Newsletter
Academic Library Association of Ohio... A Chapter of ACRL
Volume 22, Number 1 (March 2004)
Lois Szudy (Otterbein College)
President
Many Opportunities, Many Thanks
Thank you to everyone who continues to make ALAO a vibrant,
active and exciting organization. You are APPRECIATED, whether you regularly renew
your membership, volunteer to serve on the Executive Board, are active with an
interest group, serve as a liaison between ALAO and the libraries, and/or attend
ALAO sponsored events, etc. Without all of us working together ALAO would not
be the wonderful membership organization it is.
If you haven't renewed your 2004 membership, there is still time to do so. It
is particularly critical at this time of year that you renew, particularly if
you want the opportunity to vote for officers for next year. If your membership
has lapsed, Cliff Glaviano, Past President and Chair of the Nominating Committee,
has given you another chance to renew your ALAO membership while you vote for
new ALAO officers. Please vote and please renew your membership in ALAO.
Please remember to apply for a grant from the Research & Publications Committee
- it is a great opportunity to have ALAO assist with your scholarship and research.
The deadline is May 1! More information is available on the ALAO
website.
Get involved with legislative issues both in Ohio and nationally. Contact Susan
Scott, Ann Watson or Cindy Kristof,
our Government Relations Team, to find out ways that you can get involved and
make a difference.
The ALAO Interest groups are scheduling their spring workshops - more information
is available in this newsletter. Please support the interest groups by attending
the workshops. The topics for the workshops are timely and they are an excellent
way to increase your knowledge and interact with your peers from around Ohio.
Don't forget we have a new interest group on Distance Learning - Abbie Basile
from Ohio Dominican is the chair.
The Chair of the Programming Committee, John Burke, and his committee are
hard at work planning next year's conference to be held on November 12,
2004, and titled,
"ALAO at 30: Positioning our Libraries, Positioning Ourselves." It
is sure to be an exciting conference. Please consider presenting at this
conference
- you just need to submit your proposal to the Program Committee. More information
is available in this newsletter and on the ALAO website. With your help,
we can
make the conference a success!
The ALAO Executive Board met in February - the two biggest issues at this meeting
were the process of revising the board manual and the discussion regarding making
the Public Relations Coordinator an elected and voting member of the ALAO Board.
Many thanks to Pat Breno, Manual Revision Coordinator; Betsy Blankenship, PR Coordinator;
Cliff Glaviano, Past President; and others for their work on these two topics.
We will continue to discuss these and many other issues at our next Board meeting,
scheduled for April 22, 2004, (to be held at the OhioLINK offices).
I was able to represent ALAO at several ACRL meetings at Midwinter in San Diego.
Thanks to Susan Scott and Betsy Blankenship for putting together a wonderful written
report highlighting ALAO - it was great to hear Ohio and ALAO discussed in such
a positive manner at an ALA national conference!
And finally, plan to attend the "Tech Connections 5 Conference" on
Monday June 7 and Tuesday June 8, 2004, at the Fawcett Center, The Ohio State
University, 2400 Olentangy River Rd., Columbus, OH. The Conference will focus
on the staff training needs of academic, public, school, and special libraries.
It is considered Ohio's premier library technology conference. For more information
check out the website at www.rls.lib.oh.us/tc5/.
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| DATE |
EVENT |
| March 15 |
DEADLINE: ALAO's $600.00 Legislative
Travel Award [www.alaoweb.org/legislative/travel2004.pdf] for ALA National
Library Legislative Day |
| April 14 |
KSU-SLIS Annual Alumni and Friends Honors & Awards Dinner |
| April 22 |
ALAO Board Meeting @ OhioLINK |
| April 23 |
IIG/DLIG Spring Workshop
"Learning Objects for Library Instruction."
Where: OSU Science and Engineering Library |
| April 24 |
Statehouse Connect Day |
| April 30 |
DEADLINE: Annual Conference Presentation and Poster Session Proposals |
| May 1 |
DEADLINE: ALAO Research Grant Applications |
| May 3 & 4 |
ALA National Library Legislative Day |
| May 7 |
CMCIG Spring Workshop
"Curriculum Materials Centers: Re-Discovering
our Collections."
Where: Bowling Green State University |
| May 15 |
ALAO Newsletter Submissions Deadline |
| May 24 |
SSIG Spring Workshop
"ALA...Support Staff...the Here &
the Now."
Where: Ohio Wesleyan University |
| May 27 |
CMIG Spring Workshop
"Maintaining Print Collections: Something
Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Moldy."
Where: Wittenberg University |
| June 7 & 8 |
Tech Connections 5 Conference @ The Ohio State University |
| June 15 |
ALAO Newsletter Published |
| November 12 |
ALAO 30th Annual Conference @ Sinclair CC |
|
|
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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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Cliff Glaviano (Bowling Green State University)
Immediate Past President
I am pleased to announce that we have an excellent slate of candidates for the
upcoming election. Brief bios and statements of interest can be found on the 2004
Elections page [www.alaoweb.org/announce/election04.html] on the ALAO web pages.
