ALAO News

President's Report

The ALAO Annual Conference Was A Success Thanks to YOU!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s annual conference a success. Whether you attended, were on the program committee, introduced a speaker, gave a presentation, donated equipment for use at the conference, took pictures, sponsored a portion of the program, staffed a vendor table, or stayed at home so others could attend (etc., etc., etc) – your efforts are very much appreciated!

With 338 people in attendance, I know the hallways were a little crowded and lunch was delayed due to the need to set up more tables. We really stretched the capacity of the facility, but the staff of the Wyndham came through and helped in many ways to make things run smoothly. I appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.

The written evaluation forms (including several people’s verbal comments to me) all seem to agree that most of the attendees enjoyed the conference. I appreciate your willingness to fill out the evaluation form and let us know your comments. Next year’s committee will definitely use the forms to help them plan the 30th Annual Conference.

So THANK YOU to all you assisted with the 29th Annual Conference:

• The 2003 Program Committee who survived the experience and were such a BIG help to me (I couldn’t have done it without you!): Betsy Blankenship, Colleen Boff, Kellie Clark, Miriam Conteh-Morgan, Susan DiRenzo, Deberah England, Rajinder Garcha, Doug Morrison, and Kelly Shook.
• Everyone who loaded their vehicles with all sorts of equipment and supplies for our use, including University of Akron (for the loan of the laptops, data projectors, and other equipment); Vision Pro (for the loan of five data projectors) and the folks from Bowling Green, Wright State, Otterbein College, and OSU-Marion (for the loan of a variety of equipment, easels, etc.). With your help we really saved ALAO lots of money on equipment rental!
• The ALAO Board members, Program Committee members, and others who introduced their colleagues.
• Chris Strauber, Patricia Connor, and Ray Cuevas, the Kent State Library students who helped us so willingly and worked so hard. You are the best!
• The Vendors for providing us with valuable information, including many who donated funds to help sponsor the lunch, breaks, keynote speaker, and provide the lanyards, etc.
• The Interest Group chairs and members who staffed the informational tables. The tables looked great!
• Sally Reed for the wonderful keynote address.
• The program and poster session presenters for sharing your expertise, best practices, and advice.
• Everyone who attended the conference. We appreciate you coming and supporting ALAO!

I continue to be so impressed with the level of effort everyone puts forth to make ALAO a wonderful volunteer organization. Working together we really do a great job of promoting academic libraries in Ohio. I hope more of you will get involved with the organization – it is such a rewarding experience!

November Executive Board Meeting Highlights

The ALAO Executive Board met at OHIONET on November 6, 2003.

Bylaws – A taskforce, chaired by Cliff Glaviano, is currently reviewing the ALAO Bylaws. In coordination with this taskforce, Pat Breno, Manual Revision Coordinator, is reviewing what should and should not be in the ALAO Board Manual. More discussion of this process will occur at the February Board Meeting.

Upcoming Workshops – All interest groups are planning Spring 2004 workshops. Several have confirmed dates and locations. Please see the Interest Group reports or the ALAO website for specific dates and locations.

Research Grant – Lesley Jorbin and her committee have been reviewing the requirements for the Research Grant. There is concern that this grant has not been able to be awarded very often for the last several years.

Voting Members of the Board – Lois Szudy raised the issue regarding the large number of non-voting members of the Board. After a discussion, it was decided to begin considering the Public Relations Coordinator as a possible voting member. It was also decided to extend Betsy Blankenship’s appointment for one more year (ending June 2005) so that this issue could be further discussed and could be included in the Bylaws changes.

Interest Group Coordinator – This position will be responsible for organizing the schedules of the Interest Groups to prevent conflicting meeting dates and to keep the communication among the groups working effectively. Kevin Furniss volunteered to serve in this position after his term as the TSIG Co-Chair ends. He will begin serving in June, 2004.

Distance Learning Interest Group – Our newest Interest Group was officially approved for membership. The new chairperson is Abbie Basile, Ohio Dominican University.

Next Board Meeting – The next meeting will be held at OHIONET on February 12, 2004.

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ALAO "Hot" Topics of Interest... Your Inside Insight Into ALAO Board Actions...

I’m back again for a second round. From the amount of feedback so far, no one has read far enough in the Newsletter to have discovered these ramblings …

As mentioned last time, this new column is intended to open an additional channel of communication between the Board and ALAO Members; and also, provide feedback from the membership to the Board. My contact information appears below. Use it to ask me questions about anything: how ALAO works; what the Board does; why does it take so long to …? I’m not especially shy, so if you have something you want brought before the Board, call, e-mail, or fax me.

Board actions, rumors, interests …

Something that came up at the November Board meeting was the question of whether the position of PR Coordinator should be an elected (voting) Board member or an appointed (non-voting) member. Current PR Coordinator, Betsy Blankenship, indicated some discomfort with spending ALAO money as an appointed Board member while others authorized to make expenditures were all elected (and voting) members of the Executive Board. Following some discussion, the Board asked President Lois Szudy to extend Betsy’s appointment for an additional year (to June 2005) while an updated position description for an elected PR Coordinator could be drafted and put into place. I now owe Betsy a large box of chocolate covered caramels for agreeing to have her appointed term extended one year.

It was also suggested that ALAO might need to create an appointed (2-year), non-voting Board position of Interest Group Coordinator who would also serve on the Program Committee, possibly freeing the PR Coordinator of Program Committee duties, allowing more concentration on the coordination of ALAO public relations. Kevin Furniss (Denison) and Betsy Blankenship (OSU Marion) will work on a position description for that position. It was also suggested that serving as IG Coordinator could be added to the duties of the ALAO Treasurer.

Meanwhile, both of these suggestions could result in some changes to the Constitution that would require approval by the membership. Similarly, the Communication Review Committee has been tasked with overhauling the current Constitution and Bylaws in the Procedures Manual. The shift to paperless manuals has not gone as smoothly as folks hoped three years ago and catching up the Procedures Manual (separating it into a Constitution, By-laws, and a real Procedures manual) need membership approval. All this said, I don’t think I owe our current Treasurer, Karen Wilhoit, any chocolate so far.

Minutes

Here’s the second of what will likely be four reminders that ALAO Board meeting minutes are, and will be posted, on the ALAO web pages www.alaoweb.org/minutes/index.html as soon as possible following the Board meetings. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have on Board meeting happenings or to expand on any deliberations or decisions on which you’d like additional information.

Miscellany...

