ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021
ALFRED R. NEUMANN LIBRARY & UHCL LIBRARY AT PEARLAND
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-CLEAR LAKE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Director
Dr. Vivienne McClendon
2020-2021 ANNUAL REPORT Vision and Mission Renovation & News
2 3
Annual Achievements
4
COVID-19 Response
5
Neumann Next Library Is Coming
6
New Opportunities & Collaborations
7
By The Numbers
9
Archives Happenings
11
Goals, Expenditures, Staff
13
Librarian Happenings
14
Annual Strategic Planning
15
2022, UHCL Libraries An equal opportunity/affirmative action university
Director, Communications & Operations Chloris Yue
Associate Director, Archives & Special Collections Matthew Peek Associate Director, Assessment & Planning Martha Hood
Associate Director, Technology & Resource Management Jingshan Xiao
Assistant Director, Access & Delivery Services David Palmer
Message from the Executive Director I am pleased to present to you our 2020-2021 Annual Report – our first report of this type in the history of the Alfred R. Neumann Library. This report represents one critical step in our efforts to become more transparent and intentional about our work and contributions to the University of Houston-Clear Lake community. With this and other measures, we promise to improve the ways we document, measure, assess, analyze, our work to improve our service to students, faculty, staff, and our community. See our new By the Numbers report included on the website and this report for key statistics and summaries of our progress. We plan to build and grow with you and the university by providing valuable information and perspective, tools and spaces for creation, and reflective and interactive teaching focused on critical thinking skills. To that end, we are engaging in progressive and transformative work to move the Alfred R. Neumann Library forward. This work began with a year devoted to re-envisioning our vision and mission.
Vision and Mission Integral to fulfilling our vision and mission is our renovation of the Neumann Library’s main floor. This year we are engaging in a complete library redesign and update of critical infrastructure. The library main floor will receive new carpet, paint, ventilation, lighting and furniture. This report details how the work has progressed thus far and our guiding design criteria of giving agency to our users by selecting moveable, flexible furnishings, allowing you and others to create the learning and creative space you need. In addition, we hope you will join us in celebrating our team’s contributions, creativity and achievements. This includes the phenomenal pivot accomplished by our librarians for Research Help and Instruction, our circulation team, Pearland online book reading recordings, and many more accomplishments during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank the entire Neumann Library team for their tireless effort in maintaining uninterrupted/smooth access to the library collection during this extraordinary time. Dr. Vivienne McClendon
Spark your next innovation in the Neumann Library!
UHCL LIBRARIES | PAGE 01
VISION A dynamic center of campus life that cultivates a passionate, confident, forward-thinking community through innovative scholarship and learning.
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. Proposed July 2021
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RENOVATION & NEWS We’ve torn down walls, built new ones, installed new carpet, new power outlets, and brighter lights. And that's not all! The Neumann Next Library will provide learning spaces that will be flexible in a way that allow students, faculty, and staff to use the space in different ways. The Hawk’s Overlook will be the presentation hub for speaker events. Its unique open quality will allow passing patrons to grab a seat and participate in these learning events. We will also have two other learning spaces with our library classroom and the new XR Lab. While the classroom isn’t new to the library, we are restyling it into an Active Learning Classroom where both librarians and faculty can explore a variety of interactive and flexible teaching models. Adjacent to the Active Learning Classroom will be the XR Lab. Faculty and students interested in virtual and augmented reality research and its many space-age and industrial uses will be welcome here. Look for more info soon on this exciting area! Finally, the “look” of the library will be fresher and lend itself better to being a flexible learning space overall with movable furniture that can be configured to meet several different needs, for single study, group study, and group events, allowing students to construct their own learning environment. We are excited to present Neumann Next Library to you, Spring 2022.
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ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENTS August 2020 (Fall semester) Library doors opened at both UHCL & Pearland (limited hours) We followed Code 1 protocols which include patrons had access to the library lobby, front desk, and copy room. Research help and interlibrary loan (ILL) services were available. General stacks was closed to the public; however, the library provided front desk and curbside pick-up. More materials were also available online.