For additional information on the duties of the offices, please consult the relevant
areas of the ALAO Manual www.alaoweb.org/manual/.
Here are the candidates for ALAO office:
- Vice-President/President Elect
- Susan Scott, Denison University
- Rob Withers, Miami University
- Secretary
- Kathy Dobda, Cleveland State University
- Jacky Johnson, Miami University
- Membership Chair
- Brian Hickham, OSU-Mansfield
- Kathy Kobyljanec, John Carroll University
- Board Member-at-Large (three to be elected, 2-year term)
- Colleen Boff, Bowling Green State University
- Kevin Furniss, Denison University
- Jolene Miller, Medical College of Ohio
- Alisa Mizikar, Wittenberg University
- Judy Perella, Ashland University
The membership will be receiving ballots by way of US Cargo or snail mail after
March 20, with a requested return to OCA by April 6, 2004.
Current members will be eligible to vote in this election. If your dues are in
arrears, you will be hearing from Membership Chair Aimée DeChambeau
very shortly. Aimée will be asking that you renew your membership by March
30 to ensure voting eligibility. If you're new to Ohio or have a new or
renewed interest in ALAO, please submit your application at www.alaoweb.org/membership/join.html.
If you have a colleague that’s running, thank them for volunteering for ALAO
office.
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John J. Burke (Miami University--Middletown)
Vice President/President Elect
Academic Library Association of Ohio
30th Annual Conference, November 12, 2004
David H. Ponitz Sinclair Center -- Dayton, Ohio
The members of the 2004 ALAO Program Committee have continued their hard work
on the 30th Annual Conference: “ALAO at 30: Positioning Our Libraries, Positioning
Ourselves.” The conference will be held in Dayton at Sinclair Community
College’s David H. Ponitz Sinclair Center on November 12, 2004.
The call for proposals and registration materials may be found on our newly established
conference web site at www.alaoweb.org/04conf/.
The deadline for presentation and poster session proposals is April 30,
2004. The registration deadline is October 22, 2004.
Make your plans now to travel to Dayton and hear our keynote speaker, Sarah
Pritchard, University Librarian for the University of California at Santa
Barbara. She promises to “offer insights into how to survive and thrive
in the challenging environment of today and tomorrow.” We are delighted
to have her join us for the conference.
An aspect of ALAO that will be celebrated in the upcoming conference is our proud
history as an organization. If anyone has information, pictures, stories, or materials
that they would like to share relating to ALAO’s history, the Program Committee
would like to know. We are assembling a commemorative slide show and some other
activities relating to ALAO’s history for the conference. Please contact
John Burke (burkejj@muohio.edu)
or ALAO Secretary Jacky Johnson (JohnsoJ@muohio.edu).
Thanks go out to the 2004 Program Committee for their continuing efforts: Betsy
Blankenship (PR Coord), OSU-Marion; Susan Direnzo, University
of Akron; Anne Fields, Ohio State University; Kevin Furniss,
Denison University; Rajinder Garcha (Chair, Diversity Committee),
U. Toledo; Deborah Carter Peoples, Ohio Wesleyan University;
Judy Perella, Ashland University; Karen Plummer,
University of Akron; and Diane Schrecker, Ashland University.
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Lesley Jorbin (Cleveland State University), Research &
Publications Committee Chair
Betsy Blankenship (Ohio State University, Marion Campus/Marion Technical College),
Public Relations Coordinator
That’s what the ALAO Research and Publications Committee is asking as it
invites applications for the 2004 Research Grant. Members are encouraged to submit
applications for funding of research projects.
ALAO has long been a strong advocate for professional development opportunities
and through this grant, strives to support and encourage research projects proposed
by ALAO members. Current Committee Chair Lesley Jorbin said,
“Both ongoing and new research projects are considered and up to $500.00
may be awarded to help support research costs. Topics to be investigated must
be limited to issues in libraries, librarianship, and information science and
technology. Even so, a wide choice of subjects is possible.”
Jorbin continued, “Our previous research grants have funded a great variety
of projects; research guides and bibliographies, including: guides to reference
sources in French literature and classical studies, a bibliography of Mozart operas,
and other performing arts guides; comparison studies and surveys relating to library
career patterns and workforce trends; comparative studies of selection policies
for periodicals; Ohio Carnegie Libraries and information literacy assessment.
Some projects have been from individuals, others by a team of several members.
While many projects had other funding sources in addition to our grant, it nevertheless
proved very helpful to them in completing the research. Applicants should have
plans to publish the results of their research, or disseminate it through presentations,
poster sessions, websites, and other means.”
Mary Ellen Armentrout's poster session
at the ALAO 29th Annual Conference, November 2003.
Past grant recipients have, indeed, found it very helpful during their research.
