DevOps workshop was well-attended by LITS IT members

By Paul Petersen | February 1, 2019

[Ed. note: Cloud Advisory Group (CAG) update #3.]

The term “DevOps” has been around for at least ten years and has been defined in many ways. The most common definitions describe DevOps as the practice of development and operations engineers working closely together to provide high-quality, rapid IT service delivery. While this may seem like a straight-forward organizational state to reach for, there are cultural and technological obstacles to achieving a mature DevOps practice.

Dan Gilmer leads the training session.

From the start of the Cloud Infrastructure Migration Planning (CIMP) Project, the project sponsors recognized the migration to AWS as an opportunity to advance the organization’s DevOps capacities because AWS removes many of the technical obstacles. In particular, AWS provides customers with a built-in mechanism for programmatically managing the infrastructure running in their environment. And while there are elements of Emory’s on-premises infrastructure that offer similar accessibility, they are nowhere near as integrated or as complete as what AWS offers.

To help show what is possible with AWS and more advanced DevOps practices, the CIMP project team organized a two-part DevOps workshop led by Dan Gilmer, an enterprise DevOps architect from Smartronix.  The workshop’s first session was held on Tuesday, January 15, and more than fifteen people from eleven different teams participated.

LITS employees attend the workshop (L to R): Kevin Chen, Rohith Mandala, Ramya Bommareddy, and Ike Ikegwuonu.

After the first session, the workshop participants were broken up into teams and given homework assignments consisting of use cases (most of existing practices that are very manual) and asked to rethink how these could be improved with DevOps practices.  The homework assignments are due before the final session, which is scheduled for Thursday, February 7.

Obviously, there will be a lot of work left to do after the workshop ends next month, but if the first session is representative of our team’s desire to collaborate and automate more, then there will be many good things to come.

Information about the DevOps workshop can be found here, including the presentation slides and meeting recordings: https://wiki.service.emory.edu/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=113320968  (scroll to the bottom, or hit Workshops link in the table of contents).

Contact Us

If you have questions or want to get more involved with the migration work, please contact us at: LITSCloudAdvisoryGroup [at] emory [dot] edu.

You may also reach out directly to any of the CAG members: Alex Berry, Ramya Bommareddy, Joel Burke, Steve Collins, Zach Cox, Eddie Feliciano, Mark Kawasaki, or Paul Petersen.

Please let us know if you have feedback on the content or format of our update.

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Meredith Doster, Managing Editor, ECDS

By Wade Moricle | February 1, 2019

“I am delighted to be returning to ECDS in a new capacity.” – Meredith Doster

Meredith Doster has returned to ECDS (in a remote fashion) as the managing editor of Sounding Spirit: Scholarly Editions from the Southern Sacred Music Diaspora. Meredith originally honed her digital humanities skills in ECDS while attending school. In more recent history, Meredith worked at Mars Hill University as dean of adult and graduate studies and at iDesign as the senior learning architect and training coordinator of a curriculum development team. She currently teaches in the Religious Studies Department at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

Born in Cincinnati, OH, Meredith was raised in Ridgewood, NJ, until her family moved to the former East Germany in the early 1990s. As an “opera brat,” she moved frequently. For the past 10 years, Meredith and her husband have lived in North Carolina, Arkansas, and Georgia. They now make their home in Weaverville, NC, a small town just north of Asheville.

Meredith holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Barnard College, Columbia University, a master’s degree in Appalachian studies from Appalachian State University, and a PhD in philosophy (religious studies) from Emory.

Says Meredith, “I am delighted to be returning to the Center in a new capacity. This position combines my research interests and disciplinary homes in both Religious and Appalachian Studies with my strong administrative and project management profile. I’m looking forward to working with the greater Emory community as Sounding Spirit moves into production.”

You can reach her at mdoster [at] emory [dot] edu.

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Philippe Mongeau, Rare Book Cataloging Specialist, Rose Library

By Wade Moricle | February 1, 2019

“The environment here is very supportive.” – Philippe Mongeau

Philippe Mongeau (pronounced fuh-LEE-pay MOHN-jhoe) is the new rare book cataloging specialist for African American materials in the Rose Library. Before coming to Emory, he worked as a Toronto Academic Library intern at the University of Toronto’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library.

