Apologies for the long update; things have been pretty busy at Onondaga, as we are down one librarian this year.
A new adjunct librarian began work at Coulter Library on February 26. Jessamyn Anderson will be working Wednesday evenings from 4 to 9. She is currently the full-time librarian at a local high school.
Angela Weiler held a workshop for faculty on Open Educational Resources and Open Access on March 27.
A Spring Break Photo Challenge was held in March. Students submitted photos that depicted their spring break adventures. Photos were submitted using Instagram, Twitter, or email, and were then posted on the Coulter Library Flickr page. On April 1, a winner was randomly drawn from the photo collection. The winning prize was a gift certificate to a local food establishment.
The Coulter Library Online Instruction Reservation System is now “live”, thanks to the efforts of Dennis Thoryk, Coulter’s Media Specialist. After testing this spring, the system will be officially rolled out in the fall.
Pauline Shostack and Angela Weiler organized the a "Human Library" event on Wednesday April 3 from 10 to 2. People volunteered to act as “Human Books”, and the 30 book titles included such topics as Body Art, TV Producer, Veteran, Triathlete, Life in Uzbekistan, and Formerly Homeless. Students checked books out for 20 minutes at a time. The event was very popular and well-attended.
Jeff Harr presented another installment of his "Albums That Shook the World" series: The Ramones on Friday, April 5, with a reprise presentation on Friday, April 12.
Coulter Library began shipping discarded books to “Better World Books” beginning in April.
Pauline Shostack and Dennis Thoryk are looking into the possibility of adding a streaming media server to the library for its rapidly-expanding digital video collection. They will be researching specifications and vendors in the coming months.
Vianne Marcy has officially assumed the role of Acquisitions and Periodicals Clerk, and is easing gradually into her new responsibilities. Cathy Bauer has accepted the Library Clerk II (Reserves) position, and Cheri Henderson will be taking over interlibrary loan responsibilities. A search for another Library Clerk I has begun.
Coulter Library again offered extended hours (until 11 pm) during the last week of classes and finals week.
Rob O’Boyle served as the President of the faculty union (OCCFTA) for the 2012 - 2013 academic year. He also facilitated a trial of the Ebsco Discovery service, which ran until the end of the semester.
Coulter Library Secretary Sandra Wiley was awarded a Chancellor's Award for Classified Service.
Pauline Shostack will be submitting a proposal for a new course titled “Research Skills through Game Design”, to be taught with the help of a graduate student from Syracuse University. Topics will include information resources (online and print), search techniques, primary resources, critical evaluation, copyright and intellectual property issues, and the use and value of libraries and information centers. The course will use motivational game design/play elements for evaluation purposes. Students will learn about these topics through designing, developing, and testing their original games.
The P-Counter printing system was implemented in the fall of 2012, and monitors student printing and payment in the library. Instead of the hoped-for reduction in paper use, it actually resulted in a 300% increase in paper use during the 2012 – 2013 academic year.