Mary Ellen Armentrout, the 1996 winner, asked for financial support
for her project on Carnegie Libraries in Ohio. It took her four summers to complete
the research and visit all the libraries. Her book Carnegie Libraries of Ohio:
Our Cultural Heritage was published in December 2002, and she recently presented
a poster session on it at the 29th Annual ALAO Conference. Said Armentrout of
the award, “The grant helped fund my travel expenses for the project, but
more importantly, it gave me and the project recognition among my professional
colleagues. They recognized it as a contribution to the field of library history
and to the profession of librarianship.” She currently gives slide lectures
on Ohio Carnegie libraries across the state and is planning to develop a traveling
exhibition to tie in with the book. Mary Ellen is also writing a new book on childhood
memories of Carnegie Libraries, as told through interviews.
Our latest grant winners, a team from Kent State University, has seen great results
with their project. Said Carolyn Radcliff, “In 2001, we
received the ALAO research grant for our project to develop a method for assessing
information literacy. We wanted a tool that was valid, reliable, easy to administer,
and standardized.”
"Although the National Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher
Education are in place, there is no system to measure students' competency with
these skills. So we decided to develop the tools ourselves," said Lisa
O'Connor, one of the original Project SAILS team members.
Radcliff continued, “When we applied for the ALAO grant, the project was
in its infancy--we were thinking about what the ideal method would look like and
how we could come up with something to meet our project goals. We brought together
a group of librarians from around Ohio and from other states and gathered valuable
input from them. We tested early versions of the instrument with students. With
all this input, we developed and fine-tuned a process for creating the instrument.
The ALAO research grant was key to these efforts.”
“The project has really taken off since that time. We finalized a name
for the project: Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS).
In terms of funding, Project SAILS is a piece of an information literacy project
with Bowling Green State University that was funded in 2002 by the Ohio Board
of Regents. Also, in October 2002 we received a $252,000 National Leadership grant
from Institute of Museum and Library Services. We are currently in year two of
that three-year project. Project SAILS has been accepted and is endorsed nationally
by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) as one of the "New Measures
Initiatives" and we are working with ARL to coordinate institutional participation
in the grant project.”
“We are thrilled by the response to the project. From the very beginning,
our colleagues and library administration have been very encouraging. Mark
Weber, Dean of Libraries and Media Services at Kent State University,
has been a staunch supporter because the project fits in so well with library
and university assessment efforts. The grant from ALAO provided valuable resources
and encouragement.”
Once completed, Project SAILS will allow any institution of higher education
to use the testing tool to measure information literacy skills of students both
as incoming freshmen and as graduating seniors, thus noting any change in skill
levels. "With that information in hand, further studies can be conducted
to see why these changes occurred, or if higher skill levels belonged to more
successful students," said Julie Gedeon, another member
of the original project team.
For more information about the project, go to www.projectsails.org.
Members of the Project SAILS Team:
Kent State University
Carolyn Radcliff, Project Administrator
Lisa O'Connor, Test Development
Julie Gedeon, Evaluation and Measurement
Rick Wiggins, Web Programmer
Mary Thompson, Project Coordinator
Association of Research Libraries
Julia Blixrud, Assistant Executive Director, External Relations
So what are YOU waiting for?! The application process is quite easy. Go to the
ALAO website (www.alaoweb.org) and click on
the research grant application. Fill out the form, submit a written proposal of
no more than two pages, include a current vitae and a budget sheet outlining costs
(both direct and indirect), and which items you wish to have the grant fund. Then
mail or fax the completed packet to the Research and Publications Committee c/o
The Ohio College Association. The committee will notify all applicants when applications
are received and the grant recipient(s) will be notified by the Chair by September
1, 2004. The award(s) will be formally announced at the Annual Conference in November
and winners are encouraged to attend to be recognized. For complete information
on the application process, visit the ALAO website or contact Lesley Jorbin
at l.jorbin@csuohio.edu if you have questions.
The deadline to apply is May 1, 2004, so don’t delay. The
committee is looking forward to reading some exciting research proposals!
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Susan Scott and Ann Watson (Denison University), Cindy Kristof
(Kent State University)
Government Relations Team
Statehouse Connect Day - April 28, 2004
Please reserve Wednesday, April 28, 2004, in
your calendars for Statehouse Connect Day, a combined effort between OhioLINK and
ALAO's Government Relations Team.
For those who did not participate last year, this is the day where OhioLINK directors
and librarians are asked to come to Columbus to meet with our state representatives
to express the value of OhioLINK and discuss other legislative issues important
to Ohio's academic libraries. This is a wonderful and rewarding opportunity, as
a librarian and citizen, to be a voice for our academic libraries and the communities
they serve. Further details, including speakers and locations, will be announced
as plans are finalized.
Feel free to contact any member of the Government Relations Team
for more information.
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Susan Scott (Denison University)
ACRL Liaison
The Association of College & Research Libraries' (ACRL) Effective Practices
Committee is accepting submissions for its web-based clearinghouse for effective
practices in academic libraries. The Effective Practices web site can be found
at www.acrl.org/effectivepractices.
