ALAO Research Grant Now Open for Proposals

Posted on December 12, 2019 by anitaslack

Do you have a great research idea but need funds to bring it to life? Last year, the ALAO Research Grant helped fund two different projects to investigate health science librarians’ reflective practice and public libraries’ role as community centers.

Submit your application by January 10, 2020 at http://tinyurl.com/RPCgrant2020. You must be a current member of ALAO to be eligible for the award. If you have any questions, please contact Brittany Brannon or Ken Irwin.

Want to submit a proposal but don’t have a project ready? The Research and Publications Committee and the Assessment Interest Group are hosting a workshop for developing a research idea into a project plan on March 27th at OhioNET. Come get ideas for and feedback on your research project and develop it into something you can submit for next year’s grant cycle.

–Brittany Brannon, Research and Publications Committee Co-Chair, OCLC
–Ken Irwin, Research and Publications Committee Co-Chair, Wittenberg University

Posted in Vol. 37 no. 4 (Dec 2019) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Continuing Education Grant Program – Coming Soon!

Posted on December 12, 2019 by anitaslack

The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) Continuing Education Grant is awarded each year to support the cost of participating in professional development opportunities such as conferences, workshops, seminars, etc. which are related to the member’s current position or in pursuit of a professional library degree. Current ALAO members are eligible to apply for funds to defray the costs of attending any library-related educational opportunity occurring during the calendar year.

Eligibility:

  • Applicant must be a current member of ALAO.
  • Applicant may not have received this grant in the previous three award cycles.
  • Funded event must occur between January 1 and December 31, 2020.

 Additional details will be announced via email in mid-December. 

–Ann Marie Smeraldi, Professional Development Committee Chair, Cleveland State University

 

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Diversity Scholarship Award Recipient

Posted on December 12, 2019 by anitaslack

Brenda Foster of Bexley, Ohio is the 2019 ALAO Diversity Scholarship Award winner. Brenda attends the University of Washington I-School. While there Brenda has been a board member for the UW Professional Continuing Education (PCE) Student Advisory Board and as a Diversity Officer for the Association of Library and Information Science Students (ALISS). Brenda worked as a Metadata Intern for Library of Congress (LOC), and plans to work more closely with data management. One of Brenda’s career goals for working in librarianship, “has to be compassion for the community, regardless of its cultural composition.”

–Edith Scarletto, Diversity Committee Chair, Bowling Green State University

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Member Spotlight

Posted on December 12, 2019 by anitaslack

Let’s shine the Member Spotlight on Corazon Britton from the Moritz Law Library at The Ohio State University!

Corazon BrittonWhat is your role(s) in academic libraries?
In my role as library circulation supervisor at the Moritz Law Library, I work with student employees, perform circulation tasks, and manage interlibrary loan lending. Interlibrary loan was a new responsibility for me, and it’s been incredible to see how connected libraries are and the type of service we provide to our users.

What do you like most about academic library work?
My favorite thing about working in libraries is how the library blends education, working with people, and connecting to communities. This is particularly true in academic libraries because library professionals are partners with students, staff, faculty, and community users in learning.

I also enjoy working directly with student employees. While pursuing my undergraduate degree, I worked in the reference department of my university’s library. That college job turned into a love of working in libraries due in large part to the mentorship of librarians and library professionals who not only provided an incredible work experience but also allowed me to see a future for myself in the field. The kindness and support shown to me is something I try to replicate in my interactions with student employees. I appreciate when they trust me to seek advice, share their accomplishments, or ask for references.

What are some interesting projects you’ve been involved with lately?
I currently serving on the Steering Committee for the Ohio Library Support Staff Institute. It’s enlightening to be part of a conference planning process.

I am in library school right now and one of the projects I’m working on is developing a cataloging management wiki. While I have significant experience searching for items and using catalogs, the intricacies of cataloging have been intimidating. Luckily this class has eased my fears and I feel more confident in my abilities.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
I have two cats named Tom and Jerry and a dog named Benji. Jerry actually has a connection to academic libraries! A colleague was fostering Jerry’s mom while she was pregnant, and I adopted Jerry as a kitten!

