ALAO’s 2nd Annual Innovative Instruction Showcase–Recording Available
On May 7, 2025, the ALAO Instruction and STEM Interest Groups hosted the second annual Innovative Instruction Showcase, which featured seven lightning talks presented by nine instructional librarians. This year’s topics included instructional approaches in health sciences fields, active learning and assessment, source evaluation, integrating AI skills into information literacy, and undergraduate research skills. The IIG and STEMIG thank all of our presenters for their engaging and informative presentations, which were attended by 70 participants!
If you were unable to attend the event or would like to revisit any of the presentations, please visit the session recording at this link.
–Liz Grauel & Brea McQueen, Instruction Interest Group Co-Chairs -Kristen Adams and Nathanael Davis, STEM Interest Group Co-Chairs
PROMIG News
The PROMIG co-chairs are excited to talk about our recent events—new initiatives centered on sharing member experiences concerning programming, outreach, and marketing in academic libraries. The discussion topic for the first of our new Community Chats on April 24th was “State and National Government Actions & Our Work,” where attendees discussed how they were weathering the effects of current events. The next chat—”Artificial Intelligence & Programming, Outreach, and Marketing”—is scheduled for Thursday, July 24th, 1–2 p.m. (ET) [Register Here].
PROMIG Snapshots of Success! is a new showcase of programming, outreach, and marketing success stories. The inaugural event on June 4th was well attended and featured a wonderful variety of lightning talks, covering story time; plant nurturing, banned books, and community programming; a student showcase; revitalizing a children’s collection; and gaming.
Thank you to all who attended and presented at these events, and we hope to see you at the next event! Want to know more about PROMIG? Please contact us at promig-chairs@alaoweb.org.
We are in the early stages of working with EBSCO to test the usability of Bibliograph, which, when fully implemented, will convert eBook MARC records to BIBFRAME format, allowing us to take advantage of linked data capabilities and offer enhanced access features for B&SC patrons. These include making our eBook collection available from Google, LibGuides, and most significantly, within individual Blackboard course instances, which will be the digital equivalent of taking a book cart of selected titles to class.
Additionally, as a community service project, I am currently working with the Youngstown Action Center Library, performing subject cataloging for titles in their Social Justice collection and selecting and implementing Homosaurus terms and unique URIs for titles in their LGBTQ+ History and Criticism collection.
–Joseph Dudley, Bryant & Stratton College
Case Western Reserve University News
We are pleased to announce that Kristen Peters has joined Kelvin Smith Library at Case Western Reserve University as our new Collection Strategies & Analysis Librarian. In this role, Kristen will lead the strategy, development, and management of KSL’s collections in a highly collaborative manner, working closely with colleagues across the library and campus to ensure our collections meet the evolving needs of our community. Kristen brings extensive experience from Wittenberg University, where she served as Associate Professor and Librarian, as well as Interim Library Director. Additionally, Kristen will serve as CWRU’s representative to the OhioLINK Cooperative Information Resources Management (CIRM) group, further strengthening our partnerships and resource sharing initiatives.
— Halle Novotney, Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland State University News
Cleveland State University Welcomes New Director
Scott Vine
Scott Vine has been named as the new Director of the Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University. Mr. Vine brings a thoughtful, empathetic approach to leadership, grounded in a strong background in academic librarianship. Driven by his own experiences, he has a strong desire to support first-year college students. He has a deep understanding of many aspects of library operations and valuable experience working collaboratively with university administration. His experience in strategic planning, setting priorities, and working with advancement further strengthens his ability to position the Library and the University for success.
Mr. Vine has held librarian positions at Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, and Franklin & Marshall College, and has master’s degrees in philosophy and library/information science. He was the Director of the College Library at Franklin & Marshall since 2016, and the liaison to multiple academic departments.
He completed the ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians in 2011, in 2014 was appointed to the editorial board of the journal portal: Libraries and the Academy,and from 2022-2025 was on the board of directors of PALCI, a five-state consortium of 70+ academic and research libraries. He led the F&M College Library’s two most recent strategic planning efforts, along with several major initiatives, including organizing advocacy for open educational resources, facilitating support for open access publishing, and the creation in library spaces of two contemporary classrooms, a makerspace and a flexible, experiential learning space.
He is excited to join the Library on July 7, 2025.
–Barbara Loomis, Cleveland State University
Miami University News
Miami University Middletown News
Jennifer Hicks, who has been a member of the Gardner-Harvey Library staff since 2012, is now our Outreach and Instruction Librarian.
Miami University Regionals News
Leah Tabler has been hired as a Library Associate and is the Circulation Supervisor for both the Rentschler Library (Hamilton) and the Gardner-Harvey Library (Middletown).
