Things are heating up as the time for the big move gets closer and closer, but I had a chance this week and last week to learn more about the archival management tools used by the Millersville University Archives and Special Collections, and to get some hands-on experience using Archon, a freely available, open source archival management tool developed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The Millersville Archives and Special Collections librarians use a number of different archival management systems, including Archon, CONTENTdm and Fedora (a recent addition). I talked with Janet Dotterer, the archives and special collections technician who works daily with these programs, about how she uses the different tools, and their respective advantages and challenges. Archon was developed for use by smaller institutions, particularly archives that have only one or two librarians on staff (like Millersville), to easily make their unique collections available online where they can be discovered by anyone around the world, and to do so at a low-cost. Archon's pared-down, intuitive administrative interface makes it easy to use pretty much right away, even if you haven't had prior experience using archival software. It also has point-of-need help on what kind of information you need to enter in each field, which is taken from the DACS guidelines, so even if you don't have a lot of experience creating finding aids or you aren't well versed in archival description standards, you can still create an online finding aid that conforms to current, established standards. It would be a stretch to call Archon fool-proof, but it certainly goes a long way toward helping "lone-wolf" archivists get their work done correctly and efficiently.
Janet and the student workers create and post all the online finding aids with Archon. The program also functions as an online archival repository, however, because there is a limited amount of storage space on the back end of Millersville's local system, not all digitized content can be stored in Archon. Janet frequently has to make choices about what content to put in Archon and what to put in CONTENTdm, which has more storage. Basically, if a digital object is relatively small, it can be stored in Archon. For example, small image or text files are stored in Archon, but large, high-resolution images need to be stored in CONTENTdm. Although CONTENTdm has more robust capabilities for creating finding aids and building digital archival repositories, this means the program is often time-consuming and cumbersome to use, and therefore not always the best choice for smaller institutions. CONTENTdm allows librarians to create detailed records that can then be added to the local catalog where they are discoverable by patrons, but many librarians have found that adding special collections records to the local catalog doesn't significantly increase the collections' use, therefore it doesn't always make sense to spend a great deal of time creating and loading records into the local catalog. Fedora will primarily be used for Millersville's forthcoming institutional repository, where digital copies of scholarship produced by the University community (for example, graduate dissertations and theses) will be stored, and discoverable and freely available to anyone with an internet connection. However, there is a possibility that Fedora could also be used as another place to store digital objects created by the archives and special collections.
It was great to chat with Janet to get a better understanding of how all these tools come into play to make Millersville's archives and special collections accessible on the web and to the University community, and to learn the kinds of challenges and decisions archivists need to make on a daily basis. I also had the opportunity to get some more hands-on experience using Archon by working on a finding aid for Millersville University student handbooks going back to 1907. It was very easy to create boxes within the series, and folders within the boxes, to indicate the arrangement of the collection, and to enter the title, year and any description necessary for each folder. One of the best features of Archon is that when you notice a typo in the finding aid (as I did while writing this blog post!), you can correct the error regardless of where you are, so I was able to fix my mistake right from home. I'm glad I had the chance to test drive Archon with an actual collection (as opposed to the sandbox available through the workshop with Scott Schwartz), and the student handbooks were really interesting to look at. So much has changed in the last 100 years with respect to college life and culture, and it's amazing how many culture shifts these seemingly mundane documents reveal!
Friday, April 19, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Week 11
This week I wanted to give a more detailed explanation of what I've done so far to map how the collection will be moved back into the renovated library.
I began by looking at the reference, DVD, juvenile and curriculum collections. The reference and DVD collections will be housed on the first floor of the library where they will be easily accessible to patrons since these items are used frequently. The juvenile and curriculum collections will be housed on the third and fourth floors on a variety of types of shelving designed to make it easier for education students to browse the unique items in those collections. Children's picture books will be shelved in browser bins similar to the types of bins that CDs are shelved on in retail stores. The browser bins make it easy for students to flip through the picture books and skim the titles, front covers and subject of the book. Children's chapter books (books for more advanced readers) will be placed on normal shelves. Teaching kits as well as dye cuts will be shelved on extra-deep shelves and wire bins, which are wider to accommodate these oversized materials and to allow for easier browsing. K-12 textbooks and the remainder of the education collection will be shelved on normal shelving. The third and fourth floors will provide a great place where future teachers can discover new teaching materials, find a quiet place to study, or meet with classmates to study or work on group projects. The general collection will be housed on compact shelving on lower level 1 and on regular shelving on the sixth and seventh floors.
Krista Higham, the Access Services Librarian, provided me with data her staff gathered on how many linear feet of space each section of the collection will take up on the shelves. Krista and I also spent some time in Hobbs measuring the amount of space needed for teaching kits. After gathering all the data I needed on how many linear feet each section will need, I looked at the plans for the new and existing shelving that will be installed in the library. I calculated the number of linear feet of shelving that will be available in the browser bins, extra-deep shelving, the area designated for the dye cuts, and the compact and regular shelving so I knew how much space is available for each section, but also to double check the figures provided by the company installing the shelving. Once I knew how much space was needed for each section of the collection and how much space was available for each section, I could determine how full the shelves should be filled by dividing the number of linear feet in the section by the number of linear feet available.
For the general collection I needed to combine data on how many books we have coming in from two different streams, one coming from the books that were already assigned Library of Congress call numbers prior to the move, and one for the books that were reclassified during the move, which are boxed separately from each other at our offsite storage facility. The data breaks down how many linear feet of books we have for each class and subclass of books. Mapping how the general collection will fall on the shelves is much more difficult than mapping the other sections, because the other sections are smaller and the items will basically fall on the shelves in the order they are unboxed, plus we don't need to allow for two different streams of material. Because the general collection is so large and there is a tremendous amount of shelving available for it, we need to make sure that we carefully plan how the books will fall on the shelves. A seemingly minor error of even a few inches repeated over a span of thousands of feet can become a costly, time consuming mistake. For example, there is a bookend on each shelf, which is an inch wide. This seems like a minor detail, but over 10,000 shelves, that's over 833 feet, or more than two football fields in length!
Right now, I am looking at the amount of space needed for each main class of call numbers. I have calculated not only how many linear feet each class will use, but also the number of shelves each class will need. I am trying to determine how many bookcases will be needed for each class, allowing for an extra shelf on each bookcase to make it easier for our shelvers to interweave the two streams of books. Allowing enough space for two streams of books is complicated by the fact that the size of the subclasses within each class vary greatly. However, we have enough information about the size of each class and subclass that we could determine how the books fall on the shelves at a fairly granular level, predicting where they will fall down not only to the bookshelf but also which shelf on the bookshelf. The project is really like solving a giant puzzle, figuring how how and where the pieces best fit. In the end, having an accurate idea of where the books should fall in the shelf should increase the speed of the movers putting books back on the shelves, which in turn will give us more time to work on interweaving the two streams and getting the stacks in order before the grand opening.
I began by looking at the reference, DVD, juvenile and curriculum collections. The reference and DVD collections will be housed on the first floor of the library where they will be easily accessible to patrons since these items are used frequently. The juvenile and curriculum collections will be housed on the third and fourth floors on a variety of types of shelving designed to make it easier for education students to browse the unique items in those collections. Children's picture books will be shelved in browser bins similar to the types of bins that CDs are shelved on in retail stores. The browser bins make it easy for students to flip through the picture books and skim the titles, front covers and subject of the book. Children's chapter books (books for more advanced readers) will be placed on normal shelves. Teaching kits as well as dye cuts will be shelved on extra-deep shelves and wire bins, which are wider to accommodate these oversized materials and to allow for easier browsing. K-12 textbooks and the remainder of the education collection will be shelved on normal shelving. The third and fourth floors will provide a great place where future teachers can discover new teaching materials, find a quiet place to study, or meet with classmates to study or work on group projects. The general collection will be housed on compact shelving on lower level 1 and on regular shelving on the sixth and seventh floors.
