Member Survey Guides ALAO Planning

Posted on June 10, 2016 by anitaslack

At the April 8, 2016 meeting, the Membership Chair reported 351 regular members, 4 retiree members, and 20 student members. Results of the recent Membership Survey were also shared. With a response rate of approximately 44%, survey respondents were fairly representative of the overall membership. The chart below describes the place of employment of the survey respondents as compared to the overall membership.

  Survey Respondents Percent Membership Percent
Public, Four Year

78

43%

158

38%
Private, Four Year

74

41%

142

34%
Public, Two Year

17

9%

49

12%
Private, Two Year

2

1%

6

1%
Special

1

1%

15

4%
Other

9

5%

46

11%
Total

181

  

416

  

Several themes emerged from the responses. The annual conference was cited frequently as one of the valuable membership benefits and was the most preferred format for professional development. This is perhaps due to the networking opportunities provided by the organization. In fact, the opportunity to network with colleagues was the most valued benefit of ALAO membership. However, there were several suggestions to offer a variety of topics and formats for engagement with ALAO. The ALAO Executive Board has used this feedback to explore online workshop options with varying topics. More timely and editorial communication in the form of the website, newsletter, and social media were also suggested. The survey results will also be used to inform future planning for annual conference location, interest group workshop planning, and membership communication.

Katy Mathuews, Membership Chair, Ohio University

 

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National Library Legislative Day, May 2-3 2016

Posted on June 10, 2016 by anitaslack

As Government Relations Liaison, I attended National Library Legislative Day (NLLD) in Washington D.C. Once again, I would like to extend my appreciation to ALAO in supporting my travel for this important advocacy event.

On May 2, I attended a series of day long briefings prepared by the American Library Association’s Washington Office. The sessions were held in the ballroom of the Liaison Hotel located on New Jersey Avenue about three blocks from the U.S. Capitol Building. I was part of the Ohio delegation made up of 13 people that included academics, public librarians, businessmen, trustees, and educational lobbyists. Public and school librarians were the overwhelming majority of attendees, with academic librarians being a clear minority with about 20 participating. This year, Missy Lodge from the State Library of Ohio headed the Ohio delegation and did a fine job in coordinating the statewide activities during the two days of the conference.

The briefings including presentations by Ann Ewbank, chair, ALA Committee on Legislation; Keith Michael Fields, executive director, ALA; Julius Jefferson, president, District of Columbia Library Association (DCLA); and former Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ-12). The focus was mostly on broad issues like copyright, broadband access, telecommunications regulation, school libraries, e-books, LC classification changes, and free access to government research (FASTR). As in prior years, much of the legislative focus revolved around continued direct federal funding for libraries through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), and the Innovative Approaches to Literacy Program (IAL). At this years conference, particular emphasis was given for the confirmation of Dr. Carla Hayden as the next Librarian of Congress. Summaries of the issues covered at NLLD can be found at the ALA Washington Office website at: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/nlld . Later in the day, a reception for attendees was held in the Hart Senate Office Building.

May 3 was legislative day proper and was spent entirely on Capitol Hill. During the morning, myself and the rest of the delegation met with staffers for both Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH). In the afternoon, I met with staffers for Representatives Bill Johnson (R-OH-6), Jim Jordan (R-OH-4), and Marcia Fudge (D-OH-11). The issues covered in the meetings included LSTA, IAL, e-rate, net neutrality, FASTR, privacy law reform, the Marrakesh Treaty, and the confirmation of Carla Hayden. Beside my efforts, other Ohio advocates got out and reached most of the state’s congressional delegation. As always, a big thanks needs to go out to the staff of the ALA Washington Office in organizing NLLD and in their full-time lobbying mission on behalf of libraries.

Joseph Straw, Government Relations Liaison, Marietta College

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2016/17 ALAO Diversity Scholarship Award

Posted on June 10, 2016 by anitaslack

The ALAO Diversity Committee is pleased to award the 2016/17 Diversity

rogers_pic

Dierric Rogers

Scholarships to Dierric Rogers. We were very impressed by her demonstrated and potential for contributions to the profession. The Diversity Scholarship includes $1,500.00 for tuition, free registration to the ALAO Annual Conference, and a year of mentoring by an ALAO member.

