New faces, new places

Graphic/web designer Chris Barr joins Falvey staff
Falvey Memorial Library welcomed graphic and web designer Chris Barr in May. He is involved in developing the Falvey web environment. Chris comes with five years experience as a professional graphic and web designer working in advertising at Blaine Turner Advertising in Morgantown (W. Va.) and in education at the University of Buffalo’s Educational Technology Center, a division of the University Libraries. He will also be serving on the publications/communication and outreach teams, and on the communication, education and psychology liaison group as well.

A recent graduate of the University at Buffalo’s master of fine arts program in media study, Chris taught “Introduction to New Media” as an adjunct instructor. His artwork, recognized in The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times and other print and web publications, has been shown nationally and internationally.

Chris’ artwork was also featured in the Beyond/In Western New York biennial exhibition at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo.

Chris, a native of West Virginia, attended West Virginia University where he earned a bachelor of fine arts degree with a specialization in electronic media. You can find him glued to a television whenever the Mountaineers play football or basketball, and he pledges to smile only on the inside if West Virginia beats Villanova.

Phylis Wright in new role at Falvey
Phylis Wright returned to Falvey this summer to become a senior access and information specialist. In her new role, Phylis will be responsible for the management of physical materials and electronic readings that faculty place on course reserves or in WebCT Vista. She will also be in charge of scheduling and payroll for 30 student employees who work at the main service desk and in various processing areas. Phylis’ vibrant personality will make her a welcome addition to the team of specialists who staff the Falvey Information Desk.

Phylis originally joined the library staff in 1996 as a reserve room technician and eventually became an interlibrary loan specialist. Many faculty will remember her tireless dedication to supporting their research needs, and she received the 2006 Facultas award for her years of service in interlibrary loan. Phylis returns to Falvey after exploring other opportunities on campus.

Gina McFadden puts customer service first
The Library’s Access and User Assistance team welcomes Gina McFadden. Gina's personal philosophy is to “make someone’s day easier,” exemplified by her solid background in customer service. In addition to her circulation and information desk duties, Gina is responsible for processing E-ZBorrow requests and electronic reserves. This past summer the library staff had the opportunity to get acquainted with Gina when she worked on an important stacks shifting project.

A graduate of Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield (Pa.), she currently attends Penn State Delaware County, majoring in English, and she plans to graduate in December. Gina recently became a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society. She resides in Glenolden (Pa.) with her family and two golden retrievers.

Valerie Celeste Mann named first Middleton intern
This fall the Falvey Special Collections and Digital Library team announced the establishment of the Father Thomas C. Middleton Digital Library and Archives Internship. The internship is named in honor of Father Middleton, former president of Villanova, its first librarian and archivist, first president of the American Catholic Historical Society and a scholar who devoted his life to the preservation and access of books and materials documenting the heritage of Roman Catholicism.

Valerie Celeste Mann, the first to hold this position, joined Falvey in early September. As a member of the Digital Library team, Valerie will be participating in the creation of the first completely online exhibit, featuring content from the Sherman Thackara Collection. The exhibit will be mounted on Falvey’s web site in spring 2008.

Valerie is currently enrolled as a master of library and information science student with the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences’ distance education program. It is appropriate that Falvey, in this age of technology and innovative information delivery, has selected someone who can combine studying librarianship online while interning with a digital library. Valerie currently holds a master’s degree in speech communication from Columbia University, is the founder and director of the Faulty Beagle Gallery and has worked professionally in theater. She has a diverse publication record in fiction, drama and film criticism.