ALAO News

President's Report

Pencil It In

The pen may be mightier than the sword, but where does the pencil rank? I had a wonderful experience lately reading The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance by Henry Petroski (Alfred A. Knopf, 1990). Did you know that makers of early pencils were solely dependent on a single graphite mine in Borrowdale, England? Did you know that no one really knows when the first pencil was invented (sometime before 1565)? Did you know that Henry David Thoreau and Armand Hammer had major impacts on pencil manufacture? Did you know that the red cedar tree was nearly wiped out to accommodate their production? All right, it is a somewhat odd topic and a major investment of time, but I gained some intriguing insights. I am happy to share them with you here to save you the effort.

Petroski sets out in the book to illustrate the development of a technological artifact that we take for granted. People are comfortable with and have come to expect the pencil’s presence, but they are really not concerned with its origins nor do they imagine changing it much. The author demonstrates the impact of the pencil on many facets of society; in particular his own field of engineering. Yet he goes a step further, proclaiming that “the story of a single object told in depth can reveal more about the whole of technology and its practitioners than a sweeping survey of all of the triumphal works of … engineering.”

Having read the book, I can say that it does leave me with a much better understanding of the methods and processes used by engineers. It was also quite interesting to see how the pencil evolved over the centuries and how the demands of its users shaped that evolution.

What does this have to do with libraries, you may ask? Well, Petroski’s belief that “pencil making is a near-perfect metaphor for engineering” made me wonder if library service has a similar metaphor. Which of our technologies, our concepts, our physical artifacts best tells the tale of our intentions and efforts? The MARC record? The book? The date stamp? The catalog (in any form)? The book drop? Keyword searching?

The everyday, the indispensable, the essential technologies: each one tells a story of constant improvement and a constant focus on meeting the needs of our patrons. Look closely at any element of the work of libraries and see the vision and mission that drives our enterprise. See within the tools and creations of your daily work the history of their development. Watch how each small piece and process builds onto the whole of the library, preparing the way for each new user of our services.

It really is a good book. If I can see engineering in a pencil, I can glory in the promise of library service found in a date stamp.

Board Meeting Report

The ALAO Board met on February 10 at the OHIONET offices in Columbus. I was unable to attend due to illness, and in my stead Vice-President/President-Elect Susan Scott lead the meeting. A number of actions were accomplished thanks to the hard work and wisdom of the entire board:

• Procedures manual revisions continue. Under the stewardship of Past President Lois Szudy, a number of updates to the manual were approved during the meeting.
• ALAO Poster and Fact Sheet underway. Public Relations Coordinator Betsy Blankenship presented a draft of a promotional poster to the board. It was approved and is now awaiting final revisions and printing before distribution to ALAO liaisons at each member institution. Betsy is also working on a brief fact sheet on the association for marketing purposes.
• ALAO membership cards are coming. Membership Chair Brian Hickam investigated methods for producing a membership card for current ALAO members. The board approved his course of action. Watch for your card in the near future.
• An ALAO scholarly electronic journal. Board members Robin Sinn, Jolene Miller, and Colleen Boff proposed that ALAO consider publishing an electronic journal. The board approved a motion to move ahead with planning on the project and for questions about an electronic journal to be placed on the ALAO Membership Survey to gauge interest.
• Quarterly board reports posted on the web. Susan DiRenzo pioneered a method for board members to post their quarterly board reports and board minutes to a web site rather than distributing them via email. The site allows the board to easily view documents in a single spot.

If you have questions about these or other board activities, or have suggestions for future board agenda items, please feel free to contact me at president@alaoweb.org.

Membership Survey: Let Your Voice Be Heard!

It’s time for ALAO to set its course for the next three years by establishing a strategic plan (covering 2005/06 through 2007/08). As part of this process, ALAO will be conducting a membership survey to gauge interest in our current offerings and services and to gain feedback on some possible future directions. The survey taskforce is currently finalizing its work. Watch for more information on how the survey may be accessed and completed in the near future.

Help Save Your Library Resources – Support OhioLINK Funding!

