The Library is the Heart...

Antidote for Entitled 'Customers' - Inside Higher Ed

2012-02-13T19:31:00.000-05:00

Antidote for Entitled 'Customers' - Inside Higher Ed

Welcome back!

2012-01-11T15:09:00.000-05:00

We are on the cusp of a new year and a new semester at Stevenson U. May it be for you, faculty and students, a time of insight and creativity, laughter and joy! I am looking forward to hearing Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, on January 17th. As many of you know, I have always been interested in healthy food, in particular, vegetarian choices, so this speaker will be of great interest. I am also giving a Booktalk on one of my favorite guilty pleasure authors, Sue Grafton, who just came out with V is for Vengeance. The book was quite a page-turner, so this discussion will be a lot of fun. Keep in mind that the library staff are ready and willing to help with your research needs. Have a great semester!

Our CSA Project

2011-08-02T11:15:00.000-04:00

You may have seen emails in the daily announcements inviting the Stevenson Community to participate in our community supported agriculture project. The veggies that arrived today were so colorful, Sue Bonsteel and I just had to take some pictures to share with you so you could see what you are missing! By all accounts, the folks who have participated in this venture have been thrilled with their weekly delivery from One Straw Farm. Several participants have commented that they are learning how to cook new things, and that the taste of these fresh organic vegetables is incredible fresh and flavorful. I am hopeful that we will be able to continue this next summer.

Summer in the Library

2011-05-12T15:22:00.000-04:00

Commencement is tomorrow, and the library staff are getting ready for a busy summer of skill refreshment punctuated by a couple of retreats. We will see students, which is always nice, but they'll come in larger groups toward the middle of the summer season. Next week, we'll have a Summon demo, preparatory to choosing a discovery system for the SHARC catalog: the overlay of a discovery system like Summon should enable students to have a more google-like experience searching the catalog and our subscription databases. Other projects: we're picking out a new pattern for anticipated carpet replacement (come and vote for your favorite from the samples available near the library entry); working on a self-guided audio tour that will feature use of QR Codes; I'll be leading a kick-off Deep Dive workshop on the Learning Commons model; library staff will also take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator soon to prepare for a discussion on team-building to be led by Maureen Sullivan in July. Lots going on! Have a great summer!

Read about The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Today's Information Landscape

2011-04-08T13:36:00.000-04:00

This just appeared in the Newsletter of the Commission for Accelerated Programs.

Spring is out there...

2011-02-11T16:27:00.001-05:00

As I write this, I have just returned from a brisk Wellness walk around the Greenspring campus. It is late on a Friday, and rather quiet. The squirrels are scampering over snow, and the light is slanting at a lovely angle, transforming the old cottages at the edge of campus. This really is a beautiful setting for a university. In contrast to the peace of this afternoon, the Greenspring Library has been filled to capacity lately, which makes the library staff very happy. We await the arrival of some new furniture and new security gates, coming in March. Library instruction requests are briskly arriving, and that's a good thing, as Martha would say.

Another librarian and I have registered for the next ACRL (association of College and Research Libraries) Conference, slated for Philadelphia in March. It should be exciting: the keynote speakers are Tiffany Shlain, creator of Connected: An Autoblogography about Love, Death & Technology; Raj Patel, author of The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy; and Clinton Kelly, co-host of co-host of TLC’s What Not to Wear. This should be very thought-provoking and broadening.

Carol Maxwell, library reference assistant, has just been to the Martha Stewart Show in New York, bringing home a pair of the old-fashioned wax lips we used to buy at the candy store. She reports having a wonderful time, and that she was impressed by how calm and collected Martha remained during the antics of her guests. Carol will soon be off to London!

I hope to see everyone at the exhibit opening for Adam's Crayons this week, featuring works by Barry and Laini Nemmet. It promised to be a wonderful show.

Faculty Publications

2010-11-23T13:20:00.000-05:00

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 mouth. Internet 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

Library Annual Report and Revised Collection Development Policy

2010-09-08T11:23:00.001-04:00

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.

A Library for a New University!

2010-08-06T16:33:00.000-04:00

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.

Almost there!

2010-04-23T16:31:00.000-04:00

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.

