Disabled student

We have a new mid-start student who uses a wheelchair, and I am becoming well acquainted with her because she uses the library often. The other day she asked me to retrieve a book for her from a top shelf, and of course I was happy to help.

I have been thinking about her request ever since, however. Her disability literally "handicaps" her from being able to physically browse many of the bookshelves -- not just top shelves, but the second to the top shelves as well. I also know there are implements for even able-bodied people to retrieve hard-to-reach items. Yet I do not think she would want to use something like that even if I ordered one.

I don't think there is any "answer" to this ... it is just something I have been thinking about, especially since Emily noted we will be stressing "customer service" at our team meeting. Fortunately, the student seems comfortable asking for help, as I strive to have a "low key" and "accepting" environment.

Workshop series

This quarter I tried to turn my open workshops into a series. The flyers had the same elements. I did not use the word 'workshop' on any of them in hopes that students would be more apt to attend. I planned Internet Searching for Week 7, Database Demonstrations for Week 8, and APA Format for Week 9. Unfortunately I had no attendance for the Internet workshop. However, students at my Database Demonstrations said that they would have liked to attend. Note that all of the workshops are advertised on the monitors on campus, on the student portal, and emailed to all of the students. I exceeded my goal for increased attendance at my Database Demonstrations. I decided to do it as demonstrations, as Emily has suggested in an earlier blog. I had a signup sheet next to a bowl of Snickers. I had different databases set up on different monitors so that students could go around and check them out. Each monitor that had a database already set up had a sign with the name on the top and handouts next to it on how to use the database. They could also sign on to the open computers and do their own thing. I had a PowerPoint set up that kept running showing students how to create an account in EBSCO, save articles to a folder, and search several databases at once. The feedback from the students was positive and they expressed interest in attending the APA workshop next week. You can view the flyers on GoogleDocs in the very near future.

Serial Boxes

Sometimes I think that I'm personally keeping Demco fiscally alive with my orders for those little plastic serial boxes for storing back issues.

Now that my print book collection is growing larger, the books and the back issues of serials are competing for shelf space. I'd have enough room if I didn't have so many back issues of serials to store. I follow the suggestions for how long to keep back issues, but I have so many distinct titles that each require their own little plastic bin.

This whole budget planning/serial ordering project has come at just the right time. I've been whining about how much room it takes to store back issues, and now is my opportunity to avoid that problem in the future by ordering fewer serials in print. My goal is to order only as many serials as I can neatly display on the slanted shelves---and to stop ordering more little plastic boxes from Demco!!

ALA

The event planner is now available. This is a useful tool for building a tentative schedule and list of exhibitors that you want to see (w/booth numbers). To login, you need to already be registered for the annual conference-
http://ala.cistems.net/Index2.php

EP Library - Lookin' Good 2

Sitting Area

Reference Collection

Magazine Rack - Not complete

Already the favorite chair on campus! Three people have already sat here this morning!

EP Library - Lookin' Good

Take Down

First Shelves

First Books

Books on the Shelves

See next post....

Fake Wikipedia Quote of Composer Maurice Jarre Makes Way Into Newspapers Worldwide

When you are explaining how to USE and NOT USE Wikipedia to classes this is a great example. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30699302/wid/11915829?GT1=40006

Newspapers across the planet published a quote that originated on Wikipedia, and attributed it to the Oscar winning composer Marcus Jarre. The quote was placed in his Obituary and newspapers in America, Great Britain, India, Australia, and numerous blogs published it. The pithy quote read:

One could say my life has been one long soundtrack. Music was my life, music brought me to life, and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final Waltz playing in my head, that only I can hear.

The quote was created by 22 year old Sociology student Shane Fitzgerald. Shortly after Jarre's death, he published the quote on Wikipedia, and reporters picked up the quote, published it, and others copied their lead.

Administrators at Wikipedia removed the quote 3 times because of lack of attrbution, sometimes within minutes, sometimes within hours. But not quickly enough to prevent journalists from copying & pasting the quote.

In one of Fitzgerald's classes, they were studying how fast information traveled around the globe and how media outlets are increasingly relying on Internet sources to produce content for news. It's refreshing to see that professional journalists need to ask the question "Source?" in addition to our students...

Get Caught Reading

With May as Get Caught Reading Month, I asked campus faculty and staff let me "catch" them reading so that I could take a picture of them with books from the library. Sometimes I took a stack of books to the employee, and other times employees browsed the library. Overall, they enjoyed trying to find just the right book.

Poem in Your Pocket

For April, I went with the Poem in Your Pocket theme. The bulletin board had old jeans pockets that were filled with poems from the Poem in Your Pocket website. There was a sign encouraging students to help themselves to a poem and another that told about carrying a poem around in your pocket all month and then sharing it with someone on April 30. Students actually took poems and I had to refill pockets. The board also had covers of poetry books available through NetLibrary. We had a poetry contest, which was my best contest to date as I received 24 submissions.

The Future of Newspapers that are History

Anyone pay attention to the news about newspapers as of late? Newspaper owners are filing for bankruptcy, and slowly (but persistently), print newspapers are ending production - and either moving fully online or closing up shop altogether.

Today, via Stephen's Lighthouse and an article from the The Wrap about Google enhancing newspaper content for its users.

While we don't question the relevancy of a database such as Academic Search Complete, due to its purchase, archiving and indexing of proprietary journal content, I do wonder about the relevancy of a database like Newsbank. Sure, it aggregates content so that only a single search is required - but doesn't Google do that, to an extent? Aren't our users (read: students) more interested in enhanced content - images related to the story, related local content, classifieds, etc.?

Would it be smarter for us to move away from Newsbank and link to the digitized versions of our local newspapers? Or, to us, does Newsbank still hold value - and how? And for how long?

Favorite books

I've been getting lots of good general education collection ideas from faculty and staff the past few days -- ever since Fort Myers dean Tara McIlmoil suggested I ask them to email me their top five favorite fiction and non-fiction books. It's fun to see their choices. And it's great that it keeps them thinking about the library, on the heels of such a terrific library-centric April!