UHCL Library Annual Report 2022-2023

ALFRED

OUR VISION

A dynamic center of campus life that cultivates a passionate, confident, forward-thinking community through innovative scholarship and learning.

OUR MISSION

The University of Houston-Clear Lake Libraries provide a dynamic and welcoming experience that is innovative, immersive, and collaborative.

Through our specialized expertise we foster academic success and information literacy by providing physical and virtual access to vital information resources and services, advanced technology, and flexible spaces conducive to study, collaboration, and reflection. The libraries strengthen and support transformative, inclusive teaching and learning by facilitating the critical analysis, creativity, and scholarly research essential to making a beneficial contribution to equitable global development and a sustainable future for all.

Adopted February 2022

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE

Greetings!

It is my pleasure to present to you the UHCL Libraries’ Annual Report detailing our successes in the 2022-2023 academic year. I joined the Libraries in March 2023 as interim director, and then became Executive Director in August. I’ve enjoyed getting to know my colleagues, our faculty and staff, our alumni and community members, and our talented students

In these pages you will see a team focused on expanding student access to learning and study spaces, on creating new opportunities for access to VR and AR technology, and on a renewed commitment to collecting the records and materials that tell the story of our University and our community.

I invite you to learn about the new colleagues who have joined us this year, and to read about the scholarly activity of our librarians. In addition to their daily support of our campus community, they contribute their time and expertise through publications and presentations at conferences across the nation.

Thank you

Interim Executive Director

Lee Hilyer (March - August 2023)

Interim Director, Communications & Operations

David Palmer (March - August 2023)

Associate Director, Archives & Special Collections

Matthew Peek

Associate Director, Evaluation & Assessment

Martha Hood

Libraries as we work to e and help them achieve ac

All the bes

Associate Director, Technology & Resource Management

Jingshan Xiao

Assistant Director, Research & Instruction Vacant

Assistant Director, Access & Delivery Services

David Palmer

GRAND REOPENING

Main Floor Renovation

The library showcased the main floor renovation, including a new XR Lab, active learning classroom, updated study rooms, new service desks and spaces.

Dr. Vivienne McClendon, Mr. Mark Denny, President Richard Walker, Dr. Christopher Maynard, Dr. LeeBrian Gaskins (from left)

Kiki Neumann (daughter of the University's founding chancellor) and Mary Ann Shallberg (former Executive Associate to the President)

189,000+ Physical and Digital Circulation

Women’sCelebratingHistoryMonth

MiddleEasternandNorthAfricanHeritage MonthinApril

LibrarynowprovidesAuntFlowproductsandsupports menstrualequity

BethFridrick,AlexandriaKennedy,TheresaRodriguez, CindyGoode,andJulianaEspinosa(fromleft)

WelcomingAll

CelebratingBlackHistoryMonth

CelebratingAsianAmerican&PacificIslander HeritageMonth

Librariansandstaffsupporting Pride MonthinJune

NewExecutiveDirector,LeeHilyer

EXPLORING OUR NEXT GIANT LEAP

Renovation Anticipation

With the commencement of the Alfred R. Neumann Library upper floor renovation set for the upcoming year, we have been actively engaged in various projects to prepare for the process. Our library staff has removed many government microfiche along with CD-ROMs as we no longer have the equipment to support these older formats. In addition, we are making room for newer areas by following the CREW guidelines established by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for deselecting materials. The renovation preparations are being executed in stages to enable the smooth functioning of library operations and services with minimal disruption. Official construction planning is scheduled to kick off in 2024, coinciding perfectly with the building's fiftieth anniversary.

We hope to expand study areas along the windows and walls, create more study pockets within the general stacks area, offer a multipurpose flex classroom, sound dampening individual rooms, increase ADA compliance, along with updating the Archives & Special Collections area.