Spring is out there!

2010-03-12T16:49:00.000-05:00

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.

Results of Kindle and Sony E-book Initiative

2010-01-11T16:21:00.000-05:00

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

A fresh coat of paint for the Library!

2009-11-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

Visitors and library users are liking the new paint in the library @Greenspring campus. We chose intense colors based on student feedback, and we love the way it makes everything pop! Even the spotty old carpet and old wall decorations look fresh and alive. Thanks to faculty in VCD, especially Amanda and Milagros, for guidance on choosing colors. Sue Bonsteel oversees the project and deserves praise for pulling it off.

I attended an E-book Expo in Harrisburg last Friday, and learned lots. Yes, e-books are getting better, there is no doubt about it. There are a lot of varying formats and options out there, and a lot of things to consider when choosing to purchase in an academic library setting. In addition to the interface, we need to worry about whether access is perpetual, are there digital rights issues, can the book be shared, etc. Meanwhile, Kindle and Sony E-book lending at the Libarry here seems to be going very well. I am working on creating a survey to eb completed by those who have borrowed a device. I'll share the results with the SU community in January.

What is a library?

2009-09-15T14:13:00.001-04:00

Last week, I attended the opening of the Goucher College Atheneum, a fabulous new building that was designed to create a learning and community space at the heart of the Goucher campus. Part of the festivities included a panel of distinguished librarians and scholars (including Goucher's President, Sanford J. Ungar, Nancy Magnuson, College librarian, Jim Neal of Columbia University, and Carla Haydn of Enoch Pratt, among others) who posed the question "What is a library?" A complex question in these turbulent times! The eloquent responses from the panelists as well as the audience comments and questions brought home to me that academic libraries are very much needed as community and individual learning spaces. If colleges and universities want to create a community spirit, they need to think about designing spaces, democratic spaces where students and faculty alike feel comfortable browsing for reading material, working on their laptops in the seclusion of the book stacks, or working together to create a group project, multi-media, Powerpoint presentation, whatever! I recently read an apt quotation from an African student who recently was afforded the luxury of a library at her campus. She said, "The library has put us in the spirit of studying!" Yes indeed! I have spoken to many residential students here at Stevenson who are learning that they need to escape the many temptations available in the dorm to get into the spirit of studying and concentration in order to comprehend the material and actually internalize what they are reading. Of course the other aspect of the library is the staff: nothing beats a good librarian who can help you find that pesky fulltext article you can't seem to locate, even though Google takes you to the site that wants to sell it to you for $30 or more if you will just put your credit card number into the form please! Congratulations to Goucher on providing its students with the most functional and beautiful collaborative learning space I've seen in a long time: I predict the building will garner much recognition.

Reading for pleasure...

2009-09-01T16:11:00.004-04:00

One of the things SU students would like is to be able to BROWSE the library collections to find books to read for fun! This is something we learned from all of the conversations and student presentations we attended last year on how to make the libraries more student-friendly. Librarians are extremely happy to help students find something worthwhile to read, even if it is "just for fun!" So we've put together Browsing collections at both library locations. Check them out! At Greenspring we also have a Manga collection as well as graphic novels. If you don't see what you want on the browsing shelves, just ask a librarian: we'll be happy to point you to the appropriate area.

Avid readers will also be interested to know that one of our graduates has written an entertaining and interesting book called "Receive Me Falling." Erika Robuck (Class of '99) will be here at the Greenspring Campus on October 16th to talk about and read from her work. I have read it and recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good story with a well-researched historical setting. The book even has a ghost or two!

Welcome back! Read on.

Summer in the Heart of Campus...

2009-07-09T11:19:00.007-04:00

What are the Library staff up to this summer? We are preparing for Fall by readying the collections, facilities, and ourselves for the upcoming semester. Here are some projects we're working on:

Weeding the collections: you will see fewer print periodicals and books that are out-of-date or no longer supportive of teaching and research needs at Stevenson.

