Assessment Interest Group (AIG)
Research & Publications Committee

The votes have been counted and we are pleased to share the results.

The first People’s Choice Poster Award goes to Phil Flynn & Bette Sydelko, Wright State University, for their poster titled “Multimodal Building Use Study.”  They will share a $100 prize.

The runner-up was Jennifer Hicks from Miami University-Middletown, for her poster, “Growing a Campus & Community Bond Through Makerspace Workshops.”

The Research and Publications Committee and Assessment Interest Group plan to continue this award at future conferences and are developing guidelines for a judged poster award to be added as well.

Congratulations to all poster presenters and thanks to all who voted at the ALAO conference!

Heidi Gauder, University of Dayton, Research and Publications Committee Chair
Mandy Shannon, Wright State University, Assessment IG Co-Chair
Photos by Michelle Brasseur

Professional Development Committee News
ALAO Pilot Mentoring Program Call Early January

The Professional Development Committee is about to embark on its’ second year of the two-year pilot mentoring program. The call for registering for the program will go out during the first week of 2016 on the ALAO Membership Listserv. Keep your eyes open and please apply early to enable the Committee to get the second year off to a quick start. This call will be to ALAO members only, therefore it is a valuable ALAO Membership benefit that all should consider.

The Committee received helpful feedback on a recent survey of first year participants. The following survey respondent comments serve were truly encouraging:

• “This is a great program….”
• “I was able to help my mentee develop goals and think more strategically about career options.”
• “The relationship I have developed with my mentor … has been one of the most rewarding and professionally and intellectually fulfilling relationships of my career.”
• “I greatly enjoy the opportunity to network with a mentor….”
• “Great program, I would certainly encourage everyone to participate.”

The Committee is now in the process of revising the registration form to improve their matching of mentees with mentors. Matching pairs can be the Committee’s biggest challenge especially if too few mentors apply. It is absolutely critical to a successful program that more mentors than mentees apply, which will enable the best possible matches overall. This will mean that some mentors will not be matched, but the main goal here is to provide the mentees with helpful advice. So CALLING ALL MENTORS!  Of course, we need mentees, too.
Julia Chance Gustafson, College of Wooster,  Mentoring Program Coordinator of the ALAO Professional Development Committee

Collection Management Interest Group (CMIG)

Please mark your calendars for the Collection Management Interest Group Spring Workshop:  Wednesday April 27, 2016, State Library, Columbus [note: new & different date from what was announced at ALAO Conference].  Based on preferences expressed in our survey of CMIG membership, topics/presentations will include: promotion of library resources, and ebook acquisitions & management.  We are still working on program details, but it promises to be an informative, engaging, and active day!

Jessica Grim, Oberlin College, CMIG Co-Chair
Ken Irwin, Wittenberg University, CMIG Co-Chair

Distance Learning Interest Group (DLIG)

Save the Date!! DLIG’s Spring Workshop will be held on Friday, April 29, 2016 at Miami University Voice of America Center in West Chester, OH (just north of Cincinnati). Watch for more details and for the call for proposals.
Carrie Girton, Miami University Hamilton, DLIG Co-Chair

Instruction Interest Group (IIG)
Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Instruction Interest Group (IIG) table at the ALAO Annual Conference to say hello.  IIG sponsored the presentation “Seasoning Minds for the Future: Creating Engaging Hybrid Library Instruction,” by Kari Jones (Southern State Community College). Kari was the winner of the Student Presenter Grant, and she shared her experiences of using a “flipped classroom” model for introducing students to the library. For our Spring Workshop, we’ll be joining forces with the Assessment Interest Group to present both the instructional and assessment sides of the Information Literacy Framework. The workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, April 20th, at the State Library of Ohio. In the meantime, consider signing up as a guest blogger for the IIG blog. Click here for more details.
Dana Knott , Columbus State Community College, Instruction IG Co-Chair
Melissa Bauer, Kent State University at Stark, Instruction IG Co-Chair

Technical, Electronic, and Digital Services Interest Group (TEDSIG)
Karen Plummer was the recipient of the TEDDY award, which was presented at the conference. The TEDDY recognizes an individual’s significant contributions to the technical, electronic or digital services fields.

TEDSIG has also started planning our spring workshop. We are hoping to set up a workshop that is part training/part panel discussion. Keep an eye out for more information and the date.

Kelly Kobiela Ohio Northern University, TEDSIG Co-Chair
Rich Wisneski , Cleveland State University, TEDSIG Co-Chair