Interest Group Reports

Posted on December 7, 2016 by anitaslack

CMCIG Interest Group News
A small group of CMCIG members gathered for a roundtable discussion at the ALAO conference. We had the opportunity to reconnect with each other and greet new members. Our topics of discussion included education technology; use of social media and digital textbooks. We are continuing to seek input for workshop topics.
Desiree Fuerst, CMCIG Co-Chair, Ohio State University-Newark

Distance Learning Interest Group News
DLIG @ ALAO 2016
The Distance Learning Interest Group (DLIG) had a great turnout for our Round Table discussion at the ALAO Annual Conference on October 28. Thank you for your participation!
We are accepting nominations for the 2017 Distance Learning Visionary award. If you or someone you know has published a paper or solved a problem related to distance learning, please consider nominating them. We ask that you submit a 250-500 word essay that demonstrates the nominee’s contributions and include a brief presentation proposal idea. For complete details and submission guidelines, please see the DLIG Blog at http://distancelibrarians.wordpress.com/dlig-visionary/ or email the DLIG Co-Chairs at ohiodlig@gmail.com.
If you have an idea for a blog post or would like to become involved with DLIG, please contact the co-chairs: Beth Tumbleson, tumleb@miamioh.edu or Kristin Cole, kcole@muskingum.edu
Beth Tumbleson, Miami University
Kristin Cole, Muskingum University Distance Learning Interest Group Co-Chairs

Instruction Interest Group News
The ALAO Instruction Interest Group sponsored “Improving Learner Experience through Creative Library Instructional Design,” presented by Mandi Goodsett from Cleveland State University, at ALAO’s Annual Conference. In her presentation Mandi shared fascinating information about how creativity is wired in the brain and ideas on how to add that creative spark to instruction sessions. To read more about Mandi’s presentation, visit the IIG Blog.

For the IIG Blog, we are interested in hearing from new library instruction librarians and what they have learned about teaching information literacy classes. As a new instruction librarian, what are things you wish you knew when you began? Veteran instructors, what advice do you have for librarians new to teaching? We are also interested in blog posts by librarians from different disciplines, such as first-year experience librarians and science librarians, etc. You can submit a blog proposal here.

IIG has also set the date for its Spring Workshop for Thursday, April 20, at the State Library of Ohio. The workshop will center on adapting library instruction activities to ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Have a cool assignment or approach based on the new Framework? Please consider presenting your ideas at our workshop!
Dana Knott, Columbus State Community College
Mark Eddy, Case Western Reserve University, Instruction Interest Group Co-Chairs

Special Collections and Archives Interest Group News
The Special Collections and Archives interest group of the Academic Library Association of Ohio presents its annual workshop on Friday, June 9, at the University of Dayton.

Preserving Scrapbooks in the Archives with Jennifer Hain Teper is a 4-hour workshop with both hands-on activity and lecture.

The day will include tours of UD’s special collections, lunch, and networking.

Workshop presenter Jennifer Hain Teper serves as Bud Velde Professor of Library Preservation and head, Preservation Services, professor, University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a MLIS and Certificate of Advanced Study in the Conservation and Preservation of Library and Archival Materials. Before her appointment at the University of Illinois she worked at the University of Texas’ Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, the University of Pittsburgh Library, the New York Botanical Gardens Library, and the University of Kentucky Audio-visual archives. She is also a Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.

This workshop is a part of the Midwest Archives Conference Speaker’s Bureau series, and we thank them for their support of archival education in the Midwest.
Janet Carleton, Ohio University
Kate Medicus, Kent State University, SCAIG Co-Chairs

Support Staff Interest Group News
The group has been working on the Spring 2017 Workshop-Discover Your Superpower for March. The topics will focus on which superhero are you? A take-charge leader, friendly enthusiastic socializer, easygoing, people-oriented relater or analytical, independent thinker? Sessions will include how to maintain and activate your superpower while on the job.
The original keynote speaker, Dr. David Fankhauser will be unable to present. The group sent out an email to all SSIG’s listed as members requesting ideas for a new keynote speaker and session topics.
Suggested topics that came from a very fruitful roundtable discussion at the Annual ALAO meeting were:

