ILA/ACRL Newsletter, vol. 12, no. 3, November 2002
Contents
President's Piece
You guys are the best! The 2002 ILA Conference was a success in part to the ILA/ACRL Fall
Program Chair, Kathy Magarrell and her committee, Jim Fisk, Arron Wings, and Kris
Stacy-Bates. Our session, "Where's the Evidence? Discovering the Measures That Make
Up a Library's Contribution to Student Learning Outcomes" was filled to capacity and
well received. I especially liked the question posed by our speaker, Julia Blixrud:
"Do we make a difference?" My first response was of course we do, but how can we
prove or improve it? "Assessment: Why?" presented by Jean Donham, Jennifer
Davis, and Arron Wings was an excellent follow-up session. All presenters gave us great
tools and strategies to develop or improve our assessment of student outcomes.
But even though I learned a lot at the sessions, I have to say that my favorite part of
the conference was getting together for our ACRL meeting. Everyone seemed to be having so
much fun talking with friends/colleagues that I didn't want to start the meeting.
Nevertheless, there were committee reports to deliver and many people to thank.
Thanking people is very important to me. I know how much time, effort, and sometimes money
it takes to be on a committee. So before I conclude my last letter, I would like to thank
a few "behind the scenes" people.
Reflecting on 2002, I truly believe the first sentence of my first President's Piece. You do amaze and inspire me! So as I close, to all, thanks for allowing me to test my skills in leadership, giving me the opportunity to meet new people, and learn from you.
Teleconference on USA Patriot Act & Libraries
"Safeguarding Our Patrons' Privacy: What Every Librarian Needs to Know About the USA
Patriot Act & Related Anti-Terrorism Measures" will take place on Wednesday,
December 11, 2002, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a teleconference produced by the
Association of Research Libraries to provide libraries and their governing institutions
with an analysis of the implications of the recent anti-terrorism measures. It will
include identifying steps that institutions need to take to comply with proper search
warrants, subpoenas, and wiretap requests from law enforcement. Panelists will address the
key legal issues and policy implications for libraries and address the impact of any
legislative and regulatory proposals on the privacy and First Amendment rights of library
users.
ILA/ACRL is a co-sponsor of this event, having provided funding for a teleconference site.
There is no charge for the teleconference, but you must register in advance. Complete
information, including a list of sites and an online registration form, is available on
the State Library's website at http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for_ia_libraries/continuing_ed/cecat.htm#Patriot
Spring Conference 2003
ILA/ACRL Spring Conference takes place May 2, 2003 at the University of Dubuque. Mark your
calendars for a thought-provoking meeting. The morning will feature a speaker and
discussion on First Amendment issues such as First Amendment rights since 9/11, liability
issues in academic libraries, Internet censorship, and how the USA Patriot Act impacts
academic libraries. The breakout sessions in the afternoon will feature Iowa academic
librarians sharing their expertise.
On May 1st we will have an opportunity to eat at the Bricktown restaurant and brewpub and
ride the trolley around Dubuque. For those who will be coming to Dubuque the night before
the conference, the trolley will pick us up at our hotel or bed-and-breakfast, take us to
the Bricktown, then take us to the libraries at Clarke, Loras, and the University of
Dubuque, and return us to our lodgings.
More information and registration forms will be available via the ILA/ACRL website shortly
after January 1, 2003.
We'll see you in Dubuque! For more information contact Jane Campagna at 563-441-4152 or jcampagna@eicc.edu.
