Eastern New York)
ACRL Chapter
FALL 2015
Volume 39, Number 2
IN THIS ISSUE
Call for ENY/ACRL Board Nominations
Fall Brown Bag Dates
Whip Your Website (Culture) Into Shape
Partners in Teaching & Learning: Peer Research Tutors.
Developing Lib. Services for International Students @ SUNY Cortland...
Quick Tips for Improving Your Research, Or How We spent Our
Summer at Research Boot Camp ......
Translation, Articulation & Communication
Supporting Student Success.
NUwWwnn
Notes from the Field
Letter from the President
Dear ENY/ACRL members,
T hope the fall semester has been treating
everyone well so far! It feels like we only just
wrapped up our Spring Conference, and already
the planning has begun for this year.
We collaborated with the Mid-Atlantic Regional
Archives Conference (MARAC) to co-sponsor two
Digital POWRR workshops, “From Theory to
Action: A Pragmatic Approach to Digital
Preservation Strategies and Tools,” on October 22
and 23 (the same content to be provided on both
days). Made possible through a major National
Endowment for the Humanities grant, the Digital
POWRR (Preserving Digital Objects with
Restricted Resources) Project has been offering
these workshops across the country. Many thanks
to Katie Dunn for helping to bring it to our region,
the University at Albany for hosting this event,
MARAC for partnering with us.
Another opportunity is the launch our ENY/ACRL
Professional Development Awards, a new
initiative intended to foster our members’
continuing education and engagement in the
profession. Members can apply for the chance to
receive a stipend up to $300 to help support their
attendance at a professional development event
of interest. Applications will be reviewed on a
rolling basis, so apply today!
In other event news, our Program Committee, led
by our new Vice President/Present-Elect/Program
Chair Kathryn Frederick from Skidmore College,
has organized our 2015 Fall Brown Bag Lunch
Series, “Getting the Word Out: Tips and Tools for
Marketing Your Services,” to be held in late-
October. They've also begun planning our 2016
Spring Conference, which will be hosted at
Skidmore College in May and focused on the
theme of Digital Scholarship. Stay tuned for
details, including calls for proposals, later in the
winter and early spring.
I also want to welcome the newest members of
the ENY/ACRL Board: Jesi Buell from Colgate
University is our incoming Communications Chair
and Mary Van Ullen from the University at Albany
is our newly appointed Secretary. Our former
Secretary, Katie Dunn, is leaving her position at
RPI for a position at the University of Wisconsin.
Many thanks to Katie for her contributions over
the years, and best of luck in Wisconsin! And a
hearty thanks to Mary for taking over the
remainder of Katie’s term.
It's shaping up to be an exciting year, and none
of it could be done without the generous support
of our members and committee volunteers. If
you'd also like to contribute to our ongoing
growth, I highly encourage you volunteer,
whether for our Program Committee or as one of
our officers. The Call for Nominations can be
found on page 2.
Wishing you all a wonderful and successful fall!
Best regards,
Tarida Anantachai, ENY/ACRL President
Call for Nominations
Andrew Krzystyniak, Past-ENY/ACRL President
Dear ENY/ACRL members,
One of the duties of the Past President is to solicit nominations in the fall for our spring elections. This
year, we have four positions that need to be filled:
. Vice President/President-Elect/Program Chair
. Secretary
° Treasurer
. Membership Chair
The Vice President serves a three-year term, first as Program Chair, then as President, and finally as
Past President. The Secretary, Treasurer, and Membership Chairs serve two-year terms. More
information about the responsibilities of these positions is available on the Chapter Documents section
of our website at http://enyacrl.org/site/chapter-documents/.
If you have enjoyed and benefited from your membership in ENY/ACRL, please consider giving back by
sharing your skills and running for a position. Feel free to call or email me at (518) 580-5465 or
akrzysty@skidmore.com if you have any questions about serving on the Board.
Save the Dates: Fall Brown Bag Lunch Series!
“Getting the Word Out:
Tips and Tools for Marketing Your Services”
Mount Saint Mary College St. Lawrence University
330 Powell Ave, Newburgh, NY 12550 23 Romoda Dr, Canton, NY 13617
Date: Wednesday, October 28" Date: Wednesday, October 28"
RSVP: Jen Park, jen.park@msmc.edu and Tiffany RSVP: Paul Doty, pdoty@stlawu.edu
Davis, Tiffany.Davis@msmc.edu
Siena College SUNY Poly
515 Loudon Rd, Loudonville, NY 12211 5701 Horatio St, Utica, NY 13502
Date: Wednesday, October 28" Date: Monday, October 26"
RSVP: Catherine Crohan, crohan@siena.edu RSVP: Barbara Grimes, grimesb@sunyit.edu
Syracuse University
222 Waverly Avenue, Syracuse NY 13244
Date: Wednesday, October 28"
RSVP: Lesley Pease, Idpease@syr.edu
Whip Your Website (Culture) Into Shape:
Non-techie Ways to Improve the Website
Emily Mitchell, Webmaster Librarian, SUNY Oswego
Imagine this: You're cruising your library’s website when all of a sudden--horrors!--you realize that
the link you just clicked on took you to the library’s schedule of open hours from three years ago.
Or, imagine this: You're working the reference desk, and when a faculty member’s spouse asks if
they can use interlibrary loan, you find two different answers on two different pages. Or this: You
keep showing students and faculty members the page with library tutorials and links for faculty
members to request instruction sessions, but you are still the only person using that webpage.
All of these might seem like big, bad, scary website problems that require mad technical skills to fix.
But here’s the thing: You can help fix these problems even if you don’t know any HTML, scripting
languages, graphic design, or really anything beyond your regular job. It’s all a matter of asking
some pretty simple questions whenever you add to or change the words, images, or files on your
library’s website.
Question #1: What is the goal of this content?
