RAMble, the University Libraries' blog

WC University Libraries Unveils New Strategic Plan

At West Chester University (WCU), our mission is clear: we are “a community of educators dedicated to developing graduates who succeed personally and professionally and contribute to the common good.” The University Libraries play an integral role in fulfilling this mission by providing essential resources, fostering a sense of community, and championing student success.

Today, we are excited to introduce our new strategic plan, which lays out a vision for the next three years (2024-2027). This plan was developed through a collaborative process that brought together the voices and expertise of library faculty and staff across all departments. We aimed to create an action plan that reflects our collective priorities and positions University Libraries to lead and support student success at WCU.

Four Key Goals Guiding Our Future

The new strategic plan focuses on four main goals:

1. Enhancing Learning and Knowledge Generation - We are committed to creating spaces and providing resources that empower students and faculty to explore, learn, and generate new knowledge.
2. Fostering Community and Belonging - University Libraries serve as more than just a place to study; we are a community hub. Our goal is to create a welcoming environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging.
3. Reducing Equity Gaps and Improving Access - Ensuring equitable access to library resources is a top priority. We are dedicated to breaking down barriers and making our services accessible to all.
4. Increasing Organizational Effectiveness - To support our mission, we strive to cultivate professional growth, foster effective collaboration, and be recognized for contributing to a thriving WCU campus.

A Collective Effort, a Shared Vision

The process of developing this strategic plan was inclusive and thorough. As noted by the Dean of Libraries, “We came together as a community to develop this plan, with near full engagement across all library employees. The point of the process was to listen, ensure the breadth of our voices and expertise could be heard, and to develop an integrated action plan to grow in areas we collectively prioritize to ensure excellence as an academic library.”

The strategic plan is intentionally broad yet flexible, allowing each library department to define its role and prioritize actions that align with our goals. While aspirational, the plan is grounded in practicality, as we will develop annual action plans that balance our ideals with realistic expectations.

Looking Ahead

Every member of the University Libraries will play a part in bringing this plan to life. We are deeply proud of this strategic roadmap and are committed to working together to achieve our goals over the next three years. We are ready to shape a brighter future for our university community through collaboration, dedication, and a shared vision.

WC University Libraries is your place for CONNECTION, COLLECTIONS, and COMMUNITY.

For more details, visit our strategic plan landing page: WCU University Libraries Strategic Plan.

Welcome in Fall with the WCU University Libraries 

Free Seeds - Sweet Dumpling (Cucurbita pepo)

The WCU University Libraries is happy to provide our students with free seed packets. 
Welcome to the spookiness of fall!

To Seed: Start by planting 2-3 seeds 1” deep and 24" apart from other plants and 6” in a row apart. Plant in rich, loamy soil (pH of 5.8-6.8). For the best outcome, plant at 60-95°F (best August); the squash loves warm soil and is sensitive to frost. Ensure your squash plant gets to at least 8 hours of full sun daily. The seeds will germinate between 7-14 days, and it is best to sow directly into the soil rather than transplanting.

Look & Taste: The mature squash grows from its vine above ground. The vine can grow roughly 6 feet long and 12-25 inches tall. The fruits of Sweet Dumpling are around 4 inches in diameter, have ivory skin, and are painted with dark green spots and stripes. Sweet dumpling's inner flesh is golden yellow to light orange and tastes sweet, much like sweet potato. 

Harvesting & Storage: Harvest after 110 days. Each vine yields from 8-10 fruits per vine. After harvesting, the squash leaves will wilt with the first frost; these squashes are annual plants that will return the following year with proper soil. You can store the squash in the fridge or at room temperature.

We purchased our seeds from True Leaf Market. True Leaf Market has been in business since 1972 and proudly supports home and professional growers in the seed industry. They have a lustrous variety of seeds from premium brands such as Mountain Valley Seeds, Sustainable Seeds, Kitazawa Seeds, and Handy Pantry. As an independent non-GMO seed company, they proudly support anyone who wishes to grow. 

Try your freshly grown Sweet Dumpling Squash with this recipe!

Hearty Sweet Dumpling Bone Broth Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes                Cook Time: 40 minutes               Serves: 4-8 people 

Ingredients 

2 Sweet Dumpling squash (peeled, seeded, and chopped)
1 lb ground spicy sausage 
1 lb Gnocchi 
1 can Cannellini Beans (rinsed)
1 can roasted tomatoes (diced) 
2 sweet peppers (chopped) 
3 green onions (chopped) 
1 cup onion (sliced)
3 cloves garlic (minced) 
2 tbsp unsalted butter 
handful of kale
8 cups bone broth
2 bay leaf  
pinch of salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Preparation

Start by washing your produce clean. Rinse your beans and set aside. 