Photos courtesy of the TSU Library Learning Center

XR Explained

Virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and augmented reality (AR), are all types of extended reality (XR) Until recently, adoption of XR technology has proven challenging in broad implementation in education and mainstream culture Providing access to XR equipment in the library democratizes the technology and helps inspire interdisciplinary collaboration.

XR EVOLUTION

by Beth Fridrick Emerging Technologies Librarian

Made possible by the generous donation of the Katherine Tamer Endowment, the Neumann Library XR Lab opened its doors in Fall 2022, equipped with six virtual reality headsets, two student employees, and a dream. The dream was to provide immersive learning opportunities to train and educate students beyond the confines of traditional classrooms. In December 2022, Emerging Technologies Librarian, Beth Fridrick joined the library and has been working diligently to integrate XR technology into the educational experience of UHCL.

In spring 2023, the XR Lab hosted its first class session, pulling back the curtains for students from our ITEC 4313: Emerging Technologies course to discuss the benefits and challenges of introducing emerging technologies to an organization. The XR Lab also hosted Dr. Kewei Sha’s capstone students in the Computer Science department in the final phase of their mixed reality app development in conjunction with our Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. In May, the XR Lab hosted its first annual XR Exhibit highlighting the work of capstone students, as well as VR research being done by faculty member, Dr. Nick Kelling.

In its first year, nearly 300 students visited the XR Lab and had the opportunity to discover virtual reality technology for both academic and exploratory endeavors This firm footing for the XR Lab has laid the groundwork for much broader collaboration and implementation of XR technologies across the UHCL campus and the Houston metro area.

The XR Lab continuously seeks opportunities to support new and existing collaborative opportunities to further integrate XR technologies into existing curriculum. In addition to providing supplemental learning experiences, the XR Lab works to support the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan, “Becoming Aware: Cultural Interactions at UHCL,” along with fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and supporting ongoing research initiatives

We are committed to empowering students with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world, where technological advancements play a crucial role in shaping various industries.

In

May 2023, Beth established the first annual XR Exhibit to highlight XR research and development on the UHCL campus

Lee Hilyer & Beth Fridrick (from left)

ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS HAPPENINGS

by Matthew M. Peek, Associate Director

Founded in 1989, the University of Houston-Clear Lake Archives and Special Collections’ mission is to collect, preserve, and make publicly accessible original historical archival materials for use by its constituents for research and preservation of community history It serves as the official repository for University of Houston-Clear Lake non-current records The Archives and Special Collection has the following collecting areas and collections in its holdings: University Archives, Human Space Flight Collection, Clear Lake Area Collection, and the Johnson Space Center (JSC) History Collection. These materials are open for research to UHCL students, alumni, faculty, staff and the general public.

The UHCL Archives continues to better manage its holdings and storage during the fiscal year to be greater stewards of the materials we are entrusted with preserving. A reorganization of one archival storage room, provided over 400 linear feet of additional space for future donations. Other projects included: an ambitious collection improvement project, implementing a new collection number system, and updating the quality of our collections’ descriptions by creating a new user-friendly finding aid template that matches professional archival standards and supports future archival description systems.

NASA Alumni League Space Collections Internship

The NASA Alumni League, JSC Chapter, Space Collections Internship continued for its third year, hosting Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis MLIS (archives management) student and native Houstonian Elizabeth Lira for 180 hours during the fiscal year The collections Lira worked on contained substantial historical information about the culture and technical changes at NASA JSC from the 1960s through the 2000s

New Local History Program Endowment

The Bay Area Museum Historical Society (BAMHS), formerly the Bay Area Museum Guild, based in Seabrook, Texas, dissolved its organization in late 2022 and relocated two very significant local history archival collections to the UHCL Archives. In addition, their remaining funds helped establish a new Clear Lake History endowment totaling $25,000 for supplies and a Clear Lake History internship in 2024

HCL Archives received its first National Endowment for the nities (NEH) Preservation Assistance Grant totaling $9,265 This will fund the first-ever general preservation assessment of the es’ current holdings and storage spaces The assessment will include d consultant who will give the Archives a snapshot of current ions, policies, and practices affecting the preservation of our ions, and provide recommendations for adopting a new preservation hat offers realistic and sustainable strategies for improvement. In on, Archives staff will attend a full-day disaster-preparedness hop to provide hands-on disaster recovery training needed for ial future regional disasters.

n more, visit the UHCL Archives and Special Collections Guide.

