Meetings, Weedings, Development.. Oh My!

          Hello!! Since the last time I posted a lot has happened and so far, still good. That’s not to say I haven’t needed help on a few Reference Questions but things are going pretty well. I’ve had a few ‘RefWins’ where I've felt that I was particularly helpful, one was even over chat! Everything is going great thus far and I’m definitely learning, a lot.

            The last couple weeks I have had a couple of meetings with other integral members of the library staff. The first was with Jessica Howard, the Electronic Resources & Web Services Librarian.  This meeting was awesome because we discussed how she became a librarian when it wasn’t exactly her original plan.  We also talked about what she does for the library in terms of keeping the website up and functioning but we spoke at length about her part in deciding which databases get used.  We currently have several trial databases up and she explained how thorough the process is because she gets feedback from faculty, staff and students and how even though it may take longer, she generally finds pretty great databases that are super helpful.

            In my other meeting with Ronalee Ciocco, the Director of User Services, I got to talk to her about everything that is required of her job. Most of our discussion revolved around Inter Library Loan (ILLiad) and her thoughts on the eBook issue. We also talked about the the OneSearch function that GBurg has now, she mentioned that there has been a huge increase of requests because it searches so many databases that students use the Gett It button much more frequently. The most helpful part of my meeting with Ronalee was just getting advice on how to be a better librarian and she really emphasized that getting experience was the key because it would make getting a job after Graduate School a lot easier.

           Other than my meetings, I also had a fun week working with the collection in terms of weeding and development. I helped Clint, Stephanie and Kerri weed the science section of the reference collection. I thought it was helpful seeing librarians who don’t specialize in science make really thoughtful choices on what books to keep, weed, or move elsewhere.  Then, on the opposite side of the library spectrum, I helped Kerri with Collection Development.  I started with the browsing room which means I got to review a bunch of new fiction titles. It was so hard to pick and choose because they all seemed so interesting and fun in comparison to some of my school readings.  Who knows, spring break is soon, maybe I’ll have some time to read in a couple weeks!

Weeding. It ain't just for gardens.

  

Librarianship is Neat!

My name is Celia and I am the Spring 2014 Fortenbaugh Reference Intern! 

About Me: I'm a Senior History major with a minor in Africana Studies. I'm from outside of Harrisburg, PA, so just one step outside of being townie status. I was the Co-Captain for Bullets Cheer this past season and I am also on the Executive Board for Dance Ensemble (I'm not a very good dancer though, whoops!) and I really like cats and they will be featured on these blog posts.  Like this one... This is the cat version of me when I found out I got the Internship.

I've got a few weeks under my belt now with this Internship and so far, so good. I'll be totally honestly though, when I first started every time someone came near the desk I got a little nervous because after 3.5 years I thought I knew my way around the Library; nope. BUT, now with three weeks of perusing research guides, databases, asking a zillion questions and rereading everything in my training guide approximately three times, I feel confident that I can be helpful, and that's great! 

Otherwise, I'm not much of a chatty Kathy but I do to get hang out with Ronalee Ciocco, the Director of User Services and Jessica Howard, the Electronic Resources and Web Librarian, later this week! It should be exciting, and I shall report back next time!! 

ALSO; because of this weather lately.. this ECard is just too accurate!

Fortenbaugh Music Intern, First Post of the Semester

Hello Gettysburg!  I hope everyone had an enjoyable winter break and is doing great work so far this semester.  I am very excited to be the Spring 2014 Fortenbaugh Music Library Intern!

A little bit about me: My name is Alex Schweizer, and I am a first-year Music Education major, from Downingtown, PA.

My primary instrument is the euphonium, but I also play the trombone, piano, and guitar.  Here at Gettysburg, I am a member of the Bullets Marching Band, Gettysburg College Choir (GCC), the Wind Symphony, and Drop the Octave (DTO), our campuses only all-male acapella group.  I am also on the Sunderman Student Advisory Council, as a liaison for the students of the Conservatory to the faculty.

In high school, I was a part of the marching band, and marched in both the 2011 Tournament of Roses Parade, and the 2013 Citrus Parade.  I was also in the choir, men's choir, the musical, and on the varsity swimming and track teams.

When I'm not practicing, learning about, making, or writing music, I enjoy riding my unicycle around campus, going for a run on the battlefields, playing frisbee with my friends, or doing pretty much anything outdoors.