I really enjoyed the Annual Conference. I got to introduce some of the Jerome Rollers library (precision?) book truck drill team and to award the Jay Ladd Award to Rob Withers of Miami University. Also in this newsletter is a call for nominations for positions on the ALAO Executive Board. Consider volunteering your talents and experience to make your state academic library association even better: run for ALAO office. Thanks to folks who’ve read this far. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can provide you more information on ALAO. All Feedback is welcomed … TTFN

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Dates to Remember 2003-2004

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ALAO MEMBERSHIP -- IT'S TIME TO RENEW!

Still a bargain at only $20.00 per year. Support ALAO and renew today: www.alaoweb.org/membership/join.html

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Call for Nominations -- ALAO Elections

In the Spring we will be electing a Vice-President/President-Elect, a Membership Chair, a Secretary and three Board Members-at-Large. The Vice-President/President-Elect must be (or become) a member of ACRL and maintain membership through term as President. Highlights of the duties of these positions are outlined below:

Vice-President/President-Elect

1. Votes on issues brought before the Board.
2. Chairs the Standing Program Committee (which plans the Annual Conference and coordinates other programming efforts of the Association).
3. Acts as President upon authorization of the Executive Board.
4. Performs duties as assigned by the Executive Board.
5. Serves as ALAO President upon completion of term as Vice-President/President.

President

1. Presides at all meetings of the Executive Board.
2. Votes on issues brought before the Board.
3. Appoints all committees.
4. May serve as a non-voting member of all standing committees.
5. Performs other duties required of the office or specifically authorized by the Executive Board.
6. Becomes Immediate Past President upon completion of term as President.

Immediate Past President

1. Votes on issues brought before the Board.
2. Chairs the Nominating Committee.
3. Chairs the Awards Committee.
4. Chairs the Communication Review Committee.
5. Serves ex-officio on the Human Diversity Committee.

Membership Chair (2-year term)

1. Promotes membership in ALAO and ACRL.
2. Reports status of membership and related membership issues at Executive Board meetings.
3. Appoints new ALAO liaisons as needed.
4. Communicates with liaisons regarding membership status of ALAO members, lapsed members, and new members from their institutions and may coordinate a meeting of liaison officers at the annual conference.
5. Coordinates membership activities with PR Coordinator, has a strong role in encouraging maintenance of the Membership database.
6. Serves as a member of the Budget and Planning Committee.
7. Performs such other duties as are required of the office of Membership Chair or specifically authorized by the Executive Board.

Secretary

1. Distributes agendas and records minutes of all Chapter and Executive Board meetings.
2. Submits minutes to Chapter archives.
3. Collects other materials to be submitted to Chapter archives.

Board Member-at-Large (three to be elected, 2-year term)

1. Serves on the Executive Committee as a representative of the membership-at-large.
2. Votes on issues brought before the Board.
3. Serves on the Professional Development Committee.
4. Completes special assignments made by the President.

Any ALAO member is eligible to run for office. Note that the President and President Elect must both be members of ACRL. Terms of office begin during the Board Leadership retreat, which has traditionally been held in June.

Please consider running for an office yourself or nominating a willing colleague. This is an opportunity to make a difference, enhance your professional development, and expand your network of colleagues. Feel free to contact me if you are interested. If you have expressed interest in any of these positions on the volunteer form at the Annual Conference, I will probably contact you. It will not hurt to self-nominate yourself (below).

I am sure current Board members will be happy to chat with you about their jobs to help you make your decision.

Please send your nominations via e-mail, phone, fax, or surface mail by January 14, 2004 to:

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2004 ALAO Conference -- Call for Proposals

Academic Library Association of Ohio
30th Annual Conference, November 12, 2004
David H. Ponitz Sinclair Center -- Dayton, Ohio

Presentation and Poster Session Proposal Deadline: April 30, 2004

This year's conference focuses on the challenges and opportunities libraries face as our resources grow more numerous and expensive, our users interact with us beyond the boundaries of time and space, and our administrations and constituents make new demands. See the call for presentations flyer for full details.

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Continuing Education Grant AVAILABLE!

The ALAO Continuing Education Grant encourages library personnel to improve their skills and to develop new ones. Awards are given twice a year (application due dates are September 15 and January 31) to offset the cost of attending library-related events or educational opportunities. Applicants must be current members of ALAO. Preference is given to Ohio residents or employees of Ohio libraries, and to those who indicate a lack of financial support to attend continuing education functions. Recipients will be selected by ALAO’s Professional Development Committee (PDC), which will notify the award recipients and will arrange payment.

The number of applications received varies from a few to 10-12 for each application period. If your application is not funded:

• Ask the Chair of the Professional Development Committee for information that would help you write a better application for a future opportunity.
• Apply again!

Recently funded applications included a variety of opportunities:

• National conferences
• Coursework on associate’s degree in Information Services
• Coursework for master’s of library science
• Coursework for second master’s degree
• Pre-conferences
• Web-based courses and workshops

The next application deadline for the Continuing Education Grant is January 31, 2004!

For an application, go to www.alaoweb.org/forms/ce-grant03.pdf. Questions? Please contact Jeanne Langendorfer at 419-372-8681 or jlangen@bgnet.bgsu.edu.

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Legislative News

New – Electronic Reserves Copyright Statement

Since the 1990s, librarians providing electronic reserves systems for their campus communities have not had any agreed-upon copyright guidelines available to them. While guidelines for electronic reserves had been drafted during the CONFU discussions in the mid-1990s, library associations and publishers could not come to consensus. With no formal guidelines for reserves issued since the 1982 “Model Policy Concerning College and University Photocopying for Classroom, Research and Library Reserve Use” (American Library Association, Washington Office, Washington, DC, March 1982), librarians were on their own with regard to drafting their own copyright policies/practices based upon Fair Use (17 U.S.C § 107).

Though the Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization (TEACH) Act, signed into law last year around this time, provides new exemptions for public performance and display of digital works protected by copyright and the use of digital technologies to transmit copyrighted works for educational purposes, it does not and was not intended to address e-reserves.

