Reference point

              More than a toy
Library will display Mackinac Bridge replica
Frosty Wyrick knows the ins and outs of the Mackinac Bridge
after using more than 4,000 girders and other Erector set pieces
to build a 101-foot, 2,358-pound model of the structure.
Visitors to the CMU Libraries can see the engineering feat
November 1 through 21 on the second floor of Park Library.
Its display will complement Clarke Historical Library’s exhibit, The
Mackinac Bridge: A Political History, that will be up through March.
Wyrick, an emeritus CMU staff member from the university recreation
department, will answer questions during the opening ceremony at
7 p.m. November 1 in the Park Library Auditorium.
How it began
Wyrick had walked across the Mackinac Bridge almost every Labor
Day since 1969. He already owned photos and books about the bridge,
and he had a lifelong love of the structure when a chance meeting in
1999 turned his passion into action.
Lawrence Rubin, the first executive secretary of the Mackinac Bridge
Authority, was signing copies of his book about the bridge, and Wyrick
asked for his autograph. The two struck up a conversation about the
bridge, its engineering and construction, and Erector sets, and Wyrick
said he thought he could build a model of the bridge using the out-of-production
metal construction toy.
“I told him, ‘I’m going to build your bridge,’ and he promised me he
would live to see it,” Wyrick said. Wyrick and Rubin, now 94, both kept
their promises.
REFERENCE POINT
U N I V E R S I T Y L I B R A R I E S N E W S L E T T E R • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 7
Continued on page 11
V o l u m e 4 , I s s u e 2
Retired CMU employee Frosty Wyrick spent more than five years building a
model of his favorite bridge – stored here in pieces, ready for reconstruction
at Park Library.
Dean’s Column
Reference Point is published
biannually by University Libraries.
Address questions and suggestions to:
Office of the Dean
Park Library 407D
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Editorial Board
Thomas J. Moore
Dean of Libraries
Anne Marie Casey
Associate Dean of Libraries
Brian Palmer
Director of Development
Gerry Edgar
Manager, Library Business Services
Reference Point Coordinator
Production
CMU Public Relations and Marketing
Writers
Barbara Sutherland Chovanec
Sarah Chuby, ’03
Dan Digmann
Editor
Dan Digmann
Designer
Sydnee MacKay, ’98
Photographers
Robert Barclay
Peggy Brisbane
Printing
CMU Printing Services
Libraries Web Site
www.lib.cmich.edu
Academic Year Library Hours
Mon - Thurs: 7:50 a.m. - Midnight
Fri: 7:50 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sat: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sun: Noon - Midnight
Reference Desk
(989) 774-3470
libref@cmich.edu
CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and
actively strives to increase diversity within its
community (see www.cmich.edu/aaeo).
PRM 7192-5,225 (9/07)
Tom Moore
REFERENCE POINT
2
Tom Moore
Dean of Libraries
In a recent discussion with library department
heads about what quality or feature best
characterizes the CMU Libraries, it was
notable, if not exactly surprising, that the
dominant view was not about our magnificent
Park Library facility or the breadth of our printed
and expanding electronic library collections,
but rather about the service ethic displayed by
the staff.
I think it’s true. Certainly our own and campus-wide
surveys regularly generate evidence
of student and faculty appreciation for the
helpfulness of our librarians, support staff,
and student assistants. But I’m also pleased
to hear routinely how our staff members often
go the “extra mile” assisting library users to
find the right yet elusive piece of information
for a report, acquire from another library the
obscure journal article not in our collection
to meet an imminent deadline, untangle a
thorny technology impediment to accessing an
electronic database, prepare a nervous class of
freshmen – or even graduate students – for a
library research assignment, or put on a public
event using our outstanding hospitality facilities.
While, to be honest, glitches occasionally
occur, the stories I hear from library clients are
many times more likely to be about what went
right rather than what went wrong. And that’s
very gratifying.
Of course, not all of our service successes
take place in direct or visible relationship
with students and faculty who use our
Park Library or the comprehensive services
available to students and faculty throughout
CMU’s geographically widespread off-campus
programs.
Many of our best services are performed
behind the scenes by staff the public rarely,
if ever, sees. Whether we’re taking care of an
individual patron with a problem or meeting the
multifarious needs of an academic program,
we’re drawing heavily on the service efforts of
the people who order and catalog the books
and journals, tease and tune the software that
runs our Web sites and automated systems,
and ensure that bills and staff get paid and our
budgets balance. So service activities inside
the library are just as important as viewable
support to library users as we fulfill our library
mission for the university.
Since the CMU Libraries are not graced with
abundant numbers of staff, knowing how few
people do so much makes me appreciative and
proud. Librarianship today truly is a profession
at least as much, and probably more, about
service responsiveness as it is about books
and bytes. In the Libraries care and concern
about helping others is at the center of what
we do every day.
