Library Newsletter - September 2009
Vol. 14, No. 1
- Word from the Director
- Online Resources – Changes for the 2010 Academic Year
- What’ll You BID? A Librarian Comes to Your Classroom (Briefly)
- The Library is Beta on Blackboard!
- Online Library Tutorials 2.0
- The Excellence in West Texas History Fellowship Program
- Good Things Come in Threes: Our New Library Staff Members
Word from the Director
Maurice G. Fortin, Library Director
A hearty welcome to the ASU community as we begin the new fall semester and kick off a new academic year. I have already met many of our new students. They seem eager and happy to be at ASU. Hopefully, they will still feel that way by the end of the school year and want to return to complete their course of studies.
This is my 41st fall in higher education. I began as a freshman in September 1969 at what was then North Texas State University in Denton. I lived on the sixth floor of a three-story dorm called West Hall. (By the way, you read correctly, it was the sixth floor. Call me sometime and I will explain). I like to tell our current students that the cost (tuition and fees) for 17 hours of courses and a lab was the grand sum of $125. Then again there were textbooks for five academic courses and a lab. That bill set me back about $70 or $80. It is fun to watch their faces as they try to fathom the comparison between their current costs and mine from 40 years ago.
This fall also marks my 28th year as a librarian. Certainly a lot has changed in academic libraries over the last three decades. Academic libraries still have and acquire print resources; but, electronic/online access to information is now the predominate medium for information access. The reference and collection development work I did in my first librarian position (assistant social sciences librarian) was very different from today. Yet the essential work of academic libraries remains the same. All academic libraries acquire or provide access to information in a variety of formats (Acquisitions). Once acquired or contracts signed, they then organize the information for ease of retrieval by their users (Cataloging). Then they provide assistance to users with retrieval and interpretation of the information (Circulation and Reference).
This is my 14th fall semester at ASU. I will soon be reporting to my fourth "boss." All of the campus' senior administration (president, VPs, and deans) has changed at least once, if not more in that time frame. There are just a few individuals at my administrative level on campus with more longevity than mine. I would hope most on the campus will have a favorable view of the changes made over the last 13 years in the Library and West Texas Collection. Even bigger changes are coming this academic year with the creation of the Learning Commons on the First Floor and other remodeling work in the Basement and on the Second Floor. The staff of the Library and West Texas Collection remains committed to providing the best service possible while supplying the campus community with access to the information that meets their classroom and research needs.
As mentioned above, the biggest change to occur in the coming academic year will be the creation of the Learning Commons on the First Floor and the renovation work throughout the building to make the Learning Commons possible. Mark Allan, Head of Library Reference Services, came to me in 2004 with information on a new trend in academic libraries. This trend was an information/learning commons concept. In essence the learning commons helps to refocus an academic library as the heart of learning on campus. Over the next several years Mark, I, and other Library staff members forwarded position papers, memos, design concepts, and other information to the University’s administration. Last year, we were given the go-ahead to begin the planning process.
In previous issues of the Newsletter, I provided you with details on some of the preliminary designs. (See “The Learning Commons at Porter Henderson Library” in the April 2009 issue: http://www.angelo.edu/services/library/news/apr2009.html#learning] During the 2009 Spring Semester, I made presentations to the Student, Faculty and Staff Senates, administrative groups, and others on the concept and design for the ASU Learning Commons. Everyone expressed approval for the proposal. Unfortunately, because of uncertainties concerning the legislative budget process, the proposal did not go to the Board of Regents until their August meeting. At that meeting, they did approve the project and work then resumed on finishing the design and construction documents. Actual construction work should begin on December 14th. The project probably will last about eight months. In the next issue of the Newsletter, I hope to be able to provide more details on the final design and construction schedule.
Since the last issue, the Library has been fortunate to hire three new staff members. Kristi Wink is the Library’s new Office Coordinator. Kim Wirth is the new Library Assistant working with the Government Documents collections and in Reference. Janet Lannom is now in charge of the Library’s Circulation Desk during the late night evening shifts Sunday through Thursday. For more information on each of these new employees, please see "Good Things Come in Threes" below (page 5).