In response to confusion about the TEACH Act and ongoing uncertainty regarding e-reserves, a new white paper has been drafted by Carrie Russell, copyright specialist at the ALA Office for Information Technology in consultation with Georgia Harper, Manager of the Intellectual Property Section of the University of Texas System Office of General Counsel and Peggy Hoon, Scholarly Communications Librarian at North Carolina State University. Endorsed by ACRL and ARL in addition to the Association of American Law Libraries, the Medical Library Association, and the Special Libraries Association, this document "seeks to capture how institutions are applying fair use in the development of electronic reserves systems." For the full-text, please refer to www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ACRL/Publications/White_Papers_and_Reports/Statement_on_Fair_Use_and_Electronic_Reserves.htm

Library Journal on Legislative Advocacy

Please be sure to see the November 15, 2003 issue of Library Journal (libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/) for two articles of interest to those interested in legislative advocacy:

• "The Public's Lobby" - By Andrew Richard Albanese. The ALA Washington Office is turning librarians into a broad political force on the Hill.
• "11 Keys to Your Statehouse" - By Rebecca Miller. The big political news may come from ALA's Washington Office, but librarians across the country work every day to get library needs met right in their own backyards.

Apply Now to Make a Difference! National Library Legislative Day

The ALAO Government Relations Team encourages all members of the ALAO Legislative Advocates Network to apply for the yearly ALAO Legislative Advocate Travel Award. ALA's National Library Legislative Day will be held May 3 & 4, 2004, and the Travel Award will cover your expenses to attend this rewarding event in Washington DC.

For instructions on how to apply for the travel award, please see: www.alaoweb.org/legislative/adv_trav.html The deadline to apply is January 31, 2004 and the winner will be announced in February.

For further information, see the ALA web site at: www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Our_Association/Offices/
ALA_Washington/Events10/National_Library_Legislative_Day/Default2689.htm

Feel free to contact any member of the Government Relations Team for more information:

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ALAO Historical Brief

The Academic Library Association of Ohio has an impressive history of service to academic libraries across the state. The organization has successfully defined and given a voice to the interests and concerns of academic libraries and the people who serve in them.

In 1974 when ALAO was organized, the founding members knew there was a need for a professional organization that focused on Ohio’s academic libraries.

Since its inception, the organization has expanded and works jointly with other associations such as the Ohio College Association and the Association of College and Research Libraries. ALAO now has approximately 500 members. Our various committees and interest groups award scholarships, research grants, and an annual service award.

The official ALAO archives are housed at the Ohio Historical Association. The history of the organization will be preserved for future generations to view and study what events and decisions occurred in past years.

If you have any items of historical significance about ALAO that would lend itself to our archives, please send them to the current ALAO secretary. Photos, conference programs, letters, or any ephemera will be gladly accepted.

Help us to maintain our legacy by donating to the archives.

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29th Annual ALAO Conference

Information, Innovation, Inspiration – Making the Connection
An Overview of the 29th Annual Conference

The 29th Annual Conference was held on Friday November 14, 2003, at the Wyndham Dublin Hotel, Dublin, OH. There were 338 attendees, 26 presentations, 13 poster sessions, 5 Interest Group Meetings, 13 Vendors, and 11 Interest Group / Committee tables. It was a busy, but rewarding conference for all who attended. Check out the web site for the conference for more information, including handouts and PowerPoint presentations from some of the presenters (www.alaoweb.org/03conf/).

We are very appreciative of Sally Gardner Reed, Executive Director of the Friends of Libraries, U.S.A. (FOLUSA), who did an excellent job as our keynote speaker.

In recognition of his exemplary service to ALAO, Rob Withers (Miami University) was the recipient of the 2003 Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award. In addition, we presented awards for Legislative Advocate Travel, Continuing Education, Support Staff Presenter, Ohio Library Outstanding Support Staff of the Year; and Ohio Library Outstanding Supporter of Support Staff of the Year. Congratulations to all our award recipients.

This year we split the business meeting and the awards ceremony, with a very short business meeting occurring just prior to the keynote address and the awards ceremony at the conclusion of lunch. Several drawings were held after the awards ceremony. The drawings were for three books provided by H.W. Wilson; four note cubes provided by ALAO; and one inflatable globe provided by our newest interest group, Distance Education.

We look forward to next year’s conference, our 30th to be held at the Sinclair Community College in Dayton, OH on November 12, 2004. We hope you will consider doing a presentation for the conference, ALAO at 30 – Positioning our Libraries, Positioning Ourselves. More information will soon be available on the ALAO website.

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Take a Look at 2003!

The 2003 ALAO Conference in pictures [PowerPoint version, PDF version]. Betsy Blankenship, ALAO Public Relations Coordinator, digital photographer extraordinaire captured the Conference from A - Z . . . take a moment and relive the memories.

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Vendor Give-A-Way Winners

Information Management Services gave away the following:
Canon Pen/Pencil Set - winner is Betsy Belkin, Ursuline College
Canon Clock - winner is John Millard, Miami University

OhioNET gave away the following:
Palm Pilot - winner is Tamara Bachtal, University of Cincinnati

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Way To Go ALAO: Another Great Conference

This year I attended the ALAO conference not only as an observer for new information for my library, but also as a presenter. When this process began back in March of this year, I had no idea how much work would go into doing a presentation that would be interesting as well as giving out valuable information for others to use in their Libraries. Now that the conference is over and the presentation is behind us, I would like to take this opportunity to say Thank You to ALAO for a great conference and to say Thank You to the Support Staff Interest Group for not only sponsoring our presentation but for giving us the grant to help fund it as well.

I was asked if I would do something like this again and the answer would be yes. I enjoyed working with Crystal Jennings on this even though many hours went into making it happen. It was a learning experience for both of us and one that we will treasure. I must admit that even though this is something that I do on a regular basis at Marion OSU, watching everyone come into the room that morning to listen to our presentation was a little intimidating. As Amy was introducing Crystal and me, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and when it was time to begin it wasn’t that bad because in the room with me were colleagues from other libraries, and before we knew it the time was up and everything had gone well.

As with any presentation, once it is finished you start to think of all the things that you would have done differently and Crystal and I have talked about that at length. Yes there were a few things that we would have changed, but on the whole we felt good about what we had accomplished.

Lastly, I would like to finish by saying that words cannot express how I felt when I received the Support Staff of the Year Award. It is an honor to know that I am regarded in that way and I want to thank everyone who voted for me. I look forward to next year’s conference.

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A Student Assistant’s View of the ALAO Conference

Butterflies are fluttering in my stomach. My heart is beating rapidly. I am very nervous as I watch people enter the room. As I stare out in to the audience of faces waiting for information, I'm wondering why I agreed to present a program at the ALAO conference. The answer, I know, is very simple. I wanted to help others have a quality hiring, training, and retaining program for their student library assistants.

Early in the year, Pat Wood came to me with a proposal in hand asking for my input on the information she was ready to send. I read over the form and found the title of Student Assistants: Hired, Trained, Retained extremely catchy. I was impressed with the thought Pat had put into the program. She had a plan for what she wanted to accomplish by sharing this information with others. She was excited about the idea of passing this information on to other libraries.