In this issue of Reference Point you can read
more about ways we’re serving the university
community. What’s more, you can learn
about two of our staff recently recognized
for distinguished service to their broader
professional communities: Anne Casey, who
has received the national “librarian of the
year” award for off-campus library services;
and Frank Boles, who has been elected Vice
president/President-elect of the Society of
American Archivists.
I hope you’ll find the articles informative and
interesting. As always, let me know if you
have comments or questions about library
services or about Reference Point.
Going the ‘extra mile’ for library users
Library is the
people’s choice
And first place goes to … Park
Library! For the second year in a
row Park Library has won CMU’s
People’s Choice Award for “Best
Place to Study.” The faculty, staff,
and student assistants work hard to
make the library a comfortable and
productive environment. It’s nice to
be recognized for our efforts. •
3
National association
honors CMU librarian
Knowing the struggles of nontraditional
students, Anne Marie Casey looked forward
to assisting with research by students in
CMU’s Off-Campus Programs.
“Customer service has always been my
No. 1 priority,” said Casey, who worked with
distance learning students for 15 years. “No
matter what people would need, that is what
I would I do.”
Casey, CMU’s associate dean of libraries,
was named the 2007 recipient of the
Haworth Press Distance Learning Librarian
Conference Sponsorship Award from
the Association of College and Research
Libraries Distance Learning Section.
This annual award honors an ACRL member
who has helped advance distance-learning
librarianship. It is the second consecutive year
that a CMU librarian has received a national
award for supporting off-campus students
and faculty. In 2006, Monica Hines Craig,
a librarian for CMU’s Off-Campus Library
Services in metro Detroit, won the award.
“I feel so honored because this was the
area of librarianship into which I have put
most of my career time and attention,” said
Casey, who received her award June 23 at
the American Library Association annual
conference in Washington, D.C. “This means
more to me than anything I could have
gotten. I think that most of our learners are
distance learners, whether they are returning
adults or students doing research out of their
residence hall rooms.”
Remembering past
accomplishments
Casey remembers helping a student at
the CMU Off-Campus Programs site in
North Dakota find information on how to
start a steam train tourist business in the
Rocky Mountains. She was able to find an
association for just that type of business
where he found all of the background
information he needed.
Award-winning distance
And with the recent I-35 bridge collapse in
Minneapolis, Casey thought of a student she
assisted with research on the deterioration
of U.S. bridges. Ten years ago he had
predicted that bridges would be failing just
like the one in Minnesota did.
“As a reference librarian, I was helping
students do research before the Internet. So
they would call me up for help often,” she
said. “I really got to know students and their
projects quite well.”
Connie Hildebrand, chair of the award
committee, said Casey has shown a long
and distinguished record of service in the
Distance Learning Section and in off-campus
librarianship.
Casey’s activities with the Distance Learning
Section include serving as chair from 2001
to 2002, as a member and chair of the social
events planning committee from 2003 to
2008, and as secretary/archivist from 1995
to 1997. She serves on the Michigan Library
Association Board of Directors and was vice
chairwoman of the ACRL-Louisiana chapter
in the early 1980s. She has published many
journal articles, many of which relate to
distance learning.
Casey came to CMU in 1991. Prior to
becoming associate dean of libraries at
CMU, Casey served as CMU’s director of
Off-Campus Library Services, coordinator for
librarian services, and off-campus librarian,
including more than three years in CMU’s
Washington, D.C., office.
Casey received her bachelor’s degree from
the University of Massachusetts in 1977,
earned a master’s degree in Medieval
Studies from the Catholic University of
America in 1979, and obtained a master’s
degree in library science from the University
of Michigan in 1981. She currently is working
on a Ph.D. at Simmons Graduate School of
Library and Information Science in Boston. •
Anne Marie Casey
Brown: Make libraries an everyday part of life
PBS news reporter Jeffrey Brown always carries his library card.
In his personal and professional life, he surrounds himself with literature, art,
and culture.
So it was fitting that Brown, an Emmy Award-winning senior correspondent for the
PBS show NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, spoke recently at the annual Friends of the
Libraries luncheon in the Charles V. Park Library Auditorium.
Brown said he can’t imagine a world without libraries or books.
“Books are words and ideas,” he said. “Even though a book’s form may change, it
will always be important to society.”
CMU Professor emeritus Dennis Thavenet, a Friend of CMU Libraries, said he
avidly watches the NewsHour, and he enjoyed Brown’s speech.
“Jeff was fascinating. You
really can see that being an
arts correspondent is right up
his alley,” Thavenet said. “It
also is nice to have somebody
here with name recognition
and who believes in giving
libraries support.”
Brown admitted that for
years, he didn’t set foot into
a library.
“For a while, I got caught up
in so many other things that I
forgot what a great place the
library is. My daughter helped
reintroduce me to the library,”
he said. “Starting when she
was age 5, we’d go to the
library every Saturday.”