Election Results
Balloting was completed on November 15th for the following three positions:
Vice-President/President-Elect (and Nominating Committee chair), Secretary/Treasurer, and
Member-at-Large. And the winners are…
Vice-President/President-Elect: Ellen Neuhaus, University of Northern Iowa
Secretary/Treasurer: Claudia Frazer, Drake University
Member-at-Large: Steve Ostrem, University of Iowa
Nominating Committee Annual Report
ILA/ACRL committees and their members for 2003 are:
ILA/ACRL Executive Board
President: John Pollitz, St. Ambrose University
Vice-President/President-Elect/Nominating Committee chair: Ellen Neuhaus, University of
Northern Iowa
Past President and Awards Committee chair: Rachel Crowley, Morningside College
Secretary/Treasurer: Claudia Frazer, Drake University
Member-At-Large: Steve Ostrem, University of Iowa
Legislative Network Chapter Representative, ex officio, non-voting: John Goodin, Luther
College
Chapters Council Representative, ex officio, non-voting: Linda Scarth, Mount Mercy College
Awards Committee
Rachel Crowley (Chair), Morningside College, 2003
Nancy Kraft, University of Iowa, 2004
Tim Bryant, University of Northern Iowa, 2004
Donna Hirst, University of Iowa, 2002
Corey Williams Green, Cornell College, 2003
Directory Committee
Susan Moore (Chair), University of Northern Iowa, 2003
Dan Boice, Divine Word College, 2003
Ann Coulter, Southwestern Community College, 2004
Linda Scarth, Mount Mercy College, 2004
Becky Lutkenhaus, University of Northern Iowa, 2003
Lisa Martincik, University of Iowa, 2003
Lori Osmus, Iowa State University, 2003
Greg Wool, Iowa State University, 2003
Electronic Communications Committee
Chris Neuhaus (Chair), University of Northern Iowa, 2004
Sandy Ballasch, University of Iowa, 2003
Liga Briedis, Drake University, 2003
Ellen Van Waart, Iowa Western Community College, 2003
Ann Ford, University of Iowa (ex officio)
Fall Program Committee
Kathy Magarrell (Chair), University of Iowa, 2004
Jim Fisk, Morningside College, 2003
Kris Stacy-Bates, Iowa State University, 2003
Arron Wings, Kirkwood Community College, 2003
Rebecca Graff, Grinnell College, 2004
Membership Committee
Kathy Parsons (Chair), Iowa State University, 2003
Claudia Frazer, Drake University, 2003
Susan Knippel, Iowa State University, 2003
Linda Nelson, Scott Community College, 2003
Karl Schaefer, Drake University, 2003
Kent Snowden, University of Northern Iowa, 2003
Margaret Stangohr, Buena Vista University, 2003
Barbara Weeg, University of Northern Iowa, 2004
Newsletter Committee
Steve Ostrem (Chair), University of Iowa, 2004
Barbara Allen, University of Northern Iowa, 2004
Karen Dole, North Iowa Area Community College, 2004
Mary Heinzman, St. Ambrose University, 2004
Steve Johns, Iowa State University, 2004
Marcia Keyser, Drake University, 2004
Linda Nelson, Scott Community College, 2003
Arron Wings, Kirkwood Community College, 2003
Nominating Committee
Ellen Neuhaus (Chair), University of Northern Iowa, 2003
Rod Henshaw, Drake University, 2003
Cheryl Leffler, Indian Hills Community College, 2002
Randy Roeder, Coe College, 2003
Kent Snowden, University of Northern Iowa, 2003
Spring Conference Program Committee
Jane Campagna (Chair), Scott Community College, 2003
Mary Anne Knefel, University of Dubuque (local arrangements)
Dan Boice, Divine Word College, 2004
Sandra Keist, Grand View College, 2003
Colleen Valente, University of Northern Iowa, 2004
Corey Williams Green, Cornell College, 2003
Ad Hoc Bylaws Committee
Ann Ford (Chair), University of Iowa, 2002
Rachel Crowley, Morningside College, 2002
Susan Moore, University of Northern Iowa, 2002
Chris Neuhaus, University of Northern Iowa, 2002
Ad Hoc Committee on Information Literacy
Jean Donham (Chair), Cornell College, 2002
Daria Bossman, Morningside College, 2002
Jane Campagna, Scott Community College, 2002
Barbara Kuttler, St. Ambrose University, 2002
Kathy Magarrell, University of Iowa, 2002
Chris Neuhaus, University of Northern Iowa, 2002
Susan Vega García, Iowa State University, 2002
Kyle Winward, Southeastern Community College, 2002
Ad Hoc Committee on Electronic Databases
John Pollitz (Chair), St. Ambrose University, 2002
Jane Campagna, Scott Community College, 2002
Kevin Engel, Grinnell College, 2002
Kristin Gerhard, Iowa State University, 2002
Sandra Keist, Grand View College, 2002
Terri Koch, Drake University, 2002
Katherine Martin, University of Northern Iowa, 2002
Betty Rogers, Coe College, 2002
Linda Scarth, Mount Mercy College, 2002
Edward Shreeves, University of Iowa, 2002
Rebecca Stuhr, Grinnell College, 2002
Mary Wegner, State Library of Iowa, 2002
Membership Committee Annual Report & New Member
Information
Members: Claudia Frazer, Susan Knippel, Linda Nelson, Ellen Neuhaus (Chair), Kathy
Parsons, Karl Schaefer, Kent Snowden, and Margaret Stangohr.
ILA/ACRL had 196 members this year compared to last year's 193 members. There were 47 new
members that joined the organization in 2002.