After my time at Gettysburg, I plan to become a high school band director, and eventually teach at the college level.  My ultimate goal is to be a member of the President's Own Marine Corps Band.

As the Fortenbaugh Music Library Intern, I will be working on several projects throughout the semester.  I plan to use the skills that I acquire during this internship when I am a band director, and need to know how to catalog and easily access music.  Currently, I am researching euphonium repertoire (both audio recordings and physical sheet music) to potentially add to the large collection of scores and CDs already in the Musselman Music Library.

End of Semester Update

The last half of the semester has been a flurry of activity. I planned an event, created a book display, attended an awesome conference, started applying to grad school, etc. In this post I'll give a brief overview of my various activities and share what is in store for the spring semester. 

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC),  Philadelphia, PA

The view from our hotel room

The Director of Special Collections invited me to attend this conference at the end of August. It was a great opportunity because I am interested in perusing an archives concentration in grad school.  One of the highlights of the conference was tour day. We were able to sign up for behind the scenes tours of many of the city's archives and conservation centers. I visited the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts and the American Philological Society. The American Philological Society has some pretty crazy stuff: the Lewis and Clark diaries, a transcript of the Apollo 11 moon-landing signed by Neil Armstrong, and the only document with the first four president's signatures! 

The sessions were interesting. My favorite was Primary Sources Education in Higher Ed.... it was a pleasant surprise. Archivists and educators talked about how they integrated archival material into a class or inspired faculty to visit the archives. There were some good ideas that could be applied to the Gettysburg archives. In addition to sessions and tours, I ate at a microbrewery and had Afghan food for the first time! Ahh the diversity of city life. Overall, it was an excellent time with great people. 

One day...

Grad School 

In case you didn't pick up on it before... I want to be a librarian. One of the great parts of this internship is that an assignment in the fall is to look at grad school, revise your resume, create a teaching philosophy and write a personal statement. I've also been considering where to apply. My primary choice is Drexel University. It's ALA certified, has an archives concentration, and its near my family and friends. Perfect. I've also been going back and forth between online v. on campus. Its an on-going debate, but I'm leaning towards on-campus.  

Stress Relief table

just keep coloring

 This finals season the librarians wanted some de-stressing activities for the students. I created the stress relief table with a craft, coloring sheets, clay & play- dough, comic books and bubble wrap. The table was heavily used during its two weeks. The students made tiny sculptures out of the clay and colored like crazy. They left so many finished coloring sheet on the table that I hung them on the wall and created the "Musselman Stress Relief Gallery" so all could appreciate the art. I also advertised the table using memes... and college students love memes. Since the table was a success, I plan on going big in the spring: yoga sessions, therapy dogs, and a stress art contest. 

Dystopian December

A librarian had an idea to do a dystopian themed book display. With the latest Hunger Games movie and new Divergent book, we all had dystopian fiction on the brain. For an academic library, Musselman has a good deal of popular fiction. So I set out to give people a depressing read for the holidays- get your Ba'humbug on. 

Finals Study Break

Every semester the Holley intern plans a study break in the library. This year brought a cupcake decorating activity to the study break. Thanks the library staff 300 cupcakes, students were provided with plenty of cupcakes to decorate! Icing, sprinkles, chocolate chips, cookies crumbles, and colored sugars were provided for the students. In addition to the cookies, veggie and fruit trays, as well as hot and cold drinks were provided to help revive the stressed out students.While decorating their cookies, students were given many opportunities to de-stress by playing board games, constructing a 3-D snowflake and coloring holiday themed coloring sheets. A festive atmosphere was provided by twinkle lights, a roaring yule log on the projector screen and holiday music. 

As for Spring, I'm trying to figure out a semester project. I'm considering an anthropological  study or some type of unique library programming. 