Now whether Brown is at work or on the way home, he regularly uses the
public resource.
“Personally, I use the library all of the time. The Arlington, Virginia, Public Library
is on my way to work, so I stop in and browse the new authors and books. It’s
enjoyable and it helps me with interview ideas,” he said.
The arts shape our culture
Brown, who mainly reports on the arts and culture, said it is important to recognize
current artists because they shape today’s culture.
He has interviewed many leading artistic figures, including author Philip Roth,
musician B. B. King, and actor Kevin Kline.
“The arts are such an important part of our culture and our lives. It’s important to keep
it in the news and to treat it as news,” he said. “So often the substance of art and
culture doesn’t make it into the news; instead you get entertainment gossip.”
Prior to joining the NewsHour, Brown was a producer and writer for the Columbia
University Seminars on Media and Society, an independent television production
headed by Fred W. Friendly. He produced many programs for public television on a
wide variety of subjects, including foreign policy, ethics, and the Constitution.
Brown earned an undergraduate degree in Classics from the University of California,
Berkeley, and a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of
Journalism. He studied law at the U. C. Berkeley School of Law. •
A book’s mark
4
Award-winning author
spends a day on campus
A podium with a microphone was set up in
the Park Library auditorium.
It looked as if the podium was waiting for the
library’s prominent guest, two-time Pulitzer
Prize winner David McCullough, to speak
behind it.
McCullough’s books include The Johnstown
Flood, Brave Companions, Truman, John
Adams, and 1776. None of his books has
ever been out of print.
But as the 74-year-old history author walked on
the stage during his recent visit, McCullough
noticed a chair near the center of the stage and
sat. He addressed the eager crowd.
“Good morning. It is a pleasure to be
here,” he said, slightly moving the seat. “I
thoroughly enjoy meeting with students and
people who are interested in writing.”
During the mid-morning chat last Spring,
McCullough talked about the beauty of
CMU’s campus, his positive impression of
Park Library, and how HBO has adapted
his best-selling novel John Adams into a
television miniseries produced by Oscar
Award-winning actor Tom Hanks.
The HBO project has seven parts, each an
hour long. It will air in early 2008.
“People who watch this are going to see the
18th century as it was in more ways than
they’ve seen it before,” said McCullough, a
consultant to the $100 million production.
McCullough noted it is important to be
realistic. “Otherwise, you aren’t fair to the
subject or the audience.”
Writer’s talk
During the annual Friends of the Libraries luncheon, Friends
member Eugene Wanger, left, talks on the way to lunch with
event speaker Jeffrey Brown, a senior correspondent for the
PBS show NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
‘When you are trying to
pick a topic, research to
see what has been done
on it before. If nothing
has been done or you
think you have something
better, write it.’
– David McCullough
Tips from an expert
McCullough also shared writing advice with
the crowd of CMU students. Here are some
recommendations he gave for aspiring
authors:
Pick something you are curious about;
however, make sure that there is enough
information available.
At the onset of his John Adams project,
McCullough intended to write a dual
biography of Adams and Thomas Jefferson
and how the political foes ultimately
reconciled, forming an unlikely friendship
late in their lives.
But it soon became evident that the
Jefferson aspect lacked the ingredients
of a story. Jefferson destroyed most
personal records – notably, all letters he had
exchanged with his wife.
Adams, on the other hand, had many
interesting personal letters, especially
those between him and his wife, Abigail.
McCullough then eliminated Jefferson from
the book to focus wholly on Adams.
Write four pages a day.
When McCullough was 28 years old, he said
he was given the best piece of book writing
advice – to write four pages a day.
“Years ago, when I’d summoned the
courage to decide I was going to attempt
writing a book, I met a man one night at a
party – his name was Harry Sinclair Drago.
He wrote Westerns. A friend said to me,
‘You see that old fellow over there? He’s
written over 100 books.’”
McCullough said he nervously approached
Drago and asked how he had written 100
books.
“He said, ‘Four pages a day. That’s how you
write books.’ That advice has really worked
for me.”
Make use of libraries and librarians.
McCullough said he could not write his
books without the kindness, consideration,
resourcefulness, and work of librarians.
When he started work on his first book, The
Johnstown Flood, McCullough, then living
in New York, would walk to the 42nd Street
Library. His book was about the catastrophic
Johnstown Flood of 1889.
“I worked principally in the
genealogical room there,
because they had wonderful
basic sources for doing
biographical research,” he
said. “The people in that room
taught me the ropes.”
And it was at a library when
McCullough first thought about
writing a book. “What started
me writing history happened
because of some curiosity that
I had about some photographs
I’d seen in the Library of
Congress,” he said. “I was
astounded by the violence of
what had happened and the
drama of it. I grew up in that
part of Pennsylvania and I had
heard about the Johnstown
flood all my life. I knew that a
dam had broken, but beyond
that I didn’t know anything. I
was curious.”