Krista Higham, the Access Services Librarian, provided me with data her staff gathered on how many linear feet of space each section of the collection will take up on the shelves. Krista and I also spent some time in Hobbs measuring the amount of space needed for teaching kits. After gathering all the data I needed on how many linear feet each section will need, I looked at the plans for the new and existing shelving that will be installed in the library. I calculated the number of linear feet of shelving that will be available in the browser bins, extra-deep shelving, the area designated for the dye cuts, and the compact and regular shelving so I knew how much space is available for each section, but also to double check the figures provided by the company installing the shelving. Once I knew how much space was needed for each section of the collection and how much space was available for each section, I could determine how full the shelves should be filled by dividing the number of linear feet in the section by the number of linear feet available.
For the general collection I needed to combine data on how many books we have coming in from two different streams, one coming from the books that were already assigned Library of Congress call numbers prior to the move, and one for the books that were reclassified during the move, which are boxed separately from each other at our offsite storage facility. The data breaks down how many linear feet of books we have for each class and subclass of books. Mapping how the general collection will fall on the shelves is much more difficult than mapping the other sections, because the other sections are smaller and the items will basically fall on the shelves in the order they are unboxed, plus we don't need to allow for two different streams of material. Because the general collection is so large and there is a tremendous amount of shelving available for it, we need to make sure that we carefully plan how the books will fall on the shelves. A seemingly minor error of even a few inches repeated over a span of thousands of feet can become a costly, time consuming mistake. For example, there is a bookend on each shelf, which is an inch wide. This seems like a minor detail, but over 10,000 shelves, that's over 833 feet, or more than two football fields in length!
Right now, I am looking at the amount of space needed for each main class of call numbers. I have calculated not only how many linear feet each class will use, but also the number of shelves each class will need. I am trying to determine how many bookcases will be needed for each class, allowing for an extra shelf on each bookcase to make it easier for our shelvers to interweave the two streams of books. Allowing enough space for two streams of books is complicated by the fact that the size of the subclasses within each class vary greatly. However, we have enough information about the size of each class and subclass that we could determine how the books fall on the shelves at a fairly granular level, predicting where they will fall down not only to the bookshelf but also which shelf on the bookshelf. The project is really like solving a giant puzzle, figuring how how and where the pieces best fit. In the end, having an accurate idea of where the books should fall in the shelf should increase the speed of the movers putting books back on the shelves, which in turn will give us more time to work on interweaving the two streams and getting the stacks in order before the grand opening.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Week 10
Continuing the discussion about the challenges of information literacy instruction, this week I talked to Professor Jessica George, the education librarian. With a background in public education policy, Jessica has a firm understanding of how important it is to incorporate IL instruction into the curriculum and how to address curriculum issues with university administrators. We discussed how important it is to develop strong relationships with faculty and administration to better communicate the library's mission with respect to IL instruction, and to work toward incorporating IL instruction into university curriculum. We also discussed the challenges in assessing students' IL skills, and how important it is to integrate IL into the curriculum as much as possible so that assessment can be done properly.
Since Jessica is currently serving as the department chair, we also talked about the role of the chairperson. One of the chairperson's responsibilities is defining the over-arching goals of the library and identifying any programs or policies the library wants to implement, and then providing leadership throughout the implementation process. The chair also communicates the library's mission to the administration and to other faculty, and facilitates dialogue with these partners and among the library faculty.
Jessica and I talked about the unique nature of some of the items in the education collection, including children's books, textbooks and teaching kits. Her goal is to provide education students with high quality teaching materials, but to balance that with providing materials that are likely to be available in the schools where they will eventually teach. Our discussion about the education collection led us to talk about the trend toward open access materials, which hopefully will be more widely available in the future, and the benefits of open access materials to students, teachers, public schools and universities, and taxpayers. One of the roles that librarians can play in this debate is to educate people about the benefits of open access materials, point patrons to these kinds of resources when possible, include them in journal lists or catalogs, and continue to lobby publishers and authors for more favorable terms of use.
I also talked to Professor Melissa Gold, the science librarian, who discussed how her background in biological anthropology helps her as subject specialist for the sciences. One of the unique challenges in serving the science departments is the high cost of science-related materials, which makes it difficult to provide all the materials students and faculty would like to have access to while staying within the budget. With the cost of these resources increasing sharply each year, it's a challenge that all research libraries face. We also discussed the trend toward electronic resources in the sciences, and the fact that print collections for the sciences will continue to dwindle. Finally, Melissa talked about the challenges of IL instruction in the sciences, particularly the very specialized skills and resources needed for upper-level undergraduate and graduate level courses.
Since Jessica is currently serving as the department chair, we also talked about the role of the chairperson. One of the chairperson's responsibilities is defining the over-arching goals of the library and identifying any programs or policies the library wants to implement, and then providing leadership throughout the implementation process. The chair also communicates the library's mission to the administration and to other faculty, and facilitates dialogue with these partners and among the library faculty.
Jessica and I talked about the unique nature of some of the items in the education collection, including children's books, textbooks and teaching kits. Her goal is to provide education students with high quality teaching materials, but to balance that with providing materials that are likely to be available in the schools where they will eventually teach. Our discussion about the education collection led us to talk about the trend toward open access materials, which hopefully will be more widely available in the future, and the benefits of open access materials to students, teachers, public schools and universities, and taxpayers. One of the roles that librarians can play in this debate is to educate people about the benefits of open access materials, point patrons to these kinds of resources when possible, include them in journal lists or catalogs, and continue to lobby publishers and authors for more favorable terms of use.
I also talked to Professor Melissa Gold, the science librarian, who discussed how her background in biological anthropology helps her as subject specialist for the sciences. One of the unique challenges in serving the science departments is the high cost of science-related materials, which makes it difficult to provide all the materials students and faculty would like to have access to while staying within the budget. With the cost of these resources increasing sharply each year, it's a challenge that all research libraries face. We also discussed the trend toward electronic resources in the sciences, and the fact that print collections for the sciences will continue to dwindle. Finally, Melissa talked about the challenges of IL instruction in the sciences, particularly the very specialized skills and resources needed for upper-level undergraduate and graduate level courses.
Week 9
I started out this week by talking to Professor Rachel Gammons, the learning design librarian and the newest faculty librarian at Millersville University. In the coming years, Rachel will look at ways to improve information literacy instruction, make IL instruction more consistent, ensure that all students receive IL instruction during their undergraduate education, and develop better methods of assessing students' IL skills. For anyone familiar with the difficulties that librarians face in delivering and assessing IL instruction, this is quite a tall order that Rachel must fulfill. Talking to Rachel gave me a better understanding of the challenges academic librarians face with IL instruction, not only in their individual practices in the classroom, but also when integrating IL instruction and assessment into campus curriculum. Getting a broader view of IL instruction from Rachel nicely complimented the instruction I observed in the classroom.
This week I also had the opportunity to attend the 2013 State System of Higher Education Library Cooperative Organization (SSHELCO) conference, where librarians from PASSHE institutions come together to discuss the issues facing their libraries today. I attended a diverse array of sessions at SSHELCO.
First up was an Archon workshop led by Scott Schwartz, one of the Archon project team members. I've used PastPerfect, a fairly simple program for cataloging museum and archives collections, so it was a great experience to use a more robust program for creating digital finding aids and repositories. Scott talked about the similarities and differences between Archon and Archivists' Toolkit, and how the ArchivesSpace project has grown out of these two projects. Getting hands-on experience with Archon was a great experience, and I hope to put my new skills to use in the special collections at Millersville by working on a collection or two.