Prep your Mise en place. Peel your Sweet Dumpling with a potato peeler, cut through the center of the squash to remove the seeds, and chop it into 1” pieces. Rough chop your sweet peppers. Then, peel and dice your onions, slice your garlic, and set aside. 

Cooking

Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a stockpot and set over medium heat. Add your onions and peppers; cook for about 2 minutes, just before the onions are translucent. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in the spicy sausage and cook for 10 minutes, or until browned and almost cooked through. Break down the sausage into pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and green onion whites and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the gnocchi to the pot and brown in the sausage fat for 2 minutes, or until browned. Remove the gnocchi and set aside with the sausage. 

Melt the remaining butter in the stockpot, still on medium heat, and add the squash. Cook the squash for 2 minutes, slightly softening it to al dente. Add your bone broth and bay leaves, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer with the lid on for 13-15 minutes or until the squash is tender. Remove bay leaves. 

Remove from heat and pull out a few chunks of squash (8 chunks). Add your squash chunks and 1/3 cup of the broth in a medium bowl, and blend with an immersion blender (or you can use a traditional blender) until smooth. 

Return the sausage, gnocchi, and squash puree to the pot. Heat over medium heat, then add the beans and tomatoes. Add your kale on top and cook for 3-5 minutes with the lid on.  Ready when the kale has wilted.

Finish with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the green onion greens and enjoy your delicious, homemade, hearty, 
sweet dumpling soup. 

FHG Library IMLS Grant Project will Enhance College Students' Career Information Literacy and Career Research Competencies

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) “National Leadership Grants for Libraries” program has awarded a $249,975 grant to West Chester University (WCU). The grant will support a project led by Grace Liu, Associate Professor and Business Librarian at WCU FHG Library and Dr. Jennifer Bozeman, Associate Professor at the College of Business & Public Management. The team will work with colleagues at WCU Twardowski Career Development Center, business librarian partners from Indiana University - Bloomington, Western Michigan University, and Delaware County Community College, as well as consultants from WCU and beyond. Together, they will develop a CareerLit Learning Module Series for college students to advance their career information literacy and career research competencies. This project seeks to transform the ways that libraries serve the nation through a substantive, learning-centered collaboration model between libraries, career centers, and colleges. Details of the project proposals can be found at LG-256588-OLS-24 | Institute of Museum and Library Services (imls.gov). 

University Libraries is converting our call number system from Dewey Decimal to Library of Congress (LCC) classification system. LCC is widely used in research libraries and benefits student success and faculty research:

• Improves browsing and finding related materials as disciplines and subjects are shelved together
• Expands knowledge of discipline connections
• Call numbers are less complex and easier to read
• Classification of emerging fields keeps collection current

Over the summer, new books started receiving an LC call number and are shelved on the third floor of FHG Library, separately from books with Dewey call numbers. The current collection is being converted systematically, and books will be moved with the LC collection. Please visit the project webpage for updates and more information, including tips on how to navigate the changes. Staff are always available to help! Please stop by the Library Help Desk for assistance.

University Libraries is converting our call number system from Dewey Decimal to Library of Congress (LC) classification system. LC is widely used in research libraries and benefits student success and faculty research:

• Improves browsing and finding related materials as disciplines and subjects are shelved together
• Expands knowledge of discipline connections
• Call numbers are less complex and easier to read
• Classification of emerging fields keeps collection current

Beginning July 2024, new books will receive an LC call number and will be shelved separately from books with Dewey call numbers. The current collection will be converted systematically, and books will be moved with the LC collection. Please visit the project webpage for updates and more information, including tips on how to navigate the changes. Staff are always available to help! Please stop by the Library Help Desk for assistance.

Read all about "A Botanical Blueprint: Sustainable Roots & Environmentalism at West Chester University" exhibition, curated by Jenna Falkenberg in an article featured in WCU News: "Library's Special Collections Exhibit Explores: A Botanical Blueprint: Sustainable Roots & Environmentalism at West Chester University".

Stop by Special Collections on the sixth floor of Frances Harvey Green Library to view the exhibition. It will be up until Fall 2024. 

The Planets: the solar system in celebration of Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite

Just in time for the solar eclipse - be inspired by Presser Music Library’s display of the solar system in celebration of Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite, The Planets. Performed earlier this semester by the Wells School of Music Symphony Orchestra (video here), The Planets is one of the most renowned classical pieces in the world. Explore resources related to the music and the composer, including the book What is a Horoscope and How is it Cast, which served as inspiration for Holst’s depiction of our planetary neighbors. Check out our online guide to The Planets, full of links to resources about Holst’s work and others like it.

A Botanical Blueprint / Sustainable Roots & Environmentalism at West Chester

Join Us @ Special Collections (RM615), Thursday, March 28th

This exhibition will be up until fall of 2024.