What do you love about being an ALAO member? 
I’m a new ALAO member but wanted to join ALAO because I had a positive experience at the annual conference years ago when I was a co-presenter as a student employee. I remember at that conference how everyone was friendly and encouraging. When I attended the ALAO conference in October I was met with the same sense of community as I was years ago. ALAO provides valuable professional development and connections.

–Maureen Barry, Membership Chair, Bowling Green State University

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Membership Report

Posted on December 12, 2019 by anitaslack

The current membership of ALAO includes a total of 354 members consisting of 320 regular members, 3 retiree members, and 31 student members. We are excited to welcome new members who joined between August 29, 2019 and November 30, 2019 are:

Kristen Adams, Miami University

Miriam Centeno, Ohio State University

Lisa Cummings, North Carolina Central University

Joyce Douglas, Ohio University

Matthew Fisk, Kent State University SLIS

Aacha Gregg, Wittenberg University

Jacqueline Lagunzad, Cleveland Institute of Art

Rachel Littleton, Wittenberg University

Monica Mason, Owens Community College

Lisa Morrison, Denison University

Gabriel Neff, Miami University

Timothy Radcliffe, Mount Vernon Nazarene University

Sharon Richter, Columbus State Community College

–Maureen Barry, Membership Chair, Bowling Green State University

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Notes from the Trenches

Posted on December 12, 2019 by anitaslack

Sometimes there isn’t time to visit other libraries or meet other librarians—but then a chance presents itself.  Three Dayton area libraries saw an opportunity to visit one another as a way to introduce new (and veteran) librarians to nearby academic libraries as well as share expertise.  Some of the librarians from Sinclair Community College, University of Dayton (UD) and Wright State University (WSU) gathered two different days during the summer of 2019.

Both UD and WSU recently completed remodeling/redesign projects. The tours allowed everyone to be among the first to see new furniture and new spaces in both libraries.

As we were planning the gatherings, we realized that we didn’t need to limit ourselves to just a tour of spaces.  So we decided to include a show and tell time as well as an opportunity for librarians with similar subject area responsibilities to have time for conversations.

At Wright State, Mandy Shannon arranged a show and tell session that highlighted instruction activities. In addition to the three Dayton institutions, librarians from Capital University, Wittenberg University and Miami University joined. Each librarian had 5 – 10 minutes to demonstrate an instruction activity while those in the audience took the part of students.  There was discussion after each demonstration as participants asked questions and added details about their own twists on similar activities.

At University of Dayton, Heidi Gauder planned a show and tell session about instruction assessment.  Again, each librarian had time to explain assessment activities that have been tried.  These were followed by audience discussion and provided a time for everyone to share concerns and successes while gaining insights from colleagues.

At each session, the group broke up into smaller groups of librarians by subject areas – humanities, STEM, and social sciences.  Each group held its own discussion about topics of interest to them.

Everyone came away feeling it was time well spent and that we increased the collegiality among our libraries and our schools in a relatively inexpensive yet efficient way.

–Julie McDaniel, C2YCLIG Co-Chair, Sinclair Community College
–Mandy Shannon, Wright State University
–Heidi Gauder, University of Dayton

Posted in Vol. 37 no. 4 (Dec 2019) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Interest Group Reports

Posted on December 12, 2019 by anitaslack

Research and Publication Committee & Assessment Interest Group Workshop

ALAO RPC and AIG are pleased to share with you a sneak peek into our joint spring workshop that will teach you about Grant Writing and Research Planning to be held March 27, 2020.

The goal of this workshop is to help you build skills in efficiently and effectively developing and planning research in order to successfully apply for and be awarded grant funding. Guest speaker, Dr. Miriam Matteson, Associate Professor of Library Science at Kent State, will provide you with foundational knowledge on best practices involved in forming a research question and developing an achievable research plan. You will also have time for hands-on practice.

We look forward to you joining us to learn about how you can successfully apply for and be awarded grants in order to improve your library resources and services. Contact Elizabeth and Anna Liss with any questions. Stay tuned for future communications!