Because I'm currently taking a technical services seminar and I wanted to see what issues are currently being discussed by tech services librarians in the PASSHE system, I decided to attend the cataloging special interest group. The group primarily discussed what they would like to see in the new ILS the consortium will purchase later this year. One of the hardest decisions the consortium faces is finding an ILS that meets their current needs, but that's flexible enough to meet any projected future needs, which is difficult to do with any product libraries are looking to purchase.
I also attended Greg Szczyrbak and Jessica George's presentation on flipping the classroom, a concept they have incorporated into their information literacy instruction. The idea behind flipping the classroom is that rather than the instructor acting as the “sage on the stage”, he or she serves as the “guide on the side”. Before coming to class, students are provided with online tutorials explaining how to use a particular resources. Assessment of students' comprehension is built into the tutorial. At the end of the tutorial, or even at the end of a section of the tutorial, a question appears on the screen. The students' comprehension of the material is assessed by whether they answer these questions correctly. If many students in the class have trouble with a particular question, that topic can be discussed more in-depth in class. In most cases, however, students have no trouble absorbing the material presented in the tutorial and when they come to class they are ready to get guidance from the instructor in working through specific research questions. Flipping the traditional instruction method in this way allows librarians to more effectively use students’ time in the classroom. The new smart classroom planned for the renovated library will facilitate flipping the classroom by allowing students to easily share their work with the class and collaborate on problem solving.
I ended my time at SSHELCO by attending a discussion session on a report prepared by Global Library Consulting for the Keystone Library Network (KLN), a consortium that includes both PASSHE and non-PASSHE institutions. KLN solicited the report for suggestions on how to improve library service in the 21st century. Many of the issues raised in the report were clearly controversial to the librarians in attendance, but they highlight the need for libraries to think critically about how they will stay relevant in our information-rich, internet-driven world, and how to provide high quality services and resources to their communities in ways that are economically sustainable.
Overall, attending the SSHELCO conference helped me to understand how Millersville University, and the Millersville library, fit into the state system of higher education, SSHELCO and KLN, and how these collaborations create opportunities and challenges for the library.
This week I also had the opportunity to attend the 2013 State System of Higher Education Library Cooperative Organization (SSHELCO) conference, where librarians from PASSHE institutions come together to discuss the issues facing their libraries today. I attended a diverse array of sessions at SSHELCO.
First up was an Archon workshop led by Scott Schwartz, one of the Archon project team members. I've used PastPerfect, a fairly simple program for cataloging museum and archives collections, so it was a great experience to use a more robust program for creating digital finding aids and repositories. Scott talked about the similarities and differences between Archon and Archivists' Toolkit, and how the ArchivesSpace project has grown out of these two projects. Getting hands-on experience with Archon was a great experience, and I hope to put my new skills to use in the special collections at Millersville by working on a collection or two.
Because I'm currently taking a technical services seminar and I wanted to see what issues are currently being discussed by tech services librarians in the PASSHE system, I decided to attend the cataloging special interest group. The group primarily discussed what they would like to see in the new ILS the consortium will purchase later this year. One of the hardest decisions the consortium faces is finding an ILS that meets their current needs, but that's flexible enough to meet any projected future needs, which is difficult to do with any product libraries are looking to purchase.
I also attended Greg Szczyrbak and Jessica George's presentation on flipping the classroom, a concept they have incorporated into their information literacy instruction. The idea behind flipping the classroom is that rather than the instructor acting as the “sage on the stage”, he or she serves as the “guide on the side”. Before coming to class, students are provided with online tutorials explaining how to use a particular resources. Assessment of students' comprehension is built into the tutorial. At the end of the tutorial, or even at the end of a section of the tutorial, a question appears on the screen. The students' comprehension of the material is assessed by whether they answer these questions correctly. If many students in the class have trouble with a particular question, that topic can be discussed more in-depth in class. In most cases, however, students have no trouble absorbing the material presented in the tutorial and when they come to class they are ready to get guidance from the instructor in working through specific research questions. Flipping the traditional instruction method in this way allows librarians to more effectively use students’ time in the classroom. The new smart classroom planned for the renovated library will facilitate flipping the classroom by allowing students to easily share their work with the class and collaborate on problem solving.
I ended my time at SSHELCO by attending a discussion session on a report prepared by Global Library Consulting for the Keystone Library Network (KLN), a consortium that includes both PASSHE and non-PASSHE institutions. KLN solicited the report for suggestions on how to improve library service in the 21st century. Many of the issues raised in the report were clearly controversial to the librarians in attendance, but they highlight the need for libraries to think critically about how they will stay relevant in our information-rich, internet-driven world, and how to provide high quality services and resources to their communities in ways that are economically sustainable.
Overall, attending the SSHELCO conference helped me to understand how Millersville University, and the Millersville library, fit into the state system of higher education, SSHELCO and KLN, and how these collaborations create opportunities and challenges for the library.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Week 8
The renovation project had caused some interesting rumors to circulate among the student body at Millersville. One of the most frequently overheard statements is that Millersville doesn't have a library right now, which is patently untrue, not to mention potentially disastrous, particularly when prospective students are told this on campus tours. Some rumors are more amusing - did you know that a dormitory is being put on the top floors of the new library? I must admit, I always dreamed of being able to live in the campus library, so I had to chuckle at this one, but as obviously untrue and ridiculous as it is, rumors like this one are potentially harmful because they undermine students' opinion of the library at this difficult time. With wild rumors like these running amok, someone must address them immediately, which is where Professor Erin Dorney, the outreach librarian, comes in. Erin has addressed many rumors, complaints and concerns raised by students throughout the library renovation, seeking to remind students that yes, the library has remained open throughout the renovation, that many of the library's materials are available in the temporary library in Gerhart, that the library is working hard to help students obtain the materials they need through ILL, and that the full library staff is ready and willing to assist students in any way they can from their temporary offices across campus. Erin reaches out to the Millersville community in a number of ways: through the library's website and Facebook page, the library's blog about the renovation project, the faculty newsletter, and the campus newspaper. In addition to addressing students' concerns about the renovation, Erin has also gathered ideas from students about what they would like to see in the new library from regular conversations with the Library Student Advisory Board.
One of the biggest challenges that Erin faces in communicating with the Millersville community is juggling all the different avenues of communication. Every student and faculty member prefers a different method of communication, so it's important to get library news out to the campus on every available format, and in today's world, that's a lot of different formats. Nonetheless, it's important to communicate with each community member in their preferred format so that important news reaches everyone. The library routinely needs to get the word out about upcoming events, new resources and policy changes, so keeping community members informed is a constant and ongoing task.
Professor Greg Szczyrbak, the learning technologies librarian, also talked with me about how the library connects with the Millersville community through technology. The campus uses the Desire2Learn learning management system, which allows faculty to create and manage online course content. One of the best features of D2L is that it allows librarians and faculty to store the learning objects they create and share them with other instructors on campus, or even around the world. For example, if a faculty member creates a diagram, model, graph, tutorial or other type of learning object for a lesson, they can save the object in D2L's learning repository, where it can be discovered and used by other instructors in their department or field. I find this feature of D2L interesting and exciting because, as scholarly content increasingly becomes open source and open access, this will be an important resource for librarians and faculty alike. Librarians can create learning objects as well, which faculty can easily include in their course sites, instantly incorporating a subject librarian's contact information and subject guide into the course website.
One of the biggest challenges that Erin faces in communicating with the Millersville community is juggling all the different avenues of communication. Every student and faculty member prefers a different method of communication, so it's important to get library news out to the campus on every available format, and in today's world, that's a lot of different formats. Nonetheless, it's important to communicate with each community member in their preferred format so that important news reaches everyone. The library routinely needs to get the word out about upcoming events, new resources and policy changes, so keeping community members informed is a constant and ongoing task.
