Message from the Chair

MARS: Update from the Emerging Technologies in Reference Section

Cathy Larson, Editor

It was good to see many of you in Seattle. Despite the rainy weather, the turnout was good for the three exciting discussion sessions sponsored by our Virtual Reference Discussion Group, Hot Topics Discussion Group, and new User Experience Design Committee. We also hosted an exciting preconference workshop at the University of Washington on the Friday before the conference. See descriptions of the sessions below.

Over the next few months, we’ll be conducting a section review, a regular activity we perform about every five to seven years to make sure the section remains vital; revising the MARS Handbook; creating some open meetings and webinars to provide professional development opportunities for our members; selecting the 2013 Best Free Reference Websites; and planning for the Annual Meeting in Chicago.

This is also the time when we ask for you to get involved in the activities of this section. If you have time to participate—either in person or virtually—please consider volunteering by going to RUSA Volunteer form (requires login). If you experience difficulties with the volunteer form, please send an email directly to Vice Chair Sam Stormont who will be making appointments. He can be reached at srstormont@widener.edu. We have spaces available in all committees.

Also, if you have suggestions for topics for MARS professional development webinars, please let us know by submitting your suggestions here.

Debbie Bezanson, Chair
Emerging Technologies in Reference Section (MARS) 2012-2013
bezanson@gwu.edu

Join the discussion at http://lists.ala.org/wws/info/mars-l

Message from the Chair

RSS Review

RSS_LogoALA Midwinter a Great Success!
It was great seeing many of you at ALA Midwinter in Seattle. I hope you enjoyed the RSS events including the delicious pancake breakfast, lively discussions, and the free workshop, and also found time to enjoy the sights and scenes of Seattle.

Speaking of Pancakes, we broke a record at our 3rd Annual Pancake Breakfast (Shortcake Saturday) with more than twenty-five people in attendance. Thanks to Judy Solberg for scoping out such a hotspot with a fantastic view.

I wasn’t able to attend, but rumor has it the free workshop “New Tech for Reference: from the reference interview to roving reference, challenges, benefits and best practices,” organized by the Education & Professional Development for Reference Committee, was a smashing success. Praise was lauded at the organizers and at the presenters. We hope to continue offering more of these great deals. Be sure to stay tuned to RSS-L to be up-to-date.

We also had a number of great discussions on a wide variety of topics including “Core Standards for Young Adult Reference Services,” “Mother Goose and Promoting Library Services for Spanish Speakers for Spanish Speakers,” “Just Ask,” “Helping Patrons find Employment or Career Information,” and “Coping with Burnout on the Front Lines.” Be sure to read the committee reports for details!

We Appreciate You!
One of the focuses of RSS this year is to recognize the members who pay to volunteer with our section. We are doing this by sharing their publications, so others can learn about current research related to reference.

See the RSS Publications List read the latest submissions and share your publications!

Also sprinkled throughout this issue you will see quotes from RSS Members on what makes RSS their section within RUSA. Take a minute to share your thoughts about RSS using our feedback form.

Starting with this issue the RSS Review we will be interviewing an RSS Member of the Quarter. I am very pleased to announce that Joe Thompson has been selected as our first RSS Member of the Quarter. Find out a little more about Joe below.

If you want to be a part of this lively, fun, and dynamic section, then you are in luck. Ann Brown (RSS Chair Elect) will be appointing volunteers to a myriad of committees and positions. Stay tuned to RSS-L where she will send an email asking for volunteers.

Happy reading and of course if you have any questions, please contact me!

Sarah J. Hammill
RSS Chair

RSSsarah

RSS Member of the Quarter
Joe Thompson, Associate Director, Western Maryland Regional Library

RSS_Joe1. Describe yourself in 3 words.
Happy to help!

2. What do you like to do for fun?
Spending time with my wife and daughter, visiting parks and museums. Taking day hikes and reading as time allows. Volunteering time in support of Citizens for Maryland Libraries, our statewide friends group.

3. Describe RSS in 3 words.
Powerful people connections.

4. What do you value most about RSS and/or RUSA?
I’ve been able to meet and learn from so many incredible people through my RSS and RUSA participation. In addition to the excellent formal learning opportunities offered by the section (i.e. programs and discussions), there are so many great opportunities for informal conversations. Some of the best ideas I’ve picked up for enhancing service at my library have started this way.

5. Where do you see reference services going in the next 3-5 years?
I’ve always seen what we call reference as being entirely about helping people. It’s about connecting people to information; helping them find books, music, and movies to enjoy; and empowering individuals to grow. Over the past several years libraries have been doing a terrific job at removing service barriers and making access to resources an easy and transparent process. We need to make sure this focus continues as it relates to our ILS, ebook, and other online subscription services that libraries don’t necessarily control directly. While our services become ever faster, easier, and frictionless, we need to also make sure that the value of these library services is evident to the people who use them. I’m really excited about RUSA’s developing ASK campaign, which will offer a lot of opportunities for publicity and library advocacy.

6. In your own words…
None of our accomplishments in RSS would have been possible without the fantastic teamwork of people across the section. We are very lucky to have so many smart and dedicated people volunteering their time in support of improving library service. Something that’s really important to me is helping those people new to the profession make connections with those who have years of experience to share. These often prove to be valuable relationships for everyone. Please take every opportunity you have to make these kind of introductions between people. Be a connector.

What makes RSS Great?
“I love RUSA RSS because it keeps me engaged and excited about all the new developments in reference. ALA is huge but RUSA RSS is all about everything I love about my job: Reference! I know whenever I see a RUSA RSS program that it will be right on target with my job and my passion.”

Ava M. Iuliano, International Relations Librarian, Florida International University

Have a story to share? Let us know what makes RSS Great!
tinyurl.com/rssgreat

Message from the Chair

STARS

Kerry Keegan, Editor

STARS enjoyed a productive time in Seattle. Our section produced a free interlibrary loan workshop, hosted by the University of Washington, conducted a variety of business meetings, and organized informative and lively interlibrary and hot topics discussions. Seattle gives STARS momentum along several fronts.

Programming: Coming down the pike, be on the look-out for free RUSA professional development webinars. Every section, including STARS, is participating in a pilot program to develop and produce professional webinars. These webinars will be offered at no additional cost to RUSA members. Several STARS committees are developing program ideas and competing for our one slot.

And don’t forget ALA Annual. Along with our ILL and Hot Topic Discussion Groups, STARS will have two terrific programs: “Does Your Data Deliver for Decision Making? New Directions for Resource Sharing Assessment” and “Enhancing Services through Integration of Interlibrary Loan and Acquisitions.”

Assessment: STARS is completing a section review, a critical look back on our organization that informs both our members and RUSA just exactly how are we doing. Our Section Review Committee will soon have a draft report available for all members upon which to review and reflect. Also, STARS’ Program Assessment Working Group is spearheading program evaluation. Its outcome will help to better capture member feedback and lead to more informed decisions for program choices.

In Seattle, the Working Group coordinated the assessment of three section programs: “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about ILL” workshop, the STARS ILL Discussion Group, and the STARS Hot Topics Discussion Group. The group will now compile the results and share with the rest of STARS. Lessons learned during Midwinter will help the group form evaluations for future program sessions.

Recruiting: STARS is always recruiting. We have committee service opportunities across the board. It’s our committees that do the work and have the fun. Don’t be left out. Check out opportunities at STARS Committee page and contact your chair-elect Nora Dethloff (ndethloff@uh.edu) for more details.

Sincerely,

David P. Atkins
STARS Chair

Message from the Chair

BRASS Notes

Carol Schuetz, Editor

Has every BRASS member explored ALA Connect recently? Former Chair Chris LeBeau has loaded all the BRASS program material from Adventures in Data Land and the publisher’s forum. You will see video presentations, powerpoints and related materials. There are links from the BRASS web page as well.

Seattle midwinter planning is underway. Expect an all BRASS members meeting and discussion topic for those planning on venturing to the beautiful northwest on Sunday January 27 from 8:30 to 10:00 AM. BRASS discussions and committee work will continue virtually as well during the midwinter period. There is lots of planning and initiatives under way among our incredible band of BRASS. Read on for how you can learn from and be part of BRASS.

Ann Fiegen

2012-2013 BRASS Chair

Message from the Chair

History

Laura Hibler, Editor

 

The History Section is looking forward to having many of you participate in our activities in Seattle. If you are flying in early or have a desire to increase your skills, attend our FREE Genealogy Preconference, on Friday, January 25. Watch for more information concerning speakers, location, and registration. In addition to fun committee meetings, we will gather for the Genealogy and Local History and History Librarians Discussion Groups.

