Research and Publications Committee

Mark Eddy, Case Western Reserve University

The ALAO Research & Publications Committee finalized awards for the 2014 Research Grant Program this past March. Out of a pool of six applicants, the committee selected three proposals for award grants.

Our 2014 grant winners are,

Shannon Marie Robinson — Fine Arts Liaison Librarian — Denison University
An award of $505 (full funding) for a research project entitled, The Information Needs of Dancers in Higher Education

Rocki Strader — Associate Professor and Authorities Librarian, Western Languages Cataloging Coordinator, Database Maintenance Coordinator — Library Tech Center, The Ohio State University Libraries
An award of $497 (partial funding) for a research project entitled, The cataloging of sound recordings in the United States: a chronological account

Jane Wu — Systems Librarian, Associate professor — Otterbein University
An award of $497 (partial funding) for a research project entitled, A Comparative Study of Information Literacy Education In Three Chinese Academic Libraries

The RPC would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of the applicants for participating in this year’s program. We look forward to hearing more about their exciting research in the coming months. Thanks very much to everyone!

Posted in Vol. 32 no. 2 (June 2014) | 1 Comment

Support Staff Interest Group

Ginna Witte, Cincinnati State Technical & Community College

SSIG hosted its Spring workshop on Wednesday, May 21st at Ohio University Lancaster. The workshop sold out all available 50 spots and had a long waiting list; we’ll definitely have to look for a larger space for next year. Presentations covered a wide variety of topics including library outreach, student workers, RDA basics, ALA’s National certification program, stress reduction, and communication strategies. 82% of our attendees rated the workshop to be either “Very Good” or “Excellent” and 85% indicated they would want to attend the workshop again (1 person responded maybe and all others did not answer the questions). At the conclusion of the day, we raffled off a scholarship to this year’s Ohio Library Support Staff Institute; congratulations to our winner, Amanda Snyder of University of Northwestern Ohio.
Derek and I are extremely grateful for the help provided by our two planning committee members, Jamie Bloss of Kent State Geauga and Myra Justus of Cincinnati State, for Ohio University’s generosity in providing the space for the workshop, and for OLSSI’s kind scholarship donation.

Posted in Vol. 32 no. 2 (June 2014) | Leave a comment

Technical, Electronic, and Digital Services Interest Group

Sharon Purtee, University of Cincinnati

TEDSIG’s spring workshop will be held from 10:00 until 3:00 on Wednesday, June 11 at the Ohionet office. It is jointly sponsored with SCAIG. Titled “What is that and how do I catalog it?,” the morning program will explore national issues that are affecting local practice regarding RDA and special format cataloging. The afternoon will provide attendees an opportunity to participate in in-depth demonstrations of cataloging special format items while working through RDA principles and concepts. They may also bring problem items and ask for assistance from the presenters and other attendees. Cost for the workshop including lunch is $30.00 for ALAO members and $35.00 for non-members.

TEDSIG is also working to identify a co-chair for the up-coming year.

Posted in Vol. 32 no. 2 (June 2014) | Leave a comment

People and Libraries News

Bowling Green State University

Bo Butler has been hired as the Manager of Northwest Ohio Regional Book Depository. Bo has worked for Bowling Green State University Libraries for ten years and has been a student supervisor for eight years. Bo has many years’ experience in collection management, project supervision, and is proficient in various forms of library technology.

Bryant & Stratton College, Cleveland

Joseph Dudley has assumed coordination and quality control responsibilities for QuestionPoint participation across the college’s four-state​ campus system (Ohio, New York, Virginia, and Milwaukee).

Case Western Reserve University

Amanda Koziura was hired as Digital Learning & Scholarship Librarian, Digital Learning & Scholarship Team, on March 3, 2014.

Melissa Hubbard was hired as Team Leader, Scholarly Resources & Special Collections Team, on March 24, 2014.

Kelvin Smith Library organized and hosted the “First National Personal Librarian & First Year Experience Library Conference” on April 7-8, 2014. The inaugural event focused on all aspects of the first year experience and the personalization of outreach and services for incoming students. More than 150 librarians from 70 colleges and universities were in attendance from across the country and Canada.