Notable 2022-2023 Accessions

University Archives

UHCL Office of Academic Records Commencement Materials (1985-2023)

The UHCL Office of Academic Records Commencement Materials contains photo albums, video records, audiocassette recordings, CDs and DVDs of AV recordings and photographs, and other materials, primarily documenting UHCL commencement ceremonies and events attended by the Registrar’s Office (later Office of Academic Records) between 1985 and 2023 The bulk of the collection is of audiovisual materials with the original commencement recordings for UHCL commencement ceremonies in the 1980s to 2010s, which will be new holdings for the UHCL Archives

Clear Lake Area Collection

Friendswood Development Company’s Clear Lake City Records (1960-1975)

The Friendswood Development Company’s Clear Lake City Records are the original records kept and created by the Friendswood Development Company and their partner Del Webb Corporation, documenting the construction of Clear Lake City and the Baytown Industrial Development, between 1960 and 1975 The collection includes photographs, slides, newspaper clippings, corporate scrapbooks’ materials, miscellaneous advertising materials, reports, corporate records, and miscellaneous materials Over 1,300 original construction, development, and aerial photographs documenting the creation of Clear Lake City, Texas, between 1962 and 1967 are also included The Clear Lake Area Collection is the only known one of such materials in the country The Friendswood Development Company donated these records to the Bay Area Museum Guild (later Bay Area Museum Historical Society) when they closed their Clear Lake City office The Bay Area Museum Historical Society also closed its doors in late 2022, and graciously donated the collection to the UHCL Archives

Human Space Flight Collection

Richard W. Nygren Papers (1967-2002)

The Richard W Nygren Papers contains materials created, used, or collected by Richard W Nygren while he worked with NASA Johnson Space Center Nygren was a long-time chief of the NASA JSC Vehicle Integration Test Team (VITT), who traveled with NASA astronauts from JSC to Kennedy Space Center and walked astronauts to the Space Shuttle Orbiter prior to each mission launch The highlight of the collection includes 48 original green fabric notebooks documenting all aspects of Nygren’s meetings and preShuttle mission schedules with Space Shuttle mission crews from the 1980s to 2002

Total Number of ETDs 324

5,492

Page totals for documents scanned/copied

13,258

Page totals for documents extracted (JSC History Collection)

136

Attendees on Archive Tours (students, staff, faculty, general public, and donors)

SERVING

Research & Instruction Librarian, Alexandria Kennedy is currently serving as Webmaster of the Consortium of Academic Libraries and Learning Resources (CALLR)

Linsey Ford co-presented as part of the Association for Computers and the Humanities (ACH) 2023 Conference on “Roundtable on Scholarly Communication for Digital Humanities Librarianship”. She is also a reviewer for the conference committee for ACH.

New Catalog & Metadata Librarian, Benjamin Franz, is currently serving on the American Library Association's (ALA) Video Roundtable Executive Committee and attended the annual conference this past June in Chicago He also has a new chapter, “Midsommar’s Journey of Moral Terror,” in the new book, Journeys into Terror: Essays from the Cinematic Intersection of Travel and Horror, 2023.

Librarian, Cindy Goode is very active in TLA She serves on the Scholarship Committee and in May completed two years as District 8 Webmaster She also presented a poster session at the TLA 2023 Annual Conference titled "Numbers Don’t Lie: Increasing Engagement on TLA District 8’s Facebook Page" Additionally, she wrote “Communities of Practice in the Academic Library: Strategies for Implementation.” which was published in the July issue of the Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 64 (3): 367–368

Martha Hood, Associate Director, Evaluation and Assessment, spoke at the TLA Conference in April as part of a panel of five on "Collaborative Learning of Linked Data through a Virtual Study Group" In addition, she and Student Success Librarian, Juliana Espinosa presented a poster titled "Adopting and Applying a New Assessment Framework for Instruction: A Case Study on Learning Criteria".