After checking out several
books, McCullough found
them to be boring and
inaccurate. So McCullough
decided to write a book on
the Johnstown flood that he
would like to read. His book
was published in 1968.
“When you are trying to pick
a topic, research to see what
has been done on it before.
If nothing has been done or
you think you have something
better, write it.”
When writing about a political figure,
to avoid bias make sure at least
a half-century has passed.
“I think it takes about 50 years for the dust
to settle and for us to be able to see these
individuals in the context of what follows,
as well as what has preceded, and what
happened during their time in office,” he said.
McCullough, though he’s been asked his
opinion of President George W. Bush several
times, will not comment on current political
events.
“Time needs to pass before we can see things
clearly. The things that were said about Harry
Truman in his time are just withering. Wait a
while before you put him down or up.” •
Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author
David McCullough shares his writing
insights with a crowd of eager CMU
students the morning of his daylong visit
to the university last spring. McCullough
concluded his campus visit with a public
presentation for members of the CMU
and Mount Pleasant communities.
Up North with the Hemingways
Development Column
Event raises funds for Michigan
Hemingway Endowment
Although Ernest Hemingway was born in
Oak Park, Illinois, he spent every summer
of his first 22 years in northern Michigan.
He grew up playing in its fields and streams
and immortalized “up north” in his writing.
Michigan was always somewhere deep
inside Hemingway’s mind.
On August 6 the Clarke Historical Library,
in conjunction with the Crooked Tree Arts
Center of Petoskey, held a fundraising event
to benefit CMU’s Michigan Hemingway
Endowment. The event included an exhibit
designed by Frank Boles, director of the
Clarke Library, and Michael Federspiel,
president of the Michigan Hemingway
Society. The exhibit consisted of a selection
of the Hemingway materials in the Clarke
Library collection. After a presentation by
Mr. Federspiel, our guests had the rare
opportunity to tour the Hemingway family
cottage, Windemere, on nearby Walloon
Lake. We are thankful to both Ernest H. and
Judy Mainland for opening their home to us.
The Clarke Historical Library holds an
extensive collection of manuscripts, letters,
books and other materials relating to Ernest
Hemingway in Michigan. The endowment
provides funds so that the Clarke Historical
Library can continue to collect, preserve,
and make available to the public materials
relating to Hemingway. The Up North with
the Hemingways event raised nearly $10,000
for the endowment and for the library.
The special treat for the
Hemingway aficionados
was the tour by Mr.
Mainland, a nephew
of Ernest Hemingway.
He shared personal
experiences and stories to
add a unique perspective
into what it was like to
spend time at Windemere.
After the tour our guests
convened for a reception
in the lobby of the
historic Perry Hotel in downtown Petoskey.
All had a chance to enjoy hors d’oeuvres
and refreshments while they shared their
experiences of their day “up north with
the Hemingways.” A dinner followed the
reception with a few closing remarks by
Frank Boles.
Pam Neal, a social studies teacher from
Lansing Catholic Central High School,
commented that she appreciated Mr.
Mainland’s family stories about the cottage.
“He really painted a picture of what it was
like to be a little boy spending time at the
cabin and gave you a glimpse of what it must
have been like to grow up in the Hemingway
family,” she said. “He was such a kind and
generous host and made us feel welcome
in his home.” Pam Neal is incorporating
Hemingway’s writings in her lesson plans for
this upcoming school year.
Jan Fedewa, executive director of the
Michigan Humanities Council, commented
that, “It was an absolutely wonderful
experience. I never thought that I would
have the opportunity to tour the Hemingway
family home. Walking in his footsteps was
just outstanding.”
Jim Neal, an attorney from Lansing, said,
“It’s wonderful when the Clarke Historical
Library can put together a fundraiser that is
both fun and educational. The Clarke Library
has successfully made a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to tour the Hemingway family
home into an enjoyable fundraising event.”
On behalf of the Clarke Historical Library, I
would like to thank Ernest and Judy Mainland,
Liz Ahrens and the staff of the Crooked Tree
Arts Center, Jim and Marion Sanford, Sandra
Croll, Mike Federspiel, and all of our guests,
who made this event a success.
Brian A. Palmer
Director of Library Development
Brian Palmer
The Up North with the Hemingways
event this summer included an exhibit at
the Crooked Tree Art Center of Petoskey
featuring selections of Hemingway
materials from Clarke Historical Library.
Morrow endowment will
support library collection
Establishing an endowment to
encourage reading and education made
perfect sense to Ralph Morrow.
The 1951 CMU alum wonders, if he
didn’t know how to read, how he could
have learned to lead an Army platoon
in World War II, earned four college
degrees, taught at two Michigan
universities, directed the Michigan
Department of Agriculture, and served
as a coach and prominent board
member at Haslett Public Schools.
