President-Elect's Report

Rob Withers, Miami University

Do you have an idea about a successful program, service, procedure or resource that you’d like to share with your colleagues throughout the state?

The 35th annual conference of the Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) will take place at the Roberts Convention Centre near Wilmington, Ohio on Friday, October 30, 2009.

This year’s theme is:  “At the Crossroads: Recharging, Redefining, and Realigning our Libraries.” For a description of the conference theme, examples of possible topics for presentations and poster sessions, and the submission form for proposals please visit  http://www.lib.muohio.edu/alaoprop09/. Proposals for presentations and poster sessions are welcome.

Proposals are due by April 3, 2009.

 

Posted in Vol. 27 no. 1 (March 2009) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Past President’s Report

Douglas Morrison

I would like to take this opportunity to give all the members of ALAO an update to the current preparations for the 2009-2010 ALAO Elections.  We have reached the necessary number of candidates for the position of Board Member-at-Large for the upcoming elections.  Due to other circumstances beyond anyone’s control I have one (1) candidate position open for the ALAO Treasurer position on the executive board and I have one (1) position open for the role of Vice-President/ President-Elect for the upcoming elections.

I would like to have someone for each of the available board positions send me a filled out candidate information form and their acknowledgement to run for each of the available board positions by no later than this Friday.  I am including a file attachment of the ALAO Candidate Information Form to help facilitate this process.  If I can get a candidate for each position before the end of this week we hope to make the election ballot available electronically by no later than the end of the first week of April 2009.

This will be the final message asking for candidates for this years election.  The association and it’s membership deserve the best leadership candidates that we can find and that are willing to be engaged and active with the efforts and activities as we promote academic libraries and the issues important to the staff, faculty, and administration of those institutions within the state of Ohio.  We are only as good as those of us who serve and are willing to step forward for the betterment of the organization, it’s membership, and the activities it promotes to provide an avenue and a voice to the academic library community within the state of Ohio.  Be a part of this necessary and ongoing work.

ALAO works for all of us in the academic library field within Ohio, but it only works well when its members get involved and take an active role.

If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at sagemor@bright.net.

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Professional Development Committee

Christine Rigda, Chair (The University of Toledo), Ione Damasco (The University of Dayton), Brian Gray (Case Western Reserve University), Stephena Harmony (University of Cincinnati)
 
Continuing Education Grant Recipients
The Professional Development Committee would like to congratulate this year’s recipients of the Continuing Education Grant.
 

  • Alice Crosetto, Coordinator, Collection Development and Acquisitions Librarian (The University of Toledo). Alice will be using the grant to attend and present a session at the ACRL Conference in Seattle.
  • Yuezeng Shen, Head of Cataloging (Cleveland State University). Yuezeng will be using the grant to attend the Innovative Users Group conference in Anaheim California.


Each year the Committee awards this grant to one or more members pursuing a library degree or attending a conference or workshop. The Committee wishes both recipients continued success in their library careers and rewarding professional development experiences. 

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Diversity Committee

Kenneth Burhanna, Kent State

Diversity Committee Offers May 1st Workshop on Intercultural Communication
 
The ALAO Diversity Committee is currently accepting registrations for their Spring 2009 workshop Effective Intercultural Competency and Communication. The workshop will be held on May 1st at Kent State University’s Main Library in Kent, Ohio. Beth Tucker, coordinator of programming and engagement at Purdue University’s Office of International Students and Scholars will present and facilitate the workshop. A detailed description of the session follows:

Intercultural competence is based on the premise of respect for individuals and cultural differences. Intercultural skills enhance communication, services, delivery and professional development. This interactive workshop is designed to assist library faculty and staff in becoming more effective and confident in interacting across cultures. Participants will better understand the challenges faced by non-native speakers of English and what skills they may need to develop to communicate effectively.

The workshop will run from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Registration costs $35 and the deadline is April 17th. For questions or to register contact Diversity Committee chair Ken Burhanna at kburhann@kent.edu. The committee looks forward to seeing you in May.

