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Past or Portal? Enhancing Undergraduate Learning through Special Collections and Archives

May 1st, 2012 by Kathryn Deiss in Publications

Past or Portal?ACRL announces the publication of Past or Portal? Enhancing Undergraduate Learning through Special Collections and Archives, edited by Eleanor Mitchell, Peggy Seiden, and Suzy Taraba.

In the age of ubiquitous access to information, library special collections and archives have received renewed attention through digitization projects designed to share collections with the world at large. Yet these materials also offer opportunities for student learning though direct engagement with rare or unique items. While special collections and archives have largely been used by advanced researchers and scholars, an increasing number of undergraduate courses are taking advantage of these materials as guides in the instructional process.

Beyond “hands-on history,” courses from across the curriculum are enriched through assignments, experiences and activities that draw upon or incorporate local or unusual items, primary sources or material culture – particularly the book as art object or artifact. Through 47 detailed and compelling case studies, Past or Portal? Enhancing Undergraduate Learning through Special Collections and Archives explores a variety of successful instructional models featuring a wide range of engagement methods with special collections and archival materials. Instruction and special collections librarians will find plentiful inspiration for new collaborations in the collection. The work is also a perfect addition to professional development and library school collections.

Past or Portal? Enhancing Undergraduate Learning through Special Collections and Archives is available for purchase in print, as an e-book, and as a print/ e-book bundle through the ALA Online Store; in print and for Kindle through Amazon.com; and by telephone order at (866) 746-7252 in the U.S. or (770) 442-8633 for international customers.

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Member of the Week: Mike Russo

April 30th, 2012 by Mary Jane Petrowski in Member of the Week

Mike RussoMike Russo is Instruction Coordinator at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Mike has been an ACRL member since 2001 and is your ACRL member of the week.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Skeptical, yet steadfast and disciplined.

2. What are you reading right now? I’m reading a few things. To satisfy my own personal interest in World War II, I’m reading Nazis on the Run by historian Gerald Steinacher, published by Oxford University Press. In connection with a potential research project, I’ve begun working on a pile of books dealing with media literacy. At the top of the pile is Marshall McLuhan‘s The Medium is the Massage (not really sure what’s at the bottom).

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Innovative, collaborative, progressive.

4. Why do you value most about ACRL? Easy: the Instruction Section. ACRL-IS is a focal point for ideas I use every day in the classroom. And ACRL is the fountainhead of information literacy, which has transformed bibliographic instruction into something identifiably pertinent to students.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? I am challenged by my work and by my colleagues to keep developing, to keep learning, to keep improving. Ours is a symbiotic environment in which co-workers play off one another and grow in the profession as a result. We really thrive on teamwork here.

6. In your own words: When I started working toward the MLIS my goal was to work in a special library, preferably within a large corporation. Circumstances dictated otherwise.  I became an academic reference librarian out of necessity–jobless, took the first thing that came my way. As it turned out, I could not have chosen better. The campus atmosphere is stimulating, and I work with colleagues who put me to shame in terms of their accomplishments, but who have been nevertheless generous with their expertise and advice.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

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ACRL 2013 Conference Proposals Due May 11!

April 26th, 2012 by Margot Conahan in ACRL 2013, Conferences

ACRL 2013 LogoFriday May 11 is the deadline for ACRL 2013 Conference contributed paper, panel session, preconference and workshop proposals.  Do you have questions about the submission process?  Get the ACRL staff scoop below!

Q. Is there still time to submit a proposal?
A. Indeed!  Even if you haven’t given it much thought yet, there is still more than two weeks for you to brainstorm, discuss with your colleagues, draft your proposal and make your best presentation ideas come to life at ACRL 2013.

Q. Why would I want to submit a proposal?
A. Speaking at ACRL 2013 is a chance for you to share ideas that you are most passionate about, get feedback from your colleagues, and meet new people in order to grow your professional fan club. It is also great speaking experience and an honor to have a proposal accepted.  Being a speaker at conference is one of the best built-in networking opportunities and makes a great case for justifying your attendance to your boss. Another perk is that all contributed paper, panel, preconference and workshop presenters are invited to the VIP Chair’s Reception where we celebrate and thank speakers for their contributions. The Indy Chair’s Reception will be at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art on Thursday night.

Q. How much work is it, really?
A. The main components of the proposal form are basic contact information, the format you are applying for, your program title, two descriptions (short 75 words and long 500 words), three learning objectives, and tagging information to help us organize the content – that’s it! We really try to make it painless to submit a proposal. The proposal form lets you start and save your work and come back later to finish if you would like to.

