— Chief Librarian Njoki Kinyatti

Library faculty remain focused on advancing the mission of York College by supporting teaching, learning, and research; as well as other forms of intellectual engagement. In order to make sure the department remains the symbolic heart and soul of the York College community, library faculty, and staff go beyond the call of duty to provide our patrons with the research and services they deserve. The dedicated team of faculty continues to deliver research services to our valued users through in-person reference, online chat services, email reference, and research consultations. One of our primary goals is to make sure we meet the research needs of our users. It is worth noting that fostering critical thinking and assisting York College’s diverse population of students, faculty, and staff with research remains our priority.

This academic year (2023-2024), the library has experienced two challenges, a shortage of personnel and a limited collection development budget. However, notwithstanding these challenges, providing library services to students, faculty, staff, and the college community continues to occupy most of our time. As we approach the end of another challenging year, I am optimistic that the Library needs to be better positioned in 2024-2025. The department personnel remain positive and focused on delivering library services, but the availability of current resources plays an important role in how Library faculty provide research to our patrons. We continue to strive to create a conducive environment where all our users can study and feel that they belong. For example, during FY2024, the lighting in the Library was improved. In addition, repairing missing tiles and leakage problems is an ongoing project.

I appreciate the dedication of Library faculty and staff, including college assistants to meeting the research and information needs of students, faculty, and staff. Thank you too for your spirit of teamwork that makes it possible to deliver research services to students and faculty. Library faculty work twelve months a year, but this does not diminish our commitment to delivering Library services to our valued customers throughout this extended academic period.
 

— John Drobnicki, Professor, served as the Chief Librarian from 2007-2011, and is currently the Acquisitions, Collection Development, and Interlibrary Loan Librarian & Library Webmaster

Di Su joined the Library Department on January 27, 1997, and although I happened to be on jury duty during that week, I was also the happiest person that he had been hired because he was replacing me as Evening & Weekend Librarian-in-Charge, and I was moving to the “regular” day shift. I was so happy that I did not even try to pull rank on him and just let him take the office with the windows – and I was also too lazy to move all of my junk to a new office.

From left to right: Todd Simpson, Tokunbo Adeshina, John Drobnicki, Scott Sheidlower, and Di Su, at the York Library’s farewell party for Anamika Megwalu, December 8, 2015. (Photo by Mohammed Jahed Sarwar)

Being a junior faculty member myself at the time, I was not on that search committee, but they made a great decision when they hired Di. He was always a true role model for his junior and senior colleagues – someone who guided and supported us with grace and good cheer. As most people know, Di is a conservatory-trained violinist (Shanghai Conservatory of Music) who also has two related master’s degrees in music in addition to his MLS – in violin pedagogy and performance. Like the Concertmaster of our library (and we’ve had numerous Conductors of varying quality and temperament over the years), Di was not only a steadying presence who made sure that we were all playing in tune so that the music we made together sounded great, but he also calmly led us by example, providing leadership, mentoring, and solid advice to his colleagues.

Di was always cooperative in taking on new assignments for the good of the Library Department. Aside from being Evening & Weekend Librarian-in-Charge, he also served at various times as Head of Information Literacy, Head of Circulation & Reserve, Head of Reference, Head of Interlibrary Loan, and Assessment Librarian. And he never neglected his service responsibilities or his scholarship, publishing three books, numerous scholarly journal articles and contributing to subject encyclopedias, and was promoted to the rank of Professor in 2015.

We all held (and continue to hold) Professor Di Su in the highest esteem, and we wish him and his family only the best in the many happy years to come.