Juliana also presented at the TLA District 8 Fall 2022 Conference on “Followship Theory and Your Followership Style” as well as the Michigan Academic Library Association 2023 Annual Conference with former colleagues The presentation was titled "Finding your Event Formula: Using Data-Driven Assessment to Refine Planning and Promotion."

Robert Nañes, completed all requirements and the exam to become a Certified Archivist through the Academy of Certified Archivists (ACA) in November 2022

David Palmer, is currently wearing many hats at Neumann Library He is currently the Interim Director, Communication & Operations, as well as Interim Assistant Director, Research & Instruction. This is on top of his position as Assistant Director of Access Services

Associate Director for Archives and Special Collections, Matthew Peek is serving on the Society of American Archivists Military Archives Section Steering Committee and the Public Library Archives/Special Collections Section Steering Committee as a Member-At-Large. As part of a panel presentation at the 2023 Society of Southwest Archivists (SSA) his talk “Making Space for Access: Turning the Archives’ Founding Period Corner to Formal Collection Management” was based on his first year in the UHCL Archives Lastly, he also gave a SSA sponsored workshop in May entitled “Found It Through the Grapevine: Formatting Social Media Content for Effective Outreach ”

Jingshan Xiao, Associate Director, Technology and Resource Management, is serving on the conference planning committee for the ExLibris Southcentral Users Group (ELSUG). He also served on the 2022 Sally C. Tseng’s Professional Development Grant Subcommittee, Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) as well as the Pre-Conference & Keynote Speaker Committee 2022, Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC) The items

JulianaEspinosaandMarthaHoodattheTLA2023AnnualConference

DavidPalmerpresentingaFridayMorningContinuingEducation sessioncalled“BannedBooks&TheRighttoRead”

Library Staff News

Over the last year, our organization has embraced new additions to the library staff and witnessed existing staff members transition into different roles.

NewHires

Austin Ray, Administrative Assistant, joined us in late November He formerly worked at TexasA&MUniversityinCollegeStation

BethFridrick,EmergingTechnologiesLibrarian,joinedthelibrarystaffinDecember2022

Alexandria(Alex)Kennedy,Research&InstructionLibrarian,startedinJanuary2023.

Ashton Long, joined Pearland Library full-time in January 2023 She previously had work in thelibraryasapart-timeemployee

Theresa Rodriguez, Research & Instruction Librarian, started March 2023 Her previous libraryexperienceincludesworkingforseverallocalpubliclibraries

LeeHilyer,joinedthelibraryfromUHasInterimExecutiveDirectorinMarch2023wherehe wasservingasHeadofInformationandAccessServices.

RobertNañes,joinedourstaffinOctober,andwillbeourfirstfull-timearchivistsince2019, joining an existing staff of two other personnel to help operate the Archives and improve accesstoitsarchivalholdings

JenniferPerna,joinedthestaffinMarch Previously,sheworkedatAlvinCommunityCollege teaching writing to Freshman As the new Library Associate for Scholarly Communications, sheprimarilyhelpswithformatcheckingforthesisanddissertations.

BenjaminFranz,Catalog&MetadataLibrarian,beganinMayandwaspreviouslyemployedby Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York He also holds a Master's degree in Film and MediaArts

Virginia Osborne, joined the Technology and Resource Management department as the new Electronic Resources Librarian in July 2023 She previously worked as a Learning Resource Specialist for Pasadena ISD and also worked as a librarian for the Houston Public Library System.

