Cruise to Success (Panel Session)

Cruise to Success: How to Steer Your Way through the Murky Waters of Marketing Your Library
Teresa DeLoach, Reference Librarian, University of Texas-Dallas; Loreen Phillips, Head of Information Literacy Services and Outreach, University of Texas-Dallas

· Marketing activities fall under the umbrella of instruction, outreach and reference
· Libraries need to always remind their campus communities of what we do
· Marketing is communication, relationship nurturing
· Two main kinds of marketing:
Covert – simple brand recognition
Overt – want people to remember product and services, not merely logo
· Successful marketing strategies begin by identifying the basic thing we want our users to remember
· No one else will market the library except us
· SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) helpful in understanding environment/culture, but also generates data useful in funding requests
· Use logo, phone number/contact info on anything you distribute to faculty, staff and students
· Pencils, pens and highlighters splash library name all over campus quickly and easily
· Keep statistics for every marketing endeavor (i.e., how many pens were distributed/taken)
· Distribute different bookmarks highlighting different things from general (hours, URL, etc.) to specific (collections, services) to directly applicable (LC,NLM classification)
· Xyron machine (popular in scrapbooking) can be used for making bookmarks, magnets, postcards and business cards in house with less expense
· Catchy phrases, big words grab attention; share details in smaller font (FREE RESEARCH PAPER help)
· Create posters in various styles, advertising various library services, events
· Use table tends within library to advertise new products (databases, journals, bibliographic management software, PDA resource, etc.)
· Use business card-size informational ads at public service desks for distribution alongside bookmarks
· Stock branded pens, pencils, erasers, highlighters at public service desks for distribution to students without expectation of return
· Have different style pens for different user groups: nicer pens for faculty and staff, cheap ones for students
· Try different things; even if they don’t work, at least you tried
· Don’t market only when you have specific marketing events (i.e., info fairs), but on a regular basis; hand out bookmarks, pens, highlighters, etc. to classes you teach

From Soup to Nuts (Invited Paper)

From Soup to Nuts: Copyright, Social Networking and Electronic Surveillance
Tracy Mitrano, Director of IT Policy and of Computer Policy and Law Program, Cornell University

· Copyright law and technology out of sync with current business models and social norms

· Copyright is negatively impacting e-reserve materials; people are scared/confused about provision rights so they back off providing access; even if access is behind authentication, that doesn’t automatically protect against copyright violation; must adhere to TEACH Act

· Recommends creating e-reserves fair use checklist and faculty sign-off with input into course management systems; due diligence statements

· With regard to DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) violations, if the institution is merely a conduit (student uses personal computer connected to campus network to illegally procure/share content with an independent computer elsewhere on the internet), not required to act on DMCA notices

· Infringement violations being called piracy, theft is minimizing seriousness of infringement (min. $750 fine per incident; adds up quickly)

· Settlement letters placing institutions in pinched position when asked to forward letters to student violators; some institutions (including Cornell) forward to students believing knowledge of and accountability for such violations contributes to students’ moral/ethical development

· Has intellectual property become the business model instead of the product in the entertainment arena? (settlement letters perfect example)

· Higher ed institutions are likely being targeted for ISP-identified violations because the RIAA knows that we don’t have Congressional defenders to stop settlement letters/DMCA notices, and institutions actually care about students and missions for betterment of society

While the rest of her presentation on social networking and electronic surveillance was fascinating, it has very little applicability to our library, so I'm electing not to include my notes. If you'd like to read them, however, I'll be happy to share!

