Annual Conference Update: Moving Quickly toward Oct. 27

Posted on June 8, 2017 by anitaslack
katykelly headshot ALAO

Katy Kelly, Vice President/President Elect

The academic year is winding down for many, but ALAO conference planning is in full swing! 

Session, poster and roundtable proposals are under review by the conference planning committee. We are pleased to present a full slate of 28 programs as well as a diverse group of posters and roundtables to choose from on Oct. 27.

The conference program will kick off with a great keynote: New York University scholarly communications librarian April Hathcock, who educates the campus community on ownership, access and rights in the research lifecycle. She received her J.D. and LL.M. degrees in international and comparative law from Duke University School of Law and her M.L.I.S. from the University of South Florida. Before entering librarianship, she practiced intellectual property and antitrust law for a global private firm. Her research interests include diversity and inclusion in librarianship, cultural creation and exchange, and the ways in which social and legal infrastructures benefit the works of certain groups over others. She is the author of the article “White Librarianship in Blackface: Diversity Initiatives in LIS” and the blog At the Intersection, which examines the intersection of feminism, libraries, social justice and the law.

The evening before conference, we’re bringing back the free Thursday-night social. ALAO conference attendees are invited to celebrate OhioLINK’s 25th anniversary from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, in the Grand Ballroom at Nationwide Conference Center. Hors d’oeuvres, beer, wine, cocktails and nonalcoholic beverages will be available, as well as fun activities to celebrate our libraries’ cooperation. It’s casual dress, so no top hats necessary. You can RSVP to this event when you register for conference. Thank you to sponsors OhioLINK, EBSCO, Innovative Interfaces, OCLC and Ex Libris.

Conference registration opens in late June; more information about preconference activities will be available at that time. Stay tuned to the ALAO listserv for registration announcements. Check out the conference website for complete information: https://www.alaoweb.org/conferences/2017/about

Or, contact me with any questions: kkelly2@udayton.edu
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Political Does Not Mean Partisan: A Letter to the President

Posted on June 8, 2017 by anitaslack

On March 6, 2017, I mailed a letter to President Donald Trump on behalf of nearly 100 ALAO members (by email and the U.S. Postal Service).  The essential message of the letter is summarized in its second paragraph: “We, the undersigned members of the Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO), a state organization of college and university librarians, are writing to urge you to support scientific integrity and strengthen federal policies that guard against the suppression of science.”

The letter was co-written by Joseph Straw (Marietta College), ALAO Government Relations Liaison, and myself.  We are grateful that so many ALAO members co-signed the letter.  Thank you.  To date, I have not received a reply.

The letter was in response to a number of statements and actions from the White House that are widely seen as threatening public access to government-sponsored scientific research, especially to scientific reports and data related to climate, fossil fuels, environmental oversight, and public health.  It was also a harbinger of the March for Science, held in Washington D.C. and 610 satellite sites on April 22.  I was proud to march in the nation’s capitol, with my sign declaring “Science Librarians: a Force for Science.” It is important to stress that neither the letter from ALAO nor the March for Science were partisan actions.  People of different political parties can readily agree that fact-based policy and legislation form a more effective basis for governmental action, and supporting sound, peer-reviewed scientific research is essential for a strong democracy.

Science librarians across the country participated in the March for Science.  See their comments and a few photos, linked from a short report in the ACRL Insider.

-Alison Ricker, Procedures Manual Coordinator, Oberlin College

 