A Tribute to Professor Di Su on his Retirement by Anamika Megwalu

In 2007, York College gave me the opportunity to launch my career as an academic librarian and a faculty member. I was not only new to the profession; I was also new to understanding what it means to be a part of a faculty. I had to learn many things such as the professional culture of York College and the library, tenure requirements, aspects of librarianship, the course of my doctoral studies, and prioritizing work-life balance. My tenure at York College (2007-2016) was remarkable. Within the span of 9 years, I got married, had my two children, earned my doctoral degree, and received my tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. I have to admit, I  couldn’t have done it without my mentors.Di Su was a great mentor to me! I remember the support and words of wisdom he provided during my tenure at York College. I always looked forward to our monthly one-on-one meetings because, by the end of those meetings, I was affirmed, inspired, and energized. His feedback was always honest, constructive, and delivered with compassion. Di introduced me to faculty members from other departments, and staff on campus, and encouraged me to join affinity groups, which helped me develop a sense of belonging. I have fond memories of reading and discussing chapters of the 18th-century Chinese novel, The Story of the Stone with my colleagues at an informal book club, where Di’s humor played an important role in balancing the intensity of the intellectual conversation. I always admired Di’s ability to put things into perspective.

Di has been very influential in my life. He has shaped me as a librarian, a mentor, and a leader. Here's to a wonderful person who genuinely cares about others!

Anamika Megwalu, Ph.D., MLIS Interim Associate Dean for Student and Faculty Engagement Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library San Jose State University (Photo provided by Dr. Megwalu)

Grace Avila, Manager of Circulation and Reserve Retires

— Scott Sheidlower, Professor, Head of Circulation and Reserve

After 42 years at York College, Ms. Grace Avila has retired from her position as the manager of circulation and reserve at the York College Library. As the longest-working staff member in the library, Ms. Avila retired with the title of Higher Education Assistant, a promotion she got around seven years ago. Before that, she was an Assistant to Higher Education Officer. As part of her job, she supervised the College Assistants who “person” the circulation desk, oversaw the CUNY Office Assistant, Travis Hilton, who helped her in the circulation office behind the Circulation/Reserve desk and taught the librarians who are the Heads of Circulation and Reserve including the current one, Scott. Everyone who worked with her, found her to be caring, intelligent, and good-hearted.

Anyone who sees the decorations around the circulation desk at the start of the winter holiday season can thank Grace for having chosen them and helped oversee them being displayed. She was always available for the College Assistants, even on her days off. They often texted her with questions and received quick answers. She is missed by the staff at the Circulation/Reserve desk.  Among the many things she plans to do, in her retirement, is to visit, spend time with, and help out the members of her family. She is most definitely missed here in the library. We all wish her a wonderful and joyous retirement as well as a long, healthy, and happy life.

—  Meredith Powers, Assistant Professor/eResources Librarian/Head of Information Literacy

Congratulations to ALL our Graduates!

We rely on our staff at York College Library for their hard work and friendly, helpful demeanors at all of our service points, and especially the Circulation & Reserves desk! Over the past year, four of our staff members earned new degrees, and we are so proud of their accomplishments!

First up, congratulations to Oluwatofunmi Kukoyi, who joins the York College class of 2024 with a new degree in Health Sciences! Oluwatofunmi (Toffy to her friends) had quite the learning experience journey at York College, and she appreciates her community of faculty and students. She plans to continue her education, and we are very supportive of that. Good luck, Toffy, you can stay here as long as you like but we know there’s a bigger world out there for you, too!

Next, we wish congratulations to Bjorn Forde, who has just earned his M.A. in Earth and Environmental Science from Brooklyn College. Bjorn has been an invaluable asset to York College Library, helping our library run smoothly from his early days at circulation to his recent role as our administrative assistant. Bjorn is planning on a career in the environmental science field, while also starting a PhD program in sustainability. We wish him all the best! 

We also celebrate the accomplishments of Mohammed Jahed Sarwar, York’s  Senior College Laboratory Technician. Jahed has recently earned his Master of Business Administration from Brooklyn College, and he shows no signs of slowing down. He has been teaching information technology at the Continuing and Professional Education Center since 2009, and plans to focus on academic interests, including the pursuit of a Doctorate of Business Administration expected in 2026. Aside from academic responsibilities, Jahed enjoys playing the piano, brush painting with his son, and nurturing his swimming skills at the YMCA. Jahed is also York College's CLT Union Representative, committed to advocating for the rights and well-being of our esteemed staff members. He is honored to serve as a Faculty Advisor for the Muslim Student Association (MSA), as he is committed to nurturing and supporting a vibrant and inclusive campus environment. Additionally, Jahed has been elected to represent York College's faculty on the University Faculty Senate (UFS). All in all, Jahed is grateful for the opportunity to pursue his academic interests and hobbies.

