November 23rd, 2009

News from Around the Libraries

Call for Submissions: Library Technology Conference 2010

The Library Technology Conference 2010 Committee invites you to submit proposals for presentation at the Library Technology Conference to be held at Macalester College, March 17 and 18, 2010.  To submit a proposal, please visit the conference website at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/libtech_conf/2010/ , and click "Information for Presenters".  Those who wish to submit a proposal must create a free account on the Digital Commons site.  Proposals will be accepted until 12:00 am, Sunday, December 6, 2009.

This popular and growing two-day conference is now in its third year.  The conference includes keynote, concurrent, hands-on, and poster sessions highlighting many of the technologies affecting how users interact with libraries, as well as how libraries are using technology to create new and better ways to manage existing resources.  This Conference is an opportunity for library staff and the technologists who support them to discuss how these technologies are affecting library services, to see examples of what libraries are doing with these technologies, and to allow participants to learn specific skills or knowledges that they can take back and adapt for use within their own library.

What we are looking for from you: We are looking for a balance of sessions that will appeal to a broad library audience and provide a combination of "right now"  solutions and "see the future" technology presentations.  Projects can be already implemented or still in process. Long-term experiments that stretch the boundaries of how we work, or will work, in libraries, as well as "out of the box" solutions and ideas for  libraries struggling to keep up are welcome topics.  What has worked for you?  Why?  What brought you to that solution?  What benefits has it provided to your organization?

If you have questions or if we can be of assistance as you prepare for your presentation, please contact: Laura Wight at: laura.wight@sdstate.edu .

-  Mary Parker

Greening the Libraries Fun Fact

Recycle Those Cans!  Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours, which is equivalent to a half a gallon of gasoline.  Every ton of recycled steel saves 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,000 pounds of coal, and 40 pounds of limestone.

For more resources and information on how to go green at work and at home, visit the Greening the Libraries Project website at: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/greenlibraries/

- Greening the Libraries Project

Holiday Card Reprints Available

The Children's Literature Research Collections (CLRC) sells holiday cards reprinting images in collection, on behalf of the Kerlan Friends.  Available: Kessler: Santa and Elves+reindeer; Lenski: Fireside Poems (Mother reads to two children, another child reading to himself, in front of fireplace); Slobodkin: Mittens; Bryan: Christmas GIF; Bodecker: Snowman Sniffles; Edwards: Pink Coat Girl.  Cost is $8.00 per five to eight card pack, checks preferred. Available in room 113, Andersen Library, appointment preferred, but not required.  Email: clrc@umn.edu .

- Karen Nelson Hoyle

IT (Information Technology) Council October 2009 Meeting Notes Now Available

Highlights include:
- Emerging Tech Expo Planning Update
- Update on the Public Workstation Access Policy Review
- Libraries Mobile Interface Development
- October 24 and 25 WBOB (West Bank Office Building) Data Center Outage Planning
- Annual Computer Replacement for the Libraries
- Transition to Google Apps
The full notes, by Francine Dupont-Crocker, are available at: https://wiki.lib.umn.edu/Staff/ITCMeeting53

- John Butler

Recording and Evaluation Form for November 13, 2009 Research Support Group Presentation

Thanks so much to everybody that attended last Friday's presentation, "Librarian-Researcher: Getting Started on the Road to Research and Publication", by Dr. Christine Pawley, Director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Library and Information Science.   The presentation was recorded and is available, along with a short evaluation form, at: https://wiki.lib.umn.edu/Staff/Workshops .

If you attended last Friday, please take a moment to fill out the evaluation form.  Part of the form also includes a list of potential future topics and we would really like your input!  If you didn't attend on Friday, please give the recording a listen to and fill out the evaluation form as well.

- Kirsten Clark and Meghan Lafferty, Research Support Group co-chairs


Staff Tidings and Kudos

Emerging Tech Expo - Roll the Credits!