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Notes from the Trenches

Posted on June 8, 2017 by anitaslack

Speech Pathology Writing Boot Camp at Miami University

This article describes the successful collaboration between a Speech Pathology faculty member and library liaison to use library space and resources to achieve student success at Miami University. The library as a space is currently being redefined to meet the changing needs of patrons, most notably the Makerspace.  A Speech Pathology faculty member and I collaborated to assist thirteen junior and senior students as they completed an inquiry-based learning assignment using an innovative paradigm. The faculty member suggested using the library’s computer lab as a dedicated Writing Boot Camp space for the students as they neared completion of their research assignment. The idea stemmed from her previous positive experience in a faculty writing boot camp. Three one hour and twenty minutes class sessions were dedicated to the library-based Writing Boot Camp. The faculty member and I were available to students for one-on-one consultations throughout the class sessions. During the first class, I walked around to introduce myself to students and offer individualized help. Both the faculty member and I arranged tables for students to approach us for in-depth one-on-one consultations. Students asked me seven questions during the first library-based Writing Boot Camp. The questions ranged from how to develop strong research questions, find reliable resources, use successful search methods, and properly cite. Notably, I learned that most students used Google Scholar as their sole resource. Other students also used the library catalog; however, none of the students used databases. The faculty member and I discussed this issue and decided to include a brief lesson on the value of library resources over Google Scholar, key databases in the field, and useful search strategies during the second library-based Writing Boot Camp. The students completed a survey upon completion of the library-based Writing Boot Camp. All but one student provided strong positive feedback about holding the Writing Boot Camp in the library. Anonymous responses include, “it was a great space to write and allowed for proper help/resources”, “the environment allowed me to concentrate more”, and “I loved being able to switch it up and hold class in the library–it was new and different!” The Speech Pathology faculty member recently won the Outstanding Professor of the Year Award for empowering students to succeed. This innovative use of library space is currently being evaluated for implementation on a larger scale.

-Anna Liss Jacobsen, Miami University

 

Oral Histories at Kenyon College

When I took the position of Digital Initiatives Librarian at Kenyon College three years ago, I inherited an office full of abandoned oral histories. On SD cards, CDs, desktops, and external hard drives, I found incredible stories – but they were stories without context, without metadata, completely inaccessible to the world. I’ve spent some time working through them, as well as supporting active oral history projects on our campus, and in the process I’ve developed best practices and recommended workflows for oral historians, and the librarians and educational technologists who support them. Two years ago, I joined the team for the GLCA Oral History in the Liberal Arts (OHLA) Andrew W. Mellon Foundation funded project as their Digital Architect. I created an Oral History Metadata form, which is intended to be a user-friendly tool for oral historians in the field, as well as map easily to Dublin Core for archiving purposes. I also created a toolkit called Archiving Oral Histories from Start to Finish which guides the user from pre-interview to long-term access and preservation, with lots of tips, tools, and low cost options. OHLA is currently accepting grant proposals from all GLCA member institutions, and I encourage those of you who are part of those institutions to share the word. I also hope that the resources we’re making available through our website are useful to anyone working with oral histories. We’ve created a lot of documentation for using the Oral History Metadata Synchronizer , which is a great tool for oral histories, and has the potential to be useful for other A/V focused projects as well. Our toolkits are intended to expand and evolve over the course of the grant, so if you have any feedback, I am always happy to hear from you. You can check out some of Kenyon’s oral history project in our IR Digital Kenyon. We have a large archive from the Gullah people of coastal South Carolina, recorded over the course of three summers: http://digital.kenyon.edu/gullah/. And some of our students just finished a series of interviews with members of our local community. That project was the first one where I was invited to work hand in hand with the professor and students from the planning stage to archiving, and it was an incredibly positive experience. If you’d like to chat about supporting oral histories, please feel free to contact me directly; collaboration is the best part of being a librarian!

-Jenna Nolt, Kenyon College

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National Library Legislative Day in Washington D.C., May 1-2 2017

Posted on June 8, 2017 by anitaslack

As Government Relations Liaison, I attended National Library Legislative Day (NLLD) in Washington D.C. Carla Myers, the winner of the ALAO National Legislative Day Travel Award, also attended the conference with the Ohio delegation. As always, I would like to extend a thank you to ALAO for supporting our travel to this important advocacy event.

On May 1, myself and Carla attended a series of day long briefings organized by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Washington Office. The briefings were held at the Liaison Hotel on New Jersey Avenue about three blocks from the U.S. Capitol Building. We were members of the Ohio delegation which was made up of 21 people that included academics, public librarians, trustees, vendors, and educational lobbyists. William Morris of the State Library of Ohio headed the state delegation and did an excellent job coordinating the state’s efforts at the conference. This year attendance at NLLD was at record levels with over 400 on site registrations supplemented by several hundred more virtual registrants. Public and school librarians made up the bulk of the attendees, with academic librarians being a clear minority with about 30 participating.

The briefings included presentations by Julie Todaro, president, ALA; Keith Michael Fields, executive director, ALA; Candice Townsend, president, District of Columbia Library Association (DCLA); and Ann Ewbank, chair, ALA Committee on Legislation. The issues covered included surveillance law reform, broadband access, net neutrality, copyright, and free access to government generated research (FASTR). As in past years, the dominant legislative issue revolved around continued direct federal funding for libraries through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), and the Innovative Approaches to Literacy Program (IAL). Summaries of the issues covered at NLLD can be found off the ALA Washington Office website here. After the briefing sessions, a reception for attendees was held in the Hart Senate Office Building.

