ALS Academic & Special Libraries blog

Blended Librarians podcast

2009-11-10T15:41:00.003-06:00

I just attended a Blended Librarian webcast hosted by LearningTimes. Ellysa Stern Cahoy and Anu Vedantham, presented, “Digital Literacy, Digital Storytelling and the Role of the Academic Librarian” and it was a great overview about the use of multimedia on campuses. Ellysa stated that approximately 42% of class assignments at Penn State now require a multimedia presentation. Ellysa shared her research on student acquisitions of digital literacies while Anu, discussed her experiences in the Information Commons at the University of Pennsylvania Library.

Much of what they said reinforced my own perceptions of Web 2.0 technologies. In fact, Anu’s belief that it is essential for librarians to be able to comfortably use Web 2.0 technologies in order to meet the evolving needs of their communities mirrors my own. Both have created resources online (link to Ellysa’s and Anu’s) for their presentations and the session was recorded and should be on the Blended Librarian website shortly.

Google Wave

2009-11-05T10:03:00.002-06:00

There’s been a lot of discussion on the LITA listserv about Google Wave lately. (To access LITA-L archive, go to http://lists.ala.org/wws/arc/lita-l.) Since it is in "limited preview" mode, I have yet to see Google Wave in action, but like many, I am intrigued by it. I’ve added Google Wave as a QUICK STOP in our technologytrainingwheels.pbworks.com wiki and linked to a brief (2:14) video and the Complete Guide to Google Wave. I would be interested to know if any of our ALS libraries have requested and received an invitation to join Google Wave and how they are using it.

Upcoming MLA webcast at ALS

2009-10-22T16:22:00.001-05:00

The Alliance Library System is a site for the next MLA Webcast: “Cut the Cord: Connecting to our Mobile Users.” The goal of this webcast is to familiarize information professionals with current and emerging mobile technologies, innovative initiatives using mobile devices, useful mobile software applications, and funding options for projects using mobile devices. For more information and registration, please visit L2 at http://www.librarylearning.info/events/?eventID=8607

The sponsorship of this webcast site has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. NLM-N01-LM-6-3503 with the University of Illinois at Chicago. There is no charge to attend the webcast at the ALS site.

October 22 - Special Librarians Luncheon

2009-10-19T07:30:00.003-05:00

The Special Librarians Luncheon is coming up October 22 at State Farm in Bloomington. The theme for the meeting is "The Changing Corporate Library=New Tools, New Space". Sign up information is available on L2 at http://www.librarylearning.info/events/?eventID=6450. Maps are available on the registration page. The library is in the Corporate Headquarters building and parking is permissible in any of the lots except the 2 hour lot.

The results of the ALS special librarians survey on social networking is available at: http://technologytrainingwheels.pbworks.com/f/Specials+survey+Oct09.pdf

A rose by any other name…

2009-10-16T15:52:00.001-05:00

The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is considering changing its name to the Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals (ASKPro). This process began in January 2006 when the Board of Directors voted to approve funding for alignment research and the association embarked on an attempt to understand the changing environment of the profession. In June 2009, “the board concluded that the alignment research conducted over the past three years revealed a clear challenge posed by SLA's name: executives who make hiring decisions and allocate budget dollars do not understand what it means. Furthermore, they do not recognize or appreciate the contributions that special librarians and information professionals are making now or the potential they hold for building more successful organizations in the future. This disconnect endangers the jobs of our members, and we are determined to act.” http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/governance/namechange/notice.cfm

You can read some of the early comments at http://slablogger.typepad.com/sla_blog/2009/10/align-in-09-step-1-action-you-can-take-now-to-increase-your-value-in-the-workplace-.html or by following #slaname on Twitter. The SLA membership will vote on this proposal in a special electronic referendum that will begin on 16 November and end 9 December. The result will be announced in early December.