Morrow and his wife, Sally (Leitch)
Morrow, have pledged $50,000
to establish the Morrow Family
Endowment at Park Library. The
endowment will support the acquisition
of children’s literature and environmental
studies materials at the library.
“You have to read in order to learn, so
it’s important for kids to get a good
start,” Morrow said.
Morrow remembers how his mother,
Eva Mae (Clapper) who taught for
nearly four decades in Petoskey-area
schools, influenced and developed his
early reading skills. But, growing up in
northern Michigan, Morrow devoted
most of his time tending to the chores
of the family dairy farm and raising
everything from seed potatoes to oats,
barley, sweet clover, and alfalfa.
Purple Heart veteran
turned college student
Morrow left home in 1942 at age 20 to
serve in the United States Army and
became a member of the 33rd Infantry
Division stationed in the Pacific. Morrow
was wounded in combat by an artillery
shell and was awarded a Purple Heart.
He returned to Michigan in late 1945.
Instead of continuing to work on the
farm at home, he began studying for
his degree at Central Michigan College
of Education.
“All I knew was the farm, but all along
I knew that I needed an education,”
Morrow said. “Central welcomed me,
and I felt I got a good education there.”
Initially he wanted to study physical
education and become a coach, but,
when Morrow realized that more than
Morrow, fraternity brothers
establish memorial for
Catherine O’Connell
The Morrow Family Endowment isn’t the first
time Ralph Morrow has contributed to the
CMU Libraries.
While studying at Central Michigan, Morrow
and many other WWII veterans benefited
from the extra care and attention they
received from the late Catherine O’Connell,
the head reference librarian and associate
director of Park Library from 1945 to 1971.
A good start for any education
60 percent of his male friends had similar
career aspirations, he changed his focus
and majored in agriculture and minored in
biology and English.
In the first class Morrow took at Central,
he was the only man in a class of 14
students. Sally Leitch, the woman he
eventually married, was among the 13
women enrolled in that class.
“With my background, I knew agriculture,
and I could teach it,” Morrow said.
“I studied under (CMU agriculture
department head) George Wheeler, and
he did an excellent job of preparing me to
go further.”
Occasional opportunities to
teach classes for Wheeler
helped lead Morrow to his
career as an agriculture
professor at Michigan State
University and deputy director
of the Michigan Department of
Agriculture. Sally Morrow, who
attended CMU and received
her master’s degree from
Michigan State University,
taught reading for 31 years at
schools throughout Michigan.
CMU family ties
Throughout the years Morrow
has maintained close ties with CMU.
In fact, nearly a dozen of his family
members – including his mother, sisters,
mother-in-law, brother-in-law, daughter-in-law,
grandchildren, and nephews – also
have attended CMU. Ralph and Sally
Morrow’s grandson Bryce currently is in
his second year at CMU and is a pitcher
on the CMU baseball team.
“Many of our family members have
attended CMU, and that’s why we felt it
was appropriate to establish this as the
Morrow Family Endowment,” he said.
Brian Palmer, director of library
development and community outreach,
said the Morrow endowment will offer
valuable resources to help the library
keep its specified collections current.
“We’re very thankful for the Morrows
and their generosity,” Palmer said.
“Endowments provide the funding that the
library can depend on from year to year.”
To learn more about endowments
and other ways of giving to the CMU
Libraries, contact Brian Palmer at (989)
774-1826 or palme1ba@cmich.edu. •
In October 2002 Morrow, with other Alpha
Beta Sigma fraternity brothers from the
classes of 1948 to 1952, had gathered on
campus to remember O’Connell and raise
money for a memorial in her name at the
library. The effort to honor O’Connell was
spearheaded by Clarence Tuma, ’50, who
also was Morrow’s college roommate.
“Miss O’Connell, we called her ‘O.C.’, was a
well thought of librarian who went above and
beyond to help all the students and veterans,
including myself,” said Tuma, who served in
the Army and was stationed in Europe during
WWII. “For all the help she gave us members
of Alpha Beta Sigma, we felt we needed to
raise some funds for Miss O.C. so that she’s
remembered in the library.
“Ralph (Morrow) played a very significant
part in that, and when we all met that
weekend, he said, ‘Whatever it takes, you
can count on me.’”
Funds from the endowment support the
acquisition and maintenance of artwork for
Park Library. •
Ralph, ’51, and Sally (Leitch) Morrow
Location limits distractions
Health professor Jeffery Betts said a small
study room in Park Library is his office away
from the office, and it’s exactly what he needs.
For Betts and others like him, working on
research projects, journal articles, or grant
applications in their regular offices amid
distractions and interruptions can be difficult.
“If you want to get much done, you really have
to leave your office,” he said. “It’s very nice to
have a place in this beautiful library to work.”
The library has 41 individual study rooms, and
this summer 30 of those were reserved by
faculty conducting research. This fall, they’ll all
be reserved, and a waiting list will form.