New layout at both School of Business and Greenspring Campus library locations: there will be additional seating in the School of Business (welcome news for the students who reside there and like to study and work in the SB Lib.) The Greenspring campus library will sport some new furniture and signage, all chosen based on what students said they wanted to see there (thanks to all of the students who helped us: students in Dr. Leeane Bell's, Dr. Derek Greene's, and Milagros Ponce de Leon's classes laste year).

Leisure Reading Collection: a group of library staff members is working on acquiring books that students can read to relax. One of the library's aims is to encourage leisure reading, an activity that is necessary to growth, according to a new study called To Read or Not To Read. The study "confirms that...
reading is an irreplaceable activity in developing productive and active adults as well as healthy communities. Whatever the benefits of newer electronic media, they provide no measurable substitute for the intellectual and personal development initiated and sustained by frequent reading."

As you can tell from the above list, making our libraries the very best that they can be to enhance campus life and support teaching and research is the goal of the library staff. See you in the Fall!

Change in the air...

2009-02-11T09:47:00.004-05:00

Look around and you'll notice some positive changes in the Library at the Greenspring Campus. Students in Dr. Bell's OCO class last semester asked for a media viewing room, and we luckily had a vacated office site that we could convert. We've also added some brightly-colored new signs to indicate what is where and, in particular, what to find on the second floor. Check it out!

Also new this semester: we are hosting two library interns. Marc Grossblatt, a recent SU graduate, and Mike Kiel who is just about to graduate with his Master of Library Science at UMCP. Marc is exploring the possibilities of a future career in librarianship, while Mike is gaining field experience prepatory to landing his first professional job. We're happy to have both Mike and Marc.

April is around the corner, and it is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month,a personal interest of mone. If you'd like to learn how you can help, I have a wonderful guide for you here. The guide, entitled Animal Welfare Advocacy: Web Sites to Educate and Inspire, presents the leading animal welfare organizations that have websites where you can locate quality information on this important topic. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-07T18:34:00.003-05:00

Welcome back, or simply welcome for those who are new to Stevenson University! Both libraries (Greenspring and the School of Business) will close early this week, and regular hours will resume when classes begin on January 12th. I want to remind you that if you have a need for Reserve material to be made available to your students, please contact a library staff member as soon as possible. We have been busy over the Winter Break updating the Library website, adding databases, and getting things ready for you and your students. We are also responding to suggestions we have received from students in Dr. Leeanne Bell's OCO class last semester, so watch for some improvements. One that we are working on is creating a group media viewing room on the first floor. New computers were purchased by the IT Department (thank you to Tom Hopkins and the IT Staff for this) and installed in the LRC 17 Library Instruction Room. The new machines, in addition to upgraded wiring, should make the LRC 17 lab comparable in terms of speed with any lab on the Greenspring Campus. Again, thanks to IT, we expanded wireless coverage to the Library Second Floor. And last but not least, we were able to purchase a new microfilm machine: this baby makes it possible to email yourself a tiff format image of your article! Watch for announcements of library tours and workshops during the first few weeks of the semester. Have a great Spring Semester and please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

What students think about the library...

2008-10-24T11:20:00.002-04:00

It's been quite some time since I posted. It has been quite the busy Fall semester, and we are glad that students are using the libraries. The library at the School of Business has REALLY been busy: in one week, Sara Godbee's records indicate over 900 students came into the library at Owings Mills. We are guessing that many students living in the residence halls enjoy the convenience of a quiet library in which to study, do reserve readings, computing work, and meet with study groups located just across the parking lot from the dorms. What this indicates is that we need to do some thinking about other library sites on that campus.

Meanwhile, at the Greenspring Campus, things are jumping. Now that papers are due, the reference librarians are busily helping students locate materials. My most challenging question came from a SU student looking for primary source materials relating to the Byzantine Empire. Such fun! Really, I so enjoy the student contact, and a challenging question or two to enliven my work day. Today is even busier because 3 of my staff are presenting or otherwise involved with the MILEX conference!

What I really want to talk about is how excited the library staff are about working with Dr. Leeane Bell and her Proxemics classes. These students are learning about space and human communication, and how the two interact with each other, and they are applying what they have learned to help us to design and reconfigure the Greenspring Campus Library. One "aha" moment came when students revealed that they feel self-conscious entering that library because of the layout, and that they hesitate to ask for help because of the way the large Reserves Desk is set up. Who knew! We have lived with that setup for probably 15 years or more! And we have just gotten accustomed to it. The fact that Dr. Bell's students are willing to open and up and tell us what they think will result in a better functioning library for future generations of SU students! Thanks, guys!