Greater Midwest Region's Hospital Administrators Campaign

2009-10-12T16:49:00.005-05:00

October is National Medical Librarians Month, and the Greater Midwest Region is supporting hospital librarians by re-instituting the Hospital Administrators Campaign. The Advocacy Working Group of the Regional Advisory Council has produced an advocacy letter to hospital administrators informing them of the invaluable services medical librarians provide.

Information about participating in this effort is available at http://nnlm.gov/gmr/member/advocacy/index.html

ILA Conference 2009

2009-10-09T16:32:00.005-05:00

The ILA Conference was in Peoria this week, and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend. The awards presentation was last night, and it was inspiring to see the wonderful award winners graciously accepting their accolades with humility and awe. I love being a librarian, but some days even I wonder, “Am I making a difference?” It’s great to see librarians being recognized for their achievements.

I can’t say enough about the importance of professional organizations. ILA gives our Illinois library community (librarians, support staff, trustees, and library supporters) a voice. It provides an opportunity for professional development, interaction with our peers, and opportunities to grow, teach, and lead. Not only do our professional organizations need our support, they need our talents and leadership. If you aren’t a member, consider joining. Once you join, contribute by attending conferences, participating in committees, and advocating for libraries. The effort you expend will be returned seven fold.

The library's third place

2009-09-29T08:50:00.003-05:00

David Lee King recently blogged about his concept of the website/digital branch being the 3rd place at http://www.davidleeking.com/2009/09/22/rethinking-the-3rd-place/. Third places are "anchors" of community life and facilitate and foster broader, more creative interaction.
Other “places” include:
1st place—home
2nd place—workplace
The system consultants have been discussing the need for a web presence for all libraries. Some libraries have been resistance because they feel their patrons don’t use the Internet and just come to the physical library place.

It is my belief that “if you build it, they will come.” The same philosophy applies to facebook, twitter, blogs, mobile texting, etc. If you make it easy for your patrons to see and contact you, they will. If libraries want to be seen as anchors in their communities, they need to be visible. Utilizing Internet resources to highlight library services requires some time commitment, but these services require no fees and could have a great impact on reaching new and existing patrons. Librarians don't always have to be on "public time". Everyone needs time to recharge and unwind, but a virtual identity is becoming essential for libraries just like it is becoming "must have" for everyone else.

1 year anniversary of ALS Academic & Specials Librarians blog

2009-09-21T09:39:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe, but September marks the 1 year anniversary of this blog! When I first started, my intention was to post ideas and topics relevant to our special and academic members. I think that I have been able to fulfill this intention, but I’ve also found that it helps me develop a better understanding of the issues and concerns of special and academic libraries. I’ve learned a lot during this year, and I hope to continue to highlight key topics for our member libraries.

Join the Campaign to Save Illinois Libraries

2009-09-18T15:19:00.001-05:00

In response to the recent cuts to system funding and library grants, the Illinois library community is launching a campaign to secure the future of Illinois libraries. You can keep up with the campaign and find out what you can do to help by visiting us on Facebook or Twitter, or by going to SaveIllinoisLibraries.com. The campaign is just beginning: be sure to check back regularly for updates!

Pew Report - Public Evaluations of News

2009-09-15T08:48:00.006-05:00

The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press just released their report, Public Evaluations of the News Media: 1985-2009 at http://people-press.org/report/543/ and the results are pretty dismal: “The public’s assessment of the accuracy of news stories is now at its lowest level in more than two decades of Pew Research surveys, and Americans’ views of media bias and independence now match previous lows.”

It seems that local TV news, daily newspapers, and network TV news are still considered accurate, but other news sources were rated poorly. Could this be because “the partisan gap has widened since 2007 in opinions about whether news organizations are not professional… and are often influenced by powerful people and organizations?” Are American seeing news agencies are politically aligned because of the expanded choices in TV and Internet news sources? Is this an opportunity for librarians to promote information literacy and critical thinking skills like those suggested by Mary W. George in her post “Great Expectations”?