Anything you want to put on the website should have a goal. If you're not trying to accomplish
something, why are you wasting your own or anyone else’s time on changing the website? Figure
out what you want this new/updated content to do. Then get to the point.
Question #2: Who is the intended audience for this content?
Know what group you're addressing, and then meet that group’s needs--and only that group's
needs. Is this a page for students? Then don’t include that link to a form that only faculty members
are allowed to fill out. Content that isn’t targeted at a page's users is clutter that will get in their
way and discourage them from using your site.
Question #3: Do the answers to the first two questions align with your website's goals?
Yes, your website needs to have goals. It’s a bit of extra work up front, but once the website goals
are written, they really will make your life easier. After all, now you can have some idea of what
your website ought to accomplish, and how well it’s doing. Knowing what needs work is half the
battle!
If you're curious, the Penfield Library website goals look like this:
1. Students, faculty, and other users should be able to:
a. Conduct the research necessary for their growth as scholars.
b. Get help or guidance on their research.
c. Find out about and access relevant library services, policies, and resources.
2. The library should be able to:
a. Teach information literacy concepts and strategies.
b. Promote services, events, resources, etc. that are relevant to our patrons and to the library’s
mission.
If content or its format does not support these goals, it does not belong on our website or server
space.
Question #4: Who will maintain this content?
Website content is a commitment; it will need updating from now until the day it’s removed from the
site. Library sites have a tendency to include hundreds of pages, and no single person (even a
super-awesome webmaster) can keep track of all of that. If the content you're asking to post isn’t
important enough for you commit to maintaining it, it isn’t important enough to belong on the
website.
Question #5: When does the content expire?
If you're creating content that will expire on a specific date--after an event occurs, at the end of the
semester, etc.--make note of that expiration date before you get the content added to the website.
Make sure your webmaster knows it too. Mark it on your calendar! That way you won't forget, only
to stumble across out-of-date calendars three years later.
More About Content Strategy
Asking the five questions above whenever you change the library website will put you well on your
way to making your website relevant and easier to use. This is actually an application of “content
strategy”--a whole discipline that focuses on improving websites by carefully crafting the words,
images, files, etc. that we put on them. And there are no technical skills required!
If you're interested in learning more, there are a great many resources out there that can help you
sink your teeth into content strategy. I particularly recommend the book Content Strategy for the
Web, by Kristina Halvorson, as an easy and informative read.
Celebrate Open Access Week with
the University at Albany Libraries
The University Libraries, as a center of scholarly communication on campus, will be celebrating Open
Access Week with a full day event in the Science Library’s Standish Room, 10 a.m. on
Tuesday, October 20°.
The event will feature Dr. P.D. Magnus and Paul Rapp, Esq. as speakers. Dr. Magnus is a member of
the Philosophy faculty at UAlbany and also the author of forall x, an open access introductory
textbook on formal logic. Rapp is an attorney who specializes in intellectual property law. Rapp
writes about issues related to copyright for the Rapp on This blog, which is featured on the
Metroland website.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn more about the University Libraries’ Scholars
Archive, an institutional repository for faculty scholarship that currently features work by Dr. Magnus
and many other contributors.
The event is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.
Contacts: Elaine Lasda Bergman, elasdabergman@albany.edu, (518) 442-3695
Partners in Teaching & Learning: Peer Research
Tutors in the Library and Across Campus
Glynis Asu, Instructional Support Librarian, Hamilton College
This article is based on a presentation given at SUNYLA 2015 by Lisa Forrest, Director of Research &
Instructional Design, Glynis Asu, Instructional Support Librarian, and Tanapat Treyanurak ‘17,
Research Tutor, Hamilton College.
At Hamilton College, a small liberal arts college with an enrollment of 1,850 students, the student
workforce is an important part of the culture. Hamilton’s academic resource centers (writing center,
oral communications center, quantitative & symbolic reasoning center, etc.) depend on peer tutors
to provide student academic support. Some centers are staffed completely by students with
administrative oversight. Many students prefer to learn from their peers, and we have definitely
witnessed this preference during the “pilot” phase of the Research Tutor program.
Why a Research Tutor program? We
have been able to expand research desk
coverage to midnight, provide our student
staff with a unique and meaningful skill
set, and free time for librarians to
concentrate on in-depth research queries,
outreach, instruction, and strategic
professional initiatives.
Information Literacy Ambassadors: We
view our research tutors as an extension
of our Information Literacy program. In
formal and informal settings, they pass
along not only discipline-specific research
skills, but the mindset of developing a
balanced and unfiltered approach to
information consumption and decision
making as a life skill. Outreach occurs
across campus, in interactions with resident advisors, peer tutor collaborations between academic
resource centers, first year experience events and programming, support for summer research and
opportunity students, and among friends in dorms and classes.
Where do you start? We began by examining other institutional models (see list of resources at the
end of this article). Two major concerns voiced by our research librarians were: 1) that an effective
practice of referral was an integral part of the program, so that the professional quality of our
service was not diminished, and 2) that students were highly trained in the art of the reference
interview. We determined that the outcome of the training would not create “student librarians”,
but rather students who could effectively mentor their peers.
Find the right students: An important feature of the selection process was to invite faculty and
academic resource center administrators to recommend students based on a detailed job
description. Our criteria emphasized intellectual curiosity and the ability to think creatively to solve
problems, but did not insist on prior library experience.
Training highlights: Weekly group meetings were important to create a cohesive team, where
questions encountered during the week were reviewed, and targeted workshops and subject-based
tutorials were provided by research librarians. Detailed recording and review with LibAnalytics
allowed students to learn from librarians’ and other tutors’ interactions. The tutors viewed the
extensive time engaged in ‘shadowing’ librarians at the information desk, and then being ‘shadowed’
in turn by the librarians, as the most meaningful part of their training. Tutors were trained for a full
semester, before they worked “solo”.