The clearinghouse will document practices from all areas of academic libraries.
They are looking for examples of procedures or tools that have been developed
to (for example) streamline workflow, solve problems or improve services.
Susan Scott, ACRL liaison, and Lois Szudy,
ALAO President, attended the Chapters Council at ALA Midwinter, San Diego, January
11, 2004. Ohio’s ALAO chapter was singled out for its report [ALAO
chapter report], at this meeting by Debbie Malone, Chapter’s
Topics editor. Thanks go to Betsy Blankenship for her excellent
photographs and her ideas for the report.
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Jacky Johnson (Miami University)
ALAO Secretary
Jay L. Ladd (1932-1997).
Taken in his office at The Ohio State University, William Oxley Thompson, Main
Library.
February 1993.
The Academic Library Association of Ohio celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
This is the first in a series of articles that will appear in upcoming ALAO newsletters
recognizing founding members.
Each year the Academic Library Association of Ohio awards the Jay Ladd Award
to a member who has made significant contributions in the field of Library Science
in Ohio. Jay’s legacy of leadership and contributions among academic libraries
in Ohio will never be forgotten.
Jay Ladd, founding member of the Academic Library Association of Ohio, began his
career at the Ohio State University as the Head of the Commerce and Business Library.
He is considered a moving force in the organization of ALAO. When he arrived in
Ohio, he and other academic librarians saw the need for an organization that would
allow academic librarians and staff the opportunity to communicate, collaborate,
and share ideas in a professional setting. He knew Ohio needed an organization affiliated
with the Association of College and Research Libraries that would give financial
and professional library support for the organization. In 1974, he and other founders
proposed a joint organization between ACRL and what would become the Academic Library
Association of Ohio.
He was born in St. Louis, Missouri and received his Bachelor's Degree and Master's
of Library Science Degree from Florida State University. Before moving to Ohio State,
he was a reference librarian at the University of New Mexico.
Since adolescence, he always dreamed of becoming a librarian. Eleanor Block,
Head of the Journalism Library at Ohio State describes Jay Ladd as “a librarian
who had a total interest in librarianship.” He had a great sense of humor
and loved to help people. Jay was an effective leader because he believed in mentoring
and training librarians for professional positions. He always went out of his way
to help others become better workers whether it was librarians or classified staff.”
In addition to his professional interests, Jay was known for his love of cooking
and bridge. He is the author of the book titled James Purdy: a Bibliography.
Through Jay Ladd’s legacy, the Academic Library Association of Ohio continues
to flourish and grow.
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On Wednesday, April 14, 2004, the Kent State University School
of Library and Information Science (SLIS) will hold its annual Alumni and Friends
Honors & Awards dinner at Kent State University.
The evening will include an initiation ceremony for the new members of Rho Chapter
of the Beta Phi Mu honor society. A Social Hour will be held at 6:00 p.m. in the
newly-remodeled SLIS where dinner attendees can tour the school and visit the newly-constructed
Reinberger Children's Library Center. A buffet dinner will follow at 7:15 p.m. in
the Schwebel Garden Room of the Kent State Student Center.
The featured speaker for the evening is Peggy Sullivan, a library
consultant specializing in executive searches for public library administrators.
Kent State president, Dr. Carol Cartwright will attend this year's
dinner and also assist with the awards presentation. Alumni and current students
will be honored.
The cost of the dinner is $30.00 per person. All alumni of the Kent State Library
School will receive invitations in early March. Others who wish to attend should
contact Rhonda Filipan at rfilipan@slis.kent.edu
or 330-672-0013. Reservations must be received by March 29, 2004.
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Carol Wittig (Clark State Community College)
Newsletter Editor
In case you missed the recent OCDE Conference in Columbus this past week, library
representation from across the state was quite impressive. Provided as a joint partnership
this year between the Ohio Learning Network, OhioLINK, and the Ohio Supercomputer
Center, OCDE 2004 presented new technologies, insights, and upcoming projects on
the horizon. Select conference papers are available at the conference website [www.oln.org/conferences/OCDE2004/OCDE2004Papers.php],
while a number of sessions were also webcast live during the conference.
Check out the OCDE website for a complete list of your library & campus colleagues
that gave presentations.
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Tina Schneider (Ohio State University--Lima)
CMIG Chair
The Collection Management Interest Group is presenting "Maintaining Print
Collections: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Moldy"
on May 27, 2004, at Wittenberg University. Come hear our speakers
and join in a discussion on disaster prevention and response and cooperative collection
development.
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Diane L. Schrecker (Ashland University)
CMCIG Chair
CMCIG Spring Workshop: Friday, May 7, 2004
The Curriculum Materials Center Interest Group will be hosting
a spring workshop at Bowling Green State University on Friday, May 7th. Plans for
the day include a panel discussion on collection weeding and using the CREW method,
touring the Bowling Green Resource Center, Production Lab, and Technology Resource
Center, and a business meeting. After lunch, we will depart for a guided tour of
the Mazza Museum, International Art from Picture Books at the University of Findlay’s
Garner Fine Arts Pavilion.