Thank you to the 180-plus Libraries staff and guests that attended last week's first-ever Emerging Tech Expo ( http://blog.lib.umn.edu/emergingtexpoblog/ ), sponsored by the IT (Information Technology) Council and Staff Education and Development (SED).  We hope you enjoyed the event and came away with new awareness of the technologies, tools, and services that were showcased.  The event was the collective effort of our extraordinary staff and we thank them here.  They are our creative and engaging exhibits presenters: Lisa Johnston, Tony Irhig, Andrew Palahniuk, Julia Kelly, Jody Kempf, Kate Brooks, Jon Jeffryes, Kristen Mastel, Scott Spicer, Tao Zhu, Mike McGraw and Gary Gruba (from Apple), Kirsten Clark, Kate Petersen, Jan Roseen, Liya Ai, Claudia Sueyras, Jason Roy, Janet Fransen, Mike Sutliff, and Peter Weinhold; and our inspiring featured technologies presenters that drew standing room only attendance: Denise Gamble, Susan McKinnell (from the Office of Information Technology), Shane Nackerud, and Cody Hanson (Academic Programs/Coordinated Educational Services).  The production of the event was impressively supported by Michael Sutliff, Joe Nanti, John Geertz-Larson, Peter Weinhold, and Bill Grant, providing computer and networking support; Rob Strnad and Bernadette Corley-Troge, providing facilities and room set-up support; Marlo Welshons and Tim Cronin, providing marketing and communications support; Kristi Jensen and Ryan Mattke, for production of signage; Tony Irhig, as event documentarian; Shane Nackerud, for event blog tuning; and Sapna Bhatnagar, for logistical and reception duties.  Thank you one and all!

- John Butler, on behalf of the inspired and tirelessly working IT Council Tech Expo Planning and Production Subcommittee: Liya Ai, Francine Dupont-Crocker, Denise Gamble, Lisa Johnston, Jan Roseen, and Scott Spicer

International Education Week Library Information Fair a Success!

Thanks to the assistance of library staff members from across the library system, we were able to welcome and help more than 250 students during this year's Library Information Fair.  The students learned about valuable library resources that were new to them and received help in finding information to complete their projects, papers and assignments.  Thanks to Megan Kocher, Charlie Heinz, Tony Ihrig, Su Chen, Laura Dale Bischof, Meghan Lafferty, Jon Jeffryes, Julia Demasi, Andrew Palahniuk, Lynne Beck, Phuoc Tran, Jody Gray, Kate Peterson, Janice Jaguszewski, Lisa Johnston, Kate Brooks, and Lynell Williams for their help in this year's Library Information Fair.

- Jody Kempf, for the Diversity Outreach Committee

Nancy Herther Receives Awards and Article Makes the Cover of Online

Nancy Herther recently received two awards for her work related to continuing adult education.

The Minnesota Association for Continuing Adult Education awarded her the Professional Service Award in recognition of her overall service to the organization, especially her service as 2009 President.

The Missouri Valley Adult Education Association awarded her their Achievement Award in recognition of her body of work on continuing adult education.

Nancy was a  regular contributor to Online in the past, and this month has an article on Digital Natives that made the cover ( http://www.infotoday.com/online/default.shtml ).  Check out her article, Digital Natives and Immigrants at: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=45036177&site=ehost-live .

- Kristi Jensen


Upcoming Events

University Libraries Planning Speaker Series Begins Today
Lorcan Dempsey on Discovery and Delivery
Monday, November 23, 2009
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Theater, Coffman Memorial Union

Register at: https://onestop2.umn.edu/training/courseDetail.jsp?course=LB0251 !

The Libraries' classic roles in providing collections and information access have undergone fundamental changes in the context of new models of distributing content, new technologies and players in the discovery environment, and changing expectations for delivery among our users.
- When "discovery happens elsewhere" and users expect discovery and delivery to coincide, how should libraries respond?  What mechanisms should be developed to meet the needs of students and faculty?
- What roles do major players (such as Google and Amazon) currently have in the overall search and discovery environment and how will these roles evolve?  In the years ahead, how will the library interact with these players and their services?
- What is the future role of the local library catalog?  Does it exist?  What should it contain?  How should it be defined?
- What are library staff roles in this new discovery and delivery environment?  Where are the future alignments for library expertise?