Faculty use study
rooms for research
Library staff members
working toward
graduate degree
Amie Pifer and Joyce
Salisbury, seated in a Park
Library study room, compare
their fall semester class
schedules. They talk about
a class – cataloguing – they
both took last year and how
they were happy to save
money by sharing the book.
But the women aren’t CMU
students. They are Park
Library staff members who
both are pursuing a master of library science degree.
Pifer, technical services manager, and Salisbury, administrative secretary, attend
Wayne State University. They hope the degree will aid them with professional
development and future job opportunities.
“The hardest part is jumping in. After I started, I realized that because it is
something that I am interested in, it’s not that difficult,” Pifer said. “I’m not
saying it’s easy, because it is not. But now I realize it is something that I can do.
And I get satisfaction with every class I complete.”
The women said that the majority of classes thus far have been online or at
the WSU Lansing campus. However, they will have to take Detroit-area classes
in the future. Gas prices may make the two women worry, but their bosses’
support in their endeavors does not.
“There has been so much support and encouragement from my supervisors. I
try to take classes that don’t interfere with work, but, if needed, they are flexible
with my schedule,” Pifer said. “As I get further along, I keep telling myself, ‘you
can do this.’ And with everyone’s help, I know I can.”
Homework, books, class … again
Pifer, who earned her bachelor’s degree in 1991, said it was a little intimidating
to be a returning student.
“When I started in 2005, it had been 14 years since I had done homework or
written a paper,” said Pifer, mother to two boys ages 11 and 14. “But I adjusted
pretty quickly.”
Helping her make the transition was the support she received from CMU
coworkers.
“Working in this library has given me a huge advantage,” Pifer said. “If I have any
questions, I can just ask coworkers. That has really been beneficial.”
Salisbury said her motivation to complete the program is to have a chance at
finally reaching her “ideal” job. In high school, Salisbury said she took a career
aptitude test that said that her No. 1 job fit was a reference librarian.
After years of working at several different jobs, Salisbury, ’82 MS ’91, decided to
listen to that high school advice. So, in 2006, she decided to go back to school
for a master of library science degree.
“When I got this job at Park Library, I decided to go for it. I didn’t want not
getting that degree to be one of my life’s regrets,” she said. “Now I know that
it won’t be.” •
The next chapter
Betts conducts research on weight loss,
obesity, and diabetes. He’s working on a grant
application to the National Institutes of Health.
He and his wife, Elaine Betts, a physical
therapy professor, are seeking funding for a
research project to look at diet modification
and exercise. He reads and works on his
laptop computer in the study room, and he
ventures out to use the library resources.
Betts said he usually spends a morning or
afternoon in the library a couple of times a
week. In the fall semester, he’ll add some
evenings to his library schedule.
“You can always look at most of the journals
online, but I like to look at them in hard copy and
go to the stacks if I need to. It’s great,” he said.
Descriptions of the rooms, policies, applica-tions,
etc., are on the library Web site at “book
a room” under the “services” heading.
Rooms are available for faculty, staff, doctoral
students, and graduate students who need
to use library materials for their research.
They’re not available for non-CMU people. •
Park Library staff members Amie Pifer, left, and Joyce
Salisbury also are enrolled as students at Wayne State
University. Both are pursuing the master of library
science degree.
Jeffery Betts, associate professor in the School of
Health Sciences, said the resources and study rooms
available in Park Library offer the time and space he
needs to work on academic projects.
Desktop Delivery
User directions for faculty
1. Go to the Libraries’ Home Page
www.lib.cmich.edu and click
on “Interlibrary Loan Requests”
under the Services heading.
Create an ILLiad account using
your CMU Global ID.
2. Click on the ILLiad request
form and create an account
by selecting “Mount Pleasant
campus” and clicking “Register”
on the right side of the screen.
3. Complete the registration form
and click “Submit information.”
Your ILLiad account will be
registered.
4. Once registered, log into ILLiad
for the request forms. After you
have filled out a request form,
click “Submit Request” at the
bottom of the screen.
5. The Interlibrary Loan staff will
receive and act on your request.
The target turnaround time is 24
to 48 hours on a weekday basis.
6. You will receive an e-mail
message that will direct you to
log onto your ILLiad account
when the document has been
uploaded.
7. Log onto your ILLiad account, click
on “View/Download Electronic
Items.” You will have 14 days from
the date of posting to access your
articles on ILLiad. •
Park Library offers new service
Faculty members said at a 2006 Academic
Senate meeting that they wanted access to
a desktop delivery service so that coming to
Park Library for research materials from the
printed collections wouldn’t be necessary.
Pat Barbour, Park Library’s interlibrary loan
coordinator, said the suggestion couldn’t
have come at a better time.
“It was something that I’ve wanted to do
since we moved into the new Park Library
building,” Barbour said. “But we had to wait
until we purchased the ILLiad computer
system, which we did in March 2006.”
