Ricky Patterson: Librarian for Astronomy, Environmental Sciences, and Mathematics

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Subject Liaisons are librarians who focus on specific topics. They have a robust knowledge of library resources and are happy to assist with research and answer questions, large and small! 

Today we’re interviewing Ricky Patterson, who is the Associate Director for Campus Partnerships, RDS & SNE.

Subject Specialties

  • Astronomy
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Mathematics

Contact: ricky@virginia.edu

What are some of the specific ways you can help people learning and working in your subject specialty areas?

  • Ricky Patterson

    I can help LaTeX users with the Overleaf platform and any LaTeX questions

  • I can help anyone searching for grant funding learn how to use UVA’s funding discovery tools (Pivot, GrantForward, etc.)
  • I can help any researcher keep track of their research output using ORCID (as an example, check out my ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1494-8399 )
  • I can help you become a Zotero power user, collecting and managing references, adding annotations, generating bibliographies, etc.
  • I can help Astronomy, Math, and Physics researchers working with arXiv
  • I can help Astronomy and Physics researchers use the new interface for ADS (Astrophysics Data System).
  • I am happy to help researchers with research data questions (finding datasets, managing your own data, finding computing resources, software tools for wrangling and analyzing your data, and how to archive and/or share your data, etc.)

What’s a key message you’d like people at UVA to know about the Library?

We can help (and with so much more than “just” books and journals).

If someone comes to you for help, what does that look like?

I have both one-shot interactions with researchers, as well as recurring interactions, just depending on the need of the individual.

What are some research challenges you enjoy?

Digging up a resource that is just what someone is looking for, but which needs some sleuthing to find (either in our library subscribed databases, or out in the “wild”)

What’s a recent book you’ve read that you’d recommend?

Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine, by novelist and astrophysicist, Alan Lightman (find it in Brown SEL: QB981.L545 2018).

What’s a place or an activity you enjoy in Charlottesville?

Public Nights at McCormick Observatory; Sunday brunch on the Downtown Mall; Virginia Film Festival; Montpelier Sheep Dog Trials; Walking the trails on Observatory Mountain.

What do you enjoy about your job?

Connecting someone with a resource they need (particularly when they didn’t know that they were looking for it).

Visit Ricky’s staff directory page.

 

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