Get them in the door

                 If blowout sales bring crazed shoppers to department stores on Black Friday and the perfect 75⁰ day draws people outside to enjoy the fresh air, then what brings the students to the library?  With countless books, journals, and videos available at the click of a button, it might be easy or obvious to suppose that the library building would be an empty space gathering dust.  It might be surprising, but quite the opposite is true.  What makes a college library appealing?  How can the academic library, as a place, continue to be important to the life of campus?  
                  Although plenty of students may freely come to the library for a multitude of reasons, there are plenty who might not willingly stop by without a good reason or incentive.  On an academic campus, no department has all the resources or man power they may need or desire.  Libraries can increase the opportunities for attracting students by having campus partners.  Through partnerships,the word can be spread more effectively, reach more students, and meet diverse needs.
For example: 
                   I can imagine teaming with career services to offer job searching workshops.  In a one hour session, a member from the Center for Career Development and a librarian could help showcase the wealth of sources each entity can offer.  For example, the library has the resources to help upperclassmen write the perfect resume, CV, or cover letter, while the career center has the expertise to perfect it in order to help you obtain the perfect job.  Likewise, underclassmen can utilize resources about choosing the right career path and searching for internships.   The library has books like these seen below that would be helpful to a student's job or career needs:

 

       Another learning opportunity could be found in hosting wellness workshops, and possibly partnering with the health center.  Yoga, Pilates, zumba, tai chi, or any number or fitness routines could be paired with a short conversation or discussion on how to find more library resources.  The library could provide the space for the instruction, and also casually feature relevant health, nutrition, and fitness resources found at the library. The library offers everything from current yoga journals to nutritional books to fitness DVDs.   The activity would be fun and utilize library resources. Students would likely be surprised at the wealth of tools available to them that are not just class related.  

  

 

    

        How about partnering with Residence Life to offer any number of library/resource related hall programs to students in the residence halls?  The librarian can bring the library to the residence hall through an interactive presentation or host an information literacy game about finding sources, plagiarism, or a zillion other specific topics related to researching and library resources.  How about showing off how to access the hidden gems of the library--all the recreational ebook, DVD, and music collections?
        Finally and purely for fun, the library could partner with clubs and organizations to host any number of experiences that encourage students, community members, professors, and others to come in the doors.   These fun activities allow students to interact with librarians and come to the library with an informal purpose, yet through this, hopefully students will feel more comfortable in the space, learn to be familiar with the faces found in the library, and utilize the help of librarians more frequently.  This week at Gettysburg, the library is host to a worthwhile campus event.   All this week (12/2 to 12/6/13), the brothers of Sigma Nu have been selling hot chocolate and cookies on the main floor of the library from 7-11 PM.  A tasty study break during the always-busy last week of classes benefits the Helping Hands organization.  
       College libraries are meant for acquiring knowledge, but this is not restricted to academic or curriculum based learning.  Libraries are scholarly, recreational, and social spaces that meet the diverse needs of users.  Just as the library building is used to meet these varied needs, so too can library programming.  Through partnerships across campus and engaging all aspects of the campus community, the library, its staff, and its resources will be more utilized, relevant, and familiar.  

**Note** All of the resources featured above can be found at Musselman Library in MUSCAT. 

What words would you use to describe the library?

The library is a growing, evolving organism.  Without change, the library will cease to be relevant.  With the addition of technology, ebooks, virtual reference, and databases, we have the 21st century academic library.  Despite the changes over the decades, ask most people what a library is meant for and you'll still likely get an answer that suggests a quiet space for books and studying.  From a recent Easy Bib survey, students described libraries with the following words:

While it might be true and reassuring that students find libraries to be quiet, peaceful places of books where they can study, as a future librarian, it is troubling that some of the most used words from this survey include old and boring.  If library users truly look beyond the surface to the wealth of resources that are provided by the library, I believe this to be far from the truth. 

Libraries are information centers, community meeting places, and a gateway to knowledge.  Just the other week, the Bexar County BiblioTech in Texas opened with a space for learning, but no physical book collection.   The library world is meeting the needs of the future.  Musselman Library exemplifies that fact and blows away the stereotypes.  More people than ever are coming through the doors, but why?   By being placed near the center of campus, this space serves many purposes for students and faculty.  Despite the move to digital resources, the bricks and mortar library is alive and well.  

                The library is a blended academic and social space, where users are empowered to connect with information and each other.  Along with the philosophy of a liberal arts education, the library on such a campus, promotes a search for knowledge conducted with a spirit of free inquiry to best prepare an individual inside and outside of the classroom for the adventures of life.   The Musselman Library is a space built for all users’ needs, whether they are academic, social, recreational, personal, and relaxation.  Two floors are wide open and intended for group work, relaxation, and general studying. The noise level is usually at a dull roar.  I often see students talking, eating, watching movies, playing games, or just relaxing.  For the other studiers, the upstairs has three floors of quiet space, where students work at desks and study nooks in a noise free zone.   The hours are meant to serve the busy lives of students, as the library is open 24 hours a day throughout the academic week. 