ILLiad automates the processing of
interlibrary loan requests, compiles lending
and borrowing statistics, provides tracking
for lending and borrowing, and delivers
articles and other documents electronically. It
even notifies users when requests are filled.
“The system really has reduced the work of
locating items and the paperwork we had to
do,” she said.
The Interlibrary Loan staff
started a Desktop Delivery
pilot study last October
with several campus
departments.
“It was the first time anything
like this was offered on
campus. We felt it was a
service that would help the
faculty with their research
endeavors,” Barbour said.
“The faculty who used the
service during the pilot
program were so happy to
have this service available.”
The service delivers all
items that can be sent
electronically, such as
articles, chapters out
of books, microfilm,
microfiche, or anything that can be scanned
or photocopied and sent electronically. The
target turnaround time is 24 to 48 hours on a
weekday basis.
“They have to give us at least the journal and
the article name, or some piece of info that
would help us locate it, otherwise we may
give them the wrong thing,” she said. “And
no one wants that.”
Sign up, click, delivered: It’s yours
CMU values faculty research
Chemistry faculty member Anja Mueller,
who participated in the pilot study, said the
new service has saved her hours of time.
She uses it for several projects, including
her research on polysaccharides – which are
sugar polymers – and how they can be used
as skin scaffolds.
“I no longer have to choose a date to go to
the library and spend hours there,” she said.
“I can do a search on the computer, request
journal articles, and have them delivered
electronically. It makes things a lot faster and
convenient.”
Barbour said they had almost 100 requests
from faculty during the trial period. Library
staff members now are ready to take on
more. Barbour said the program, which is
free, is now open to all faculty members.
“We want to see how much demand there
is,” Barbour said. “After we figure that out,
we’d like to offer it to graduate students and
then everyone else.”
For more information, contact:
• Pat Barbour, interlibrary
loan coordinator, at
barbo1pa@cmich.edu or
774-1212
• Pamela Grudzien, head
of technical services, at
grudz1pa@cmich.edu or
774-6422
Barbour said offering the service at no
cost shows that CMU values the research
endeavors of its faculty.
“I did a survey on an interlibrary loans listserv
asking if they charged for this service,”
she said. “And out of the 22 libraries that
responded, half of them do.” •
CMU graduate student Drew Fox, left, and Park Library staff member
Melissa James scan printed documents that they then can send
10
Preserving the past
Frank Boles is in a position to shape the
practices for the preservation of historical
records nationwide.
Boles, director of the
Clarke Historical Library,
has been elected to serve
back-to-back one-year
terms as vice president
and president for the
Society of American
Archivists (SAA), the
nation’s oldest and
largest national archival
professional association.
The SAA has about 5,000
members.
He began his term as vice
president in August and
will become president in
August 2008.
Boles said he has always
had an interest in the
past.
“I’ve always been a
little nosy,” he said with
a laugh. “Where else
can you read people’s
mail without getting in
trouble?”
On a more serious note,
Boles said the past is
important because it
holds answers.
“History is the
explanation of the
present. It answers the
question, ‘How did we get here?’” he said.
“And that is very important to know. Those
answers can aid us with decisions we make
in the future.”
On top of his job as Clarke director, Boles said
he puts in 10 to 20 hours a week for SAA.
“I end up working a lot of weekends,” he
said. “It’s a lot of work. But just like anything
in life, if you find something important
enough, you make time for it.”
Library director heads national society
Archivists have a wide range of
responsibilities and often deal with an
equally wide range of human emotions.
Boles recalled traveling to Harbor Springs
in the mid-1990s to pick up a 4,000-book
collection willed to the library.
When he and his colleague arrived at the
home, the man’s widow greeted them at the
door, led them to the collection, and pulled a
book off the shelf.
“This is the book we bought together on
Mackinac Island in 1947,” she said to Boles.
She picked up another book and described
its personal significance.
Boles said he did what he says archivists
should do: he checked to make sure she
truly wanted to part with the books; then,
while his colleague gathered the books, he
listened to her stories.
“There are many things people don’t realize
is part of an archivist’s job,” Boles said,
referring to copyright, the related issues
of privacy restrictions and public access
to records, and serving as advocates for
the preservation of documentation. “We
advocate the preservation of historical
documents and the public���s access to them,
but much of what archivists do is work
with people, sometimes in very traumatic
moments of their lives.”
Boles said it is always helpful to meet with
people who do similar work, which is why he
joined the SAA in 1977.
“SAA enriches the professional life of
archivists across the country,” he said. “It
gives us a chance to connect, share stories,
identify issues, and come up with solutions.
Frank Boles, director of Clarke Historical Or at least try to.” •
Library, sits among the stacks in the Clarke
and discusses his role as the recently
elected vice president of the Society of
American Archivists (SAA). Boles will serve
back-to-back terms as vice president and
president of the SAA.