History Section Awards

The History Section is pleased to announce our new award, the RUSA History Section/Gale Cengage History Research Innovation Award. This award provides up to $2,500 dollars to be used at the winner’s discretion towards a project related to history and history librarianship. Applications are due December 15th.

We are also seeking nominations for the Genealogy Publishing Company Award. This cash award is presented annually to a librarian or library in recognition of their professional achievement in historical or genealogical reference, service or research. Nominations are due December 15th.

Sara E. Morris
History Section Chair, 2012-2013

Message from the Chair

MARS: Update from the Emerging Technologies in Reference Section

Cathy Larson, Editor
Join the discussion at http://lists.ala.org/wws/info/mars-l

 

Greetings!

We are fast approaching the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle from January 25-29, 2013. For winter of 2013, MARS will again use a modified system of meeting. Most committees, other than the Executive Committee, will not meet in person during Midwinter. Committees are meeting virtually prior to Midwinter, and submitting a report of committee activities to the Executive Committee by email. The Executive Committee will meet in person during Midwinter and will refer to committee reports to conduct business. The Planning Committee, and members of those groups hosting discussion forums will be present as well. Last year was the first time we tried this approach, and with the challenges many of our members face in finding funding for two conferences per year, we are continuing this approach this year.

Please let us know how you feel about this change. I will note from my perspective that we don’t seem to be able to get as many committee volunteers with the new format. Committee appointments, which typically begin July 1 of each year, are generally made between the Midwinter and Annual meetings and without interested volunteers attending our Midwinter committee meetings, it has been more of a challenge to identify those interested in working with our committees. I welcome your thoughts on ways we can increase our ability to identify willing and interested volunteers.

For those who are able to attend in person, the scheduler is up! Please visithttp://alamw13.ala.org/scheduler to see all the activities along with their times, locations and descriptions.

The RUSA Membership Social will be held on Saturday, January 26 from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Grand Hyatt Seattle. This event allows RUSA members and prospective members to meet and mingle while learning more about RUSA. I encourage you to attend if you are able to do so. The social is a highlight for RUSA during the Midwinter Meeting and it is a great place to encourage others to join us in MARS and to volunteer to serve on committees.

The Professional Development Committee of MARS in collaboration with the RSS Education and Professional Development for Reference Committee will host a free preconference workshop at the University of Washington’s Odegaard Library Friday, January 25, 2013, 1:00-5:00 PM. New Tech for Reference: From the Reference Interview to Roving Reference, Challenges, Benefits and Best Practice will have presentations on using social media for reference interactions, Springshare’s LibAnswers, and models for roving reference services. For more information about the workshop and transportation to the University of Washington, see the full description athttp://connect.ala.org/node/190900 or contact Stephanie Alexander (alexanders@smccd.edu)

MARS will also be hosting some very interesting discussion forums during Midwinter. Please show your support if you are attending the Conference.

We have a new committee this year: the User Experience Design Committee. This group will host a discussion on Sunday, January 27 from 4:30-5:30 PM, in the Washington State Convention Center Room 203, titled “Putting U in UX Design.” See the committee update for more details on this discussion.

The Virtual Reference Discussion Group will host a discussion forum on Saturday, January 26 from 4:30-5:30 PM in the Washington State Convention Center, Room 619, focusing on how transitioning from Meebo presented challenges and opportunities to retool virtual reference services.

The Hot Topics Discussion Group will host a discussion forum on Saturday, January 26, from 1:00-2:30 PM in the Washington State Convention Center, Room 213.

Please note that ALA has a new meeting policy this year. As a result, you will note that two of our discussion forums are shorter – only 60 minutes instead of the usual 90. This new meeting policy is ALA’s response to feedback from members who requested shorter meeting times. See http://connect.ala.org/node/178761 for more details on the change discussion.

Highlighting some of the work going on between conferences:

The Nominating Committee has been hard at work over the fall and they have prepared a slate for the upcoming elections. Watch your emails in March for the new ballot. And be sure to make your vote count!

The Planning Committee is working on two important projects. The group is undertaking a review and update of the MARS Manual. This is a classic work, full of valuable information, and we’re excited that the committee has agreed to begin making it an even better resource for us all. We are also preparing for Section Review, led by the Planning Committee in conjunction with the members at large. This is a regular event, whereby each of the Sections in RUSA review their activities, structures and plans for the future. The review helps us to formally document where we’ve been, evaluate what changes may be needed, how we relate to other sections and divisions within ALA, to create a roadmap for continual improvement in the section, and to provide information back to our parent division—RUSA.

The Local Systems and Services Committee is working on a virtual program we hope will be delivered early in the year—watch your email and our website for more details.

Lastly, don’t forget to nominate someone for the MARS Achievement Recognition Award this year! See the Call for Nominations for information on award criteria and deadlines for nominations.

Debbie Bezanson
bezanson@gwu.edu
Chair, Emerging Technologies in Reference Section (MARS) 2012-2013

Message from the Chair

RSS

Amy Rustic, editor

 

Helllooooo RSSer’s!

Welcome to the Pre-Midwinter RSS Review! Below are some of the highlights of the great things happening in our section.

If you are heading to Seattle for the ALA Midwinter meeting mark your calendar for the following RSS events:

  • FREE Workshop! New Tech for Reference: from the reference interview to roving reference, challenges, benefits and best practices

When: Friday, January 25th, 1:00-5:00 PM.

Where: The University of Washington, Odegaard Library

More: Seehttp://connect.ala.org/node/190900 to register today!

  • Pancake Breakfast!

When: Saturday, January 26th, 8:00 AM

Where: Location TBA

More: Stay Tuned to RSS-L & Facebook for location information!

  • Helping Patrons find Employment or New Career Information Discussion with Job and Career Reference Committee

When: Saturday, January 26th, 10:30-11:30 AM

More: Stay Tuned to RSS-L and Facebook for location information!

 

  • Just Ask: Defining and Advocating for the Reference Librarian Discussion with Elizabeth Stephan & Diana D. Shonrock

When: Sunday, January 27th, 8:30-10:00 AM

More: Stay Tuned to RSS-L and Facebook for location information!

  • Mother Goose and Promoting Library Services to Spanish Speaking Discussion with Lucia Castillo

When: Sunday, January 27th, 10:30-11:30 AM

More: Stay Tuned to RSS-L and Facebook for location information!

  • Why Common Core Standards Matter: Discussion with Young Adult Reference Services Committee

When: Sunday, January 27th, 3:00-4:00 PM

More: Stay Tuned to RSS-L and Facebook for location information!

  • Unhappy Campers: Coping with Job Dissatisfaction and Burnout on the Front Lines Discussion with Virginia Cairns

When: Monday, January 28th, 1:00-2:30 PM

More: Stay Tuned to RSS-L and Facebook for location information!

Some other exciting happenings within RSS include a great slate of candidates for RSS Chair-Elect and Member-at-Large. Fortunately, ALA elections don’t happen until March when all of the current campaigning and attack ads will be a distant memory. But the decision will be a tough one…

  • Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
    • Peter Collins
    • Qiana Johnson
  • Member-at-Large
    • Don Boozer
    • Betsy Park

We are ready to launch the new “Why is RSS Important?” Share your thoughts athttp://tinyurl.com/rssgreat and see your name in the next RSS Review!

In addition, we are looking for the 1st RSS Member of the Quarter. When you think of RSS, does someone immediately come to mind? Someone that always volunteers to get the job done?? Someone who is always thinking about how to add value to the RSS membership? Someone who is continually thinking on how to improve the section and its offerings? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then let us know whom. Go tohttp://goo.gl/UKFKd to nominate the 1st RSS Member of the Quarter!

Self-nominations are welcome.

Finally, be sure to check out the RSS Members Publications List    (http://connect.ala.org/node/184065). Highlights include:

  • Hoppenfeld, J. (2012). “Keeping students engaged with web-based polling in the library instruction session.” Library Hi Tech, 30(2), 235-252. doi: 10.1108/07378831211239933
  • Malizia, M., R. Hamilton, D. Littrell, K. Vargas, & C. Olney. (2012). “Connecting Public Libraries with Community Emergency Responders.” Public Libraries 51(3), 32-36.
  • Jeter, Melissa C. (2012) “Weathering the Storm: Expanding an Oral History Collection in Uncertain Economic Times.” Library Worklife: HR E-News for Today’s Leaders.

Be sure to share your publications with us (http://tinyurl.com/RSSmemberpubs) and you might see your name in print in the next RSS Review!

That’s it for now!

Sarah J. Hammill

Message from the Chair

STARS

Kerry Keegan, Editor

 

STARS has a lot on the ball. From our interlibrary loan practitioners’ workshop, “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about ILL” (http://www.ala.org/rusa/sections/stars/events), to creating resource sharing web publications, to member outreach, STARS focuses on relevance for our members and our profession.

