Meet the 2014 CRD Board Candidates
CRD Vice-Chair/Chair Elect
Larissa Gordon
Larissa Gordon is Information Literacy Coordinator/Reference Librarian for the Landman Library at Arcadia University. She earned a Master’s degree from Drexel University and a second Master’s degree from Arcadia University in Educational Technology. At Arcadia, she has led the development of an information literacy plan for the library, currently working on projects related to information literacy assessment. Details about one such project were presented as a paper at the most recent ACRL national conference (2013), and at a prior PaLA annual conference (2011).
Throughout her career, Larissa has been very active professionally, serving on both university and professional committees. She has been actively involved with the College and Research Division Board of PaLA since 2010, when she began serving as editor of the “It’s Academic” column for the PaLA Bulletin. Currently, she serves as news editor for the new CRD-PaLA sponsored journal Pennsylvania Libraries: Research and Practice. As a graduate of the Pennsylvania Library Association Leadership Academy (2010), Larissa is eager to continue her involvement with PaLA.
Theresa McDevitt
Theresa McDevitt is Government Documents/Outreach Librarian at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
She has been a librarian at IUP for 27 years and has served as acting dean and associate dean there. She is interested in serving as CRD Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect because she would like to provide support and leadership in this important professional organization that offers significant networking and professional development opportunities to its members.
CRD Treasurer
Allyson Valentine
“For the past 6 months I have served as the CRD board’s treasurer and LSTA subcommittee member and I would love to continue to serve for a full term. I am a Reference and Instruction Librarian at HACC York Campus where I also teach freshman college success courses. In addition, I have taught information literacy courses at York College. I received my MLS in 2009 from Clarion University and I have my BA in English. I am a 2010 PALS graduate and I have been part of the PALS planning committee for the last three years, and the Team Leader for group projects for the past two years. I also served as the Academic Chair for the South Central Chapter of PaLA in 2012. I have enjoyed being a part of the CRD board thus far, and would welcome the opportunity to further be involved and serve the CRD as Treasurer.”
George Aulisio
“I am Assistant Professor, Public Services Librarian, and Outreach Coordinator at The University of Scranton since June 2009. I received a B.A. in Philosophy from Bloomsburg University in May 2007, an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Drexel in December 2008, and an M.L.A. in Philosophy and Metaphysics from the University of Pennsylvania in May 2012. I have been an active member of PaLA since 2007, I am a 2009 PALS graduate, I served on the 2010 PaLA Awards Committee, I have served as the Intellectual Freedom Chair for the Northeast Chapter for the past two years, and I was recently published in the inaugural issue of Pennsylvania Libraries: Research and Practice. The CRD is an organization that provides tremendous value to Pennsylvania’s academic librarians; I am running for Treasurer because I would like to support this division and help to advance its goals.”
Call for articles
| Pennsylvania Libraries: Research & Practice (PaLRaP) is pleased to announce that it is now accepting submissions for research, practice, and commentary articles and for news items for its second issue.
The next issue is scheduled for publication in fall 2013. For priority consideration for inclusion in this issue, articles should be submitted by August 1, 2013. Pennsylvania Libraries: Research & Practice (PaLRaP) is a peer-reviewed, open access journal, focusing on the unique and valuable work of librarians and libraries in Pennsylvania. The journal includes articles from all areas of librarianship, with a special focus on activities in Pennsylvania’s academic libraries. The journal will consider all submissions that report original research (research articles), highlight innovative initiatives (practice articles), or discuss current trends/challenges (editorial/commentary). Each issue also features news items (collections, services, awards, events, etc.) from Pennsylvania’s libraries. Section guidelines for appropriate submissions to PaLRaP can be found under the About section of the journal website. PaLRaP is run by a volunteer staff of CRD members, each with two-year terms in various journal management positions, and it is published by the University Library System (ULS), University of Pittsburgh, through its E-Journal Publishing Program. For more information, contact palrap@mail.pitt.edu or visit http://www.palrap.org. |
The inaugural issue of PaLRaP is here!