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Technical, Electronic and Digital Services Interest Group (TEDSIG)

Rocki Strader, Ohio State University

“Electronic Serials: Getting Them and Keeping Them”
TEDSIG Spring Meeting
Friday, April 24, 2009
9:30 am – 4:00 pm
The Conference Center at OCLC, 6600 Kilgour Place, Dublin, OH

The Technical, Electronic and Digital Services Interest Group (TEDSIG) of the Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) will hold its annual Spring Workshop on April 24, 2009, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm.  Our theme is “Electronic Serials: Getting Them and Keeping Them.”  The event will be held at OCLC in Dublin, Ohio.

Our featured speaker will be Regina Reynolds, Head, U.S. ISSN Center, National Serials Data Program, Library of Congress. She will be speaking on “Taming the E-Serials Beast.”

We will also convene a panel of Ohio academic librarians who deal with e-serials issues.  They will give short presentations on their experiences with “the beast.”  Our panel speakers will be:
 
Susan Banoun, Cataloging Unit, Head, in the Serials and Electronic Resource Dept, University of Cincinnati
Barbara Dunham, Electronic Resources Librarian, The Ohio State University
Deberah England, Electronic Resources Librarian, Wright State University
Yuezeng Shen, Head of Cataloging, Cleveland State University.

The workshop will close with a question-and-answer session with our panelists and Ms. Reynolds. The workshop is cosponsored by the NASIG Continuing Education Committee.

A buffet lunch will be provided.

For driving directions to OCLC see: http://www.oclc.org/conferencecenter/brochures/default.htm

To register and for any questions, contact Rocki Strader:

Email: strader.2@osu.edu

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Curriculum Materials Center Interest Group

Carolyn Sanders, Central State University and Ann Raney, University of Dayton

On Friday, May 15, 2009, Diane Schrecker will host the CMCIG Spring Workshop at Ashland University in Ronk Lecture Hall #138 – Dwight Schar College of Education.

Kevin Stinson from Delta Education will demonstrate the Full Option Science System or (FOSS) the hands-on discovery learning program which makes science something which is done. Representatives from Everyday Mathematics will present a sample lesson and include some of the games and manipulatives which are unique to the spiraling K-6 discovery learning program.

Lou Staffilino, the Associate Superintendent of the Ohio Department of Education, will present Governor Strickland’s Pre K-12 education plan. He will allow time for questions and answers. We are considering a presenter for a session entitled “Video Production for Teachers in Training,” A final session will address the OhioLINK/InfOhio 12-13 transition task force, New Children’s Titles, or LibLists. The final program will be outlined in our forth coming registration literature.

The CMCIG congratulates Gary Lare, professor emeritus and former head of the Curriculum Resources Center, University of Cincinnati, for receiving the 2009 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Education and Behavioral Sciences Section (EBSS) Distinguished Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarian Award.  A prize of $1,500 and a plaque, donated by John Wiley and Sons, Inc., will be presented to Lare during the 2009 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Chicago at the EBSS Program at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 11.

Gary was one of the CMCIG team that drafted the Curriculum Materials Center Guidelines in 1992. He has presented at Spring Workshops and advocates for CMC’s at the state and national level. Gary’s talents also include public performances as a ventriloquist.



On December 22nd, University of Dayton IT personnel received a “Google alert” that inappropriate content had been submitted to the IG’s Praxis II Resources webpage hosted on one of UD’s servers.  They contacted Ann Raney.  Access to the site was temporarily blocked.  Ann deleted all questionable records and modified the site’s design.  Visitors now email their resource recommendations to Ann, and she enters the information into the database.  Website access resumed on December 30th.  If you experience any problem with the webpage, please contact Ann (Ann.Raney@notes.udayton.edu.)

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People and Library News

Bowling Green State University

Amy Fry will join the University Libraries faculty in her new position as Electronic Resources Coordinator on May 1, 2009.  Amy previously held the Electronic Resources Librarian position at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, where she managed access to and renewal of databases and e-journals, as well as led a number of projects designed to improve user access to digital resources.  As Electronic Resources Coordinator for the BGSU University Libraries, Amy will provide leadership and vision for the promotion and use of electronic resources, enhance user access to electronic resources, train the UL staff in the use of electronic resources, and provide reference and instruction services among other responsibilities.