-Brittany Brannon, RPC Co-Chair, OCLC
-Ken Irwin, RPC Co-Chair, Miami University
–Elizabeth Sullivan, AIG Co-Chair, Oberlin College 
–Anna Liss Jacobsen, AIG Co-Chair, Miami University

Community & Two Year College Libraries IG News

During Fall 2019, the Community & Two Year Colleges Libraries Interest Group has focused on the library response to food and housing insecure students.  A Round Table at the Annual Conference kicked off the discussion and a November Sound Off provided an opportunity to continue the discussion.

A variety of resources are available to provide background including:

–Julie McDaniel,  C2YCLIG Co-Chair, Sinclair Community College
–Karla Aleman, C2YCLIG Co-Chair, Lorain County Community College

Programming, Outreach, and Marketing IG News

PROMIG had a great roundtable turnout during the ALAO 2019 conference. Members shared programming strategies for engaging students, developing community partnerships, and tools to promote library services. Some of the highlights discussed were using the library space for collaborative campus exhibits as Oberlin has done with a recent installation to support the Dance Department. Librarians from Otterbein University shared plans for an upcoming coffee & sustainability program with a local coffee business. Other topics included successful program attendance through building partnerships with student organizations at Capital University, establishing meaningful connections with high school students during library visits at the University of Dayton, and promoting library services and programs with LibCal as used at the University of Toledo and other schools .

This interest group continues to grow with a current roster of 38 members. In addition to a listserv, the group will be starting a Slack workspace to organize ideas and submissions for an outreach & programming toolkit. The group is also discussing a collaborative webinar with the Scholarly Communications Interest Group as a Spring Workshop.

The proposal for the Ohio Inspiring Practices: Achieving Student Success in Undergraduate Education conference has been approved and 4 PROMIG librarians will lead a panel discussion on February 26th . Laura Birkenhauer (Miami University), Jessica Crossfield McIntosh (Otterbein University), Julie McDaniel (Sinclair Community College), and Shaunda Vasudev (Capital University) will present Meaningful Connections: Campus Literacy, Student Success and Libraries. More details and registration information can be found here.

–Eboni Johnson, PROMIG Co-Chair, Oberlin College
–Shaunda Vasudev, PROMIG Co-Chair, Capital University

 

Special Collections and Archives IG News

The Special Collections and Archives Interest Group met on October 18th at the ALAO Annual Conference for an informal roundtable discussion of future workshop ideas and how different academic special collections fulfill researcher reference and digitization requests.  Also, we are pleased to announce our 2019 Special Collections and Archives Interest Group annual meeting and workshop will be co-hosted with the Society of Ohio Archivists (SOA). We thank the following people in advance for their service to SCAig as members of this year’s Annual Meeting planning committee:

  • Stacy Chaney-Blankenship, Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Artifacts, Ohio Wesleyan University
  • William Modrow, Walter Havighurst Special Collections & University Archives, Miami University.

Look for a save-the-date early in the new year!

-Suzanne Reller, Special Collections and Archives IG Co-Chair, University of Cincinnati
-Rachel Makarowski, Special Collections and Archives IG Co-Chair, Miami University

 

STEM IG News

STEM IG had a very busy fall! After creating our mailing list we surveyed our members on the type of activities they would like to have access through STEMIG. Thus, we have updated our website, started a monthly STEMIG Newsletter, organized a Round Table at the ALAO Annual Conference, and organized a webinar on data curation as the first one in a regular series of webex seminars. Plans for the Annual STEMIG Spring Workshop are also well underway for Friday, March 20, 2020. More information to come!

–Matthew Benzing, Miami University, STEM IG Co-Chair
–Daniela Solomon, Case Western Reserve University, STEM IG Co-Chair

 

Support Staff IG News

The Support Staff Interest Group co-chairs are at work planning what will likely be a digital meeting for the coming year via a website, articles linked for written comments/discussion, and a Zoom date for verbal discussion. Topics to be determined.

