Service Point Staff Become Content Creators: Now, that’s a pivot!

When the COVID pandemic closed our busy academic, front line service staff were challenged to find work to replace the in-person support and assistance that they provide onsite. How did we respond? In addition to expanding our chat service, we gathered back burner projects from across the libraries and supported staff to take on new opportunities, such as creating content for web projects, reviewing and editing close captions of oral histories and instructional tutorials, checking ejournal links, and more

Moving from CRAAP to ACT UP as a source evaluation tool!

Tired of teaching CRAAP (currency / relevance / authority / accuracy / purpose) as a source evaluation method as part of your information literacy lesson plan? Consider transitioning to ACT UP instead! ACT UP (Author | Currency | Truth | Unbiased | Privilege) incorporates the concept of privilege in publishing into the conversation, and encourages students to discover and share the work of often overlooked researchers in their own work. Includes a variety of links to site where researchers who self-identify as women, Black/POC, or LBGTQ share their publications

Moving from CRAAP to ACT UP!

Lightning Tal

ILLiad and Alma learn to play well together

In technical terms, VCU Libraries repurposed a plug-in developed for NCIP integration between ILLiad and Alma for borrowing and lending functions in ILLiad. In layman\u27s terms, we created a way to connect ILLiad and Alma so patrons can see all their loans (from us and other libraries) through one account

I Spy: Patron Privacy Issues at Your Library

Using photo examples of situations that may expose patron information or compromise intellectual freedom ideals, this presentation will help library staff understand how to protect your patron\u27s privacy and to advocate for privacy within your library. Examples include open holds shelving with patron name visible, self-check machine receipts that contain the patron name, print signup sheets that show patron name and contact info, and many more

Viewing Porn in Academic Libraries: Critiquing ARL Member Library Policies

We reviewed Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member library policies about viewing legal online pornography in their spaces. In our review of more than 100 policies, we discovered that they were more ambiguous than expected. We discuss how our research can help inform policy review for your library and support library staff

Review of policies addressing the viewing of legal pornography in ARL libraries

This article uses document analysis to review the content of the policies available on the library websites of 119 academic member institutions of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) for policies that address viewing legal visual (video or images) pornography on computers within library spaces. The authors seek to answer the question: How do ARL member libraries address the viewing of legal online pornography by adults in their library spaces as noted in policies or guidelines on their website

Gender-Inclusive Library Workgroup Report

The Gender-Inclusive Workgroup explored how VCU Libraries can better serve trans and gender-nonconforming users and staff. The group’s recommendations cover library spaces, staff, systems, services, and culture. Key recommendations include highlighting existing all-gender restrooms; building more gender-inclusive restrooms; expanding availability of menstrual products and disposal bins; continuing support for name-of-use changes in library systems; minimizing display of legal name in library systems; offering ongoing staff training in gender-inclusive language and customer service; and encouraging staff to share pronouns. The workgroup also recommends pursuing a culture of shared learning and inclusive thinking, with a reminder that gender identity is one facet of multiple intersecting identities for people in the VCU community

Make Art Real

The Make Art Real project aims to introduce new audiences to the arts. It supports Theme II of VCU’s Quest for Distinction by promoting and fostering creative expression through innovative collaborations. The project involves displaying existing connections between art and non-art disciplines, as well as making new connections. These unusual pairings are then placed on exhibition through a lunch-time lecture series named “Unexpected_Connections,” which allow faculty, staff, and students to lead and participate in discussions about the reality of art. The lecture series is the first sustainable and reoccurring program to be held in the Depot building, a multidisciplinary facility which is intended to foster interdisciplinary collaborations. The targeted audience includes faculty, staff, students, and members of the greater VCU community

RECQ1 Helicase Interacts with Human Mismatch Repair Factors That Regulate Genetic Recombination

Understanding the molecular and cellular functions of RecQ helicases has attracted considerable interest since several human diseases characterized by premature aging and/or cancer have been genetically linked to mutations in genes of the RecQ family. Although a human disease has not yet been genetically linked to a mutation in RECQ1, the prominent roles of RecQ helicases in the maintenance of genome stability suggest that RECQ1 helicase is likely to be important in vivo. To acquire a better understanding of RECQ1 cellular and molecular functions, we have investigated its protein interactions. Using a co-immunoprecipitation approach, we have identified several DNA repair factors that are associated with RECQ1 in vivo. Direct physical interaction of these repair factors with RECQ1 was confirmed with purified recombinant proteins. Importantly, RECQ1 stimulates the incision activity of human exonuclease 1 and the mismatch repair recognition complex MSH2/6 stimulates RECQ1 helicase activity. These protein interactions suggest a role of RECQ1 in a pathway involving mismatch repair factors. Regulation of genetic recombination, a proposed role for RecQ helicases, is supported by the identified RECQ1 protein interactions and is discussed