1) “Superheroes work best in groups” or “Superhero Teams” – how to work with a wide variety of peers who bring different strengths to the table – any speaker who can talk about understanding people different from ourselves and/or how to communicate effectively including keeping our own ‘voice’
2) Cross training- “It is not us versus them, it is we”
3) “Repairing the Spleen-looking at the small stuff”
4) How to survive layoffs, reclassifications and downsizing?
5) Moral
6) Is it disruption or innovation?
By December 19, 2017 the group should have a firm agenda in place for the workshop.
Chasity Gragg, Ohio University
Natalie Winland, University of Cincinnati-Clermont College, SSIG Co-Chairs

Technical, Electronic, and Digital Services IG ALAO Conference Recap
The Technical, Electronic, and Digital Service Interest Group (TEDSIG) was pleased to award this year’s TEDDY Award to Rocki Strader, Associate Professor in The Ohio State University Libraries, working as Authorities Librarian, Catalog Maintenance Coordinator, and Western Languages Cataloging Coordinator. The TEDDY award 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. Rocki served as a former co-chair of TEDSIG 2007-2009, and President of ALAO 2010-2011. Her recommender for the award noted her many contributions to ALAO, publication and conference presentation record, and invaluable state-wide contributions to electronic theses and dissertations cataloging, as well as assistance to those working in technical services as a whole. TEDSIG congratulates Rocki Strader.

As a footnote, TEDSIG will be soliciting nominees for next year’s TEDDY award next Spring. The award includes two waivers to a future TEDSIG event and TEDS, the TEDSIG mascot.

TEDSIG sponsored the presentation “How Our Village Raised its Genre/Form Index: Why It Took Three Years and Why We Stuck with It,” at this fall’s ALAO Conference. The presenters, from Kent State University’s main library, were: Kate Medicus, Special Collections Cataloger; Laurence Skirvin, Adjunct Catalog Librarian; Amey Park, Database Maintenance Librarian; and George Leggiero, Lead Applications Analyst. The presenters discussed their work in responding to users’ request for searching by genre and form terms in the catalog. They explained the steps involved in investigating the issue, researching solutions, and implementing the capacity to search by genre and form, with teamwork from all. This new capability has been well received and widely used by their reference staff. The presenters also showed possibilities for other libraries to implement this search capability. The presentation was very well attended and feedback was very enthusiastic.
Rich Wisneski, TEDSIG Co-Chair, Cleveland State University
Cara Calabrese, TEDSIG Co-Chair, Miami University of Ohio

Posted in Vol. 34 no. 4 (Dec 2016) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Notes from the Trenches: Anecdotes and Best Practices from the Library World

Posted on December 7, 2016 by anitaslack

Not a best practice, an okay practice: bend the rules

 Records management is a field all about the rules. Retention schedules dictate exactly how long a record should be retained, in what format, and its disposition after it has reached the end of the life cycle.

Policies and laws such as the Sunshine Laws here in Ohio guide the records, and the people creating these records, through the process. The problem is, while you can neatly make a category for every single record and where it should fit, the people in charge of them do not always conform and adhere to these guidelines.

I previously worked as a Records Manager and Archivist for a small local government. Although there are some differences working in government as opposed to an academic library, the purpose of my job was the same as my current position as an archivist: to make information available and accessible to those who seek it. As the Records Manager I created detailed rules about what was required from the departments when they transferred records to the archives, with an understanding that if the directions were not followed to the letter, the records would be sent back to the sender. Then, what I’m sure is no great surprise, the first box came that was done incorrectly.

