ALA 2010

In June 2010, I traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the American Library Association's annual conference. I attended the following sessions:

• Beyond Library Guides: Libguides as a Platform for Student Research Projects
• Pecha Kucha Presentations of Marketing Ideas that Worked in Academic Libraries
• Library Instruction Live! Reaching Distance Students in Real Time
• Assessment for the Rest of Us

Each of these presentations gave me practical applications we can use at Medaille.

The Library Guides session was given by Phyllis Conn, Institute for Core Studies, St. John's University and Benjamin Tucker, Instructional Services, St. John's University. They teamed up to use a Libguide as a class wiki for a higher level history class. Students contributed writing in the wiki and peer reviewed each others work. LibGuides now has a new product, CampusGuides, which has a broader scope than the LibGuides. The last part of the session was devoted to small group work to develop a project. I worked with Liz Evans on ideas to use LibGuides or CampusGuides for faculty engagement. For example, the faculty survival guide could be maintained in this type of wiki. Faculty Discussion Groups and Faculty Awards could be documented in a wiki. This would make it possible for colleagues to see what new pedagogical techniques are being developed and utilized at Medaille.

The short presentations about marketing gave me the following ideas:

• traveling exhibits give you opportunities to showcase your own collections along with the materials provided; advertise with tents on dining hall tables and screen savers in libraries; program booklets can highlight student and faculty research and writings aligned with the subject matter of the exhibit
• have a year-long theme: one library had a "Year of the Library" with the positive result of increased usage of the spaces and collections
• Mt. St. Mary College began a series of programs connecting the college and the community; a bibliography was included in each program handout; books & DVDs were available for check out at each lecture
• At Illinois Wesleyan University, the staff used ethnographic methods to find out student perceptions, then they included students in all aspects of the marketing, allowing students to recruit and facilitate focus groups; they learned that "reference" meant nothing to students and they now use "Information & Research Assistance" for signage
• At Gettysburg University, the marketing is linked to the mission and vision of the library; they extended their reach beyond campus; faculty involvement was key to success; a Marketing Committee coordinated the look of all materials used for marketing

I attended "Library Instruction Live" to learn more about ways to connect with students in online classes. The speakers, Nancy Connor from Cuyahoga Community College, and Sheila Bonnand and Mary Anne Hanson from Montana State University, described teaching information literacy using Adobe Connect. They selected this program when Blackboard's Live Classroom product did not work well. They have based their work as instructors on the ACRL Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services. They described their experiences with teaching synchronous sessions to give students an experience similar to being taught in a class on campus. The sessions are recorded and made available for students not able to attend a live session. They stressed that there are a few technical issues at times and that a quiet space is needed to work from. They use 2 laptops: one logged in as instructor and one logged in as student. There is a learning curve to teach this way, but it is worth the effort.

The session "Assessment for the Rest of Us" provided snapshots of assessment done by academic libraries using a variety of methods. The Cal Arts Student Behaviors and Habits Project, based on some of the work done by the University of Rochester in its Studying Students project, used a variety of interesting and easy ways to get student feedback about the library. The feedback provided leverage for the funding for different printers and computers in the library. Florida State librarians talked with students at the library and outside the library for one month, recording each interview. The feedback was used to reorganize staff and redesign space. Georgia Tech Library used a video assessment to find out student perceptions about the library. Students were asked to video tape and narrate what they saw as they walked through the library. This provided the staff with the patron's perspective. Based on the results of the recorded sessions, the carrels were cleaned of all graffiti and the reference desk was reoriented. At the American University in Dubai, the library staff observed student behavior for 30 minutes, 3 times a week, over a 5 week period, using maps to note observations. From the observations, they were able to make changes to achieve a better balance between high and low use study spaces by reconfiguring study tables and relaxed seating. My overall impression of this session is that assessment can be done on a number of levels to create a culture of assessment. The result of this assessment is that our students and faculty have better learning and teaching experiences.

