Program & Poster Session Descriptions

Breakout Sessions A

Collaboration over Coffee: Promoting Information Literacy and Student Success

Even within a small, private academic institution, such as the Denver Campus of Johnson & Wales University, cross-departmental collaboration can be difficult. Too much work and too little time prohibit interpersonal relationships outside functional areas. When we left the library, however, we learned we were not alone. Just walking down the hallway we found a colleague who shared our passion for student success, information literacy (IL), and technology. Located in the same facility, the library and academic advising department were able to join forces. Specifically, we have collaborated on: a campus-wide information literacy initiative; shared research on IL skills and academic standing, an academic advising early warning system; a First Year Seminar program, which includes an introduction to IL; and a shared Facebook page.

Presenters:  Merrie Valliant, Johnson & Wales University; Denise Pan, Auraria Library; Becky Reed, Johnson & Wales University

Descent and Sensibility: Considering LibraryThing and degressive bibliography

University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries faculty examine how current technology is being considered in enhancing access to a general collection as well as rare materials.  Using the recent Report of the Library of Congress Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control as a framework for discussion, this panel presents some issues, and approaches to bibliographic control. The LOC report recommends some sweeping changes that have the potential to significantly alter how materials are cataloged and how library catalogs look and function.  One of the most provocative suggestions is for library catalogs to incorporate user-contributed data into the bibliographic record- in effect, to turn the catalog into a Web 2.0 application. The report also suggested that, for rare materials, "some level of access must be provided to all materials as a first step to comprehensive access"- this is new interpretation of the concept of degressive bibliography. CU Libraries catalogers and the head of Special Collections and Rare Books take a closer look at these suggestions and discuss the impact on work-flow, end-users, and the potential pros and cons (if any) that catalogers and middle management should keep in mind.

Presenters: Peter J. Rolla, University of Colorado at Boulder; James P. Ascher, University of Colorado at Boulder; Deborah R. Hollis, University of Colorado at Boulder

Library Instruction without Librarians: Embedding information literacy tutorials in course management systems

Course Management Systems (CMS) such as Blackboard, WebCT, and Moodle offer instructors an innovative way to create, deliver, and manage course content in both synchronous and asynchronous environments. Working with instructors, librarians can utilize the CMS to expand and enhance library instruction without infringing on valuable classroom time. This presentation will highlight how librarians can take advantage of freeware E-Learning tools and quickly develop point-of-need library instruction tutorials.  Professors can then include links to these tutorials or directly embed them into their CMS.

Presenter:  Robert Monge, University of South Dakota

Collaboration to Support Student Writing

As librarians work to raise the level of college students’ research abilities in an increasingly complex world, collaboration with other campus units has become particularly important. Writing and research now receive greater emphasis in college curricula and both of these disciplines deal with the common themes of argument formation, critical thinking, and evaluation.  Since writing and research have much in common, libraries and writing programs or centers have taken advantage of this natural affinity to provide seamless and responsive services to students.  Librarians are reconfiguring traditional reference and instruction models to better fit with this new writing and research paradigm.  This program will review past research that has been conducted on writing and research collaborations.  Librarians from Colorado College, the University of Denver, and the University of Wyoming will provide details on their experiences in working with campus writing units and lead a discussion on the possibilities for future collaborations.

Presenters:  Kaijsa Calkins, University of Wyoming; Carrie Forbes, University of Denver; Steve Lawson, Colorado College

Breakout Sessions B

Are Your Digital Documents Web Friendly?: Making scanned documents web accessible

Since the 1990s, the Internet has changed library users’ behavior searching library resources. Currently numerous users begin their research online because they prefer to use resources that are available at their fingertips. This change has brought libraries and archives opportunities to publicize their unique collections. It has also brought librarians challenges identifying the best practices for delivery of documents online. For this presentation, we will focus on how to create and optimize text based and digitized documents in PDF format for easy access, downloading, and printing.