The committee communicated via e-mail throughout the year. The membership web pages
located on the ILA/ACRL website were revised. Last year's web membership directory (2001)
was saved and archived on the ILA/ACRL website. The committee also updated the current
2002 ILA/ACRL web membership directory several times during the year (May, April, August,
and October). Members were notified after each update by e-mail messages that were sent to
the ILA/ACRL listserv. In the spring, the committee identified all members not on the
IA-ACRL listserv so that they could be added to the IA-ACRL mailing to ensure that
proposed bylaw changes were sent to all current members before the annual conference. The
committee sent e-mail messages to all new members welcoming them to the organization. The
message outlined several items including how to subscribe to the organization's listserv
(IA-ACRL), how to access the ILA/ACRL website, and how to volunteer within the
organization. The committee was responsible for sending a print ILA/ACRL directory to each
new member who joined after the spring conference. A list of 2002 new members was included
in the organization's November newsletter.
E-mail messages promoting ILA/ACRL membership were sent to all library directors listed in
the ILA/ACRL directory requesting them to forward the promotional message to their library
staff. Information on how to join ILA/ACRL was added to the organization's newsletter
beginning with the November issue. The committee experimented with sending e-mail messages
of appreciation to returning members who renewed during the latter part of the year.
Spreadsheets of 2001 and 2002 national ACRL members who live in Iowa were created and
distributed to the executive board.
-submitted by Ellen Neuhaus
New 2002 ILA/ACRL Members
The organization welcomes the 2002 ILA/ACRL new members. The ILA office provided the
organization's membership information. If you are an old member who let your membership
lapse but have recently renewed your membership, you may be on the list as a new member
since our local records go back only a couple of years. If you are not a new member, we
welcome you back to ILA/ACRL and we appreciate your support.
How to Join ILA/ACRL
Information on how to join ILA/ACRL can be found at http://www.iowaacrl.org/membership/membership.html.
Information includes a description of the organization, membership benefits, how to join
and information about joining national ACRL.
Directory Committee
The Directory Committee is in the process of gathering information to update the web
version of the Iowa Academic and Research Libraries Directory. Please check the
information about your library at http://www.iowaacrl.org/directory/2002/directory.html
and send any corrections to Susan Moore at susan.moore@uni.edu.
ILA/ACRL Scholarship Recipient
Each fall ILA/ACRL provides a scholarship to attend the ILA annual conference to a new
librarian. This year's recipient was Jim Fisk from Morningside College. His comments are
below.
I came to librarianship just over a year ago after working for a large computer
manufacturer for almost 16 years. Conferences such as those offered by the Iowa Library
Association and the Iowa ACRL provide opportunities for me to immerse myself in the
language and issues of our work. For someone as new to the field as I am, immersion is a
wonderful way to accelerate one's professional development.
Reports from ILA Annual Conference Presentations
"The Shock of the New: The Future of Libraries and Library and Information
Workers," by John W. Berry.
Berry introduced his presentation by stating that the stereotypical "library"
could not survive in the 1990s. Trends impacting libraries today are corporate mergers,
ownership changes, new companies entering the library marketplace, and complaints of
systems not meeting expectations and/or promises. New trends in library services include
"virtual libraries." Library offerings now include 24/7 reference service,
electronic reserves, full-text databases, online images, dissertation and specialty
databases, e-books, digital archives, and 3rd generation catalogs. Librarian roles remain
as community builders, visionaries, mentors, activists, innovators, collection developers
and service providers. New challenges to be faced as drawn from a December 2001 library
survey are:
-submitted by Marlene Metzgar, Kaplan College
"Successful Libraries: There Are Many Paths to a Great Library," Carla Stoffle
(U of Arizona), Julie Huiskamp (HR/NEICC), LaWanda Roudebush (Ft. Dodge PL), Kay Runge
(Des Moines PL).
Carla Stoffle explained the values stressed in the reorganization of the U of Arizona
library. The library must be customer focused, diverse in multicultural values, have an
emphasis on staff development programs, and reflect integrity and flexibility. Libraries
should be customer based and team focused. Economics, customers, environments should be
accounted for in organizational change.
Julie Huiskamp and LaWanda Roudebush provided personal examples of proactive, innovative
marketing of the library services which brought success to their library communities.
Kay Runge also stressed the value of library directors/workers being proactive. Public
library directors are involved in the politics of the community governing bodies and,
therefore, face-to-face communications/relationships and tenacity aid in the success of
libraries.
-submitted by Marlene Metzgar, Kaplan College
"The Electronic Environment and Traditional Reference Collections," by Mary
Bushman.
On Thursday, October 10, Mary Bushing, whose impressive credentials include the Head of
Collection Development at Montana State University, presented an informative program
concerning reference collections in relation to an ever growing and changing electronic
environment. The information and advice Mary gave was intended for all types of libraries.
