Search
Loading
January 27th, 2025
In honor of Black History Month, Purdue Libraries and the Black Cultural Center invites you to attend a lecture by Sheryll Cashin titled, “Residential caste: How West Lafayette can transcend segregation and opportunity hoarding” on Wednesday, February 19, 10:30–11:30 AM in STEW 202.
About the lecture
How does a community with a history of segregation and disenfranchisement move forward to heal, repair, and transform?
West Lafayette is not different from other cities where Black migrants landed. As a professor of law at Georgetown University, Cashin has experience applying her theories to the particulars of multiple communities, with examples of hope, transformation, and repair from other cities. Repair requires building a multiracial coalition that supports policies that include and lift up vulnerable people. Dismantling and repairing residential caste requires perfecting local mulitracial democracy, or what W. E. B. DuBois called abolition democracy.
About Sheryll Cashin
Author of works centered around race relations and inequality in America, Sheryll Cashin is a professor of law at Georgetown University. Her latest book “White Space, Black Hood: Opportunity Hoarding and Segregation in the Age of Inequality” published in September 2021 shows how the government created “ghettos” and affluent white space and entrenched a system of American residential caste that is the linchpin of U.S. inequality, while issuing a call for abolition.
Cashin is an active member of the Poverty and Race Research Action Council; worked in the Clinton White House as an advisor on urban and economic policy, particularly concerning community development in inner-city neighborhoods; and served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. She was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, where her parents were political activists, and currently resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two sons.
View her website to learn more about Cashin and her work.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsSeptember 27th, 2024
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.—Purdue University Archives and Special Collections (ASC) is pleased to announce the digitization of paper transcripts used by Neil Armstrong for his public addresses and select speeches. The nearly 500 transcripts—totaling 7,700 pages—were generously donated by his wife, Carol Armstrong, in 2011. The speeches are available for public viewing, text-searchable, and accessible on Purdue’s online archives platform, e-Archives.
The speeches are annotated by Armstrong with comments, quips, and jokes, or with arrows in the margins suggesting changes to word or phrase order. Jo Otremba, Barron Hilton Archivist for Flight and Space Exploration and clinical assistant professor at Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies, said Armstrong frequently added information that provides readers with additional context of the speech.
“He often added notes on the speeches sharing the date and location the speech was given, which is an interesting feature for the readers to consider,” Otremba said.
Some of the most notable speeches were given at Purdue University events such as the dedication of Grissom and Chaffee Halls and Armstrong’s acceptance of an honorary doctorate degree in 1970. The halls are named after two Purdue astronauts who both lost their lives in a NASA pre-launch fire at Cape Kennedy in 1967—the late Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and the second American to fly in space, and Roger B. Chaffee, a Navy pilot and NASA astronaut.
The Neil Armstrong papers continue to be one of the most accessed collections for research requests and instructional usage through ASC. Increasing ease of access to the archival collection through digitization has been a goal since the acquisition of the speeches in 2011. Work to digitize the speeches, funded by the Purdue Research Foundation and Carol Armstrong, began in 2022. The digitization process itself is lengthy and requires that each speech be described, vetted for third-party copyright, and uploaded to e-Archives.
“This project highlights the continuous effort required to make these resources accessible, and it’s wonderful to celebrate the speeches’ public availability through our e-Archives,” said Otremba.
Building this digital collection would not have been achieved without the detailed and steady collaboration between ASC’s Otremba; graduate assistant Camryn Beeman; Neal Harmeyer, Archivist for Digital Collections and Initiatives, Interim Head of Archives and Special Collections, and clinical associate professor; Sammie Morris, former Head of Archives and Special Collections and former director of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center; and members of Purdue Libraries’ Digital Programs team—Cliff Harrison, operations manager; M Lewis, digital collections photography assistant; and Samuel Wilson, digitization project assistant.
Purdue University Archives and Special Collections
Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, housed within Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies, aims to support the discovery, learning, and engagement goals of Purdue University by identifying, collecting, preserving, and making available research records and papers of enduring value created or received by the university and its employees.
To learn more, visit lib.purdue.edu/spcol.
Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, general, News and AnnouncementsApril 9th, 2025
By Rachel Fundator, clinical assistant professor and information literacy instructional designer, and Dr. Clarence Maybee, associate dean for learning and W. Wayne Booker Chair in Information Literacy
The Institute for Information Literacy at Purdue is thrilled to have recently awarded a seed grant for work being done at Emory University investigating ways to alleviate health information poverty and foster health literacy among rural pregnant women in Iran.