Q. Will I get selected? How does that work anyway?
A. It is certainly an honor to get selected by an ACRL 2013 review committee of your peers. The conference tag line is “peer revered” for a reason; acceptance rates are typically about 20% – 50% for these session formats. There is a selection committee for each session type that consists of 6 – 12 members for each format type. They blind-review all the proposals (please remember that including institution or personal info in your descriptions will disqualify you!) and score them according to a rubric for each session type. The committees will meet at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim this June and discuss the scores and make the final selections. They do their best to accept the most interesting proposals with a wide range of session topics within each format to make for a well-rounded conference.

Q. How can I increase my chances of getting selected?
ACRL proposal review committees will review hundreds of proposals, so consider how you can make yours stand out.  Creative, interesting and informative titles and descriptions are most favorably viewed by the proposal review committees and prospective program attendees.  The detailed description should outline your session’s main points, its relevance to attendees, how it is unique from others that address the same topic, and the ways you will engage the audience. Make sure to read the ACRL 2013 Program Proposal Instructions before you begin your proposal and you may also want to check out additional online resources for tips such as, Tips for improving your next conference proposal (Educause) or Developing a Conference Presentation: A Primer for New Library Professionals (Partnership: the Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research).

Q.  What if I still have questions? Is there a real person who can help me?
A.    We would be happy to assist you. You can reach me, Margot Conahan (mconahan@ala.org; 312-280-2522),  or my colleague Tory Ondrla (tondrla@ala.org; 312-280-2522) with your conference proposal questions. We look forward to seeing you at ACRL 2013.

Imagine, Innovate, Inspire!

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Appointments Update, Part 3

April 25th, 2012 by Steven J. Bell in About ACRL, Committees

Editor’s Note: This entry is part of an occasional series of posts from the ACRL Board of Directors.  In this post, Vice-President/ President-Elect Steven J. Bell provides an update on the ACRL appointments process.

The 2012-2013 appointments  process is moving rapidly to its conclusion. With the exception of a just a few situations in which appointees declined their appointment, the majority of appointments to ACRL division-level committees have been made and accepted. The Appointments Committee, led by John Pollitz, worked efficiently in using ALA’s volunteer database to make assignments for open slots. This online system is a vast improvement as it allows all the appointments to be made and accepted electronically. The Appointments Committee tracks all the acceptances and then forwards completed committee worksheets to the ACRL staff.

The information from the worksheets is then used to (a) update the existing online committee rosters; (b) generate thank you letters to those accepting appointments; and (c) generate thank you letters to those who were unsuccessful in their bid for an appointment. I will be sending a letter to all those in the latter category, thanking them for taking the time to volunteer and encouraging them to try again in the following year. There is always the possibility that new opportunities for appointments may arise, as ACRL may create a task force or a committee vacancy opens, and in those cases I will be making additional appointments.

I want to thank the members of the Appointments Committee for several months of dedicated work to both familiarize themselves with the appointment process and volunteer database system, and for their thorough attention to detail in accomplishing their task. I also want to thank both Katie Coombes and Erin Shackelford of the ACRL staff for providing their expertise and support throughout the entire appointments process.

Thanks also to the many ACRL members who volunteer to serve on committees. I welcome those of you who have accepted appointments to your new role in helping the ACRL Board of Directors to conduct the work of the association. I will look forward to working with all of you. And to those who were not as fortunate in their bid for an appointment, on behalf of the Board I want to thank you for your commitment to ACRL, and I hope you to will have an opportunity to serve the membership in the future. Please consider all the other ways in which you can engage with ACRL as an association member.

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Library Copyright Alliance Files Brief Supporting Fair Use in Authors Guild vs. HathiTrust

April 24th, 2012 by Kara Malenfant in Advocacy

On April 20, 2012, members of the Library Copyright Alliance (the Association of Research Libraries, the American Library Association, and the Association of College and Research Libraries) filed an amici curiae brief in Authors Guild vs. HathiTrust in order to oppose the plaintiff’s motion for partial judgment. The brief explains how the Authors Guild advances a radical and unprecedented interpretation of Section 108 – asserting that Section 108 limits the availability of the fair use right – which would prevent libraries from performing their most basic functions.

April 26 Update:

More information on the LCA brief is available in this press release.

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ACRL Podcast: Environments for Student Growth and Development

April 24th, 2012 by David Free in Podcasts, Publications

In this podcast, ACRL Content Strategist Kathryn Deiss talks with Lisa Hinchliffe and Melissa Wong, editors of the recent ACRL publication Environments for Student Growth and Development about their book and ways librarians can collaborate with student affairs professionals on campus.