The Office of the Provost is pleased to announce the appointment of Catherine Cardwell as Interim Vice Provost for Academic Programs in the Office of the Provost.  Ms. Cardwell joined Bowling Green State University in 1998 as a faculty member in the University Libraries. In 2003, she was tenured and promoted to Associate Professor. That same year, she became the Chair of the Department of Library Teaching and Learning. She has served as the Co-Director of the General Education Program and was one of the co-authors of the 2004 white paper Strategic Direction for General Education at BGSU. She also served as the Co-Interim Dean of the University Libraries in 2006-07. Throughout her career, she has received grants totaling more than $350,000. 

Ms. Cardwell will have oversight responsibilities for the Office for Advising and Academic Success, Honors Program, Office of General Education, Office of BG Experience, Office for Service Learning, ROTC, and the Center for International Programs. We are very pleased that Ms. Cardwell has agreed to fill this critical position in the Office of the Provost.

Case Western Reserve University,  Kelvin Smith Library

Shu Guo was hired as the Science Librarian.  She came from Central Michigan University where she was an instructor in the Chemistry department.

Stephanie Pasadyn was hired as Library Assistant 3 for Approval Plans in the Acquisitions Dept.

Virginia Dressler has been promoted to Digital Library Programs Librarian.

Bill Claspy, Librarian, has initiated a series of author interview podcasts with Case Western Reserve faculty authors.  http://blog.case.edu/orgs/ksl/offtheshelf/

Nora Blackman, Special Collections Archivist, has completed the first podcast of CASE Stories, a series that will initially include interviews with retired university administrators. http://blog.case.edu/casestories/

 

Columbus State Community College

The Educational Resources Center (ERC) of Columbus State Community College is pleased to announce the promotion of two Coordinators into the administrative ranks of Supervisors.  Angel Gondek, who previously served as Coordinator of Circulation Services , has been promoted to the position of Supervisor of Circulation Services (and the new Digital Media Support Center.)  Jane Breitmeier, who previously served as Coordinator of Technical Services, has been promoted to the position of Supervisor of Technical Services.  One of Jane’s key responsibilities will be to manage the development and implementation of a college-wide Document Management System.  Our hearty congratulations to our esteemed colleagues.

 

Kent State University

Four Kent State University librarians have been awarded the 2009 Ilene Rockman Award for their book, A Practical Guide to Information Literacy Assessment for Academic Librarians (Libraries Unlimited 2007). Administered by ACRL’s Instruction Section, the award recognizes an outstanding publication related to instruction in a library environment and honors the contributions of Ilene F. Rockman to the scholarship of information literacy education. Authors Carolyn Radcliff, Joseph Salem, Julie Gedeon, Kenneth Burhanna and Mary Lee Jensen (also formerly of Kent State) will be honored during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago in July.

 Rockman Library Award

 

Marietta College

Marietta College opened its new library building, the Legacy Library, as the Spring semester began on January 12, 2009.  The 53,000 square foot building is located on the site of the former Dawes Memorial Library at the center of campus.  On its main floor the new library features an Information Commons for technologically intensive research, combining a traditional reference desk with numerous Internet workstations and IT support.  Additionally the facility offers other useful features, including expanded space for Special Collections storage and research use; the new Center for Teaching Excellence, with an experimental classroom and a program of support for instructional technology; a hands-on computer classroom for library instruction; expanded and comfortable space for student study, including several group study and media viewing rooms; and compact, moveable shelving to maximize space for other functions.

 

The Ohio State University at Marion/Marion Technical College Library:

Betsy Blankenship, served as “Pronouncer” for the Marion County Spelling Bee on February 10, 2009. 24 students in grades 6,7,8 from four area county schools participated.

Pat Wood, has been promoted to “Library Services Coordinator.” In her new duties, she will supervise other staff, coordinate the services of the library Delaware Center service site and oversee library operations.

The Marion Campus Library has been awarded a Picturing America grant, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. “Picturing America” introduces citizens of every age to the nation’s history and culture by bringing great works of American art into classrooms and libraries. The award includes a collection of 40 high-quality reproductions of American art, along with a Teachers Resource Book.

The library should receive the collection in March or April 2009. For further information about the program and to see the art to be received, visit http://www.PicturingAmerica.neh.gov

 

Shawnee State

Shawnee State welcomes Katy Mathuews as our new circulation librarian. Katy’s undergraduate degree is from SSU, and she holds both an MLIS from Kent and a Masters in Applied Economics from Ohio University.  In addition to her library position, Katy is an adjunct instructor of Economics and is an active member of the Women’s Center at SSU.