We also have two new initiatives underway. First, our STARS web editors are planning a revamp of our STARS website. By Midwinter, we will have a new homepage to better connect you to the things we do. Second, STARS wants to give members better opportunities to provide feedback on our conference programming and training. To that end, STARS is also revamping how we evaluate our programs and how to communicate member ideas to the rest of the section.

If you would like to become involved in our dynamic section or have questions out what STARS can do for you and your library, please drop me an email (datkins@utk.edu) or give me a call (865-974-6866). There is always room for more STARS.

 

Sincerely,

David P. Atkins

STARS Chair

Message from the Chair

BRASS Notes

Carol Schuetz, Editor

Message from the Chair
Nothing like a walk under palm trees to make a working conference seem like a vacation! That was ALA Anaheim. The weather was magnificent, and we didn’t lose too many folks to Disneyland, at least not when we needed them.

The BRASS preconference, “Mastering Business Acumen (MBA in a Day),” was very well attended this year by an audience that toughed out management, accounting, finance, and marketing concepts in seven hours. Conference attendees chose from a diverse offering of programs: “Using Social Media to Promote Business Librarians and Resources,” “How Free Web Resources Can Complement Fee-Based Online Resources,” “How Private is Private: Is It Really Possible to Find Information on Private Companies?” and SmartInvesting’s “Program Models That Work.” The conference experience was topped off with the complimentary Monday morning breakfast from S&P Capital IQ, followed by the BRASS Program, “Adventures in Dataland: Business Data Sources.” ReferenceUSA (Infogroup) hosted a beautiful members’ reception at the Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria, and BRASS members ended the adventure with a dinner at La Casa Garcia Restaurant.

The PowerPoint presentations from these programs and forums can currently be found in ALA Connect and will soon be linked from the BRASS website. Our many thanks for the video recordings made possible by the volunteer efforts of Van Houlson and Christy Goodnight. These are in BRASS section of Connect, and will be made public after a three month embargo as a benefit of membership.

This year’s highlights included a new award (the Business Expert Press Award), revised “Guidelines for Business Information Responses,” a joint initiative with the Special Library Association (SLA) to create core competencies for business students, additional tools from Springshare, BRASS participation in a new RSS committee for Job and Career Reference, migration to a new website, new BRASS Facebook membership and program pages, new issues of “Academic BRASS,” a new “Best of the Best” business website, a new list of “Outstanding Business Reference Sources,” and the start of planning for the 25th anniversary of BRASS next year in Chicago! You will hear more about these and other developments on BRASS-L throughout the year.

It has been my privilege to serve BRASS. This is a fantastic group of professionals. Together we have accomplished some great things. So with stardust on my heels, I leave fairyland and return to man the decks in my home library. My sincere thanks to all the BRASS committees who made this conference a great success and a good time. Many thanks to our supportive sponsors. I turn over the gavel to my most able friend and colleague, Ann Fiegen, from whom you will be hearing much.

Chris LeBeau
BRASS Chair, 2011-2012

Message From the Chair

Messages from MARS, the Newsletter of the RUSA MARS: Emerging Technologies in Reference Section

Cathy Larson, Editor

Greetings Fellow MARS Members!

It’s hard to believe another Annual Conference has come and gone. It was good to see many of you at the conference, and I know those who weren’t able to attend were there in spirit. We’re looking forward to another great year for MARS, the Emerging Technologies in Reference Section of RUSA!

Many thanks go out to Dianna McKellar, our chair for 2011-2012, to Anne Houston our Past Chair, and to Carolyn Larson, Shannon Jones, and Erin Rushton, not to mention all those who served as members and chairs of our committees this year, and to all our invited presenters. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Your new Executive Committee for 2012-2013 will be:

  • Debbie Bezanson – Chair (bezanson@gwu.edu)
  • Sam Stormont – Vice Chair
  • Kelley Ann Lawton – Secretary
  • Stephanie Graves, Arlie Sims, and Courtney Greene, Members-at-Large

If you are interested in joining MARS or learning more about the Emerging Technologies in Reference Section, please contact one of us. We welcome all members, those who can meet in person as well as virtual members.

This year we have a new committee—the User Experience Design Committee. They’re just getting started but their mission will be: “To identify and study issues relating to user experience (UX) design as it relates to emerging technologies in library public services, and to evaluate and promote integration of UX methods and philosophies in all types of libraries through technological and service standards, guidelines, and “best practices.” The chair for that committee will be Missy Clapp. If you are interested in joining this committee, please contact me.

Our Section goals for the coming year are to:

1. Continue to increase opportunities for virtual participation in the work of the Emerging Technologies in Reference Section. MARS membership is strong, but many of our members cannot regularly attend conference. Virtual meeting technologies, supported by RUSA, enable us to get more work done outside of the MidWinter and Annual face-to-face Conference meetings. In the coming year, the Executive Committee will work with each committee to identify ways to support more virtual projects and to recruit virtual members to contribute to the committee projects and goals.

2. Continue to increase professional development opportunities for members of the Emerging Technologies in Reference Section.

Professional Development is critical in the Emerging Technologies in Reference arena. The Professional Development Committee has already begun this task, creating webinars and free preconference workshops. In the coming year, work closely with RUSA to expand ongoing virtual offerings.

3. Maximize the effectiveness of RUSA by working closely with our parent organization and the other sections within RUSA to coordinate our virtual activities.

Through representation on RUSA level committees, coordinate ideas and create new synergies to help RUSA and the Emerging Technologies in Reference Section most effectively reach current members, providing them with opportunities for meaningful service and professional development, and most effectively recruit and retain new members.

4. Revise and update the MARS Handbook to optimize format and information for web presentation.

5. All MARS Committees will contribute to the 2013/2014 MARS Section Review.

The Section Review will be due to RUSA in February 2014. The committee reviews will be completed by Annual 2013.

Many of the committees and discussion groups have included summaries of their conference activities in this issue of Messages. To find out more about these presentations, don’t forget to check out our website: http://www.ala.org/rusa/sections/mars, or look for our postings on ALA Connect.

Debbie Bezanson
MARS: Emerging Technologies in Reference Chair, 2012-2013
bezanson@gwu.edu

Message from the Chair

RSS

Amy Rustic, Editor

Hola, Everyone!

I am honored and humbled to chair the section that focuses on frontline reference issues! As the chair of the Reference Services Section, I look forward to working with each and every one of you to continue the great work the former leaders of this section have started.

Speaking of former leaders, I have big shoes to follow (and Liane, it doesn’t matter if they are only a size 5!). Many, many thanks go to Liane Taylor, outgoing chair of RSS. I can go on and on about Liane’s work but it is really evident in all aspects of RSS and many facets of RUSA; if something has become more efficient or effective, you can bet Liane was behind it!

In interests of space, I will focus on just two things that Liane has done to ensure that our section is streamlined, efficient, and effective. Liane is responsible for the detailed Chair Orientation Manual. She added a calendar that has been instrumental in helping the section to document and record the sections history. It includes setting goals for each committee, which ensures that the section continues to be viable and applicable to individuals involved in frontline reference.    Furthermore, she saw the need for an RSS Archivist. You will see Cindy Levine, the RSS Archivist, listed as a co-chair of your committee; she is not a co-chair but is quietly working behind the scenes to make sure that the section stays organized. She has created categories within ALA Connect for each committee to record minutes, goals, current activities, and rosters.

I would be remiss without mentioning the leadership of Joe Thompson. Let me mention one of his many contributions (and there are many!) to the section. Through his leadership as chair of Organization and Planning he was the mastermind in making a fundamental, and I would argue fun, change to the RSS Annual Open House. At the Open House in Anaheim we debuted a trivia contest. It was through Joe’s thoughtful deliberation that the trivia contest was a success and included awesome prizes! We will miss Joe but rest assured he is still involved in RSS as a member of the new Young Adult Reference Services (YARS) Committee, a committee he was instrumental in creating.

So, you might be wondering what you can expect from me. First, I would like to welcome Ann Brown as the RSS Chair Elect. I look forward to working with Ann who is sharp, considerate, collegial, and fun; I believe we will make a great team!

Regarding RSS this year, I would like to focus on our members and what they have done for the section. We already have the RSS Service Achievement Award which honors a member for either a sustained contribution towards attaining the goals of RSS or a single significant contribution that has resulted in a positive impact upon the work of the section. Furthermore, you can become a prestigious member of the RSS Honor Roll. If you have served RSS in three or more different capacities, let the RSS Recognition Committee know! See http://www.ala.org/rusa/sections/rss/honoroll for the current members of this esteemed list!

More recently, we have published the RSS Members Publication List. Please let us know what you have published by filling out the form here. This is a way to showcase the activities of RSS Members and it also serves as a resource for you!