May 2 was legislative day proper and was spent entirely on Capitol Hill. In the morning, myself and the rest of the delegation met with staffers from the offices of Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH). During the afternoon, I was on the House side meeting with staffers for Representatives Bill Johnson (R-OH-6) and Jim Jordan (R-OH-4). The issues covered in the meetings included IMLS, LSTA, IAL, e-rate, FASTR, the Mararakesh copyright treaty, and depository library funding. Besides the efforts of Carla and myself, other Ohio advocates were able to get out and meet most of the state’s congressional delegation. As in past years, a big thanks needs to go out to the staff of the ALA Washington Office in organizing this grassroots NLLD event and in lobbying full time on behalf of libraries.

-Joseph Straw, Government Relations Liaison, Marietta College

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Membership Report

Posted on June 8, 2017 by anitaslack
Membership Report

 At the Executive Board Meeting on April 28, 2017 the Membership Chair reported 343 active members including 315 regular members, 5 retiree members, and 23 student members. Welcome to our newest members:

·         Laura Birkenhauer, Miami University

·         Jennifer Bleiler, Kenyon College

·         Nicole Braccia, Kent State University

·         Chloe Bragg, Kent State University

·         Wendy Bromfield, Kent State University-SLIS

·         Rachel Dilley, Columbus State Community College

·         Susan Falgner, Mount St. Joseph University

·         Denise Greene, Cleveland Institute of Music Library

·         Anna Liss Jacobsen, Miami University

·         Aimee Jenkins, Kenyon College

·         Ayesha Kariem, Kent State University

·         Erin Kilkenny, Kent State University

·         Jill Liebisch- Kent State University- SLIS

·         Tiffany Lipstreu, Otterbein University

·         Rosalinda Linares, Oberlin College

·         Sarah Lucas, Ohio Wesleyan University

·         Kevin Messner, Miami University

·         Jonathan Moore, Kent State University- SLIS

·         Nick Pavlik, Bowling Green State University

·         Lorena Popelka, Columbus State Community College

·         Hanna Primeau, Ohio State University

·         Andrew Stuart, Ohio University

·         Joshua Zellar, Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis

-Katy Mathuews, Membership Chair, Ohio University
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Interest Groups News

Posted on June 8, 2017 by anitaslack

CMIG & TEDSIG Workshop 6/16/17 Register now!

The Technical, Electronic, and Digital Services Interest Group and the Collection Management Interest Group are happy to announce that we are teaming up for a Summer Workshop!

Technical Services & Collection Management: A Match Made In Heaven will be held on Friday, June 16th 9:30 am-3:00pm at the State Library.

As collections move further into digital spaces, the overlap between collection management and technical services is becoming more pronounced. What issues do these departments share? Where do we run into roadblocks of communication? Where are we going as things like streaming media and open educational resources become increasingly important? These are some of the questions we hope to tackle – and we hope you’ll be there to discuss them with us.

Registration is $30 for ALAO members, $35 for Non-Members

If you have any questions, please contact the chairs of either group. We hope to see you there!

CMIG Co-Chairs:
Calvin Cleary, cleary.110@osu.edu
Ken Irwin, kirwin@wittenberg.edu

TEDSIG Co-Chairs:
Cara Calabrese, calabrcm@miamioh.edu
Rich Wisneski, r.wisneski@csuohio.edu

 

Support Staff Interest Group (SSIG) 2017 Workshop

The ALAO Spring Support Staff Workshop, “Discover your Superpowers!” had 29 total attendees and went very well. It was on March 15, 2017 at the State Library of Ohio. Participants especially enjoyed the World Café session proctored by Melanie Blau-McDonald, director of SWON Libraries Consortium and Deanna Pina. SSIG received valuable feedback from the evaluations about conference ideas and continuing educational resources for the 2018 Spring Workshop.

New Upcoming Co-Chair for SSIG

Chasity and I are delighted to announce that Jennine Vlach from the Kelvin Smith Library-Case Western Reserve University will be SSIG’s newest co-chair in July.