After being accepted as a presenter, Pat shared with me her desire to have a student assistant present with her. She wanted to present the topics from a supervisor’s position, as well as from a student’s perspective. She asked me to join her in presenting the program at the conference. Shocked, I was speechless at first. I knew the ALAO conference is a huge program for libraries around Ohio. I was honored to accept Pat's request to work with her on the presentation. We decided to split up the presentation. Being a senior staff member, I did a great deal of the training in our library. Therefore, it seemed logical for Pat to take hiring and retention and I took training.

The research process began. Books and journal articles started coming in on Cargo for us everyday. Hours were spent weeding through the information to find the necessary knowledge for our program. Our files began to fill up with notes from the resources. As I poured my work into this program; I realized I wanted more from the presentation. I wanted to be able to offer suggestions to others, while making a change in our library.

We have gone through many different training programs during my four years at the library. Each program has improved on the past programs. As I completed my research for the presentation, I began to create a training folder and training manual for use in our library. We implemented the training manual immediately. This was a handbook for student assistants to use on a daily basis. It helped our library run smoothly. During the next quarter's training session, we implemented the training folder. This program was a huge success! The student assistants that we brought on to our staff were able to catch on to the workload and workflow very quickly! They had questions that could be answered specifically and correctly. The new assistants also walked away from the training process with a folder of information to keep and use as they began their time at the library. Seeing this success gave me even more confidence in the presentation Pat and I were creating.

After researching and implementing new programs, Pat and I needed to decide how to present our information. Luckily, we both thought along the same lines in terms of how to present the information. We wanted each attendee to walk away with the information in paper copy and on a disk. This would allow the attendee to see the information first hand and implement anything they wanted to as soon as they needed. We agreed to create a booklet for each person in our presentation. We began to create the booklet and our display for the program. A few weeks later, we were notified about our selection for the Support Staff Presenter’s Grant. This grant enabled us to purchase needed supplies.

As I took one last look around the room at the people who came to listen to our presentation, I am thankful for the opportunity to present this program at the ALAO conference. I feel wonderful that so many people came to our presentation to learn about our program. I am thankful for the wonderful comments and suggestions given to us during the conference. Betsy Blankenship, our Head Librarian, had a contagious attitude of excitement about the program and conference. Her confidence in our presentation helped in our success. I am so thankful for the Support Staff Presenter’s Grant to help us provide a handout for our program attendees. Without this financial support, I don't know if we would have been able to provide such a high quality handout.

I am also extremely thankful and appreciative of my fellow staff members. They went above and beyond their job duties to assist Pat and me with this presentation. Whether it was copying, putting together packets, or counting disks, they were always so eager to lend a helping hand. My co-workers edited, offered suggestions, and provided much needed technical support. Without their support and assistance, this program may not have been such a success. Finally, I am honored to have presented this program with a wonderful supervisor, Pat Wood. Her support encouraged me to do my very best on this presentation. I was able to learn a great deal of information from Pat during the process of creating this program. The teamwork we demonstrated at the presentation was an example of how well we work together at our library. And who knows, maybe we will present together again some day. Thank you, ALAO for this opportunity to grow.

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ALAO Awards

Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award

Rob Withers is the 2003 recipient of the Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves as Assistant to the Dean, Miami University Libraries. Rob began his library career in Acquisitions at the University of North Carolina and worked as Systems and Technical Services Librarian at McDaniel College (Maryland) prior to coming to Ohio.

Rob has been very active in ALAO, serving as co-chair and chair of the Collection Management Interest Group, as Secretary to the ALAO Executive Board, and is noted for having devoted much personal time to the development and testing of the ALAO membership database to be implemented Spring 2004. Rob has been a frequent presenter at ALAO Annual Conferences and he remains on the steering committee of the Collection Management Interest Group.

Rob admitted in a phone call notifying him that he was the winner of the 2003 Jay Ladd Award that, “I never found a library job I didn’t like.” Rob joins a select group of individuals who have distinguished themselves through their work for the ALAO membership and the field of librarianship. He was presented with the award at the Annual Conference, November 14, 2003.

The Distinguished Service Award has been given annually since 1984 to an ALAO member who promotes academic libraries and librarianship not only on his or her own campus, but also within the state. It also recognizes those who provide leadership in the promotion of ALAO through service such as committee membership, executive board office, or interest group chairmanship. The award was renamed in 1998 to honor Jay Ladd, a former Ohio State University librarian who was instrumental in forming ALAO. Jay died in 1997.

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ALAO Minority Student Scholarship Winner

Kristina Martinez Murphy is the 2003 recipient of the ALAO Minority Student Scholarship. The scholarship, in the amount of $3,000 is awarded to encourage students in federally protected classes to become professional librarians. Kristina received a certificate of award at the Kent State University School of Library and Information Science annual awards dinner on April 8, 2003 at the State Library of Ohio in Columbus.

In her winning essay, Kristina wrote that she is "focusing on building strong academic credentials in preparation for future employment at a university or college library." She plans to assist more minority students in achieving higher education goals. Kristina will complete a second master's degree in history in May 2003 and also has a certificate in historic preservation.

Congratulations, Kristina, and best wishes as you pursue a career in librarianship.

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Research Grant Applications

Plan now to apply for the $500 ALAO Research Grant. The application deadline is May 1st. All ALAO members, except members of the Research and Publications Committee, are eligible to apply. Grants are limited to issues in libraries and information science. For more information and application forms, go to the ALAO website, www.alaoweb.org/comsigs/rpgrant04.html

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Professional Development -- Continuing Education Grant Awards

The ALAO Professional Development Committee awarded two Continuing Education Grants this fall. The awards to Betsy Blankenship (The Ohio State University at Marion/Marion Technical College) and Diane Schrecker (Ashland University) were announced at the Annual Conference on November 14, 2003.

Betsy Blankenship is using her award to attend the American Association of Museums Annual Conference (May 2004), where she has been invited to participate on a panel: "A Museum Looks to Libraries to Maximize Resources and Increase Outreach." This invitation is based on Betsy’s work as Project Coordinator for her library’s hosting of a traveling exhibit “Listening to the Prairie” (2001), which was sponsored by the American Library Association and the National Museum of Natural History. Betsy wrote: "This will be a first for me to be able to participate in a professional presentation at a national conference and I feel it will be a tremendous learning opportunity. It will provide exposure for a small Ohio academic library in a national setting and quite possibly provide me with great ways to network and collaborate with museums and special collections in Ohio."