Finally, modeling after ACRL’s Member of the Week, I would like to implement RSS Member of the Quarter. This will coincide with the RSS Review and will feature a short interview with an RSS Member. Stay tuned via RSS-L for more information.

To conclude, I look forward to the year ahead and getting to know each of you. Please don’t hesitate to contact me (hammills@fiu.edu) with questions or ideas on how to improve the section. If I don’t know the answers, I have a great team (which includes all of you) to ask!

Keep in Touch,

Sarah J. Hammill
RSS Chair

Message from the Chair

STARS

Kerry Keegan, Editor

Hello STARS and friends of STARS.

I do hope this finds you well. I’m David Atkins, the 2012-13 Chair for RUSA/STARS. As both chair and a STARS member, I am looking forward to another fun and productive year in service to resource sharing professionals everywhere. For this year, STARS will build on our successes in research, education, and training. Along with our midwinter and annual programming, STARS will launch an online interlibrary loan training course. We’ll also start using online tools that support virtual meetings. Over the next two-three years, RUSA will channel resources to fund programming and promotional activities among RUSA and all its sections. STARS will capitalize on any and all opportunities fund diverse professional development programs and give you more value for your time, energy, and dues.

If you would like to become involved in our dynamic section or have questions out what STARS can do for you and your library, please drop me an email (datkins@utk.edu) or give me a call (865-974-6866). There is always room for more STARS.

Sincerely,
David P. Atkins
STARS Chair

Message from the Past Chair

History

Laura Hibbler, Editor

It’s been a productive time for the History Section. The RUSA Board has approved a new Gale Cengage History Section Research and Innovation Award. We have gotten to this point through the diligent efforts of Agnes Widder. The monetary award is intended to promote and further research relating to history and history librarianship. We are still awaiting approval from the ALA Executive Council before advertising the award this fall.

The History Section annual program this year was sponsored by the Genealogy Committee and entitled “Mining Gold from the 1940 Census.” The main speaker was Joel Weintraub, a volunteer at the National Archives and Records Administration, Riverside. A panel discussion followed and included Amy Crow of Archives.com, Michael Hall from Family Search, and Bill Forsyth from ProQuest. Over 100 people attended the program. The Genealogy Committee meeting discussed getting youth involved in genealogy research and what to do with donated genealogy research papers.

One of the communication avenues available to History Section members is History-L. This listserv has 279 subscribers with eighty-nine messages sent to the list from July 1, 2011 to June 20, 2012. If you are not a member of the History-L, you can subscribe you can do so by going to http://lists.ala.org/wws/info/history-l. You can also find out about History Section events and activities by “liking us” on Facebook.

The Genealogy & Local History Discussion Group had a presentation by a representative of Fold3 who talked about their military content. There was also a discussion about Family History Books, a free website containing free digital genealogy books.

The Historical Materials Committee finalized their list of Best Historical Materials for publication in RUSQ. The committee also started planning the 2014 History Section program.

The Instruction & Research Services (IRS) Committee had a discussion on history standards for college students. They are developing a set of guidelines on this topic. The guidelines were brought before the RUSA Standards & Guidelines Committee prior to the Annual Conference. A few changes are needed. IRS is planning the 2013 History Section annual program. The topic will be Digital History.

The Local History Committee updated Guidelines for Establishing Local History Collections. It was approved by the RUSA Standards & Guidelines Committee prior to the Annual Conference as well as being approved by the RUSA Board prior to the conference. The major discussion in the meeting centered on how to find new publications of county histories.

Membership in the History Section committees is open to any RUSA History Section member. You will find a link to the volunteer form at http://www.ala.org/rusa/about/divisioncommittees.

Janice Schultz
History Section Past Chair

Message from the BRASS Chair

BRASS Notes

Carol E. Schuetz, Editor
Hello BRASS members!

2012 promises to be a very good year for BRASS. First, the programs and forums for Annual in Anaheim look very exciting. We are bringing back the Mastering Business Acumen (MBA) in a Day Preconference. Program and forum topics include using social media to promote business librarians and resources, finding private company information, and our Monday program which picks up on the Disneyland theme, “Adventures in Dataland,” features a morning of information about data sources, including the new U.S. Census. Our thanks to Van Houlson and Christy Goodnight for volunteering, again, to capture the program for BRASS members.

Celia Ross (Chair, Vendor Relations) has been actively working on a new BRASS award that we are trying to fast-track through ALA in order to begin this year. Our thanks to Celia. Stay tuned for details about that.

If you haven’t seen the title selections yet, be sure to read the “Outstanding Business Reference Sources,” selected by the BRASS Business Reference Sources Committee and published in RUSQ, winter 2011. Also, at the RUSA Awards celebration at Midwinter, BRASS announced its choices for “Best of the Best Business Websites” which were globalEDGE, Statistical Abstract of the United States and FRED (St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank).

Our BRASS 25th Anniversary Planning Committee has been hard at work on our celebration in Chicago in the summer of 2013. You won’t want to miss this. There will soon be a BRASS Web site so you can follow the events as they are planned. For now see the RUSA Blog. Thank you, Louise!

Please consider volunteering for a committee or renewing your interest in serving on a committee by filing out the RUSA Volunteer Form. Be sure to change the drop down menu to BRASS rather than RUSA, not that we discourage you from serving RUSA, too! If you know any business librarians from public libraries who are not BRASS members, tell them about BRASS, and encourage them to join.

Read more details on all of this below. Hope to see many of you in Anaheim, June 21 – 26, 2012!

Chris LeBeau
BRASS Chair 2011-2012
lebeauc@umkc.edu

Message from the Chair

History

The History Section, with the sponsorship of ProQuest, offered a free genealogy preconference at the Midwinter in Dallas, Texas. Speakers included Lloyd Bockstruck, retired librarian from the Dallas Public Library, Aaron Holt of the National Archives, Sue Kaufman of the Clayton Library in Houston, Texas, Ari Wilkins of the Dallas Public Library, and Bill Forsyth of ProQuest. Plans are underway for another free preconference at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim. We hope many will plan to attend this June 22, 2012, event.

The History Section program at the ALA Annual Conference will be entitled, “Mining Gold From the 1940 Census. The opening of the 1940 census for public view on April 2, 2012, will be unlike any other. This census is being offered in digital content only. Joel Weintrub of the National Archives and Records Administration will speak about the impact of this census which documents the Greatest Generation on the brink of war. A panel discussion will follow by representatives of vendors who will host the 1940 census images. They will discuss what their individual companies are doing to index the census records.

The History Librarians Discussion Group, monitored by Heather Tompkins, had twenty-eight in attendance at the Midwinter meeting. There was a mix of public, academic, and special librarians, as well as two students and some vendors. The discussion focused around the issues and challenges of providing access to the kinds of sources people use when researching public history topics. They also explored some of the challenges of teaching the complexities of public history. The discussion ended with some thoughts about the definitions of public history and some thoughts about the perceptions of public history as a discipline.

The Local History Committee has revised Guidelines for Establishing Local History Collections. The RUSA Standards and Guidelines Committee has reviewed the document and when the recommended changes are made it will proceed again to the committee before it is brought before the RUSA Executive Board at the Annual Conference.

A new History Section award will be announced at the RUSA Awards Program at the 2012 Annual Conference.

Sara Morris, History Section Vice-Chair is making appointments now for those who would like to be involved in committee work for the History Section. Please fill out the volunteer form on the RUSA website if you would like to volunteer.

Janice Schultz
History Section Chair

Message From the Chair

Message from MARS

Newsletter of the RUSA-MARS Emerging Technologies in Reference Section

Melissa J. Clapp, Editor

 

MARS had a very productive Midwinter Meeting. This was the first Midwinter Meeting at which MARS largely participated virtually. Committees, other than the Executive Committee, had the option of meeting in-person or meeting virtually prior to Midwinter and sending in a report that would be discussed during the Executive Committee meetings, which were held in-person. This seemed to work well for committees. Two committees opted to meet in-person during Midwinter, while other committees chose to meet virtually. Of course, committees that presented discussion forums did send committee representatives to conduct the forums.

In total, three MARS discussion forums were held during Midwinter. Hot Topics presented a wonderful discussion forum entitled “Reaching out to Patrons in Virtual Ways: Old School Successes and New Initiatives.” The Virtual Reference Discussion Group held an engaging discussion forum entitled “UX + VR FTW,” which explored user experience as it pertains to virtual reference. Local Systems and Services presented a stimulating discussion forum entitled “The Learning Commons and the Academic Library: Using Emerging Technologies and New Partnerships to Build Student Success.”