Unfortunately, the Library staff had to say good bye to two long-time employees as they set out on retirement from ASU. In February, Nancy (Snodgrass) Olsen retired from the University. For 23 of the 28 years she worked for the Library, she was the library assistant working with the Government Documents collections. Dia Reynolds, Library Office Coordinator, also retired, in late April. She worked for the Library for over nine years and the University for a total of thirteen years. Both Dia and Nancy will be missed for their many contributions to the Library and the University.
Students continue to support the Library and their use of the resources remains high. Members of the Student Senate worked with the Library on planning for the remodeling project. This summer, after the Board of Regents approved a $1 per semester credit hour increase in the Library Fee for FY 2010, a subcommittee from the Student Senate met with me to determine the best way to use the increased revenue from the Library Fee. (The new rate is $4.50 per semester credit hour.) As in previous years, over 70% of the revenue in FY 2010 will go toward enhancing the Library's Materials Budget. This will enable the Library to continue all existing online services, as well as acquire some new services. (Information on the new services and online resources appears in several articles below.) The increased revenue will also allow the Library to add a new professional position. This new position will be entitled Electronic Serials Librarian. Essentially, the individual in this position will perform cataloging and organizational tasks related to accessing online journals. The Library now has access to over 30,000 online journals but there is, at present, no clear record of or a consistent way to access all of these titles. This position will help create that record and provide that access to these vital information resources. Because of the approved increase in the Library Fee, the Library will also continue to allocate additional Materials Budget funds to those academic departments with graduate programs.
I want to thank the Student Senate for its continued support of the Library and the Library Fee. Coupled with support from the Administration, the Library Fee revenues remain enhancement money for the Library. That is not true at most Texas state universities.
The ASU community’s usage of the Library remains very strong. In the next issue of the Newsletter, I will be able to provide some final usage data from FY 2009. Preliminary data indicate record numbers for in-person visits to the Library during FY 2009. Through mid-July, users performed more searches in the online services than in any previous twelve-month period, while Circulation of Library items are on pace to be the highest in over eight years.
As everyone knows, this will be a challenging year for ASU. Everyone must work to keep and make ASU an institution where students want to enroll and continue until they reach their educational goals. The staff members of the Library are eager to work with our colleagues across campus to improve services, resources, and amenities to help ASU achieve its strategic goals.
As always, please feel free to stop by my office to discuss your needs, service improvements for the Library, or simply for a free cup of coffee. Did I mention I have 90 coffee mugs in my office and the new Learning Commons will have a coffee bar? Is that a coincidence? I will leave that to your speculation.
Online Resources –
Changes for the 2010 Academic Year
The Library undertook an evaluation of its online resources in 2009 and has made many important changes, including additions as well as discontinuations.
Additions:
ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) Digital Library (core package): The ACM Digital Library Core Package consists of subscriptions to all ACM journals and magazines (only), both in print and online, including an online archive from 1950s and forward. The Guide to Computing Literature is also available. Currently, the Library’s subscription does not provide access to the Special Interest Groups’ (SIGs) newsletters and publications or to the ACM Conference Proceedings. This database can be accessed through the Online Resources channel of the Library’s RamPort tab.
Children’s Literature Review: The Library has owned this print series since the publication of the first volume in 1976 until last year, when the Library started to receive new volumes in an electronic format within Gale’s Literature Criticism Online (LCO). Due to the overwhelming usage of this and other titles in the LCO, the Library decided to acquire the backfiles for this title as well. Literature Criticism Online can be accessed through the Online Resources channel of the Library’s RamPort tab.
ebrary Education Collection: Access to this database has been purchased by the College of Education’s Curriculum and Instruction Department starting this academic year. The database contains over 2,600 education books which can be accessed by ASU students, faculty, and staff from anywhere in the world – making it an outstanding resource for the College’s distance learning students. Currently, the Ebrary Education Collection can be accessed through http://site.ebrary.com/lib/angelo, with future plans to include the collection’s bibliographic holdings in RamCat.
Encyclopedia of World Biography: This online reference set and its supplements contain authoritative biographical information on over 8,000 individuals, making it an excellent initial step for undergraduates to locate biographical information. The Encyclopedia of World Biography online link can be found by searching RamCat or through the Online Resources channel of the Library’s RamPort tab.