Fun elements of the program emerged as the research tutors developed their skills and interests.
Each tutor created a workshop to offer in the library or across campus; titles included “RefWorks
Rocks”, “Anatomy of a Citation”, and “Speedy Research for Assignments”. Books recommended by
tutors started to appear on display at the desk, so we applauded the initiative and created some
signage for the “Research Tutor Picks of the Week.” As partners, our tutors are outspoken in
asking questions and defining expectations regarding our services and resources, and they push us
to evaluate our online and physical access and interfaces; we value their insights from the student
perspective. To keep things interesting, librarians take turns evaluating and choosing the “Answer of
the Week”, with the winner receiving a coffee shop gift card.
Was the pilot a success? Yes! In one semester, tutors answered 100 additional questions from
students during the late night hours. The initial concerns over the ability of tutors to effectively
refer, or to conduct a high level reference interview, were well answered by the extensive time
spent in training: research tutors now match the librarians’ referral rates, and have learned to ask
open-ended questions and engage in active listening, to understand the “real question”.
What's next? This year, we have added two more research tutor positions, and our goals include
development of the one-to-one peer tutor appointment, more outreach across campus, and a new
collaboration with our Digital Media Tutors, in a paired assistance model to provide both content
resources and technology tools.
Interested in learning more? View resources and training materials here: Hamilton College Research
Tutor Program - Resources or contact: Glynis Asu, gasu@hamilton.edu
°
“A +
Developing Library Services for
International Students
@ SUNY Cortland Memorial Library
Maaike Oldemans, Technical Services Librarian SUNY Cortland Memorial Library;
Liaison to the Departments of History, International Studies & Modern Languages
When I became the liaison to the International Studies Program in the fall of 2014, I realized that
our library does not provide particular library services for our international students. These students
arrive at SUNY Cortland with unique cultural backgrounds and different library experiences than their
American peers. Being international myself, having lived in 4 different countries on 3 different
continents I can relate to these students and I believe I have an understanding of the challenges
they face when moving to another country. I am planning to investigate if our international students
would benefit from developing more specific services tailored to their specific needs.
SUNY Cortland is one of the 64-university colleges within the State University of New York system.
Approximately 7200 students are pursuing degrees within the College’s three academic divisions:
School of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, and School of Professional Studies: 6400
undergraduates and 800 graduate students. Currently around 100 international students from 11
countries are enrolled in our programs, a number we would like to double within the next few years.
Developing library services for International Students encompasses several phases: establishing
collaboration with all offices involved; conducting a literature review to understand the challenges
international students encounter when using an American academic library; conducting a needs
assessment; and finally creating services.
Collaboration:
To ensure possible services to be successful I needed to establish collaboration with all offices
involved with International Students. In the Spring 2015, I met with the Chair of the International
Studies Program and the Coordinator of the International Students Office. Both showed an interest
in developing library services for these students.
Literature Review:
To get an understanding of the challenges international students face when using an American
Library, I performed a quick, initial literature review. Literature research shows that while using the
library, international students experience the following three inter-connected challenges:
environmental, cultural-linguistic and affective:
¢ Environmental challenges are challenges associated with unfamiliarity with the academic
library and its processes and technologies as well as unfamiliarity with online information
resources such as databases. Environmental challenges often lead to uncritical information
seeking approaches. Furthermore, an unfamiliar library can be intimidating for international
students (Hughes, 2010).
Cultural-linguistic challenges are associated with adjusting to unfamiliar linguistic and
cultural practices, different communication styles and learning approaches (Hughes 2010).
Language issues can create anxiety for asking questions at the reference desk (Curry &
Copeman, 2005). Misunderstandings about the roles of librarians might make international
students reluctant in seeking assistance (Hughes, 2010).
Affective challenges are related to the unfamiliarity with the library: size, practices and
technologies can be overwhelming and frightening for international students.
Needs Assessment:
To get a better understanding of what type of services would be needed for these students to better
use our library and its resources it is also important to learn about their home library conditions and
prior library experiences. To obtain an understanding of their needs, home library conditions and
library experiences I am planning to create a survey and conduct interviews among the international
students.
Creating Services:
The outcomes of the needs assessment can be used to define services. In addition I will investigate
library services for international students provided at peer institutions. Services for international
students do not differ that much from services to regular students:
* Tour and intro to library services during orientation week for International students
* Workshops: meeting them where they are
« Embedded information literacy instruction in classes for international students
¢ Formal library Instructional sessions
¢ Information literacy instruction
« Language handout
* Libguide for International students
For the Fall 2015, I am planning to conduct a survey among our international students to obtain
information about their needs. Additionally I am considering starting providing short, informal
evening library workshops during some of the weekly gatherings of the international students.
Literature:
Curry, A., & Copeman, D. (2005). Reference Service to International Students: A Field Stimulation
Research Study. Journal Of Academic Librarianship, 31(5), 409-420.
Ganster, L. (2011). Reaching Out to International Students: A Focus-Group Approach to Developing
Web Resources and Services. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 18(4), 368-384.
Hughes, Hilary (2010). International students’ experiences of university libraries and librarians.
Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 41(2), 77-89.
Sullivan, P. & Jackson, P. (2011). International students and academic libraries: initiatives for
success. Association of College and Research Libraries.
Ying Chau, M. (2003). Helping Hands: Serving and Engaging International Students. Reference
Librarian, 3879/80), 383-393.