Faculty who may be reading this, stand by to hear about a new Renovation Committee. I will be putting this together in partnership with faculty on the Learning Beyond Committee and of course the FLAC (Faculty Library Advisory Committee) soon.

May you live in interesting times...

2008-09-08T17:40:00.004-04:00

I know intellectually that change is good, but this semester has to be the changin'-est one EVER. We now have a new School of Business Library at Owings Mills and a brand new Librarian to manage it, Sara Godbee. She has lots on her plate, and is stepping up to the challenge wonderfully. Getting there has been very interesting: we had to weed, select titles and ship them over to the new site. There is now small functional Paralegal Collection on-site at Owings Mills, along with a small Current Periodicals collection and business reference titles. Today saw the installation of printing in the Instruction Lab there. And, we have 3 new student Library Assistants, who are woman-ing and man-ning the front desk until 10 PM during the week (except Friday), and on weekends. In the works are extended hours for 5 days a week, so stay tuned for developments on that front. Meanwhile, at the main Library on the Greenspring campus, things are jumpin'! The Reserves Desk is busier than ever, with additional students pouring in to view media titles, check their email, attend instruction sessions, study, or just hang out. We are fortunate to have a little more seating space to accomodate them. Is it just my imagination, or is the frenzy beginning earlier this Fall than it has in other years? The good news is, we are still a place where students want to work and relax. Watch for news about our efforts to glean information from SU's students about how they want the renovated library at Greenspring to look and feel!

Welcome Back!

2008-08-15T14:39:00.003-04:00

If you are reading this, you are thinking about the Fall Semester, right around the corner. Here's what's up in the Library!

Sara Godbee will join our Library Team on September 2d as the first School of Business Librarian. Sara comes to us from the University of Maryland University College where she worked in Access Services. This is her second career: prior to obtaining her Master of Library Science degree, Sara was a market research analyst, and has a strong background in this area. She also loves to cook!

Sara will be in charge of the new Library. Stop by and say hello. BTW, both Sara, and our own Sue Bonsteel and Gina Phillips are on the program for "How in the world? Getting Students to Think Critically", sponsored by MILEX (Maryland Information Literacy Exchange) on Friday, October 24, 2008, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. View the program at http://www.milexmd.org/conference08.html. It looks excellent!

The main Library at the Greenspring Campus has some new exhibits: one on the Baltimore Speaker Series (sponsored by Stevenson University), and one on graphic novels. You'll also notice that our Periodicals collections have moved to the second floor, in the space vacated by the Paralegal collection, which is now housed in the School of Busienss Library. Near the new Periodicals area there is some nice comfy furniture, for relaxing in while you read your latest journal, magazine, or newspaper. The removal of Periodicals from the overcrowded first floor area has freed up a little space for badly-needed student seating. We hope you like these improvements. Stop by and see us soon!

Summer in the Library

2008-06-26T12:09:00.002-04:00

Library staff are busy with projects as usual, either tying up projects from the end of Spring Semester, or getting ready for Fall. The big news is, of course, our new University status and the name change. University status will have an impact on the library collections in terms of supporting expanded programs. This fall, we plan to begin a new Liaison model in which a librarian will be assigned to a department or program. We hope that this new approach will facilitate communication acorss the entire University and enable us to improve our responsiveness to program needs. Watch for details on this important change in this blog.

We will also unveil a new web page (with help from Jenn Brechin in the IS Dept.): I am excited that students and faculty will be able to begin searching resources like the SHARC Catalog, Central Search and the Full Text journal Locater RIGHT ON THE FRONT PAGE! No extra clicking required. Can't wait for that! And finally, our long-awaited School of Business and Leadership Library will open. In tandem with the move of some departments to the new SBL Building, we will be able to open a dedicated Archives Room that will also house the Center for Experiential History. So, lots of positive changes are coming.

Have a great summer!