Previous studies have found that women living in remote areas in Iran receive low levels of adequate healthcare. This qualitative study will help identify avenues for strengthening and increasing health information awareness for rural pregnant women susceptible to health information poverty due to a lack of access to health centers or public libraries. The researchers, Dr. Neda Zeraatkar, Middle East and Islamic studies librarian at Emory University, and Dr. Leili Seifi, associate professor of information science at the University of Birjand, will develop training materials for stakeholders who work in maternal and child health in rural areas across the country.
The Institute looks forward to learning about the team’s toolkit for fostering the health literacy of pregnant rural women in Iran.
Institute Awardees for “Access and Strengthen Health Information Literacy: A Toolkit to Alleviate Information Poverty in Pregnant Rural Women in Iran”
Neda Zeraatkar, middle east and islamic studies librarian, Emory University
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsApril 8th, 2025
On April 7, Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies hosted its second annual “A Celebration of Books” to honor Purdue faculty who published books throughout the past academic year. This year’s event featured over 70 authors across various academic disciplines.
Five authors spoke about their books and writing processes at the event, including:
Clarence Maybee, associate dean for learning and W. Wayne Booker Chair in Information Literacy for Libraries and School of Information Studies, made formal remarks.
During her speech, McBride noted, “I want to highlight the fact that creating a book is a very big undertaking. If you write a book, the planning is enormous, even after you get comfortable with your ideas and the publisher has weighed in. There are typically external reviews of the proposal and some further suggestions as to how to address various topics within it…I commend all the authors here, and I’m also grateful to Purdue again, as other people have said, for initiating the creation of books as a top priority.”
Attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and drinks, and authors received a pin-on corsage upon check-in. Images of the published book covers were displayed for authors to autograph.
Provost Patrick Wolfe said, “I’m really glad to see our libraries hosting this event because books are such an important part of scholarly output.” The event successfully highlighted the value of books and celebrated Purdue authors for their dedication and efforts.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsApril 2nd, 2025
By Rachel Fundator, clinical assistant professor and information literacy instructional designer, and Dr. Clarence Maybee, associate dean for learning and W. Wayne Booker Chair in Information Literacy
The South Asian region faces significant challenges in ensuring access to accurate, high-quality health information, particularly for women from underrepresented or marginalized communities. Cultural barriers and limited literacy levels exacerbated by the spread of misinformation contribute to significant challenges to women’s health information literacy, contributing to disparities in health outcomes.
The Institute for Information Literacy at Purdue recently awarded a seed grant to a research team examining how innovative AI technologies may be deployed to foster health information literacy for South Asian women. The team of researchers from five South Asian countries aims to understand better how AI technologies may be adopted to improve South Asian women’s access to health information and improve their health decision making. The research team will conduct focus groups with women in India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
This study aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Group’s regional strategic goals to promote good health and well-being and gender equality. The study findings may assist policymakers in developing health information literacy policies tailored specifically for women in this region.
The Institute looks forward to hearing the team’s recommendations on using AI technologies to support health information literacy in South Asian countries.
Institute Awardees for “AI and Health Information Literacy: A study exploring the perceived usefulness, and readiness among women in South Asia”:
Tabassum Aslam, academic librarian, Lahore School of Economics, Punjab, Pakistan
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsMarch 31st, 2025
Celebration of Teaching seeks to recognize the achievements of Libraries, University, and external teaching award winners from the 2024–25 academic year. This year, 17 Libraries faculty members presented lightning talks on their innovative teaching methods, and 10 award winners were recognized at the event for their contributions to teaching.
Those who presented and the topic of their presentations include:
This year’s teaching award winners were also recognized, including:
Teaching Academy membership
The Teaching Academy strives to bring together the best teaching faculty and graduate students across campus to create a collective voice for teaching excellence. Members are nominated and selected by their peers, and membership recognizes outstanding and scholarly teaching in graduate, undergraduate, or engagement programs of Purdue University.
New members: Pete Pascuzzi and Dave Zwicky
Teaching for Tomorrow Fellowship Awards Program
The Teaching for Tomorrow Fellowship Awards Program fosters continued excellence of teaching and learning, and facilitates the development of faculty members’ teaching potential. Junior fellows’ goals are to improve their teaching and develop mentorship skills in the program, and senior fellows are tasked with mentoring junior fellows and working with them to craft a plan that will help them to grow as educators.