Time: 8:07

Environments for Student Growth and Development [ 8:07 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Environments for Student Growth and Development is available in print and a variety of ebook formats from the ALA Online Store and Amazon.

To learn more, don’t miss the ACRL e-Learning webcast Environments for Student Growth and Development: An Introduction to Libraries and Student Affairs in Collaboration on Thursday, June 14.

About the Music:
The music in ACRL Podcasts is “Don’t you,” mixed by stefsax and available on ccMixter. The music is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license.

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ACRL sets 2012 Legislative Agenda

April 23rd, 2012 by Kara Malenfant in Advocacy, Events

Each year, the ACRL Government Relations Committee, in consultation with the ACRL Board of Directors and staff, formulates an ACRL Legislative Agenda. Drafted with input from key ACRL committees, ACRL leaders, and the ALA Washington Office, the legislative agenda is prioritized and includes objectives for legislative action at the national level on issues that may affect the welfare of academic and research libraries. The ACRL Board of Directors recently approved the 2012 ACRL Legislative Agenda in time for National Library Legislative Day, April 23-24, in Washington, D.C.

The 2012 ACRL Legislative Agenda focuses on five priorities: public access to federally funded research, “safe harbor” provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, government information, freedom of information act, and section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act. Read the complete legislative agenda for more details.

Don’t forget to advocate for libraries today and tomorrow by calling or emailing Congress as part of ALA’s Virtual Library Legislative Day.

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Member of the Week: Suzanne E. Thorin

April 23rd, 2012 by Mary Jane Petrowski in Member of the Week

Suzanne E. ThorinSuzanne E. Thorin is Dean of Libraries and University Librarian at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. Suzanne has been an ACRL member since 1994  and is your ACRL member of the week.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Lots of enthusiasm.

2. What are you reading right now (or listening to on your iPod?)? Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable and The Book of Dead Philosophers by Simon Critchley.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Knowing what’s happening.

4. Why do you value most about ACRL? Colleagues.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? Everything! Faculty, students, research, buildings, collections . . .

6. In your own words: My early career as a music librarian helped instill my love of special collections and the wonders they have to offer. I am energized by the intellectual effort and variety of my work – no two days are ever the same. I also have a deep appreciation and respect for the work that librarians do to connect the library to users — faculty, students, visiting researchers, and others – and engage with them to envision new models and approaches for the future of research and scholarship.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

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ACRL IFLA Representative Applications

April 19th, 2012 by Megan Griffin in About ACRL

Would you like to represent ALA on an International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) section standing committee? Now’s the time to act. The biennial appointment process to represent ALA on relevant IFLA standing committees is currently underway for terms running from 2013 through 2017.

The ACRL Board of Directors endorses candidates for election to a number of IFLA standing committees, with the ACRL International Relations Committee (IRC) acting in an advisory capacity to the Board in recommending approval for appointment. Complete details on the application process are available in ALA Connect. The deadline for nominations is May 7, so start the process now!

Contact International Relations Committee Chair Binh Le at bpl1@psu.edu with questions.

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Participate in Upcoming Virtual Library Legislative Day

April 18th, 2012 by Kara Malenfant in Advocacy, Events

From the ALA Washington Office:

Next week on April 23 and 24, hundreds of library supporters from all across the country will convene in Washington DC for National Library Legislative Day. They will be briefed on legislative issues affecting libraries and will meet with their Members of Congress to discuss them.

 Even if you can’t make it to DC, you can still advocate for libraries by calling or emailing Congress as part of Virtual Library Legislative Day.  All week long (April 23-27), library supporters can let their legislators know just how important our nation’s libraries are to the communities they serve.

 This is an especially important time to speak up for libraries as Congress continues to make cuts that impact libraries. Here’s how to participate in Virtual Library Legislative Day:

 Call Congress

 To call your Members of Congress, view this alert at the Legislative Action Center. Read over the asks and then enter your zip code into the “CALL NOW” box to find phone numbers for your legislators.

 Email Congress

 Visit the Legislative Action Center home page then:

  1. Enter your zip code into the “Find Your Officials” box
  2. Click on your senator’s or representative’s name
  3. You will see their bio page appear, click the “Contact” tab
  4. Select the option to contact your legislator via “Web Form”
  5. Select “Compose Your Own Letter”
  6. Use the talking points from the Call Alert or the Issue Briefs to craft your message and send it off!

 To find a full listing of the issue briefs written specifically for National and Virtual Library Legislative Day, visit the NLLD home page.

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