It's Academic

Image courtesy of Institute of International Education, Open Doors 2017 Report.

Over a million international students studied at US universities last year–50,000 of them in Pennsylvania–and that number has been steadily increasing for decades, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE). Libraries are seeking ways to support these students.

Some suggestions for transforming libraries into “multilingual-friendly” spaces appear in Frans Albarillo’s recent College & Research Libraries article analyzing language preferences of foreign-born students. He mentions customized library instruction/orientation, linguistic diversity training for staff, computer labs with multilingual keyboard formats, collection development plus LibGuides focused on non-English scholarly sources, multilingual signage, and employment of multilingual librarians.

At Penn State Altoona, librarians have used some of these strategies, such as specialized orientation programming, name pronunciation workshops, and signage to welcome international students. Penn State is ranked 10^th in the US for hosting international students, with over 9,000 in 2017 (IIE). According to Penn State’s Fact Book, 259 of these international students were enrolled at the Altoona campus, making up 7% of the student body.

New Student Orientation for International Students

Penn State Altoona hosts a customized orientation for incoming international students and their parents the week before classes begin. As part of the event, Library Director Bonnie Imler teaches a 3-hour Tech Academy that introduces the students to technology at Penn State and includes a tour of the library and its Media Commons. Plus, librarian Alessia Zanin-Yost partners with the Writing Center to share information about library services and tutoring resources, tips for acculturating to their new community, student success skills, and strategies for avoiding plagiarism. In addition, the library works with staff from Student Affairs to provide access to scanners for international students as they finalize their student visa paperwork.

Name Pronunciation Workshops

Last year, the library hosted two workshops designed to help faculty and staff learn how to correctly pronounce the names of international students. In February, the library worked in partnership with librarians at Penn State University Park to publicize and remotely host a webinar on Indian Name Pronunciation taught by Ritu Jayakar, lecturer in Hindi at Penn State. In May, Chunyuan Di, lecturer in Chinese at Penn State, taught a Chinese name pronunciation workshop at the Altoona campus. Over 60 faculty and staff members attended the event, which was co-hosted by the library and the Internationalization Committee. Why these two languages? According to the IIE, the leading places of origin for international students were China and India.

Image courtesy of Institute of International Education, Open Doors 2017 Report.

Multilingual Welcome Signage

A poster designed by the ALA that says “Welcome” in 27 languages is posted near the entrance of the library to create an inclusive atmosphere. This poster is still available at the ALA store.

The Penn State Altoona library continues to seek ways to reach out to the growing number of international students on campus. Please share your suggestions in the comments.

Jessica Showalter is an Information Resources and Services Support Specialist at Penn State Altoona’s Eiche Library. Say hello on Twitter @libraryjms

The College & Research Division presents ACRL Roadshow: Assessment in Action.

When: August 17, 2018

Where: Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania

Program Description: In this day-long workshop on strategic and sustainable assessment, participants will identify institutional priorities and campus partners, design an assessment project grounded in action research, and prepare a plan for communicating the project results. This workshop is based on the highly successful ACRL Assessment in Action program curriculum.

Presenters:
Karen Brown, Professor, Dominican University School of Information Studies, karenbbrown@sbcglobal.net

Brandy Whitlock, Instruction Librarian, Anne Arundel Community College, bmwhitlock@aacc.edu

Register deadline: Friday, August 10th. No registrations are accepted at the door. Attendance is limited to 100 people so register early.
PaLA Members – $45.00
Non-PaLA Members – $65.00
Students – $25.00

View more details and full program schedule and register.

Community Colleges of Spokane (Washington state) librarians Melinda Martin (left) and Heather Morgan at an Assessment in Action Roadshow presented to community college librarians in Washington state. Each year, ACRL provides professional development training sessions, allowing librarians in the United States to connect and learn together and from one another.

In addition to workshops within the United States, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) offers professional development opportunities to institutes around the world to assist academic librarians in learning viable new skills and reasserting existing attributes to face head-on current issues within the profession. Currently scheduled and previously held locations for these workshops include Canada, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Assessment, information literacy, and research data management are just some of the topics touched upon by the current workshops.

“Topics like open education and scholarly identity resonate in different ways for stakeholders around the world. This discussion gave us the opportunity to reconsider our curriculum for new audiences and diverse experiences, goals, and incentives.” Will Cross, Director of the Copyright and Digital Scholarship Center at North Carolina State University and presenter at the New York University Abu Dhabi workshop in the UAE

As with the upcoming workshop at Arcadia University, these sessions allow for up to one hundred people to participate, where the materials presented by the Roadshow are licensed under Creative Commons, thereby allowing for electronic distribution to the attendees for future use in their own work. Institutions and organizations interested in hosting a Roadshow in their region can find more information about host responsibilities, curriculum details, a list of presenters, and more on ACRL’s website. Pricing and scheduling information is available by contacting ACRL Program Office Chase Ollis at collis@ala.org

A special citation credit goes to the article “On the Road Again: ACRL training with an international reach” for this information.

Accessibility Awareness and Technologies in the Library

with Patricia Petronello and Scott Meneely

from the

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

Aug 16 (Thursday) at 11 am

Zoom session: Register here for the link!

Library workers experience on a daily basis the variety of ways in which patrons interact with their environment according to their various abilities, preferences, and circumstances.  We are particularly concerned with the ways in which they most readily receive, process, and transmit information, how we can make our programming relevant and accessible to them, and what kinds of human interactions, physical accommodations, and technologies we can bring to bear to facilitate these transactions.

Scott and Patty will provide information and training for smartphone, tablet, and computer accessibility options (voiceover/screen readers, magnification, enlarged fonts, etc.), which are applicable to any operating system (iOS, Android), and any kind of device.  This includes setting up the devices, teaching the basic gestures of the different accessible features, and downloading and learning how to navigate an app.

 The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH) is a network library of the National Library Service of the Library of Congress.  They offer free public library services to Pennsylvania residents who have difficulty reading standard print materials because of a visual, physical, or reading disability.  Services include digital audiobooks and downloads, large print books, reader advisory, accessible programming, and assistive technology training.

Scott Meneely has been working in libraries in various capacities since 2005.  He has provided training to patrons in Microsoft Office, Job Seeking Skills, and Accessible Technology.  He currently works at the Carnegie Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped and is learning daily about the vast array of assistive technology that has the potential to improve the lives of our patrons.

Patty Petronello has been working in the Carnegie Library system for almost five years.  Although she has worked in multiple positions, she has always assisted patrons with technology in some capacity, from résumé building and cover letters to computer program explanations and cell phone help.  In the eight months that Patty has worked for LBPH she has expanded her expertise to include various types of assistive technologies.  She continues to build her assistive tech knowledge in the hope that by sharing it she will help to enhance the lives of our patrons in meaningful ways.

When: August 17, 2018
Where: Arcadia University, Glenside, PA

Description: In this day-long workshop on strategic and sustainable assessment, participants will identify institutional priorities and campus partners, design an assessment project grounded in action research, and prepare a plan for communicating the project results. This workshop is based on the highly successful ACRL Assessment in Action program curriculum.

Registration deadline: Friday August 10th. No registrations are accepted at the door. Attendance is limited to 100 people so register early.
PaLA Members – $45.00
Students – $25.00

REGISTER AT https://www.palibraries.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1121902&group=

More details and the full program schedule can be found at goo.gl/U2wRDC

This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf, Governor, through the College and Research Division (https://crdpala.org/) of PaLA. Show your appreciation by becoming a member of PaLA! And if you are a member – thank you!