In addition to the MARS gatherings, RUSA held its Annual Membership Social. The RUSA Social was very well attended. It provided a wonderful opportunity to chat with RUSA friends as well as meet and welcome new RUSA members. The Midwinter Meeting proved to be very informative, and MARS is looking forward to an equally engaging Annual Conference.

Warm Regards,

Dianna McKellar
MARS Chair, 2011-2012

Message from the Chair

RSS logoRSS Review, Winter 2012

Greetings RSS Members!

 

ALA Midwinter 2012 was a great success. From the delicious food and good times at the RSS Pancake Breakfast and the RUSA Social, to the lively and informative discussion forums, we attendees really enjoyed ourselves! For those who could not attend, we will be gathering the notes and slides from the discussions and will make them available soon.

In other news, RUSA has purchased licenses to Blackboard Collaborate, the virtual meeting and webinar software. I am working with others across RUSA to develop a scheduling system and guidelines. We hope that in the next few months, we’ll be able to support robust virtual participation across RUSA. RSS will be able to use this software for committee meetings, discussion forums, and webinars.

Also, under the fearless and inspiring leadership of Organization & Planning Chair, Joe Thompson, RSS has several new committees in development! Beginning in July 2012, we will have committees focused on frontline communication strategies and teaching at the point-of-need, health information/medical reference, job and career reference, and young adult reference.

Speaking of committees, it’s appointments season! Our fantastic and energetic Vice-Chair, Sarah Hammill, is starting to contact chairs and make new committee appointments, including appointments to our new committees. If you’re interested in serving on a committee or serving as a RSS representative to a RUSA-level committee, be sure to join RSS-L to stay tuned to appointment-related news. See http://bit.ly/rssl for instructions on how to join RSS-L.

Lastly, we’re in the final stages of scheduling our discussions, meetings, and programs for ALA Annual in Anaheim (June 21-26). I would like to thank Kate Silton, our organized and talented RSS Scheduler, for her amazing and hard work during this scheduling season. Kate, we couldn’t have done this without you! Thank you!

I wish you all the very best in 2012, and hope to see many of you at the RSS Open House on Saturday, June 23, at 8:00 A.M., in Anaheim!

Best to you,
Liane Taylor
ltaylor@txstate.edu
RSS Chair, 2011-2012

Message from the Chair

STARS

Katharine Calhoun, Editor

calhoun@gatech.edu

 

First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone for a wonderful Midwinter Conference in Dallas. STARS held several well attended meetings and active discussion groups, and it is always great to catch up with STARS members.

Perhaps our biggest announcement from Midwinter is our updated STARS Bylaws which were passed during our All Committee meeting. The revised Bylaws can be viewed on the STARS RUSA page.

Finally, it is never too early to announce programs for ALA Annual in Anaheim. Again, STARS has a great slate of programs and we hope to see you there:

●     International ILL: A Global Perspective on Resource Sharing: Saturday, June 23, 1:30-3:30 P.M.

●     Sharing Our Collections: Looking to the Future: Sunday, June 24, 10:30 A.M.-12:00 P.M.

●     Implementing the “STAR” Checklist for High Performance Library Resource-Sharing: Sunday, June 24, 1:30-3:30 P.M.

As usual, we will also be holding all of our regular meetings and discussion groups. More information will be released in March.

Heather Weltin, STARS Chair
hweltin@library.wisc.edu

Message from the BRASS Chair

BRASS Notes

Carol E. Schuetz, Editor

Hello BRASS members!

Only another month and half before Annual in Anaheim! Committees have been working diligently on creating lots of good programming for you. First, I want to congratulate our BRASS awardees and the award committees for their good work in selecting worthy winners.

  1. BRASS Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence In Business Librarianship: Rita Moss
  2. BRASS Gale Cengage Learning Student Travel Award: Ilana Barnes
  3. BRASS Business Expert Press Award: Joel Glogowski
  4. Emerald Research Award (2): Qi Wu & Heidi Senior; Louise Feldman
  5. Morningstar Public Librarian Support Award: Anne MacDonald

 
We owe a big thank you to Celia Ross (Vendor Relations Committee) for working with Business Expert Press to fund a new three year award! And a special thanks to Adam Chesler, Library Relations Director, Business Expert Press.
The Education Committee and the Business Reference Services Discussion Group invite your suggestions for future webinars and online discussions. To add your idea, visit the http://brass.libguides.com/suggestionwall. Help us with ideas as we begin to offer more online learning opportunities.

The Publications and Communications Committee will be posting a detailed conference schedule, but in the meantime, here are the BRASS conference highlights in brief. Be sure to also watch BRASS-L and the RUSA Blog for information about our activities. Preliminary Program

  1. Friday June 22: 8:30 AM-4:00 PM Preconference: Mastering Business Acumen: (MBA) in a Day: Business Concepts for Library Reference (Education Committee)
  2. Friday Evening June 22: BRASS Members Reception, Place TBA, sponsor: InfoGroup (Membership Committee)
  3. Saturday June 23: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM: Smart investing@your library: Program Models That Work
  4. Saturday June 23: 1:30-3:30 PM Forum: Using Social Media to Promote Business Librarians and Resources (Business Reference in Academic Libraries)
  5. Sunday June 24: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM Discussion: How Free Web Resources Can Complement Fee Based Online Resources. (Business Reference Services Discussion Group)
  6. Sunday June 24: 1:30-3:30 PM Publishers’ Open Forum: PrivCo, Mergent, Bureau Van Dijk (Business Reference Sources Committee)
  7. Monday June 25: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM BRASS Breakfast, sponsor: S&P Capital IQ Program: Adventures in Dataland: Business Data Sources (Program Planning Committee)
  8. Monday June 25: 6:00 pm BRASS Dinner: La Casa Garcia Restaurant, 531 W. Chapman Ave. Anaheim Restaurant Location: http://g.co/maps/tyctk

 

Chris LeBeau
BRASS Chair 2011-2012
lebeauc@umkc.edu

From the Chair

Message from MARS, the Newsletter of the RUSA MARS: Emerging Technologies in Reference Section

Missy Clapp, Editor

 
The Emerging Technologies in Reference Section (MARS) is looking forward to an exciting Annual Conference in Anaheim! Please join us during our hosted events which will focus on engaging technologies of current interest in reference. We will host three programs, two discussion forums, and the MARS Happy Hour. A brief overview of these gatherings is provided below.

We are honored that the MARS Chair’s Program has been selected to also serve as the RUSA President’s Program this year. The program is entitled “Library in Your Hand: Mobile Technologies for Exchanging Information with Patrons.” The event will highlight the importance of libraries supporting mobile technologies for the dissemination and acquisition of information. Examples of practical applications being used in libraries will be discussed by our speakers. The program will be held on Sunday, June 24, from 10:30 AM-12:00 PM at the Anaheim Convention Center in room 204B. At the start of the program, we will honor Carolyn Larson, this year’s recipient of the My Favorite Martian Award, for her hard work and dedication to MARS over the years.

The MARS/RSS Virtual Reference Services Committee will present a program entitled “Are Virtual Reference Services Worth the Effort? What ROI Analysis and User Evaluations Tell Us.” Examples of ways to assess the effectiveness of virtual reference services will be discussed. Join us for this enlightening discussion, which will be held on Saturday, June 23 from 1:30-3:30 PM at the Anaheim Convention Center in room 201D.

The MARS Local Systems and Services Committee will present a program entitled “Discovery Systems: The Promise and the Reality.” The effectiveness of discovery systems such as WorldCat Local and others will be explored. The program will be held on Sunday, June 24 from 4:00-5:30 PM at the Anaheim Convention Center in Room 304AB. In addition to these programs, both the Hot Topics in Electronic Reference Discussion Group and the Virtual Reference Discussion Group will host engaging discussion forums.

The MARS Happy Hour is always a wonderful way to enjoy refreshments while meeting newcomers interested in MARS and old friends who have been part of MARS for years! This event will be held at the Anabella Hotel, poolside in the Magnolia Room on Saturday, June 23 from 5:00-7:00 p.m.

As is tradition, the MARS All-Committee meeting will be held on Sunday morning from 8:00-10:0 AM, and we would love to invite those who are interested in learning more about the Emerging Technologies in Reference Section. You’ll have the opportunity to hear about the activities of our committees and the wonderful volunteer opportunities that match your interests. All visitors are welcome to join us. The meeting will be held at the Hilton Anaheim Hotel in the Pacific A Room.

Other MARS activities include the creation of this year’s list of the Best Free Reference Websites, which will be published in the Fall issue of RUSQ. The Professional Development Committee has produced a number of webinars and has a subcommittee working with RSS in the production of a workshop that will be held at the start of the 2013 Midwinter Meeting. In addition, the Products and Services Committee has continued its work to produce product reviews that are beneficial to reference librarians.

