sarah Stewart archive
Acquired in 2020, this working archive will be housed in our special collections after it has been cataloged. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have delayed the debut of this collection until 2021.
Collections Statistics
Impact On Our Profession
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Julie Garrison, Dean of University Libraries
Julie has been elected as Vice President/President-elect of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a higher education association representing more than 10,000 individuals and libraries.
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Paul Gallagher, Associate Dean for Resources and Digital Strategies
Paul has been elected as President of the Midwest Collaborative Library Services’ board of directors.
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Kate Langan, Humanities Librarian
Kate has been elected as Vice President/President-elect of the Michigan Academic Library Association’s Board of Directors.
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Juliana Espinosa, User Engagement Librarian
Juliana has been elected as a member-at-large of the Michigan Academic Library Association’s Interest Group Coordination Council.
Impact Through Programs and Events
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Waldo Library hosted WMU student in Community Artist-in-Residence Program
University Libraries hosted WMU student Darien Burress as an artist-in-resident in Waldo Library in November 2019. Burress was a featured artist in the exhibition, “Where We Stand: Black Artists in Southwest Michigan,” a community-wide celebration of African American art.
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Teaching and Research Technology Day
This fall 2019 event offered faculty and graduate students opportunities to learn more about the technology-rich spaces in Waldo and how they can be used to enhance teaching and research. The event showcased the Virtual Reality Lab, Learning Glass Studio, Multimedia Editing Suite, and Makerspace, as well as our research-assistive services, including mapping and GIS services, data services, digital projects, and unique collections.
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Human Library Event
We hosted a Human Library event on Feb. 12, 2020, in collaboration with the College of Education and Human Development. Event attendees were invited to check out a volunteer human “book” for a one-on-one conversation to learn more about their unique experiences. The Human Library Organization is a global group that aims to understand diversity through safe and open dialogue.
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Library Skills Day
We hosted Library Skills Day, a day of workshops and learning opportunities for faculty and students, on Feb. 18, 2020. Nearly 200 students and instructors attended the event. Workshop topics included: critical thinking, information literacy, primary sources, managing data, and using emerging technology for teaching and learning.
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Twin Realities
Historical photos and virtual reality collided at this library event at the Zhang Legacy Collections Center on March 2, 2020. Attendees used specialize goggles to view 19th-century stereographs and virtual reality headsets to view Google Earth 3D images of the same places in the present day. Colleen Woolpert, a southwest Michigan artist, provided the goggles and stereographs to accompany the Libraries’ virtual reality equipment.
Program Statistics
* Affected by extended facility closure (Mar. 16 – Aug. 3)