MBA 718 Class Research Workshop, Wednesday September 23
This class, or Global Business in Practice, had as assignment on researching different countries and the demographics/statistics/cultural implications of businesses there. The librarian liaison made sure to create both a comfortable and a personal atmosphere by introducing himself as “your librarian” versus “a librarian.” Beginning with, “Hello, my name is ___ and I am your business librarian” really opened up the room to active participation. They were placed into groups and even asked to present their research findings to the class. This higher level of involvement seemed to put off the class, but they did well with constant encouragement from the liaison. The sense of direction was great for this class, and this specific workshop posed a great learning experience for me as a future librarian. The liaison was not getting the search results he wanted at a certain point, but handled it smoothly none the less. He apologized, which made him seem like less of a presenter and more of a team mate, and even utilized the search results to further research in a different direction. I learned that as long as you keep presenting, a mistake can actually be a happy accident and placed in your session through improvisation. As usual, the librarian liaison also thanked all the students for their work that day, which made them seem appreciated and feel more confident about their research.
This class, or Global Business in Practice, had as assignment on researching different countries and the demographics/statistics/cultural implications of businesses there. The librarian liaison made sure to create both a comfortable and a personal atmosphere by introducing himself as “your librarian” versus “a librarian.” Beginning with, “Hello, my name is ___ and I am your business librarian” really opened up the room to active participation. They were placed into groups and even asked to present their research findings to the class. This higher level of involvement seemed to put off the class, but they did well with constant encouragement from the liaison. The sense of direction was great for this class, and this specific workshop posed a great learning experience for me as a future librarian. The liaison was not getting the search results he wanted at a certain point, but handled it smoothly none the less. He apologized, which made him seem like less of a presenter and more of a team mate, and even utilized the search results to further research in a different direction. I learned that as long as you keep presenting, a mistake can actually be a happy accident and placed in your session through improvisation. As usual, the librarian liaison also thanked all the students for their work that day, which made them seem appreciated and feel more confident about their research.
Interview with an Academic Liaison from a Smaller Private Institution, Wednesday September 30
I had the pleasure of interviewing the head academic liaison for reference and instructional services at High Point University’s Smith Library, Kathy Shields, in order to gain an insider’s perspective and experience on evolving liaison roles and trends. Kathy Shields is responsible for six different subjects at HPU and they include liaison services to undergraduate communication, education, gender studies, human relations, nonprofit studies, and sociology. The reason for these multiple departmental responsibilities and not singular subject specialists is the size of the program. There are five reference liaisons, and they all share the research and instruction duties for all departments. They collaborate very well together and have come up with some innovative ways to build relationships with their departments by setting up a liaison with a computer in the department building, having previously advertised that they would be there for a certain amount of hours on the specific day. This availability in the department building opened up new and existing relationships by giving professors the convenience of a librarian to answer all their questions and by giving the librarians a direct line to professors in order to strengthen relationships and advocate for library services. Because the library liaisons have been striving to work more closely with faculty, they have developed an evolving trend. The liaison program’s collection management decisions are almost exclusively faculty driven, but many professors struggle to spend their entire budget and limited time on picking out resources for their courses. Therefore, the library liaisons are suggesting demand driven acquisition so that they can research and choose the best resources in the faculty’s field and create a libguide based on faculty needs. Kathy Shields believes that her primary role as a liaison is discovering information needs and providing access to resources that meet those needs. Based on the program she is currently involved in and the evolving trends she is putting into motion, she is clearly upholding and expanding her roles. Kathy Shields remains able to accomplish these goals due to the training that the liaison committee undergoes. The committee meets regularly to discuss and resolve current challenges such as sharing points of contact, incorporating embedded programs, and identifying potential resources to purchase. The most important aspect of library liaison work that Kathy Shields taught me was and is the adaptable skills one must develop to thrive in this field.