Presenter: Yongli Zhou, Colorado State University

The Collaborative Library Intranet

The presenters will describe the creation of the Kraemer Family Library intranet at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. When Library faculty undertook this project they recognized that the intranet could be a critical tool for storing and presenting information as well as facilitating collaboration and project management.  With that in mind they focused on designs that would permit the widest possible participation.  Web 2.0 applications were the natural choices as they offered customizable platforms and low-threshold applications at little or no cost.

Presenters: David Hodgins, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs; Tabatha Becker, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

If You Build It, They Will Come--Then What Do You Do?

Five years after initiating information literacy as a University Studies general education requirement, University of Wyoming librarians are pleased with the increased demand for information literacy instruction and surprised by some unforeseen outcomes. Join us to learn how information literacy became part of the curriculum and how librarians responded. We will share successful implementation and delivery solutions, including faculty-librarian collaborations, an online tutorial, credit courses offered by the library, and instructional services for outreach and provisional students.

Presenters: University of Wyoming: Jamie Kearley, Mary Ann Harlow, Kaijsa Calkins, Cheryl Goldenstein, Jennifer Mayer, Cassandra Kvenild

Capturing the Captive Audience

Academic libraries have a unique challenge… your users are already “in your space” such as on your campus, walking past your building, surfing your institutions’ website, in the computer labs or on your library computers, in your institutions’ course management system…  They’re there… lurking about.  What are the hooks that lure them in and drive them to the resources that you spend your time and energy procuring and providing?  There is a lot of buzz about Web and Library 2.0 and getting “in their space” and bridging the millennial gap.  But no matter what venue you use (the Web, a printed flyer, a blog, Twitter, a bibliographic instruction course) there are some tried and true marketing techniques that you can apply to your message to help capture your captive audience.

Presenter: Gillian Harrison, BCR

Breakout Sessions C

Developing an Institutional Repository: Implementation of DigiTool at Colorado State University Libraries

In spring 2007, Colorado State University Libraries adopted DigiTool, a digital assets management system by Ex Libris, to develop an institutional repository. This repository provides a free, secure, permanent database offering worldwide access to CSU’s scholarship in a central online location. In this presentation, we will discuss our experience implementing and providing institutional repository services to the CSU campus.

Presenters: Shu Liu, Colorado State University; Yongli Zhou, Colorado State University

Collection Development for the 21st Century

As students and faculty become less connected to libraries we are challenged to find new ways to reconnect with our patrons.  At Red Rocks Community College I have successfully implemented a plan to connect our collection development directly to current course content.  The goal is to have faculty tell us what to buy based on their courses and suggested reading lists.  We have departed from the traditional “suggestion box” by attending department meetings and telling faculty that we are dedicating x dollars to their department no questions asked.  Whatever they tell us, we buy.  Our only stipulation is that their purchases must tie directly to course content.  I have supplemented this policy by involving faculty directly in overhauling outdated collections.

Presenter: Joseph Sanchez, Red Rocks Community College

No Sleeping in My Class!

Library Instruction…the mere thought sends students into a stupor!  Are you sick of looking into a sea of glazed eyes?  If you need some ideas and inspiration to break out of that rut, this program will help re-energize you and introduce you to a variety of techniques to engage students with library instruction.  Bring out your creative edge and get inspired to try different approaches. Adaptations of interpretative techniques used in environmental education, the Cephalonian method, and the discovery method are a few of the approaches that will be discussed and demonstrated in this interactive program.

Presenters: Jan Loechell Turner, Regis University; Krystyna Mrozek, Colorado College; Lorrie Evans, Auraria Library

The Architecture of Student Learning: Changing your environment to match how students learn

The shifting nature of undergraduate learning styles and curriculum design demands a fresh look at library learning spaces. Libraries have an opportunity to participate in every stage of the continuum of student learning, from discovery to product. In order to accomplish this, libraries should be considering the needs of the whole student. University curricula are shifting to become increasingly collaborative, and classroom learning is becoming increasingly active. Libraries that were built in an era where usage patterns were dominated by quiet, individual study are becoming functionally irrelevant. This session will include a discussion of changing learning trends and the ways in which libraries have the opportunity to embrace that change and reestablish themselves as the 'third place' in students' lives.