Quick Tips for Improving Your Research,
Or How We Spent Our Summer
at Research Boot Camp
Lee Ann Fullington, CUNY Brooklyn (LAFullington@brooklyn.cuny.edu)
Brandon West, SUNY Geneseo (westb@geneseo.edu)
What happens when you convene twenty
librarians on a beautiful campus
overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Los
Angeles to learn about research design
and methodologies? No, this is not a crazy
reality show experiment, rather it is the
premise of the Institute for Research
Design in Librarianship (IRDL), an IMLS-
funded fellowship program that we both
had the honor of participating in this past
July. IRDL grew out of the idea that
librarians need help in developing their
research skills - a statement that is likely
true for many of us who often serve the
somewhat awkward (and always busy)
hybridized role as practitioner/faculty
member. This statement is not a criticism,
but there seems to be a gap in training
that is common for many academic
librarians, as many MLIS programs either
do not offer or do not require a research
methods course. IRDL is an attempt to
remedy this situation by pulling together a
group of early career or novice researcher
librarians to work on developing their research design skills while growing their Personal Learning
Networks (PLN). We went into the two-week program with the research proposals we had written as
our applications for the program, and we left with revised proposals for much stronger and well-
designed projects and a broader and stronger PLN.
Over this two week research boot camp, we learned how to formulate better research questions,
explored various sampling designs, learned how to develop better surveys, practiced conducting
focus groups, and dabbled in both quantitative and qualitative analysis. While we cannot cover
everything we learned over the course of this program, here are some practical tips for improving
the quality of your research:
* Research design is an iterative process and you'll make mistakes, but learn from them. Think
of designing a study like writing a paper, you don’t submit the first draft; you re-read, re-write,
and ask for others to lend their perspective in the editing and revision process.
* Set objectives. Just as you set learning objectives for providing library instruction, it is
necessary to do so for your research, regardless of how you go about collecting data. Each
research question should always support your research objective(s). If it doesn’t, re-write the
question or revise your objectives.
10
+ Pilot test your questions and data collection instruments, no matter what method you use, be
it a survey, focus group question guide, or interview questions. You'll uncover any potential
issues with how people may misunderstand or misinterpret your question this way. Ideally, you
want to ask someone from your target population to review the questions, or run through a
mock interview or focus group. When this is not possible, ask a couple of colleagues to be your
test population.
* While surveys are popular in library research, they are not always appropriate as a research
method. If you need in-depth information, then try in-depth interviews or focus groups.
Surveys are best when you only need brief snippets of information.
* Speaking of surveys, sending out surveys to listservs is a form of convenience sampling, no
matter how you try to justify it. This is considered the least desirable form of sampling
methodology.
* Become friends with your institutional research office, as it always helps to have someone
who can assist with the IRB process. Sometimes, this person may be able to offer you advice
on how to improve your research design. Also, it is a good practice to get IRB approval, even if
you do not plan on presenting or writing about your research.
* Your Personal Learning Network consists of colleagues, friends, family and other
professionals with whom you have active research conversations. PLNs are dynamic and evolve
over time.
* Immersion programs are awesome for making connections with people. You’re thrown
together in an intense setting and the shared experience makes the bonds stronger.
Conducting research takes time, practice, and patience. The big takeaway we have learned is that it
is okay to start small and ask for help in the process. Whether you ask your colleagues at your home
institution or people in your PLN, outside feedback on the various stages of your research project,
from framing the research questions in the very beginning to data analysis and writing up near the
end, your project will be all the stronger for it. IRDL has been a transformative experience for both
of us and we strongly encourage any librarians interested in becoming better researchers to
participate. Visit http://irdlonline.org for more information or email us with any questions.
PHOTOS:
William H Hannon Library at Loyola Marymount University and a sunset from LMU
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Do you find yourself coming up short on good programming ideas?
Looking for creative program opportunities for your library?
Want to meet some performers and presenters
who can fill your programming void?
Answers to these question can be found at the
Second Annual Programs’Symposium
October 16, 2015 / 12:00 - 2:00 pm / University at Albany, Campus Center Ballroom
The University at Albany IST666 class for Summer 2015 is bringing new and innovative types of
programming information to libraries, schools and other institutions across the Capital District region
and beyond. This event features exhibits of programs from educational, entertainment, social, and
cultural programming specialists. We will also have fabulous door prizes and light
refreshments. And it’s FREE.
This year's Programs” Symposium includes over 50 presenters who offer a variety of programs,
workshops, classes and demonstrations. Example presenters include the Dudley Observatory,
WHMT, the Tang Museum, the Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region and many more. Please
go to our website for additional information: http://libraryprogramssquared.wordpress.com/
An RSVP would be nice (not necessary but appreciated) either to cgermain@albany.edu (our
instructor) or via the RSVP link at http://libraryprogramssquared.wordpress.com/ .
Translation, Articulation and Communication:
Report on the Hunter College Libraries lightning talk
Stephanie Margolin, Instructional Design Librarian, CUNY Hunter College
Sarah Laleman Ward, Outreach Librarian, CUNY Hunter College
At Hunter College, one of the senior colleges in the City University of New York (CUNY) system,
librarians provide instruction in roughly 100 freshman composition courses in the fall and 70 in the
spring. This is the single largest multi-section course that has a required library instruction session
and is therefore our best opportunity to reach nearly all incoming students at the start of their
college careers. Most of the professors for these classes are adjunct faculty members. In any given
semester, there are between 10 and 15 librarians who provide instruction for these classes. The
teaching librarians have varying levels of experience with the material and with the classroom
instructors.
Last summer the authors began developing an instruction menu with the purpose of bringing some
structure to these instruction sessions. The menu would also make it easier to assess student
learning in each session and over a semester's worth of sessions. In our Lightning Round
presentation, we walked participants through our process.
DRAFT Instruction Menu {aligned to ENGL 120}
Title Asking research questions Searching is strategic laking connections
Prerequisites Students should know the project Students should have their written Students should bring at least one article (that
requirements (e.g. length, number/type of | research question in hand. Question they have read) as well as the annotation that
sources) and the general topic/subject area | should already have received faculty they have written for that article. Ideally, this
for the project approval if necessary. Students should session should be scheduled after they have
have completed some background received faculty feedback on their first
Can we recommend an assignment that reading, have some general knowledge of | annotation assignment.
they bring to the library?? their topic and some relevant keywords.