September 2020 Microfiche located on the main floor was removed from the collection. Titles were checked for online availability.
September 21 - October 5, 2020 The library launched the Neumann Library Quality Improvement Survey (LibQual+) survey to all faculty, staff, and students. The feedback centered on three core areas : the effect of our services, the library as a place, and information resources.
January 2021 (Spring semester) Negotiations continued with the Texas Library Coalition for United Action (TLCUA) and Elsevier (Science Direct), one of the world’s largest publishers. UHCL is one of 43 universities across Texas who is a member of TLCUA. In January, the library was also selected for participation in OCLC’s new Express Digital Delivery program due to the library's consistent successful delivery of articles and other digital resources within 18 hours or less through OCLC’s WorldShare ILL Network. Program .
March 2021 The UHCL libraries shared in the pain and frustration of the shocking events of racism recently seen in our nation. We created the Anti-Racism Resources Library Guide, which offered general information and resources to the University of Houston-Clear Lake community about anti-racism, systemic racism and inequality, social justice, privilege, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
May 2021 Library began renovations of main floor. (See page 6 - the Neumann Next Library Is Coming!)
June - August, 2021
The library administered the Neumann Library Renovation Feedback Survey. In the fall of 2020, the UHCL Libraries deployed the LibQual+ survey. We received comments for more comfortable seating, power outlets, and study space and the library began a renovation project aimed to respond to these requests and to keep up with the changing needs of our UHCL community. The follow-up the survey highlighted a few features of the renovation project, including furniture, the active learning classroom, the XR Lab, and the reservable open presentation area in the Hawks' Overlook.
Library subject liaisons began evaluation of our print journal collections and their availability online. With limited access to physical materials, libraries continue to seek new ways to enable remote access for their users and evaluate how libraries are spending money on resources.
UHCL LIBRARIES | PAGE 04
UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES COVID-19 RESPONSE Databases - Activated Emergency Temporary Access JOVE Teaching Channel Coronavirus Research
Space Rearranged furniture and moved computers Placed 6 feet distance signage at main queuing locations Added health screens at service desks
Operations Informational Guide provided updates on resources and services Book sterilization equipment used by circulation department Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) provided at key locations
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THE NEUMANN NEXT LIBRARY IS COMING IN 2021! May 17 Renovation begins on our main floor. Circulation staffed on upper floor to maintain services for our patrons. June 1 Abatement and remediation have begun in the first designated sections of the library. New carpet installation has begun. June 16 Two large columns in the library have been removed near the Hawk’s Overlook area. June 21 Final furniture selections are being made . July 22 Installed new under-carpet electrical power strips in the Hawk's Overlook and throughout the library over the next several weeks. August 10 More under-carpet electrical power strips have been added to Conference Room, Special Collections Room, and classroom August 23 All offices, study rooms, and open floor spaces have new carpet. August 31 The Research Consultation Desk at the front of the library was originally installed in the 1970s when the library opened. Destruction of the circulation and research consultation desks began on this day.
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NEW OPPORTUNITIES & CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS Read & Reflect Book Club Hosted by Neumann Library, Counseling Services, and the Office of Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, this group is an informal and flexible book club open to all UHCL students, faculty, and staff and is intended to allow our community to read, reflect, and engage in open dialogue. The READ & REFLECT inaugural 2020-2021 book club focused on exploring issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and racial justice to provide an avenue for discussion about the systemic racism impacting BIPOC communities. We had a total of 5 events held virtually during the year.
In Spring 2021, Neumann Library offered a special book request service that provided our patrons with the opportunity to unwind and enjoy some leisure reading! We provided a hand-selected book recommendation just for our patrons and provided a goodie bag filled with calming activities and resources to help everyone relax and recharge upon pickup.