Save the date! Join us to build the future of special collections at “Acknowledging the Past, Forging the Future,” a groundbreaking national colloquium on October 21-22, 2014. Organized by Kelvin Smith Library and presented in collaboration with River Campus Libraries at University of Rochester, Vanderbilt University and Washington University in St. Louis, the two-day event will feature some of the most distinguished voices in the field, including opening keynote speaker, Sarah Thomas (Harvard University); closing keynote speaker, Mark Dimunation (Library of Congress); Stephen Enniss (University of Texas at Austin); Alice Schreyer (University of Chicago); and Jay Satterfield (Dartmouth College). For the latest information, visit http://library.case.edu/spcoll.

Kent State University

The School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University will host the 11th annual conference of the Document Academy on Aug. 7-9, 2014. The Document Academy is an international network of scholars, artists, and professionals in various fields who are interested in the exploration of the concept of the document as a resource for scholarly, artistic and professional work. The theme of DOCAM’14 is Documents Without Borders. Keynote speaker is Barbara Bickart from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, an interdisciplinary video artist whose work is project-based. Her projects are informed by the disciplines of media studies, performance and documentary practice and take the form of video installation, video performance and experimental documentary. Her address for DOCAM’14, titled “Monuments, Memory, and the Art of Found Choreography,” presents WHEN, an ongoing series of large-scale video installations that explores the histories of institutionalized violence that persists in our national landscape in the form of landmarks and monuments. It documents the pilgrimage of visitors to these sites, illuminating the resonance of the past through the found choreography of visitors in the present. The keynote presentation will include screenings of WHEN: Memphis, WHEN: Philadelphia, and WHEN: Kent State.

For complete details about the conference and a link to registration, visit http://www2.kent.edu/docam14/index.cfm.

Ohio University, Lancaster

The Hannah V. McCauley Library is pleased to announce that Paul Clayton Campbell has been hired as our Instructional Librarian and Instructional Designer. Paul looks forward to increasing the library’s role in information literacy instruction as well as working with faculty to develop and cultivate best practices for e-pedagogies. Although he was born and raised in New Mexico, Paul completed his MLIS with Kent State University while working full time as a library assistant at Alden Library at Ohio University (main campus). Upon graduation from Kent State University Paul was hired as the Reference & Instruction Librarian at a small university in New Hampshire where he developed a library instruction program for first-year students. While in New England he participated in many different avenues for professional development and service including being elected to the New England Instruction Group leadership. We are thrilled to add Paul to our team!

Posted in Vol. 32 no. 2 (June 2014) | Leave a comment

President’s Update

Betsy Blankenship, Ohio State University Marion

The start of 2014 has been a bit rocky – more snow and ice than most of us have seen in a long time. I hope you have pulled through without too many problems.

The ALAO year began with a new webmaster joining us – Kaylin Boehme, from Brown Mackie College, North Canton. Kaylin is already busy with ALAO activities; she is serving as the webmaster for the 2014 Annual Conference Committee and learning her duties from current webmasters. Welcome aboard, Kaylin!

I had reported in the last newsletter that we had hoped to have the new member listserv up and running by end of the year. It has been a bit delayed, but we are hoping to have it functioning soon. We will let everyone know when it is time to switch it over.

I had also reported that ALAO had applied to host an ACRL Scholarly Communications Roadshow this year. Unfortunately, we were not selected as a site this time. My thanks to the members of the Professional Development Committee for their hard work, they worked quickly to complete the application and gather support documentation.

The Conference Planning Committee has been busy working on the 40th Anniversary conference and their plans are coming along nicely. Be sure to read the Vice-President’s report in this newsletter. Reserve the dates as a must-attend; it’s sure to be a great event this year!

At the last board meeting, ALAO voted to provide financial support to Library Leadership Ohio. I hope some of you took advantage of a great professional development opportunity and applied. Applications are currently being reviewed and successful applicants will be notified in the coming months.