The inaugural issue of Pennsylvania Libraries: Research & Practice (PaLRaP)has been published. Click here to access Volume 1, No. 1.
The journal is an open access, peer reviewed publication sharing information about the research and practices at or of interest to Pennsylvania’s academic libraries. PaLRap is run by a volunteer staff of CRD members, each with two year terms in various journal management positions, and it is published by the University Library System (ULS), University of Pittsburgh, through its E-Journal Publishing Program.
The Value of Our Research
A recent article by Gay Helen Perkins and Amy J.W. Slowik entitled “The Value of Research in Academic Libraries” and published in College & Research Libraries (March 2013, v. 74, issue 2, pp. 143-157) examines the value of academic librarians’ research to themselves, to their own libraries, to their parent institutions, and to the profession. This prompted me to contemplate my own research work and consider its value in a different light. We regularly applaud the value of research in the undergraduate experience, and the value of research for faculty development is implicit, but how often do we reflect on ways that our own research can add to the value of libraries? As the ACRL has deemed the demonstration of value to the parent institution as one of the ten most important trends for academic libraries (http://crln.acrl.org/content/73/6/311.full.pdf+html), librarians should take advantage of multiple means of demonstrating value – professional research publications and presentations are one such avenue.
Perkins and Slowik found, through their telephone survey with twenty-three library administrators, that there are numerous advantages inherent in librarians’ research. These can be designated in four categories, given below, along with some examples of those benefits.
1. Benefits to the librarian
- Cross-disciplinary and collaborative partnerships with faculty that can stem from research ventures
- Richer relationships with faculty members
- Professional development and growth
- Stronger awareness of broader trends in libraries and the professional literature
2. Benefits to the library
- Highly applicable changes resulting from studies (i.e. enhancements to services or programs offered, tailoring services or collections to student or faculty preferences, special collections development, and greater understanding of study patterns and needs)
- Increased marketing for the library
- Grant funding that can be connected to research projects
3. Benefits to the college or university
- Recognition for the college or university garnered from publications
- “End products” resulting from research (i.e. new information literacy delivery programs, creation of digital repositories, and enhancement of teaching and instruction programs)
- Collaborative research that strengthens programs and moves toward institutional goals
- Grant proceeds connected to research projects
4. Benefits to the profession
- Enhancements to the profession through information and idea sharing (i.e. publications and presentations at conferences)
- Development of partnerships and consortia
- Exploration of services delivery
With all of these potential benefits, to ourselves, to our libraries, to our colleges and universities, and to our profession, are we giving our own research sufficient time, energy, and resources? It may be at least partially selfish motivation, but Perkins and Slowik have prompted me to think that perhaps this aspect of our jobs is worth additional consideration and time. If we want to promote a culture of perpetual intellectual curiosity, we should lead by example, always striving to explore the world of libraries and sharing what we find with the broader community.
Northeast Chapter Workshop on Emerging Technology
The Northeast Chapter is looking forward to hosting “Tweet a Pin in the Cloud: Answering Your Questions on Emerging Technology” on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at The University of Scranton in the DeNaples Center.
Our keynote speaker, Nicole Engard, MLIS & Director of Open Source Education at ByWater Solutions, will help to “demystify” new and emerging technologies and help you to better understand what they are and how you can start using them in your library.
We are excited for the inaugural Pecha Kucha event which will have between six to ten different presenters covering everything from crowdfunding to Pinterest.
There will also be breakout sessions on “Open: From Open Access to Open Source” presented by George Aulisio, The University of Scranton; “Technology from Children to Teens” presented by Elizabeth Davis, Lackawanna County Children’s Library; “Mobile Librarianship” presented by Kristen Yarmey, The University of Scranton; and “Knowledge Commons and Maker Spaces” presented by Leslie Christianson and Julie Watson, Marywood University.
Directions to The University of Scranton can be found here: http://www.scranton.edu/admissions/visit-info/directions-to-campus.shtml. On the PDF of the campus map, the DeNaples Center is building #38 and the parking pavilion is #17. Please park on level 4 of the roof.
You can register online at www.palibraries.org. We look forward to seeing you at the workshop!