This exhibition explores the evolution of environmentalism and sustainability at West Chester. Against the backdrop of global movements, it examines the local study of natural history that emerged in the eighteenth century, showcases historical artifacts from the William Darlington Herbarium and other collections, and traces the rise of WCU’s current focus on sustainability.

Topics include plant identification, herbarium collecting, scientific inquiry/connections, botanists, botanical illustration, climate change, environmentalism, and sustainable practices at WCU. 

Register for the Opening on RamConnect

Add the Event to Your Digital Calendar

We would like to hear from you! As we embark on a strategic planning process, your feedback is needed to help us identify the future vision of University Libraries. Please join us for a campus listening session on February 8^th or February 22^nd. If you are unable to attend, you can share your thoughts using this survey, which will be available through February 29, 2024.

Check the University Libraries Strategic Planning website for information on upcoming listening sessions and updates.

Welcome in Winter with the WCU University Libraries 

Free Seeds - White Globe Round Turnip (Brassica Rapa)

The WCU University Libraries is happy to provide our students with free seed packets. 
Welcome in the winter solstice!

To seed: Start by planting 2-3 seeds 1/2” deep and 1-2" apart in loose composted soil (pH of 6.5-7.5). For the best outcome, plant at 40-65°F (March) or after the last spring frost. Ensure your soil is well drained and tilled (turning the soil to control for weeds and pests and loosen the soil) and in full to partial sun. Fertilize with nitrogen-rich fertilizer after sprouts appear. Add mulch to protect the plant in the summer from the heat. The seeds will germinate between 3-10 days.

Look & Taste: Mature turnips can grow 6-12” tall. These turnips have a white bulbous root and leafy green sprouts. The root can be mildly spicey when plucked early and is sweeter when plucked later. The roots develop a nutty and earthy taste when cooked. Some prefer the leafy greens of turnips, which are similar in taste to collard greens. 

Harvesting & Storage: Harvest after 70 days; for sweater turnips, harvest after the first autumn frost. You'll know they're ready when the roots push up, showing 3-4" above the soil. You can harvest the green of turnips while they are still young. To harvest, the most efficient method is to grab the green close to the root and pull it up firmly. 

We purchased our seeds from True Leaf Market. True Leaf Market has been in business since 1972 and proudly supports home and professional growers in the seed industry. They have a lustrous variety of seeds from premium brands such as Mountain Valley Seeds, Sustainable Seeds, Kitazawa Seeds, and Handy Pantry. As an independent non-GMO seed company, they proudly support anyone who wishes to grow. 

Try your freshly grown turnips with this recipe!

White Turnip Roots and Greens with Ground Sausage

Prep Time: 20 minutes                Cook Time: 20 minutes               Serves: 4-6 people 

Ingredients 

1 bunch of white turnips w/ the greens (8-10 turnips; you can use collard greens if you don't have turnip greens)
1/2 lb ground sausage (or 1/2 of chorizo chopped)
1/2 cup onion (diced)
3 cloves garlic (minced) 
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano 
pinch of salt & pepper to taste 

Cooked rice (optional)
 

Directions

Preparation

Start by washing your turnips clean. You'll want to remove any discolored or wilted greens. 

Then, cut off the greens from the bulb (set bulbs aside for the next step). Chop the thicker white parts of the leaves into 1/2 lengths and the green leafier parts into 1-2 inch sections. Pat dry if still wet from washing and set aside. 

If you use collard greens instead of turnip greens, follow these steps: Cut the root off the greens and then wash under cold water until clean of dirt and sand. Then, pat dry and cut out the tough stem and central vein. You can de-vein by folding each leaf in half and slicing down the middle. Cut into 1-inch pieces and set aside.

Lastly, peel and dice your onions, mince your garlic, and set aside. 

Cooking

Place a large skillet or non-stick pan on the stovetop and set the burner to high heat; add 1 tbsp of oil to the pan and heat. When the oil begins to warm, swirl the pan to coat the pan with oil evenly. Add your ground sausage (or chopped chorizo) to the pan. Do not stir and allow the sausage to brown; remove the sausage from the pan when browned slightly before cooking through all the way. Set aside the sausage and discard half of the liquid in the pan. Reduce heat to medium-high and put the pan back on the burner.

Add 1 tbsp of oil (or more if needed) to the pan. Then, add the garlic, onions, and pepper flakes to the oil and mix occasionally to prevent burning. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. 

Add the diced turnip bulbs, stir occasionally, and cook for 10 - 15 minutes, until slightly tender and browned. 

Reduce the heat to medium and add back in your sausage, the turnip stem and leaves (or collard greens), and oregano. Stir together for 1-2 minutes and place a lid on the pan for 2 minutes. 

Remove the lid and stir. The turnip greens should have wilted and the sausage cooked. Cook for 1-2 minutes longer if the sausage is not cooked through. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve with rice for extra heartiness and enjoy!