Keeping in the Flow (Forum)

Keeping Libraries in the Flow: Being Relevant in the World of Amazoogle
Richard Dougherty, Dougherty and Associates; Gary Pitkin, Dean of Libraries and Professor, University of Northern Colorado; Steven Bell, Philadelphia University; Wendy Lougee, University Librarian, University of Minnesota; Michelle Jacobs, Instruction Librarian, University of California-Merced

What is driving change in libraries today?
· Technology
· User expectations
· Accountability
· Lack of money
· Changing curriculum
· Generational shift
· Changing demographics
· Online education
· Globalization
· Space constraints
· Information competitors
· Assessment
· Administrative ignorance

When campus administrators refer to libraries as black holes, sink holes, pits, etc. it denotes a problem, but it’s OUR problem, not the administrations’; must ensure that library’s mission is/becomes critical to the mission of the institution as a whole

Must build stakeholders on campus by becoming full partner in teaching and learning process; can no longer be viewed merely as support; realize that it takes time to change our role/perception with faculty, administration

Meeting needs, expectations of legacy faculty is a challenge and how you balance their demands/needs/wants with those of younger faculty depends on campus culture and power of faculty; can work to improve culture by assisting faculty in bridging the technology divide

Academic libraries play a key role in retention of students; must be structured so that we can keep pace with [possibly lead?] change

Must be committed to:
· Keeping up
· Being open to change
· Integrating ourselves in teaching and learning
· Finding what is broken and fixing it (we can provide innovative services for our users, but if the circulation policy is too restrictive, then we still aren’t meeting their needs)

Three trends we should pay attention to:
· Privatization
· Emphasis on learning experience
· Shifting focus from product to process

Embracing technology, working collaboratively, and interacting with diverse people are three necessary elements of students’ learning experience for the 21st century; libraries need to ensure that we serve/meet these needs

Eliminate library jargon: compare ILL to Amazon (find what you want, wait a couple of days, delivered directly to you); compare Google results (50 good ones) to those gleaned from library database (3000 good ones): note that while running a Google search might be faster, you save time in the long run because you don’t have to sift for authoritative results in library databases; show students how to play in our world, only don’t tell them that it’s our world!

One presenter’s suggestion [with which I take objection]: Make sure you do things that are both engaging and time-saving, such as eliminate the physical reference desk in favor of email/IM/text messaging for quick answer questions, and scheduled office hours and appointments for in-depth reference questions, which gives students more real world experience when we don’t simply drop everything to help them when they walk in the door [Ahem, meaning not at their point-of-need, not when we’re needed most, we don’t want to actually do this?! To think, I thought librarianship was a SERVICE profession...]

Online Instruction (Panel Session)

Reflecting on Online Instruction and Learning: Best Practices and Trends in Online Information Literacy Tutorials
Terrence B. Bennett, Business and Economics Librarian, The College of New Jersey Library; Melissa K. Prescott, Reference and Instruction Librarian, St. Cloud State University; Jennifer Sharkey, Associate Professor of Library Science, Purdue University Libraries

Best practices for online information literacy tutorials:
· Relate to specific course/assignment
· Incorporate active and collaborative learning
· Present information in multiple ways
· Have transferable concepts
· State clear objectives
· Give option to ask a librarian for help

Current design trends:
· Shorter, modular, discreet
· Point of need
· Increased interactivity
· Assessment
· Gaming aspects (representative student avatars)

Trends in use, presentation, marketing:
· Course requirements
· Direct links from portals or course management systems (Blackboard, WebCT)
· Distance learning
· Specific groups
· Point of need

ARCS model of motivational design:
· Attention – acquire and sustain
· Relevance – apply to personal needs
· Confidence – develop appropriate expectancy for success
· Satisfaction – apply skills outside learning environment

Professors who mandate tutorial completion add credibility to tutorials that librarians can’t hope to have because we don’t assign students’ grades

Discreet learning objects teach literacy at point of need while assisting students in completing tasks (ex: tutorial walks students through search process from library home page search interface)

Use the four learning styles to construct effective teaching practices:
· Auditory – listening, hearing
· Reading/writing – processing text
· Kinesthetic – moving, doing, touching
· Visual – seeing, observing

While most people respond using all four learning styles, there is usually one that is predominant

When designing tutorials, incorporate elements for each learning style, spread throughout the tutorial; when possible, blend the elements to support more than one style at a time (ex: voice over narration, task completion, video/animation, text, charts, etc.)