Junior fellows: Annette Bochenek, Melissa Chomintra, Kristin Leaman
Senior fellow: Heather Howard
Teaching Leadership Award
The Teaching Leadership Award aims to foster a culture of teaching excellence and leadership by supporting instructors in designing and implementing developmental activities within their respective departments.
Recipients: Jing Lu and Zoe Mayhook
2024 Libraries Teaching Award Winners
Recipients: Annette Bochenek, Kristin Leaman
Celebration of Teaching provided a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with faculty, gain insights into their innovative teaching efforts, and honor the well-deserved award recipients. It was a memorable event highlighting the dedication and passion driving education forward.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsMarch 26th, 2025
By Rachel Fundator, clinical assistant professor and information literacy instructional designer, and Dr. Clarence Maybee, associate dean for learning and W. Wayne Booker Chair in Information Literacy
Information literacy professionals grapple with how to teach and prepare learners to navigate the significant challenges our current information environment poses. Renowned information literacy scholar, Dr. Nicole A. Cooke, developed the critical cultural literacy model (2023) as a direct response to mis-, dis-, and malinformation. The more holistic and layered literacy model enables learners to examine the intersections of information, race, politics, history, culture, and emotions as they learn.
A team of researchers from the University of Louisville and University of South Carolina received an Institute for Information Literacy at Purdue seed grant to apply Dr. Cooke’s model to community-based learning courses, where the students often work with communities that are particularly harmed by the spread of misinformation. The researchers will investigate how critical cultural literacy is utilized in community-based learning courses and develop an online toolkit that facilitates classroom conversations.
The Institute is eager to see the outcomes of this work to support learning in community-based courses within and beyond libraries.
Institute Awardees for “Context & Connections: Applying the Critical Cultural Literacy Model to Community-Based Learning”:
Dr. Nicole A. Cooke, Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and professor, School of Information Science, University of South Carolina
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsMarch 23rd, 2025
Parrish Library’s Featured Databases series will give you a very brief introduction to the basic features of one of Purdue Libraries’ subscription resources. This edition will feature Nexis Uni, brought to you by LexisNexis.
Nexis Uni features more than 15,000 news, business, and legal sources from LexisNexis—including US Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790.
The List of Business Databases is an alphabetical list of databases filtered to those most applicable to business, entrepreneurship, and hospitality and tourism management programs of study.
Click Getting Started with Nexis Uni to watch the basics of using this database.
Featured Database comes to you from the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management & Economics. If you would like more information about this database, or if you would like a demonstration of it for a class, contact parrlib@purdue.edu.
Want to see a specific database promoted in an upcoming edition? Send an email to parrlib@purdue.edu and we will gladly promote it.
Filed under: database, general, MGMTMarch 20th, 2025
Purdue Road School, hosted by Purdue University’s Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP), took place on March 18–19, 2025, bringing together professionals from government, industry, and academia to discuss the latest advancements in transportation. While traditionally focused on areas such as pavement design and traffic operations, the event also explored topics like aviation, urban planning, and finance, showcasing the event’s wide-reaching scope.
Key highlights
Among the most downloaded presentations from Purdue Road School 2024, several stood out for their blend of innovation and historical context. The INDOT MOT Standards & Practices document, which has been downloaded 203 times, offers critical insights for transportation professionals. The second and third most downloaded documents were equally intriguing: INDOT Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer (DWPT) In-Pavement EV Charging Pilot Project and Design and Maintenance Considerations for Buggies. The first addresses the future of electric vehicles, while the second addresses maintenance and safety concerns for roads in areas that have high horse and buggy use. The event attracts a wide-ranging audience, as evidenced by the top three most downloaded presentations, which resonate with professionals across various fields.
Global reach and broad audience
Thanks to Purdue e-Pubs, the materials from Purdue Road School are available for free online, allowing global access—downloads have come from around the world, including Brazil, Germany, South Africa, and China. Sessions like those on automated driving systems and I-10 highway operations have garnered attention far beyond U.S. borders, demonstrating the global relevance of the topics discussed.
The event also attracts a variety of institutions. While 21% of downloads were from government entities, 56% came from commercial institutions, and 18% from educational spaces. Additionally, presentations on topics such as team building and project management using Microsoft Teams reflect the broader applicability of the event’s content, reaching professionals outside the transportation sector.
