KU Libraries Seeks 2025 Sprints partners; Deadline March 3 |
Faculty and academic staff of the University of Kansas looking for a partner to solve research or pedagogical challenges are encouraged to submit applications for Sprints Week, a five-day intensive collaboration with KU Libraries. Teams of expert librarians partner with faculty on a broad range of projects that enrich research and teaching efforts while also providing financial support for selected participants. Applications are open now through March 3, with all applicants notified by the end of March.
Sprints Week activities, to take place May 19-23, will pair selected faculty and staff with a specialized team of librarian experts, producing a tangible outcome or product during the spring-summer intercession. Librarian expertise includes data management and visualization, digital mapping, digital scholarship, foreign language expertise, information literacy, disciplinary expertise, open access, and scholarly communications, among others. Selected participants receive a $1,000 stipend.
“Sprints projects come from a wide variety of academic disciplines and provide a unique opportunity for dedicated and focused time to work with a libraries team with wide and deep expertise to significantly advance challenging work,” said Michael Peper, Head of the Center for Faculty & Staff Initiatives and Engagement with KU Libraries.
|
Presentation to highlight impact of Open Education |
Virginia Clinton-Lisell, Associate Professor in Educational Foundations and Research at University of North Dakota and lead researcher of the Open Education Group, will visit KU’s Lawrence campus to deliver a public lecture about her research on Open Education, at 10 a.m., March 14, in Watson Library 3 West.
Prior to Clinton-Lisell’s presentation, the libraries’ Shulenburger Office of Scholarly Communication & Copyright will announce the 2025 Textbook Hero, an honor presented to a member of the KU community who has taken extraordinary initiative to increase access to and affordability of required course materials by implementing and advocating for OER and other low and no cost course materials. The special guest, and award presentation, coincide with Open Education Week.
“It's important that the interventions we advocate for, such as the use of OER and related practices, are supported by research findings," said Josh Bolick, Head of the David Shulenburger Office of Scholarly Communication & Copyright in KU Libraries. "Dr. Clinton-Lisell is a leader in the field and I'm excited that she's visiting KU."
Learn more about Open Education Week
|
University of Kansas and Frontiers renew flat fee open access agreement for 2025 |
The University of Kansas and open science platform Frontiers have renewed their open-access publishing partnership for an additional year. Initially established in 2024, this agreement maintains its terms to provide KU researchers with seamless, cost-free access to publish in all Frontiers journals.
Through 2025, corresponding authors affiliated with KU’s Lawrence and Edwards campuses will continue to enjoy unlimited publishing across Frontiers’ portfolio of 229 open-access journals, with article publishing charges (APCs) fully covered by the partnership.
Scott Hanrath, KU Libraries associate dean of research engagement emphasized the ongoing benefits for KU scholars: “KU Libraries remains committed to creating opportunities that enhance the visibility and accessibility of our researchers’ work. Renewing this agreement with Frontiers reinforces our goal of advancing an open, equitable, and sustainable publishing future.”
|
KU Libraries are continuously working to expand and improve available resources for its users. Access items with your KU online ID and password or reach out if you have questions.
|
The KU Libraries Leisure Reading & Watching Collection features fiction and non-fiction books from popular genres including romance, thrillers, mysteries, self-improvement, and biographies. It also includes movies available to stream, including some of the most popular commercial films. Also included are national newspapers. Using the Libby app, users can access ebooks and audiobooks.
|
Access to a wide variety of educational films, feature films, documentaries, musical theater, dance, opera, and more is provided by KU Libraries: Streaming Video Access Lib Guide
|
Professional Development Opportunities on Campus
|
KU Libraries invites faculty and academic staff to “Partner with Us” and is one of several campus units focused on professional development, including the Office of Faculty Affairs, Center for Teaching Excellence, and Academic Affairs. These upcoming events offer opportunity for faculty and staff to continue to grow:
Faculty Development Academies Week (May 19-23)
Faculty Development Academies are day-long intensives, focused on a particular topic, giving faculty time to delve deep and develop a core capacity in a chosen area. Participants are welcome to register for as many dates as they’d like.
CTE Course Redesign Institute
CTE offers programs and funding opportunities for faculty members who are interested in improving their teaching. More specifically, we support instructors who want to pursue course transformation and become involved in an intellectual community of instructors.
Career Partners Summer Institute (May 20-22; Aug. 13)
Join an interdisciplinary community of faculty who are looking for innovative ways to bring career into the classroom. This 15-hour program will introduce career readiness concepts, explore exemplary practices for integrating career into the classroom, and redesign a key assignment for the upcoming semester.
|
Watson Seed Library Debut |
The Watson Seed Library officially opens this Friday, Feb. 28, from 10 a.m.-noon. Come by and talk plants, collect information about various plant resources in our community, or just snag a few packets of seeds for your garden. Located in the Watson 3rd floor Honor’s Lounge, the Seed Library will be open any time Watson Library is open.
“The Seed Library gives us the opportunity to connect people from a multitude of plant related work to each other as well as to the public and the KU community.” — Jack Hawthorn, Watson Library Operations Manager
|
Jayhawk Book Club is open to all alumni, students, faculty, and friends of KU. Each semester, KU Libraries staff selects a book and facilitates discussion in partnership with the KU Alumni Association. This semester's selection is "The God of the Woods" by Liz Moore. Learn more or sign up.
|
|
A recurring event for graduate students to work, relax and focus, with a coffee house atmosphere and snacks every Friday on the Fourth floor Grad Study Lounge in Watson Library. KU Libraries offers research consultations, the Center for Learning and Writing Support offers writing consultations, the Office of Graduate Studies offers Graduate Career and Professional Development support, with workshops scheduled almost every Friday.
|
The IDRH hosts free workshops to provide faculty, staff, and graduate students hands-on introductions to digital tools and practices in order to help manage data, analyze text, work collaboratively over long-term projects, create digital editions, fund projects, and publish and disseminate results. Tool Tuesday and Workshop Wednesday are new series for 2025.
|
Red Hot Research from The Commons introduces researchers to the work of their colleagues; prompts questions within current research through the perspectives of many disciplines; and develops collaborative research teams as a result of overlapping interest & expertise. The format of these sessions are short, six-minute, slide-based talks that introduce audiences to a topic. Hosted monthly in Watson Library’s Three West Reading Room.
|
Opportunities for students |
The 67th annual Snyder Book Collecting Contest awards undergraduate and graduate students for their collections of books, digital items, graphic novels, music and film that share a particular subject, topic or theme.
|
LibArt: Student Art in the Libraries is a year-long juried exhibition organized and sponsored by KU Libraries. Students from all majors and backgrounds are encouraged to submit their artwork for a chance to exhibit their work inside the libraries’ public spaces and win cash awards totaling $5,400.
|
|