Welcome to our new Evening Supervisor

2008-05-28T14:08:00.003-04:00

We will soon welcome a new staff member: Martin Cleaver, formerly a bookstore manager and library staff member at La Salle University will join us on May 30th. His first evening stint will be on June 2d, and if you are on campus, please stop by and say hello. Martin is seriously considering attending graduate school for library science down the road.

Sadly, this is farewell to Maurice Champagne, whose last day is today! We will miss him. Congrats to Maurice on attaining his PhD in Rhetoric from the University of Maryland. We hope he will stay in touch with us.

We have much to accomplish this summer! We will soon begin to set up our satellite library at the Owings Mills campus. It will be exciting to see the library there taking shape. We have also taken the first steps in planning the renovation here at Stevenson. We have generated some interest among members of the Learning Beyond Committee and will soon call together a planning committee. We also plan to solicit input from students via course-related projects currently in the planning stages.

Summer hours in the library are posted on our website, so be sure to check it out if you are taking or teaching courses this summer. I will continue to post as things develop. Happy Summer to all of you!

CIC-PKAL Workshop on Learning Spaces

2008-04-08T15:05:00.002-04:00

I just returned from Decatur, Georgia, where I joined my Dean and Sue Bonsteel (a library staff member) in learning how to rethink our library space. Wow! This was really inspiring! One highlight was a tour of the Cox Computer Center at Emory University, which features exciting floor layout and furniture configurations designed to enhance group work. We toured the facility on Friday afternoon, and were those students enagaged! If you want to see photos of this cutting edge computer lab, try a search on Flickr.

After the Emory tour, we began meeting in groups on the campus of Agnes Scott College (which was the prettiest college campus I think I've ever seen). Our assignment was to decide on a goal for our project, and we found it: we have decided we want to explore ways to support Villa Julie's Learning Beyond program, which encompasses experiential learning beyond the classroom.

Returning on the plane, Sue and I brainstormed ways to reach out to our campus and engage faculty, students and staff. We will begin at our Library staff Retreat in May, and keep building on this, hoping we can sustain momentum.

New Exhibit

2008-03-31T14:01:00.005-04:00

Library staffer, Carol Maxwell has done it again! She's created a fabulous display as part of the College's 60th Anniversary on one of the most famous residents of the Greenspring Valley, opera singer Rosa Ponselle. The Display features some unique photos of the Singer, news clippings detailing events in her life, and 2 pairs of the star's shoes on loan from a friend of the library who wishes to remain anonymous. Oh yes, and books about her life are also featured. If you want to hear how she sounded, you can borrow a DVD or CD recording from the library's collection, or easier still, go to YouTube and plug her name into the search box. I promise you will not be disappointed. Rosa's voice is amazing, and she had quite a stage presence. To see where she lives, all you need to do is look out the window and across Greenspring Valley Road to her former home, Villa Pace.

In Spring a Young Man's (or Woman's) Fancy...

2008-03-25T13:47:00.005-04:00

...turns not to Love, as might be expected and hoped for, but to Finals and Graduation!

The Library has been a hive of activity since we returned from Easter Break. Everyone is studying in groups or working on those last papers. We welcome the activity but we do find ourselves needing to do a little more shushing, as did our fore-mothers and -fathers in days gone by.

Shushing patrons is not a favorite librarian activity: we prefer as a rule to be genial and helpful. Perhaps this is overcompensation for those grade school, middle school and high school librarians all too ubiquitous in my day (I am NOT going to tell you what century) who delighted in correcting, glaring at, and otherwise making life in the school library a nerve-wracking experience. This behavior seems to have disappeared, probably since Dr. Spock's famous book was published! And all to the better!

We want you to love being in our library as much as we love it. However, we do need to remind you from time to time of the rules: no loud conversations (unless you are lucky enough to snag a study room upstairs and can close the door), and no real food.

M&Ms can be overlooked! Etudiez bien!