Become involved with CMCIG: Chair elect for 2004-05
Are you interested in becoming more involved with the Curriculum
Materials Center Interest Group? CMCIG is looking for someone to serve as chair-elect
for this upcoming year, June 2004 through June 2005. This person would work with
the current chair and coordinating committee in preparation for taking over the
position as chair in June of 2005. Interest Group chairs are non-voting members
of the ALAO board and attend four board meetings per year. The annual leadership
retreat, a two day immersion with both outgoing and incoming IG chairs and board
members, will be held in June. Three additional board meetings, fall, winter, and
spring, are held in Columbus. Please contact Diane Schrecker, or
one of the CMCIG coordinating committee members, Sara Bushong (Bowling
Green State University), Mary Cummings (Shawnee State University),
Greg Martin (Cedarville University), and Ann Raney
(University of Dayton), for more information.
Web Page update: ALAO 29th Annual Conference
A conference section has been added to the CMCIG
web page [www.ashland.edu/library/irc/cmcig/conference.html]. Included is a
short retrospective of our sponsored session, “Curriculum Materials Centers:
Connecting with Education Students and Faculty,” information on presenters,
PDF copies of presentation slides, and photos. As contact information is available
for each presenter, please feel free to discuss individual sessions, presentations,
and handouts with them.
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Abbie Basile (Ohio Dominican University)
DLIG Chair
The Distance Learning Interest Group is still very new and is hoping to attract
more members. Despite our newness, we are planning to offer a joint workshop with
the Instruction Interest Group on Friday, April 23, 2004. The workshop will be held
at the Ohio State University Science and Engineering Library. Karen Diaz
and Nancy O’Hanlon from OSU will present “Learning
Objects for Library Instruction.” The program will focus on the definition
of learning objects, how to find them, how to create new learning objects, and how
to assess them.
More details about the workshop and registration will be coming soon. Anyone interested
in joining the workshop's planning committee is encouraged to contact one of the
chairpersons:
If you are interested in joining the DLIG, please contact Abbie Basile.
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Chris Sheetz (Lorain County Community College) and Judy
Perella (Ashland University)
IIG Co-Chairs
The Instruction Interest Group is planning a joint workshop with the Distance Learning
Interest Group on Friday, April 23, 2004. See the Distance Learning
Interest Group news above for complete details.
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John J. Burke (Miami University--Middletown)
SSIG Chair
The Support Staff Interest Group Program Planning Committee last met at Otterbein
College on January 23, 2004. The committee completed the majority of the planning
for its spring workshop: "ALA ... Support Staff ... the Here & the Now.”
The workshop will be held on Monday, May 24, 2004, at Ohio Wesleyan University in
scenic Delaware and will feature Carol Brey-Casiano, President-Elect
of the American Library Association and Director of the El Paso (TX) Public Library,
as our keynote speaker. More information on the workshop and registration materials
will be available on the SSIG web site shortly.
Remember to nominate individuals for the 2004 Ohio Library Outstanding Support
Staff Award and Ohio Library Outstanding Supporter of Support Staff Award. Registration
materials are available at www.alaoweb.org/comsigs/ssig/awards.html.
The deadline is July 30, 2004. Last year’s winners, Pat
Woods and Cathy Parker, have been nominated by SSIG for
national awards given by Library Journal and Library Mosaics.
SSIG is also looking for new members for its Program Planning Committee and candidates
to run for Secretary/Chair-elect in the spring. Encourage support staff members
to volunteer for these opportunities or please suggest people that the SSIG should
contact to encourage.
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Julia Gammon (University of Akron) and Kevin Furniss (Denison
University)
TSIG Co-Chairs
Greetings everyone.
We are finalizing preparations for our Spring Workshop which will take place at
Denison University at a date to be determined in May, 2004. The title of the workshop
is: "Where are the Technical Services Librarians?"
Our keynote speaker, Dr. Ann O'Neill, Director, Office of Accreditation,
ALA, will discuss issues surrounding the education of technical services librarians.
What are ALA-accredited programs offering? How do we recruit students for this work?
How can you get involved in educating these students? Where are the technical services
faculty?
Trisha Davis of OSU will present a session entitled "Continuing
Education Opportunities for Technical Services Staff." She will discuss web-based
and online training courses for technical services librarians and staff.
Margaret Maurer, Cataloging Manager at Kent State U., will present
"Collaborating to Provide Experienced-Based Learning for Library School Students
While Getting Real Work Done." Margaret will talk about collaborative efforts
between KSU SLIS and the University Library to provide experience in technical service
work for library school students.
We're looking forward to hosting this workshop at Denison and we hope to see you
there. Stay tuned for further details!
