Message from the Interest Group Coordinator

ALAO has 12 active special interest groups that have formed to discuss concerns, issues and new trends related to academic librarianship in Ohio. Joining an interest group is a great way to participate in leadership events and network with fellow librarians and library staff. Many of ALAO’s interest groups are participating in the annual conference this November. Keep an eye on the ALAO events page for specific events or join us at the annual conference to learn how you can get involved with an interest group!

For more information visit the ALAO website https://www.alaoweb.org/igs/index.html or contact Sara Klink, Interest Group Coordinator at sklink@starkstate.edu

–Sara Klink, Interest Group Coordinator, Stark State College

Community & Two Year College Libraries Interest Group (C2YCLIG) News

In order to better serve our members, the Community & Two Year College Libraries Interest Group (C2YCLIG) would like all C2YCLIG members to fill out a membership survey.  This survey will help us to determine the best times to meet, how often to meet, and where your interests lie.  Please reach out to c2yclig-chairs@alaoweb.org if you have any questions.

C2YCLIG membership survey

–Meagan Fowler, Community & Two Year College Libraries IG Co-Chair, Cuyahoga Community College
–Zoe Orcutt, Community & Two Year College Libraries IG Co-Chair, OverDrive

Distance Learning Interest Group (DLIG)

DLIG: Looking for a leadership opportunity? Interested in how academic librarians support distance learners? ALAO’s Distance Learning Interest Group seeks a new co-chair and committee members to plan a spring workshop, explore additional programming opportunities, and contribute to the DLIG blog. Contact Co-Chair Dana Knott (dknott@cscc.edu) for more information.

–Dana Knott, Distance Learning IG Co-Chair, Columbus State Community College

Instruction Interest Group (IIG) News

The Instruction Interest Group (IIG) is pleased to welcome Jaclyn Spraetz, Information Literacy Librarian at Miami University as the new Co-Chair for the 2022-2024 term. She will serve with Stefanie Hilles, Arts and Humanities Librarian, also at Miami University, whose term will end in July 2023. 

In July, we hosted a webinar, “Best Practices to Refresh Your Research Guides,” led by Mandi Goodset, Performing Arts & Humanities Librarian, Cleveland State University, Marsha Miles, Assistant Director for Collections and Resource Management, Cleveland State University, and Theresa M. Nawalaniec, Sciences & Engineering Librarian, Cleveland State University. We always welcome ideas for sessions from our members! Please reach out if you have ideas about webinars you would like to see or lead. 

We always welcome new members to our group. If you have questions about IIG, webinar topic proposals, or you are interested in joining our workshop planning committee, please contact iig-chairs@alaoweb.org.

–Stefanie Hilles, Instruction IG Co-Chair, Miami University
–Jaclyn Spraetz, Instruction IG Co-Chair, Miami University

Special Collections and Archives Interest Group (SCAig) News

The Special Collections and Archives Interest Group (SCAig) is pleased to welcome Miriam Intrator as incoming co-chair for the 2022-2024 term. She currently works as Special Collections Librarian for Rare Books at Ohio University’s Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections, and is also Liaison Librarian to Honors Programs for Ohio University Libraries. Miriam will serve as co-chair of SCAig alongside Josh Zeller, Head of Access Services at Mount St. Joseph University’s Archbishop Alter Library, whose term will conclude at the end of the 2022-23 academic year.

The SCAig co-chairs plan to attend this year’s ALAO annual conference on initiating change in academic libraries (November 3-4). We hope SCAig members can join us there in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. It would be wonderful to touch base with you, and also to hear any ideas/suggestions you may have for future SCAig workshops and meetings!

For more information on SCAig, contact the co-chairs at scaig-chairs@alaoweb.org.

–-Josh Zeller, SCAig Co-Chair, Mount St. Joseph University
-–Miriam Intrator, SCAig Co-Chair, Ohio University

Sustainability Interest Group (SUSIG)

The Sustainability Interest Group is excited to announce our new incoming co-chair, Megan Jaskowiak! Megan is the current Health and Social Sciences Librarian at Miami University in Oxford. We’d like to thank our outgoing co-chair, Bethany Spieth, for her hard work over the last two years, and we look forward to an exciting fall semester.

If you have any great ideas you’d like to share with our group, such as for successful initiatives on your campus, please reach out to susig-chairs@alaoweb.org. Stay tuned for more information about our upcoming programs.

–Kimberly Hill, Sustainability IG Co-Chair, Miami University
–Megan Jaskowiak, Sustainability IG Co-Chair, Miami University