I spent a great deal of time talking with vendors at the exhibits, including representatives from Oxford University Press, Alexander Street Press, Innovative Interfaces, Gaylord, Gale, Ebsco, WilsonWeb, Mango and Image Access. I also spoke to two RFID vendors: ITG and 3M. The exhibits trade show at ALA is the largest library trade show held in the US annually. I have the opportunity to preview numerous products and resources in one place, making it easy for me to be aware of emerging technologies and new resources.

Attending ALA's Annual Conference is a great opportunity for me to listen to and speak with librarians from all over the United States. I always come back for this conference energized with the possibility of trying new ways to enhance library services at Medaille College.

American Library Association 2009 Annual Conference

I attended sessions at the American Library Association's Annual Conference in Chicago, July 11-13, 2009. In selecting which sessions to attend, I looked for topics including research methodologies and using data to develop collections and services. When I attended this conference, I was new to my role as Library Director.
I attended the following sessions:

Designing Effective Research Surveys : Regina McBride, Ph.D., Dean of Library and Information Services, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, presents a program designed to assist academic librarians refine research design skills. The program involves: developing research questions, selecting research methodologies, and designing the research study. Topics include: developing useful questionnaires; techniques for conducting telephone interviews and focus groups, and constructing surveys to get the information needed. A PowerPoint presentation, participant discussions, hands-on exercises, and handouts of sample research designs are included. This program is sponsored by the ACRL Research Committee. This was a basic survey presentation stressing the concepts of validity, reliability, and generalizability.

Millennials in Graduate School: How Do We Support Them? : Millennials, those born between 1982 and 1994, are finishing college and entering graduate school. Surveys suggest that these students use libraries heavily and are less than satisfied with the experience. What do these digital multi-taskers want and expect, and how can university libraries support their needs? This program will bring together a panel of speakers to discuss trends in graduate education, the expectations of this cohort and the successful approaches that will engage them. Speakers: Susan Gibbons, Vice Provost and Dean, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester; Joan K. Lippincott, Associate Executive Director, Coalition for Networked Information; Barbara Dewey, Dean of Libraries, University of Tennessee
Powerpoint presentations can be found on the ACRL website. My notes: The presenters discussed how millennial graduate students research and how studies of this group have improved library services for them. The U of R has a publication detailing a study of graduate students: The Next Generation of Academics: A Report on a Study Conducted at the University of Rochester.

Collection Development 2.0: The Changing Administration of Collection Development : Collection development is undergoing revolutionary changes. In the last few years, most libraries have made major changes in the way they manage collection development. This program will help clarify what new approaches some libraries have taken and why, their consequences (both intended and unintended), and what some of those thinking about these issues see on the horizon. Moderator: Steven Harris, University of New Mexico; Presenters: Jonathan Nabe, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale; Martha White, Lexington (KY) Public Library; Rick Anderson, University of Utah. My notes: Current trends include patron-driven acquisition, pay-per-view options, interlibrary loan for titles too expensive to purchase, and true coordinated collection development through consortia. See the ALA Conference wiki for presentations and reading lists.

Listening to the Customer: Using Assessment Results to Make a Difference

From the ALA wiki:

Speaker #1:Catherine Haras, California State University – Los Angeles

Title: Assessing an information literacy initiative

Short description: The JFK Memorial Library at California State University, Los Angeles, has built a healthy information literacy program by continuing to assess student learning as well as faculty perceptions of students’ research habits. Assessment results inform Library curriculum, help to grow program outreach, and have modified campus policy. The Library has developed a sustainable model of information literacy at the first-year and upper-division (capstone) levels, reaching 18,000 students per year through credit-bearing courses and almost 700 course-integrated and stand alone workshops.

Speaker #2: Dr. Richard Moniz, Johnson and Wales University

Title: Using multiple assessments to evaluate library services

Short description: Dr. Richard Moniz will discuss a number of widely varying assessments such as LibQUAL+, annual library surveys, the Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy (SAILS), and Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis and their application at a somewhat unique private university. With a focus on results or changes made as a result of customer/patron input, Moniz will also briefly discuss the pros and cons of each approach. A brief examination of several approaches is intended to show how no single assessment is enough for a complete environmental scan of the library's services.