11
It’s a David
Small World
Caldecott Award
winner and
Michigan native
David Small’s
children’s literary
illustrations,
including
Imogene’s
Antlers
• Baber Room,
Park Library
• Through
October 29
Michigan Story Festival mural
Art that Michigan Story Festival muralist Tom
Woodruff and the Morey Charter School
children created during the festival
• Park Library
• October 8 to 22
Up North with the Hemingways
Learn about author Ernest Hemingway, his
life in Northern Michigan, and his stories
featuring the character Nick Adams
• Third floor, Park Library
• October 12 to 29
Northern Michigan paintings
Works of landscape painter Maeve Croghan,
a San Francisco-based artist who spends her
summers on Mackinac Island
• Baber Room, Park Library
• November 1 to December 16
The Mackinac Bridge:
A Political History
Celebrating 50 years of the “Mighty Mac”
and looking into how the decision was made
to build the Mackinac Bridge
• Clarke Historical Library, Park Library
• November 1, 2007, to March 15, 2008
• A 101-foot model of the structure on
display in Park Library November 1
through 21
Library provides home for CMU
Writing Center
CMU’s Writing Center has moved its
primary operation into the campus hub
of academic activity – a permanent,
larger, newly remodeled location on Park
Library’s fourth floor.
Prior to this, the Writing Center has had
only a temporary spot at the Library,
with operations and services distributed
among sites in Anspach Hall, Towers
Residence Hall Complex, and the
Indoor Athletic Complex.
“The library is a focal point of inquiry
and knowledge. Having a writing
center at the library makes eminent
sense,” said CMU Writing Center
Director Mary Ann Crawford. “Writing
is central to a college education and
to communicating learning, whether
in school or professional life. It’s
a wonderful asset to an already
exemplary library.”
Write move
CMU Libraries exhibits
and events calendar
The Writing Center provided more than
10,000 consultation sessions last year.
That member is expected to increase
with the new location. The staff also
visits classes and offers writing-across-the-
curriculum support to faculty.
Gerry Edgar, manager of library business
services, who oversaw the remodeling
project. “We see the Writing Center as
part of what the library is and should
be,” said “To have all the resources of
the library right outside the door of the
Writing Center is a good idea. It certainly
is an academic function, which is what
we’re all about.”
The Libraries, the Provost’s Office, and
the College of Humanities and Social and
Behavioral Sciences funded the move
and remodeling.
The Writing Center will continue to
operate its three other sites, maintaining
convenient access to students across
campus. The library site’s hours
of operation are Mondays through
Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays 9 a.m.
to noon and Sundays 6 to 9 p.m.
Visit the Writing Center online at
www.chsbs.cmich.edu/writing_center. •
Continued from page 1
Wyrick started buying old Erector sets whenever he could
find them, and he accumulated parts for more than two years
before he started construction, which took 51/2 years.
He would stay up late and get up early to work on the
project. If he woke in the middle of the night, he would grab
a pencil and paper to sketch his ideas.
Wyrick’s model was a highlight of the 50th anniversary
celebration of the Mackinac Bridge this summer in
Mackinaw City. And he said he’s happy to haul his bridge to
CMU for exhibit.
“When people see it, that’s the satisfaction I get out of
building it,” Wyrick said.
After the bridge’s stay at CMU, Wyrick plans to display it at
the Detroit Science Center, and he tells everyone he meets
about the need for a permanent Mackinac Bridge museum.
“The thing I really learned through all this was how difficult
and dangerous it was to build the Mackinac Bridge,” Wyrick
said. “The ironworkers, foundation workers, laborers, divers,
administrators, and engineers need to be recognized for the
job they did.”
“I will give my bridge to the people of Michigan if they build
a museum.” •
More than a toy
University Libraries
Park Library 407
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Non-profit Organizaton
U.S. Postage
PAID
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Permit No. 93
Exhibit documents more than 300 years of fishing history
If you can’t get away for a long weekend to fish, cast a line into the rich waters of The
Reed Draper Angling Collection, which is on display at the Clarke Historical Library until
October 22. The exhibition features books on the “gentlemanly art” of fishing from
the collection of the late Reed Draper (1928-2004), former president of the National
Automobile Dealers Association and owner of the Draper auto dealerships in Saginaw.
Draper’s family generously lent his Wanigas wooden fishing poles and fishing hat and
baskets for the event. Highlighted in the exhibit are fly-fishing and the Michigan grayling,
a once prolific species fished with such reckless abandon that by 1900 the species
was virtually extinct. A copy of Izaak Walton’s classic tome The Compleat Angler, first
published in 1653, also is on display. Robert Kohrman – dean of CMU’s College of
Science and Technology and fishing enthusiast – also wrote a companion catalog.
The library’s hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information,
call the Clarke Historical Library at 774-3352. •
The Reed Draper Angling Collection exhibit in the Clarke Historical Library spans four centuries of
documentation regarding fishing and fishermen’s reflections on their sport.
Quite a catch