–John Burke, Miami University
OLSSI News
As you may have heard, the Ohio Library Support Staff Institute (OLSSI) will be celebrating the final OLSSI conference this summer. This Institute has played an outsized role in my own library career and I’m delighted to pass along this announcement to others who may be interested. Please feel free to forward to anyone who might be interested, and we hope to see you or your ALAO colleagues at OLSSI!
Join us for the FINAL Ohio Library Support Staff Institute.
OLSSI 2025 will be held July 27 – 29 at the University of Dayton.
ALAO prides itself on offering year round professional development to its members and the wider ranging library community. Please keep an eye on our website. and sign up for our listserv to learn about upcoming spring and summer events and workshops. Many of these events will be at little to even no cost to attend. And if you aren’t able to travel, much of our spring and summer content is provided online!
The call for proposals for our annual fall conference is now open! If you have an interesting or exciting idea to share please consider submitting a proposal. There are many formats and different ways to participate.
ALAO Board Activities
Springtime elections are right around the corner. We look forward to welcoming new folks to the ALAO Executive Board this summer. The current executive board and the incoming board will continue to prepare for a new strategic plan that will set ALAO up for success for the next five years. If you missed out on running for a board position this year please consider for next year. If you have any questions about current positions or work load do not hesitate to reach out to me! And of course..don’t forget to vote when elections open!
Current Climate
In this current role as president of ALAO I feel I would be remiss if I did not address the challenging climate that we find ourselves in. As institutions of higher education around the state prepare for the possibility of SB1 being signed into law, I would like to share that ALAO will continue to support, learn about and offer resources to support work on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). Here is a link to ALAO’s Anti-Racism Statement .
ALAO will continue to move forward and offer a place for innovation, research and community.
March is the time of year when we elect new members to the ALAO Board, and the ballot for our 2025 election will be posted soon!
The initial call for nominations was circulated to the membership on December 15, 2024 with a February 14th, 2025 deadline. The deadline was extended to February 28th, and in early March, we secured commitments from candidates to run for the following positions,
Vice President/President Elect:
Cara Calabrese, Acquisitions & Access Librarian, Miami University
Chris Robinson-Nkongola, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Bowling Green State University
Board Member-at-Large (3 open positions):
Marilia Antunez, Associate Professor of Bibliography, The University of Akron
Jill Crane, Associate Professor/Coordinator of Cataloging & Metadata, University of Dayton
Pamela Espinosa de los Monteros, Latin American, Iberian, and Latino/a Studies Librarian, The Ohio State University
Our sincere thanks to the candidates for their willingness to run for and serve in these positions!
As Chair of the 2025 Nominating Committee, let me also take this opportunity to thank the members of this year’s Nominating Committee for their work and commitment!
Mandi Goodsett, Cleveland State University, Committee Member
Brea McQueen, Miami University, Committee Member
Barbara Loomis, Cleveland State University, Committee Member
Laura Birkenhauer, Miami University, Advisor to the Committee
The Committee has held regular meetings since the beginning of the year and is currently finalizing the candidate information for the 2025 election ballot. We continue to plan for a mid to late-March date to open the polls.
Be on the lookout for the poll opening announcement later this month, and be sure to renew your ALAO membership if it has lapsed. You must be an active member to vote in the 2025 elections. Happy Spring!
The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) Conference Planning committee invites you to submit proposals for the 51st ALAO Annual Conference. Our theme this year is, Mission Possible: Libraries as Launchpads to Success.
The Call for Proposals for the ALAO Annual Conference is live and accepting submissions. The deadline for submitting your proposal is April 28, 2025. For additional information about the conference and proposal guidelines, please see the conference website. Please note also that grants are available for Students and Library Support Staff to attend or aid in presenting at the conference.
Paul Campbell, Vice President/President Elect
The 2025 ALAO Conference Planning Committee is hosting an informal virtual conversation to fuel interest among potential first-time presenters and anyone else curious about taking their ideas to new heights. Join us via Microsoft Teams on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 from noon – 1pm.
Adherence to the conference theme, Mission Possible: Libraries as Launchpads to Success, is encouraged but not required. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
Navigating library work in wake of SB1
Leadership in libraries during turbulent times
Boosting advocacy for libraries and library workers
Libraries’ role in fueling citizenship and civic engagement
Discovery of innovative instruction & research support
Launching student success by measuring library impact
New frontiers of generative AI in library work
Charting the exploration of new acquisition models
Strategies for working with Alma normalization rules and beyond
Expanding the universe of student worker roles and duties
Broadcasting the value of the library to stakeholders
Collection assessment, management, & development
Libraries as supportive environments and communities
Creating oxygen-rich atmospheres: Self-care for library personnel
Library integrations with campus systems like Workday or EAB Navigate
Mission-driven strategies for creating successful library events
Making contact and collaborating with non-library units
Universal access in libraries: spaces, interfaces, licenses, etc
Let’s shine the Member Spotlight on Christine Mannix from Columbus College of Art & Design!