Speaker #3: Annie Norman, State Library of Delaware

Title: The Measure of Library Excellence

Short description: The Delaware Division of Libraries / State Library have facilitated a quality learning journey for Delaware libraries since 2002. Library staff participates in training to apply various tools that businesses use to achieve performance excellence, including Baldridge Criteria, Balanced Scorecard, and Six Sigma. Most recently, Division of Libraries staff members are listening to the customer through the Delaware Library Learning Journeys program, an action research project to develop tools, tips, and techniques to unleash inner genius and support lifelong learning. Lessons learned to date will help others to make a difference in their libraries.

My notes: What I learned from these presentations is that anecdotal evidence is not valid. The presenters proved that what they thought was true about the students (anecdotal) proved to be very different from the assessment collected through testing (direct assessment) and surveys (indirect assessment). When the assessment from the direct and indirect assessment was analyzed and compared with faculty focus group findings, the librarians created a more effective information literacy program. Librarians need to develop their pedagogical skills. LIBQUAL+ is a useful survey tool.

Nuts & Bolts for Academic Friends
Friends and development officers for academic libraries are invited to attend this highly interactive session where attendees will share best practices for fund raising, creating endowments, increasing membership, and improving the profile of library Friends and Foundations on campus. Hosted by the Friends section. Speakers: Mary Dodge, Sam Huang. My notes: This session was most helpful to me. I learned about academic library friends groups from two experts in the field. ALADN (Academic Library Advancement and Development Group) holds an annual conference. There is no cost to join the group.

Through Their Eyes: Collecting Visual Data For Designing the Learning Environment : My notes: The presenters described methods for collecting visual data to use in planning renovation or construction. Nancy Kress, University of Chicago, did a way finding study with students to improve the library signage. Judi Briden, University of Rochester, talked about the photo diaries students created to document their school life. Kathleen Webb used photographic studies to develop a method for assessing learning spaces (classroom and non-classroom spaces) and to explore the relationship between learning and the characteristics of space. She co-wrote an article about the study, published in Portal, Oct. 2008 (v.8, no. 4, pp. 407-422). Rebecca Bichel, Kirsten Kinsley and Jill Duncan, Florida State University described a partnership with Herman Miller to develop an actionable assessment which used data analysis to create action steps for transformation. Their key points included: Think big, act fast, test small; Failure is a valuable part of testing; Make the data matter; Tight resources are no excuse.

Pay Attention to Your Users! Conducting Qualitative Research to Reinvent Library Services: In developing library services, librarians place the user at the center of planning. In this program, three experienced researchers show how qualitative methods provide effective means to learn what libraries should do to help people meet their information needs. The presentations will include discussions and examples of software used in qualitative research and ways qualitative research can inform practical management decisions. Speakers: Denise Agosto, Drexel University; Sandra Hughes-Hassell, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Lynn Westbrook, University of Texas at Austin. The Powerpoint presentation can be found with this description on the ALA wiki. My notes: Qualitative research contributes to the profession's development when the findings are shared through presentation and publication. Qualitative research uses verbal, not numerical, data. This research is concerned with the process of an activity. Software for data analysis: HyperResearch.

Fostering a Campus Culture of Assessment

On April 27, 2009, I attended a Middle States Commission on Higher Education retreat in New York City with Medaille colleagues Douglas Howard, Barbara Kurasch, Brad Hollingshead and Judith Horowitz. The retreat, Fostering a Campus Culture of Assessment: A Retreat for Campus Leaders was held at Pace University. This retreat gave us the opportunity to brainstorm strategies related to assessment. We participated in exercises which allowed us to reflect on where we are presently as an institution of assessment and what we need to do to improve and encourage a culture of assessment. The one day retreat allowed us to take the time to work together on this very important endeavor and helped to focus the work of the Institutional Assessment Coordinating Team (IACT).