As the Ohio biennial budget situation becomes clearer (or perhaps murkier), concerns grow for many of our institutions regarding higher education funding. OhioLINK is also facing the potential of sizeable cuts that will impact the services they offer. I am glad to see them stepping out proactively to address our database funding concerns. I hope that OhioLINK libraries and ALAO members will find ways to publicize this effort among their patrons. Information on their “Support OhioLINK Funding” campaign is available at www.ohiolink.edu/supportohiolink/. I would suggest that we all can play a role in this locally, perhaps using the OhioLINK funding concerns as an inroad to address our own needs with deans and provosts and presidents.

Libraries Connect Ohio Plus (LCO+)

On March 2, Vice-President/President-elect Susan Scott and I attended the quarterly meeting of LCO+ at the State Library of Ohio. LCO+ is comprised of representatives from the State Library of Ohio, OhioLINK, OPLIN, INFOhio, OELMA, OLC, and ALAO. There was much discussion on the biennial budget and its impact on our various libraries and organizations. Projections based on Governor Taft’s budget are not promising at all. In addition to the OhioLINK site mentioned above, take a look at www.olc.org/protectlibraryfunding.asp for information on the public library situation as well as winslo.state.oh.us/newsletter/mar05legis.html on the budget impact for the State Library, OPLIN, and the regional library systems.

Another item discussed at the meeting was a means of envisioning the partnership between the State Library, OPLIN, INFOhio, and OhioLINK in a clearer way. Their cooperation and a joint LSTA grant bring the state a core set of databases, but the relationship is not well known or understood (particularly by legislators). Work is underway to build a web presence for the LCO partnership and a portal for all Ohioans to access these common resources.

A number of forthcoming or in-process projects were also discussed, including a statewide collection of audio e-books and the potential for a statewide telephone reference service. The meeting ended on an update of progress to coordinate our combined delegation to ALA National Legislative Day in May. I would encourage any ALAO member with an interest in attending this event to apply now for the ALAO Legislative Advocate Travel Award (see www.alaoweb.org for the application).

Directors/Supervisors Interest Group?

I was alerted to a recent national effort initiated by an Ohio librarian. Brian Gray (Case Western) is the chair of the Dialogue with Directors Discussion Group, which had its inaugural meeting during the January 2005 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston. The group offers an open forum for discussion on issues of library administration. It is aimed at prospective and current library leaders as well as anyone interested in how libraries are (or should be) managed.

I wonder if ALAO needs to pursue a similar effort within our association to prepare our members for increased supervisory responsibilities as well as opportunities to serve as directors. If you have opinions or suggestions on such an effort, please feel free to contact me at president@alaoweb.org. I am interested in discussing the matter further before moving ahead.

Executive Board Roster Changes

Karen Plummer (U. Akron) stepped down as Newsletter Co-Editor in November 2004. Pat Breno (Owens Community College) stepped down as Manual Revision Coordinator in January 2005. The ALAO Board thanks Karen and Pat for their efforts on behalf of the association.

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2005 ALAO Election - Roster of Candidates

I am pleased to announce that we have an excellent slate of candidates for the upcoming election. Brief bios and statements of interest will be available soon on the ALAO 2005 Elections web pages [www.alaoweb.org/announce/election05.html]. 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 (Vote for one)

Ann Watson, Denison University
Karen Wilhoit, Wright State University

Treasurer (Vote for one)

Jo Ann Calzonetti, University of Akron
Sheila Shellabarger, Wright State University

Public Relations/Outreach Coordinator (Vote for one)

Diane Schrecker, Ashland University
Rob Withers, Miami University

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

Betsy Blankenship, Ohio State University at Marion
Sharon Huge, Ohio University at Lancaster
Kathy Kobyljanec, John Carroll University
Alisa Mizikar, Wittenberg University
Doug Morrison, Ohio State University ATI Library
Robin Sinn, Bowling Green State University

The membership will be receiving ballots by way of US Cargo or snail mail after March 31, with a requested return to OCA by April 15, 2005. Current members will be eligible to vote in this election. If your dues are in arrears, you will be receiving a membership renewal form with your ballot. 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. Together we make ALAO a vibrant and effective organization.