Professor Greg Szczyrbak, the learning technologies librarian, also talked with me about how the library connects with the Millersville community through technology. The campus uses the Desire2Learn learning management system, which allows faculty to create and manage online course content. One of the best features of D2L is that it allows librarians and faculty to store the learning objects they create and share them with other instructors on campus, or even around the world. For example, if a faculty member creates a diagram, model, graph, tutorial or other type of learning object for a lesson, they can save the object in D2L's learning repository, where it can be discovered and used by other instructors in their department or field. I find this feature of D2L interesting and exciting because, as scholarly content increasingly becomes open source and open access, this will be an important resource for librarians and faculty alike. Librarians can create learning objects as well, which faculty can easily include in their course sites, instantly incorporating a subject librarian's contact information and subject guide into the course website.
Another important set of resources for students on the library’s website
are the online tutorials available through the “How Do I …?” link. Librarians can create online knowledge bases on any
topic, ranging from general information about the
library’s resources to very specialized information on doing research in a
specific field. The “How Do I …?” knowledge bases are created using LibAnswers, a Springshare product similar to
LibGuides, which is used to create subject guides. Having used LibGuides myself to create a subject guide for a class project, which was a fairly simple and intuitive process, I can imagine that LibAnswers make it equally easy for librarians to create online knowledge bases tailored to the unique needs of their community.
Greg also gave me a brief overview of how the library
creates and maintains content for the library website using Drupal
Gardens. I have not used Drupal myself yet, but as Greg showed me how he is able to create and edit
content with Drupal, I found that it is a surprisingly easy and intuitive tool to use, and very
similar to Wix, a freely available online tool for creating and maintaining websites.
Greg and I also discussed some of the new teaching techniques and technology that will be used in the new library. Next week I'll be attending the SSHELCO conference in Harrisburg, PA, where Greg and his colleague Professor Jessica George, the education librarian, will conduct a presentation on these topics. Stay tuned for my next post where I'll discuss these topics in more detail!
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Week 7
As construction on the new McNairy Library nears completion, efforts to plan how the collection will move back into the renovated building are heating up. This week I wrapped up initial calculations of how much material will be moved back into the library on the first floor, where the DVD and reference sections will be housed, and the third and fourth floors, where the juvenile and curriculum collections will be housed. I also completed initial calculations of how much shelving space will available for these collections, and how full these sections can be filled based on the amount of material going back into the library and the amount of space available. The purpose of these calculations is to help the librarians make decisions about how much space will be required for each part of the collection, how much room will be available for growth of the collection, and to map out where the collection will fall on the new shelving, which will in turn help the move go as smoothly as possible. I also received an update on the key events and milestones that will occur throughout the moving process, which helped me to better understand all the things that need to come together over the course of this project.
Working with various library faculty and staff on the planning process helps me to understand how the library operates within the greater context of the university community. Thus far I've learned about the different functions that librarians perform within the library, and how their work contributes to the overall operation of the library. I've seen how library faculty help shape and support university curriculum through their efforts to educate students and other faculty about information literacy, and by making critical decisions about collection development. I've also talked with various faculty members about new initiatives, such as developing a digital repository and implementing a pilot patron driven acquisitions program, which position the library to start serving future needs today. By participating in meetings about the move and listening to the issues raised not only by library faculty, but also by the university's administrators, I'm gaining a better understanding of the kinds of administrative issues that must be considered during a large project such as this one, including budgetary, equipment, supply, personnel, facilities, technology and safety issues. More importantly, however, I'm learning how the library is poised to become part of the next generation of academic libraries, which will not only provide information resources to support the educational and research goals of the university, but will also serve as a learning commons where members of the community can gather for a wide variety of events such as technology training, group meetings, seminars and workshops. The library seeks to become a public space seen by the university community as the go-to place for campus gatherings and activities of all types, in addition to taking the more traditional role of providing study and work spaces for students and faculty.
Working with various library faculty and staff on the planning process helps me to understand how the library operates within the greater context of the university community. Thus far I've learned about the different functions that librarians perform within the library, and how their work contributes to the overall operation of the library. I've seen how library faculty help shape and support university curriculum through their efforts to educate students and other faculty about information literacy, and by making critical decisions about collection development. I've also talked with various faculty members about new initiatives, such as developing a digital repository and implementing a pilot patron driven acquisitions program, which position the library to start serving future needs today. By participating in meetings about the move and listening to the issues raised not only by library faculty, but also by the university's administrators, I'm gaining a better understanding of the kinds of administrative issues that must be considered during a large project such as this one, including budgetary, equipment, supply, personnel, facilities, technology and safety issues. More importantly, however, I'm learning how the library is poised to become part of the next generation of academic libraries, which will not only provide information resources to support the educational and research goals of the university, but will also serve as a learning commons where members of the community can gather for a wide variety of events such as technology training, group meetings, seminars and workshops. The library seeks to become a public space seen by the university community as the go-to place for campus gatherings and activities of all types, in addition to taking the more traditional role of providing study and work spaces for students and faculty.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Week 6
In Week 3 I spent some time with the librarians in access services observing the day-to-day operations of the circulation desk, shelf maintenance, inter-library loan, and document delivery. This week I was able to talk to Professor Krista Higham, the access services librarian who supervises and manages the access services department. She explained the work that she does as the access librarian, which ranges from managerial tasks related to supervising access services staff, including creating policies that govern the work done in access services; to evaluating new products that the library is considering purchasing; working with the information systems librarian, Professor Scott Anderson, to ensure that the library's products (such as electronic databases) work seamlessly and flawlessly for students and faculty; serving on the collection development committee; answering questions through the library's virtual reference service; and serving as an academic adviser for undeclared undergraduate students. Krista's role as the access services librarian extends beyond simply making sure that students and faculty can get their hands on the materials they need to complete assignments and research projects - it also encompasses helping to make broader, long-term decisions about the resources available to the community to meet the demands of the university's curriculum. The work that Krista does, as with all library faculty, ultimately supports the mission of the university: to educate the future professionals and leaders of the world, to help them build information literacy skills they will use in both their careers and personal lives, and to support the research and teaching goals of faculty.
After taking some time to consider Krista's role as the access services librarian and why she often works closely with Scott, the composition of the collection development committee became much clearer to me. The collection development committee is comprised of Dr. Marjorie Warmkessel, who contributes her experience as a department liaison and selector, considerations of the technical services department, and the goals of special projects, such as the patron driven acquisitions program; Scott Anderson, who can address the technological considerations of the library's information systems and draw on his experience as a selector and department liaison; Krista, who can address the concerns of the access services department, which is responsible for assisting the university community in using the collection, and who can also draw on her experience as a selector and department liaison; and Professor Melissa Gold, the science librarian, who, as a selector and department liaison for very specialized fields, can speak to the specific needs of those specialized fields.
I also attended Krista's presentation to university faculty on copyright issues surrounding course reserves. I wanted to attend this presentation to better understand the library's policies and recommendations on fair use and course reserves. One of my projects for a legal issues in information management course was to study the fair use policies of several colleges and universities with respect to course reserves. After the recent George State University case, many colleges and universities have re-evaluated their copyright and fair use policies and made efforts to ensure that faculty understand what does and does not constitute fair use in an educational setting. Attending Krista's presentation allowed me to see how Millersville University approaches their fair use policy, and how they guide faculty through the complex and difficult interpretation of fair use. Since the library makes decisions on a regular basis about fair use and course reserves as they make content available to student through the course management system, it is poised to offer sound advice to faculty trying to navigate fair use.