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Heidi Beke-Harrigan
Why Every Espresso Needs a Good Library
Vienna winters are not all too different from those in Ohio. One
day it’s bitter cold and the streets are covered with snow. A week later temperatures
are spring like. To escape my twenty-five kindergarteners, the gray skies and cold
(or slush), I visit my favorite café, the Café Diglas, with a good
book. What my local library branch lacks in seating space it makes up for with a
good selection of English reading material. There’s nothing like savoring
an Anne Perry or Elizabeth George in its original language with a cup of good coffee
and whipped cream. Although the C.I. is a café with an OPAC connected to
the public library, the two entities usually happily coexist rather than merge.
Gauging by the number of people who read during their morning subway and train commutes,
and of course in cafes, reading is not passé here. Rather, the coffee house
tradition is so strong people would rather get their materials at the library and
then read them at the cafe. In fact, the city’s new main library was designed
around these two entities and is split into two parts - a lending collection and
a café, social and cultural space. Are libraries here concerned with their
image? Are event planning, library awareness, and PR work something new to librarians
in Vienna?
These are some of the questions I set out to answer in this month’s article.
The last issue outlined the role libraries play in Viennese society. Lately, I’ve
examined how libraries here publicize their collections and market themselves. Emails
I sent to contacts in the profession went unanswered. This may be due to several
factors: most of the country’s schools are on semester break and many families
are on vacation, personal relationships and hierarchy are strongly observed here,
and there is less of an openness about sharing professional experiences. However,
I’ve been collecting examples of marketing efforts and special programs and
was able to speak with some branch librarians, teachers and students about their
impressions of libraries in Austria.
Buechereien Wien (The Mélange of the Libraries)
The city’s public library is a part of Vienna’s municipal
government, which also provides the majority of its funding. As such, the library
markets itself as a provider of traditional library services, with additional emphasis
placed on programming, cultural events, a café and the library as social
gathering space. What results is an information and cultural social service agency.
While the fifty branch locations are networked to the main library and lending is
seamless, each branch functions with a fair amount of autonomy. Programming, outreach,
physical layouts, and collections at each location vary widely.
Most programs and activities take place at the main library. Events are covered
by local media, in city government publications and on the library’s website.
The website, in particular, seems to be a primary communications vehicle for the
entire library system. Patrons also have the opportunity to sign up for a variety
of electronic newsletters. While branch location and contact information is provided
in a brochure and on the main library website, branches do not generally receive
or generate much PR coverage. Nor do they always know what is going on in the main
library or other branches. They concentrate much less on programming and more on
meeting the information needs of their constituency.
In order to manage communication and programming demands, the main library employs
a combination PR manager and event coordinator. Children’s programming and
collections receive intense support with their own floor in the main library, brochures
and a web portal under the name Kirango. (www.kirango.at)
Afternoon readings and theater productions are very popular with elementary school
children and their parents. Local branches are usually also well stocked with children’s
materials – however without the emphasis on programs, activities and extras.
Many of the local schools also link to the library’s OPAC. Grade school teachers
usually have a close relationship with their local library branch and take classes
there regularly. Most of the teachers I talked to, consider the library an important
resource – especially because it is not common for grade schools to maintain
on-site libraries. If they do, they are added to a faculty member’s other
responsibilities and not managed by a professional librarian.
Programming is diverse and creative. In late December, the third annual cultural
trip through Vienna’s Neubau section offered what can best be described as
a progressive dinner of the arts. Attendees walked to half hour programs offered
by various city institutions in the areas of music, art, literature, architecture,
theater and film. Along the route, local TV personalities and a saxophone quartet
entertained participants with jazz and swing era music. Admission to the program
was free of charge and ended with a party on the library’s rooftop café.
A number of corporate sponsors, including one of the large city newspapers, supported
the event. An upcoming evening program “Young literature in Bulgaria”
provides additional insight into events held at the main library. Literary works
by young Bulgarian writers will be presented to musical accompaniment and followed
by author videos and photos. After a public discussion, attendees will adjourn to
a buffet.
Many of the programs offered seem to be joint efforts. A recent email announced
the opening of a three-part exhibition dealing with the subject of guest workers
and immigration. Many of the events will be held in the library itself and have
been coordinated by Vienna’s museums, the library, and Filmarchiv Austria.
National Library (Multifaceted like a Franziskaner with Whipped Cream)
History, innovation, and literature all merge at the National
Bibliothek. This unique institution is the Austrian counterpart to our Library of
Congress. Over the past few years its marketing emphasis has evolved from the traditional
preservation and depository of things national and historic, to becoming a user-friendly
and service-oriented organization. Extensive renovations, a 100% increase in the
book buying budget and expanded facilities, networking and new terminals and laptops,
represent some of the many changes the institution has undergone. By 2005, the library
would like to make several of its databases internet accessible. A large newspaper-digitizing
project is also underway.