I had the pleasure of interviewing the head academic liaison for reference and instructional services at High Point University’s Smith Library, Kathy Shields, in order to gain an insider’s perspective and experience on evolving liaison roles and trends. Kathy Shields is responsible for six different subjects at HPU and they include liaison services to undergraduate communication, education, gender studies, human relations, nonprofit studies, and sociology. The reason for these multiple departmental responsibilities and not singular subject specialists is the size of the program. There are five reference liaisons, and they all share the research and instruction duties for all departments. They collaborate very well together and have come up with some innovative ways to build relationships with their departments by setting up a liaison with a computer in the department building, having previously advertised that they would be there for a certain amount of hours on the specific day. This availability in the department building opened up new and existing relationships by giving professors the convenience of a librarian to answer all their questions and by giving the librarians a direct line to professors in order to strengthen relationships and advocate for library services. Because the library liaisons have been striving to work more closely with faculty, they have developed an evolving trend. The liaison program’s collection management decisions are almost exclusively faculty driven, but many professors struggle to spend their entire budget and limited time on picking out resources for their courses. Therefore, the library liaisons are suggesting demand driven acquisition so that they can research and choose the best resources in the faculty’s field and create a libguide based on faculty needs. Kathy Shields believes that her primary role as a liaison is discovering information needs and providing access to resources that meet those needs. Based on the program she is currently involved in and the evolving trends she is putting into motion, she is clearly upholding and expanding her roles. Kathy Shields remains able to accomplish these goals due to the training that the liaison committee undergoes. The committee meets regularly to discuss and resolve current challenges such as sharing points of contact, incorporating embedded programs, and identifying potential resources to purchase. The most important aspect of library liaison work that Kathy Shields taught me was and is the adaptable skills one must develop to thrive in this field.
Reading Excerpts from Against the Grain, Thursday October 1
Against the Grain is a collections, acquisitions, scholarly communication, and publishing journal associated with the Charleston Conference.Two articles stuck out to me from this publication because they both focus on the reader/user.
“Oregon Trails - The Gift of Reading” questioned many fundamental ideas I had about reading in today’s society. As a society, we try to suggest to children that reading is fun, but does it really work - especially for kids who struggle with reading comprehension? The article quotes Einstein stating that memorizing facts is unnecessary if one knows where to look for answers. This logic makes libraries invaluable, but with the introduction of the world wide web libraries and reading in general have become rudimentary. In today’s oral society, the ability to read is not a survival skill, begging the question of the appeal of reading. Literacy is constantly taken for granted by many, getting by on pictures for information such as road signs, menus, and instruction manuals. We as a society need to encourage people to read, not just children, by keeping access to information, or books, open and alive. You may not need to read to survive, but you can read to thrive as a whole new world would open up to those who could read and understand the words on road signs, menus, and in instruction manuals.
“Decoder Ring - The Digital Comic Museum” discusses the extensive collection of the DCM and the even more extensive work that went into creating the DCM. The librarian/archivists went to painstaking lengths to ensure that each work, or comic, could be placed in the public domain. This process includes checking copyright laws and expirations, with acute attention to details when it comes to publishing and contract dates. These comics are both historical and nostalgic to readers, coming from the pre-1923 Golden Age era and continuing into the 1950s. To keep the DCM safe and running, you must register and create an account in order to upload and download content. The artwork and stories of comic books remain a favorite pastime of America and thanks to the hard-working librarians assigned to the DCM, it will remain a popular hobby.
Against the Grain is a collections, acquisitions, scholarly communication, and publishing journal associated with the Charleston Conference.Two articles stuck out to me from this publication because they both focus on the reader/user.
“Oregon Trails - The Gift of Reading” questioned many fundamental ideas I had about reading in today’s society. As a society, we try to suggest to children that reading is fun, but does it really work - especially for kids who struggle with reading comprehension? The article quotes Einstein stating that memorizing facts is unnecessary if one knows where to look for answers. This logic makes libraries invaluable, but with the introduction of the world wide web libraries and reading in general have become rudimentary. In today’s oral society, the ability to read is not a survival skill, begging the question of the appeal of reading. Literacy is constantly taken for granted by many, getting by on pictures for information such as road signs, menus, and instruction manuals. We as a society need to encourage people to read, not just children, by keeping access to information, or books, open and alive. You may not need to read to survive, but you can read to thrive as a whole new world would open up to those who could read and understand the words on road signs, menus, and in instruction manuals.
“Decoder Ring - The Digital Comic Museum” discusses the extensive collection of the DCM and the even more extensive work that went into creating the DCM. The librarian/archivists went to painstaking lengths to ensure that each work, or comic, could be placed in the public domain. This process includes checking copyright laws and expirations, with acute attention to details when it comes to publishing and contract dates. These comics are both historical and nostalgic to readers, coming from the pre-1923 Golden Age era and continuing into the 1950s. To keep the DCM safe and running, you must register and create an account in order to upload and download content. The artwork and stories of comic books remain a favorite pastime of America and thanks to the hard-working librarians assigned to the DCM, it will remain a popular hobby.