Library Renovation

2008-02-28T16:42:00.004-05:00

We recently had our official Architect's Walkthrough of the Library at Stevenson in preparation for the planned renovation, which I understand is scheduled to take place after the Summer of 2009. It seems like a long time to wait, especially when there are aspects of our current configuration that are not very functional. However, we will use the time wisely to plan and get input from our user community. Here is what we are planning to do:

Library Staff will write a Strategic Plan in May 2008 which will serve as a guiding document for the Renovation

Faculty member Esther Horrocks will work with advanced anthropology students to gather ideas from students about library spaces (Fall 2008)

Library staff will take field trips to renovated libraries and bring back ideas and photographs for discussion

Here's what we don't know:

How will we gather input from Faculty?
Should there be a Library Design Committee with faculty and student representation?
How will we convey our needs to the Architect?

Stay tuned for the answers!

Celebrating Our Past in the Library

2008-02-13T16:28:00.002-05:00

If you haven't yet done so, stop by and spend a couple of minutes with Carol Maxwell's lovely tribute to St. Julie Billiart, foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. This exhibit features a photograph of the statue of St. Julie which stands in the grounds of the Sisters' home next door to campus. There are also historical shots of important buildings associated with her life, and the sunflower motif, reflecting St. Julie's famous quote about following God as the sunflower does the sun. Carol has done a beautiful job of creating an exhibit that embodies the spirit of "the smiling saint."

In tandem with the above exhibit, I had the privilege and pleasure of sharing my experience of reading St. Julie's biography last week with the Villa Julie community, including 3 of our friends from the convent next door.

2008-01-30T11:16:00.000-05:00

I came across an article describing a recent study done at the University of Michigan Cancer Center. The study looked at the information that patients were able to find on their own compared with what they found with a librarian's help: 95 percent of the 513 Patient Education Center's visitors who participated indicated that they found new information with a librarian's help. "For 65 percent of visitors, the professional search returned information they had not obtained from other sources, and an additional 30 percent said the librarian provided some new information. Only 4 percent of users said they found all the same information on their own." Finding information about a health issue can be lifesaving, so this survey says something important about the role of information professionals in a world where everyone assumes that a Google or Wikipedia search is all they need.

While the librarians at Villa Julie don't often have to help with life or death questions, we are helping to educate healthcare professionals as well as paralegals, fledgling business professionals, and other participants in our society, our economy, and our environment. Part of what we are trying to help them learn is how to navigate the world of information, and how a trained librarian can help them to efficiently find the best resources.

Reference Librarians spend a lot of time every day of the week working with subscription databases, search engines, reference materials, and more kinds of information than can be listed here. Researching facts and finding needles in haystacks is what we do best because we are doing it constantly. The library staff behind the scenes (i.e. in the Workroom) are also constantly interacting with information resources to figure out which ones best support the curriculum here, and how to best organize and make them available so they can be found.

So, the next time you have an information need that you suspect may require more skill than typing a few search terms into Google, stop by the big blue "Ask Me" sign in the library and do just that! It's why we're here! And we love a challenge!

Local Librarian-Author wins Newbery Award

2008-01-23T10:23:00.000-05:00

I just learned that Laura Amy Schlitz, a librarian-author currently working at the Park School, has won the highest award for children's literature, the Newbery Award. Chris Flax stopped by the library and asked for the book, called Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village. We are ordering the book, but interested readers can request a copy in the SHARC Catalog if you can't wait until Chris reads it.

I write about this for two reasons: one, I am really pleased to have faculty who are engaged by books and reading and will take the time to recommend books for the collection. Kudos to Chris and the other faculty who do this often. Secondly, isn't it terrific that we have such talent in the Baltimore area, and that Laura is a librarian?

The Newbery is a prestigous international award that was established in 1921 by Frederic Melcher of the American Library Association. The purpose of the medal was "To encourage original creative work in the field of books for children. To emphasize to the public that contributions to the literature for children deserve similar recognition to poetry, plays, or novels. To give those librarians, who make it their life work to serve children's reading interests, an opportunity to encourage good writing in this field."

That's one of the things that makes libraries and librarians unique: reading and books. While we are techno-savvy and more than willing to employ technology as a tool, really our mission is to encourage the acquisition of knowledge, and to do that, we must encourage reading. If there are any faculty out there who are interested in discussing ways to encourage reading on this campus, please drop by to chat. One of the ways the library staff does this is by sponsoring the J.R. Mitchell Book Talk series, so please come even if you haven't read the book being discussed: perhaps you'll be inspired.