Finally, congratulations to CUNY Office Assistant Travis Hilton, who has completed a Master of Library Science degree at Queens College in 2024. Travis hopes to obtain a position as an academic librarian and he also focuses on starting a nonprofit to help entrepreneurs in the Queens area. Travis already excels in wearing many hats at York College Library, so we feel confident that he will achieve his goals in no time.

We would love for all our successful graduates to stay with us, but mostly we hope that they find lucrative, satisfying careers in their chosen fields. Thank you for all your hard work, and best wishes!

Photo clockwise: Oluwatofunmi Kukoyi, BS in Health Science, York College (CUNY); Jahed Sarwar, MBA in Business and Information Systems, Brooklyn College (CUNY); Travis Hilton, MLS in Library and Information Science, Queens College (CUNY); Bjorn Forde, MA in Earth and Environmental Science, Brooklyn College (CUNY).

— Stefka Tzanova, Associate Professor/Science Librarian and OER Coordinator

         AI is solving human problems. Is it?

Photo credit: Critac Education

It is beyond doubt that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the new buzzword. Everybody is ecstatic and generation Z thinks that ChatGPT’s was created with the only purpose to write assignments and take home exams for them, eventually. In reality the definition of AI – “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines” - was conceived by John McCarthy at the first ever AI conference in 1956 behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War when the Berlin Wall was still standing. As you may guess the first AI applications were for the military (mainly machine translation and interrogation of prisoners). It would be a huge exaggeration to say that they were successful. Several decades later with the advent of the personal computer, Internet, smart cellphones, and no doubt due to the notorious ChatGPT, the AI is in the spotlight again and will stay for good.

From libraries’ perspective AI is a technological implementation of the synergy between computing and psychology which can be used to increase librarians’ productivity by providing techniques to improve the quality of library services and to advance the communication with patrons. AI in libraries is focused on improvement of reference   services, cataloging, classification of data, indexing, document delivery and communication with patrons. Generative AI tools (such as chatbots) create risk of biased, misleading information, fraudulent research, violation of copyright, plagiarism and academic misconduct. Those AI applications have direct implications in academia by compromising both learning process and academic integrity. It is debatable whether generative AI tools should be banned from academic writing or being promoted as an opportunity to reconsider current teaching practice. It is important to use AI in education in an ethical and responsible way while encouraging students in critical thinking. AI literacy is a relatively new concept. In general, the expression denotes “thinking in AI terms”. AI literacy cannot be precisely defined and should be explained as a broad convolution of three different quantities: knowledge about AI principles, ability to use AI in tools, services and applications, and ability to critically evaluate AI output. Per this view AI literacy cannot be seen as the direct successor of all preceding literacies such as digital literacy, computational literacy, scientific literacy and data literacy. That requires librarians to promote AI literacy as a framework encompassing research literacy and data literacy, and understood as a necessary skill set for effectively communicating in an AI driven medium. For librarians AI literacy emerges as a broad range of activities targeting proliferation of AI awareness for patrons and support for their AI skills development.

— Junli Diao, Assistant Professor/Head of Cataloging & Serials

Sellbert (2010) already used the term “tyranny of item” to describe the decisive position of item record in the three-leveled bib-holding-item cataloging record. If the analog that can describes the conceptual mode (works, expressions, manifestations, and items) of the functional requirements of bibliographic records is a pyramid, then items are the base rocks laying the foundation for the greatness and massiveness. Item records describes the attributes, including provenance, locations, conditions, identifiers, and access restrictions, of the actual, physical copies of the manifestations.
An item record not only requires the precise, concrete description of the attributes of a physical copy, but also requires the elimination of redundancy to simplify and smooth the workflow at the functional and operational level (see screenshot below; courtesy of Kristen Fredericksen, University Collaborative Systems Librarian, Office of Library Services, CUNY).