Diane Schrecker attended the Ohio Council of the International Reading Association 2003 Fall Conference in October: "Reading – Weaving a Tapestry of Books." It featured children’s authors, motivational speakers and storytellers of particular interest to her. She anticipates that this experience will help her further develop the juvenile literature collection, which is “…highly used by the Department of Education” at Ashland University, where Diane is the curriculum librarian and director of the Curriculum Materials Center.

The Professional Development Committee extends congratulations to the recipients and thanks them for their interest in continuing their professional development.

Do you need funds for professional development? See the accompanying article on the Continuing Education Grant in this newsletter!

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Interest Group News

Collection Management Interest Group

The CMIG spring workshop is scheduled for May 27th at Wittenberg University and is titled: "Maintaining Print Collections: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Moldy." Join us in learning about the joint topics of disaster prevention/response and cooperative collection development.

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Curriculum Materials Interest Group

Content

Greetings from the 29th Annual ALAO Conference held November 14, 2003, at the Wyndham Dublin Resort and Conference Center in Dublin, Ohio. The Curriculum Materials Center Interest group sponsored a session titled "Curriculum Materials Centers: Connecting with Education Students and Faculty." This session was three-fold, including a brief statistical overview of Ohio CMCs, a CMC design project, and descriptions of various connections and collaborations.

Mary Ellen George, Ohio Dominican University collection services librarian, presented "Creative Strokes Enliven Curriculum Resources Room." Her unique collaborative effort with Ohio Dominican education faculty, library director, and art major, Farah Khan resulted in colorful panels designed and painted on the walls of the curriculum materials center. Frances Yates, Miami University Education Librarian, presented "Mapping a Route: A Journey of CMC Outreach, Connections, and Collaborations." Her route detailed resources, a joint effort with Miami’s department of education for web databases and course connections, and detailed many successful campus programs.

A business meeting was held at the conclusion of our session. Coordinating committee members determined particulars for the CMCIG spring workshop. This year’s workshop will be held in April at Bowling Green State University. Topics include a visit to the Mazza Museum, a tour of the Curriculum Resource Center in Jerome Library, and will feature discussion on collection development methods and weeding of CMC resources.

CMCIG had the opportunity to present an information table at the conference. Along with the requisite treats, handouts detailing the CMCIG Praxis Pathfinder, a listing of coordinating committee members, directions for the CMCIG list serv, and information on the Directory of Ohio Curriculum Materials Centers. Additional information on these topics is available on our web site at www.alaoweb.org/comsigs/cmcig/index.html. We encourage interested ALAO members to become involved in the CMCIG and thank all who expressed an interest in what we have been doing.

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Distance Learning Interest Group

The Distance Learning Interest Group (DLIG) table was visited by many ALAO conference goers who wanted to chat and find out more about this new group. Approved this past September by the ALAO Board, the DLIG will provide a wonderful information-sharing and networking forum for anyone interested in or involved with library services for distance learners. Distance learning is a growing field and many Ohio institutions offer distance courses and degrees. In fact, as of summer 2003, Ohio colleges & universities offered nearly 3,000 courses and 100 degrees online.

DLIG will partner with other ALAO IGs to co-sponsor programs and we have already started talking to some of the other IG Chairs about topics of interest. We will also build cooperative relationships with the ACRL Distance Learning Section and the Ohio Learning Network (OLN), a statewide organization dealing with e-learning issues.

For contact information to find out about future programs, see: www.alaoweb.org/comsigs/dlig

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Instruction Interest Group

The Instruction Interest Group sponsored a panel discussion at the 29th annual conference on November 14, 2003. Participants included Colleen Boff, Bowling Green State University; Marcia King-Blandford, University of Toledo; and Cherie P. Pandora, Rocky River High School. They spoke about collaborative efforts between high school and academic libraries, which seek to prepare high school students for college-level research. Colleen spoke about the graduate level information literacy course which Bowling Green offers for teachers during the summer, and about "Pathways to Academic Libraries," a set of streaming video modules which introduce first-year students to the differences between school, public, and academic libraries. Marcia spoke on Ohio’s Technology Academic Content Standards, and various legislative initiatives related to information competencies. Cherie described her partnership with the library at Baldwin-Wallace College, and activities which place high school students in the academic library to complete assignments. The session was well received, with 60 people in attendance.

At the beginning of the session, Alison Ricker, Oberlin College, was named the next co-chair of the interest group. She will take office in June, 2004. The interest group also sponsored an information table, at which 26 people signed up to receive information about the group and to become involved in the group’s activities. In the near future, a listserv will be created which will facilitate communication among group members. Anyone with questions or suggestions for the group is encouraged to contact Chris Sheetz (csheetz@lorainccc.edu) or Judy Perella (jperella@ashland.edu).

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Support Staff Interest Group

Congratulations to Patricia Wood (OSU-Marion) and Cathy Parker (University of Akron) the first recipients of the Ohio Library Outstanding Support Staff and Supporter of Support Staff Awards! An awards committee of SSIG chose Patricia’s nomination for the support staff award and Cathy’s nomination as the supporter of support staff. The awards were announced at lunch during the Annual Conference in November. SSIG was glad to have such a high turnout of nominations for the awards in 2003.

If you would like to nominate an individual for either of these awards in 2004, visit the SSIG section of the ALAO web site for nomination requirements and award details. Support staff and supporters from any type of library in Ohio are eligible for the awards. The deadline for nominations is July 31, 2004.

Patricia Wood and her co-presenter Crystal Jennings were also awarded the Support Staff Presenter Grant at the Annual Conference. The pair were given funds to prepare their session on "Student Assistants: Hired, Trained, Retained." Support staff members interested in presenting at the Annual Conference in 2004 should keep this grant in mind. ALAO and the SSIG are committed to encouraging support staff presenters. More details will be posted soon on the SSIG section of the ALAO site and on the 2004 conference site.

With a successful Annual Conference behind us, the SSIG looks ahead to a variety of activities in 2004. Watch our site and your email inbox for information on our upcoming workshop and our search for candidates for Secretary/Chair-elect. You may wish to join our SSIG discussion list -- alao-ss@lms.kent.edu (details are available on the SSIG pages). For support staff members considering pursuing a degree, continuing your education, or beginning a Master’s in Library Science, we will shortly have a page up directing you to a number of opportunities in Ohio and around the country. I have had a number of contacts recently from online MLS programs (the last from the University of Pittsburgh) that are reaching out to current library support staff members. Contact me to get involved with SSIG in the year ahead!