I struggled with whether it was better to send the box back and potentially damage the relationship I had been building with the department or to follow the procedures that I had set in place. With my objective to make the information available, I realized that I had to accept the box and accept that rules are “best practice” but sometimes I needed to follow just “okay practice.” A year later the department was completing their annual audit and returned to access their records, preventing potential legal penalties for the entire county. Whether it is a policy within the library or a standard within the profession, in order to make information available sometimes you have to bend the rules.
Kayla Harris, University of Dayton

Posted in Uncategorized, Vol. 34 no. 4 (Dec 2016) | Leave a comment

People & Library News

Posted on December 7, 2016 by anitaslack

Ashland University News
Anita Slack has been appointed as the new editor of the Reference Sources Column for Reference & User Services Quarterly.  Any librarian interested in reviewing reference materials, please contact Anita at aslack3@ashland.edu for more details.
Anita Slack, Communications Editor, Ashland University

Miami University News
Laura Birkenhauer began an appointment in October as an Academic Resident Librarian with Miami University Libraries.
Laura Bikenhauer, Miami University

OhioNet News
Jill Boggs Brust to Retire from OhioNET

Though all good things come to an end, we are sad to announce the upcoming retirement of our long-time colleague and friend, Jill Boggs Brust.

Jill started her career with OhioNET on January 30, 1986.  After a very full 31 years of service, Jill will be retiring on January 31, 2017.

During the course of those 31 years, Jill has served OhioNET and our members in a variety of positions: starting as a clerical assistant, Jill worked her way through nine different job titles, culminating with her current position as Member Order Specialist.

Jill has seen many transitions in libraries, in our membership, and in OhioNET.  The one constant has been Jill’s outstanding dedication to customer service.  Jill has never rested while a member issue remained unresolved, and her tenacity has been a tremendous example to us all.

Likewise, her quick laugh, warm smile and sunny disposition have given a lift to many a member and colleague over the years.  No one has ever been better at greeting people at conferences or communicating warmth over the phone than Jill.

We will miss her greatly.

We want to recognize her service, congratulate her on a career well-spent, and wish her the best in her new chapter with her husband Larry, her dog Buster, and her cat Callie.

We hope that you will take the opportunity to do the same.  Jill would love to hear from each of you.  You can send a note or give a call through the end of January: jillb@ohionet.org or 800-686-8975, ext. 20.
Christine Morris, OhioNET

Ohio University News
Ohio University Libraries have been awarded a Data Management & Analytics grant in the amount of $46,208 to identify and relocate unique and uncommonly held print monographs housed in the Southeast Ohio Regional Depository as a pilot project toward exploring workflows and workloads required to implement a new storage model for important print collections amongst OhioLINK institutions.
Alison Ricker, Procedures Manual Coordinator, Oberlin College

State Library of Ohio News
Cheryl Lubow retired at the end of November after 13 years with the State Library of Ohio as a reference and collection development librarian. Previously, she held a couple of positions at the Grandview Heights Public Library.
Cheryl Lubow, State Library of Ohio
(Editor’s Note:  Cheryl has indicated that in her new-found free time, she’ll be looking to tour libraries, so perhaps some of us will be lucky enough to see her!)

Posted in Vol. 34 no. 4 (Dec 2016) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Conference & Professional Development Opportunities

Posted on December 7, 2016 by anitaslack

Join the Diversity Committee Mailing List

Would you like to join our mailing list to engage in discussion on diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice issues in Ohio’s academic library community? Share your thoughts, project ideas & outcomes, resources, and information on professional opportunities? If interested please contact Eileen Theodore-Shusta (chair) at theodore@ohio.edu.
Eileen Theodore-Shusta, Diversity Committee Chair, Ohio University

 Review Reference Books for RUSQ

Would you like to review reference materials for publication in Reference & User Services Quarterly?  In exchange for your thorough, well-thought out review, you’ll receive the reference book for your library’s collection.  For more information, please contact Anita Slack, RUSQ Reference Sources Column Editor aslack3@ashland.edu.
Anita Slack, Communications Editor, Ashland University

Posted in Vol. 34 no. 4 (Dec 2016) | Leave a comment

President’s Report

Posted on September 15, 2016 by anitaslack
O15513 Kristy McDonald

Krista McDonald, President

Leadership Retreat and Annual Conference Update

Leadership Retreat
The annual leadership retreat took place July 11th and 12th at Deer Creek State Park. The retreat provides an opportunity for people joining the board to:

  • Meet with people leaving those positions and hear about projects in progress;
  • Receive training on the ALAO procedures manual, Google drive, and database software system;
  • Select new chairs for permanent committees and set goals for the coming year;

At this year’s retreat, we tried something new and had a World Café style conversation centered on how ALAO can become a more effective organization.