Therefore, I can’t agree more with the action that “Item Policy” was removed from the item record in Alma Item Policy. Item Policy used to describe how an item should be circulated, for instance, non-circulating for reference materials, or seven days loan for reserved materials (see screenshot). Since Alma Fulfillment Module is a location-based library system, and the policy concerning how an item should be circulated in one specific location has intrinsically linked with the location code. That means all materials shelved in the same location should be circulated in the same or similar way. For example, the location of reference already implies that all materials collected in this location is meant to be used within a library, not for circulating outside. However, Alma doesn’t take one-size-fits-all-approach, it allows local libraries the flexibility to define Item Policy to handle exceptional circumstances (see screenshot below).

When a cataloger creates a bibliographical record, the main question we ask ourselves “What it is and what it is about?” When a cataloger creates an item record, the main question we ask ourselves could be “What does it have?”

Reference

Sellberg, R. (2010). Cooperative cataloging in a Post-OPAC World. Cataloging & classification quarterly, 48(2-3), 237-246.

-- Mohammed J. Sarwar, Sr. Systems Administrator/Senior College Laboratory Technician
A new approach to remote software accessibility at CUNY via Apporto

With the adoption of Apporto, a modern platform replacing the conventional CUNY Virtual Desktop, the City University of New York (CUNY) is making a significant leap forward in remote access to instructional software. In addition to its robust features and integration of critical applications, such as ArcGIS, SPSS, SAS, Matlab, Mathematica, and Maplesoft, Apporto's success at CUNY can be attributed to its ability to empower users with essential tools for research and analysis. Users can use this software suite to customize their workflow and collaborate seamlessly, enhancing research outcomes.
Accessing Apporto is effortless through its intuitive interface and simple login process. Users can easily access desired software via the dedicated Apporto portal on the official CUNY website.

Mini Reviews on the Eloise Series

-- Travis Hilton, CUNY Office Assistant

York Library has a rich collection of children's literature. You can find both fiction and non-fiction titles by browsing the CMC section on the second floor of the Library. Children’s literature is very relevant to the mission of the college and the library. Most often this collection goes unnoticed by patrons so we want to highlight that we have this collection available. One author that I would like to highlight is Kay Thompson. Kay Thompson who was born Catherine Louise Fink was an American author, singer, dancer, actress, and choreographer. She became famous for her role in the movie Funny Face and the Eloise children’s books. I hope this will encourage you to browse our children’s section.

Thompson, Kay Eloise at the Plaza illus. by Hilary Knight Little Simon ISBN 9781481451598 Eloise tells the story of a precocious six-year-old Eloise and her life at the famous Plaza Hotel in New York City where she is left to raise herself, with the help of her nanny. She fills up her time by finding anything and everything to do which sometimes gets her in trouble. The book consists of mainly black and white pencil drawings by illustrator Hilary Knight. Within the black and white drawings, there are pops of pink. The pink represents that Eloise is a girl and represents brightness, playfulness, and positivity in her world despite her family missing. The pinks are used when Eloise uses her imagination to keep things interesting. Her face is round and softer compared to the adult characters in the book. This shows the difference between her world and the adult world. The adult faces are expressive so you can feel their annoyance with Eloise as she lives her life at The Plaza. An example is when she takes her stick to hit the doors as she runs down the hall the illustrator makes sure to show the look of annoyance on the guest's faces. The illustrations also give a deeper glimpse of the life Eloise lives with few or no words. When they show her room, it is just mentioned that she had a large coat rack in it. But when further examining the illustration there is a saw, bottle of gin, and pair of large scissors, which are items that are not usually in a kid’s room. This shows that she has much to cope with as she navigates life.