 2018 Spring Workshop

The ALAO Spring Support Staff Workshop will be at the University of Cincinnati-Clermont College Monday March 12, 2018. The SSIG webpage has been updated to reflect the announcement.

-Chasity Gragg, Co-Chair, SSIG, Ohio University
-Natalie Winland, Co-Chair, SSIG, University of Cincinnati-Clermont College

Scholarly Communications Interest Group (SCIG) Update

The newly formed ALAO Scholarly Communications Interest Group (SCIG) is looking to recruit members of the Ohio library community who have an interest in or work with scholarly communications issues as a regular part of their job responsibilities. Members of this group will work to identify, address, and promote scholarly communications issues that impact libraries and higher education.

The group is being co-chaired by Mark Clemente, the Scholarly Communications Librarian for the Kelvin Smith Library at Case Western Reserve University, and Carla Myers, Coordinator of Scholarly Communications for Miami University. Their contact information as well as additional information about the group can be found here.

SCIG will be holding their first meeting on Thursday July 6, 2017 from 1pm-3:30pm on the Miami University campus. SCIG members are encouraged to attend as are members of ALAO who are simply curious about scholarly communications or are considering joining the group. At this kick-off meeting participants will be discussing the group priorities for the year as well as making plans for a professional development event in the fall.

The registration form for the SCIG meeting can be found here.  A WebEx option will be made available for those who wish to attend virtually.

-Carla Myers, SCIG Co-Chair, Miami University
-Mark Clemente, SCIG Co-Chair, Case Western Reserve University

TEDSIG is accepting Nominations for its “TEDDY” Award

The TEDDY award recognizes Distinguished Service by an ALAO member in the fields of Technical, Electronic, and Digital Services. It recognizes an individual’s significant contributions to the technical, electronic or digital services fields.  Contributions may include service, innovative practices, presentations, publications, and leadership in the profession.  The TEDDY is awarded annually at the ALAO Conference.   The award includes two waivers to a future TEDSIG event and TEDS, the TEDSIG mascot.

Nominees must be current ALAO members, who have worked in or are currently working in an Ohio academic library in the area of technical, electronic, or digital services.

To nominate a colleague, please send an email directly to TEDSIG-chairs@alaoweb.org

Deadline for nominations is August 15, 2017.

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People & Library News

Posted on June 8, 2017 by anitaslack
Cedarville University hires Humanities Librarian

Cedarville University’s Centennial Library is pleased to announce that Kirsten Setzkorn has been hired as Humanities Librarian commencing July 1, 2017.  Kirsten is a 2016 graduate of Kent State University’s MLIS program and has a B.A. in History from Cedarville University (2013).  She has worked at Centennial Library as a student assistant, library intern, and Digital Services Specialist.  The role of Humanities Librarian is a new liaison role designed to provide research support to faculty and students in five departments across the humanities.  Primary responsibilities include coordinating the library’s First Year Instruction program, delivering research and information services as part of the library’s Research Center, and promoting the integration of information literacy and research skills into the humanities curriculum.

-Joshua Michael, Cedarville University

Cleveland Institute of Art News

Laura M. Ponikvar, who was previously the Instructional Services and Image Librarian, is now the Library Director of the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Jessica R. Gund Memorial Library.

Jackie Lagunzad has also joined the library staff as our new Library Assistant.

-Laura M. Ponikvar, The Cleveland Institute of Art

 Ohio State University News

Rocki Strader, Associate Professor in The Ohio State University Libraries Collection Description and Access Department, has been awarded the Music Library Association’s (MLA) Richard S. Hill Award for best article on music librarianship or of a music-bibliographic nature, for her article, “Cataloging Music Sound Recordings in the United States: An Evolution of Practice and Standards,” Notes v. 72 no. 2 (Dec. 2015): 276-327.

As the MLA Publication Awards Committee wrote: “Strader provides historical context and analysis, chronicling bibliographic description of and access to sound recordings from card catalogs to the digital age. She thoroughly addresses the issues surrounding the persistent question of the “unit of catalog” for sound recordings, charting the change in practice over time. Strader’s article is useful to catalogers, researchers, and library educators and contributes to the body of research documenting library history and the development of cataloging standards.”

The project that resulted in this article and award was supported in part by an ALAO Research Grant in 2014.