We welcome your interest in MARS. If you would like to learn more about MARS and how you can become involved, please contact me (mckellar@udel.edu) for more information.

Dianna McKellar
MARS Chair, 2011-2012

Message from the Chair

RSS Review

Amy Rustic, Editor

RSS logo

Greetings RSS Members!

I can hardly believe it’s almost time for ALA Annual 2012 in Anaheim. We have many great events planned, including programs, discussions, and the RSS Open House. Read below for more information and stay tuned to our Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/rss.rusa) or RSS-L (to join: http://bit.ly/rss-l) to see a complete schedule of events with room numbers.

Speaking of Annual, we are excited to announce that EBSCO will be sponsoring the RSS Open House this year, which means we’ll have a great selection of morning goodies to munch on while we mingle and meet. We invite everyone to stop by the Open House on Saturday, June 23, from 8:00-9:00 AM at the Anaheim Convention Center, Room 203B, to say hello, meet new people, and catch up with old friends. It’s a great way to kick off your Annual Conference.

In other news, I am very excited to announce that the 2012 RSS Service Achievement Award is being awarded to Lisa Horowitz, Assessment Librarian at MIT Libraries. Horowitz served as RSS Chair during 2007-2008, but her contributions extend beyond her term as section chair. See below for a detailed list of all that she has contributed to RSS throughout the years and be sure to attend the RUSA Awards Reception on Sunday, June 24, from 5:00-6:30 PM at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel Sequia South Ballroom D. On a personal note, I consider Lisa a mentor and an inspiration, not to mention one of the primary reasons I continued to stay active in RSS. I know I’m not the only who can say that. Thank you, Lisa, for being such a great leader, mentor, and colleague.

As this is my final write-up as RSS Chair, I want to thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for all of the hard work you did this year. We accomplished so much—new guidelines, new committees, programs, discussions, videos, website cleanup—it’s amazing how much we’ve been able to do! I especially want to thank Joe Thompson, RSS Past-Chair and Chair of the Organization & Planning Committee, for all of his support and leadership. I am a better person for having worked with him these past several years. And I know that we will all be in great hands under the exceptional leadership of Sarah Hammill, who will be taking over as RSS Chair in July. Her good humor, collegiality, and vision will ensure that RSS members continue to provide valuable resources and opportunities for all of us concerned with frontline reference.

Liane Taylor

ltaylor@txstate.edu

RSS Chair, 2011-2012

Message from the Chair

STARS

Katharine Calhoun, Editor
calhoun@gatech.edu

STARS has been busy these past couple of months planning exciting programs for ALA Annual (http://www.ala.org/rusa/sections/stars) and finishing our STARS Videos (http://rusa.ala.org/blog/2012/04/02/stars-ill-videos/). I hope you all take a moment to attend one of our programs or learn more about resource sharing by watching our videos!

Heather Weltin, STARS Chair
hweltin@library.wisc.edu

BRASS Notes

Carol E. Schuetz, Editor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Message from the BRASS Chair

Hello BRASS members!

Greetings from your 2011-2012 Chair. Since Annual I’ve been working on several projects and getting to know the ALA and RUSA staff very well! You have a great Executive Board and an energetic set of committee chairs. The Program Committee has been working hard on the program for the 2010 Annual in Anaheim (June 21-26). I hope many of you will be able to join us.

As fall quickly turns to winter, we need to think about ALA Midwinter in sunny Dallas. (I hear they have finally broken out of the 100s!) Please save the dates: January 20-24, 2012. BRASS will continue with its virtual meetings during Midwinter, but there will be a real, on-ground All Members Meeting on Sunday, January 22 from 10:30 am-12:00 pm. More details to follow on BRASS-L. Committees that choose to get together at Midwinter will make informal arrangements among themselves.

Carol Smith, Chair of the Publications and Communications Committee, has rearranged some roles. Carol Schuetz is now BRASS Notes editor. Kathryn Corrigan is the new BRASS Member Publications List Manager, and Robert Perret is the BRASS-L manager. Other BRASS member notes include two appointments to the new RUSA Just Ask Campaign. The BRASS reps are Ilana Barnes and Elizabeth Stephan.

Between now and Midwinter think about volunteering to serve on a BRASS committee. Our Vice Chair Ann Fiegen will be forming committees in the near future. Look for a call on BRASS-L. So join the BRASS-L listserv if you haven’t and watch for the notice. Members are not required to attend conferences in order to participate on committees.

Again a reminder that ALA is migrating the website to a different platform, therefore we have done minimal updating of our BRASS web pages. Our reports and documents are in ALA Connect. You can also find our more than 900 members in Connect!

Contact me if you have ideas, questions or concerns.

Hope to see many of you in Dallas!

Chris LeBeau
BRASS Chair 2011-2012
lebeauc@umkc.edu

Messages from MARS: The Newsletter of the RUSA-MARS Emerging Technologies in Reference Section

Melissa J. Clapp, Editor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Message From the Chair

Greetings!

The months seem to be flying by, and we are fast approaching the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Winter of 2012 marks the first time that MARS will use a modified system of meeting during Midwinter. Committees, other than the Executive Committee, will be given the option of meeting in person during Midwinter or meeting virtually prior to Midwinter and submitting a report of committee activities to the Executive Committee by Friday, January 6. The Executive Committee will meet in person during Midwinter and will refer to committee reports to conduct business during each meeting. This is a pilot program, and it will be very interesting to gather feedback following Midwinter to gauge the general response from members of MARS.

The RUSA Membership Social will be held on Saturday, January 21. This event allows RUSA members and prospective members to meet and mingle while learning more about RUSA. I encourage you to attend if you are able to do so. The social is a highlight for RUSA during the Midwinter Meeting.

There will also be three very interesting discussion forums during Midwinter. Please show your support if you are attending the Conference. The Hot Topics in Electronic Reference Discussion Group will host a discussion forum on Saturday, January 21 from 1:30-3:30 pm entitled “Reaching out to Patrons in Virtual Ways: Old School Successes and New Initiatives.”

The Local Systems and Services Committee will host a discussion on Sunday, January 22 from 4:00-5:30 pm. entitled “The Learning Commons and the Academic Library: Using Emerging Technologies and New Partnerships to Build Student Success.”

The Virtual Reference Discussion Group will host a discussion forum on Saturday, January 22 from 4:00-5:30 pm entitled “UX + VR FTW.” Read more about each of the discussion forums in the descriptions below. Please join us if you can!

Warm Regards,

Dianna McKellar

MARS 2011-2012

RSS Review

RSS logo

 

 

 

Amy Rustic, Editor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Message from the Chair

Greetings RSS Members!

Midwinter 2012 is soon upon us! The ALA Midwinter Meeting will be held January 19-24, 2012. Most RSS committees will be holding virtual meetings between January 16-31, rather than in-person meetings at Midwinter. However, for those of you who will be attending in Dallas, we will be sponsoring many events to enrich your experience.

Most importantly, we’ll be hosting the Second Annual RSS Pancake Breakfast bright and early on Saturday, January 21, at Cindi’s New York Delicatessen at 306 S Houston St, right near the Convention Center and hotels (http://www.cindisnydeli.com). We expect breakfast to begin around 8:15 am, but we’ll be sending out an official announcement soon. We hope to see you there!

  1. Saturday, 10:30 am-12:00 pm: Discussion Forum: Feedback and discussion on the Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers and the Professional Competencies for Reference and User Services Librarians
  2. Saturday, 1:30 -3:30 pm: Discussion Forum: Library Programs and Services to Baby Boomers
  3. Sunday, 10:30 am-12:00 pm: RSS Discussion Forum: TBA
  4. Sunday, 4:00-5:30 pm: Discussion Forum: Answering the YA Reference Question – Making Connections that Matter with Marie Radford
  5. Monday, 10:30 am-12:00 pm: Discussion Forum: TBA

I wish you the very best in 2012, and look forward to seeing many of you in Dallas!

Liane Taylor


Chair, Reference Services Section

ltaylor@txstate.edu

RSS Chair, 2011-2012

STARS

Katharine Calhoun, Editor
calhoun@gatech.edu

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Message from the Chair

Greetings,

STARS committee members have been working diligently to plan entertaining and informative meetings for Midwinter in Dallas. We hope to see you all there and remember everyone is invited to attend STARS events.

This year STARS will also be busy starting their section review. Whether you’re new to STARS, or a past member, we would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me directly with any comments or questions.

Finally, if you would like to stay current on what STARS is working on, please remember to check back at our website.