Thompson, Kay Eloise In Paris illus. by Hilary Knight ISBN 9781481451567 Gr Preschool-3-This is the second picture book that shows Eloise’s fun adventure as she leaves the Plaza Hotel to visit Paris after receiving a special cablegram from her mother. She is accompanied by her nanny, dog Weenie, and turtle Skipperdee. Keeping consistent with the series the illustrator uses black and white pencil drawings with pops of pink and red giving a sense of fun and imagination. When she visited Paris the color blue was used with little pops of red incorporated within the blue. The pops of red were incorporated with the blue probably to show familiarity or things that Eloise could relate to as she was having fun discovering a new city. The background is usually white but there are few words and much more drawings throughout the pages to convey different actions and expressions on the faces of the characters to help the reader feel what Eloise is experiencing and seeing. From her excitement of getting a telegram from her mother to seeing new buildings in Paris. Some of the buildings take up the whole page which can help convey strong emotions of excitement. Overall the drawings in the book are very effective in feeling the emotions of Eloise and the adults that interact with her. Children will enjoy discovering Paris with her.

Thompson, Kay Eloise at Christmastime Illus. by Hilary Knight ISBN 9780689830396 Gr k-3 This picture book tells the story of Eloise as she and her nanny prepare for Christmas at home on top of the Plaza hotel on Christmas Eve where her excitement runs high. The drawings in this book are similar to the other Eloise series which is black and white pencil drawings with pops of pink and red. This picture book is also very effective in displaying the emotions of the characters in the book. You can feel the excitement that Eloise has as she and the nanny prepare for Christmas. They use a black background in the beginning pages so that the reader can feel that is nighttime. The illustrator uses more colored backgrounds instead of white in this book than in the other series. He uses the pink color for the full background on several pages. This occurs when she is dreaming of plum pudding with extra cream and other things. It is also fully pink when it shows the map of the plaza and Eloise's plan to visit parties. This means that pink does mean fun and imagination in the book. Her Christmas tree is also the same color pink. This shows using the same color is associated with the feeling of fun throughout the book.

Thompson, Kay Eloise in Moscow Illus. by Hilary Knight ISBN 9780689836213  GR k-4-This is the story of Eloise and her nanny as they take a trip to Moscow. A guide takes them on a tour of the city where they see famous landmarks once again without her mother. The illustrations in the book are the same style once with black and white pencil drawings. What is different from the other Eloise series is instead of pinks and reds the illustrator uses the color yellow throughout the whole book. In most of the book, the characters and a lot of the illustrations are on the bottom of the page and not as much the whole page like other previous books. Because of this, I feel you can see the author's view of Russia at that time because it makes it seem sadder of a country, especially with all the snow. Yellow which is usually a happy color can be seen as happy for Eloise even though she did not have as much fun in Russia the fact that she was exploring a new country was still fun for her. The illustrations would make it a nice book for children to read and explore a new country.

Thompson, Kay Eloise Takes a Bawth Illus. by Hilary Knight ISBN 9780689842887  GR K-4-This is a story of Eloise taking a bath at The Plaza while her imagination is running in full gear. While this happening water leaks down to the grand ballroom while the Venetian Masked Ball is happening. This is a story that encourages a child to use their imagination to make simple things fun. This book is the most colorful of the series but still in black and white pencil drawings. Blues, reds, pinks, and yellows are used. The author uses a white background and there are few words on each page. The character's faces are very expressive so you can feel what emotions they are feeling. A lot of the pages the drawings take up the whole page. There are a lot of vertical shapes to make the reader feel excited and feel what Eloise is feeling as she is using her imagination. They make some of the illustrations larger on the page to also convey the fun she is having using her imagination.

Thompson, Kay Eloise at Christmastime Illus. by Hilary Knight ISBN 9780689830396 Gr k-3 This picture book tells the story of Eloise as she and her nanny prepare for Christmas at home on top of the Plaza hotel on Christmas Eve where her excitement runs high. The drawings in this book are similar to the other Eloise series which is black and white pencil drawings with pops of pink and red. This picture book is also very effective in displaying the emotions of the characters in the book. You can feel the excitement that Eloise has as she and the nanny prepare for Christmas. They use a black background in the beginning pages so that the reader can feel that is nighttime. The illustrator uses more colored backgrounds instead of white in this book than in the other series. He uses the pink color for the full background on several pages. This occurs when she is dreaming of plum pudding with extra cream and other things. It is also fully pink when it shows the map of the plaza and Eloise's plan to visit parties. This means that pink does mean fun and imagination in the book. Her Christmas tree is also the same color pink. This shows using the same color is associated with the feeling of fun throughout the book.