Mary's main theme was that libraries need to review their reference collections to remain
current in a technologically advancing society. First, Mary commented on the need for all
librarians to redefine reference, asking these questions: what does reference mean to us,
and do we define "reference" as a location or a service?
Librarians need to develop reference collections based on what reference means to our
users and with attention to the changes in the electronic environment. Additionally,
librarians should make decisions on resources based on budget allocations and discipline
breakdown. According to Mary, it is also imperative that librarians guard against
redundancies. An example is considering online resources and books already in the
collection when selecting resources on quotations. She commented that no matter how many
resources a library owns on quotations, no one library could answer all questions about
that topic.
In addition to the words of professional advice, Mary suggested that librarians should
consider getting rid of the vertical files. She explained that the vertical file is a
nineteenth century creation and the web is a vertical file, which is being organized by
librarians.
-submitted by Linda Nelson, Scott Community College
Community College News
North Iowa Area Community College
Don Kamps, Evening Dean and Director of Learning Services at North Iowa
Area Community College, retired June 30, 2002 after 30 years at the college. Karen
Dole, NIACC Librarian, has assumed the library portion of his responsibilities in
addition to her other duties.
News of the Iowa Private Academic Libraries
Drake University
The fall semester e-reserves pilot at Drake University's Cowles Library used Docutek
software to provide course readings to students in electronic format. Sixteen professors
teaching a total of 30 courses and utilizing 329 documents tested the system this fall.
Initially, some students (roughly 2 or 3 from each class) had problems accessing their
readings. With few exceptions, all connection problems were resolved by updating the PDF
reader (Adobe Acrobat) or by setting the student's browser to accept "cookies."
The end result was that students were able to access their assigned readings via the Web,
24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Once the readings were in place and the occasional
student complaints were resolved, the system worked very well. Informal reports from
professors are that most students are pleased with the system. Most professors using it
are planning to use it again. If you are interested in more specific details about the
Cowles Library experience using Docutek and the Docufax conversion system, please call or
e-mail the Coordinator of Information Services, Marcia Keyser (515-271-3989, marcia.keyser@drake.edu).
At the end of September, Claudia Frazer received an Iowa College
Foundation mini-grant to
be used toward the technology and training needs of starting a digital collection at the
Cowles Library. This grant money has been secured by the ICF through the Roy J. Carver
Trust and the FIHE/UPS National Venture Fund. The funds are designated to be spent in the
areas of technology integration and faculty development. A portion of this funding was set
aside for "mini-grants" available to each college with the Iowa College
Foundation.
On October 2, 2002, Drake University Law Library commemorated the addition of the
300,000th volume to the library's collection in a ceremony attended by United States
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Dwight D. Opperman, a 1951 graduate of Drake Law
School, donated the 300,000th volume. The donated work, Bibliography of Early American Law
(BEAL), provides information on more than 14,000 titles from the beginning of American
legal history through 1860. Opperman presented the six-volume set to John Edwards,
director of the law library, prior to the Dwight D. Opperman Lecture given by Justice
Scalia. "He has done a great deal to make this library a valuable resource for the
students, alumni and legal community," Edwards said of Opperman, whose name the
library bears. Dedicated in 1993, the Dwight D. Opperman Hall and Law Library offers
state-of-the-art technology and library design. With more than 700 seats and many study
areas, the library provides abundant locations for scholarly work. The law library also
has been ranked as one of the top 25 law school libraries in the country by National
Jurist magazine.
Sherry VonBehren, public services administration assistant at the law
library, received an Employee Excellence award from Drake University at the Fall
Convocation. The award included a check for $1,000. Sherry was nominated for providing
excellent customer service to all patrons who use the Drake Law Library and always going
the extra mile to help them.
Acquisitions/reference librarian Deborah Sulzbach was awarded a $300
travel grant by the Mid-America Association of Law Libraries to attend the organization's
2002 annual meeting in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, in November.
Loras College
Heidi Southworth began her work as cataloger/instructional librarian at
Loras College in June, 2002. She is a graduate of the UW Milwaukee School of Information
Science. She had been working at Iowa Central Community College in Ft. Dodge.