Dierric will be attending Kent State University this year in their Library and Information Science program, and received her bachelor’s degree from University of Cincinnati. She is currently employed part-time by the Bexley Public Library, as a library associate, as well as secretary for the Columbus City School.

Her supervisor at the Bexley Library reports that Dierric is confident, jumping right in to help when staffing was low, professional in her approach to her work responsibilities, and supportive with new staff, helping coach them as they start in the library.

Dierric has demonstrated her potential for leadership in the profession, with her supervisor mentioning her great contributions to the team she works with. Her potential contributions to the field for diversity is evidenced by her exceptional ability to connect with library patrons from diverse backgrounds and interests, partnering with them to achieve their goals. She reports that she is looking forward to her new career and the opportunities for leadership and contributing to the profession.

Past awardees include Kristen Zajac (2016, Euclid Public Library) and Stephanie Everett Dawson (2015, Akron)

Eileen Theodore-Shusta, Diversity Committee Chair, Ohio University

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Continuing Education Grant Recipient Report

Posted on June 10, 2016 by anitaslack

Thanks again for awarding me a continuing education grant to help fund my attending last month’s Electronic Resources & Libraries (ER & L) Conference in Austin, TX.

The conference took place April 3-6, 2016, and consisted of a number of sessions on a variety of topics, including: managing e-resources and licensing; user experience with e-resources; emerging technologies and trends; and collection development and assessment. Some of the sessions that were of particular interest for me concerned making data-informed decisions in digital resources, implementing data-driven approaches to electronic resource management, and exploring data visualization tools to more effectively present statistical information to constituents. These, and other sessions complemented many of the responsibilities I currently have in regards to collection development and electronic resource management, and initiatives underway to highlight data-driven decision making in light of increasingly tight materials budgets.

In my own presentation, “When Numbers Don’t Lie: Telling Not-So-Good Assessment Stories to Faculty and Administrators,” I discussed methodologies in presenting and discussing budgetary and statistical matters pertaining to electronic resources with faculty and administrators, including matters that highlight fiscal challenges. The presentation was well-received, and provided me with a lot of useful feedback to explore the topic further.

Richard Wisneski, TEDSIG Co-Chair, Cleveland State University

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Conference and Professional Development Opportunity Announcements

Posted on June 10, 2016 by anitaslack

Are you a new information professional or library school student in Northeast or Southwest Ohio? Consider joining one of the regional New-to-Libraries Network groups to gain professional development experience and network with colleagues throughout Ohio. For more information and alerts about upcoming events, see our website:  or our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/New-to-Libraries-Network-Northeast-Ohio-1712458555701325/?fref=ts

Mandy Goodsett, Cleveland State University

IFLA Professional Development Satellite Meeting in Cleveland. Aug 10-12

Transforming Libraries: What does this mean for continuing professional development and workplace learning?” The program is now online for the “Transforming Libraries: What does this mean for continuing professional development and workplace learning?” conference.  This IFLA Satellite meeting will be held in Cleveland, OH, on August 10-12, just prior to the IFLA 2016 WLIC in Columbus, Ohio.  The meeting will provide a great opportunity to explore how librarians can support the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Lyon Declaration, strategies for planning for new library sectors and programs, what continuing professional development should look like in a modern workplace, and librarians as leaders in their organizations.

The preliminary program, registration information and contact details, available on the satellite conference website

Katie Blocksidge, The Ohio State University at Newark/Central Ohio Technical College

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Spring IG Workshop Recaps

Posted on June 10, 2016 by anitaslack

Assessment and Instruction IG Spring Workshop Recap

Craig Gibson

Craig Gibson, The Ohio State University

The Assessment and Instruction Interest Groups collaborated this spring to offer the workshop, “The Evolution of Information Literacy: From Framework to Assessment.” The keynote speaker at the sold-out workshop, Craig Gibson of The Ohio State University, provided elaboration on the Framework for Information Literacy and offered suggestions on moving forward with implementation. Afternoon speakers Mary Broussard (Lycoming College, PA) and Melissa Engleman (Denison University) spoke about incorporating interactive tutorials for formative assessment and limiting learning outcomes covered in instruction sessions. Participants reported that the workshop was highly relevant to their needs and very useful.