Conference Update
Early bird registration for the 42nd Annual ALAO conference is open till September 30th. The conference will be held at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, Ohio on Friday, October 28. This year’s theme is user Experience: Exceeding Expectations by Design. Our keynote speaker is LJ “Mover and Shaker” Aaron Schmidt. Aaron will also lead one of two preconference workshops on Thursday, October 27th. Aaron’s presentations will cover various aspects of user experience in academic libraries. The second preconference on Thursday will be presented by L. Scott Lissner from Ohio State and Jerry Hensley from Wright State and will focus on accessibility of libraries’ physical spaces and digital presence.

Register for the conference at: http://www.alaoweb.org/event-2097098

Register for one of the preconference workshops at: http://www.alaoweb.org/event-2267556

Posted in Vol. 34 no. 3 (Sept 2016) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Vice President/President Elect Report

Posted on September 15, 2016 by anitaslack
katy-kelly-vice-president

Katy Kelly, Vice President/President Elect

Planning ahead

Has anyone else noticed an extreme excitement for all things fall this year? I’ve seen Ohioans post and share about rocking their flannel shirts, getting the first pumpkin spice latte of the season and of course watching their favorite college football teams. Oh and the mosquitos will soon be gone. What’s not to love?

Fall also means it’s annual conference time for ALAO: the one gathering where we get together, learn from each other and hear awesome speakers on trending topics. I’m looking forward to attending this year’s preconference and conference in Wilmington, Oct. 27–28, “User Experience: Exceeding Expectations by Design.”

Although the 2016 conference is right around the corner, planning has already begun for next year’s conference at the Nationwide Center in Columbus with a preconference on Oct. 26 and conference on Oct. 27, 2017.

As vice president/president-elect, I’m leading the 2017 conference planning committee (CPC), which comprises ALAO board members and member volunteers. We are just getting started and will be doing a theme brainstorming session in early October.

Upon reaching out to CPC volunteers, I shared with them that I would like to do a theme related to social justice. The phrase “Libraries Respond” is being used now, and I think it’s broad enough in focus. Presentation topics could include information social justice, inclusion on campus, fostering a welcoming culture, etc. I know there’s a lot more out there, too, and I am really interested to hear what the CPC comes up with as our finalized theme.

Planning an ALAO conference means a lot to me. My first involvement with ALAO was answering a call for CPC volunteers by then-vice president Brian Hickam in 2011. I was a new librarian and looking for ways to get involved. At this summer’s ALAO board retreat, I realized many librarians now in ALAO leadership roles also answered that same call, and we all got our start on Brian’s CPC. A whole “generation” of leader librarians involved with ALAO started as CPC volunteers.

After hearing that success story, are you ready to get involved? I invite you to email me (kkelly2@udayton.edu) if you’re interested in serving on the CPC. As I mentioned above, we are just getting started. I welcome ALAO members who are interested in the theme and getting involved in a hands-on way.

Happy fall and conference season, ALAO. It’s a busy time, but it’s good to take a break to learn from our library colleagues, discuss the latest trends and challenges, and maybe also treat ourselves to a pumpkin spice latte (or a mosquito-free campfire).

Posted in Vol. 34 no. 3 (Sept 2016) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Past President’s Report

Posted on September 15, 2016 by anitaslack
Brian Gray, President

Brian Gray, Past President

The ALAO Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2016 Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award.

This award recognizes an individual who has:

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

The Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award honors the memory of Jay Ladd, a founding member of ALAO in the early 1970s. Past recipients are listed here.