History Resource Center U.S.: This database is a "freebie" thanks to the publisher, but the Library only has access to it until June of 2010! Combining both primary and secondary sources, History Resource Center: U.S. is geared to the student and general researcher, covering U.S. History from pre-colonial times to the present. History Resource Center: U.S. can be accessed through the Online Resources channel of the Library’s RamPort tab.
JSTOR Arts & Sciences Collections IV and VII: The Library has added to its online JSTOR resource Collection IV, which includes 112 journals with a strong focus on the professions of business, education, and law, and also includes titles in psychology and public policy and administration. Collection VII has also been added, containing over 180 titles across thirty-five disciplines. It encompasses an eclectic range of disciplines in the arts, humanities, and the social sciences. All JSTOR journals can be located by title using the Fulltext Periodicals channel on the Library’s RamPort tab.
OregonPDF in Health & Performance: This is an online collection of over 10,000 full text theses and dissertations focusing on kinesiology and physical activity. Formerly available only on microfiche in the Library, the service has moved online, and new material will only appear in this medium. OregonPDF in Health & Performance can be accessed through the Online Resources channel of the Library’s RamPort tab.
FirstSearch Discontinuations and Replacements:
Finally, as reported in the April 2009 Library Newsletter, the Library discontinued a package of FirstSearch databases which generally provided indexing (no full text) and were underutilized by ASU students, faculty, and staff. Those databases with subject matter important to ASU programs were replaced by other databases, two of which contain extensive full text. The databases that the Library has dropped access to appear in the left column, and those with an equivalent "replacement" have the replacement indicated in the right column. An additional asterisk means that the new resource is a full text resource.
Dropped (via FirstSearch) |
Replacement |
|---|---|
Applied Science & Technology |
|
Art Abstracts |
|
Biography Index |
|
Biological/Agricultural Index |
Biological & Agricultural Index (via EBSCO) |
Book Review Digest |
Book Review Digest (via EBSCO) |
Dissertation Abstracts |
Dissertations and Theses (via ProQuest) |
Education Abstracts |
Education Research Complete* |
Essay/General Literature Index |
|
General Science Abstracts |
|
Humanities Abstracts |
Humanities International Complete* |
Index to Legal Periodicals/Books |
|
Library Literature |
|
Readers Guide Abstracts |
|
Social Science Abstracts |
|
Wilson Business |
What’ll You BID?
A Librarian Comes to Your Classroom (Briefly)
The Library has long offered ASU faculty the opportunity to schedule instruction sessions for their classes in order to enable their students to learn about relevant library resources and research techniques. The sessions generally take up the entire class period and are usually scheduled in the Library Lecture Room or a Computer classroom, depending upon faculty needs. Librarians have performed these presentations in the instructor’s classroom, as well.
Now, the Library is excited to provide a new service, called BIDs – standing for Brief In-class Demonstrations. Faculty can bid a librarian to come to their classroom and demonstrate the use of one or two relevant information resources in no more than 15-20 minutes. These sessions are intended to improve the quality of students’ research, learning, and subsequent assessment while not causing the instructor to relinquish an entire class session.
Currently, presentations focused upon online resources are only possible if the classroom has a networked computer and projector. If you would like to schedule a BID, please contact Mark Allan at (325) 942-2511 or mark.allan@angelo.edu.
The Library is Beta on Blackboard!
Users who have logged into Blackboard this semester may have noticed the new Library presence, created by Antonella Ward, Multimedia Support Librarian. Once logged in, students, faculty, and staff can conduct their research from the same online location that they are using for online classes or for completing course assignments. While still a work-in-progress, the Library plans on expanding its Blackboard presence to perhaps become the main point of access to Library resources. All Library resources may also be accessed via the Library’s tab in RamPort, while a limited number of resources also available to the general public can be reached from the Library’s web site at http://www.angelo.edu/services/library/.
The team of librarians working on the Library’s Blackboard presence would like to hear from you. Please direct any comments or suggestions to library@angelo.edu.
Online Library Tutorials 2.0
Reiley Noe, Reference/Government Information Librarian, has created two new sets of tutorials that replace the old English and Biology tutorials. The new tutorials are in a multimedia format, and are divided into topics so that students and/or faculty can use or assign those topics most relevant to their research needs. The tutorials can be accessed from the Library tab in either RamPort or Blackboard and from the ASU web pages at http://angelo.edu/services/library/handouts/index.html. This semester the Library plans on updating the existing Nursing tutorial to the new format as well.