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Dates to Remember

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Membership News

The main activities to report are that we are making progress toward sending all current members “ALAO Membership Cards.” The information on these cards will include your membership expiration date. By the end of this month, I’ll be sending out emails to all current members, asking you to verify your information (so that I may print the cards). Membership cards will be sent to ALAO Liaisons via U.S. Cargo.

The Membership Database has proved very useful for communication. Each time we send out a mass email, we are able to use the emails that bounce back to update or correct contact information. If you haven’t received an email from me, and believe your membership is current for 2005, please contact me (brian.hickam@utoledo.edu). Please also send me a note if your job location and/or email have changed.

Lastly, I’ll also be spending the month of March updating our ALAO Liaisons' directory.

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2005 Conference Update

Academic Library Association of Ohio
31st Annual Conference, November 4, 2005
Fawcett Center – Columbus, OH

2005 Conference planning continues. Many thanks to the members of the 2005 Program Committee: Betsy Blankenship, OSU- Marion & MTC; Kathyanne Dobda, CSU; Kevin Furniss, Denison.; Georgene Johnson, WSCC; Megan Kinney, Oberlin; Kim Leggett, CSCC; Judy Perella, Ashland U.; Diane Schrecker, Ashland U.; Amy Pickenpaugh, Otterbein; Karen Plummer, U of Akron; Peggy Rector, Denison; and Chris Rigda, NEOUCOM. I have the official title of Chair, but it is the dedicated work of the committee members who will make it all happen in November.

The Conference web site is in the building stages on our ALAO web site [alaoweb.org/05conf/]. I can just see the “wheels turning” as you all come up with creative ideas for a presentation! Information for presenters and for poster session presenters is now available, as well as an online proposal submission form. The submission deadline is May 9th. You may also register now for the Conference on the web site.

Coming soon to the Conference web site:

•  Our keynote speaker - you’re guaranteed to have fun at his presentation!
  
•  Columbus hotel accommodation information.
  
•  Information concerning the 2005 Support Staff Presenter Grant
  .

Mark your calendars now!

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ACRL Liaison Report

ALAO is recognizing and saluting those members who will be presenting/participating at the ACRL 12th National Conference in April. Read more about this on the ALAO website [www.alaoweb.org/ala-info/acrl.html].

News from ACRL Chapters Council

ACRL Chapters Council met at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston on Sunday, January 16th.

ACRL President Francis Maloy discussed the possible upcoming dues increase for ACRL membership. She stated several reasons for the dues increase, including:

•  A continual drop in revenue from C&RL News because of less advertisements and classifieds.
  
•  ACRL’s reserve funding is decreasing. In the past five years, this reserve revenue fund has declined from 2 million to a projected $750,000 by the year 2006.
  
•  Without the dues increase, essential ACRL programs will have to be cut.
  
•  Read more FAQs about the proposed dues increase at: www.ala.org/ala/acrl/aboutacrl/acrlmembership/duesfaq.htm.

ACRL’s 12th Conference will take place April 7-10, 2005. The conference, “Currents and Convergence: Navigating the Rivers of Change” will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The keynote address will be given by William J. Mitchell - Architecture and Media Arts and Sciences, Academic Head of Media Arts and Sciences, and Former Dean of School of Architecture and Planning - Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

ACRL will hold Presidential Elections in the Spring. Randy Burke Hensley and Pamela Snelson are the ACRL Presidential candidates. You can read their biographical statements at www.ala.org/ala/acrl/aboutacrl/election.htm. Don’t forget to vote when the ballots come out this spring.