Elections now open. All members are encouraged to vote. Have you remembered to renew your membership? I know our Past President, Sue Polanka, has worked very diligently to secure a full slate of great folks. I talked to some of you who had questions about some of the positions. I thank each person who agreed to run for a position; your willingness is so appreciated! I encourage all our members to please do your part and vote when the time arrives – it does make a difference!

As we continue towards Spring (at least the calendar is saying so!), remember that there will be a lot of learning opportunities coming with some great workshops being planned; some IG’s have already announced dates and topics. Look for them in the Interest Groups and Committee news in this newsletter and on the ALAO website. The costs are very affordable and a great way to network with other members who have the same interests as you. Plan to attend one – or two – or three!

Posted in Vol. 32 no. 1 (March 2014) | Leave a comment

Vice President’s Update

Eboni Johnson, Oberlin College

I am so excited to announce our speakers for the 2014 annual conference:

Char Booth will facilitate a pre-conference workshop on November 13 called Who Gives? Advocacy and Outreach that Make Things Matter. Char is Head of Instruction Services and E-Learning Librarian at the Claremont Colleges Library, and is on the faculty of the ACRL Information Literacy Immersion Institute. She will also lead a workshop during the main conference on November 14. This session, Heart on Sleeve: Librarianship as an Avocational Vocation, is specifically designed for students and new professionals. Char blogs at info-mational and tweets @charbooth.

Courtney L. Young is the 2014-2015 American Library Association (ALA) President, and will deliver the keynote address on November 14. Since 2010, Courtney has been the Head Librarian and Associate Professor of Women’s Studies at Penn State Greater Allegheny, and has held positions at Penn State Beaver and University Park. Her keynote address, tentatively titled Diversity, Professional Development, and Participation: How Academic Libraries Empower Communities, will bring together the larger ALA/ACRL perspective with front-line advocacy efforts, and discuss the role of academic libraries in empowering our communities.

More information will be added to the conference website as planning continues. Stay tuned!

Part of my role as Vice President involves planning the annual Board retreat. This year’s retreat will be held on July 14-15 at Mohican Lodge and Conference Center. The retreat is a good time for newly-elected officers to get oriented to their positions, and for the entire board to plan for the upcoming year. Part of the retreat will be dedicated to reviewing and ALAO’s strategic plan and setting new goals that will take us into the future.

Finally, I am chairing the Conference Proceedings and Publications Task Force. This ad hoc group is charged with looking into opportunities for compiling conference presentations, IG programs, etc. and having them hosted on the Internet. We will soon be ready to send a survey out to the ALAO membership, to get an idea of how such a service might be used before making a recommendation to the board. We thank you in advance for your participation; I encourage you to be in touch if you have any questions or concerns.

Posted in Vol. 32 no. 1 (March 2014) | Leave a comment

Past President’s Update

Sue Polanka, Wright State University

As Chair of the Nominating Committee I am very pleased to announce the following candidates for the 2014 ALAO ballot. Elections are now open. Only current members in ALAO may vote; update your membership now to vote in this year’s election.

Vice President/President Elect:

  • Brian Gray, Team Leader Research Services, Kelvin Smith Library, CWRU
  • Diane Kolosionek, Education & Urban Affairs Subject Specialist Librarian, Cleveland State University

Secretary:

  • Missy Creed, Library Associate, OSU – Health Sciences Library
  • Sheryl Gannon, Library Director and iChampion, Brown Mackie College – Findlay

Membership Chair:

  • Derek Malone, Senior Library Associate/ILL, Ohio University
  • Katy Mathuews, Access Services Librarian, Shawnee State University

Board Member at Large:

  • Moriana Garcia, Natural Sciences Liaison Librarian, Denison University
  • Heidi Gauder, Coordinator of Research & Instruction, Roesch Library, University of Dayton
  • Kevin Grace, Head and University Archivist, Archives & Rare Books Library, University of Cincinnati
  • Cheryl Lubow, Collection Development Librarian, State Library of Ohio
  • Ann Marie Smeraldi, First Year Experience Librarian & English Subject Specialist, Cleveland State University
  • Carissa Thatcher, Library Manager South Campus, Southern State Community College

2014 Nominating Committee
Liz Richardson, Kent State University
Diane Kolosionek, Cleveland State University
Alison Ricker, Oberlin College
Sue Polanka, Wright State University

