October Conference 2015

The eighteenth October Conference for New England academic librarians, 
sponsored by the Dartmouth College Library. 

Location: 
Alumni Hall, Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

Hashtag:  
#octconf15

Program:

8:15-9:00  
Check-In and Continental Breakfast

9:00-9:15 
Greetings

Jennifer Taxman
Associate Librarian for User Engagement and Technology
Dartmouth College Library

9:15-9:30
Maximize Your Services Through Outreach 

 Alexis Rittenberger 
 Director of Library Services
Washington & Jefferson College 

The U. Grant Miller Library began outreach efforts in 2011 with a staff restructure and a new vision. The Library now broadcasts a weekly radio show, has a thriving outreach program, which attracts over 200 students each semester, and offers specialized activities for first-year students. We bring a wide-range of programming to a primarily residential campus of 1300 students through collaborations with offices outside of Academic Affairs. Additionally, the Library offers programs specific to the campus’ growing ESL population. This presentation will offer advice for academic librarians interested in breaking the mold through outreach and provide guideposts for program evaluation.

 
9:30-9:50
Early Intervention: An Academic Library Research Seminar for Early College High School Freshman

Matthew Harrick
Education & Outreach Librarian 
Brooklyn College

To foster college readiness, Brooklyn College Library’s outreach librarian developed a six-week research seminar for high school freshman enrolled in a partnering Early College High School program. This seminar exposes students to the research process through a structured project, and its curriculum includes instruction on searching and using library resources, a component on researching using primary sources in our special collections unit, and weekly in-class, reflective exercises that culminate in an annotated bibliography. This discussion focuses on the program’s creation (challenges and all), its collaborative nature, the experiences of the instructor and the students, and plans for the future

 
9:50-10:10
Retreating Writers: Creating Space, Time, and Support for Faculty & Staff Writing   

Laura Kohl
Head of Research and Instructional Services, Krupp Library
Bryant University

Stephanie Carter
Assistant Director, Academic Center for Excellence and Writing Center
Bryant University

At Bryant University, a collaborative group made up of the Academic Center for Excellence-Writing Center, The Center for Teaching and Learning, and The Krupp Library has been holding semi-annual Faculty and Staff Writers’ Retreats. These retreats have created the right combination of space, time, and support to engage community members in the writing process.  Each retreat brings together experts to work with writers on brainstorming, research, and revising, while providing publication assistance and other writing support. Retreat attendee experiences demonstrate positive outcomes of this collaborative engagement.  This session will provide guidance on how to establish and manage successful writers’ retreats.

 
10:10-10:25
BREAK

10:25-10:45
Re-thinking survey promotion: It’s not just about the numbers   

Kristen Shuyler
Assistant Director for Library Services
James Madison University

Jon Reed
Library Services Assistant
James Madison University

Promoting a survey – it’s all about getting people to click on it, right? Not always. This session will describe the promotion campaign we designed for the James Madison University Libraries’ 2015 LibQUAL+® survey. Ultimately, this campaign was not just about the survey – it was about how we want our campus to feel about the Libraries.  Our campaign placed the concept of “responsiveness” front and center, with 2 taglines: “Make your Life Better. Take the Library Survey” and “Your Campus. Your Library. Have Your Say.” Survey promotion and engagement initiatives can also play very important role in your library’s assessment cycle.

 

10:45-11:10
Graphic Engagement: Designing a Comic Book Guide for Basic Information Literacy and Research Skills   

Matt Upson
Director, Library Undergraduate Services
Oklahoma State University

Comics and graphic novels are now regularly featured in college courses and are increasingly the topic of academic research in many areas, especially pedagogy and student engagement. The presentation will detail efforts to utilize graphic narrative and humor to engage students, model behavior, reduce anxiety, and provide greater context for abstract or difficult to understand concepts through the use of visual metaphor, all with the ultimate goal of increasing information literacy competency in students. The presentation will also offer examples of information literacy and research skills comics co-created by the presenter, including a newly released graphic novel textbook. 

11:10-11:35
Celebrating Undergraduate Research: The Scholars in Action Day program at Springfield College   

Sheri Sochrin
Reference Librarian
Springfield College

Joanna Boody
Coordinator of Undergraduate and Graduate Research
Springfield College

Librarians rarely have a chance to see students’ final research products. By participation in Scholars in Action Day, a juried campus-wide program showcasing undergraduate research, librarians at Springfield College join faculty, academic administrators, and other members of the college community in affirming students’ work and supporting ongoing professional development of the student body. During this presentation we will examine Scholars in Action Day with a dual focus - the interdepartmental collaboration between the Library and Academic Affairs in preparation for the program, as well as the role librarians play during the program by participating as evaluators of the students' research.     