This is a wonderful way to recognize a colleague who has provided leadership in ALAO and in the profession. The recipient of this year’s award will receive an honorary 5-year membership in ALAO and will be recognized at the ALAO Annual Conference at the Roberts Centre (Wilmington, Ohio) on October 28, 2016.

Please submit your nomination through the online nomination form, which requests the following information:

  • Name of nominee
  • Nominee’s position title
  • Nominee’s college or university
  • Nominee’s ALAO activities
  • Your reasons for nominating this person
  • Your name and contact information

NOTE: You may nominate more than one person! Your reasons for nominating your candidate(s) for the Jay LaddDistinguished Service Award will be especially valuable to the Awards Committee.

Please submit your nominations by WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 31, 2016.

Questions? Please contact Brian Gray (bcg8@case.edu). Thank you!

Brian Gray, Case Western Reserve University

Posted in Vol. 34 no. 3 (Sept 2016) | Tagged | Leave a comment

ALAO at IFLA: One Member’s Experience

Posted on September 15, 2016 by anitaslack

alao-banner-sideI was fortunate enough to attend the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) 2016 Congress held in Columbus, Ohio from August 13-19, 2016. It was an amazing experience! I volunteered for the first three days and attended sessions and library tours for the remainder of the congress.  My volunteer hours were spent assisting attendees from all over the globe reach their destinations in the Greater Columbus Convention Center. It was interesting and exciting to talk with library professionals from all over the world.  I attended major sessions including the President’s Session – Answering the Call to Action: How Might We Respond to the Challenges Presented in the IFLA  Trend Report, as well as a presentation from David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States.  I attended other sessions such as From Action to Impact: Health information professionals connecting communities – Health and Biosciences and Privacy Law in the Digital Age: Governments Rethinking the Meaning of Information.  I managed to work in visiting the exhibit hall as well as the poster session.  The IFLA Library Boulevard was in a main hallway.  This area was reserved for Ohio ifla-alaolibraries and library associations to display their library banners.  ALAO‘s banner was displayed alongside all the other banners representing Ohio for all the visitors from all over the world to see!  On the last day I toured Chemical Abstracts Service and OCLC. I heard about patent families and saw an old card catalog! It was an exciting week!  The next IFLA Congress is in Wroclaw Poland in August 2017.

Missy Creed, Health Sciences Library at The Ohio State University

Posted in Vol. 34 no. 3 (Sept 2016) | Leave a comment

Membership Update

Posted on September 15, 2016 by anitaslack

At the July 11-12, 2016 Board meeting, the Membership Chair reported 331 regular members, 5 retiree members, and 20 student members. As these members (and more) prepare to come together for the 2016 Annual Conference on October 27-28, 2016, we thought it would be fun to show where we are all coming from. Based on the membership database, the map below represents the zip code of the home institutions of all of our members. As the graph shows, most of us are from the major metropolitan areas of the state including Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, and Toledo. These analytics are not only interesting, but help us as we consider locations for conferences, workshops, and other events. We look forward to sharing more data with you about ALAO members in future newsletters!

alao

Katy Mathuews, Ohio University, ALAO Membership Chair

Posted in Vol. 34 no. 3 (Sept 2016) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Diversity Committee News

Posted on September 15, 2016 by anitaslack

The committee has been working on a fall workshop this year, a first for the committee.  The theme focuses on outreach and collaborations around issues of inclusion and diversity.  Presenters are coming from several libraries, including ones from Kentucky and Tennessee – a truly diverse program.  Scheduled for Oct. 6, you can register here.

The committee is meeting for the first time later this month, welcoming several new members, as well as the past-president and the PR coordinator, serving ex officio.  One of the first items on our agenda is to discuss the annual diversity scholarship the committee oversees.
Eileen Theodore-Shusta, Ohio University, Diversity Committee Chair

Posted in Vol. 34 no. 3 (Sept 2016) | Tagged | Leave a comment