I also continued to work on calculating the amount of compact shelving that will be available for the general collection on lower level 1 of the new library, and preparing a spreadsheet for calculating the amount of shelving space needed for different parts of the collection. I also began to look at how full the shelves will need to be filled to accommodate the reference, DVD, juvenile and curriculum collections. I also perused most of Steve Fortriede's Moving Your Library to understand various techniques and best practices for moving library collections.
After taking some time to consider Krista's role as the access services librarian and why she often works closely with Scott, the composition of the collection development committee became much clearer to me. The collection development committee is comprised of Dr. Marjorie Warmkessel, who contributes her experience as a department liaison and selector, considerations of the technical services department, and the goals of special projects, such as the patron driven acquisitions program; Scott Anderson, who can address the technological considerations of the library's information systems and draw on his experience as a selector and department liaison; Krista, who can address the concerns of the access services department, which is responsible for assisting the university community in using the collection, and who can also draw on her experience as a selector and department liaison; and Professor Melissa Gold, the science librarian, who, as a selector and department liaison for very specialized fields, can speak to the specific needs of those specialized fields.
I also attended Krista's presentation to university faculty on copyright issues surrounding course reserves. I wanted to attend this presentation to better understand the library's policies and recommendations on fair use and course reserves. One of my projects for a legal issues in information management course was to study the fair use policies of several colleges and universities with respect to course reserves. After the recent George State University case, many colleges and universities have re-evaluated their copyright and fair use policies and made efforts to ensure that faculty understand what does and does not constitute fair use in an educational setting. Attending Krista's presentation allowed me to see how Millersville University approaches their fair use policy, and how they guide faculty through the complex and difficult interpretation of fair use. Since the library makes decisions on a regular basis about fair use and course reserves as they make content available to student through the course management system, it is poised to offer sound advice to faculty trying to navigate fair use.
I also continued to work on calculating the amount of compact shelving that will be available for the general collection on lower level 1 of the new library, and preparing a spreadsheet for calculating the amount of shelving space needed for different parts of the collection. I also began to look at how full the shelves will need to be filled to accommodate the reference, DVD, juvenile and curriculum collections. I also perused most of Steve Fortriede's Moving Your Library to understand various techniques and best practices for moving library collections.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Week 5
This week I gained more insight into technical services by observing the cataloging and metadata work done by Professor Teresa Weisser, the cataloging and metadata librarian, and Professor Anne McGillivray, another cataloging librarian. Earlier in the semester, I learned about the acquisitions process, and saw how materials are ordered and received before heading to be cataloged. During my time with Teresa and Anne, I saw how catalog records are selected and downloaded from OCLC, modified to meet the library's needs, and then uploaded to OCLC so that the library's holdings are discoverable by other libraries and individuals around the world. I also saw how catalog records are imported into the library's ILS so that materials are discoverable by members of the Millersville community. Finally, I learned how quality control of records is ensured through authority control, and through the workflows and review processes that have been implemented by the cataloging department. We also touched on the changes that lie on the horizon as RDA replaces AACR2 standards. Although library patrons rarely, if ever, see the work that catalogers do, they enjoy the end results of this work every time they are able to successfully discover and locate library materials. In our information-rich modern environment, metadata and the organization of information will become increasingly important.
By this point I have seen much of the work that happens to get materials from the vendor's shelves to the library's shelves and then into the patron's hands. To get a broader view of how the library decides what materials to add to its collection, I talked to Dr. Marjorie Warmkessel, the special projects librarian, about the library's collection development process. Marjorie explained some of the factors that the collection development committee must weigh before deciding what materials to add to the collection, including the needs of various programs and departments, support for the university's curriculum, feedback from faculty and students, as well as current and emerging trends in collection development. With respect to emerging trends in collection development, we discussed the increased use of electronic resources and the benefits of these types of resources, as well as the library's pilot patron driven acquisitions program.
As for my work on the plan for moving back into the library, I began to prepare some preliminary data on the amount shelf space that will be available in the compact shelving going into the lower levels of the library, and to review data on the approximate amount of linear feet that each subcategory of the collection will take up on the shelf. I also continued to learn about strategies for determining the amount of space that will be needed for each part of the collection, and how to map out where each part of the collection will fall in the shelving. I toured the lower levels of the library again with Professor Krista Higham, Marjorie and Deborah to see where the compact shelving and microfilm cabinets will be placed and to get a better understanding of the layout of these floors. We ended the tour with a brief walk-through of the ground floor of the library, where the circulation desk, 24-hour section, computer lab, reading room and classrooms will be located. Since the renovation is nearing its completion, it's now easy to see what the space will look like when it is finished. The "new" library will certainly be one of the major hubs of student life at Millersville, and the community has a lot to look forward to in the new facility.
By this point I have seen much of the work that happens to get materials from the vendor's shelves to the library's shelves and then into the patron's hands. To get a broader view of how the library decides what materials to add to its collection, I talked to Dr. Marjorie Warmkessel, the special projects librarian, about the library's collection development process. Marjorie explained some of the factors that the collection development committee must weigh before deciding what materials to add to the collection, including the needs of various programs and departments, support for the university's curriculum, feedback from faculty and students, as well as current and emerging trends in collection development. With respect to emerging trends in collection development, we discussed the increased use of electronic resources and the benefits of these types of resources, as well as the library's pilot patron driven acquisitions program.
As for my work on the plan for moving back into the library, I began to prepare some preliminary data on the amount shelf space that will be available in the compact shelving going into the lower levels of the library, and to review data on the approximate amount of linear feet that each subcategory of the collection will take up on the shelf. I also continued to learn about strategies for determining the amount of space that will be needed for each part of the collection, and how to map out where each part of the collection will fall in the shelving. I toured the lower levels of the library again with Professor Krista Higham, Marjorie and Deborah to see where the compact shelving and microfilm cabinets will be placed and to get a better understanding of the layout of these floors. We ended the tour with a brief walk-through of the ground floor of the library, where the circulation desk, 24-hour section, computer lab, reading room and classrooms will be located. Since the renovation is nearing its completion, it's now easy to see what the space will look like when it is finished. The "new" library will certainly be one of the major hubs of student life at Millersville, and the community has a lot to look forward to in the new facility.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Week 4
This week I observed two library instruction classes: an entry level English course taught by Dr. Marilyn Parrish, the university archivist and special collections librarian, and an upper level business course taught by Professor Scott Anderson, the information systems librarian.
The students in the entry level English course have a series of assignments that revolve around using primary and secondary sources, and the first assignment in the series requires them to closely examine a primary source of their choice. The instructor asked Marilyn to introduce students to primary sources: how to find them and how to analyze them. As the students gathered around the tables in Franklin House, they began looking at the various primary sources Marilyn pulled for the class. There were some Millersville related items, such as yearbooks from the 1920s and '30s and confessions from the turn of the 20th century written by students who had broken the university's once very strict rules, as well as several 19th century books on diet, etiquette and health, and books and trial transcripts from some well-known local trials. Students were encouraged to look through these various materials to get ideas for their assignment.
Marilyn began by having the class come up with a general definition of what a primary source is, and asked them to think about something from today's world that scholars might someday examine as a primary source. The students then examined a letter written by a local man who served as a Union soldier during the Civil War, who was writing to his family back home in Lancaster County. The students answered a series of questions that encouraged them to think critically about the letter and begin answering questions such as who was the man writing the letter, where he was from, what were his feelings about being a soldier, what were his feelings about the direction of the war, what were his feeling about the politics surrounding the war, what was his level of education, what was his socio-economic status, and what were his speech patterns like? Marilyn also asked the students to related things that the soldier complained about in his letter to typical complaints of modern-day student life, which encouraged students to see commonalities in the human experience over time. Through this exercise, the students learned the kinds of questions they should ask about a primary source, how to understand the content of a primary source, and to glean the context of a primary source from the details in it. By asking students to compare the attitudes and mores expressed in the various texts with those of modern-day life, the students began to see how primary sources demonstrate shifts in social norms on campus and in society at large.