How have these changes been financed? The library operates as a profit center and
generates income through licensing of content, rental of its beautiful facilities,
as well as active book and general sponsorship programs. These programs share a
similarity with our museum or public television membership programs.
Library events are communicated via local, national and international media, the
library website and throughout the city on posters. Samples of recent events include
Food for your mind – about books, publishers, paper & more, From the past
to the future – cultural/historical ties between Lettland and Austria, In
the beginning was the word – illuminated bibles. Additionally, the library
has its own music salon, which features regular performances and events, and a literature
salon, which is home to many readings.
University of Vienna (A Good Strong Espresso)
As expected, the university library serves two functions: meeting
academic information needs and archiving historically significant materials. The
library automatically preserves anything published in Vienna, Lower Austria and
Burgenland. International cooperation and joint projects with other libraries and
information-oriented organizations represents an important aspect of the library’s
mission and how it markets itself. Forty-nine subject-specific libraries complement
the main library – all with their own lending policies. In most cases, however,
the libraries are for on-site use and not lending oriented.
Library services very closely mirror what we have come to expect
from large academic libraries in the US. Databases, remote access, information literacy
courses and circulation policies all look reassuringly familiar. Marketing and communications
efforts almost exclusively target the academic and scholarly community via the university
website. Generally, emphasis is placed on enhancing services, electronic and print
collections.
Student and faculty feedback I received indicate that relevance and justification
are not (yet) an issue for academic librarians here. The university library is considered
a vital resource for the rigorous research requirements of both undergraduate and
undergraduate students.
Conclusion (That Last Cup)
On many fronts, Austrian libraries face challenges familiar to
us. How can service expectations be met, new ideas implemented, and technology integrated
all within budget? International (foreign language) materials represent a major
cost challenge and may be an opportunity for us to explore cooperative solutions.
Vienna’s libraries are responding to these challenges with unique programming,
strong patron relationships and by partnering with other organizations. Despite
bookstores, internet cafes, and technological changes, libraries are alive and well
here. One reason may be that Austrians have less disposable income due to the tax
burdens of a strong social system and relay on libraries to provide broad information
access.
Today, the librarian at my local branch found the perfect book for a kindergarten
project I am working on. The staff there is always friendly and in a city where
I am still a stranger in many ways, my visits there always provide a comforting
link with home. The professionalism and helpfulness of librarians truly transcends
borders.
For more information, statistics, and details:
Buechereien
Wien [www.buechereien.wien.at/buechereienportal/(pnxa3j452p2djn553yit4wua)/index.aspx]
National Bibliothek [www.onb.ac.at/]
University of Vienna [ub.univie.ac.at/index.html]
Directory of Libraries
in Austria [www.kb.nl/infolev/libweb/Austria.html]
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Aimée deChambeau, Membership Chair
The University of Akron
Angela Sloan and Michael Schaffer
have joined the Circulation Department staff and Linda Cantara
is the new Metadata Librarian.
Jennifer Skerritt has joined the Cincinnati State
Johnnie Mae Berry Library staff as an adjunct librarian. Jennifer will be providing
reference and bibliographic instruction services in the late afternoon/early evening
shift.
Ann M. Watson has been promoted to Head of Instruction
and Access Services at Denison University's William Howard Doane Library. Ann also
completed a second master's (MA - Education) from The Ohio State University this
past December 2003. She holds a MLIS from Kent State University and a BA in History
from West Virginia University.
Thomas M. Hyland Jr. has joined the Library staff
at Lorain County Community College as Reference Associate.
Rocki Strader of OSU is the 2004 recipient of
the Carol June Bradley Award for Historical Research in Music Librarianship from
the Music Library Association, for a project on the history of cataloging of sound
recordings in the United States.
John M. Bennett, OSU Rare Books & Manuscripts Library, has
published a book of poetry, The Peel and the Peel Peeled, Oysterville,
WA: Anabasis Press, 2004.
Anne M. Fields has published “‘Years Hence of These
Scenes’”: Wharton’s The Spark and World War I” in the Edith
Wharton Review; vol. XIX, no. 2, Fall, 2003: 1+.
Meri Meredith has published "Retrieving Information for International
Management Research: Electronic and Print Sources" in the Handbook for
International Management Research. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Blackwell, 2003.
Joint Project
Ohio State University Libraries and the Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology,
Southern Methodist University, have been awarded a grant of $10,000 to contribute
images from the 1563, 1570, 1576, and 1583 editions of John Foxe's Acts and Monuments
of the English Martyrs to the American Theological Library Association’s Cooperative
Digital Resources Initiatives database (www.atla.com/digitalresources/).
Foxe's Acts and Monuments is a key document in the
long stream of Christian literature and denominational development. Providing access
to this original resource material with its accompanying metadata will support the
study of church history in general, Reformation studies, iconography, theology,
English art and literature, as well as other disciplines. The grant is funded through
the generous support of the Luce Foundation. Marti Alt (alt.1@osu.edu)
is Project Director.