ACRL's Effective Practices Clearinghouse is now ready to accept your submissions! ACRL is frequently looked to and contacted for descriptions of effective practices in the academic library profession. The goal of the Effective Practices Clearinghouse is to recognize effective practices in academic libraries in areas such as programs, services, facilities, technology, and initiatives and share them so they are accessible to academic librarians and the entire education community. If your library has an effective practice to share, ACRL encourages you to complete and submit an Effective Practices Form. Your practice will be peer reviewed and considered for this site. The Effective Practices Clearinghouse is a work in progress. With your help we expect the Clearinghouse to grow rapidly. See www.acrl.org/effectivepractices for further information.

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2004 Conference Highlights Online

The 2004 ALAO Conference highlights and presentations are available on the ALAO website at www.alaoweb.org/04conf/.

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Apply for an ALAO Research Grant

Are you conducting research? Perhaps you’re trying to find some money to help pay a student assistant. Maybe you need to pay a statistical consultant to help with all that data you've collected. Do you have the perfect research project but need to hire a graduate student to help run focus groups?

Never fear! The ALAO Research Grant is here! Each year ALAO makes up to $500 available to help ALAO members fund their research. It’s easy to apply for this competitively awarded grant.

1. Go to www.alaoweb.org/comsigs/rpgrant05.html and read the materials describing the grant.
2. Complete the application form. Please copy and paste it into a Word document and then send it as an email attachment.
3. The form must be received by May 1, 2005. Send it to me at rsinn@bgnet.bgsu.edu.
4. You will be notified when I receive the materials. The Research & Publications Committee will choose a winner(s) by the middle of June and notify everyone who applied.
5. The check will be sent from the ALAO Treasurer to the winner(s).

That’s all there is to it! Please contact me or other members of the Research & Publications Committee if you have any questions. Good luck!

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Diversity Committee News

It’s A Small World: ALAO Members Reach Out in South Africa

"With 85 percent unemployment, a 40 percent HIV infection rate, and class sizes that can top 70 students, rural communities in KwaZulu Natal have an overwhelming need for programs that build self-confidence and hope, which can lead to real, lasting community change." –Laura Wendell, Founder of the World Library Partnership

Ohio is one of the best places on earth for libraries and people who love them. We are fortunate to have many libraries in the state and several very strong library consortia and organizations that support libraries. Thus, it makes sense that two ambassadors from Ohio libraries have brought their knowledge to South Africa – a place with few libraries and fewer resources to start and maintain them.

Through the World Library Partnership (WLP), Mary Wrighten (BGSU, Multicultural Services Librarian) went to Mbazwana, South Africa, in KwaZulu-Natal during summer 2002. She and her colleague, Moriah Whitely of Vancouver, British Columbia, established a library at Mntanenkosi High School. They worked directly with the Education Library Information & Technology Services (ELITS) of the Ulundi Education Region of South Africa. Grace Hammond (Oberlin College, Mellon Library Associate) also traveled to Mbazwana - in January 2004. She and 12 other Oberlin College students worked in groups on a variety of projects, including Community Mapping, Reading to Children, Debate, Drama, and Creative Writing/Bookmaking.

At Mntanenkosi High School, Mary and Moriah worked with the principal, faculty, and student body on building a school library from the ground up. They created acquisition records for the books they already had as well as the books donated through WLP. They introduced the Dewey Classification System and shelved the books accordingly. One of the challenges was training the teacher-librarians and students about the library while they were in the midst of establishing it. Mary and Moriah stressed the importance of the library to the school and the need to integrate its use with the overall curriculum and assignments. Since the students were eager to take the books home, a circulation system was established. Their hard work was greatly rewarded by the eagerness with which the faculty and students took ownership of the library.

While Mary and Moriah focused their energy on successfully implementing one project, the Oberlin College students had a large enough group that they could create smaller groups, partnered with local “learners,” who implemented an array of programs in local high school libraries created by WLP. The main goal of working in these groups was to increase self-confidence among the youth and encourage them to express themselves, while improving literacy overall. Again, eagerness was the dominant sentiment from the South African “learners.” They embraced the programs and saw the Oberlin students as friends and mentors.

Although the two trips were quite different in scope and overall goals, they shared several important themes of appreciation of other cultures, understanding the long-term effects of colonialism, apartheid, and the AIDS epidemic, and seeing how libraries can be catalysts for positive social change.