In April, Neumann Library collaborated with The Signal to have the first ever Zoom Zoo event. Participants were encouraged to bring pet or a plant for a virtual meet and greet session for some relaxation during a very stressful year of COVID. UHCL LIBRARIES | PAGE 07
MORE CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS UHCL Library at Pearland Library Book Reading - Arbor Day In celebration of Texas Arbor Day, Madeleine Mayhan, library associate, created a video of the “The Giving Tree” authored by Shel Silverstein. UHCL at Pearland was named as a Tree Campus USA location designated by the Arbor Foundation in November 2020. Madeleine Mayhan
Top Searches During the Academic Year
UHCL LIBRARIES | PAGE 08
UHCL
BY THE NUMBERS
LIBRARIES
17,221
795
Physical visitors to our libraries
5,710 Total circulation of books & media items
Study room checkouts
14
Faculty Publications Book/Book Chapters published (2019-2021)
2,992
87,600
Total interlibrary loan transactions filled
Total sq. ft.
4,380 Total sq. ft. (Archives)
43
Number of public computers UHCL LIBRARIES | PAGE 09
60
Online instruction classes
1,104
8 Asynchronous 52 synchronous
Student enrollment in our instruction courses of events held by 7 Number the library Read & Reflect Book Club, GIS Training & Study PAWS
192,000 219 126,188 343,014 Website & research guide visits
131
Online librarian consultations
2,364 Information transactions with library staff
1,281 Virtual reference services
Total electronic circulation Research databases Streaming videos available
383,286
Item views in our Institutional Repository (IR)
14,486 Archives pages digitized 261
(non-IR)
Processed archival collections UHCL LIBRARIES | PAGE 10
ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS HAPPENINGS The University of Houston-Clear Lake Archives & Special Collections, established in 1989, supports research, access, and preservation of their collections. The Archives serve as the repository of non-current records of University of Houston-Clear Lake. They include the Johnson Space Center (JSC) History Collection, and materials relating to human space flight and Clear Lake area history. These materials are open for research to UHCL students, alumni, faculty, staff and the general public.
NAL-UHCL Archives Intern Endowment Fund The NASA Alumni League - JSC Chapter works closely with the UHCL Archives & Special Collections in outreach and preservation activities. In 2020, the NAL-UHCL Archives Intern Endowment Fund was created to provide students with the opportunity to work alongside the UHCL Archivist to formally support the growing JSC Collection. The goal of the endowment is to raise a minimum of $25,000 in five years, which would then be used to pay for a student intern(s) in perpetuity. The 2020 NAL gift of $2,200 to UHCL also included monies to pay for a student intern for the Fall and Spring semesters in parallel to the endowment fund raising activity.
2020-2021 NAL Intern Bethany Cook
To learn more about the NASA Alumni League JSC Chapter, please visit their website: https://www.nal-jsc.org/
Photo taken July 22, 2021
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Notable 2020-2021 Accessions Clear Lake Area Collections Armand Bayou Nature Center Addenda The Armand Bayou Nature Center Collection contains 18 linear feet of documents, photos, slides, and audiovisual materials pertaining to the history and mission of the Armand Bayou Nature Center. At 2,500 acres, Armand Bayou Nature Center is one of the largest urban nature preserves in the United States, devoted to the preservation and restoration of endangered Gulf Coast habitats.
Human Space Flight Collections Jack Knight Papers ·The Jack Knight Papers contain 24 linear feet of documents and books pertaining to his tenure as a flight controller at NASA Johnson Space Center, from 1965-2005. Jack Knight was a flight controller for Apollo missions 11 and 13, as well as many others.
James W. McBarron II Papers ·The James W. McBarron II Papers contain 39 linear feet of media, documents, books, photos, and periodicals pertaining to his tenure at NASA Johnson Space Center. Most of McBarron’s career was devoted to work with spacesuits; he contributed to the spacesuits for NASA flight programs including Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP), Skylab, Shuttle, and the International Space Station (ISS).