Presenters: Caroline Sinkinson, University of Colorado at Boulder; Jennifer Knievel, University of Colorado at Boulder

Poster Sessions

Wikipedia: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

The fluid nature of Wikipedia leads us to question its accuracy. Could the site's dynamic nature make it an ideal teaching tool? We all know our students use Wikipedia (and maybe we secretly do to). This session will cover how to edit and write articles for this online encyclopedia.

Presenter: Shannon O'Grady, CLiC

User-Centered Web Design for Academic Librarians

In recent years, usability testing has revealed that college students have vastly different mental models of the world of information than academic librarians. While today’s undergraduates may be comfortable with technology, this comfort is no guarantee of the quality of their research skills. However, they do have certain expectations from websites, and if library websites fall short, students will turn elsewhere for academic research needs—usually the open Internet and search engines. Becoming knowledgeable in user-centered web design skills is an important first step for librarians looking to improve student success in developing research skills.

Presenter: Nina McHale, Auraria Library

Technology Avalanche! How Are Libraries Prospering in Googleland?

Colorado State University Libraries surveyed 17 peer institutions in the fall of 2007 to determine how technology advancements are affecting library staffing, budgeting, organizational structure and perception of their place in the future. We will report on our survey results and summarize how these libraries are coping with the rapid rate of technology change. We will also reveal what they predicted is on the technology horizon for the library of the future. This poster session will be of interest to a wide range of library personnel, including Deans/Directors, Financial Officers, and Coordinators of Information Technology.

Presenter: Don Albrecht, Colorado State University; Jennifer Kutzik, Colorado State University

Creating an Institutional Repository For A Small Liberal Arts College

Western State College, a small public liberal arts college located in Gunnison, identified the need to store and manage the electronic resources produced by and for the college through a campus-wide Institutional Repository(IR) . The Leslie J. Savage Library is leading this effort to create a D-Space repository to archive official electronic documents of the college’s administration, to provide access for faculty’s research and publications, and to provide archival services for student’s work and college-related photos and media. Current activity on Western’s IR is located at http://wiki.western.edu/library/index.php/Institutional_Repository.

Presenter: Jeremy Nelson, Western State College; Chris Hickman, Student

Expanding Our Playbook: UNC Librarians Covering the Court

UNC Librarians collaborate with campus programs to enhance student success from orientation to graduation. This presentation discusses the vital role that librarians play during UNC’s summer orientation. Targeted library instruction focuses on international students before they matriculate into the larger UNC population, first generation students during their freshman year, and students in the Honors program as they work on the senior thesis. We conclude with a discussion of the professional and personal rewards of covering the court of collaborative library instruction.

Presenter: Annie Epperson, University of Northern Colorado; Lyda Ellis, University of Northern Colorado

Why Do Freshman Visit the Reference Desk?

Both common sense and research tell us that a successful, pleasant first trip to the reference desk encourages repeat visits. But what inspires freshmen to make that initial visit? A survey administered to fourteen English composition classes strongly indicates that face-to-face reference with librarians during classes is most effective for encouraging students. The availability of in-person reference services also plays a decisive, positive role.

Presenter: Karen Sobel, University of Colorado Denver

Develop a Game Plan for Library Promotion with Your Development Department

Colorado Christian University Library’s first and new experience of hosting a world-class special exhibit fostered a significant relationship between the Library and Development (other institutions have Foundations). Along with this exhibit two special events brought in people from outside the community, much to the delight of our president. From this joint venture more plans are underway for future events and exhibits, so the relationship continues.

Presenter: Gayle Gunderson, Colorado Christian University

Seven Degrees of Connection Between the University and Its Archives

In the ongoing effort to reposition our academic library in the constantly changing academic environment of Regis University, Regis University Archives and Special Collections have developed new relations with other units of the University to support both its financial realities through promotional and fund-raising services as well as the educational goals of its curriculum. For example, a video of a major collection is a promotional resource for attracting new students while still in high school. In addition, a major source of the university’s funding comes from alumni gift-giving. Alumni solicitations are enhanced by nostalgic materials in the Archives.

Presenter: Elizabeth Cook, Regis Unviersity; Gerald A. Cook, Regis University