The goals and objectives of the tutorial should ensure inclusion of all learning styles

Assessment in online learning is the same as in face-to-face instruction:
· Tests student learning
· Assesses effectiveness
· Verifies attendance/completion
· Gathers usage data

Assessment can drive backwards design: technology can make formative assessment (reinforcing the learning process) more interesting, more relevant, more interactive (ex: short quiz mid-tutorial); summative assessment (end of tutorial) may be less effective due to limitations of technology

Tutorial design ideas stemming from assessment components:
· Immediate scoring and feedback on wrong answers
· Opportunity for user-to-user feedback (ex: noting particularly helpful/applicable section)
· Ability to assess which modules are and are not read important for future planning

Mashups & Subject Searching (Contributed Papers)

Library Mashups for the Virtual Campus: Using Web 2.0 Tools for Current Awareness
Adriene Lim, Systems Librarian/Assistant Professor, Portland State University; Linda Absher, Humanities Librarian, Portland State University; Kerry Wu, Business Librarian/Assistant Professor, Portland State University

Portland State University Library has designed beta “Topic Watch” pages using HTML, JavaScript, AJAX, CSS to create mashups of relevant information sources

Uses RSS feeds organized by topic (news, podcasts, etc.), provides front page multisearch/federated search option powered by SerialsSolutions’ 360Search (formerly Central Search), and employs tags from sites such as Del.icio.us to direct students to relevant websites

Includes new books section with title links to OPAC record

Mouse-over balloons give further information on title of interest

In podcast section, play buttons are incorporated in interface, and automatically open users’ media player

Although the rest of the information fed through the Topic Watch page is freely available, there is a small box alerting users that access to multisearch results require University username/password for access; search results display with icons (similar to those found in PubMed) linking students to institutional holdings

Wanted to include other APIs such as YouTube, but elected not to due to copyright concerns

Current concerns include lack of customization/personalization; no keyword filtering; few licensed databases offer RSS; possible copyright violations; non-Romanized characters displaying incorrectly

Topic Watch not just for students: many faculty don’t have time to subscribe to RSS, even if they know what it is, so these pages eliminate their need to do this CA work individually

Eventually the librarians hope to include links to webinars and videocasts; flag already read items; and share framework & scripts with other libraries using a Creative Commons license

Subject Search Disconnect: Or, How Do Our Users Want to Search for Subject Information
Margaret Mellinger, Assistant Professor, Oregon State University; Jane Nichols, Social Sciences/Humanities Librarian, Oregon State University

Students don’t really connect with libraries; this disconnect isn’t new but exacerbated by the internet

Historically, libraries have tried to connect users to information using taxonomies, pathfinders, and browse lists

Unfortunately, these methods are as incoherent as a building without doors

Visual search and tag clouds are new methods being used by libraries to make connections within subject searching

When confronted with a long list of database options, students (who want & expect a single search interface) can be overwhelmed, as they feel they shouldn’t have to know both where and what to search

Thus, students often choose familiars databases first, be it Google or ProQuest, even if it doesn’t best match subject (I think students and staff do that here with PubMed; not only is it the default database [with good reason], but it also offers a single search box right on the front page!!)

Common search features that, thanks to Google and Yahoo!, students want/expect include: short phrase natural language searching, no Boolean necessary, spell check, “Did you mean...?”, suggested terms, and relevancy-ranked results

The Reference Question: Iceland or Greenland? (Panel Session)

The Reference Question—Where Has Reference Been, Where is Reference Going?
James Rettig, University Librarian, University of Richmond; Jerry Campbell, President, Claremont School of Theology; William Miller, Director of Libraries, Florida Atlantic University; Brian Matthews, Public Services Librarian, Georgia Institute of Technology

Before the web, libraries had a monopoly on information, and reference librarians sat at the top with wizard-like status in our ability to discern students’ information needs. However the changing information landscape has resulted in a loss of control for librarians. To a great extent this disintermediation has been done to us, not by us. As such, we need to step back and see the dimensions of what we are trying to accomplish, and be clear not only about what we are doing but why. The mission has become more important than the means.