Born in the US but raised in Montreal, Canada, Philippe holds a Diplôme d’Études Collégiales in creative arts from Marianopolis College, a bachelor of arts degree in English literature and art history from McGill University, and a master of information with a specialization in library and information science in collaboration with book history and print culture from the University of Toronto.

An avid Tolkien fan, Philippe spends his spare time reading, cooking, bookbinding, and playing Dungeons and Dragons. He hopes to pick up wood carving and/or puppetry in the future.

“I am very happy to have been given the opportunity to further develop my skills as a rare materials cataloger at Rose Library,” Philippe says. “The environment here is very supportive, and I look forward to learning more about the Library’s excellent collections.”

You can reach him at jean [dot] philippe [dot] mongeau [at] emory [dot] edu.

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LITS recent headlines and upcoming events

By Wade Moricle | February 1, 2019

Headlines & Events graphic banner

Recent LITS headlines:

Upcoming LITS events:

(go HERE for more information for each event)

  • February 6 – Event: “The Deer and the Pharaoh: A Century of the Carlos Museum,” 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Rose Library
  • February 6-7 – Event: All in a Day online giving, noon (2/6) until 6:36 pm (2/7 – 1836 minutes, get it?), Campus-wide
  • February 12 – Event: LEAF Coffee Hour with LITS Wellness Committee, 10:00 am – 11:00 am, Jones Room, Woodruff Library
  • February 13 – Event: InfoForum, 10:00 am – 11:00 am, Jones Room, Woodruff Library
  • February 17 – Exhibit: Frederick Douglass 200th Fabric Exhibit (LAST DAY TO SEE THIS EXHIBIT), All Day, Schatten Gallery
  • February 18 – Exhibit: “Framing Shadows: Portraits of African American Nannies from Emory’s Langmuir Photography Collection” (Opening), All Day, Level 3 Rotunda and Corridor, Woodruff Library
  • February 21 – Event: IT Briefing, 10:15 am – noon, 4th Floor Auditorium, NDB
  • February 23 – Event: “The Raymond Danowski Poetry Library Reading Series Presents: Richard Blanco,” 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm, Schwartz Center
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Randy Gue and Davis Husk win 2019 Creativity and Arts Impact Awards

By Wade Moricle | January 25, 2019
Photo of award winner

Randy Gue.

[Ed. Note: Jennifer Gunter King, Leslie Wingate, Kathy Dixson and Sarah Hagenbush Jones contributed to this article.]

Two LITS employees, Randy Gue and Davis Husk, have been honored with 2019 Creativity & Arts Impact Awards by Emory’s Center for Creativity and Arts. Sponsored by the Emory College Center for Creativity and Arts (CCA), the awards are presented annually to individuals in the Emory and Atlanta community who support development, accessibility, inclusion, and innovation in the arts.

Randy Gue was recognized for his contributions that support the arts and his efforts to preserve non-traditional art in and around Atlanta. As curator of modern political and historical collections at Emory’s Rose Library, Randy has expanded the Rose’s collections in a multitude of important directions, many of which touch on the arts, These include collections that document the contemporary art, punk rock, photography, and LGBT communities in Atlanta.

Please read these articles to find out more about Randy’s work.

http://news.emory.edu/stories/2016/04/er_profile_randy_gue/campus.html
http://news.emory.edu/stories/2014/08/emag_rainbow_chronicles/campus.html

Since these articles were written, Randy has added many more important materials to the Rose Library such as the records of Art Papers, Atlanta Celebrates Photography, and the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, collections of local television program “The American Music Show” (where RuPaul first got started) and radio show “Revolution Rock,” the papers of playwright and activist Rebecca Ranson, and the Jack Stewart papers. Jack Stewart was one of the first photographers to chronicle graffiti art in New York City subways.