Learning Objective(s) | Based on Research as Inquiry frame, Based on Searching is Strategic frame, Based on the Searching is Strategic and
specifically: specifically: Scholarship as Conversation frames,
(1) formulate questions based on student's | (1) utilize divergent (e.g,
own knowledge gaps or those of the and convergent (e.g. selecting the right (1) realize that sources vary greatly in content
literature/readings source) thinking appropriately when and format and have varying relevance and
(2) determine an appropriate scope of searching value, depending on the needs and nature of
investigation (2) refine and adjust needs and search the search
(3) deal with complex research by breaking | strategies during the process, as needed, | (2) evaluate and make connections between
complex questions into simple ones, and apply the results to new searches different sources and ideas
limiting the scope of investigation, (3) recognize that a given scholarly work may
conducting a series of investigations, and not represent the only ~ or even the majority —
performing subsequent steps perspective on the issue at hand
ENGL 120 related Develop nuanced and persuasive research | Identify, evaluate and effectively Identify, evaluate and effectively incorporate a
objectives questions and/or thesis statements Incorporate a variety of sources to explore | variety of sources to explore the research
the research question and thesis question and thesis statement
statement
Apply effective evidence to academic writing
Apply effective evidence to academic situations
writing situations
Proposed activities Mind-mapping, brainstorming, discussion _| Introduction to databases, including (but | Activities will be determined based on faculty
of how/why some research questions work | not necessarily restricted to) Academic and librarian assessment of students’ needs,
better than others. Strategies: stases Search Complete. Showing students how | Possible activities might include:
and/or who/what/when/where. to translate their question into keywords. | Looking at different databases
Showing how to refine searches and how | Finding a book (or other source) on the
Background readings exercise to compose new searches based on same topic
results of first search. Looking at database |» Looking at the bibliography to find more
tools (e.g. how to download or email good sources
article) © New searches in the database that match
the metadata found on the original source.
(s)*
Figure 1: Early version of our instruction menu
Translation
For some of our teaching librarians, explicit learning outcomes are new; for others they might be
used in multi-session courses, but not in one-shots. For this project, we developed three possible
topics for lessons based on the new ACRL Framework: Asking Research Questions; Searching is
Strategic; and Making Connections (see Title row, in menu above). We believe that these three are
the most relevant topics to cover in the context of a freshman composition course, and that each
topic can be covered in an introductory lesson of 50-75 minutes (our standard class time). In order
to develop the learning outcomes for these topics, we started with the Framework which we then
13
simplified to remove jargon and distill to its most salient points. For example, using the 160-word
description of the “Research as Inquiry” frame we created a word cloud to identify the most
frequently-used words. From there we simplified the language to the concept of “Asking Research
Questions” and built learning outcomes around this topic.
Articulation
We then needed to figure out what we were trying to say and how we could ensure that librarians,
composition instructors, and administrators all understood what we were talking about. We boiled
down the most pertinent Knowledge Practices to outcomes that were practical in the context of a
50-75 minute class session. We kept things as simple as possible given that the classes are primarily
comprised of incoming freshman who might not have a lot of experience with seeing research in this
context. These were hard choices, and they are contained in the specific learning outcomes listed on
our menu. Our outcomes are also aligned with the appropriate learning outcomes from the freshman
composition course itself.
For example, working with these Knowledge Practices and Dispositions from the Framework:
Knowledge Practices
Learners who are developing their information literate abilities do the following:
* Formulate questions for research based on information gaps or on reexamination of existing,
possibly conflicting, information
* Determine an appropriate scope of investigation
* Deal with complex research by breaking complex questions into simple ones, limiting the
scope of investigations
* Use various research methods, based on need, circumstance, and type of inquiry
Monitor gathered information in meaningful ways
Synthesize ideas gathered from multiple sources
Draw reasonable conclusions based on the analysis and interpretation of information
Dispositions
Learners who are developing their information literate abilities do the following:
* Consider research as open-ended exploration and engagement with information
+ Appreciate that a question may appear to be simple but still disruptive and important to
research
* Value intellectual curiosity in developing questions and learning new investigative methods
* Maintain an open mind and a critical stance
* Value persistence, adaptability, flexibility and recognize that ambiguity can benefit the
research process
* Seek multiple perspectives during information gathering and assessment
* Seek appropriate help when needed
* Follow ethical and legal guidelines in gathering and using information
* Demonstrate intellectual humility (i-e., recognize their own intellectual or experiential
limitations)
We were able to articulate these discrete learning objectives:
Learning Objective(s) Based on Research as Inquiry frame,
specifically:
(1) formulate questions based on student's
own knowledge gaps or those of the
literature/readings
(2) determine an appropriate scope of
investigation
(3) deal with complex research by breaking
complex questions into simple ones,
limiting the scope of investigation,
conducting a series of investigations, and
performing subsequent steps
Communication
Ultimately, we believe that the instruction menu is first and foremost a communication tool. We
concluded our presentation with a status report on this project that reflected how we had used it to
communicate thus far. At that point we had done some outreach, presenting our ideas both to
our colleagues in the library and to a small pool of the adjunct instructors who regularly teach the
composition class each year. We have since followed up with additional feedback from our library
colleagues. The English 120 coordinators supported our work and included the instruction menu in
the English 120 instructors' handbook. We have posted the menu to the Instruction page on our
library's website: http://library.hunter.cuny.edu/instruction-menu. The menu has already facilitated
easier communication between librarians and English 120 instructors this semester by clarifying
what material can be adequately covered in a one-shot library instruction session. Moving forward,
we plan to work with librarians and the composition instructors to brainstorm sample activities for
each menu item. We will also discuss possible assessment activities, both immediate, in-class
formative assessments, and ideas for later summative assessments that the classroom instructors
might administer.
