Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Faculty Publications

Many of the Stevenson University Faculty will recall sending me faculty publications for inclusion in the first published bibliography. And I am sure you've already perused the most recent edition of Faculty Matters, which lists new works. I read an article this morning that the library at James Madison University has begun publicizing faculty scholarship on its web site. These events have conspired to encourage me to begin actively collecting citations for the next edition of the Stevenson University Faculty Bibliography. And I have decided to hotlink to the fulltext of the articles to make it convenient for you to read them. Enjoy and have a great holiday!

Erin M Steffes, and Lawrence E Burgee. 2009. Social ties and online word of mouthInternet Research 19, no. 1, (January 1): 42-59.

Alex Hooke. The Sun (1837-1985). Baltimore, Md.: October 8, 2010 Friday  FINAL EDITION. IN HIS LIFE, AND OURS: LENNON AT 70. SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 17A

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Library Annual Report and Revised Collection Development Policy

The semester is underway, and we are seeing lots of students at both library locations. At Greenspring, where my office is located, we have been continuing to "spruce up" in preparation for the Founders Day Archives Dedication. We finally got our newly wired (fast) eight-carrel workstation up and running, thanks to Pat Scott of OIT and the terrific Facilities Team (thanks, Walt, Tom, Mike, Jon, and Rick). Tomorrow will see the completion of Phase Two of the Archives Reading Room furnishing installation, with additional workstations areas, an Archivist work area, and display cabinets.

More information about what we've been up to in the past year can be viewed in our 2010 Library Annual Report, which I hope to make available as a link on this blog. Along with the Annual Report, now available is an updated Collection Development Policy ably prepared by Steve Rouzer. If you want to view either of these new documents, contact me at mbeck@stevenson.edu

Thanks for reading this and I do hope you'll make it a regular read.

Friday, August 6, 2010

A Library for a New University!

The title was coined by our Dean, and I love it! While we don't yet have a new facility (hope springs eternal), we have bright new paint, and some new furniture, and some fabulous new staff members! You'll be hearing more details over the course of the semester. If you are a faculty member, there will be an article in the new issue of Faculty Matters detailing all of the wonderful projects on which we will embark in Fall 2010, as well as our new databases.

We said goodbye to our Evening Supervisor, Martin Cleaver, who is off to Library School. We will miss Martin, especially his dry sense of humor. However, we say hello to Amanda Cameron, who will be a familiar face to those who frequent the SOBL Library: Amanda has worked there since Spring, and will take over for part of Martin's evening hours here at Greenspring. I am going to post a picture of most of the library staff on the day of Martin's departure, so look for that on this blog.

Last but not least, hello to Glenn Johnston, Stevenson's first official Archivist.
Glenn assumed his role in June, and has accomplished a lot in his two months here. We look forward to the upcoming Archives Reading Room dedication, slated for October 1, 2010, at which Glenn will have a chance to share some of the stories he has unearthed while digging through masses of Archival material and talking to folks.

Best of luck this semester, and don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Almost there!

The Spring term is almost over! It went quickly! April is always a busy time, but fun seeing student projects and hearing about faculty awards and promotions. Last night, I attended the Senior Class Show from Visual Communication Design, organized by faculty member, Amanda Gingery. The work on display really was impressive, and the music and the venue itself were fabulous! I was so proud of our students and faculty! If you can, take some time to see it soon. Tonight, a group of the library staff will attend Once Upon a Mattress in the Theater. I am also looking forward to seeing the senior film screenings in May. This is why I love being here: Stevenson is really a vibrant, creative place! The students are supporting each other, as are the faculty and staff, and that is wonderful to see.

Summer projects are being planned. First, Library staff will have a Retreat in May for just Stevenson, followed by a MIC Retreat at Loyola. AT those events, we'll work on team building, problem-solving, and planning for the future.

One last announcement: I want to welcome our very first University Archivist. He is Dr. Glenn Johnston, whom many of you know from his teaching in the Public History department here. Glenn will hit the ground running on June 1st and work to organize our expanded facility over the summer. Glenn has a strong connection with students, and hopes to create a laboratory for hands-on experience in the Archives.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Spring is out there!

Time for Spring Break and an updated post on doings in the SU Library!

The Faculty Library Advisory Group, ably led by faculty member George Moore, has been meeting regularly. At today's meeting, we decided to propose a faculty development workshop on social networking tools. The library staff have been keeping up with this category of outreach: for example, Martin Cleaver created a Facebook page for us, and we are experimenting with Twitter. We have been using chat tools for some time now, having gotten in early on the AskUsNow project led by Baltimore County Public Library. Sue Bonsteel set up and experimental AskMiss Julie chat using Instant Messenger (AIM) and she is currently working on a proposal for a pilot project to utilize a department Blackberry that would be shared among librarians and used to respond to chat requests for research help. Watch for an announcement later this summer regarding that initiative. Library staff would probably be well-poised to help with a workshop for faculty on social networking. We are currently discussing when this might be offered.

Also for discussion at FLAC, I came across an interesting study while looking at surveys and trends for academic libraries: it is called
Studies of Key Stakeholders in the Digital Transformation in Higher Education. A little old, but quite interesting.

Welcome to a new part-time staff member at the School of Business Library: Amanda Cameron will be starting on Tuesday March 16th. Welcome!

Have a refreshing Break, and I will see you on the 22d.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Results of Kindle and Sony E-book Initiative

In December, I designed a Survey Monkey questionnaire for folks who have used a library e-book reader at Stevenson. Although the Survey is still running, 18 responses have been received and can be viewed here. You will need to contact me for the password. Call me at 443-334-2231. Survey Results