Dear Patrons,
I hope this email finds you and yours faring relatively well, under these unprecedented circumstances. Each week, I’ll provide you with a synopsis of recent news and links to useful resources and events of interest for the next five days.
Since the official closure of UCLA’s campus libraries on Friday, March 20, patrons have been unable to access our physical collections, but there are many digital resources that you may access remotely, including assistance from our IS Lab Staff, as well as our dedicated Information Studies librarian, Diane Mizrachi. Please make sure that you have VPN or proxy set up to access resources from off campus.
Mindful Matters
For those moments when remote work challenges and the uncertainty arising from the pandemic feel overwhelming, each week I’ll provide a mindfulness resource. This week’s recommendation is a free 21-day meditation experience with Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra called, “Hope in Uncertain Times.” If you have found new resources that would be useful to others in our community, please send them my way to include in a future update.
Practical Concerns
Week 2 has begun, and we remain at the ready to provide assistance as described in last week’s update.
Alumni engagement
In response to student requests, we have added a new page to the IS Lab website with links to digital portfolios. Since this is relatively new, your patience is appreciated as we fill this page with showcase portfolio links over time. Several alumni have offered to provide feedback on practice portfolio presentations to students. We are working on a schedule now, and will update you as soon as it is available.
Circulation & due dates
A reminder: We have extended the due dates for resources borrowed from the IS Lab through June 10, 2020. All fees and fines that would have accrued since March 1, 2020, will be waived; however, items that are lost and not returned will still be assessed replacement fees. Therefore, if you prefer to return items you’ve borrowed, please contact me to arrange for shipping to a secure address.
Computers & equipment
A reminder: ETU has made the computers in both the IS Lab and the GSE&IS Computer Labs accessible remotely using your own computer. We assume that all of you have been attending classes remotely. If you’re having trouble setting up remote access to your courses, please contact ETU: etu@gseis.ucla.edu. For easy reference, see remote access set-up instructions and the Computer Labs Remote Access page.
Course reserves
If you’re having difficulty with access to course readings via CCLE, please let us know. Faculty may grant CCLE access to the IS Lab by assigning Instructional Support permissions to Diana Ascher. We continue to work with our partners throughout the UC library system to codify a workflow to provide e-reserves support for faculty during the Spring and Summer quarters.
Jobs board
Despite concern about the effects of the pandemic on the job market, we’ve got lots of opportunities flowing in to our jobs board. Aside from front-line medical personnel, information professionals are among the most instrumental hires an organization can make during a pandemic. Also, please submit job postings when you come across great opportunities. Using this system will cut down on the email deluge, and broadcast the opportunities to our students.
Physical facility
I will be conducting a walkthrough on Friday, April 17, to confirm that there are no facilities emergencies such as water leaks or mold blooms, and to assess the security of the IS Lab, in accordance with UCLA Library protocols. Please email me ASAP should you need access to something in the IS Lab this Friday.
Virtual assemblage
We welcome you to the new instantiation of the IS Lab as a virtual assemblage.
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Reference services (register: bit.ly/ISLab-Reference)
- Supplementary resources to support students’ research and reference needs virtually. Find information on electronic access to journals, databases, ebooks, and research guides, along with recommended resources from IS Lab Staff members.
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Instructional support (register: bit.ly/ISLab-Teach)
- Intended for IS faculty and instructors, these resources concern online instruction workflows, information on teaching with Zoom, copyright concerns in the virtual classroom, and more.
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Training (register: bit.ly/ISLab-Learn)
- Virtual workshops, tutorials, and how-to guides pertinent to all five specializations in the MLIS Program, as well as professional development and continuing education skills development.
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Virtual commons (register: bit.ly/ISLab-Community)
- Intended for IS students to support the ongoing operations of student groups and other student-focused activities during this period of remote instruction. Meetings may be convened in dedicated breakout rooms and students may engage with one another organically, outside the bounds of course-related work. We hope to foster in this virtual space the free exchange of ideas and sense of community that has flourished in the IS Lab’s physical space over the past year and a half.
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Workshop Wednesday
On the third Wednesday of every month, community members now meet in the IS Lab remotely to gain practical skills through structured lessons that complement the MLIS curriculum. Please join us at 12:30pm on Wednesday, April 15, to learn how to present your skills and experience in ways that will resonate with hiring managers in LIS-related fields. Please bring a copy of your resume / CV that you can share with the group. Any experience level is welcome, none is necessary. Register here.
I hope you find these resources useful. We welcome your feedback and suggestions to help us support instructional continuity.
My best wishes for your continued health and safety.
Diana Ascher, PhD, MBA
Director, IS Lab
Digital Instructional Support Librarian