The upper level business course taught by Scott also revolved around an assignment the students received from their instructor, which involves researching, analyzing and preparing a report on a company. Scott walked through the resources outlined in the research guide he prepared for the class, and explained to the student which resources would be good to use for various parts of the assignment. He gave the class examples of specific questions they might ask about the company they chose to investigate for the assignment and explained how they might go about answering those questions with the resources available. In doing so, Scott got the students to think critically about how to examine a company and how to approach the kinds of questions and problems that arise in the business world. The students could carry forward the research and critical thinking skills they learned from Scott not only to this specific assignment, but to all of their assignments in the business department, and to the work they will do in their jobs after graduation. Scott also gave the student tips about using the resources available - which databases are best suited for different parts of the assignment, which platforms work best with certain databases, and best practices for conducting searches in specific databases.
Although they addressed very different subjects and students at different levels, both Scott and Marilyn demonstrate the value of library instruction - giving student not only hands-on experience with the research tools they need to complete assignments now, but also the critical thinking skills they will need to tackle the challenges they will face in their future careers. Library instruction really compliments and enhances the goals and objectives that all instructors across campus have for the student body.
In addition to having my first opportunities to observe library instruction, I also continued to work this week on the library move. I talked to various people involved in the move and learned that we are very close to having details about the type and amount of shelving that will be available in the renovated library. We also discussed strategies for measuring the collection and mapping out where materials will be placed in the renovated library. I also researched various open-source, freely available project management programs that would allow everyone involved in the move to track upcoming deadlines and milestones on a shared calendar, create and check off shared to-do lists, create and participate in shared discussions about various details of the move, and share documents relevant to the project. Fortunately there are several well respected and easy to use project management tools freely available on the web that allow team members to work together on projects.
The students in the entry level English course have a series of assignments that revolve around using primary and secondary sources, and the first assignment in the series requires them to closely examine a primary source of their choice. The instructor asked Marilyn to introduce students to primary sources: how to find them and how to analyze them. As the students gathered around the tables in Franklin House, they began looking at the various primary sources Marilyn pulled for the class. There were some Millersville related items, such as yearbooks from the 1920s and '30s and confessions from the turn of the 20th century written by students who had broken the university's once very strict rules, as well as several 19th century books on diet, etiquette and health, and books and trial transcripts from some well-known local trials. Students were encouraged to look through these various materials to get ideas for their assignment.
Marilyn began by having the class come up with a general definition of what a primary source is, and asked them to think about something from today's world that scholars might someday examine as a primary source. The students then examined a letter written by a local man who served as a Union soldier during the Civil War, who was writing to his family back home in Lancaster County. The students answered a series of questions that encouraged them to think critically about the letter and begin answering questions such as who was the man writing the letter, where he was from, what were his feelings about being a soldier, what were his feelings about the direction of the war, what were his feeling about the politics surrounding the war, what was his level of education, what was his socio-economic status, and what were his speech patterns like? Marilyn also asked the students to related things that the soldier complained about in his letter to typical complaints of modern-day student life, which encouraged students to see commonalities in the human experience over time. Through this exercise, the students learned the kinds of questions they should ask about a primary source, how to understand the content of a primary source, and to glean the context of a primary source from the details in it. By asking students to compare the attitudes and mores expressed in the various texts with those of modern-day life, the students began to see how primary sources demonstrate shifts in social norms on campus and in society at large.
The upper level business course taught by Scott also revolved around an assignment the students received from their instructor, which involves researching, analyzing and preparing a report on a company. Scott walked through the resources outlined in the research guide he prepared for the class, and explained to the student which resources would be good to use for various parts of the assignment. He gave the class examples of specific questions they might ask about the company they chose to investigate for the assignment and explained how they might go about answering those questions with the resources available. In doing so, Scott got the students to think critically about how to examine a company and how to approach the kinds of questions and problems that arise in the business world. The students could carry forward the research and critical thinking skills they learned from Scott not only to this specific assignment, but to all of their assignments in the business department, and to the work they will do in their jobs after graduation. Scott also gave the student tips about using the resources available - which databases are best suited for different parts of the assignment, which platforms work best with certain databases, and best practices for conducting searches in specific databases.
Although they addressed very different subjects and students at different levels, both Scott and Marilyn demonstrate the value of library instruction - giving student not only hands-on experience with the research tools they need to complete assignments now, but also the critical thinking skills they will need to tackle the challenges they will face in their future careers. Library instruction really compliments and enhances the goals and objectives that all instructors across campus have for the student body.
In addition to having my first opportunities to observe library instruction, I also continued to work this week on the library move. I talked to various people involved in the move and learned that we are very close to having details about the type and amount of shelving that will be available in the renovated library. We also discussed strategies for measuring the collection and mapping out where materials will be placed in the renovated library. I also researched various open-source, freely available project management programs that would allow everyone involved in the move to track upcoming deadlines and milestones on a shared calendar, create and check off shared to-do lists, create and participate in shared discussions about various details of the move, and share documents relevant to the project. Fortunately there are several well respected and easy to use project management tools freely available on the web that allow team members to work together on projects.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Week 3
This week I spent some time with the folks in Access Services, where I was able to observe inter-library loan and the circulation desk. Observing ILL really helped me build on what I learned last week in acquisitions and expanded my understanding of the work that is done in technical services. Since much of the general collection is not in circulation due to the renovation, many materials are currently provided to students through ILL. There is a traditional ILL service, E-ZBorrow, which allows students to borrow books from other libraries in the region and across the country. The E-ZBorrow process is easy and convenient for library patrons - they submit a request, and when the item comes in, they receive a notice that the item is available for pick up at the circulation desk. Little do patrons know that behind that simple service is a team of library staff and student workers who identify other institutions willing to lend materials to Millersville patrons; send, review and accept requests; manage the costs affiliated with the ILL process; receive incoming materials; and notify patrons when materials are available. The Request It service provides electronic materials to patrons, such as journal articles and sections of books. Library staff and student workers follow a similar process for finding and obtaining electronic materials, and ensure that clean, easily readable copies of electronic materials are delivered to patrons' accounts. Additionally, I had the opportunity to see how course reserve materials are made available to patrons through Ares.
The most impressive aspect of circulation operations are the detailed manuals and guides that the library staff have created. Every task that library staff or student workers need to do in the ILS has been explained in detail these manuals, and manuals are always at hand in both paper and electronic versions. With so many student workers helping with the day-to-day operations of the library, and with these workers coming and going each semester or academic year, it is very important to have clear, accurate and easy to understand instructions for employees to reference when they have to complete a new or unfamiliar task. The manuals help ensure that every worker is on the same page for every task, that errors are not made that will create more problems further along in the process, and that patrons are served in a flawless and professional manner.
Last week I saw how Gobi and Voyager are used in the acquisitions process, and this week I saw how ILLiad is used in the ILL process, how Voyager is used in the circulation process, and how Ares is used in the e-reserves process. Having the experience of seeing these programs at work and how they facilitate library operations is extremely helping in fleshing out what I am learning in my technical services seminar this semester. I now have a better understanding of the work flows for the acquisitions, circulation, ILL and course reserves processes. Additionally, I now have a better understanding of the decisions that librarians need to make in budgeting, copyright policies and fees, and circulation policies, and how important it is to carefully balance all of the factors involved while still providing the highest level of service to the university community.
Later in the week I began to organize subscription cost data for a statistical report that the library will need to submit, which helped me to further understand the costs involved in serving the university community. I also worked on a special project that will be unveiled later this week - more on that in my next post!
