Advisor of the Month: Robin Pertz; science librarian, NASA Glenn Research Center

March 18, 2019March 19, 2019 Rachel Brennesholtz

How did you get into your field and what is your research story?

I started at a library in Gahanna, Ohio (Columbus Metropolitan Library) as a homework help center coordinator. As a former middle school science teacher seeking a new venue for my talents it was the library where my passion for teaching and my enthusiasm for learning collided. It was there I was encouraged to go to grad school where I earned my MLIS from Kent State. During my last semester at KSU I was assigned a project in which I interviewed the manager of the library at NASA Glenn. In a twist of fate, I was asked to complete my practicum, a culminating experience at a place I pined over as a child growing up in the Cleveland area. NASA was always a dream of mine. So it happened that a position became open while I was there and one thing led to another, the rest is history! Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought I’d be the science librarian at NASA.

Where do you do your research/work the best? What kind of environment suits you?

My best work is done in the morning, outside of my building at a picnic table. With the sound of wind tunnels and jet engines in the background with a cup of tea out of my NASA mug is when I’m doing my best work!

How long have you used Mendeley for?

I have been on Mendeley since January 2017, I was actually the first person to “graduate” from the librarian certification program!

What were you using prior to Mendeley and how does Mendeley influence your research?

I was using NOTHING! Mendeley helps me save time and lean my research process. Saving me time, therefore saving the government time!

Why did you decide to become an Advisor and how are you involved with the program?

I guess it goes back to the need for teaching and learning. You can take a teacher out of a classroom but you can’t take the classroom out of the teacher. I host all of our Mendeley demos here at our lab and encourage folks to lean their research process as well!

What researcher would you like to work with or meet, dead or alive?

After having been afforded the opportunity to have lunch with legend astronauts and personal heroes like Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, Walt Cunningham, and Frank Borman…I cannot answer this question. I’ve already met some of the most wonderful humans that ever walked this earth and who have been to space.

What book are you reading at the moment?

Secret time. I’m the librarian that doesn’t read as much as “most” librarians. I go through so much research everyday all day long that by the end of the day I’d rather go to the gym, go for a walk or work in the garden.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned this week?

That someone actually wants to play football for the Cleveland Browns. Welcome to Cleveland OBJ.

What is the best part about working in research?

Seeing things grow from the ground up. I’ll get a research request, 8 months later see NEW research published that used the research that I found and culled together months ago!

And the most challenging part about working in research?

The misconception that I know everything that NASA publishes because I’m the librarian. (a humorous challenge)

What is one Mendeley “ProTip” you have?

Using the “search” feature to find research that spans across multiple disciplines of research that I’ve saved over the years. That is usually my starting point to a new research project.

Biography

Robin grew up in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Always wanting to be a teacher she ventured to central Ohio for her undergraduate degree in middle childhood education. While in college she was a supervisor of summer day camps for kids. After college graduation she stuck around central Ohio and was teaching until finding her love of libraries with the Columbus Metropolitan Library. It was there where she was encouraged to attend grad school where she could advance her career and passion for libraries and learning. Fate would have it that she landed an experience at the NASA Glenn Research Center where all her passions would collide into the perfect dream job! As the science librarian for one of 3 research centers that NASA has, her day to day is filled with many typical librarian tasks like cataloging, collection maintenance, promotion and outreach as well as citation verification, in depth research and reference. Robin also hosts various demos and workshops for the NASA Glenn staff of 1,500. As NASA celebrates the 50^th anniversary of the iconic Moon landing and the 60^th anniversary of the Agency she hopes to be around to see many more anniversaries in the future and not for one moment takes for granted the esteem that comes for working with someone of the brightest people and most iconic Agencies in the world.

You can follow Robin’s Mendeley profile here

Shameless plugs…

https://www.instagram.com/tv/BlT1z7PghHU/

Follow me on twitter @glennlibrary

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Find out more about the Mendeley Advisor Community here

From Distant Admirers to Library Lovers

March 20, 2014 Mendeley

This week saw the release of a new Pew Research Center report that explores America’s engagement with public libraries and the ways in which the digital era has changed our reading habits. Entitled “From Distant Admirers to Library Lovers – and Beyond: A Typology of Public Library Engagement in America”, the report found that public libraries continue to play a significant role in the lives of 69% of Americans. E-book reading is at an all time high.

The authors also found a strong connection between Americans’ use of technology and engagement with libraries; the better connected we are, the more likely we are to seek out and use new information. That means that the internet, video games and television have not replaced the book just yet. In fact, e-readers have given us easier access than ever to literature, though the study showed that most Americans still read print books as well.

We like to think the same is true for those of us in academia. When access to information is easier, we’re more likely to use it to enrich our own writing. By managing our books and articles more efficiently, we also engage more with new research, and we can follow trends and innovations in our field. Fortunately, open access combined with reference managers such as Mendeley puts your entire digital library at your fingertips, so you know you can rely on us to help you find what you need and to suggest the newest research! And all that, we hope, gives you more free time to focus on your research and the other things you love in life.

We’d love to hear from our readers. Does this report surprise you? Do you go to the library more or less often than you used to? Does new technology mean you borrow more ebooks or do you spend more time reading open access articles? What makes your local or university library great, and what could make it even better? Leave us a comment here, on Facebook, or Tweet us @Mendeley_com!

Announcing the Mendeley Institutional Edition – powered by Swets

January 12, 2012 drgunn1 Comment

The new year brings some big news! We’ve partnered with Swets, a leading subscription management company, to create the Mendeley Institutional Edition. This tool will allow librarians and institutions to connect their collection directly to researchers; aid collaboration among students, professors, and colleagues; and see the impact of the institution’s research output.

Within their institutional profile, librarians can assist their users in a number of ways:
Read More »

No time to learn new software? Let us teach you! New webinars for librarians and professors on 12/13 and 12/14.

December 6, 2011 drgunn

If you’re like most people I know, you’d like to keep up with technology, but you just don’t have the time to sit down and spend a few hours learning how to use a new application. We understand. Give us an hour on the 13th or 14th and we’ll get you up and running, so you can enjoy the productivity enhancement with minimal time investment.

There will be two sessions, both at 2 PM EST on December 13 & 14. The first session will focus more on topics relevant to librarians, while the second one is designed for researchers in academic institutions. Both sessions will be introductory and suitable for folks with no prior experience, but will also give updates on getting the most out of newly released features. Please download and install Mendeley before the session so if you have any questions you’ll be able to ask them during the event.

We’ll discuss topics such as:Read More »

Calling all Librarians! Questions about Mendeley? Join us for a free webinar and Q&A on 2011-11-22 at 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST

November 21, 2011 drgunn

Calling all librarians and information science professionals! Come learn about how researchers at your institution are using Mendeley and how you can use it to help patrons find what they’re looking for faster. This session is appropriate for folks with no prior experience, but we’ll also go in depth in some areas and there will be plenty of time for questions, so feel free to join just for Q&A if you like. Please download and install Mendeley before the session so if you have any questions, you’ll be able to ask them during the event.