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Technical Services Interest Group

The 2003 ALAO annual conference offered many opportunities for technical services staff for Ohio libraries to learn what our colleagues are doing. There was something for everyone on the program in terms of variety and interest and most, if not all, of the sessions were well attended with standing room only.

Those programs with a technical services focus were the following:

• "Electronic Theses and Dissertations”: Overview and implementation by three librarians from Penn State University, providing a focus on implementing an electronic thesis program. (Rebecca Mugridge, Susanne Kellerman and Rebecca Albitz)
  This program was sponsored by TSIG, and Allen Reichert, Electronic Access Librarian at Otterbein College, has kindly provided the following write-up on this session:
  

  By using Penn State as a model, this session investigated the nature, advantages and complexities of ETDs. ETDs are defined as "digitally produced, archived and accessed theses and dissertations." The benefits mimic other online resources: accessible, searchable, able to accommodate other multimedia and a potential savings in processing and space. Currently, Penn State offers students the option of submitting electronically. There are three levels of access available: worldwide, Penn State only, and restricted, which prohibits access for two years. ETDs are submitted as .pdf files and are placed on the graduate school server. There are a number of long-term issues associated with ETDs. The .pdf file is fine for delivery, but not for archiving, particularly since it is proprietary software. There are attempts to address this issue, either through .xml or new initiatives, such as the .pddf format being developed by the Library of Congress. Archiving issues have not been satisfactorily addressed. What happens to imbedded multimedia? What about disaster recovery? The presentation closed by considering the conjoined issues of copyright and intellectual property. What happens when students begin to include multimedia that they did not produce? Most of the dissertations are owned by the students, and there is some concern that an ETD will be considered a "prior publication." And, at the most fundamental level, students lose some of their rights as copyright holders because the university forces dissemination.

• "Rotten But Not Forgotten": Weeding and Maintenance of URLs for Electronic Resources in the Ohio State University Library by Rocki Strader and Farrell Hamill two very knowledgeable folks who offered help with the complex area of keeping electronic resource URLs up to date.
• "Consort and the OCLC PromptCat Service": Focus on OWU’s experience with expertise provided by not only the Ohio Wesleyan University staff (Xudong Jin and Joyce Laurence), but, also Robin Busser of OCLC and Judy McQueen of YBP.
• "What is the Customer Services Role of Technical Services Departments?" by Mark Langer (formerly of the University of Toledo) from George Washington University who gave us insight on the organizational structure and how technical services contributes to public services.
• "Making the Connection: Vendors, Publishers and Librarians Working Together" was a great conclusion to the day with a strong panel of Arlene Sievers of CWRU, Bob Schatz of Franklin Book Company, Dan Snyder of Gale Group and Dan Tonkery of EBSCO talking about the role each has in the acquisitions process.

The TSIG Business meeting was conducted with about 25 members in attendance. Kevin Furniss of Denison University, current co-chair, introduced co-chair, Julia Gammon from the University of Akron and the incoming co-chair for next year, Jody Perkins of Miami University. Kevin also talked about the TSIG Spring Workshop, planned for March 12, 2004 at Denison University. It will focus on education, training, and recruitment of technical services librarians. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Ann O’Neill, Director, Office for Accreditation, American Library Association. Kevin went on to solicit ideas for future programs.

Technical services folks who attended all drove home tired and happy with many new ideas and concepts to think about implementing at their institutions.

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Feature Stories

International Librarianship: A Perspective from Vienna, Austria

Last year, as an academic librarian at Malone College, I was actively involved in Ohio librarianship and ALAO. Little did I know that one little email was about to change everything. Today, I’m living in Vienna, Austria with my children, who are attending the Institute of the Vienna Boys Choir [www.wsk.at]. While we settle in, I’m teaching English and reading readiness at the music kindergarten there. One way to get in touch with the city and still feel connected to my profession has been to visit some of the city’s historic and culturally rich libraries.

Libraries in Vienna today fulfill a dual role as a cultural and historical archive, as well as a vital communication center. Issues of public access and funding are complicated by the fact that some of the library collections are hundreds of years old and include valuable historic artifacts. Librarians here are called upon to balance preservation with technology and new media on a scale that is difficult for us to imagine. As a result, the distinct divisions between academic, public, and special libraries we are used to in Ohio aren’t as pronounced in Vienna.

Our library colleagues in Vienna focus on many of the same issues that we find important in our work; public access, service orientation, user friendliness and collection development are just a few that made a strong impression on me during my visits. The library system consists of Vienna’s public lending libraries (Buechereien Wien), the Austrian National Library, University of Vienna, and various special, government and school libraries. It is interesting to note that there are two words for libraries here “Buechereien” refers to the public lending library system and “Bibliothek” is usually an academic or specialized library. Most of the libraries offer internet access, online OPACs, a variety of media, instruction, and programming. Regardless of the library type, most are open to the public and have websites available in multiple languages - usually English, German, Turkish, Serbian and Croatian. Perhaps my most surprising discovery was that the public libraries impose a rather sophisticated fee structure, especially for media items.

A brief overview:

Austrian National Library www.onb.ac.at/index.htm

The Austrian National Library dates back to the 14th century and functions as the country’s scientific library, cultural center, and repository. Between 1777-1803, Gottfried van Swieten implemented the oldest card catalog in the history of libraries here. The library consists of the former Hapsburg Imperial Court Library and three museums. These permanent museum collections include papyrus, middle age manuscripts, historical maps, and globes. A continuous offering of special exhibitions balances the collection. Currently, a copy of every item published in Austria, including university theses, is archived in the library.

However, this is not a dusty, hands-off institution. While certain collections are restricted, the library is open to the public and also offers a web-based OPAC for its over 6 million holdings, internet access, laptops, and unique databases. One of the newest additions is a digitized collection of newspapers. Admission functions much as a museum with an annual ticket costing 21 Euros. Library access costs 7 Euros per year. Although some items may be borrowed, most of the materials are for on-site use only.

Oesterreichische Nationalbibliothek. Das Leitbild der Oesterreichischen Nationalbibliothek. 10. Oct. 2002. 20 Nov. 2003. [www.onb.ac.at/about/index.htm].

University Library of Vienna ub.univie.ac.at/

Established in 1365, the university library is the oldest in German speaking Europe. It consists of a main library, 33 subject libraries, 3 faculty libraries and 23 institutes. Automation was completed in 1989 and today the library features a comprehensive website, internet accessible OPACs, databases, and a huge collection. Library use is not restricted to staff and faculty. The library is open to the public and according to its website has over 130,000 registered users. The database offering is extensive and includes English language offerings such as ABI Inform Global.

