It's Academic

We are only one week away from the PaLA annual conference, and in this edition of the Conference Corner we will take a look at sessions that focus on source usage, international student retention, and learning commons – oh my!

Title: Information Overload!: Assessing Source Usage in Students’ Reference Lists.

Presenters: Kristin E. C. Green, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Penn State Scranton
James Hart, Lecturer in Communication Arts and Sciences, Penn State Scranton

Abstract: Instruction librarians spend significant amounts of time planning lessons by collaborating with the course instructor and aligning information literacy outcomes with the instructor’s learning outcomes. Often times for general education courses, information literacy sessions include introducing that ideal database or two for specific research assignments. But once that instructional time is over, do students apply what they learned or do they revert to unsavory research habits developed over the course of their academic lifetimes? This session will initiate conversation around this question by using data generated from analyzing students’ reference lists. The course in which this overarching assessment was conducted, Effective Speech, is a general education course that all undergraduate students are required to take at Penn State. The instructor assigns three speeches during the course of the semester that require background research. All sections of this course have a oneshot information literacy session in which two databases are introduced as ideal resources for garnering the background information needed for the students’ speech topics. The data was gathered in the Spring 2018 semester from three different class sections. As co-presenters, the librarian and instructor will discuss their teaching collaboration, explain their analytic process, and share preliminary findings.

Time: Tuesday, October 16th 9:00am-10:00am

Title: Libraries as Partners in International Student Retention: How Programming and Outreach Impact Sense of Belonging

Presenters: Emily Mross, Business Librarian, Penn State Harrisburg
Joi Jackson, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Penn State Harrisburg

Abstract: In 2017, Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities enrolled 51,129 international students, ranking sixth in the nation for total international enrollment, and academic libraries now serve a growing population of international students. In addition to meeting the educational and research needs of international students, college and university libraries should also meet their social needs. Through outreach that fosters relationships between international and domestic students, the campus library can serve as an academic and social hub that contributes to a sense of belonging that is vital to international student retention. Attendees will learn why belonging is critical for the perseverance of international students and will discuss strategies for nurturing belonging in their libraries and on their campuses. Presenters will detail successful programming and outreach initiatives from their campus, and how these events improve relationships between international and domestic students through facilitated interaction. Participants will discuss campus contexts, current programs, and ideas for future programming.

Time: Tuesday, October 16th 11:00am-12:00pm

Title: The Library is Open: Pragmatics and Possibilities for a Commons Oriented Future

Presenter: Robin DeRosa, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies; Director of Interdisciplinary Studies, Plymouth State University (MA)

Abstract: In this keynote presentation, Robin DeRosa will explore libraries as architectures of hope that gesture toward a commons. In an era where privatizing forces threaten to wall off and commodify knowledge, Robin will offer a vision of libraries as an intrinsic part of a public infrastructure for learning and research. By invoking both the work that happens inside and around libraries and the communities that libraries engender, Robin will frame a conceptual and aspirational theory of libraries and posit concrete practices that can help our society understand libraries as integral stewards of the public good.

Time: This is the the keynote presentation at the College & Research Division Luncheon on Tuesday, October 16th

Register now for the Southwest Chapter’s annual Fall Workshop–designed for support staff but open to all! FREE to PaLA members!
https://www.palibraries.org/event/

It is with much enthusiasm that I share the good news with the CRD: Later this month, I will be starting my first professional job as an academic librarian! While it is part-time (27.5 hours per week), I will be an Information Services/Interlibrary Loan Librarian with Lehigh Carbon Community College’s Rothrock Library. I cannot tell you how over the moon with joy I am at finally landing this position. It has been a long, and I do mean long, tedious road of interview after interview with various higher education institutions strewn throughout southeastern Pennsylvania. With this job, I hope to be able to contribute more to the PaLA CRD blog since I will be in an academic library.

In addition to this job, I will also keep my current position as a library assistant at Lower Macungie Library, which is a public library. I am excited to be a part of the two worlds and to see where they overlap and where they completely differ. It is going to be a unique set-up for me and I honestly cannot wait to start. I look forward to sharing with you the new horizons I will experience at Rothrock Library!

With less than two weeks away until the annual PaLA Conference we here at It’s Academic are continuing our preview of CRD-sponsored sessions available at the conference.  This week we are taking a look at a topic familiar to many of us, as well as a topic that is breaking new ground for academic libraries.

Title: There’s Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself…and Negative Faculty Feedback: Building Relationships with Faculty through Weeding.

Presenters: Ronalee Ciocco, Director of Library Services, U. Grant Miller Library/Washington & Jefferson College
Samantha Martin, Research & Collections Librarian, U. Grant Miller Library/Washington & Jefferson College
Beth Miller, Copyright & Subscription Services Librarian, U. Grant Miller Library/Washington & Jefferson College
Jacqueline Laick, Systems Librarian, U. Grant Miller Library/ Washington & Jefferson College

Abstract: To prepare for a library renovation we were tasked with reducing our library’s collection by 30%. In order to complete this project we knew that we would need to collaborate closely with our faculty to obtain their support. With more than 20 years since a significant weed had occurred, and none of the faculty or staff having participated in a weeding project of this scale, this was a new undertaking for all! Join us for this discussion-based session as we share what worked for us and what we wish we had done differently. While our session will be focused on our experience in an academic library, the importance of relationship building and clear communication when it comes to major projects will be applicable to all types of libraries.

Time: Monday, October 15th 2:00pm-3:15pm

Title: Game On! Building Successful Tabletop Game Collections in Academic Libraries

Presenter: Emily Hardesty, Instructional Services Librarian, Lycoming College

Abstract: Progressively more academic libraries are building their own tabletop game collections to cater to a booming trend amongst their patrons. Board, card, and dice games also appeal to faculty because certain games can stimulate critical thinking and promote teamwork. This session will explore how Snowden Library at Lycoming College started a tabletop game collection. Learn about how our small academic library promotes and assesses our collection, and we’ll share our plans for supporting our institution’s curriculum with games, as other libraries have already done. You’ll be able to walk away with ideas for starting a game collection at your own library.

Time: Monday, October 15th 10:30am-11:45am