Supporting Student Success:
Library and Student Academic Services Collaboration
Barbara Norelli, Instructional Services & Social Sciences Librarian, Skidmore College
Supporting Student Success: Library and Student Academic Services Collaboration was
the title of Barbara Norelli’s (Social Sciences & Instructional Services Librarian at Skidmore College)
lightening round presentation at ENY/ACRL’s 2015 Annual Conference held at Binghamton University
on May 19, 2015. At Skidmore College there has been a renewed and more intentional effort for
Lucy Scribner Library to collaborate with the Student Academic Services (SAS) office in order to
strengthen the instructional efforts of both organizations. The SAS office at Skidmore College
includes academic support services for all students, but in particular, “international students, English
Language Learners, students of color, student athletes, and students with disabilities.”
The alliance began with a casual conversation between SAS and the library, and the recognition of
our similar mission, to support and aid in the success of student learning. An introductory library
instruction session was held for the various SAS academic counselors and service coordinators as a
way of showcasing what the library offers in terms of services and resources; a train the trainer type
of session. This event was soon followed with a coffee/tea break meet and greet for all staff of SAS
and the library. It wasn’t long before ideas began to percolate concerning the ways in which the
collaboration might take shape. From providing more specific library instruction for the academic
counselors and their student counterpart, the peer coach, to developing integrative online tutorials
and customized Libguides, the partnership is leading to tangible results. It was extremely helpful to
have the library's interactive online tutorials reviewed by SAS staff while the learning objects were in
development. The expert guidance the library received ensures compliance with ADA standards and
improves the final tutorial products for our international student population among others. Also, the
library was able to participate in SAS's “First Six Weeks” series of programming aimed at first year
students with a successful event called “Be a Library Superhero.” Additionally, SAS counselors help
to promote the library’s one-credit courses through their recommendations and advisory roles. The
library is now in the process of providing regularly scheduled and consistently located space for SAS
sponsored peer coaching sessions and workshop training.
Networking with other members of the academic community besides faculty, namely SAS, in order
to better reach the students the library seeks to serve and support has already proven to be a
winning strategy. Using Humphrey Bogart’s line from Casablanca to describe the SAS and library
collaboration, we “think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Have you explored the ways in which your library might engage with the student academic affairs
office (or equivalent) on your campus to begin a productive and reciprocating relationship to the
benefit of all students?
Notes from the Field
Binghamton University
The Binghamton University Libraries would like to
thank all those who attended the
2015 ENY/ACRL Spring Conference here last May.
We hope it was a rewarding professional
experience. Come and visit us again when we
host the 2016 SUNYLA Annual Conference, June
8-10.
Curtis Kendrick, former University Dean for
Libraries and Information Resources at the City
University of New York (CUNY), has been
appointed Dean of Libraries.
In July, the Libraries hired Kristen Gallant as
the new Fine Arts and Music Librarian.
Colgate University
At the end of December, Colgate will lose two
long-time employees.
Mary Jane Walsh, Government Documents
Librarian and Professor in the University Libraries
has served Colgate for 31 years in various roles,
including Coordinator of Bibliographic Instruction,
Head of Government Documents, Maps, and
Microforms, and Coordinator of Undergraduate
Research. She has been the ENY ACRL Treasurer
and a member of the Program Committee. In
2014, she was the recipient of the NYLA GODORT
Mildred Lowe Award for her contributions to
government documents librarianship, particularly
her work within the 18-member ConnectNY
consortium of academic libraries. Over the years
she has provided support to faculty and students
working in Political Science, International
Relations, Music, and to the Athletics division.
Ann Kebabian, longtime Head of Cataloging at
Colgate will also retire. She is our "Create Lists"
expert and can explain just about anything about
cataloging to anyone. She shepherded our
catalog database from the III Inopac, through
GuiCat and Millennium, to Sierra. She gave back
to the profession in many ways, including beta
testing and bug reporting GuiCat, as a consultant,
a frequent contributor to cataloging and
Innovative Interfaces lists, and III User Group
conferences. Her legacy is a clean, beautifully
controlled database and well-trained, meticulous
staff.
Peter Rogers, former Information Literacy
Librarian, became the Data Librarian at Colgate
University Libraries on July 1. In his pre-library
life, Peter conducted mixed-methods
environmental studies research and taught
research methods and GIS. In this position, he
will be providing research data services for
quantitative, qualitative, and geospatial data
including reference assistance, some support of
data analysis, and working with faculty and
students on data management and data
repositories. Peter is also working with teaching
faculty at Colgate to develop data-based
assignments and research projects.
Additionally, Colgate Libraries has recently hired
three new librarians: Cindy Li - Associate
Director of Library Technology and Digital
Initiatives, Mark Sandford — Systems Librarian,
and Lynne Kvinnesland — Information Literacy
Librarian.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
After 14 years of service in the Rensselaer
Libraries, Library Director Bob Mayo retired June
6, 2015. Bob began working in the Folsom Library
in 2001 as the Administrative Librarian. In 2005,
he was appointed Acting Director before his
promotion to Director in 2009. Bob maintains
that his “most major accomplishment is providing
Rensselaer’s students, researchers, and faculty
with the materials they need despite ever-
decreasing budget and staff.” Bob earned his
Master’s degree in Library and Information
Science in 1973, concentrating in College and
University Library Management. His Bachelor’s
degree is in German Literature, which he received
from SUNY Plattsburgh. He also has an Associate
in Applied Science degree in Aircraft Electronics
from the Academy of Aeronautics. Before coming
to Rensselaer, Bob worked for 22 years for the
IBM Corporation in Systems Test, Cost
Engineering and Market Development. He also
held positions at InfoEd International and the
H.W. Wilson Company in New York City.