Randy also holds arts-related events each year, including this past fall’s “ART PUNK DIY”conversation with Kosmo Vinyl, who is famous for his work with the influential punk band, The Clash. Last year Randy organized a very successful “Create Your Own Culture” DIY fest here on Emory’s campus and this March he will hold his second DIY fest at the Visual Arts Building using the Rose’s innovative collections as inspiration. Randy also uses his budget at Emory to sponsor events in the Atlanta community including the Southern Fried Gay Pride Trans PWR Fest, the Steel Wheels graffiti art exhibit, and events at Atlanta Celebrates Photography’s annual festival, and others.

Photo of award winner

Davis Husk.

Davis Husk received the undergraduate student award in recognition of his contributions to Emory’s campus. He has worked as an intern on the Campus and Community Relations Exhibitions Team since he was a freshman, when his early responsibilities focused on maintaining the exhibits, galleries, and storerooms as well as some fabrication and installation work. The team was quickly impressed with his reliability, flexibility, intellectual curiosity, and initiative and added content development for exhibitions to his roles and responsibilities. In researching topics, selecting materials, outlining the stories, and writing label copy, he has demonstrated strong scholarship, excellent analytical skills, and creativity.

Davis serves as a student advocate and helps the team understand how to best connect its work with the interests of a diverse student body and to create exhibits aimed at a student audience. To enhance the program, he has conducted numerous interviews and surveys to collect and analyze student needs and wants. He is also a founding co-chair for the Emory Libraries’ student ambassador program. In this leadership role he has already recruited a group of students who will volunteer to enhance the libraries’ events and exhibitions.

This fall, Davis worked to add more interactivity between the exhibits and students on Level 1 of the Woodruff Library. His goal was to break through the static of information and make real connections to help students appreciate the exhibits. He is also helping to mount an upcoming exhibit of student poetry inspired by the punk rock collection in Rose Library.

A native of Calhoun, GA. Davis will graduate this May with a degree in political science.

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Don Kendrick, Lead Network Engineer, Build Team, Network Services

By Wade Moricle | January 25, 2019
Photo of new employee

“My colleagues have been very supportive and allowed me to start contributing right from the start.” – Don Kendrick

Don Kendrick is the new lead network engineer on the Build Team in Network Services. Before coming to Emory, he spent three years as a senior network engineer at Worldpay, five years as a senior consulting engineer with Business Technology Architects, and nine years as a senior member of the technical staff at AT&T Labs. He also spent time as a high school math teacher in DeKalb County.

A native of Shreveport, LA, Don has a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Louisiana Lafayette. He also has a mathematics teacher certification from Georgia State University.

Don’s wife, Robin, is also on staff at Emory. Cycling is one of his favorite hobbies, and Don likes being able to bike to work at Emory.

“I am really enjoying being part of the network team at Emory,” says Don. “My colleagues have been very supportive and allowed me to start contributing right from the start.”

You can reach Don at don [dot] kendrick [at] emory [dot] edu.

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Cari Lovins, Assistant Director of Digital Product Strategy, Library Technology and Digital Strategies

By Wade Moricle | January 25, 2019
Photo of new employee

“In working with libraries over the years, I have grown to love the library culture.” – Cari Lovins

Cari Lovins is the new assistant director of digital product strategy in the Library Technology and Digital Strategies department. Prior to her Emory work, Cari was a project manager in the central IT division at Georgia Tech. In her 14 years at Tech, Cari also served as a service delivery manager, partnering with the library. She also worked in development for the East Carolina University Library.

Born in Westminster, CO, Cari earned a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from Metropolitan State University in Denver and ran her own travel business for a few years. She earned her master’s degree in library science information studies from Florida State University. She is currently working on her MBA from the University of West Georgia.

Cari is married to Mike, and they spend a lot of time with their 22-year-old daughter. They enjoy traveling back to Colorado for vacations.

“In working with libraries over the years, I have grown to love the library culture,” says Cari. “I am also a fan of the big-picture thinking that goes into strategic planning. I worked with Doug Goans at Georgia Tech (he’s now also at Emory) to develop their library technology strategic plan, and it was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.”

You can reach her at cari [dot] lynn [dot] lovins [at] emory [dot] edu.

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