The most impressive aspect of circulation operations are the detailed manuals and guides that the library staff have created. Every task that library staff or student workers need to do in the ILS has been explained in detail these manuals, and manuals are always at hand in both paper and electronic versions. With so many student workers helping with the day-to-day operations of the library, and with these workers coming and going each semester or academic year, it is very important to have clear, accurate and easy to understand instructions for employees to reference when they have to complete a new or unfamiliar task. The manuals help ensure that every worker is on the same page for every task, that errors are not made that will create more problems further along in the process, and that patrons are served in a flawless and professional manner.
Last week I saw how Gobi and Voyager are used in the acquisitions process, and this week I saw how ILLiad is used in the ILL process, how Voyager is used in the circulation process, and how Ares is used in the e-reserves process. Having the experience of seeing these programs at work and how they facilitate library operations is extremely helping in fleshing out what I am learning in my technical services seminar this semester. I now have a better understanding of the work flows for the acquisitions, circulation, ILL and course reserves processes. Additionally, I now have a better understanding of the decisions that librarians need to make in budgeting, copyright policies and fees, and circulation policies, and how important it is to carefully balance all of the factors involved while still providing the highest level of service to the university community.
Later in the week I began to organize subscription cost data for a statistical report that the library will need to submit, which helped me to further understand the costs involved in serving the university community. I also worked on a special project that will be unveiled later this week - more on that in my next post!
Monday, February 4, 2013
Week 2
One of the classes I am taking this semester is a seminar in technical services, and this week I had an excellent opportunity to see some of what takes place in technical services at Millersville University. D'Ann Ressler, the library business coordinator and former acquisitions technician, invited me to sit in on a training session with William Marshall, the new acquisitions technician, in which she went over the purchasing and receiving process in Gobi and Voyager. By the end of the training session, I had a better understanding of how materials move through the acquisitions process, from selection to ordering, receiving and invoicing, to cataloging and physical preparation of the item, before the item finally arrives on the shelf where it is ready for people to use. I was also able to talk briefly with Dr. Majorie Warmkessel, the special projects librarian, about the role of the selector in the acquisitions process, and I hope to talk to her again in the near future about the broader role that librarians play in collection development.
Later in the week, Dr. Marilyn Parrish, the university archivist and special collections librarian, invited me to attend a meeting with Christopher Raab, the archives and special collections librarian at Franklin and Marshall College, to hear how F&M used the digital service DSpace to create their digital repository, Scholars Square. The digital repository is used to house and expose scholarly work created by the F&M community. Christopher discussed the pros and cons of using DSpace, which he has found to be a great tool for creating F&M's digital repository. DSpace gives librarians the ability to create different "communities", or collections, which can be searched and browsed, and to easily create metadata for each item. The software is flexible, allowing librarians to craft a digital repository that will meet the needs of their specific community. Christopher also discussed the advantages of having a digital space where faculty and students can easily share their work with the world.
After the meeting with Christopher, I spent some time with Marilyn Parrish and Janet Dotterer, the library technician who works in special collections, at Franklin House to learn more about Millersville University's special collections and archives. Janet pointed out several interesting collections of work produced or collected by Lancaster County writers and artists. Marilyn explained how the special collections are used to support the curriculum at the university, particularly with respect to the history of education and the field of history in general. Several faculty members build the use of primary sources into their coursework, so the special collections are routinely used by students. I was particularly intrigued by how Marilyn uses materials from the special collections to help students develop their critical thinking skills. For example, there are two late-19th century books in the collection on the subject of whether women should receive a college education, one in favor of women attending college and one arguing against it. By having students examine the arguments in these books, they begin to think more critically about the underlying assumptions and attitudes of these texts, which in turn leads students to think more critically about the messages that surround them in the present world. This discussion with Marilyn lead me to see new possibilities for how special collections can be used to educate undergraduate students, and not just to support the research of graduate students and professional scholars.
Later in the week, Dr. Marilyn Parrish, the university archivist and special collections librarian, invited me to attend a meeting with Christopher Raab, the archives and special collections librarian at Franklin and Marshall College, to hear how F&M used the digital service DSpace to create their digital repository, Scholars Square. The digital repository is used to house and expose scholarly work created by the F&M community. Christopher discussed the pros and cons of using DSpace, which he has found to be a great tool for creating F&M's digital repository. DSpace gives librarians the ability to create different "communities", or collections, which can be searched and browsed, and to easily create metadata for each item. The software is flexible, allowing librarians to craft a digital repository that will meet the needs of their specific community. Christopher also discussed the advantages of having a digital space where faculty and students can easily share their work with the world.
After the meeting with Christopher, I spent some time with Marilyn Parrish and Janet Dotterer, the library technician who works in special collections, at Franklin House to learn more about Millersville University's special collections and archives. Janet pointed out several interesting collections of work produced or collected by Lancaster County writers and artists. Marilyn explained how the special collections are used to support the curriculum at the university, particularly with respect to the history of education and the field of history in general. Several faculty members build the use of primary sources into their coursework, so the special collections are routinely used by students. I was particularly intrigued by how Marilyn uses materials from the special collections to help students develop their critical thinking skills. For example, there are two late-19th century books in the collection on the subject of whether women should receive a college education, one in favor of women attending college and one arguing against it. By having students examine the arguments in these books, they begin to think more critically about the underlying assumptions and attitudes of these texts, which in turn leads students to think more critically about the messages that surround them in the present world. This discussion with Marilyn lead me to see new possibilities for how special collections can be used to educate undergraduate students, and not just to support the research of graduate students and professional scholars.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Week 1
During the first week of my field study, I began to understand what a monumental task is at hand in moving the library's entire collection and operations back into the newly renovated building from the various temporary facilities.
On the first day of my field study, I attended a meeting that the moving committee had with Bill Overton of Overton & Associates. Bill is a library moving consultant who has moved over 500 libraries throughout his career. Throughout the day, we toured the temporary library in the Ganser building, the temporary archives and special collections department in the Franklin building, the temporary storage facility in the Hobbs building, the offsite storage facility on Greenfield Road where the bulk of the collection is currently housed, as well as the "new" library where workers were busy completing the final stage of the renovation project.
Stepping into the warehouse of the Greenfield facility is a breathtaking experience: imagine a room roughly the size of a football field nearly filled with books. Toward the front of the warehouse there are several rows of shelving that span the length of the building, where books are temporarily shelved. The library is completing a re-classification of their collection, converting the call numbers from the Dewey decimal system to the Library of Congress system. The re-classification project began over fifteen years ago. While the materials have been in storage, the librarians at the Greenfield facility have been able to re-classify the remainder of the collection that had not previously been re-classified. When you move toward the back of the warehouse, you see several rows of storage racks that hold shrink-wrapped pallets full of boxes of books. Archival and special collections materials are stored a large room off of the main warehouse. While this room is smaller than the main warehouse, the space houses an equally astonishing amount of materials.
As Bill asked questions about how the materials were boxed, labeled, palleted, moved and then unloaded and racked at the Greenfield facility, and the group discussed how this process would be reversed for the move back into the renovated library, I began to see the library in an entirely different way. While we often think of libraries, particularly academic libraries, as repositories of human knowledge, they are also physical spaces containing thousands, sometimes millions, of discreet units of various kinds of materials, all of which need to be received, handled and displayed by librarians so that patrons can use them. The shear amount of manpower that will go into taking the boxes back to the renovated library and putting the materials back on the shelves is astounding. Moreover, as Bill discussed strategies for measuring how much space the materials take up on shelves and calculating how much shelf space is available in each section of the library to ensure that the materials can quickly and efficiently be moved back into the reconfigured space, I began to appreciate how much work lies ahead for all of us who will work on planning this move.