Thank you, Mary and Grace, for representing us so well and sharing your passion for libraries with the communities in KwaZulu-Natal.

You can read more about the World Library Partnership at www.worldlibraries.org.

Minority Scholarship Changes to Diversity Scholarship

The Diversity Committee Chair has been working with the Professional Development Committee to change the way ALAO awards what it currently calls its “Minority Scholarship.” The Diversity Committee will take over responsibility for the award and it will be named the “Diversity Scholarship.” Draft guidelines for the scholarship are being written and representatives from both committees met with KSU-SLIS to work on streamlining the process overall. These issues will be brought to the Board at our April meeting.

The committee hopes to schedule a meeting or conference call in March. We need to have a regular Business Meeting – as well as discuss the possibility of offering a spring or summer workshop to the ALAO membership. We received a few ideas at the Annual Conference: identifying “hidden” or “underemphasized” diversity in libraries and building on that; a program that addresses the diversity of different generations of library workers; the impact of social class on our work lives, and I also have some very general ideas:

•  Best Practices in Library Diversity (panels, planning, etc.).
  
•  Featured speaker/facilitator on library diversity.
  
•  Unique aspects of diversity in academic libraries.
  
  The committee wants anything we do to be interactive, thought-provoking, practical, and very fun!! Stay tuned…

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KSU SLIS Announces Award Winners & Plans For Beta Phi Mu Honor Society Dinner

The Kent State University School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) is announcing its award winners for 2005---those who have made a significant contribution to both the school and to the profession:

C. Allen Nichols, Director, Wadsworth Public Library: "Alumnus of the Year" Award

David Jennings, Interim Director, Akron-Summit County Public Library: "Friend of the Year" Award

Congratulations Allen and David! Both will be honored at the school's annual "Alumni and Friends Awards & Honors" dinner. Please mark your calendars. The dinner will take place on Tuesday, April 5, 2005, 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 at 5:00 p.m. A social hour, with hors doeuvres and wine, will be held at 6:00 p.m. in the School of Library and Information Science followed by a buffet dinner in the Ballroom of the Kent Student Center. An awards presentation will begin at 8:00 p.m.

The featured speaker for the evening is Jo Budler, State Librarian of Ohio.

The cost of the dinner is $35.00 per person. All alumni of the KSU 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 22, 2005. Hope to see you at the Alumni and Friends Honors & Awards dinner on April 5!

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Interest Group News

Curriculum Materials Center Interest Group

The CMCIG Spring Workshop will be held at the Kent State University Instructional Resource Center on Friday, April 29, 2005. This year’s theme is “Putting the Pieces Together” and will address issues of Curriculum Materials Centers and professional development tools. One of the pieces of puzzle will be Lynn Schwarzer, field consultant with Scholastic Book Fairs in Strongsville. Lynn will be a featured speaker with the topic of Book Fairs in academic libraries and curriculum materials centers. We are currently working to secure a speaker who will address electronic portfolios, from the student and professional development perspective. Members have indicated an interest in time for an open topic discussion and a tour of the newly remodeled IRC is planned.

During our scheduled business meeting we will select a new CMCIG chair for 2005-2006 and discuss potential topics for the ALAO conference in November. Topics under consideration at this time are “A Juggling Act – Balancing the Real and the Virtual” and “A Magic Act - Tricks of the Trade to Think Outside of the Box.” Both of these speak to the established conference theme; “Setting the Stage: New Roles in the Library.”

Watch for more information via the ALAO and CMCIG list serv, ALAO and CMCIG web sites, and registration/flyers information planned for early April. Hope to see you there!

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Distance Learning Interest Group

The Distance Learning Interest Group is planning a spring workshop addressing pedagogy, library services and the distance learner. The workshop is still in the planning stages but we would are tentatively looking at dates in May or June, at Ashland University. If you have ideas to contribute or would like to volunteer with the workshop, please contact co-chairs Kathryn Venditti, kvenditt@ashland.edu or Cindy Kristof, ckristof@lms.kent.edu.