I'll close this post by recommending a wonderful article about the value of reading and how it literally changes one's way of thinking in the New Yorker magazine. (TWILIGHT OF THE BOOKS. By: Crain, Caleb. New Yorker, 12/24/2007) A fascinating summary of the research that has been done on reading as a cognitive skill, you'll learn something new if you read it, I promise. And here is an invitation: do come and browse the New Books section if you want to stimulate your brain! We would love to have you.

And we're off....

2008-01-18T15:11:00.000-05:00

The semester is back in full swing and it feels as though we were never away! That's a good thing, though.

The next Faculty Library Advisory Committee meeting has been scheduled, with the agenda centering on the costs of creating digital collections, as well as plans for the planned student study. (See minutes from the November meeting here. ) We hope the anthropology study will be underway in Fall 2008 semester and that the results will help us to plan the renovation. By the way, Library staff were thrilled to see a library renovation on the list of projects at the Faculty-Staff meeting last week.

We will soon begin our Faculty Workshop series. A new session has been added to the tried and true offerings on database searching and copyright, among other things: Steve Rouzer will talk about the selection process and entertain questions about how it's done. Specific dates are:

Research While You Sleep Tues 2/5 9:30-10:30 (Virginia Polley)

Database Basics Thurs 2/7 12:15-1:15 (Sandy Marinaro)

Intro to the Library for New Faculty Tues 2/12 12:15-1:15 (Maureen Beck)

Building Library Collections for Faculty Thurs 2/14 12:15-1:15 (Steve Rouzer)

Keeping Up with Web 2.0. What It Is-Why It Matters-Where It's Going Wed 2/20 12:15-1:15 (Sue Bonsteel)

Practical Copyright For Faculty Wed 4/9 12:15-1:15 (Sue Bonsteel)

Welcome back!

2008-01-04T15:32:00.000-05:00

After a really wonderful break, it's time to knuckle down to work again. Library staff accomplished much in the Fall semester: we got a great start on re-envisioning the Stevenson Library courtesy of Steve Bell, who spent a day with us (I am still digesting his report!). We also received a full-fledged Preservation report on our Archival collection from CCAHA in Philadelphia, thanks to Kim Andrews. Several library staff have been working on the Middle States self study document. Thanks to our dedicated Faculty Library Advisory Committee, ably chaired this year by Chris Reed of the Film, Video and Theater Department, we have begin productive conversations about the strategic direction of the Library. (Pssst...if you can, be sure to attend Chris's planned Booktalk on the work Story: Substance, Structure and Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee, rescheduled for January 31 at 3 PM in the Library. I'm intrigued by the book and interested in his take on it).

The Spring Semester will bring a new face to the staff: Maurice Champagne will join us temporarily while our Evening Supervisor, Adam Mecinski, is on leave. Maurice has worked in several libraries, and is preparing to defend his dissertation at UMCP in April. Please join us in making him feel at home. His first day here will be January 9th.

Library staff will be attending the Faculty - Staff meeting on January 10th, so we'll see you there! Happy New Year!

Finals Week in the Library

2007-12-10T12:35:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has doubts about the Library as an important space on campus should visit now, when the place is filled to the brim with students studying. Where else do they have that is fairly quiet, has great natural light, and most important of all, accessible and student-centered librarians to help with last minute completion of assignments?

Now is a great time for faculty to work with the library staff to plan Spring semester course materials. We offer electronic reserves, library instruction sessions, traditional collections of books and media, and the list goes on. Something new this semester is a pilot project providing access to digital media in conjunction with the Maryland Digital Library. A group of about 10 faculty sent specific titles to me to lease in digital format for this year, and they will give us feedback on how well it worked in their teaching.

Let it snow!

2007-12-05T12:16:00.000-05:00

It's beginning to look a lot like winter around here! As I write this, the windows in the library that overlook the pond resemble a shaken snow globe. The view outside near the New Books area reveals a tree laden with scarlet berries dusted with feathery snow. Students are rushing around in the library completing their final projects. Holiday decorating in the display cases contributes to the festive atmosphere. It's my favorite time of year!