The wiki page for the University Libraries Speakers Series now includes suggested readings for this presentation.  The Executive Summary of the Libraries' Discoverability Phase 1 Report is on the list and would be an excellent place to start.  For recommended readings, speaker bios, and blog links, please visit the Libraries Planning Speaker Series page at: https://wiki.lib.umn.edu/Staff/UniversityLibrariesSpeakerSeries .  Presentations will be available via UMConnect at: https://onestop2.umn.edu/training/courseDetail.jsp?course=LB0251 .

-  Jennifer Reckner


Exhibits at the Libraries

A Century of Accomplishment
A Century of Accomplishment, 1909-200: The One Hundredth Anniversary of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing
Through December 15, 2009
Wangensteen Historical Library, Diehl Hall

African American Studies & American Indian Studies - Celebrating 40 Years
Through December 5, 2009
Atrium Gallery, Elmer L. Andersen Library
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/lib-web/events/2009/10/african_american_studies_ameri.html

Dewey Thorbeck: Travel Sketches
An Architect's Recordings of Natural and Human Landscapes
Through December 27, 2009
Architecture Library, Rapson Hall

Kerlan Collection's 60th Anniversary
Through December 31, 2009
Exhibit Gallery, Elmer L. Andersen Library
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/lib-web/events/2009/12/kerlan_collections_60th_annive.html

Nothing Unattempted: The Voyages of Captain James Cook
Through December 31, 2009
T. R. Anderson Gallery, James Ford Bell Library, Wilson Library
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/lib-web/events/2009/10/nothing_unattempted_the_voyage.html

Robert Bly Revealed
Online exhibit
http://digital.lib.umn.edu/pachyderm/robertbly/

Winter Celebration
Through December 31, 2009
Andersen Gallery, Elmer L. Andersen Library


Workshops, Training Sessions, Brown Bags, Etc.

Library Issues Seminar

Form/Genre for Moving Image Materials
Presented by Mary Huismann and Tony Fang
Monday, December 7, 2009
Bring your lunch at 11:30 am, presentation begins at 12:00 pm
Room S30B, Wilson Library

Come hear the latest on form/genre headings for moving image materials!  The presentation will cover what's happening on the national scene and what we've been doing locally with the Walter SMART Learning Commons form/genre project.  In addition, we'll look at how these headings are structured and used in the online catalog.

- Jan Roseen

Staff Brownbag Presentation: How Deep are Geoscientists Willing to Dig?

How Deep are Geoscientists Willing to Dig? - A Citation Analysis Addressing the Changing Information-Seeking Behavior In The Digital Age
Lisa Johnston, Science and Engineering Library
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm - bring your lunch at 12:00 pm, presentation begins at 12:30 pm
Room S30A, Wilson Library

To better understand the information-seeking behavior of geoscientists, due to ever-changing research habits, an exhaustive citation analysis was performed on a local population of geology dissertations from a large academic research university spanning the years 1888 through 2008.  Past studies have shown that literature-use in the geosciences declines more slowly than in other scientific disciplines, therefore geology dissertations present an interesting litmus test on how changing information-seeking behavior can affect the obsolescence of scientific literature over time.  This diasynchronous review analyzes citation patterns of dissertations by comparing the average citation age for each year and normalizing this data with the earliest citation year (potential) to establish an "average citation depth" for the last 120 years of the university's geoscience PhD graduates.  The results indicate that citations have become increasingly younger, suggesting that information-seeking behavior has shifted in the last ten years.  These shifts are discussed in terms of potentially disruptive events including the physical location change of the geosciences library, the increased reliance on electronic bibliographic databases, and the role of individual dissertation advisors as affecting the average citation depth of dissertations.

- Jan Roseen

Staff Education and Development

Check out upcoming classes offered by Libraries Staff Education and Development (SED) at: https://wiki.lib.umn.edu/SEDP/HomePage .

Minitex

Minitex offers a dynamic schedule of webinars and training sessions.  The full schedule may be found at: http://www.Minitex.umn.edu/events .



For items to be included in the Libraries Monday Memo, please send all announcements to monmemo@umn.edu, before 12:00 pm the preceding Friday.