-Rocki Strader, Ohio State University
 

 

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President’s Report

Posted on March 7, 2017 by anitaslack

Welcome to spring in Ohio everyone! Here that could mean anything from 6” of snow to 75 degree days and tornado warnings. For ALAO, spring means opportunities for member engagement.

O15513 Kristy McDonald

Krista McDonald

Board elections are fast approaching. The Nominating Committee did a great job of recruiting a terrific slate of candidates this year, and now it’s up to our members to stay engaged and cast their votes. Please watch your email for the election ballot in the coming weeks.

Our Interest Group Co-Chairs have been hard at work planning their annual workshops. Several have opened registration already. Please scroll to the IG section of the newsletter for workshop dates and descriptions as well as registration information where applicable.

The Interest Groups will soon be seeking new Co-Chairs for the 2017-2018 year. These positions are a great way to become involved with ALAO and network with colleagues who have professional interests similar to yours. Watch your email later this spring for announcements describing the role of the Co-Chair and telling you how to volunteer.

Finally, I’d like to encourage our members to join the ALAO Mentoring Program. We are looking for both mentors and mentees. The Professional Development Committee provided details about the program in their section of the newsletter below and provided a link to the sign up form. I have been both a mentor and a mentee in my career and have benefitted greatly from both roles. This is a wonderful way to get support if you are starting your career or find yourself in a new role, and it’s a great way to give back if you are at a more advanced point in your career.

I hope all of you will take advantage of these opportunities to engage with ALAO this spring!

-Krista McDonald, President, Miami University Hamilton

Posted in Vol. 35 no. 1 (March 2017) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Annual Conference Update

Posted on March 7, 2017 by anitaslack

Annual Conference Call for Proposals

It’s time to submit proposals for presentations, posters and/or roundtable sessions for ALAO’s annual conference on October 27, 2017 at the Nationwide Hotel & Conference Center in Columbus, Ohio.katy-kelly-vice-president

Presentation proposals will be accepted until April 10, 2017. You have a bit more time to submit posters and roundtables: Those are due May 15, 2017. More information and submission guidelines are available on the conference website. Please note that all presenters are responsible for their own registration and travel costs, see the information below regarding the availability of presenter grants.

Think creatively about how your work connects to this year’s conference theme, “Libraries Act, Respond, Transform: The A.R.T. of Empowerment.” Explore how academic libraries and librarians provide resources and initiate programs, partnerships, and policies that empower patrons, staff, and stakeholders while advancing equity and social justice. Remember, small actions in any area of the library can lead to big transformations.

Ideas can include, but are not limited to:

  • Critical Librarianship
  • Nontraditional resources and services
  • Services for and inclusion of diverse populations
  • Collection development trends and models
  • Open Access/Scholarly Communication
  • Programming/Outreach/Marketing
  • Accessibility
  • Leadership, and Mentoring
  • Discovery and Metadata
  • Information Literacy
  • Sustainability

ALAO encourages library support staff and library student growth, career development, and participation in conference activities, and awards two presenter grants, one for support staff and the other for students. These grants (up to $150 each) are intended to assist with the costs incurred in preparing the presentation and modest travel costs associated with the presentation. Additional information will be sent to those who indicate eligibility on their submission forms.

If you have questions, please visit the website or contact Cara Mia Calabrese or Eric Johnson at program@alaoweb.org.

Remember to save the dates:

October 26, afternoon: Preconference workshop, details forthcoming.

October 26, evening: OhioLINK’s 25th anniversary social.

October 27: Annual conference.

-Katy Kelly, Vice President/President Elect, University of Dayton

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Past President’s Report

Posted on March 7, 2017 by anitaslack

Please watch for the announcement about the ALAO elections in the next few weeks. I feel there is an exciting slate of candidates.

Announcing Innovation Conversations Webinars

In partnership with SWON Libraries, ALAO is very excited to offer new learning opportunities for members. ALAO members and staff at SWON supporting member libraries may attend for free and access recorded archives of the webinars. We plan to offer 3-4 webinars a year as part of a series called “Innovation Conversations.”

Innovation Conversations gives people a chance to hear from and speak with library leaders on hot topics, new trends, or exciting initiatives. The first part of the online meeting will feature a short presentation on the topic that brought this library leader(s) to our attention. The second part is a live interview and Q&A session.

Stay tuned to the “Upcoming Events” section of the ALAO homepage and sign up for the ALAO listerv here for further announcements.

-Brian Gray, Past President, Case Western Reserve University

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