Jeannie Keefe, Architecture Librarian, retired
July, 2015. Jeanne came to Rensselaer in 1980
to work as an assistant archivist on the Armenian
Architecture Archives Project. In 1988, she
received an M.S. in Science, Technology and
Society from RPI and in 1998 and M.L.L.S. from
the University at Albany. Shortly thereafter, she
became the Visual Resources Librarian in
Rensselaer’s School of Architecture Library. In
2009, Jeanne became the Media and Digital
Resources Librarian and in 2013 the Architecture
Library's Librarian, the position from which she
retired after almost 35 years!
Colette Holmes, Instruction Librarian, retired
effective on May 31st. She taught high school
mathematics in Rhode Island for a few years
before earning an M.L.S. in Library Science from
the University at Albany. She joined the
Rensselaer Libraries in 1980, where she served
Rensselaer in many capacities, including
Engineering Librarian, Management Librarian, and
Instruction Librarian. Colette provided
bibliographic instruction to assist both faculty and
students with several engineering and
Katie Dunn, Technology and Metadata Librarian,
leaves RPI for a new position at the University of
Wisconsin Law Library, effective Sept. 18th. Katie
has led RPI in selecting and implementing our
discovery tool, she has been heavily involved in
every digitization project, and is an expert at
moving data here and there. She has been
influential in projects both inside the library and
with the larger campus community. Katie is also
the current secretary of ENY/ACRL.
RPI extends its best to all our staff, either retiring
or moving on to new jobs.
In case you're wondering if anyone is left,
Patricia Hults, along with Bart Harloe, retired
director of CNY, and Adam Traub, now of
Syracuse University, co-authored an article for
the Journal of Library Administration titled,
17
“What's the Use of Use? Return on Investment
Strategies for Consortial DDA.”
Siena College
Siena College welcomes John Raymond as
Access Services and Technology Librarian. John
comes to Siena from Schaffer Law Library, Albany
Law School, where he was Circulation &
Interlibrary-Loan Specialist.
Skidmore College
Skidmore welcomed Marta Brunner as the Lucy
Scribner Library college librarian in July 2015. She
came to Skidmore from UCLA where she served
as interim director of teaching and learning
services and head of Powell Library, and before
that, as subject librarian and head of Collections,
Research, and Instructional Services at the
Charles E. Young Research Library. Marta joined
UCLA Library in 2006 as a Council on Library and
Information Resources Postdoctoral Fellow, after
working as an access services library assistant at
the University of Chicago. She obtained her
doctoral degree from the History of
Consciousness Program at UC Santa Cruz. She
also holds a masters in English (rhetoric and
composition) from the University of Arizona and a
bachelors in English from Goshen College.
The Lucy Scribner Library website has a new
look thanks to the creative talents of Kathryn
Frederick, Head of Digital and Collection
Services, and Yvonne Kester, Library Systems
Analyst. See: http://lib.skidmore.edu/library,
Kathryn Frederick, Head of Digital and
Collection Services, presented ArchivesSpace: A
Love Story at the Open Source Software and
Tools for the Library and Archive online
conference on September 17, 2015, in which
she discussed Skidmore College's implementation
of the open source ArchivesSpace platform.
Installed locally in 2014, the staff spent a year
working with ArchivesSpace before moving to
Lyrasis' hosted version in May. An overview of
ArchivesSpace, including demonstrations of the
public and staff interfaces, comments on training
staff, and a review of the pros and cons of local
versus hosted installations were provided.
SUNY Cobleskill
SUNY Cobleskill has a new librarian joining
us Sept. 10. Don LaPlant comes to us from
completing his degree at the University of
Tennessee, but he is no stranger to the Cobleskill
area, as he grew up here. Prior to receiving his
library degree, he earned a PhD in theater, and
taught for about ten years in that field.
SUNY Oneonta
Michelle Hendley presented a poster entitled
“Are Physical Spaces Still Essential in Academic
Libraries? The Results of Milne Library's Locked
Carrel Survey,” at the Association of College and
Research Libraries/New England Chapter’s annual
conference. The conference was held on May 8th,
2015 at the College of Holy Cross, Worcester,
MA. Michelle was also promoted to the rank of
Librarian on September 1, 2015.
EK Lee joined the library faculty in July as the
Continuing Resources & Metadata Librarian. Prior
to coming to SUNY Oneonta, EK was a project
archivist at the University of Arizona.
Lyndsie Robinson participated in the ACRL
Information Literacy Immersion Program —
Teacher Track in Seattle, WA from August 2-7
2015. This competitive program provides
instruction librarians the opportunity to work
intensively on all aspects of information literacy
and focuses on individual development for
librarians who are interested in refreshing,
enhancing, or extending their individual
instruction skills.
SUNY Oswego
Penfield Library has three new librarians since the
last ENY/ACRL newsletter!
Sharona Ginsberg became our new Learning
Technologies Librarian in June, taking over
responsibility for the library's 3D printers,
multimedia workshops, and much more. Sharona
also founded and coordinates an online
community called MakerBridge, which explores
the maker movement, especially with regards to
libraries and schools. Her work on this recently
earned her recognition as a Library Journal Mover
& Shaker.
Mike Paxton joined Penfield Library as Resource
Sharing Librarian in August. Mike’s previous
position was Interlibrary Loan & Document
Delivery Supervisor at the University of
Washington in Seattle. His prior experience
includes interlibrary loan at multiple Indiana
University campuses.
Meghin Roberts joined Penfield Library in
August as a part time reference librarian. She
earned her Master's of Library and Information
Science from Syracuse University in 2015.
