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Sept 21m 2012 @SUNY Empire, Saratoga Springs / SUNY Oneonta Update

« on: September 14, 2012, 11:48:24 AM »

The college is pleased to announce that Charles O’Bryan of Milford is the new director of the Milne Library. He comes to SUNY Oneonta from the Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego BOCES, where he has been director of the school library system since 2008.  O’Bryan holds master’s degrees in library science and environmental education, and was a Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Scholar in 2008. An accomplished grant writer, he has secured over $1 million in funding for projects at BOCES and the Milford Central School District.
Michelle Hendley published the article, “Citation Behavior of Undergraduate Students: A Study of History, Political Science, and Sociology Papers” in the peer-reviewed journal, Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian 2012 31(3): 96-111.  The study is an analysis of the bibliographies of 378  research papers completed by SUNY Oneonta undergraduates between the spring 2006 and spring 2008 semesters.  The results of the analysis demonstrated that even with the availability of other types of sources, particularly Web sources, the students still cited books and scholarly journals to complete their research papers; however, the use of traditional library sources varied across academic discipline.  The study also examined the students’ citations of specific website domains, the most cited scholarly journal titles for each academic subject and the prevalence of interdisciplinary journal usage. The findings from this study have provided useful information regarding students’ citation patterns and identified some potential gaps in the library's collection and services.  A preview of the article may be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01639269.2012.679884.

Milne Library hosted a Banned Book Bracket Challenge to determine SUNY Oneonta’s most favorite banned book.  Starting with 64 banned books patrons completed entry brackets indicating which book they thought would move forward at each level of voting.  Brackets were all collected and voting started.  The voting will continue until the final winner is announced on Oct. 3rd (at printing we are in week 3, looking at the Sweet 16, including Hunger Games and Huckleberry Finn).  The Bracket Challenge is the build-up for the Banned Book Read-In on Oct. 3rd.  Carol Andersen, Alvin Dantes, Pamela Flinton, and Jennifer Gaston produced the month-long event celebrating Banned Books Week.  We have had lots of interest and we’ve heard of instructors making this event a central discussion in one or two class meetings.

On Thursday, August 2nd, Milne Library hosted the Eastern IDS User Group Workshop.  Thirty-four library staff and librarians from eastern New York made use of the computers in IRC120 to learn the latest processes and procedures developed to ensure students and faculty have access to materials needed for study and research.  This meeting included hands-on InterLibraryLoan/DocumentDelivery training, learning about emerging best practices, sharing of common and local library challenges and solutions--and lunch.  Andy Perry and Anthony Biltucci ensured technical aspects of the event were without hitch.  Pamela Flinton handled logistics for the event working with Bill Jones, IDS Project Administrative Assistant to ensure the day progressed smoothly.  Milne Library is hosting a second workshop on October 15th.

Last note, Alvin Dantes, Technology Development Librarian will be the SUNYLA Council Representative effective 9/21/12.  Pamela Flinton will remain as the alternate.  Alvin brings fresh ideas and talent to the group.  I’ve enjoyed working with everyone on the Council and hope to be able to attend some meetings as the alternate.  I’m sure Alvin will be as much of an asset to the Council as he has been to me in our working environment.  Please welcome him.

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June 6, 2012 @FIT, New York City / Re: Campus updates - Oneonta

« on: June 06, 2012, 07:54:38 AM »

Late in submitting this, but I was really hoping for some good news to report.  We've been notified that a candidate for library director has accepted the Director position, unofficially, that has been vacant since December of 2010 - keep your fingers crossed for us!  

Nancy Cannon is starting a 6-month sabbatical this summer to work on a history research project. We are about to start our third attempt to hire a new reference librarian, permission to conduct another search was given recently.  

Anne McFarland has worked with an intern and Alvin Dantes to create a digitized collection of WWII letters found in our special collections that were written by previous students in the war to faculty members here on campus at that time.

Lots of renovation on campus.  The library has seen an influx of 9 offices, most of which are to be only 2-year residences.  That's about it from Oneonta.  Sorry I will not be there in person, but I will attend the Council meeting via Eluminate.

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March 15, 2012 @Empire, Saratoga Springs / Re: Campus Updates - Oneonta

« on: March 09, 2012, 02:37:33 PM »

Oneonta is still in the process of both a Director search and a Reference/Instruction librarian search.  Hopefully, these will be concluded by the end of the semester.  Middlestates committees are wrapping up their work.  Discussions on restructuring the academic divisions continue with a consultant being hired to make suggestions. 