Melissa Engleman

Melissa Engleman, Denison University

Mandy Shannon, AIG Co-Chair, Wright State University
Eric Resnis, AIG Co-Chair, Miami University
Dana Knott, IIG Co-Chair, Columbus State Community College
Melissa Bauer, IIG Co-Chair, Kent State University Stark Campus

 

 

CMIG Spring Workshop Recap

CMIG’s spring workshop at the State of Library of Ohio on April 27 was lively and thought provoking. The morning panel, “Ebooks: Putting Issues into Conversation”, featured several presentations. Kay Downey from Kent State University presented data and analysis from KSU’s experience with an ebook DDA program. Amy Fry of Bowling Green State University presented findings from a study of print and electronic monograph use, focusing on problems inherent in standard comparisons and assumptions made in looking at print and ebook usage. Jan Maxwell of Ohio State University discussed the history of ebook acquisition by OhioLINK, and discussed details of the upcoming OhioLINK deal with UPSO. The panel was followed by Q&A and small group discussions on related topics.

The afternoon session started with an update from CIRM chair Dan Gottlieb, who reviewed important CIRM initiatives for the year. Next, Marty Jenkins from Wright State University presented on issues relating to the management of ebooks, including the quality (or lack thereof) of the metadata,things to consider in regards to MARC records, and local edits to consider. The day ended with a lively series of “lightning talks” – with presentations from Kathleen Baril & Heather Crozier (ONU) on weeding and moving collections, Mark Eddy (CWRU) on collection budget modifications, Jessica Grim (OBE) on forming a resources promotion team, LuAnn Boris (Franciscan U) on the OhioLINK/OPAL shareable ebook project, and Brian Gray (CWRU) on the advantages that ebook DDA programs can have in freeing up librarian time.

I have enjoyed serving as CMIG co-chair these last two years, and the opportunity to meet and work with a great bunch of folks. I’d like to extend thanks to hard-working workshop committee members Calvin Cleary (OSU-Lima), Phil Flynn (Wright State) and Mark Eddy (CWRU), and to the two great folks I’ve had the pleasure of sharing co-chairing duties with: Kathleen Baril (ONU) and Ken Irwin (Wittenberg U).

Jessica Grim, CMIG Co-Chair, Oberlin University

DLIG Spring Workshop Recap

The Distance Learning Interest Group (DLIG) spring workshop welcomed participants from

IMG_1887

Keynote Speaker Sara Klink, 2016 DLIG Visionary

across Ohio and Kentucky to learn about distance learning initiatives. The workshop keynote speaker was 2016 Distance Learning Visionary, Sara Klink from Stark State College. Sara shared her approach in providing instruction in a digital environment for students that she serves on multiple campuses. Laura DePue, an instructional designer from Miami University gave participants suggestions for making online content more accessible and Hong Cheng from the University of Cincinnati explained how she provides library services to students in China. Taking advantage of all the expertise in the room, we concluded with discussions on all the challenges and successes in providing distance education. Thanks to Gerald Natal (University of Toledo), Justin Bertsch & Glenna Herald (Gateway Community and Technical College) and Andy Revelle (Miami University) for leading discussions and sharing the highlights with us all. We will be continuing these discussions on our blog, so everyone can join in on the conversation! If you’d like to write a blog post about distance learning, contact DLIG co-chair, Jennifer Natale at dligchair2@alaoweb.org.

