Penn State Great Valley Library Blog

The University Libraries is observing the 30th Anniversary of Library Services for Persons with Disabilities at Penn State.

Since 1975, long before the national trend, Penn State University Libraries have provided services to meet special needs of individuals with disabilities. Charles H. Ness, now librarian emeritus, first initiated the services. Ness came to Penn State in 1967, as assistant director of the University Libraries, after serving as director of the general library bureau of the State Library of Pennsylvania. Previously he had been director of the U.S. Regional Library for the Blind based in Philadelphia.

Today Library Services for Persons with Disabilities continues under the direction of the Libraries’ Access Services Department and the leadership of Susan Hayya. The office in 23 Pattee Library, west, offers a variety of equipment for accessing materials, such as the Kurtzweil Reader. Acquired in 1982, the initial optical reader took skill and perseverance to operate, and the robotic audio was difficult to understand. Today it is a software package, loaded onto seven public computers. The most recent Version 9 converts files into MP3 files, a popular audio format that can be readily transferred to personal computers and listening devices.

For photos from library events, check Penn State Live at http://live.psu.edu/still_life/2005_11_09_libraries/index.html

Read the full story at
http://live.psu.edu/index.php?sec=vs&story=14543

Penn State Delaware County will hold its annual Multicultural Day, celebrating cultures with food, fashion, song and dance, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, in the campus gymnasium in the Commons/Athletic Center.

An international buffet opens at 11:30 a.m., featuring fare from more than 20 countries. Performance art begins at that same time, including music and dance numbers from Puerto Rico, India, Africa, Japan and Haiti among others. The event’s highlight will be the International Fashion Show, beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Students and faculty members will model native garb from many lands, including Asia, India, and the Middle and Far East. Penn State Delaware County is home to students from more than 50 countries. This is a way of introducing customs, traditions, fashion and food from other countries to the campus and surrounding community.

Multicultural Day is sponsored by the Student Government Association, in conjunction with the Office of Student Life.

April and Phil Margera, hosts of MTV’s “Viva La Bam” and VH1’s “Celebrity Fit Club,” will speak about “Turning Your Vision into a Successful Career” from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, in the Lion’s Den on campus.

The couple will speak to students about how their son, skateboarder Bam Margera, followed his passion for skateboarding and turned a hobby into multiple business ventures, including a line of skateboarding equipment and apparel that carries his logo.

Bam Margera is the producer and star of “Viva La Bam,” which also stars his parents, April and Phil, along with many of his childhood friends from West Chester. Episodes of MTVs “Viva La Bam” are filmed locally in Chester and Delaware counties at businesses frequented by students. The event is sponsored by the Student Business Association.