Farewells

Dr VivienneMcClendon,ExecutiveDirector,lefttheuniversityinFebruary2023

Dr YumiShin,AssistantDirector,Research&Instruction,leftinearlyMay2023

RosanaSalinas,ElectronicResourcesLibrarian,startedanewpositionatTrinityUniversity in November2022

OliviaWalden,LibraryAssociate,SerialsleftinSeptember2022foranewvirtualposition

Chloris Yue, Director, Library Communications & Operations, retired in early March 2023 Sheserved33yearswiththeuniversity

JenniferHolland,ResearchandInstructionLibrarian,alsotransferredtoUHAndersonLibrary andisnowaTeaching&LearningLibrarian. ShebeganinOctober2022afternineyearswith UHCL

Recognition of Service

Retirements:

33 years

Chloris Yue Director, Library Communications & Operations, 1989-2023

16 years

Mark Gary Senior Library Associate, Acquisitions Supervisor, 2006-2023

In January,DonnaElrodreceivedtheUSA'SHawkSpirit Award

Anna Peebler received the university’s Staff Service Merit Award in April.

Annual Achievements

September 2022 (Fall Semester)

Banned Book Week panel with Dr. Rekha Subramanian, Dr. Keith Parsons, Dr. Sheila Baker, and Jennifer Grace held in the Hawk’s Nest area in the library.

October 2022

David Palmer, Assistant Director of Access Services, presented "Banned Books and the Right to Read" program for the HSH Continuing Education Friday morning class on October 28th

Grand reopening of the newly renovated main floor of the library. See photos on page 2.

November 2022 - February 2023

Dr Yumi Shin, Assistant Director of Research and Instruction, conducted a study on faculty use and awareness of library instruction services This data will assist the library in outreach and increasing services for all.

February 2023

Launching of new UHCL Bayou and Beyond: UHCL Archives and Special Collections Blog. site.

July 2023

The library began Evidence Based Acquisition (EBA) subscription with IGI Global. EBA models assist libraries provide users with access for a set period of time to a collection of e-books and leverage usage statistics

January 2023 (Spring semester)

The library has set new operating hours We now will open at 7 am and close at 11 pm

May 2023

UHCL Libraries hosted The Consortium of Academic Libraries and Learning Resources (CALLR) annual meeting in the Active Learning Classroom.

August 2023

UHCL Archives & Special Collections was the recipient of the NEH preservation assessment grant for over $9,000

Our Annual Strategic Planning Session

Each year, the staff of the UHCL Libraries come together for a strategic planning session to identify goals for the next academic year. This past summer, staff gathered to brainstorm some ideas for the future and to celebrate the year’s accomplishments. As Executive Director, I outlined four principles that would guide our Libraries for the years ahead:

Digital-first and AI-optimistic. We aim to maximize access to digital content and embrace AI (artificial intelligence) tools to save time and effort, both for our community and ourselves.

Focus on meaningful physical experiences. Some materials, experiences, and interactions cannot be meaningfully replicated online. We will complement our digital services with comfortable and useful physical materials, services, and spaces.

Development of services aligned with user needs. We seek to develop and tailor our services to support the teaching, research, and learning needs of our community.

Community engagement and continuous improvement. We aim to connect with our community and facilitate interactions and partnerships to support everyone’s continuous improvement.

Recognizing Our Generous Donors

The generous support of individuals, organizations, and foundations help to enhance the spaces, services, and resources of the UHCL Libraries. All of us in the Libraries thank them for their generosity.

Katherine Tamer (Tamer Endowment for Innovation in Library Technology)

NASA Alumni League, JSC Chapter

Neumann Cultural Endowment Faculty Special Fund

Children’s Book Awards Fund

Neumann Library

Phone: 281-283-3900

library@uhcl.edu

Bayou Building 2402

2700 Bay Area Blvd Houston, TX 77058-1002

UHCL at Pearland Library

Phone: 281-212-1657

pearlandlibrary@uhcl.edu

Pearland Academic Building 1200 Pearland Parkway

Pearland, TX 77581

uhcl.edu/library

UHCLNeumannLibrary

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