Impact of withdrawing from InterLibrary Loan services

2009-09-09T11:00:00.004-05:00

I just read an article in American Libraries about Cash-Strapped Ohio Library Drops Out of WorldCat ILL. Even though Cuyahoga County PL is a public library, it affects all WorldCat ILL libraries. If libraries continue to withdraw from WorldCat ILL and this is the start of a trend, there are several issues that come to mind:

How will libraries fill ILL requests—will they fill them at all? What will the effect be on library users? Will we see a change in the role of LLSAPs? How will libraries change cooperative collection development practices? Can OCLC weather these changes?

Libraries continue to see big cuts to budgets. Ohio has seen an 11% cut to public libraries. Illinois just experienced a 16% reduction in per capita for public libraries and library systems and a 3% per capita reduction for school libraries. Hawaii libraries have yet to figure out a way to address a $5.7-million cut in funding. Academic and special libraries are not insulated from these issues and may be seeing the same concerns spilling over into their own.

Not surprising – huge demand for broadband grants

2009-09-03T09:02:00.002-05:00

I saw an article in eschoolnews.com about the requests the federal government received for the first round of broadband stimulus money. The amount of requests in this round: approximately $28 billion. The stimulus allocated $7.2 billion in total funding for broadband projects, and the government has $4 billion in loans and grants initially available.

The Illinois State Library (ISL) and the Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) explored submitting an application on behalf of Illinois libraries but were unable to complete the application in time for the August deadline. Of the 45 public, school and academic libraries responding, there were requests for more than $1.9 million in equipment and facility upgrades to enhance broadband services to patrons. The ISL and DCEO have agreed to continue discussions to develop an application for Illinois libraries in a future broadband funding round. There are still two more rounds anticipated.

Why all the interest? This is the first time the federal government has made a concerted effort to expand internet access to rural and underserved communities. A recent report from the Communications Workers of America (CWA) suggested the US ranks 28th in the world in average internet connections speeds and is not making significant progress in building a faster network. As a rural resident, I can attest for the lack of high speed options in my small predominately agriculture community.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service will pick the winning applicants and announce them in November.

Constitution Day, the September Project, and Libraries Remember

2009-08-25T08:49:00.004-05:00

Constitution Day is coming up on September 17, and as required by law, educational institutions that receive federal funds are required to implement “an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution, on a date designated by statute as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.” Of course, there are a variety of resources available including:
National Constitution Center
Constitution Day 2009 at ConstitutionFacts.com
National Heritage Center for Constitutional Studies
Constitution Society

Libraries involved in planning for Constitution Day may also be interested in participating in the September Project and/or Libraries Remember. The September Project was organized in 2004 to highlight freedom and community in libraries throughout the world during the month of September. “This grassroots project favors free over fee, public over private, and voices over silence.” Libraries Remember focuses on commemorating September 11, 2001 by inviting libraries remain open for 24 hours on September 11 as a representation of “freedom of expression, celebration of diversity, a playing field that is level, preservation of heritage, and commitment to the future.” Both have websites where you can register your libraries activities.

House Bill 49 now Public Act 96-0498

2009-08-20T08:41:00.003-05:00

After several attempts, the amendment to allow academic libraries to dispose of withdrawn materials in a variety of ways has been passed. The amendment to the State Library Act and the State Property Control Act is available at: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=096-0498
A history of the bills action in this session is available at: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=49&GAID=10&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=40060&SessionID=76&GA=96

Here’s the main change to the act:

“An agency covered by this Act may sell or exchange books, serial publications, and other library materials that have been withdrawn from its library collection through a regular collection evaluation process. Those items may be sold to the public at library book sales or to book dealers or may be offered through exchange to book dealers or other organizations. Revenues generated from the sale of withdrawn items shall be retained by the agency in a separate account to be used solely for the purchase of library materials; except that in the case of the State Library, revenues from the sale of withdrawn items shall be deposited into the State Library Fund to be used for the purposes stated in Section 25 of the State Library Act.”