Later in the week I was back at the Greenfield facility taking an inventory of the office furniture so that the furniture can be sold to a used furniture dealer. After completing the inventory, I chatted with the librarians at the Greenfield facility about the reclassification project. The project was completed in three runs. For each run, a batch of labeling stickers were printed, the corresponding pallets of books were taken off the storage racks, unpacked and placed onto the bookshelves, library staff took books from the shelves and put them on carts, and the books were relabeled one cart at a time. After the entire batch of books were relabeled, the books were then re-boxed, put back on pallets and the pallets were put back on the racks. While that process alone seems like a huge amount of work, my discussions with the librarians revealed that even more work went into updating and correcting cataloging records, although the librarians were happy that this process allowed them to correct cataloging errors that had previously gone unnoticed.
The meeting with Bill and my discussion with the librarians at the Greenfield facility helped me to start understanding everything that needs to come together to move the library back into the renovated library, and what a challenging task lies ahead for my field study!
On the first day of my field study, I attended a meeting that the moving committee had with Bill Overton of Overton & Associates. Bill is a library moving consultant who has moved over 500 libraries throughout his career. Throughout the day, we toured the temporary library in the Ganser building, the temporary archives and special collections department in the Franklin building, the temporary storage facility in the Hobbs building, the offsite storage facility on Greenfield Road where the bulk of the collection is currently housed, as well as the "new" library where workers were busy completing the final stage of the renovation project.
Stepping into the warehouse of the Greenfield facility is a breathtaking experience: imagine a room roughly the size of a football field nearly filled with books. Toward the front of the warehouse there are several rows of shelving that span the length of the building, where books are temporarily shelved. The library is completing a re-classification of their collection, converting the call numbers from the Dewey decimal system to the Library of Congress system. The re-classification project began over fifteen years ago. While the materials have been in storage, the librarians at the Greenfield facility have been able to re-classify the remainder of the collection that had not previously been re-classified. When you move toward the back of the warehouse, you see several rows of storage racks that hold shrink-wrapped pallets full of boxes of books. Archival and special collections materials are stored a large room off of the main warehouse. While this room is smaller than the main warehouse, the space houses an equally astonishing amount of materials.
As Bill asked questions about how the materials were boxed, labeled, palleted, moved and then unloaded and racked at the Greenfield facility, and the group discussed how this process would be reversed for the move back into the renovated library, I began to see the library in an entirely different way. While we often think of libraries, particularly academic libraries, as repositories of human knowledge, they are also physical spaces containing thousands, sometimes millions, of discreet units of various kinds of materials, all of which need to be received, handled and displayed by librarians so that patrons can use them. The shear amount of manpower that will go into taking the boxes back to the renovated library and putting the materials back on the shelves is astounding. Moreover, as Bill discussed strategies for measuring how much space the materials take up on shelves and calculating how much shelf space is available in each section of the library to ensure that the materials can quickly and efficiently be moved back into the reconfigured space, I began to appreciate how much work lies ahead for all of us who will work on planning this move.
Later in the week I was back at the Greenfield facility taking an inventory of the office furniture so that the furniture can be sold to a used furniture dealer. After completing the inventory, I chatted with the librarians at the Greenfield facility about the reclassification project. The project was completed in three runs. For each run, a batch of labeling stickers were printed, the corresponding pallets of books were taken off the storage racks, unpacked and placed onto the bookshelves, library staff took books from the shelves and put them on carts, and the books were relabeled one cart at a time. After the entire batch of books were relabeled, the books were then re-boxed, put back on pallets and the pallets were put back on the racks. While that process alone seems like a huge amount of work, my discussions with the librarians revealed that even more work went into updating and correcting cataloging records, although the librarians were happy that this process allowed them to correct cataloging errors that had previously gone unnoticed.
The meeting with Bill and my discussion with the librarians at the Greenfield facility helped me to start understanding everything that needs to come together to move the library back into the renovated library, and what a challenging task lies ahead for my field study!
My Field Study and Background
An Overview of My Field Study
My name is Amanda E. Eveler and I am in my final semester of the Master of Library and Information Science program at the University of Maryland, College Park. For my capstone project, I am completing a field study at the Millersville University library located in Millersville, Pennsylvania. Through my field study, I hope to gain a better understanding of academic librarianship and to further develop the skills needed in a future career in academic librarianship.
My name is Amanda E. Eveler and I am in my final semester of the Master of Library and Information Science program at the University of Maryland, College Park. For my capstone project, I am completing a field study at the Millersville University library located in Millersville, Pennsylvania. Through my field study, I hope to gain a better understanding of academic librarianship and to further develop the skills needed in a future career in academic librarianship.
This is an exciting time to work at the Millersville University library. The library is currently undergoing a complete renovation. Construction for the renovation began in the summer of 2011 and will continue through the summer of 2013, with the re-dedication of the library slated for the Fall of 2013. The renovation required that the library's collection be moved to temporary facilities. A temporary library is available to the Millersville University community at Gerhart Hall, where students and faculty can borrow books, use the library's databases, and seek help from library faculty and staff. The bulk of the library's collection is presently in temporary storage at an offsite facility, with smaller portions of the collection in storage at several locations on campus. More information on how the renovation project has proceeded over the past two years can be found at the library's renovation blog, created by Outreach Librarian Erin Dorney.
A major component of my field study is helping to develop a plan for moving the collection back into the newly renovated library. Being involved in the planning process will allow me to see how the various departments of the library work together, and to learn what specific librarians in different departments do on a day-to-day basis, giving me a broad view of an academic library's operation as well as the specific duties of librarians across the entire scope of academic librarianship.
In addition to working on the plan to move back into the library, I will be involved in the beginning stages of a plan to create a digital repository at Millersville University, and the preparation of statistical reports for the library. I will also have the opportunity to directly observe library-use instruction in the classroom, gain hands-on experience in a variety of library operations, and learn more about academic librarianship from a number of faculty members.
Each week I will talk about my field study experience on this blog, including what I accomplished that week and what I learned.
Background Information
I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Dickinson College. Prior to beginning the MLS program at the University of Maryland, I worked for several years as a paralegal in the York, Pennsylvania area.
While working on my MLS degree, I volunteered in the Youth Services department of Martin Library in York, Pennsylvania, where I assisted with general children's circulation desk duties.
I currently am a volunteer at the library and archives of the York County Heritage Trust, where I assist patrons with using the library's collection and have gained experience in working with archival materials. I recently finished preparing a finding aid for the papers of General William B. Franklin, a York native who served as a general in the Union Army during the Civil War and later went on to become Vice President of Colt Firearms Manufacturing Company and a prominent citizen of Hartford, Connecticut. I also work as a part-time visitor services representative at the York County Heritage Trust.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading, listening to and playing music, and watching classic films.
In addition to working on the plan to move back into the library, I will be involved in the beginning stages of a plan to create a digital repository at Millersville University, and the preparation of statistical reports for the library. I will also have the opportunity to directly observe library-use instruction in the classroom, gain hands-on experience in a variety of library operations, and learn more about academic librarianship from a number of faculty members.
Each week I will talk about my field study experience on this blog, including what I accomplished that week and what I learned.
Background Information
I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Dickinson College. Prior to beginning the MLS program at the University of Maryland, I worked for several years as a paralegal in the York, Pennsylvania area.
While working on my MLS degree, I volunteered in the Youth Services department of Martin Library in York, Pennsylvania, where I assisted with general children's circulation desk duties.
I currently am a volunteer at the library and archives of the York County Heritage Trust, where I assist patrons with using the library's collection and have gained experience in working with archival materials. I recently finished preparing a finding aid for the papers of General William B. Franklin, a York native who served as a general in the Union Army during the Civil War and later went on to become Vice President of Colt Firearms Manufacturing Company and a prominent citizen of Hartford, Connecticut. I also work as a part-time visitor services representative at the York County Heritage Trust.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading, listening to and playing music, and watching classic films.
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