Shawnee State welcomes back Tess Collier, who has returned to the position of circulation clerk after an absence of two years during which she gave birth to baby Braedon.

Shawnee State’s Clark Memorial Library, partnering with the Portsmouth Public Library and other community organizations to promote the local Big Read of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is sponsoring a lecture by Charles Shields, author of the Lee biography, Mockingbird.

 

Southern State Community College

In March of each year in honor of Women’s History Month, we have had a Women’s Tea. The ladies love this. The event is free but we do ask for reservations because we have the meal caterered. We honor a lady in our community who has done great things in her community and there is a speaker selected for this event.

In April comes National Library Week. We start off on Monday with a trivia contest between the LRC (Library) staff and the Adult Opportunity Class. We have selected staff and faculty come up with the questions for the contest. This event is a fun time where we can laugh and joke with each other. Sometimes students don’t see the library staff as people who can have fun. The losers cook a meal for the winners and then we set a time so we can all eat together.  It has been a great time to get to know each other. Each team has taken their turn in the winner’s slot.

We have a variety of events each day starting on Monday at 8:00 am and ending on Thursday at 8:00 pm. Some of our events for this year include “Dressing for Success/Interviewing Skills”, “Poetry Session”, “Liberty Band” (the oldest brass band in Ohio is based in one of our counties), “Blue and Gracie” (pet therapy dogs), “Body Language”, “Personality Assessment”, “Piano Concert”, “Jewelry Making”, “Wild Carrot”, (performers from Cincinnati), “Southern Idol” (new this year, it is a student talent contest) and many more.

Everything that we do is free and open to the public.  Of course, we always making sure that we have some kind of food at each event.

 

The University of Toledo

Alice Crosetto, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Collection Management, is a recipient of the ALAO Professional Development Committee’s Continuing Education Grant for 2009.

Arjun Saberharwal was recently hired as an Assistant Professor and Digital Initiatives Librarian for the Canaday Center. He will be digitizing collections for the University Libraries as well the University community.

Connie Maguire moved from the Scott Park Learning Resource Center to the Carlson Library Serials Department.

Sue Chomyczen moved from the Scott Park Learning Resource Center to Academic Support.

“Visual Thinking and Learning Applications: Educational and Commercial Communities” was presented at the University System of Ohio’s “Libraries, Learning + Technology 2009” conference on March 3rd by Brian Hickam (Librarian for the College of Health Science and Human Service, The University of Toledo); Jeff Jablonski (Senior Instructional Designer, The University of Toledo); Laura S. Johnson (Learning Specialist with The University of Toledo Learning Collaborative); and Tom Crawford (CEO of VizThink).

“Filling the Void: The Heavy Metal and Hardcore Punk Archiving Project,” a paper by Brian Hickam and Thomas Atwood (Coordinator Information Literacy & Library Instruction, The University of Toledo) was presented at the “Heavy Fundametalisms: Music, Metal and Politics” conference on November 4, 2008 in Salzburg, Austria.  This archive is housed at Bowling Green State University’s Sound Recordings Archive.

The Canaday Center recently received two awards for its exhibit, From Institutions to Independence: A History of People with Disabilities in Northwest Ohio:

The Ability Center of Greater Toledo’s 2008 Community Access Award

Ohio Public Images Award, 2009

 The exhibit has been extended through May 8, 2009.

The Carlson Library (Main Campus) and Mulford Library (Health Science Campus) are proud to be collaborating with the Toledo Lucas County Public Library. TLCPL is graciously providing for checkout over 400 copies of current best sellers for students, faculty and staff on both campuses.

 

 

 

 

Posted in Vol. 27 no. 1 (March 2009) | Tagged | Leave a comment

President's Report

Karen Wilhoit, Wright State University

2008 Annual Conference:

The 34th Annual ALAO Conference “Connecting the Campus: Linking Users, Institutions, and Information” was held at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, Ohio on October 24th.  Over 300 registered attendees enjoyed a day of presentations, panel discussions, and poster sessions highlighting the work of academic libraries in Ohio and other states.   Keynote speaker David Carr’s address reminded us that “We are the Connections.”  Following the keynote address, twenty-seven breakout sessions covered a wide range of topics including library instruction, the use of web 2.0 technologies in libraries, working with first year students, and new library services and initiatives.  In addition to breakout sessions, twenty plus poster sessions offered further examples of ALAO members’ creative efforts to connect with their campuses.