Digital Union
The new Digital Union at Ohio State University offers 2,000 square feet of physical
space and 100 megabits of network connectivity dedicated to future collaborations
between the Offices of the CIO, the University Libraries, and other campus-based
organizations that operate at the nexus of content and technology./p>
The physical home of the Digital Union is on the 3rd floor of the Science and Engineering
Library. It consists of a videoconference suite, a video theater for sharing novelty
and newness, a multimedia production facility, and space dedicated to university
and corporate partnerships that showcase the research efforts of OSU faculty.
Students working on assignments or research projects
that incorporate multimedia products will receive assistance from Digital Union
staff in using the hardware and software resources. For more information go to:
telr.osu.edu/digitalunion/index.html.
Library Technology Seminar
A Library Technology Seminar, open to all, will be presented May 24-27, 2004,
at The Ohio State University Pfahl Hall Executive Conference Center, The Blackwell
Hotel, and the Fisher College of Business. The seminar, "Technology for the
Rest of Us: What Every Librarian Should Understand about the Technologies that Affect
Us" is sponsored by The Ohio State University Libraries and OhioLINK. The seminar
will present two topics each day related to how technology works and the implications
of related issues will be explained in simple terms by recognized experts. These
seminars are designed to help you understand the foundations and workings of current
technologies we face every day. For more information go to:
www.lib.ohio-state.edu/Lib_Info/Newsnotes/nn012104.html#seminar.
Pat Wood, Library Associate, and Crystal
Jennings, Student Library Assistant, presented "Student Assistants:
Hired, Trained, Retained" for the OSU Law Library staff on December 9, 2003.
Dr. Theresa S. Byrd, Director, L.A. Beeghly Library,
served as facilitator for the ACRL President's Discussion Forum, "Partnerships
and Connections: The Learning Community as Knowledge Builders" at the American
Library Association Midwinter meeting.
Vickie Melicher, Serials Librarian, has been selected to receive
the First Step Award - Wiley Professional Development Grant to attend the American
Library Association annual conference in Orlando Florida in June 2004.
Amy Parsons recently joined Otterbein College
Courtright Memorial Library as the Reference/Cataloging Librarian. Amy received
her MLIS Degree from San Jose State University and her BA in Art History from OSU.
While her most recent library positions were in California, Amy is no stranger to
Ohio. She previously worked at Denison University Library, OCLC, and OSU Libraries.
Amy is very happy to be back in Ohio and we are very happy to have her back, too!
Amy replaces Kellie Clark, who resigned from Otterbein College
Library in December to spend more time with her new son, Braedon. Kellie was very
active in ALAO and served on the program committee that planned this year's conference.
We will miss Kellie, but wish her the best with her new endeavors.
The Owens Community College Library recently welcomed Michael
Aked as the new Acquisitions Librarian.
The Clark Memorial Library is working cooperatively with the Portsmouth
Public Library to sponsor a "One Book, One Community" program for Scioto
County and the surrounding region. A task force of community representatives has
been formed and a community based committee will soon release a list of 6 books
from which the community will vote for one title. Plans include fall book discussions
and then hosting the speaker on campus in Spring 2005.
Christen Cardina and Donald Wicks
(Kent State Univ., SLIS) have recently co-authored “The Changing Roles of
Academic Reference Librarians Over a Ten-Year Period” in Reference &
User Services Quarterly 44 (Winter 2004).
Roger Durbin and Jo Ann Calzonetti’s article
“Academic Meets Corporate: Science and Technology Library Services in the
Corporate World,” will appear in the forthcoming Innovations in Science
and Technology Libraries, edited by William Miller and Rita Pellen, Haworth
Press (a monograph published simultaneously as Science & Technology Libraries,
v.24, nos. 1 / 2 and 3 / 4).
Jo Ann Calzonetti and Aimée deChambeau
published “Virtual Reference: A Telecommuting Opportunity?” in Information
Outlook, v.7, no.10, October 10, 2003, pp. 34-36, 38-39.
Aimée deChambeau and Ira Sasowsky (Univ.
of Akron, Dept of Geology) published “Using Information Literacy Standards
to Improve Geoscience Courses” in the Journal of Geoscience Education,
v.51, no. 5, November 2003, pp. 480-495.
Pat Walker, Senior Associate University Librarian
and recipient of the ALAO 2000 Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award, retired from
Wright State University on December 19, 2003, after 30 years of service to the university.
Sheila Shellabarger, formerly Associate University Librarian for
the Fordham Health Sciences Library, has been appointed Associate University Librarian
for Public Services effective January 1, 2004. In this capacity, she supervises
the Reference & Instruction and Information Delivery Services Departments in
the Dunbar, Fordham, and Lake Campus libraries of Wright State University.
Brett Powers, formerly Web Coordinator at Wright State University
Libraries, accepted a position at The Cancer Center at St. Mary's Mercy Hospital
in Grand Rapids, MI, effective January 2004.
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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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