Blogging

2009-08-07T15:53:00.001-05:00

This is the time of year where I’m out visiting our member libraries, so I haven’t had much time to monitor my favorite blogs. However, I bookmarked a great little post from last fall by Hugh Mcguire called Why Academics Should Blog. What captured me is simplicity and resonance of the 9 points he makes. Even if you wonder—is anyone reading this stuff—you begin to notice that it just doesn’t matter. By expressing your ideas and opinions, you begin to organize and consider topics more fully and therefore, increase your understanding. If you are thinking about starting a blog but just haven’t taken the leap—maybe this will persuade you that it’s an endeavor worth the effort.

Marketing materials requested

2009-07-31T08:51:00.001-05:00

Do you have a great marketing idea? The ILA Marketing Committee is gathering public relations materials (newsletters, brochures, bookmarks, program fliers) from all types of libraries for attendees to view at the 2009 Inspiration Station at the ILA Annual Conference. Alissa Williams from Pekin PL, an ALS library, is coordinating.

To submit materials for the Inspiration Station please send at least thirty copies of your materials by October 2, 2009 to: Alissa Williams, Pekin Public Library, 301 S. Fourth St., Pekin, IL 61554.

Results - ALS Academic Librarians Programs Survey

2009-07-27T11:38:00.007-05:00

Thanks to everyone who responded to the academic librarians’ survey that I sent out on July 6th. There were 34 responses, and I appreciated the assistance in program planning.

The survey indicated that:

programs specifically directed at academic librarians should be offered 1-2 times/year (73.5%)

morning programs 9-noon (with an optional luncheon) are preferred (35.3%)

months most convenient for academic librarians to attend programs are:
March (44.1%)
June (44.1%) or July (50%)
November (44.1%)

popular topics for programs include:
Assessment (72.7%)
Web 2.0 technologies (57.6%)
Marketing of library services (45.5%)
Digital resources (write-ins for eReserves, digital collection development, digital copyright)

Notification preference is by email (94.1%)

I am planning an assessment program for November 2009. I will check the CARLI schedule closely to avoid scheduling conflicts. If anyone would like to volunteer to host future sessions, or suggest speakers, please contact me. I’ll send additional emails as the speaker, date, and location are set. Thanks for your input!

CARLI members and EBSCO databases

2009-07-24T13:09:00.002-05:00

I saw on the CARLI news blog today that CARLI is expanding their access to EBSCO databases for members. In addition to Academic Search Premier and Business Source Elite, all CARLI member institutions have fully subsidized access to 11 additional EBSCO databases including several of my favorites: Health Source: (both Consumer and Nursing/Academic Editions), MAS Ultra: School Edition, and Newspaper Source. As budget and economic uncertainties continue yet again this year, this benefit not only provides more resources but may assist members with current and future budgeting considerations.
For more information, see Additional EBSCO Databases Available to CARLI Members

New copyright tools for educators online

2009-07-21T17:05:00.001-05:00

ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) has released two new copyright tools for educators. With the Fair Use Evaluator, users input their situations by using a form that helps users understand how to determine if an item meets “fair use” requirements. The information inputted can then be converted to a time-stamped PDF document for the users’ records.

The Exceptions for Instructors in US Copyright Law guides users through a series of questions and answers about copyright law specifically related to Section 110(1), the “face to face teaching” exception and Section 110(2), the TEACH Act (Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act).

Both of these interactive copyright tools are available under a Creative Commons license for institutions such as libraries, schools, institutes, and universities to modify (adding their own, local copyright information and contacts) and use to educate their users about the limitations and exceptions in U.S. Copyright law.

For more information, see: OITP releases new online copyright education tools

Medical Journals and ghostwriting

2009-07-10T14:54:00.001-05:00

Michael Wold of OSF St Mary’s Medical Center library sent me a link to an article in the July 8, 2009 edition of Heartwire by Michael O'Riordan entitled “Sen Grassley asks medical journals about ghostwriting.” The prospect of companies ghostwriting articles and presenting them as medical research is beyond “troubling.” It would call into question whether independent research is being conducted and could skew other research projects. Makes me wonder: how much medical literature is research and how much is marketing?