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Instruction Interest Group

Planning is underway for the IIG Spring Workshop, scheduled for Friday, May 6, 2005. We will meet at the Ohio State University Science and Engineering Library, site of the 2004 workshop. Thank you to Karen Diaz, OSU, for making those arrangements. Our workshop topic is still in development as of this writing. Registration information and a complete agenda will be distributed on the ALAO listserv as soon as details are finalized. Please contact the co-chairs for more information and to offer your suggestions or assistance: Chris Sheetz, Lorain County Community College, csheetz@lorainccc.edu; or Alison Ricker, Oberlin College, aricker@oberlin.edu.

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Support Staff Interest Group

The Support Staff Interest Group is pleased to announce that the 2005 Spring Workshop, “Enlighten, Enhance, Invigorate: A Day of Discovery” will be held on Friday, May 13, 2005, at the J.C. Myers Convocation Center located on the campus of Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio.

This year the SSIG will be welcoming Ed Klee as our keynote speaker. In “Staying Positive Regardless of Life’s Road Rage,” Ed will identify the eight keys to a positive attitude and life regardless of the circumstances. Ed is a trainer and consultant specializing in management practices and employee development hailing from the great metropolis of Nonesuch, Kentucky. His academic career has led him through degrees in Anthropology, to a Master's in Library Science and Master's in Conflict Resolution.

“Enlighten, Enhance, Invigorate: A Day of Discovery” will also offer a choice of the following three different breakout sessions:

Join Elizabeth Burns and Scott Savage of the Bromfield Library at The Ohio State University – Mansfield, as they discuss “Ohio’s Plain People.” Elizabeth Burns will outline the history of "plain" Anabaptist (Amish, Mennonite, and Hutterite) groups in Europe and America, their daily life and customs today, the women's lives, and how various communities are changing over time. Scott Savage will focus his discussion on the perceptions of plain people regarding libraries and librarians, potential research needs of plain communities and plain college students (yes, they exist), and how academic libraries might build relationships with nearby communities.

Gaynelle Predmore of the Curriculum Resource Center at Bowling Green State University will show you “How To Be a Showoff: Tips & Tricks for Library Displays.” From poster hanging tips to designing display areas, this interactive session will try and stir your imagination. Sharing will be encouraged so bring any tips, tricks or "adventure" stories on displays you've done or plan to do. By the end of the session, plan on taking home some new and creative ideas for doing all sorts of displays both in and out of libraries.

Come and discover your “True Color” with Kathy Booher, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development for OSU Extension, Ottawa County. The mission of True Colors is to enhance the way we live, work, communicate and interact with those around us at work and in our personal lives. In this session participants will identify their “color spectrum” and discover each color’s strengths and how each analyzes, conceptualizes, understands, interacts, and learns.

The registration period for this workshop will run from March 14, 2005 – April 23, 2005 and the cost for each participant, regardless of membership in ALAO, will be $50.00. Come join us for day of information, knowledge, and networking!! The registration form and day's schedule are available at the ALAO website [www.alaoweb.org/comsigs/ssig/ssig2005registration.pdf]. Please direct any questions or comments to Angie Lorensen either by phone at 419-874-4891 or by email at asloren@bgnet.bgsu.edu.

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People and Library News

Denison University

Ann Watson, ALAO Liaison to ACRL Chapters Council, was named Secretary to Chapters Council. Her two year term will begin in January 2006, at ALA's Midwinter Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. Ann Watson was also appointed Chair of the CLIP Notes Committee. The CLIP (College Library Information Packet) Notes series is published by the College Libraries Section. Publication of CLIP Notes is done under the editorial direction of the CLIP Notes Committee, a standing committee of the College Libraries Section of ACRL.

Miami University Middletown

John Burke (Miami University Middletown) presented (with Janet Hurn, Beth Uhler, and Andrea Han) "Beyond Point and Click: Taking Web-Based Pedagogy to a New Level" at the Ohio Digital Commons for Education 2005 Conference in Columbus.