 

Jennifer Natale, DLIG Co-Chair, Miami University
Carrie Girton, DLIG Co_Chair, Miami University Hamilton

SCAIG Spring Meeting Focuses on Digital Curation

We have a goal of meeting in each of the four corners of the state; this year we were in the

SCAIG

SCAIG Co-Chair Shanee Murrain Introduces Bergis Jules

northwest at Bowling Green State University. With three truly excellent speakers and tours of BG’s special collections and archives spaces, it was an interesting and informative day. Lauren White and Arjun Sabharwal from the University of Toledo gave a presentation about digital preservation and curation and provided us with helpful tools and resources. In the afternoon, we met virtually with Bergis Jules at the University of California, Riverside, who told us about the really interesting work he is doing with the grant-funded project, “Documenting the Now: Supporting Scholarly Use and Preservation of Social Media Content.”

Kate Medicus, SCAIG Co-Chair, Kent State University

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People & Library News

Posted on June 10, 2016 by anitaslack

Bryant & Stratton College News

Joseph M. Dudley (campus librarian, Cleveland) presented “Website Design for Student Usability: Implementing LibGuides at the Bryant & Stratton College Cleveland Campus Library” at the Teaching, College, and Community (TCC) virtual conference on April 19, 2016.  The paper was also published electronically in the 2016 Conference Proceedings.

Joseph M. Dudley, Webmaster, Bryant & Stratton College-Cleveland

John Carroll University News

John Piety

John Piety

PIETY JOHN S. age 77, retired Library Director, John Carroll University. Beloved husband of the late Jean Z. Piety. Dear brother of Julia Piety Shriver and the late Harl Van Piety, Patricia Piety Schmidt and Kay Gloria Piety Zubrod. John is also survived by many nieces and nephews. The family prefers that those who wish make contributions in his name to your charity of choice . Private Family Services. For further information and to sign the guestbook, please log online to: www.Brown-Forward.com BROWN-FORWARD SERVICE 216-752-120 – See more at: http://obits.cleveland.com/obituaries/cleveland/obituary.aspx?n=john-s-piety&pid=179996945&fhid=2995#sthash.2Onny4ix.dpuf

Connie Brooks, John Carroll University

Miami University Middletown News

Jennifer Hicks, who has been a member of the Gardner-Harvey Library staff since 2012, is now a Library Associate and the Circulation, Reserves, & ILL Supervisor.

Amy Carmichael has been hired as a Senior Library Assistant and is the Acquisitions & Technical Services Supervisor at the Gardner-Harvey Library.

John Burke, Miami University Middletown

Oberlin College News

Alexia Hudson-Ward will join the Oberlin community on July 1 as the Azariah Smith Root Director of Libraries. As director, Hudson-Ward will be responsible for the four campus libraries—Mudd Center library, the science library, the conservatory library, and the Clarence Ward Art Library—as well as special exhibits, collection development, technology integration, and space planning and utilization.

Hudson-Ward is currently a tenured associate librarian at Penn State, where she has worked since 2006–serving at the university’s Great Valley campus from 2006-2008, before transferring to its Abington campus where she is currently based. She has also worked in the Camden County Library System, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and Temple University. Prior to her transition into academia, Hudson-Ward served as a marketing manager for the Coca-Cola Company.

For more information, please see:  https://oncampus.oberlin.edu/source/articles/2016/03/25/alexia-hudson-ward-named-director-libraries

Alison Ricker, ALAO Procedures Manual Coordinator, Oberlin College

Oberlin College News

Oberlin College Library Welcomes New East Asian Studies Librarian. Oberlin College Library is pleased to announce that Runxiao Zhu will be joining the staff as East Asian Studies Librarian, starting June 15, 2016.  Runxiao joins us from the Eide Library of the Elling O. Eide Charitable Foundation in Sarasota, FL, where she served as Chinese Librarian.  She has also worked at Indiana University, Bloomington, as an assistant on the Tibetan collection, at the Rubin Museum of Art, and at Columbia University Libraries.

Jessica Grim, CMIG Co-Chair, Oberlin University

Ohio University-Lancaster News

The Connection, a local organization of therapy dogs and their owners, will be visiting the Hannah V. McCauley Library once a month this summer to provide an opportunity for community children to read to a number of therapy dogs. Children who are struggling with their reading confidence often feel more relaxed when reading to a dog than to a human. Whether the children are struggling with their reading or just want to interact with a dog doesn’t matter—everyone will enjoy themselves and the library will have some welcome visitors! The library will be providing dog-themed books and bookmarks for the participants to take home. The local county library system has been sponsoring the same program for quite some time; the OUL events will provide additional dates and times to allow the program to expand. Parents are often on a waiting list to participate in the programs at the public library. Students from the Ohio Student Education Association chapter at OUL will be providing activities for the participants as they wait for their turn to read with the dogs.