The Library will be celebrating National Library Week with a themed "Read-In".  The theme will be a book from your childhood.  We just completed our second Community Conversation, the Legacy of MLK.  We rolled out a new library website design in mid-January, a drastic change in style from our old site.  Our internal reclamation continues (over 250,000 books have been physically taken off the shelf and checked for accuracy and in about 40% of the cases "fixed" in some manner).  We have begun the re-cataloging of the collections in our Dewey Room (collections mainly used by the Education Dept.).  Physically, we are preparing for the move of the American/Latino Studies department (9 offices) coming into our space for at least two years during the renovation of their building.  We are also having the outside upper panels of the library walls repaired.  Are we busy? Yea - a little

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Nov. 16, 2011 @ FIT / Oneonta Update

« on: November 10, 2011, 01:05:33 PM »

Oneonta has begun its Middlestates self-study and completed the Facilities Master Plan.  Both of the endeavors will guide the college over the next 5-10 years.  Our library director search has not yet begun, the advertisement is still in HR awaiting approval.  The hiring process of a new Reference librarian is continuing, we hope to have conclusion on that by the end of the semester.  We have joined the WNYLRC consortium for patron driven acquistions of e-books and are looking forward to seeing the results of that in the next 6 months or so.  Terri Rowe, IDS Borrowing Clerk, was awarded the SCRLC Resource Sharing Service award for this year.  We are preparing for our 24-hour service period in December and looking forwards to a new year!

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Sept. 23, 2011 @ Cortland / Re: Campus Updates Oneonta

« on: September 19, 2011, 09:44:15 AM »

SUNY Oneonta
Oneonta campus was spared much of the flooding damage recently experienced by others due to our location in the hills of the city.  As you know though, much of the surrounding county received extensive damage.  This made travel to and from campus a bit dicey for a few days!  Our thoughts are with our sister campuses that did not fare so well.

Alvin Dantes and Andy Perry have developed a mobile website for our library information.  You can check it out at http://www.oneonta.edu/library/m/. 

Our campus continues to undergo personnel changes.  The new interim director, Mary Lynn Bensen, began her duties on July 1st.   Our new Provost, Dr. E. Maria Thompson began her duties in July 18th.  We are also in the process of recruiting for a reference and instruction librarian.

We have started a pilot using SWANK videos.  Running into issues with accessibility and maintaining proper access to meet licensing requirements.  Currently we have decided to have the link posted to the course e-reserves in Angel.  This is not ideal, but keeps them from being open to the public at large.

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June 15, 2011 @ Plattsburgh / Oneonta

« on: June 13, 2011, 04:09:36 PM »

The campus is undergoing its normal summer renovations, roads and sidewalks are tore up, buildings closed - but it is all for the good!

The Library is quieter than normal this year, no large moves - as of yet anyway.  Our search for a new Director failed.  We will be searching again in the Fall.  Alvin Dantes started with us as a new technology librarian.  Michelle Hendley will be leaving soon for her sabbatical, to return late this Fall.  Kay Benjamin (retired as of Dec. 2010) will be her part-time replacement beginning in September.

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March 11, 2011 @ Dutchess / Re: Campus Updates - Oneonta

« on: March 10, 2011, 09:24:36 PM »

We've been busy trying to fill empty positions, both on campus in general and in the library.  Janet Potter, Assoc. Provost for Library and Information Services retired at the end of December.  Her position has been eliminated. The library reporting has been reorganized, separating the reporting of the Library and Academic IT.  Each area will have a director that reports directly to the Provost.

We are currently doing interviews for Library Director and Technology Librarian.  The campus is searching for a Provost (whom the Library Director will report to).  Upon the retirement of Kay Benjamin we requested to advertise for another Reference Librarian, this request has been deferred twice by the Cabinet.  Kay has returned, part-time, till the end of May.  Michelle Hendley, Reference librarian, will be going on a six-month sabbatical, beginning in July.  Several other faculty positions on campus are also being interviewed for.

Andy Perry is currently Interim Director.  His technology duties have been somewhat dispersed to Anne McFarland and Pamela Flinton, many he has retained. 

SUNY Oneonta is hosting the CIT Conference in May this year (http://www.cit.suny.edu/).

Given our staffing situation we have not rolled out any new initiatives.

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September 10, 2010 @ Onondaga / Re: Campus Updates - SUNY Oneonta

« on: September 02, 2010, 11:27:09 AM »

Oneonta will be hosting The C4D Zone: an Unconference, October 1st.  (Comprehensive Colleges Coordinated Collection Development Project). Register by September 15th at http://tinyurl.com/2by2c55.

Preparations are also under way for Conference on Instructional Technologies (CIT) to be held here in May 2011.

We have started a pilot to test the usage of six Kindles.  We've loaded the BIB records and bound together with them two item records for The New York Times and Wall Street Journal.  This allows patrons to search for NYT and see that we have the hard-copy and the Kindle copy.  It also allows the patron to see if the Kindle edition has been checked out as both item records bound to a particular Kindle will show checked-out when that Kindle is checked-out.  Nice use of the "bind together" function of ALEPH.

Construction will begin in the next month on our new environmentally controlled archives storage room.  This involves the proper environmental control equipment, construction of walls, and compact shelving installation.  Part of the project also involves the creation of a "digitization center".

We are facing retirements, as everyone most likely is, so far we have been notified of two CSEA retirements within the library staff.