On a less whimsical note, Library staff hosted a visit from Steven Bell of Temple University who spent Monday December 3rd with us. Steven met library staff, college administration, and faculty to listen to their thoughts and concerns about the Stevenson campus library renovation. The next phase of planning will involve student input: we hope to duplicate the University of Rochester methodology, using anthropology techniques to learn how Villa Julie students use the library. It should be fun and informative.

More Tea Photos

2007-11-15T13:53:00.000-05:00

BubbleShare: Share photos - Make some Thanksgiving Crafts!

That Time of Year...

2007-11-06T15:14:00.000-05:00

It's November already, and my budget proposal for next year will soon be due. This year, I'd welcome requests from faculty and program directors for library databases, subscriptions, media, and books to support any new programs, especially those with a significant research component. If you are planning such, please get in touch with me or Steve Rouzer, or any one of my excellent library staff to list needed resources and estimate costs.

The Library has been bustling with many students working on research papers. I am delighted to make this observation: it confirms my sense that we are a central gathering place on the Stevenson campus.

The first Faculty Library Advisory Committee meeting was held on Monday October 22nd. The Committee chair is Christopher Reed, from Film, Video, Theater, and members are Esther Horrocks, David Nicholson, Charles Watkins, Charlotte Wolf, and Kathy Ullrich.
Topics discussed by the group included the planned Owings Mills satellite library, the creation of a library "pod" (i.e. workstation cluster) in the Caves building at OM, the planned use of anthropological techniques for observing how VJ students use the library, and shared consortial collection development. It was a productive and cordial first meeting. It is critical to our success to have faculty input.

The day after the momentous FLAC meeting just described, Library staff co-hosted a 1940's style tea to commemorate Villa Juli'es sixtieth anniversary. It was held in the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur dining room next door to the Stevenson campus. Carol Maxwell planned and created a wonderful exhibit featuring vintage mannequins wearing dresses, hats and gloves from the era when the School was founded. A photo from the tea appeared in the College web site, and additional photos were posted by me here on Picasa.

Anniversary Tea Party

Welcome to The Library is the Heart...

2007-10-11T11:24:00.000-04:00

This will be my way of keeping the Villa Julie Community apprised of what is new in the library. I hope you find it useful and will visit regularly. My plan is to update it weekly, though I may need to change that as I see how much material I have, as well as how much time!

Library staff are very busy, as you might imagine, teaching classes and responding to reference inquiries, reserves requests, and the need for laptop and data display loans, while working to keep things in order and problem-solve. So far, library staff have delivered 38 orientations, workshops, and instruction sessions, and there are many more booked. We've reached about 547 people in those sessions.

Sue Bonsteel's recent Web 2.0 Faculty Workshop was a success. About 10 faculty learned about social networking tools such as blogs (you are reading one now!), wikis, and more, and discussed how they might be used in teaching and professional development.

You may have noticed that the library is in the midst of adding technology tools to the Maryland Room: the most obvious addition is the 50-inch plasma screen, which will be primarily used for Film, Video and Theater film viewing. Students will be able to see feature films with the correct aspect ratio and get a taste of a large screen experience on campus. Also under construction is a nursing pod cluster, simply workstations that will feature programs specific to the nrusing program, e.g. NCLEX review software and the like. This cluster is the brainchild of library friend Dr. Judy Feustle. We hope it will be up and running in the next few weeks.

Last but not least, John McNally, whose office is located in the library, has set up an Instructional Technology Resource Center. This Center will be a place for faculty to go to create tools for teaching with technology. Available software includes Adobe Photoshop Elements, Dreamweaver MX, Flash MX, Microsoft Office 2007. All of these programs can be used to create web pages, create or enhance graphics and create or edit podcasts or audio files for use in BlackBoard and/or traditional courses. Four computers have network access.Limited assistance and training is provided on from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday thru Friday, although appointments for training can be arranged. To set up an appointment or request assistance with using a program, contact John McNally in LRC 10A in person, by phone or email John McNally. Library staff member Sue Bonsteel and I will be helping with the ITRC after we get some training from John.