Judy Carey Nevin, ALAO Board Member, Ohio University-Lancaster

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Saying Goodbye to a Long-Term Friend, Mentor, and Leader

Posted on March 15, 2016 by anitaslack

IMG_0691On December 22, 2015, ALAO lost a long-term friend, mentor, and leader. Kathryn Venditti was an Instruction and Reference Librarian at Ashland University. She has been a member of ALAO for over 15 years. She served various formal leadership roles over the last decade, including several conference planning committees and many years as the Interest Group (IG) Coordinator. During her tenure as the IG Coordinator, she established the processes used by the IG Chairs and Board to this day. The IG Handbook she created is the guiding light for the IGs to be successful. Kathryn’s enthusiasm and efforts to support ALAO and academic libraries was honored in 2014 when she received the Jay Ladd Award, the highest honor that ALAO can bestow on a member.

The recent conversations have demonstrated how much she has meant for so many members of ALAO. I lost count how many members have told me the first person they met in ALAO and consider their first ALAO “friend” was Kathryn. She was the smiling face that greeted so many of us at our first ALAO Conference or workshop. She was the unofficial “ambassador” in everything she did from welcoming new members to providing a positive experience for everyone.

The Board recently reflected on Kathryn years within ALAO. As we went around the room, the common theme was stories of joy from times spent with Kathryn. Almost everyone in the room described the “mentoring” she provided as each person was considering or accepted an ALAO leadership role. She had a calming approach as she prepared you to tackle your new challenges. Her enthusiasm was contagious and clearly led to many considering running for election or volunteering for roles within ALAO. I myself can say I participated in several conference planning committees and her personality set the tone for everything we did.

I am better for knowing Kathryn. ALAO is better for having Kathryn as a member, leader, and advocate for all those years. Her legacy will be remembered by all that she touched.
Brian Gray, Case Western Reserve University, President

Posted in Vol. 34 no. 1 (March 2016) | Leave a comment

President’s Update

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

Brian Gray, President

I am excited to announce a new member’s benefit coming in 2016. ALAO is partnering with SWON to establish a series of 3-4 webinars per year. The topics will be hand selected to be of benefit to administrators, librarians, and staff of academic libraries. The first webinar will occur in the next few months. In addition, ACRL recently just made adjustments to how the state chapters can offer their webinars, so we hope to leverage those changes. In the past, we were limited to a single location in the state, but now we can offer the webinar in various locations around the state.

I also want to announce the two newest members of the ALAO Board. Joe Fox (Cedarville) and Derek Zoladz (OHIONET) have agreed to join the existing webmasters team. Joe and Derek bring key web skills and new ideas to the position. I want to thank Holly White for her service. She has taken a job out of state, and the Board wished her luck on her new challenge.

Finally, I am hearing very exciting news about the workshops being prepared by the ALAO Interest Groups. I hope you can attend one or more of these workshops during the spring months!
Brian Gray, Case Western Reserve University, President

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Annual Conference Update

Posted on March 15, 2016 by anitaslack
O15513 Kristy McDonald

Krista McDonald

The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) Conference Planning Committee is pleased to announce our call for breakout

session proposals for the 2016 ALAO conference. The conference will be held on Friday, October 28th at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, OH. The theme this year is “User Experience: Exceeding User Expectation By Design”. More information and submission guidelines are available on the conference website: http://alaoweb.org/conference2016

The deadline for submitting breakout session proposals is April 1st. The call for poster sessions and roundtables will be coming out soon.

To submit a proposal, use the online submission form.

If you have questions, please contact Carrie Girton at program@alaoweb.org.
Krista McDonald, Miami University Hamilton, Vice President/President Elect

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