–Erin Smith, SSIG Co-Chair, Case Western Reserve University
–Rob Withers, SSIG Co-Chair, Miami University

Posted in Vol. 37 no. 4 (Dec 2019) | Tagged | Leave a comment

People & Library News

Posted on December 12, 2019 by anitaslack

Bryant & Stratton College News

The Bryant & Stratton College Cleveland and Solon campus libraries are updating eBook collections and leveraging LibGuides to make selected titles, chosen to be in line with current curriculum, available to patrons with one click.  Such collections will be available on the campus Virtual Library portals, may be distributed by librarians and faculty via email, and will be suitable for inclusion as a class resource in Blackboard.

–Joseph Dudley, Bryant & Stratton College

 

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) News

Brian C. Gray and Stephanie Church presented Evidenced-based Acquisition for Primary Source Content – A New Model for Access and Ownership at the Charleston Conference.

Stephanie Church delivered a presentation titled “See Sierra in a New Way with Tableau” at the Ohio Innovative Users Group at the State Library in Columbus on Friday, September 20.

Charlie Harper was recently published in dh+lib “where the digital humanities and librarianship meet.” His piece is titled “What I’m Reading this Summer” and is the final installment in their summer reading series.

–Brian C. Gray, Case Western Reserve University

Cedarville University News

Sharon Kerestes, Curriculum Materials Center Librarian and Assistant Professor of Library Science, presented at the National Council of Teachers of English annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 22, 2019. She and her co-presenters, Cedarville University School of Education faculty Dr. Ruth Sylvester and Dr. Megan Brown, shared their research on disconnects between Christian scripture and the text and illustrations in children’s literature. The presentation was titled “Examining Representation in Primary Ancient Text and Retellings: David and Goliath.”

–Julie Deardorff, Cedarville University

 

State Library of Ohio News

Phil Willke Receives 2019 Up & Comers Award at the Charleston Conference

The State Library of Ohio is pleased to announce that Electronic Resources Librarian Phil Willke recently received the 2019 Up & Comers Award at the Charleston Conference: Issues in Book and Serial Acquisition. Sponsored by ATG Media, the award is intended for librarians, library staff, vendors, publishers, MLIS students, instructors, consultants, and researchers who are new to their field or are in the early years of the profession. According to ATG Media, “Up and Comers are passionate about the future of libraries. They innovate, inspire, collaborate, and take risks. They are future library leaders and change makers, and we are excited to celebrate them with this award.”

“While most of my library work is focused in Ohio, I feel truly honored to be recognized at a well-respected national conference,” expressed Phil. “I look forward to what the future has in store for me, as well as what the future has in store for the entire library world.”

Phil is one of ten Up & Comers recognized at the Charleston Conference reception. They will also be featured in the December/January issue of Against the Grain and in a series of podcast interviews.

“A big congratulations to all of our award winners,” says Leah Hinds, Executive Director of the Charleston Conference. “I’m so pleased to see all of the innovation and the many accomplishments that are displayed here, and I look forward to seeing what the future brings for these bright rising stars.”

The other 2019 ATG Media Up & Comers are:

  • Negeen Aghassibake, University of Washington Health Sciences Library
  • Lindsay Barnett, Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, Yale University
  • Elizabeth Cope, University of Tennessee Knoxville
  • Meghan Cook, University of South Florida Libraries
  • Moon Kim, Ohio State University Libraries
  • Jocelyn Lewis, George Mason University
  • Colin Nickels, North Carolina State University Libraries
  • Ariana E. Santiago, University of Houston Libraries
  • Victoria Seng, University of Kentucky

About ATG Media: ATG Media is a new umbrella group that includes the Charleston Conference, Against the Grain, “Charleston Briefings: Trending Topics for Information Professionals,” and “Charleston Voices,” perspectives from the annual Charleston Conference. ATG Media is a wholly owned subsidiary of ATG, LLC.

About the Charleston Conference: The Charleston Conference is an informal annual gathering of librarians, publishers, electronic resource managers, consultants, and vendors of library materials in Charleston, SC, in November, to discuss issues of importance to them all. It is designed to be a collegial gathering of individuals from different areas who discuss the same issues in a non-threatening, friendly, and highly informal environment.