Oberlin College

"The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a second grant of $500,000 to six academic libraries to collaborate on a major project to address librarian recruiting and diversity issues at the undergraduate level. The award funds the second year-and-a-half of a three-year program. The multi-faceted project includes broad-based, issues-oriented programming that familiarizes large numbers of undergraduate students with significant challenges facing the library profession and draws their attention to the potential of librarianship as a career. It also includes internship and scholarship opportunities for students who develop strong interest in the profession. The libraries of the Atlanta University Center (serving Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse and Spelman Colleges) and of Mount Holyoke, Oberlin, Occidental, Swarthmore, and Wellesley Colleges are participating in the collaborative project, which is directed by Ray English, Director of Libraries at Oberlin, and coordinated by Megan Kinney…" -- The full press release can be found at: www.oberlin.edu/library/mellon/about/feb05pressrls.html.

Ohio Northern University

Sharon Herr, head of cataloging at Heterick Memorial Library has retired.

Ohio State University

Joan Giglierano is the new Knowledge Management Librarian at the OSU Prior Health Sciences Library. Joan began in September and she has worked previously at OCLC and Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.

Fern Cheek was appointed Research Librarian in January 2005 at the OSU Prior Health Sciences Library. Fern was previously employed at Mt. Carmel Health Sciences Library in Columbus and Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.

OSU's Rare Books and Manuscripts Web Site Received the Plath Award: "Doing Photography and Social Research in the Allied Occupation of Japan," an Ohio State University Libraries' web site, has received the 2004 David Plath Media Award from the Society for East Asian Anthropology (SEAA) of the American Anthropological Association. The site features photographs taken by the late anthropologist John W. Bennett in occupied Japan from 1948-1951, and was developed by his son, Dr. John M. Bennett, Curator of the Avant Writing Collection of the Rare Books & Manuscripts Library. SEAA is committed to developing international channels of communication among anthropologists throughout the world. The site can be viewed at library.osu.edu/sites/rarebooks/japan/.

Linda Krikos, head of the Women's Studies Library and acting head of the Black Studies Library for The Ohio State University Libraries, and Cindy Ingold of the University of Illinois have been named recipients of the 2004 "Association of College & Research Libraries Women's Studies Section Award for Significant Achievement in Women's Studies Librarianship" for their publication, Women's Studies: A Recommended Bibliography. The presentation will take place at the annual conference in Chicago in June.

Nancy Courtney, associate professor and head of the William Oxley Thompson Library's Information Services Department of The Ohio State University Libraries, is the recipient of the 2004 Kathryn T. Schoen Award. The Schoen Award program provides opportunities for professional growth and leadership for women in higher education. Each year, one award of $2,500 is presented to a woman faculty at Ohio State for use in professional development. As a member of the university community for seven years and recently tenured, Courtney will use her award to participate in the Association of Colleges and Research Libraries/Harvard Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians this August, an internationally recognized and selective program intended to help educate and build future leaders of American academic libraries.

OSU Receives Cataloging Kudos!

OSUL was ranked #1 internationally and #4 nationally in contributing original records to OCLC WorldCat, reports Magda EL-Sherbini, Head of OSU's Cataloging Department. The Ohio State University Libraries has been recognized as the top academic institution in the United States for the number of original cataloging records produced by its staff. (See p. 9 of the report at www.oclc.org/news/publications/annualreports/2004.pdf)

In fiscal year 2003/2004, cataloging personnel at the Ohio State University Libraries created 25,048 original OCLC records for many new-receipt materials and older OSUL theses and dissertations, as well as for other items requiring retrospective conversion before the items were transferred to the Book Depository. Out of the 25,048 original records contributed to OCLC, 20,594 were created by the Cataloging Department. These extra efforts played a part in OSUL's high ranking. The majority of these records were created for OSUL's older theses and dissertations (13,508 records). This collection, in particular, deserves special recognition since the titles represent the first 100 years of OSUL graduate school history.