What is/are your role(s) in academic libraries?
I’ve been the Instruction Librarian at the Columbus College of Art & Design for over 14 years. I caught the teaching bug several years prior when I taught information literacy at Clark State Community College part-time. I’m also in charge of the library’s Special Collections and do a lot of outreach to faculty to encourage hands-on class sessions with our rare books and artists’ books. This semester I have 23 sessions booked! I make informational videos for our library YouTube channel and social media, as well as create and update LibGuides. Since we’re a small library, I also oversee circulation and manage our student workers.
What do you like most about academic library work?
I love teaching and working with students and faculty. Our students are so fun, creative, and kind. They are a joy to work with, and I especially love seeing them engaged when they handle rare books, mini-comics, artists’ books, or other primary sources. Watching the light bulbs go off is a privilege. Our faculty are pretty great, too. During the pandemic I discovered I really enjoy making information literacy videos. Not surprising for an artist, I guess, and luckily we have plenty of resources for making them.
What are some interesting projects you’ve been involved with lately?
This semester our rare book display is Birds and All Nature, the first nature publication to print color photography. Since photography wasn’t advanced enough to catch animals in the wild, all the animals are taxidermied – not always very well. So on social media this semester we’ll have Taxidermy Tuesday, featuring a different victim of unfortunate taxidermy each week. I think we can all use some silliness right now.
I’m also involved in our Alma migration which, as a non-systems person, has been a challenge. All the more reason for silliness!
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
I am (distantly) related to Kevin Bacon. More than 6 degrees of separation, though. We have a shared Quaker ancestor who fled religious persecution in England and came to Pennsylvania in 1682. As a GenXer, this never fails to crack me up.
Why did you join ALAO?
I’m interested in meeting with other instruction and special collections librarians and sharing ideas. Always learning and growing!
–Laura Birkenhauer, Membership Chair, Miami University
The current membership of ALAO includes a total of 269 members consisting of 231 regular members, 5 retiree members, and 33 student members. We are excited to welcome new members who joined between November 23, 2024 and February 25, 2025.
Chelsea Baker, Cedarville University
Alexandra Bathrick, Kent State University
Jeanne Brooks, University of Cincinnati
Jennifer Davis, The University of Akron
Diane Dias De Fazio, John Carroll University
Jodi Jameson, The University of Toledo
Madison Knaack
Nicole Martin, Cuyahoga Community College
Bethany Nininger
Karen Ronga, Kent State University at Trumbull
Destiny Smith, Clark State College
William Spence, Youngstown State University
–Laura Birkenhauer, Membership Chair, Miami University
Congratulations to the recipients of the ALAO Continuing Education Grant
The continuing education grant is awarded each year to support the cost of participating in professional development opportunities such as conferences, workshops, and seminars, which are related to the member’s current position, pursuit of a professional library degree, or growth of DEI knowledge and leadership. This year we were able to award one primary winner and two honorary awards.
The primary award went to Meagan Fowler of Cuyahoga Community College. She will be taking a course in quantitative research to support her current role as a community college librarian through data driven advocacy. Honorary awards went to Cara Calabrese, Miami University of Ohio, to attend the ALA conference and to Ruth Monnier, Mount St. Joseph University, to attend the 21st Biennial Conference of the International Study Association on Teachers (ISATT).
Congratulations to all our award winners.
–Allen Reichert, Professional Development Committee Co-Chair, Otterbein University –Jaclyn Spraetz, Professional Development Committee Co-Chair, Miami University
There’s been a recent, unforeseen change to the STEM Interest Group leadership. Our 2024-2026 co-chair has resigned due extenuating circumstances. Our in-coming co-chair for 2025-2027, Nathanael Davis, at Cedarville University, has graciously agreed to begin the position early. He’ll be co-chairing along with Kristen Adams, at Miami University, who will serve an extra year, by remaining on for the 2025-2026 term that’s been vacated. We’ll be looking for a new co-chair to serve the 2026-2028 term in the future. Interest Group activities are proceeding as normal.
–Kristen Adams, STEM IG Co-Chair, Miami University –Nathanael Davis, STEM IG Co-Chair, Cedarville University
Are you thinking about writing a proposal or getting funding to attend the 51st ALAO Annual conference? ALAO offers grants that may support you! The Student Support Grant provides one free registration for a student or recent graduate. The Support Staff Grant provides up to 2 registrations and travel expenses up to $150. Deadline for both is Monday August 18th. If you have any questions about the Conference Grants, please contact a member of the Professional Development Committee.
–Allen Reichert, Professional Development Committee Co-Chair, Otterbein University –Jaclyn Spraetz, Professional Development Committee Co-Chair, Miami University
ALAO Newsletter 