Posted in Vol. 32 no. 1 (March 2014) | Leave a comment

ALAO Elections Now Open

What do Brian Gray, Diane Kolosionek, Derek Malone, Katy Mathuews, Missy Creed, Sheryl Gannon, Moriana Garcia, Heidi Gauder, Kevin Grace, Cheryl Lubow, Ann Marie Smeraldi, and Carissa Thatcher all have in common? They are all candidates in the ALAO 2014 election! ZXShow them your support with a VOTE! Candidate statements are available here: http://www.alaoweb.org/elections-2014

How do I vote?
All current ALAO members are eligible to vote. Elections are held online using our event registration system. Please use your preferred ALAO email address to begin the voting process.

Not a member but want to vote? Renew or join ALAO today.

Voting is open until April 15th at 5:00 p.m. Paper ballots are available by request.

Posted in Vol. 32 no. 1 (March 2014) | Leave a comment

ALAO Diversity Scholarship

The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) values diversity in its membership, in the profession, and in future library professionals. For this reason, we offer a $1,500 scholarship to a promising student enrolled in an ALA-accredited MLS program who exemplifies the qualities needed to ensure a diverse library workforce.

The scholarship will be applied directly to the recipient’s bursar account for tuition at his or her academic institution. As the scholarship recipient, the student also will receive a complimentary registration for ALAO’s Annual Conference and a year of mentoring by a selected ALAO Member.

Application: Complete information and the scholarship application are available at:
http://www.alaoweb.org/committees/diversity/scholarship-guidelines

Completed applications should be sent via email to:
d.kolosionek44@csuohio.edu

***Deadline: Friday, March 28, 2014***

For additional information or questions, please contact the ALAO Diversity Committee Chair:

Diane Kolosionek
Cleveland State University
2121 Euclid Avenue
RT 110D
Cleveland, Ohio 44115-2214
(216) 802-3358
d.kolosionek44@csuohio.edu

Posted in Vol. 32 no. 1 (March 2014) | Leave a comment

2014 Continuing Education Grant Winners

The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) Continuing Education Grant is awarded each year to support the cost of participating in professional development opportunities such as conferences, workshops, seminars, which are related to the member’s current position or in pursuit of a professional library degree. In early 2014 the ALAO Professional Development Committee conducted a blind review of seven strong applications and selected the following three ALAO members to receive the award:

Maureen Berry, First Year Experience Librarian at Wright State University, will be awarded an honorable mention award of $200 to attend “Extending our Reach: The Inaugural Colloquium on Libraries & Service-Learning” on August 11, 2014 at Santa Clara University in California. The conference is designed to facilitate the sharing of research, ideas, perspectives and best practices in library engagement with/in academic service learning.

Daniela Solomon, Engineering Librarian at Case Western Reserve University, will be awarded $450 to attend the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition June 14-18, 2014 in Indianapolis, IN. The ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition is the only conference dedicated to all disciplines of engineering education. The Engineering libraries Division (ELD) consists of librarians and information professionals concerned with the support of engineering education. The ELD role within ASEE is to promote the library as an integral part of engineering education.

Jane Wu, Systems Librarian at Otterbein University, will be awarded $1,850 to attend “Research Data Access and Preservation Summit 2014” at Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina in San Diego, CA March 26-28, 2014. The Research Data Access and Preservation Summit 2014 will feature three days of programming with an emphasis on practical approaches to research data management, access, and preservation, including success stories (and lessons learned), innovative research, and resources and tools developed by and for the community.

Congratulations to all winners. The 2014 PDC members are Katie Blocksidge (OSU Newark), Kevin Caslow (Northeast Ohio Medical University), Mark Eddy (Case Western Reserve University), Jeff Franks (University of Akron), Julie Gustafson (College of Wooster), Dana Knott (Columbus State CC, Delaware), Kathleen Pickens (Cincinnati State), and Suzanne Smailes (Wittenberg). The committee is chaired by Katy Kelly (University of Dayton).

Posted in Vol. 32 no. 1 (March 2014) | Leave a comment