Despite the lack of staff, the Cataloging Department continues to be a highly productive unit and very creative in finding alternative ways to do cataloging. For example, some materials, especially in foreign languages, have been contracted out; other materials have been cataloged using graduate student assistants. The theses and dissertations project is being done by student assistants in cooperation with the staff. Some projects are done by using practicum students from Kent State University School of Library and Information Program. The Cataloging Department is very fortunate to be mentoring those students who will be future librarians. In addition to all of these activities, Cataloging staff members are participating in national and international cooperative cataloging programs such as the Library of Congress Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC). In this program, the catalogers are creating high quality work that will allow other libraries to adapt OSUL records without any modifications. In other institutions, PCC cataloging is done by professional catalogers. This, in particular, makes OSUL staff first-class catalogers and recognizes their talent and their commitment to the quality of their work.

Ohio Wesleyan University

Jennifer Friedman has joined the Ohio Wesleyan University Libraries & Information Services staff as a part-time public services librarian with liaison assignments to the Fine Arts Department, Black World Studies, and Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

Shawnee State University

The Clark Memorial Library at Shawnee State University has received a grant of $25,000 to purchase 14 wireless laptops and a mobile cart for recharging and secure storage. The laptops will be circulated within the library to allow students the flexibility of accessing the campus network and library resources. They will also be used as a temporary lab for library instruction. The grant was given by the Clyde and Maycel Clark Foundation - a local charitable foundation.

University of Akron

Christen Cardina, Librarian for Allied Health and Life Sciences at the University of Akron, has an article in the Winter 2004 - vol. 44 (2)- issue of Reference & User Services Quarterly: "The Changing Roles of Academic Reference Librarians Over a Ten-Year Period." Christen also had a book review of Robert Goodman’s (editor) Encyclopedia of Plant and Crop Science (New York: Dekker, 2004) in the same issue.

University of Cincinnati

Tammy Bachtal, a Student Supervisor at the University of Cincinnati Libraries who presented a great workshop at the last conference, has left for a professional position as Asst. Children's Librarian at Clermont Public Library. We miss her, but welcome Katie Kallmeyer as our new Information Commons Student Supervisor.

Wittenberg University

Kathy Schulz, former Director of Thomas Library at Wittenberg University, retired in December 2004. She is enjoying her free time gardening and relaxing at her new home in New Mexico.

Doug Lehman is the new Director of Thomas Library at Wittenberg University. Previously, Doug was the Head of Instruction and Information Services for the Bailey/Howe Library at the University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont. Prior to that he held several library positions at Miami-Dade Community College, Miami, Florida and the Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio. A native Hoosier, he graduated with a B.A. from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, received his M.L.S. from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana and just completed a M.A. in history at the University of Vermont.

Wright State University

Mary Lou Baker Jones and Charlotte Droll will be offering a poster session at the ACRL National Conference in Minneapolis this April, "Reference on the Road: In-Class Reference Assistance for Composition Students." Wright State University's Dunbar Library has successfully combined its outstanding traditional reference service with the completely modernized electronic classrooms belonging to the College of Liberal Arts to provide in-class, at-the-elbow reference consultations to 60%, or 1200, of the University's composition students.

Mary Lou Baker Jones, Alison Ricker (Oberlin College), and Deborah Carter Peoples (Ohio Wesleyan University) will make a panel presentation at LOEX 2005 (Louisville). LOEX 2005 is the 33rd Annual LOEX Library Instruction Conference and will take place May 12-14. The title of their presentation is "Librarian-Faculty Team Teaching: Three Approaches for Subject-Specific Information Literacy Instruction." The abstract for the LOEX program reads "Three models for providing subject-specific information literacy instruction in a team-teaching setting are demonstrated in the approaches three OhioLINK institutions use to teach chemical information literacy. The librarians of these faculty-librarian teams will critique their models, which include a three-credit course, a half-semester one-credit course, and sequenced course-related instruction."

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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 and photos to Carol Wittig in electronic format. Include your name as you wish it to appear. If you are past deadline, PLEASE email 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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