The Excellence in West Texas History Fellowship Program
The West Texas Collection is pleased to announce the second annual The Excellence in West Texas History Fellowship Program.
Applications are now being accepted for the two fellowships of $40,000 each to be awarded in April 2010. Application deadline is January 31, 2010. Fellowships are for a full academic year. In addition, a $5,000 publishing subvention will be provided to an academic press for each completed manuscript accepted for publication.
Research must focus on the western half of Texas and utilize regional archives. Applicants must either be finishing their doctoral work or with Ph.D. in hand in a field of the humanities. Fellows will be expected to spend the 2010-2011 academic year utilizing the regional archives in West Texas.
In April 2009, the WTC awarded the first round of two $45,000 history fellowships for cutting-edge scholarship and publication on the western half of Texas. Megan Benson is working on a history of Texas water law, attempts to sell West Texas’ water supply (the rule of capture) and what this means for the region‘s future. Daniel Kerr is doing an environmental history of the South Plains, examining how Native Americans, Hispanics and Anglo-Americans used the region’s grasslands, and the environmental changes and consequences that resulted as much of that region moved from a range-grazing economy to a modern dryland and irrigated farming economy.
Good Things Come in Threes:
Our New Library Staff Members
The three new Library staff members have one thing in common: all three have two children each. Two have the same initials (K.W.) and started work within a week of each other, which has proved interesting for those of us who keep mixing them up in conversations and email.
Janet Lannom is the new staff member who has been here the longest. If you ever stay in the Library to study after midnight you have seen her at the Circulation Desk. Janet is the Late-night Supervisor and has already made an impact in the Access Services Unit's reporting needs with her expertise with Microsoft Excel. Janet, who has worked in the technology field for the last twelve years through all of its ups and downs, is working toward her Masters in Library Science. She lives in San Angelo with her husband of ten years and two wonderful children.
Kim Wirth, the new Library Assistant in Government Documents/Reference, writes that her love for libraries began early (when she was in fourth grade and fully discovered the joy of reading) and continued in junior high (she became a student aide in the school library). As an adult, Kim worked in management for about twelve years before changing careers: in 1999 she began working for a school district in their elementary school library. From there she moved on to the middle school library until the military transferred them to San Angelo. She said that finding ASU prompted her to return to college and finish her degree. Some of you may remember her when she worked in the West Texas Collection during her student days at ASU. Kim graduated cum laude in 2005 with a major in History and a minor in English. When the military transferred her husband to California, she left San Angelo with the goal of returning to the town that had won her heart and working in the Porter Henderson Library. While in California, Kim ran the Circulation Desk in the library at a local community college. After her husband retired from the military the Wirths returned to San Angelo and Kim pursued – and now attained – her goal of working for the ASU Library. Her husband works at Goodfellow Air Force Base while her two college-age sons are currently attending Angelo State. Kurt is pre-nursing and hopes to be accepted into the nursing program. Danny, a music major, has become interested in music therapy as a possible career. Kim also has some "four-legged children," including Rocky, the dog, and Emma, the cat. Her hobbies include reading, ceramics, knitting, and crocheting. She also loves to go to hockey games and dirt track races.
Kristi Wink, the new Library Office Coordinator, also joined us this summer, coming from Meridian, Texas. She is originally from Midland and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Sul Ross State University in Alpine. Although Kristi worked as a circulation assistant in the library at Sul Ross, the majority of her employment experience has been as an accountant for the Texas Department of Transportation in Odessa. Kristi and her husband, Kerry, a local veterinarian, have two small boys, Kolton (6) and Kasen (2). Other “family members” include three horses, four dogs, six cats, and a fish. Aside from her family, Kristi enjoys working with and showing her horses competitively, hunting, and fishing. Her response for loving animals and the outdoors: "Living in a family of all boys, I better enjoy doing all these things!" Her favorite motto is "Don’t look back because you’ll turn into a pillar of salt."
You are invited to stop in sometime and welcome Janet, Kim, and Kristi to the ASU family.