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LIBRARY FUTURES
Growing Austen Tech: GOALS, Our 2021 EXPENDITURES, Strategy & STAFF
Active Learning Classroom Library Presentation Space XR Lab Transformative Librarian Roles Archives Digitization Initiative Scholarly Communications Expansion
LIBRARY EXPENDITURES & NUMBERS
Professional Staff Salaries Total Professional Staff Student Enrollment Print circulation
FY19
FY20
$811,682
$798,768
18.5
12
13
6,619
6,982
7,100
16,422
*15,063
FY21 $900,899
*2,958
*COVID and Renovation
WELCOME NEW STAFF Jackie Geyer, Department Assistant, retired in June 2021. Minyoung Chung, Catalog and Metadata Librarian, joined the Technology and Resource Management team in June 2021, coming here from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.
MILESTONES 15 years: Tamatha Brumley, Archives Library Associate 10 years: Marlene Thomas, Administrative Assistant III 5 years: Laura Bernal, Circulation Library Associate
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LIBRARIAN HAPPENINGS: SERVING OUR COMMUNITY Librarian Linsey Ford serves on the planning committee for the Texas Conference on Digital Libraries, which took place virtually May 24-27, 2021. Librarian Jingshan Xiao serves on the Texas Digital Library Awards Committee, and Kate Carter currently chairs the TDL GIS Interest Group Survey Subcommittee. Jingshan is also a member of the 2022 Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC) Pre-Conference and Keynote Speaker Committee, and the Ex Libris Southcentral Users Groups (ELSUG) 2022 annual conference planning committee with librarian Minyoung Chung. Librarians Linsey Ford and Kate Carter recently served on the planning committee for the Open Texas 2021 conference, which took place earlier in March, and was hosted by the University of Houston-Downtown, Houston Community College, and Houston Area OER Consortium, and coorganized by the Digital Higher Education Consortium of Texas, Texas Digital Library, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Librarians Jennifer Holland and Kate Carter are quite active in the local chapter of the Texas Library Association; Jennifer is serving as the District 8 chair and Kate is the District 8 secretary for the 2020-2021 year. Jennifer is also on the Program Committee for the 2021 TLA Annual Conference which was held virtually in April 2021. Librarian Martha Hood has served on the NASIG (North American Serials Interest Group) conference planning committee for the past four years (2018-2021). In May 2021, the conference was once again held virtually. NASIG seeks to advance and transform the management of information resources. Martha is also serving as the library representative on one of the University's QEP Steering Subcommittee (Needs Assessment), along with being the library chair for the Library and Learning/Information Resources, section of the UHCL Compliance Certification Committee. Dr. Vivienne McClendon, and Chloris Yue are also members of the committee. Neeta Jambhekar, librarian located at the Pearland site, serves on the Tier 2 Strategic Planning Team for Pearland. She also is an active Friendswood Public Library board member, a position she has held since 2010.
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ANNUAL STRATEGIC PLANNING
Library staff at the Bay Oaks Country Club
The Annual Strategic Planning was held at Bay Oaks Country Club on August 13, 2021. Discussions and activities included an update from Dr. Steven Berberich, Sr. Vice President of Academic Affairs & Provost. Library staff also participated in a discussion and activities led by Dr. Cynthia Cooke, Executive Director of Counseling, Health and Career Services, and Dr. Alexandria Ambrose, Senior Psychologist and Assistant Training Director.
David Palmer
David Palmer is the recipient of the first library "Employee of the Year" award for his outstanding performance, distinguished service, and superior dedication for the entire year. Congratulations David! Dr. McClendon, Dr. Berberich, and Mrs. Yue
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Credits Photos: Cindy Goode, Erin Henry, Martha Hood, Chloris Yue Videographers: Anna Peebler, Cindy Goode Designed & Created: Martha Hood
uhcl.edu/library Neumann Library Phone: 281-283-3900 library@uhcl.edu
UHCL Library at Pearland Phone: 281-212-1657 pearlandlibrary@uhcl.edu
Bayou Building 2700 Bay Area Blvd Houston, TX 77058
Pearland Academic Building 1200 Pearland Parkway Pearland, TX 77581