WIU and Illinois Regional Archives Depositories

2009-07-06T09:59:00.004-05:00

I attended an archive program two weeks ago which was sponsored by Western Illinois University. The program was very informative and our hosts, Jeff and Heather, were great. Everyone in attendance (there were 14 of us) seemed to enjoy the day—I know I sure did!

One of the things I learned is that WIU is part of IRAD and is committed to assisting others with their archival expertise. The Illinois Regional Archives Depository at Western Illinois University is one of seven Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD) in the state which is administered by the Illinois State Archives. The WIU depository houses county and local government records which have been appraised as having long-term value and been transferred to the Archives custody. The 16 counties served by the WIU-IRAD include: Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Knox, McDonough, Mercer, Peoria, Pike, Rock Island, Schuyler, Stark, and Warren.

Even though this was a program on the Basics of Archives, Jeff and Heather presented us with lots of new information, and we had several exercises to practice new skills. One of the ideas I particularly liked was the form WIU uses to indicate why an item is included in the archives. It's a standardized form that is slipped into each book and the form makes it easy to see at a glance the reason the book has been archived. Jeff has graciously agreed to let us add it to our Library Toolkit and it's now available under Archive Notes for Books (Courtesy of WIU).

I enjoyed the program and appreciated the opportunity to meet others with the same interests and challenges. I look forward to attending future programs sponsored by WIU’s Archives and Special Collections.

Alliance’s Trail to Learning-Casts and Syndicated Sites (ATLAS)

2009-06-30T08:47:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Alliance Library System (ALS) introduced ATLAS (Alliance’s Trail to Learning-Casts and Syndicated Sites) in an online program and launched the site: http://www.atlaspodcasts.org/. The ATLAS project was funded through a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grant, from the Illinois State Library, a division of the Office of Secretary of State, through the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

There are a lot of interesting aspects to this grant, but I have been intrigued by the podmap. The podmap is designed to link podcasts not only with a searchable database but with an interactive map. As podcasting expands and becomes more prevalent in libraries, this podmap has the potential to serve as a directory for locally produced and relevant audio, image, and video files. Currently, the Alliance Library System has no directory of podcasts, standardization of access, or way to notify users that new podcasts are available from our libraries. This may also foster collaboration and innovation by making them accessible in a single place.

Lori Bell, ALS’s Director of Innovation, was instrumental in developing this grant, and I believe there are many applications for podmaping at ALS and throughout the state. More information about the grant is available at: http://www.atlaspodcasts.org/about/.

Kindles and libraries

2009-06-25T09:39:00.000-05:00

I’ve been watching the news stories about Kindle use in libraries with interest. There was a thread on collib-l earlier this year about the mixed messages from Amazon about loaning Kindles. The concern focused on Amazon’s terms of use agreement and whether libraries could lend Kindles with pre-loaded books. Some libraries are loaning Kindles (with books) and others are not. On June 5, there was an article in Library Journal about a study being conducted at Brigham Young University Library on the use of Kindles for faculty interlibrary loans (Brigham Young Library Tests Kindle as ILL Option for Faculty). Unfortunately, after the article was published, BYU suspended the study. University officials were uncomfortable with the oral permissions they received from Amazon and want to obtain written permission instead (At BYU, Kindle Program on Hold, But University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Program Going Strong). Kindles has raised a variety of questions about copyright and terms of use agreements and these questions persist.

E-textbooks

2009-06-22T14:47:00.003-05:00

Is your institutions considering e-textbooks? Check out (pun intended!) this article from the Chronicle of Higher Education: 6 Lessons One Campus Learned About E-Textbooks. Northwest Missouri State University recently ran a pilot study using Sony Reader and they offer lessons for any university considering digital textbooks.