The 2008 Conference Planning Committee has completed its work as we met with the 2009 committee on November 14 to discuss the just completed conference and make the switch to planning for next year.  Your evaluations of the conference, which were very positive overall, are greatly appreciated and will be very helpful to next year’s committee, especially since the Conference will again be held at the Roberts Centre.  I would be remiss if I did not thank the members of my Conference Planning Committee for their efforts; the conference could not have been the success it was without their help.  They are:

•    Don Appleby – University of Akron
•    Maureen Barry – Wright State University
•    Joyce Burnett – Brown Mackie College – Findlay
•    John D. Crissinger – OSU-Newark/COTC
•    Deberah England – Wright State University
•    Matthew Farthing – Owens Community College
•    Kevin Furniss – Denison University
•    Sheryl Gannon – Heidelberg College
•    Cliff Glaviano – Bowling Green State University
•    Brian C. Gray – Case Western University
•    Stephena Harmony – University of Cincinnati
•    Angel M. Jackson – Columbus State Community College
•    Louis E. Mays – Southern State Community College
•    Krista McDonald – Miami University Hamilton
•    Melanie McGurr – Ohio State University
•    Alisa Mizikar – Wittenberg University
•    Eric Resnis – Miami University
•    Diana S. Riemenscheider
•    Oliva P. Riley – DeVry University
•    Kathryn Venditti – Ashland University
•    Rob Withers – Miami University

Thanks are also due to the student volunteers from Kent State, the University of Kentucky, and Southern State Community College who helped to make the day run smoothly.  I would also like to thank my institution, Wright State University Libraries, for providing the laptops that were used in the breakout rooms.

Finally, I must recognize the vendors whose support made the conference possible.  We had a record twenty-six vendors attending this year’s conference, several of them new to ALAO.  Please let them know that you appreciate their support of our association.  The vendors attending were:

Diamond Sponsor:

•    OhioNET  – sponsor of President’s Program

Platinum Sponsor:

•    Vision Pro, Inc. –  projection equipment provider

Silver Sponsors:

•    Gale/Cengage Learning – conference gift cosponsor
•    Emery-Pratt Company – lanyards sponsor
•    ProQuest – vendor social sponsor
•    YBP Library Services – afternoon break sponsor
•    Wimba – no conflict time sponsor

Bronze Level Sponsors:

•    ALA Editions (not attending)
•    Chronicle of Higher Education (not attending)
•    EBSCO Information Services
•    Learning Express LLC
•    Swets Information Services

Attending Vendors:

•    Bayscan Technologies
•    Blackwell
•    Carrick Enterprises
•    CIM Technology Solutions
•    Credo Reference
•    H.W. Wilson
•    IEEE
•    Kuder, Inc.
•    Lilly’s Media Logistics
•    Millennium Business Systems
•    Ohio Appalachian Council for Higher Education
•    Ohio Library Support Staff Institute
•    Portico
•    Regional Library Systems of Ohio
•    Southern Ohio Center of Excellence
•    State Library of Ohio

Posted in Vol. 26 no. 4 (Dec. 2008) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Membership News

Angel Jackson, Columbus State Community College

The ALAO Board has been diligently working on improving member benefits. As a result, ALAO is offering a new membership rate for retirees. The standard membership rate remains at $30, student rates also remain at $10, and retirees can now continue their membership for $10.

The ALAO annual membership runs for the calendar year, January through December.

Posted in Vol. 26 no. 4 (Dec. 2008) | Leave a comment

Vice-President/President-Elect's Report

Rob Withers, Miami University

The Conference Planning Committee is moving forward with planning for the 2009 Conference “At the Crossroads: Recharging, Redefining, and Realigning our Libraries.” We will be posting the tracks for this conference and a call for proposals in early 2009. Have an idea for a presentation? Put on your thinking caps and watch for more information in January.

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