Our established practices are comfort zones that we do not want to abandon, but comfort zones make us slow to change, therefore we need to step out and explore new methods of service without being afraid of failure. Experimenting with disruptive technologies eventually leads to the adoption of new habits of practice in reference service provision.

Ultimately we must decide: what kind of Vikings are we? Are we going to survive in the newly discovered Iceland because we are willing to adapt our old practices to live in the new environment, or are we going to die out in Greenland because we refuse to change, implementing our time-honored methods of subsistence in the new, different, somewhat inhospitable world? Are we going to be creative and innovative? Are we going to eat fish?

Technical "difficulties"

Well, my plan of nightly postings from my Baltimore hotel room recapping the events of the day here at ACRL 2007 have not panned out: being in a hotel that does not grant free wireless access to guests was not a roadblock I had fully anticipated! As most of the sessions have been highly engaging and I have not wanted to miss anything, I sacrificed timely posts in lieu of expanding my knowledge, which I feel certain is not a problem with anyone. That said, I do hope to get some reflections from Friday and today posted soon, with more to follow in short order.

Liaison Preconference

Taking Your Library Liaison Program to the Next Level: Strategies for Outreach and Integration
Craig Gibson, Associate University Librarian, George Mason University; Jamie Coniglio, Head, Reference Department, Fenwick Library, George Mason University

Four themes must be understood in order to operate effective liaison programs:
1. Culture
2. Structure
3. Relationships
4. Perceptions

These themes must be understood both within the library and externally throughout the institution (ie, how we fit into the institution as a whole)

Librarians are not the only ones challenged by the changing information infrastructure.
Faculty are also being challenged and our approach to liaison programs must reflect this

Librarians, particularly in liaison roles, need to be proactive, not reactive, change agents. Liaisons can encourage culture change through contacts on campus

The distinctions between consumer and creator are blurring (think Web 2.0), and as such our focus as liaisons needs to become more fluid: we need to move from supporter to partner, becoming an integral part of the academic enterprise. Liaisons should be seen as central to the programs/departments they serve

Liaisons need to have a nuanced understanding of the culture in which they are working to be effective. This culture also includes the "unconscious infrastructure", which is often more powerful than the explicit culture recorded in organizational charts and policies manuals

Liaisons should have a broad knowledge of the following areas:
*Demographic changes in students, faculty
*Teaching and learning changes
*Bibliographic organization and knowledge management
*Curricular changes
*Technological changes
*Research agendas and priorities
*Vendors
*Scholarly communication system

Faculty buy-in for liaison programs is key, but such support is hard to gain when faculty don’t understand us and don’t have time to listen to our explanations. Unlike our profession, which is collaborative in nature, faculty culture is more individualistic

Just as change takes time, so too does building an effective liaison program. However, people need to see symbolic representations of change, so at some point we have to stop talking and start doing!

Look for previously existing relationships (often built by library administrators) to leverage when identifying supportive stakeholders within departments

When building a liaison platform, communication between, among and with librarians is crucial in enabling liaisons to have the foundation from which they can develop their own structured plan within different departments. Let institutional goals be the drumbeat driving liaisons

Once a liaison program is up and running, maintain connectivity among liaison librarians through blogs, monthly lunches, periodic assessments. Don’t let your liaisons feel lonely!

Liaison programs, like all library services, must be marketed. Although word of mouth is always the best marketing tool, planning the sale and what you will do to meet your target is key

Identify and know your stakeholders. Find communication channels during which the liaison program might be emphasized: coffee, lunch/dinner, drinks, shared walk to parking lot

Check out the preconference wiki: http://liaisonprograms.pbwiki.com/