 

Heather Weltin
STARS Chair
hweltin@library.wisc.edu

Message from the BRASS Chair

BRASS Notes

Carol E. Smith, Editor

Message from the BRASS Chair

Dear BRASS Members,
BRASS continued our virtual Mid-Winter meeting this year in sunny San Diego. While most of our BRASS Committees have been working virtually, we did have one ALL BRASS Committee meeting for those of us who attended the San Diego Conference. We had a lively discussion about issues facing business librarians as well as a discussion of some business resources. Old and new members of BRASS were able to meet and share experiences.

BRASS will be in full force at the Annual ALA Meeting in New Orleans this Summer, June 23 – June 28. We have many great programs, forums and discussion groups planned for this conference. So keep reading to learn more. See you in NOLA!

Mark E. Andersen
BRASS Chair, 2010-2011

From the Chair

The Emerging Technologies in Reference Section, aka MARS, had a series of productive meetings at the Midwinter conference in San Diego, and we are looking forward to a number of exciting new initiatives.

We held four well-attended discussion forums at the conference. The Hot Topics discussion group sponsored a forum on QR codes and augmented reality. The Local Systems & Services committee continued their series of discussion forums on discovery services, focusing this time on how discovery layers are changing library websites. The Management of Electronic Resources and Services and Public Libraries committees co-sponsored an open discussion on the assessment and evaluation of virtual reference, and the Virtual Reference Discussion Group hosted a discussion on the latest in virtual reference.

Several new projects are also in the works. The Products & Services Committee is working on a new initiative to provide timely reviews of the latest products and technologies available for reference and user services. These reviews would be published on a new MARS blog being developed by our Publications Committee. The Education, Training and Support committee is planning a webinar on screencasting based on their successful program at ALA Annual 2010, while our Professional Development committee is working on guidelines for future MARS webinar offerings.

Programming for the 2011 Annual Conference in New Orleans is underway. We are working with the Reference Services Section to plan a preconference on reference/IT collaborations. MARS will also offer an exciting program on the relevant topic of User Experience Design; see details of both of these events below. The MARS/RSS Virtual Reference Committee will sponsor a program on the human side of virtual reference, and we’ll sponsor our usual Hot Topics discussion group and Virtual Reference Discussion Group on Saturday. The MARS Happy Hour will move to Saturday night and, thanks to a generous sponsor, will include some tasty food at a famous local venue, as well as the usual cash bar. Watch for more details of these events as the conference approaches.

In another important initiative, we are currently reassessing our presence at Midwinter. Given that many committees now do their work virtually, and that many MARS members can no longer afford to travel to conference, we are considering whether in-person Midwinter meetings are necessary. In the near future, a survey about Midwinter will go out to MARS members. The survey will be of special interest to MARS committee members and to anyone who has considered or is considering volunteering for a MARS committee, but all are welcome to respond. Among other things, we would like to know the value our members place on in-person meetings, how many of our members are able to travel to conference, and how many have the technology available to participate in virtual meetings. The announcement of the survey will go out to MARS-L and everyone is invited to respond.

If you are interested in getting more involved with MARS—either in person or virtually—we would love to have your participation! MARS members are encouraged to volunteer for committees. Volunteering is easy; just go to the form on the RUSA web site. Opportunities to volunteer for MARS Committees appear at the end of the form. Dianna McKellar, the MARS Vice-Chair, will be appointing MARS committees for next year soon after the Midwinter meeting. If you have any questions about committees, fell free to contact me or Dianna (mckellar@udel.edu).

Anne Houston, MARS Chair

ahouston@virginia.edu

Message from the Chair

Hello all Reference Services Section members!

Although RSS officially participated virtually in the recent ALA Midwinter 2011, there was a great deal of real RSS activity and there are many people to thank. I especially want to recognize the efforts of two committees in particular. The Discussion Forums Coordinating Committee and the Service Achievement Award Committee are both brand new committees this year and each had the challenge of creating a process from scratch for how they would accomplish their work. Please take a moment to read the report below from Sarah Hammill regarding the three discussions that took place in San Diego, and the report from Lori Thornton regarding the process to select the first recipient of the RSS Service Achievement Award. In addition to the Discussion Forums, RSS also organized its (first?) Midwinter RSS Pancake Breakfast with twenty-two people participating in San Diego.

The RSS Executive Committee and RSS Board held an official “Midwinter Meeting” online on January 21. The draft minutes have been posted by RSS Secretary Marjorie Schreiber Lear and can be found at http://connect.ala.org/node/130609. On February 9 the Executive Committees of RSS and MARS also held their regular joint meeting, this time online.

Please make sure to vote in the ALA elections! In March you should receive an email with instructions for accessing the ballot. RSS members will be voting on proposed changes to our RSS Bylaws, which you can see in advance at http://connect.ala.org/node/128620. The proposed changes include the creation of a RSS Archivist, the removal of the standing Discussion Groups (now replaced by the Discussion Forums Coordinating Committee), the allowance to meet virtually along with a face-to-face meeting at ALA Annual, and documentation of processes that are now current practice. On the RSS ballot you will also be selecting between two candidates for RSS Vice Chair/Incoming Chair and a two candidates for RSS Member at Large.

Registration is now open for ALA Annual 2011 in New Orleans and RSS will be offering a full line up of excellent programs, discussions, meetings, and two Friday preconferences. Highlights include:

●     Saturday, June 25, 8:00 – 10:00 am: RSS Open House and All Committee Meeting

●     Saturday, June 25, 1:30 – 3:30 pm: Marketing Reference on a Dime [The RUSA President’s Program]

●     Sunday, June 26, 1:30 – 3:30 pm: Reference Research Forum

●     Sunday, June 26, 4:00 – 5:30 pm: Using Today’s Numbers to Plan Tomorrow’s Services: Effective User Services Assessment [Program]

●     Monday, June 27, 8:00 am: 10:00 am – Behind the Text: Pulling Back the Curtain on Virtual Reference (MARS/RSS) [Program]

Thank you to all of the RSS members who contribute to making RSS the premier volunteer organization focused on the interests of frontline librarians, information specialists, and library support staff who are engaged in all aspects of reference and information services!

Joe Thompson

RSS Chair 2010–2011

jthompson@washcolibrary.org

Message from the Chair

Hello everyone! With all the snow and ice that many of us have been experiencing lately, San Diego seems like a lovely dream even though we were there just a few short weeks ago! For those of you who were able to attend the midwinter conference, I hope you found it as fruitful as I did.

The STARS Executive Committee meeting was held on Monday, January 10. One of the topics of discussion was the very successful workshop held on the previous Friday. We once again offered our “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about ILL but Were Afraid to Ask” workshop which was very well attended. Plans are already underway to offer this workshop prior to the midwinter meeting next year in Dallas. The Committee also discussed plans of the STARS Education and Training Committee to create an online interlibrary loan course for RUSA. Details are being finalized for the proposal, and if accepted, we may begin offering this course soon. Other topics of discussion were surveys being developed, outreach to new members, and planning for the programs at annual.

STARS is sponsoring two programs for ALA Annual Conference 2011 in New Orleans entitled Working Smart: Managing the Increase in Interlibrary Loan and Resource Sharing and What Does Cooperation in Libraries Mean? Tools and Pitfalls in Creating Successful Resource Sharing & Collections Agreements. These promise to be great programs.

As always, the STARS Executive Board would love to hear from you. So, if you have any questions or concerns or suggestions for programming or improvements, please let me know!

Sherri Michaels, Chair

shmichae@indiana.edu

Message from the BRASS Chair: Hot Time in the City!

BRASS Notes
Carol E. Smith, Editor


Yes, I am talking about the ALA Conference in New Orleans June 24-28, 2011. Not only were the temperatures in the hot and humid range but the BRASS programs were sizzling as well!

Our “Business Reference 101” BRASS Pre-conference was well acclaimed by all who attended. And our other BRASS offerings were also top-notch and appreciated by all the attendees. We covered Small Business Financing, New Media at the Reference Desk, and Mining for Small Business Information, and ended the conference with our grand program covering the Business for Social Media. I am sure everyone left New Orleans with plenty of new information and some great new ideas to take back home.

In the next few weeks BRASS will be loading the BRASS program on social media and the publishers’ forum on Mining for Small Business Information onto the ALA website. Watch the BRASS website for more info and subscribe to BRASS-L for all the breaking BRASS news! Not a member? Not receiving BRASS-L messages yet? Click here to join BRASS or subscribe to BRASS-L.

Just as the conference attendees departed the Big Easy, so too, ends my time as BRASS Chair. It has been my distinct honor and pleasure to have served BRASS. It is an organization which offers us great opportunities to network, to collaborate with other business librarians and to learn even more about our field.

BRASS Chairs Past, Present and Future, From left to right: Mark Andersen (2010-2011), Chris LeBeau (2011-2012) and Ann Fiegen (2012-2013).