York College Library Faculty Scholarship, AY2023-2024

Peer-Reviewed Articles

Su, D. (2024). Mozart’s Violin Concerto in D Major, K. 271a/271i: A “dubious” work that is nevertheless worthy of study.
       College Music Symposium: Journal of the College Music Society, 64(1), 1-15. https://symposium.music.org/index.php
Su, D. (2023). Supplement to the Suzuki Violin School. American String Teacher, 73(4), 58-61.
       https://doi.org/10.1177/00031313231197637

Thompson, J., & Peach, J. (2023). Making OER sustainable in the library: Building community through professional
       development for librarians. Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education, 2(1), 253–265. https://doi.org/
       10.13001/joerhe.v2i1.7203

Book Chapters
Tzanova, S. (2024). AI in academic libraries: Success, pitfalls, perceptions, and why we need AI literacy. In I. Khamis (Ed.), 
       Applications of artificial intelligence in libraries (pp. 19-44). IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/979-8-3693-1573-6.ch002

Presentations
Adeshina, T., Diao, J., Drobnicki, J., Kinyatti, N., Powers, M., & Tzanova, S. (Co-presenters). (2024, April 4). Welcome to the
       York College Library. Presented at a York College Professor 101 session [hybrid].
Jackson, J. (2024, February 23). CUNY/DOE high school liaison librarians: A unique community. LACUNY Dialogues 2024.
       [Virtual].
Jackson, J. (2024, February 23). What community building means for outreach librarians [panelist]. LACUNY Dialogue 2024.
Jackson, J. (2024, May 10). Problematic behavior in urban public libraries: Are library policies and rules keeping staff and
       patrons safe? LACUNY Institute 2024. [Virtual]
Tzanova, S. (2023, July 18). Welcome to York College Library: New nursing students’ orientation.
Tzanova, S. (2024, May 10). AI in academic libraries and critical AI literacy [panelist]. LACUNY Institute 2024. [Virtual].

Book Reviews
Drobnicki, J. A.  (2023, November).  [Review of the book Denial of genocides in the twenty-first century, ed. Bedross Der
       Matossian]. Choice, 61(3), 360.
Drobnicki, J. A.  (2024, February).  [Review of the book The fight against book bans: Perspectives from the field, ed. Shannon
       M. Oltmann]. Choice, 61(6), 640.

Research Guides
Diao, J. (2023, June 1). How to find audio-visual materials. Retrieved from https://libguides.york.cuny.edu/audio-video

Honors, Grants and Awards
Adeshina, T. (2023). The HEO-CLT Professional Development Fund. Award in $1,551.00 received from PSC-CUNY.
Jackson, J. (2024). PSC-CUNY Traditional Awards A. $1715. This grant supports research into how information literacy is
       incorporated into required core general education courses. [funded]
Kinyatti, N., and Hilton, T. (2023) Coordinated Collection Development Aid (CCDA). Grant $9,804 received from New York
       State. [funded].

Sarwar, M. J. (2023). Certificate of completion: Project-based graduate course in marketing management. Koppelman School
       of Business, Brooklyn College, CUNY. Accredited by AACSB.

Sarwar, M. J. (2023). Unsung Heroes: Give thanks with a grateful heart. Recognized by PSC-CUNY

Library Exhibits

Charuvi, N., & Peach, J. (2023, September-October). Noa Charuvi: Gal'Ed means a pile of stones exhibit reading room. York
       College Library, Jamaica, NY.
Diao, J., Drobnicki, J., & Sheidlower, S. (2023 July-2024 January). 1968: War, assassination, music and fashion. York College
       Library, Jamaica, NY.
Jackson, J. (2024, January-February). Black History Month book display. York College Library, Jamaica, NY.

Others
Diao, J. (2024). Peer reviewed one manuscript for Humanities and Social Sciences Communications published by Springer
       Nature.

LibWire 2024 is published on behalf of York Library by Stefka Tzanova and Junli Diao.