Interlibrary loan services within Europe are available to users as is document delivery, which is fairly pricey. Borrowing privileges are extended to all who hold a library card, including public patrons, and there is no fee involved. However, non EU (European Union) member patrons who are not studying at an Austrian University pay a 218 Euro refundable deposit to check out books.

Universitaetsbibliothek Wien. Home page. 11. Nov. 2003. 20. Nov. 2003. [ub.univie.ac.at/].

Vienna Public Library (Buchereien Wien) www.buechereien.wien.at

The city’s public library offers many of the same services we have come to expect from our public libraries in Ohio. The system consists of a main library, 41 branches, 2 bookmobiles, as well as hospital, school and home delivery services. Many of Vienna’s school library websites also have direct access to the city library OPAC.

The main library features its own subway station, self-checkout stations and comfortable reading areas. As a building it’s not much larger than Malone College’s library and seemed to be quite low on materials, when I was there. Things were very busy that day, and I’m assuming that with so many branch locations and things being sent out continuously it’s probably to be expected. There didn’t seem to be an adequate number of computer terminals for the size of Vienna’s population, but most libraries probably struggle with that problem. The amount of foreign language materials is impressive, even in the small branch libraries. The branch libraries vary in layout and content, but are generally well stocked. Some have only one computer and no seating, but the staff is knowledgeable and the offerings diverse. The Buchereien Wien website does an outstanding job of describing each branch and its collection strengths. Items can be ordered from other branches or the main library, but there is a fee of .70 Euros per item. My favorite branch is actually in a café called the Café C.I. where it’s been proven that food, drink and books mix rather well. Thursdays always feature literary guests or entertainment.

Public library fees here were a big surprise for me. Reasons could include theft, funding gaps or a combination of the two. Users are charged 18 Euros a year for a library card or 3 Euros for students, retirees or persons receiving public assistance. All users are charged a nonrefundable amount of 1 Euro per video, CD-ROM or DVD. Patrons can borrow up to 25 books free-of-charge.

Surprisingly, none of the libraries I visited had extensive evening hours. Even the University of Vienna closes at 7pm Monday-Thursday, at 4pm on Friday and at 12:45 on Saturday. The reading room with access to the OPAC seems to generally stay open an hour longer. Within the public library system, only the main library is open on Saturday until 2pm. Yes, we are spoiled in Ohio.

Buechereien Wien. Benutzung. 20 Nov. 2003. [www.buechereien.wien.at/buechereienportal/(3hipqi45wav1lq55kgm1gx45)/index.aspx?tabid=37]

More to Come...

This is by no means an exhaustive description of all the libraries and their policies in Vienna. However, I hope that I have been able to give you a feel for how things are done elsewhere. Over the next few months, I’m planning on attending some seminars and have appointments lined up so that I can report back to you on issues such as marketing, library education, organizations and information literacy. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there are particular topics you would like to see addressed.

Note: 1 Euro currently equals $1.19

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ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) Changes in 2004

ERIC will begin a transition in late December as a new U.S. Department of Education contractor develops a new model for the ERIC database and services. ERIC clearinghouses websites, including AskERIC, and their toll-free telephone numbers will close on December 19, 2003. Change your ERIC bookmarks to www.eric.ed.gov.

The contracts for ERIC Support Components (such as EDRS (ERIC Document Reproduction Services)) will cease as of June 2004. Although materials on E*Subscribe are intended to be available (for free) online, there are no provisions in the new ERIC program for continued availability of older (pre-1993) documents in any format or 1993-2003 documents in paper or microfiche formats.

For additional information about these changes, see ERIC Reauthorization News (www.lib.msu.edu/corby/education/doe.htm), a site maintained by members of the Education and Behavior Sciences Section (EBSS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).

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Announcing: A New Conference Opportunity for Librarians

The Ohio Commons for Digital Education 2004 - The Convergence of Libraries, Learning & Technology Conference will be held March 7-9, 2004, in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio Board of Regents' technology initiatives-Ohio Learning Network, OhioLINK, Ohio Supercomputer Center and OARnet-are jointly sponsoring this conference to focus on Ohio's converging electronic services for teaching and learning, information resources, computational research, and Internet services.

The conference will offer a "Libraries & Digital Education – Resources, Services and Collaborations" track. Presentations in this track will highlight:

• Faculty-librarian collaboration for technology-enabled courses
• Using courseware to promote and organize online library resources
• Current issues and developments in information services in higher education

Four other conference tracks will be offered:

• Developing, Facilitating and Assessing Engaging Courses
• Breaking Barriers in E-Learning Policy and Funding
• New Partnerships and Collaborations
• Hip Technologies & Far-Out Ideas for Research and Education

This conference will provide an excellent opportunity for librarians to show faculty, instructors, administrators, IT and technical staff, instructional designers, provosts, CIOs, researchers, and graduate students what academic librarians and libraries are doing to support teaching and learning at Ohio institutions.

The conference will include a keynote speaker, vendor exhibits, and technology demonstrations. It will be held in the Columbus Hilton at Easton Town Center.

Online registration will be available beginning in December!

Conference registration fees:

• $275 for two day registration ($175 for students)
• $150 for one day registration
• Pre-conference workshop fees vary

For more details, please visit the Conference Web site at www.oln.org/conferences

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3rd Congress on Professional Education: Focus on Library Support Staff.
(COPE III) Report from the ALAO delegate

The third American Library Association Congress on Professional Education: Focus on Library Support Staff (COPE III) was held on May 16-17 2003, at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn Illinois. The congress was held to address a number of library support staff related issues, some of these were:

• Career ladders and lack of advancement opportunities for support staff.
• Level of compensation not being appropriate to level of education, experience, and responsibilities.
• Lack of access to continuing education and training opportunities.
• Find ways to address the coming shortage of library staff members.
• Define the role of library support staff within ALA.
• Define ways to express mutual respect between all those who staff America’s libraries.

The congress began with opening remarks from Keith Michael Fiels, Executive Director of ALA, and Mitch Freedman, then President of ALA. Following these statements Kathleen Weibel, Director of Staff Development at the Chicago Public Library, energized the guests and delegates of the congress by delivering a keynote address entitled, "Apples and Oranges: Food for Thought", where she talked about the history of the issues that have faced library support staff since the beginning of libraries in America and how these issues have developed into the problems we have today. She also called everyone at the congress to work together towards solving these issues, in the spirit of apples and oranges or professionals and paraprofessionals, to make libraries workplaces where all staff are treated fairly and with mutual respect.