We've also kicked off the start of the new school
year with our second annual Rep Your Hall
challenge, organized by First Year Experience
Librarian Michelle Bishop. Taking place during
the first week of classes, this event is an
experiential learning activity intended to be the
first step in easing the transition of new students
to the college library. Students visit various
library locations and resources, and take (often
humorous) pictures of themselves doing so. The
residence hall with the most new students to
complete the challenge wins a trophy, and
students can also win individual prizes for “best
of” categories.
Syracuse University
David Seaman was appointed University
Librarian and Dean of Syracuse University
Libraries, effective August 3, 2015. David comes
to Syracuse after library leadership positions at
Dartmouth College, The Digital Library
Federation, and the University of Virginia. He has
lectured and published extensively in the fields of
humanities computing and digital libraries, and
for many years has taught at the University of
Virginia's Rare Book School. The official
announcement of his appointment can be read
at http://libnews.syr.edu/liddy-selects-david-
seaman-as-dean-of-the-university-libraries/.
Tarida Anantachai co-presented a program at
the 2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco
entitled “Diversity in a Flash: A Lightning
Showcase of Residency Diversity Initiatives.” The
panel, led by former and current resident
librarians, was co-sponsored by ALA’s Ethnic and
Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table
(EMIERT) and the ACRL Residency Interest
Group. Additionally, this past spring, Tarida was
elected to the ACRL University Libraries Section
Executive Board as a Member-at-Large and was
promoted to Senior Assistant Librarian.
Michele Combs presented “-O-O-N, That
Spells Archives! Archival Material in Stephen
King’s The Stand” at the Society of American
Archivists’ annual conference in Cleveland. The
paper was part of a three-person panel
on "Reading from the Crypt: Tales of Archives,
Horror, and Dystopia” Other panelists presented
on Lois Lowry’s The Giver and Stephen King’s The
Shining. Their session was the third-most-
tweeted-about session at the conference
Nicolette A. Dobrowolski attended Rare Book
School 2015 for the week-long intensive course
titled The Medieval Manuscript in the Twenty-
First Century at the University of Pennsylvania in
Philadelphia, PA.
19
Abby Kasowitz-Scheer co-authored an article
with Corey Jackson, PhD candidate, and Yun
Huang, Assistant Professor, both from the School
of Information Studies at Syracuse. The article
was entitled “Face-to-Face Matters: Inspirations
from the Human Library”, published in
the International Journal of Mobile Human
Computer Interaction, 7(3), 2015.
Sarah Kim has joined the Libraries staff in
Access & Resource Sharing as a Technical
Specialist in the Preservation Unit. She was
employed as a work study student in Preservation
during her undergraduate years at SU and
recently worked as a library clerk in the
circulation department at Onondaga Community
College. Sarah holds a BA in Psychology from
Syracuse University. She plans to take graduate
classes in the Library & Information Science
Master's Program.
Barbara Opar has been awarded the 2015
Distinguished Service Award from the Association
of Architecture School Librarians (AASL). The
annual award recognizes an individual member of
the library profession who has, over a significant
period of time, made an outstanding national
contribution to architecture librarianship and to
the development of architecture schools.
Janet Pease published two articles that
appeared in the spring 2015 issue of the Healthy
You newsmagazine, published by SU's Falk
College of Sport and Human Dynamics. The titles
are “Wellness@ SU Libraries", "Go Kale Crazy."
Lesley Pease, published the article “A New
Learning Commons Connection with Art Students
and Their Faculty” about the Learning Common’s
art program this year in College & Undergraduate
Libraries, Vol 22, Issue 1, 2015. (107-116)
Anne Rauh presented at the Syracuse University
Future Professoriate Program annual retreat
on May 14th. Along with four faculty members
from mechanical engineering, biology, and
chemistry, Anne presented a session entitled,
"Creating Your Own Peer Mentoring Group." In
addition, she presented a poster at ACRL
entitled, “Faculty Perceptions of Open Access
Author Fees.” She also presented in the Elsevier
exhibit hall booth. The talk was entitled,
“Embedding Engineering Resources in the
Curriculum: A Case Study in Chemical
Engineering.”
Anne Rauh and Linda Galloway presented at
breakout session entitled, “Leveraging Academic
Networks for Promotion and Tenure” at the
Eastern NY ACRL Chapter Annual Conference
on May 19th. Their session led participants
through the many different academic social
networking tools and helped them to inventory
their own work and determine the best tools for
representing themselves and their
work online. They also published a guest blog
post on the Wiley Exchanges blog, “How can I
use Google Scholar Citations for scholarly
profiling?" The authors were invited to contribute
after blog editors read Linda and Annie’s recent
article in Issues in Science and Technology
Librarianship.
Jennifer Vaughn and Patrick
Midtlyng attended the 46th Annual International
Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives
conference in Paris September 27-October 1. In
the spirit of the conference theme, "All for One —
One for All: Common Concerns — Shared
Solutions," they presented their paper “Revisiting
Records Revisited: Processing the Morton J
Savada Collection at Syracuse University
Libraries,” which detailed the development of a
minimal records database (MrDB) for sound
recordings. MrDB is an ongoing collaborative
project between Cataloging and the Belfer Audio
Archive that allows interns and graduate students
to assist in the processing and creation of
metadata for many of the audio collections within
Belfer’s extensive backlog.
20
Peter D. Verheyen contributed technical
diagrams and photographs for an article titled
“De Springrug” (The Springback) by Karin Cox
inHandboekbinden, the journal of the Stichting
Handboekbinden in the Netherlands, Vol 8,
Number 2, 2015. In addition he was represented
in two international bookbinding exhibitions -
Contemporary Bindings of Private Press Books,
An Exhibition of Designer Bookbinders that
opened in London, before traveling the US and
closing in San Francisco (book), and the Society
of Bookbinders 2015 Bookbinding Competition on
display at Keele University, UK (book 1 | book 2).