 

 

 

Chris LeBeau is the incoming 2011-2012 BRASS Chair and I know there are great things ahead for BRASS and all of the members.

Thanks for making BRASS such a great organization!

Have a great summer!

Best regards,

Mark E. Andersen
BRASS Chair, 2010-2011
andersen@chipublib.org

Message from the History Section Chair

History
Laura O’Niell Hibbler, Editor 

I am looking forward to the coming year as chair of the History Section. I would like to welcome all incoming committee chairs and new and returning committee members. We have had a great response for committee participation. I especially wish to thank those who responded to my call to be History Section representatives to RUSA committees. In my opinion, committee work is one of the most rewarding aspects to ALA and RUSA memberships.

Please review the list of History Section committee rosters on the History committee webpage. If you feel the information is incorrect please email me at jschultz@mymcpl.org. If you would still like to volunteer to be on a committee, please fill out the volunteer form and then email me that you have done so.

Janice Schultz
History Chair

 


Mary Mannix, Maryland Room manager at Frederick (Md.) County Public Libraries, was this year’s recipient of the Genealogical Publishing Company/History Section Award for outstanding contributions to the History Section of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA). Pictured is Mannix getting her award from Joe Brickey of the Genealogical Publishing Company at ALA’s annual conference in New Orleans.

Message from the MARS Chair

Messages from MARS: Emerging Technologies in Reference Section
Missy Clapp, Editor

Greetings!

We are looking forward to a wonderful year with MARS, the Emerging Technologies in Reference Section of RUSA! Change seems to be the only constant in reference these days, and MARS is no exception to the rule. As our environment changes, MARS is changing to meet the needs of its members. Before we look at what is ahead, let’s take a moment to reflect on the Annual Conference.

MARS and RSS hosted a very successful preconference, “Strange Bedfellows: IT and Reference Collaborations to Enhance User Experiences.” Guest speakers shared personal experiences to illustrate successful collaborations and overcome obstacles. This was an excellent preconference! Congratulations to all who participated in the planning! Special thanks go to Donna Scanlon and Carolyn Sheffield, the MARS and RSS Co-Chairs of the Preconference Planning Committee.

The MARS Chair’s Program, “It’s All About Them: Developing Information Services with User Experience Design,” was standing room only with 164 in attendance and more than 100 additional people who wanted to attend! Comments were very positive and included requests for a follow-up webinar. Thanks to the efforts of Courtney Greene, chair of the Program Planning Committee, Anne Houston, MARS Chair, the members of the Program Planning Committee, and the panelists—the program was a huge success!

Hot Topics and the Virtual Reference Discussion Group (VRDG) both held very interesting discussions. Hot Topics hosted a discussion forum, “How are We Measuring up? Using New Technology to Schedule, Standardize, and Assess Reference Services.” More than fifty people attended this lively and informative discussion forum. Special thanks to Matt Torrence who chaired the Hot Topics Committee! The Virtual Reference Discussion Group hosted a discussion forum, “Mobile Goes Both Ways: Using the iPad for Virtual Reference.” The session was well attended and very interesting. Many thanks to Amanda Powers who chaired the VRDG committee!

The RSS/MARS Virtual Reference Services Committee also sponsored an impressive program, “Behind the Text: Pulling Back the Curtain on Virtual Reference.” Thanks to the leadership of Ellen Filgo and Donald Boozer, co-chairs of the committee.

The MARS Happy Hour was another highlight of the conference. This year’s gathering was held at Mulate’s Restaurant. It was a wonderful way to conclude the day—great food, and great company! Congratulations and much gratitude to Arlie Sims for chairing the Outreach Committee that planned the MARS Happy Hour.

Each year, we recognize one member of MARS for his/her outstanding efforts and contributions to the section. I would like to acknowledge Linda Keiter for receiving the MARS Achievement Recognition Certificate, otherwise known as the “My Favorite Martian Award!” Linda was recognized at both the MARS Chair’s Program and the RUSA Awards Reception. Congratulations Linda!

Now let’s look ahead at a few upcoming changes for MARS. Two task forces were formed just after the Midwinter Meeting. One task force examined the feasibility of continuing the MARS/RSS preconference in the current economic climate. The other task force examined the presence of MARS during the Midwinter Meeting. The work of the Preconference Task Force resulted in the change of a six-year tradition: MARS and RSS will not continue the practice of hosting the Reinvented Reference Preconference in the immediate future. Instead, MARS and RSS will work together to produce workshops—based largely on the model set by STARS. All of the logistics have not been determined, but more will come in the months ahead.

The second task force examined whether MARS should continue to meet in person during the Midwinter Meeting, or if it would be better to meet virtually during Midwinter.  A survey was drafted and distributed to MARS members and those who are interested in MARS.  The survey revealed that most participants see the advantages of meeting in person while acknowledging that it is becoming harder for members to afford traveling to two conferences each year.  Based on this information, MARS will pilot a new model for Midwinter 2012.  There will be no MARS All-Committee meeting during the 2012 Midwinter Conference.  Only the elected members of the Executive Committee will be asked to attend the conference and attend the ExComm meetings.  Committee Chairs do not need to attend the Executive Committee meetings at Midwinter unless they would like to do so.  Of course, if a committee is hosting a discussion forum during Midwinter, enough committee members to run the discussion forum will need to be present.  If your committee would like to meet for planning purposes, please contact me ahead of time, and a room will be reserved for your meeting.  All committees will be asked to submit a report concerning the committee’s activities prior to Midwinter.  The Executive Committee will use the reports as the basis for ExComm discussions during Midwinter.

More details concerning Midwinter will be sent at a later date. The thing to remember at the moment is that you should not book your travel plans for Midwinter until you speak with your committee Chair and find out if your MARS committee is meeting during Midwinter. This is particularly important for those who attend Midwinter primarily for MARS committee meetings.

If you are interested in joining MARS or learning more about the Emerging Technologies in Reference Section, please contact us. We welcome all members, those who can meet in person as well as virtual members. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at mckellar@udel.edu.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Anne Houston and Carolyn Larson, past chair, and past-past chair of MARS, respectively, for all of their help during my year as vice-chair. Your guidance was appreciated. I’d also like to thank all of the members of MARS for working together and continually striving to create venues that allow experiences and information concerning emerging technologies in reference to be shared.

Warm Regards,

Dianna McKellar
MARS Chair, 2011-2012

Message from the Chair

RSS Review
Amy E. Rustic, Editor

Hello RSS Members!

I am very excited to be starting work as the 2011-2012 RSS Chair. RSS has been my home in ALA since 2003, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve.

This year we’ll be making even more changes to help RSS meet the needs of frontline reference staff. Joe Thompson, our fearless past-chair, led an inspiring board meeting earlier this month where many of you shared great ideas how we can move RSS forward. Next, the Organization and Planning Committee, led by Thompson, will work with the RSS Executive Committee to implement the ideas from the meeting and from the recently completed Section Review. Our goal is to continue to develop RSS into a responsive, effective, and fluid section that will meet the needs of frontline reference staff now and prepare us all for the future.

In addition, I’m asking all committee chairs to set goals for the year and update them as the year progresses. I’ve built in more structure and accountability (AKA, deadlines!) to help all of us develop new projects and complete them. I was a bit worried about giving people deadlines and checkpoints, but the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I guess we all do work better when we have deadlines! Even the Executive Committee had to create goals and has to meet deadlines—we’re not exempt from the work.

We have so many exceptional, hardworking, and talented members of our section, and I’m lucky to know a lot of you. I hope to meet many more of you throughout the year. Speaking of exceptional members, I want to be sure to mention three new members of our RSS Honor Roll, who have served the section in three different capacities since its inception: Qiana Johnson, Marjorie Schreiber Lear, and Emilie Smart. Congratulations! Thanks to each of you for your dedication and hard work.

Here’s to a wonderful year! If at any time you have any ideas for our how section can improve, or issues from the frontlines that we should be addressing, please let me know.

Best to you, 


Liane Taylor

ltaylor@txstate.edu
RSS Chair, 2011-2012

Message from the Chair

STARS
Katharine Calhoun, Editor
calhoun@gatech.edu

Greetings Everyone,

I am the new Chair of RUSA STARS, I’d like to introduce myself. I am the Head of Access Services at Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison. My entire career has been in interlibrary loan and other access services areas, so it seems STARS has always been a part of my career.

I am very excited to spend the next year helping lead STARS towards its objectives. This year we hope to continue to offer educational activities, along with establishing a venue for communication for all resource sharing practitioners. Whether you are new to STARS or have been a member forever like me, I encourage you to contact me with ideas and interests you may have. I am sure we have a space for you on one of our committees, and we are always looking for new ideas!

Heather Weltin, Chair
hweltin@library.wisc.edu