            For myself, the college library was that place where I was focused and determined to get some hard-core work done.  In a mind over matter sort of way, I convinced myself that the library is the place where great ideas originate.  If I had some thinking, writing, reading, or researching to do, I went to the library.  In any other setting, I got easily distracted by technology and the thoughts of the thousand other things I would have rather been doing.  At the library, I would put in my earbuds, tune out my surrounding, and actually get down to business. 

 For others, the library may be an appealing space for learning, but it might also be important for collaboration and social interaction.  Great ideas can come from talking with others, but on a college campus, there is more to life than thinking great thoughts.  The library serves as a hub where students can finish math homework, make plans with friends for dinner, watch a movie, and finish a group project.  For all types of individuals, from the student diligently working on a senior thesis to the social butterfly, the library is there to meet any knowledge needs and contribute to the notion that higher education helps form a whole individual.
         With the perspective that libraries are houses of knowledge and learning, the library is a sort of place where all sorts of learning, scholarly and recreational, can take place.  I believe that the library can effectively continue to attract students beyond the typical purposes.  Next time, I’ll explore some ideas on how the long-held perceptions of the library can be changed to reflect the evolving purpose of a library on a college campus. 

Promoting the big picture: leisure reading in the library

To promote intellectual climate

While this internship was an opportunity for me to explore librarianship, it also turned out to be an experience in working for a college. Everything you do in higher education is focused around institutional values and goals. College’s create grandiose strategic plans or epic mission statements (which sound like mandates from the Divine) in order to convey their institutional value. Maybe we should all dress in suits and sunglasses because we're on a mission from God? 
Institutional directives may seem confusing and convoluted but sometimes you just need to examine the small things to figure out the big picture. At Gettysburg College, we support ideal of intellectual climate. According to the 2013 strategic plan produced by the President's office, Gettysburg College "plans for the enhancement of the campus climate in ways that promote a strong academic culture and support the healthily personal and intellectual development of our students." If your looking for the primary example of an "intellectual climate," the library is where its at. We have floors of books, mountains of databases, and illustrious microfilm sets! However, I think it is the most disposable of library resources that promotes our intellectual environment.

The Room with the Glass Door

This is the browsing room - it's where the leisure reading collection is found. It supplies recent fiction, popular memoirs and newsworthy non- fiction. Studies have shown that reading for fun boost your academic performance. It improves your vocabulary and keeps your mind sharp. In order to foster an intellectual environment, the library provides you with popular reading materials to boost brain function and facilitate intellectual conversation. I mean who didn't talk about the deeper issues within the Hunger Games trilogy? Reading gets you thinking, gets you talking and gets you involved.

If you like this --> read this

From my recent B&N trip...
Yes I take pictures of book displays.

So we have a room full of interesting books which promote intellectual thoughts. Great. But are we doing our best to help to promote popular page-turners? Personally, I don't think so. The library provides you the physical book but it doesn't provide information about them. In the book world providing information and opinions on select titles is called readers' advisory. A popular source of reader advisory is the New York Times book review. At the local book store, advisory could be book displays of like topics or staff favorites. Even Amazon has some advisory with those columns "Customers who bought this, also bought this" or "featured recommendations" or "recommended for you." That section on your Amazon account can get a bit scary. I recently purchased a Duck Dynasty book for my Dad's birthday. Amazon now thinks I'm an avid hunter with an addiction to cameo. No one said advisory was perfect, but it can be a useful tool to improve the quality of a search for reading materiel. In response to the lack of readers advisory in the library's browsing room, I have take on the project of researching sustainable models for the library. As mentioned previously, its the small things (like the browsing room) that contribute to the bigger picture of intellectual climate. By proposing readers's advisory options, we support the continuation of informed discussion.... or maybe we're just on a mission from God.

To make up for my two week absence, I will try to write a couple posts this week. Topics include: my recent trip to the MARAC conference and the daunting task of applying to grad school.