11:35-11:50
STEM Sell: Piloting a Science Librarianship Internship Program for Undergraduates 

Lee Ann Fullington
Health & Environmental Sciences Librarian
Brooklyn College

Matthew Harrick
Education & Outreach Librarian
Brooklyn College

In the Fall of 2014, Brooklyn College Library launched the pilot version of the Science Information Internship. This program exposes undergraduate science students to the field of science librarianship and presents librarianship as a viable career path. We seek undergraduate students to engage students early, while they are considering their future careers to present an alternative to laboratory science or clinical research.  Our presentation discusses the genesis of the internship, the collaborative approach to developing the curriculum, the experiences of the intern and the librarians, and the overall execution of the project, highlighting its successes and challenges.

 
11:50-12:10
Meeting Students Where They Are: Library Peer Research Fellows   

Ramona Islam
Curricular Design and Research Librarian
Harvard University

Anna Esty
Research Librarian
Harvard University

Alexis Gomez
Peer Research Fellow, Currier House
Harvard University

Theodore V.Z. Longlois
Peer Research Fellow, Adams House
Harvard University

Desiring to engage with students in a more holistic way and keeping in mind the value of peer instruction, Harvard College Library launched a pilot Library House Outreach Program (LHOP) in Fall 2014. We hired an undergraduate peer research fellow (PRF) for each House, or dorm, and matched each of them with a dedicated mentor librarian. Our presentation will cover practical matters involved in the program’s conception, the PRF training curriculum, the services the PRFs offer, and assessment. In addition, we will talk about the value of learning from each other in this community of practice.

12:10-1:40 
Lunch followed by your choice of Library tours, discussion groups, or free time 

 
1:40-2:20
Lightning Rounds

Responsive, Collaborative Workshops: Removing the Sage on Stage from Faculty Development

Megan Brooks
Director, Research Services
Wellesley College

Rebecca Darling
Assistant Director of Instructional Technology
Wellesley College

Into the Wild Green Yonder: New Use for a Small Space

Michelle H Brannen
Media Literacy Librarian
University of Tennessee

Picture This! Using Instagram to Promote Your Library

Kristen Hindes
Interlibrary Loan and Instruction Librarian
Saint Michael’s College

Promoting Consumer Health through Clinician Partnerships and Resource Instruction

Heather Johnson
Research and Education Librarian
Dartmouth College

iPad Apps workshop series in the Library

Teresa Maceira
Reference, Outreach & Instruction Librarian
University of Massachusetts Boston

Collaborate and Engage: Working with Graduate Students in Online Research Intensive Courses

Sara Godbee
School of Business Librarian
Stevenson University

Medical Home work

Margot Malachowski
Community Outreach Librarian
Baystate Health

Feeling the Feels: Using Zines as Primary Sources in Student Research

Dawn Stahura
Research Librarian
Simmons College 

2:20-2:45
The Whole Student: The Library Learning Commons as an Academic and Co-Curricular Space   

 Amy Wainwright
Outreach and Student Engagement Librarian
John Carroll University

Today’s college students report that they regularly feel stressed and yet push themselves to excel. Many libraries are addressing part of this trend by including academic support within library spaces. However, how can libraries create a space that also encourages students to adopt healthy lifestyles and de-stress when necessary? In this presentation attendees will learn how to form meaningful collaborations across campus in order to facilitate creating a Learning Commons space that addresses a well-rounded student. Participants will learn how pairing academic support and co-curricular activities in a library space will engage the whole student.

2:45-3:05
"Drawing on Walls" in the Science Library

Barbara Merolli
Science Librarian
College of the Holy Cross

Science librarian Barbara Merolli and studio arts professor Marguerite White collaborated in a “Drawing on Walls” course. For their final project, the students created science inspired artwork on the walls of the science library. The themes include: a galaxy, planets, waves, e-coli, DNA, gorilla with sign language, jelly fish and octopus, spiders, fish, and chemical symbols overwritten in Japanese symbols.  The exhibit has generated much energy and discussion since being installed in May 2015. This project brings together—and brings into the science library-- art majors, science majors, their families and friends, faculty and college community members.  

3:05-3:25
Bringing Therapy Dogs to Academic Libraries: the MIT Libraries experience    

Ellen Finnie Duranceau
Program Manager, Scholarly Publishing, Copyright & Licensing 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and
Volunteer, instructor, and instruction coordinator
Dog BONES: Therapy Dogs of Massachusetts.

 Special Guest: Gracie, Golden Retriever

This session will provide an overview of the means --and magic -- of bringing therapy dogs to an academic library to reduce student stress.  The presentation will include:  motivations, methods, and benefits of a library-based therapy dog program, including a short background on therapy dogs in libraries; an overview of how the MIT Libraries established, marketed, and expanded a therapy dog program at MIT; the impact on students and benefits to the Libraries; and applicability of such programs to school and public libraries.   The presenter expects to have her certified therapy dog with her at the session.

 

Questions or comments? Contact Laura Barrett, Director of Education & Outreach at laura.barrett@dartmouth.edu.