Northwestern College
Northwestern College, Orange City, Iowa, has a full-time, 12-month position open for a
library director beginning in Summer 2003 or sooner. The position is a faculty
(non-tenured, no rank) position. The director coordinates and supervises all facets of
library operations, including budget development and monitoring; hiring, supervising and
evaluating library staff; program development and review; acquisition and circulation of
materials; and maintenance of equipment and facilities. Reporting directly to the Vice
President for Academic Affairs, the director attends faculty meetings and serves on campus
committees. For further details and application instructions, see http://www.nwciowa.edu/about/employment/jobDetails.asp?jobCode=LD01
St. Ambrose University
James O'Gorman recently joined the reference staff at O'Keefe Library,
St. Ambrose University. James will be providing reference service as well as teaching
several sections of the Information Literacy class.
O'Keefe Library has joined up with WQPT-TV to form a Masterpiece Theatre Book Club. Barb
Kuttler, reference librarian at O'Keefe Library, will be facilitating the
discussion groups. The group will read the books that will be featured on Masterpiece
Theatre starting in January.
John Pollitz, director of O'Keefe Library, has been chosen along with
some of the other academic library directors in Iowa, to present a panel discussion at the
national ACRL Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina in April. The panel will be
discussing "best practices" in information literacy in Iowa academic libraries.
John Pollitz and Jennifer Davis are part of the ad hoc committee that
drafted a RFP for a third generation automation system for QuadLinc, a consortium of Quad
Cities libraries. Vendors will be brought in to demonstrate the capabilities of their
library automation systems.
News of the Iowa Public Academic Libraries
Iowa State University
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has announced the launch of the Scholars
Portal Project, a collaboration between ARL member libraries and Fretwell-Downing Inc. ISU
is one of seven institutions participating in the project. The goal of the project is to
provide software tools to create a single point of access on the web to find high-quality
information resources and to deliver the information and related services directly to the
user's desktop. The ISU Library has received special university funding for participation
in the ARL Scholars Portal Project. Fretwell-Downing is the author of the ZPORTAL software
and related products, which support the project. Initial training of a core group of ISU
Library staff has been completed; significant progress is expected this fall.
The library hosted the annual fall meeting of the Great Western Library Alliance (formerly
the Big 12 Plus Libraries Consortium), October 8-9, 2002. Thirty deans and library
directors, the GWLA executive director, and the GWLA program officer attended.
The ISU Library now has a public address system. The new system is an important addition
to the library for public service, safety, and security purposes.
Professional Staff Changes
A search committee has been appointed to recruit for the position of Head of Preservation.
Three candidates have interviewed for the position of Information Technology Officer. This
search is now in the final stage of selection.
The ISU Library has completed its search for an Instruction Coordinator. ISU Librarian Susan
Vega García assumed the responsibilities of Instruction Coordinator, effective
November 1, 2002.
University of Iowa
Mary McInroy, head of the UI Libraries Map Collection, was named Iowa
Library Association Member of the Year for 2002, in recognition of her outstanding service
and extraordinary leadership to the Iowa library community. Congratulations, Mary!
UI Libraries celebrated two 10th anniversaries in 2002. The Information Arcade celebrated
its 10th anniversary with an open house and symposium on October 29, 2002. The symposium,
entitled "Standing at the Crossroads: Technology, Libraries, and the College
Classroom - The Information Arcade 10 Years Later," featured UI faculty members
addressing the role of multimedia in university education.
The Iowa Women's Archives at UI Libraries is also ten years old. This anniversary was
commemorated with a two-day symposium November 15-16: "Making Women's History: The
Louise Noun - Mary Louise Smith Iowa Women's Archives at 10 Years." The keynote
speaker for this event was Gerda Lerner, professor emerita in the history department at
the University of Wisconsin, and a prominent women's history scholar.
Professional Staff Changes
Additions
Duncan Stewart, Monographic Cataloging Librarian, effective 08/26/02
Jametoria Burton, Minority Research Librarian Resident, RIS, effective
08/27/02
Chris Schaffer, Assistant Director for Public Services, Hardin Library,
effective 09/09/02
Anne Gehringer, Reference and Education Librarian, Hardin Library,
effective 09/16/02
Denise Britigan, Reference and Education Librarian, Hardin Library,
effective 10/01/02
Edward Miner, International Studies Bibliographer, effective 12/16/02
Jai Xu, East Asian Cataloger, effective 01/08/03
Departures
Jim Cheng, Chinese Studies Librarian, effective 10/31/02
Retirements
Larry Gorman, Section Head, Monographic Cataloging, effective 12/02/02
Newsletter Committee
Steve Ostrem (Chair), University of Iowa
Jan Dellinger, Hawkeye Community College
Steve Johns, Iowa State University
Susan Lerdal, Drake University
Marlene Metzgar, Kaplan College
Linda Nelson, Scott Community College
Colleen Valente, University of Northern Iowa
Arron Wings, Kirkwood Community College