In 2023, Purdue Road School achieved a remarkable milestone, with its presentations surpassing 1 million downloads, highlighting the program’s growing global impact and the widespread value of its content.
Looking ahead: continued relevance
With Purdue Road School 2025 now concluded, the event continues to address both sector-specific and general professional development needs. Sessions on navigating difficult work relationships and overcoming public speaking fear highlight the event’s ongoing relevance for a diverse audience, extending its impact beyond transportation professionals.
By offering the opportunity to archive presentations as open-access resources, Purdue Road School ensures that knowledge is shared globally, fostering collaboration, and driving progress in transportation infrastructure. The event remains a vital platform for addressing both current challenges and future opportunities in the field.
To learn more and access the archived materials from Purdue Road School 2025, visit the Road School website.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsMarch 19th, 2025
By Rachel Fundator, clinical assistant professor and information literacy instructional designer, and Dr. Clarence Maybee, associate dean for learning and W. Wayne Booker Chair in Information Literacy
The Institute for Information Literacy at Purdue is thrilled to support a team of researchers from the University of Illinois who are examining the efficacy of a gamified finance simulator in improving the financial literacy of older adults.
Today’s older adults—those 65 years old and beyond—face challenges in conducting financial transactions in digital environments. Higher degrees of distrust, lower use of digital technologies, and the shift towards e-commerce make the older adult population vulnerable when conducting financial tasks online.
The team of researchers led by Dr. Rachel Adler, associate professor in the School of Information Science at the University of Illinois, aims to improve the financial literacy, reduce financial vulnerability, and enhance self-efficacy of older adults conducting financial tasks online. With the help of the Institute’s latest seed grant awards, Adler’s team is developing and testing a financial simulator and online resource center that teaches older adults to accomplish digital banking and ecommerce tasks, while also developing strategies for guarding against common online security threats.
The Institute is eager to learn about the team’s recommendations for libraries and information professionals to improve financial literacy among older adults.
Institute Awardees for “Gamified Finance Simulator for Older Adults: A Financial Literacy and Vulnerability Intervention”:
Rachel Adler, associate professor in the School of Information Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsMarch 12th, 2025
By Samantha LeGrand, clinical assistant professor and instruction and design librarian
The disruptive wake of ChatGPT and other AI tools left many instructors wondering how to address AI in their teaching, namely how to prevent students’ unethical use. However, the surge of conversations about AI in education rarely includes student voices. Partners for Algorithmic Literacy (PAL) is a groundbreaking student-faculty learning community model where undergraduates and instructors partner to co-design collaborative teaching strategies to integrate or interrogate AI.
A key program offered by Purdue’s Institute for Information Literacy, PAL builds on Libraries faculty expertise in knowledge creation and learning design. Facilitated by Libraries faculty members Samantha LeGrand, Zoe Mayhook, and Jing Lu, PAL recognizes that students are core education stakeholders and should have a hand in decision-making. Two cohorts of competitively selected undergraduate and faculty partners (12 in fall 2023 and 19 in fall 2024) from majors and departments across campus have participated in this exciting new endeavor, producing unique curricular plans to be implemented in the participating faculty’s courses.
Faculty partner Kathryn Dilworth shared that her PAL “breakthrough” was “that we were all on the same page about the need for faculty to develop skills and a level of sophistication with AI…including academic integrity and ethics.” Abby Sabella, a student partner, described the value of seeing things from a faculty perspective: “It was thought-provoking to hear instructors explain their goals for encouraging students’ critical thinking and how that intersects with AI regulation. This led me to think about my own learning and how I can use AI to enhance my critical thinking skills rather than having AI think critically for me.”
Deliverables from partners participating in the program ranged from co-designed AI course policies to AI-integrated group projects to specialized chatbots developed to support disciplinary critical thinking.
Filed under: general, News and AnnouncementsMarch 11th, 2025
Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies and The Eleventh House coffee shop are proud to partner with Corey Ewing, Indiana visual artist, to bring an exciting poetry slam to the Lafayette area. We invite all members of the community to attend this event and support your local poets!
Event details:
About the artist
Corey Ewing is a native of Indianapolis, IN and supports various poetic projects, including Indianapolis Poetry Slam, Word As Bond, Fighting Words Poetry, Cafe Creative and curates Vocab. Currently an artist at work with the Kheprw Institute, Ewing continues to teach, coach, and create as an interdisciplinary artist focusing on poetry and photography in Indy. Learn more about his work here.