After the keynote address, the delegates were introduced to Maureen Sullivan, who was to be the facilitator for COPE III, she introduced us to the process we would be using for the work that would be done at the congress. This system is called Appreciative Inquiry and works best when the participants focus on the positive aspects of the matters to be considered, steering away from venting, arguments, and discussions that focus on the negative points of the issues. All 175 representatives were split among 18 tables of eight persons and we had four different conversations focused on the issues and outcomes that the congress was designed to address. These conversations were broken down into four phases. The first phase, Discovery, asked each group to identify the "best of what is…" in each library support staff’s work environment.

The second phase, Dreaming, was a phase where those at each table would envision an ideal future for support staff. This discussion was reinforced by the addition of an exercise where each table came up with a newspaper headline and example text of a future story that would illustrate their ideal future.

The next day, the Congress started with a review of the previous day’s work before the delegates began the third phase of our table conversations focusing on library support staff and related issues. This phase of the process was called, Design. During this time, each table identified the over-arching "Provocative Propositions" from our previously envisioned future and then identified which ones were original and notable. The final step in the process, Destiny, was used to identify and propose action steps to fulfill the previous work done through the whole process that included both “doable” and “sustainable” activities. Near the end of the 2-day, event all of the delegates were called together again for a general wrap-up session. It was during this general session that Maureen asked one of the most important questions that helped bring home the importance of the work done at the Congress. She asked, "What is the one thing that you as an individual can do to advance the issues that were addressed by this Congress?" I felt that one question alone spoke volumes as to the importance of the work that was undertaken at the 3rd Congress on professional education.

If you are interested in the outcomes, ideas, and issues addressed at COPE III, you will find transcripts of the work of all 18 groups plus a final report on the Congress at this website: www.ala.org/Content/ContentGroups/HRDR/
3rd_Congress_on_Professional_Education__Focus_on_Library_Support_Staff/
3rd_Congress_on_Professional_Education__Focus_on_Library_Support_Staff.htm

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People and Library News

Bowling Green State University

Nashieli Marcano, an M.L.I.S. student at the Florida State University School of Information Studies, is completing an internship at the Firelands College branch of Bowling Green State University. She has gained practical experience in library instruction, reference, cataloging and processing and circulation including OhioLINK lending. She feels that this experience has augmented her regular curriculum by introducing her to the "work culture" of an actual library and, in particular, giving experience in the reference interview principles which cannot be learned through course work alone. She says, "I chose a small library because it gave me an opportunity to engage in a variety of library related functions." The Firelands College Library staff agrees that this has been a valuable experience for them as well. Ms Marcano has provided a new perspective on ways of looking at how the staff normally does things.

Muskingum College Library

Judith Gaydos joined the library staff in September. She moved from the Pittsburgh, PA area where she was the director of a small public library. Judi is the Head of User Services at Muskingum College Library.

Andrew Whitis accepted the position of Reference/Web Resources Librarian at Muskingum and will begin on Jan. 1, 2004. He is completing an MLIS at the University of Pittsburgh.

Brian Kern was promoted to Head of Technical Services effective August 2003. Brian has been at Muskingum College since July 2000 in the position of cataloger.

NEOUCOM

Christine Rigda, previously the Original/Special Materials Cataloger at The University of Akron, joined the NEOUCOM library staff as the Web Development/Asst. Systems Librarian on November 17, 2003. Her main responsibility will be developing web pages for the library and faculty.

Oberlin College

Megan Kinney joined Oberlin’s staff in September as the Mellon Librarian Recruitment Program Coordinator. This program, funded with a $500,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, aims to attract undergraduate students to the library profession. It is a collaborative project of Oberlin and five other institutions, including the libraries of the Atlanta University Center, a consortium of historically Black colleges and universities, and Mount Holyoke, Occidental, Swarthmore, and Wellesley Colleges. The program builds on an earlier effort funded with a grant to Oberlin from the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The IMLS Internship Project was described with a poster session and panel presentation at the 2001 ALAO Conference. Both awards are intended to help broaden the racial and ethnic composition of the library profession, to better serve increasingly diverse populations.

Megan will work with the program at the consortial level, coordinating grant activities with campus contacts at each of the other five participating institutions, as well as manage the grant locally on the Oberlin campus. She will also be staffing the Main Library reference desk several hours each week.

Megan's prior experience as National Youth Access Coordinator at Libraries for the Future (LFF) in Phoenix makes her well suited for her position with the Mellon grant. As programming coordinator for the Arizona LFF office, Megan was responsible for implementing and directing several grant-based projects that support public libraries as cornerstone institutions in the community. She collaborated closely with libraries statewide to develop programs designed to foster leadership, communication, information literacy, and technology skills among at-risk youth aged 12 to 21 and to assist newly arrived refugees in learning to use public libraries as vital resources in the resettlement process.

Megan holds a Masters of Science in Information from the University of Michigan and received her BA in French magna cum laude from the Ohio State University.

Ohio State University

Martin Jamison has a published article, "Synonyms and the Challenges of Information Retrieval," in Psychology and Education, volume 40, no. 2 (2003): 21-26.

Ohio Wesleyan University

Vickie Melicher is the new serials librarian at Ohio Wesleyan University. She has a BS in Business Administration from The University of Northern Colorado and earned her MLIS from Kent State University. Previously Ms. Melicher worked in the library at Denison University.

Carol Holliger has been hired as Archivist for the newly merged Archives of Ohio United Methodism, housed at Ohio Wesleyan University. The collection Carol oversees is jointly sponsored and supported by the University and the East and West Ohio Conferences of the United Methodist Church.

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About the ALAO Newsletter

ALAO Newsletter Publication Information

The ALAO Newsletter is published four times a year by the Academic Library Association of Ohio, in September, December, March, and June. It is made available as a benefit of membership. The purpose of the ALAO Newsletter is to advance the goals of the organization and serve the membership.

Deadlines for Contributors:
August 15, November 15, February 15, May 15.

Submission Guidelines:
We reserve the right to edit for space and clarity. Please send text copy to the Carol Wittig in electronic format, preferably as an electronic mail Word document attachment or within the body of an email message. Include your name as you wish it to appear. If you are past deadline, PLEASE call Carol Wittig!

The Academic Library Association of Ohio assumes no responsibility for the statements and opinions of the contributors to this publication. Editorial views do not necessarily represent the official position of ALAO.

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