–Marsha McDevitt-Stredney, State Library of Ohio

 

Wright State University News

52151 Linda Daniels, Kayla Hennis Portrait, LIBRARY PUBLIC SERVICES Reference & Instructional Librarian, 11-20-19The University Libraries are pleased to introduce the newest member of our staff, Kayla Hennis. As the Online Learning Librarian, she will coordinate library services that support online learners. This will include maintaining and updating the online Research Toolkit workshops, expanding the Self Help tutorial section of the Libraries website, and being part of the STAC’s multimedia instruction team. She will also provide multimedia instruction and support in the Student Technology Assistance Center (STAC) and participate in department-wide reference and instruction services.

Kayla has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Miami University, an MLIS from Kent State University, and a MEd in Educational Technology from Arizona State University. For the past six years, she has been at Columbus State Community College, where she was a Reference and Instruction Librarian. We are very excited to have Kayla as part of the Instruction & Research Services Department!

–Mandy Shannon, Wright State University

Posted in Vol. 37 no. 4 (Dec 2019) | Tagged | Leave a comment

President’s Report

Posted on September 12, 2019 by anitaslack

2019 Annual Conference

Katy Mathuews

Katy Mathuews, President

I am excited to share planning updates for our 2019 Annual Conference, Libraries Speak Up! Advocate. Collaborate. Educate. The conference will take place on October 18, 2019 at Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center in Columbus, Ohio with a pre-conference at the same location on October 17, 2019. Be sure to get registered and check out the program!

 2019 Executive Board Retreat

The 2019 Executive Board held its annual retreat on Friday, July 19, 2019 at Ohionet in Columbus, OH. The Executive Board Retreat is an opportunity for the Board to conduct strategic planning for the year and to provide training to incoming board members. This year’s Board Retreat saw the culmination of a year-long exercise to establish our strategic plan for 2019-2024. Strategic Plan will be reviewed each year to ensure mindful progress toward our goals. The board-approved plan is featured below.

ALAO Strategic Focus Areas and Objectives 2019-2024

Focus 1: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Goal: ALAO will exemplify equity, diversity, and inclusion in daily practices, foster those practices in its membership, and position members to become effective advocates on important issues facing the profession.

Focus 2: Expanding our Horizons

Goal: ALAO will position itself as a regional leader for an array of professional development activities, expanding and innovating upon its well-revered suite of programming.

Focus 3: Efficient and Purposeful

Goal: ALAO will build upon partnerships, management best practices, and sound organizational strategy to refine practices that position ALAO as current, efficient, and valuable.

Posted in Vol. 37 no. 3 (Sept 2019) | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Call for Nominations: Jay Ladd and Kathryn Venditti Awards

Posted on September 12, 2019 by anitaslack

The ALAO Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2019 Jay Ladd Eric_Resnis-6149Distinguished Service Award and the Kathryn Venditti Mentoring Award.

The Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual who has:

  1. been an Academic Library Association of Ohio member for at least 5 years
  2. promoted academic libraries and librarianship on his or her own campus and within the state
  3. provided sustained leadership in the promotion of Academic Library Association of Ohio, e.g., committee service, interest group chair, position on the Executive Board

Additional information about the Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award is available at https://www.alaoweb.org/aboutalao/jay-ladd-award.php.

Please submit nominations for the Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award through the Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award online nomination form.

The Kathryn Venditti Mentoring Award recognizes an individual who has:

  1. demonstrated excellence as a mentor to a librarian, library worker, or library science student
  2. a sustained record of effective mentorship, as demonstrated by activities that may include but not be limited to advising, developing, coaching, sponsoring, advocating, guiding, and/or supporting librarians, library workers, or library students

Additional information about the Kathryn Venditti Mentoring Award is available at https://www.alaoweb.org/Venditti-Award.

Please submit nominations for the Kathryn Venditti Mentoring Award through the Kathryn Venditti Mentoring Award online nomination form.

NOTE: You may nominate more than one person for each award! Your reasons for nominating your candidate(s) will be especially valuable to the Awards Committee so please be as detailed as possible.

–Eric Resnis, Past President, Coastal Carolina University

Posted in Vol. 37 no. 3 (Sept 2019) | Tagged , | Leave a comment