A recap of the Literary Tastes author panel in Orlando: While attendance was not as high as past events, the caliber of this year’s author panel went unmatched. Award winning authors spoke candidly on themes of folklore, Polish culture old and new, child behavior, injustice, racism and fear. Literary Tastes is an opportunity to hear from noteworthy authors whose books are among their annual selections and also celebrate the art and craft of writing with fellow book lovers.
Naomi Novik, author of Uprooted, (Del Rey Books), was the 2016 Fantasy category winner of RUSA’s Reading List. Novik said, “Uprooted is, underneath, how people are connected and how people need one another.” She spoke of her Polish roots and how they influenced her story’s mythological aspects.
Jim Shepard spoke of his book, The Book of Aron (Alfred A. Knopf), which was name the 2016 winner of RUSA’s Sophie Brody Medal for excellence in Jewish Literature as well as a finalist for the 2016 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Shepard said “I’m interested in fictions that dismantle.” We read this chilling story from Aron’s perspective, a child in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII, who uses his willful, limited capacities to survive and to understand the world around him.
James Hannaham, author of Delicious Foods, (Little, Brown and Company) was named a 2016 RUSA Notable Book for Fiction, which has since won the 2016 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. In a frank discussion about how we perceive and portray context, he says he liked the idea that “the book could move forward with information rather than plot.” Hannaham has many conversations about racism and slavery, but “part of it is that it’s not over.” He left the captivated audience yearning for more.
Lastly, Karin Slaughter, author of Pretty Girls (William Morrow), who was the 2016 Adrenaline category winner of RUSA’s Reading List, spoke of her growing up in the south as the youngest of her sisters. Her stories are influenced by the fear her father instilled in her, “the last time a child left the refrigerator door open, they died,” she said jokingly and “children who read are quieter,”. The room was full of constant laughter as if we had transported to a late night comedy club. Her famous departing words, “I’ll leave you with urine and fear.”
The audience took a wild literary journey through past and present. Authors were there signing books immediately following the presentation where attendees could share their enthusiasm and take the occasional selfie. This annual RUSA event is quickly becoming a conference highlight for readers of all types. We are looking forward to next year!
RUSA’s 2017 Achievement Awards nomination period opens September 1 and runs through December 9, 2016. Nomination and submission instructions can be found on each of the award pages here: http://www.ala.org/rusa/awards/achievement. Librarians and library staff that work in reference and user services, instruction, readers’ advisory, business reference, historical research and genealogy, interlibrary loan are encouraged to apply!
Welcome to Jennifer Cross! Jennifer Cross has been hired as the new web services specialist for ASCLA and RUSA. Jennifer has her Master’s in Library Science from Texas Woman’s University, and a B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Illinois. Most recently she has been a Programming and Web Design teacher in Caracas, Venezuela. In past positions, she has been a technology teacher, school librarian and web developer. Please direct any web services, RUSQ, and appointment database questions to her at jcross@ala.org.
RUSA Vendor Relations From achievement awards, travel awards, receptions and more, our sponsors enhance the ALA Annual experience for RUSA members. Thank you, RUSA sponsors, for your continued support!
ABC-CLIO Atlas Systems Credo Reference DPE AFL-CIO Ebsco Emerald Publishing Gale Cengage Global Financial Data HarperCollins Little, Brown and Company (Hachette Book Group) Mergent Mintel Morningstar NoveList (Ebsco) OCLC/WorldCat Penguin Random House ProQuest ProQuest Reference Service Press Reference USA S&P Global Market Intelligence SimplyMap/Geographic Research Springshare
“IAmRUSA” Podcast
RUSA’s very first “IAmRUSA” podcast!
This podcast was created by Patty Valdovinos, our 2016 RUSA Spectrum Intern. Patty will be creating more podcasts profiling RUSA members as part of her Spectrum project for RUSA, continuing the “IAmRUSA” conversations created by our previous Spectrum Intern, Kirk MacLeod, last year (see the past conversations here). We hope these podcasts will help us all learn more about each other as RUSA members. Thanks to Patty for this great initiative and a special acknowledgment to her for conducting the interview. Listen to it here.
2016 Election Results
Congratulations to the winners of the 2016 RUSA elections!
Thank you to those who stood in for election and to all the RUSA members who voted. Your votes help guide the leadership of RUSA and contribute to the success of the organization and its mission. The election results can be found here.
Town Hall Meeting
Make your voice count! The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) is hosting a virtual Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 at 1 p.m. (PST) / 2 p.m. (MDT) / 3 p.m. (CDT) / 4 p.m. (EDT) to give all RUSA members (and prospective members!) a chance to ask questions about the organization and give input on our current and future directions. We invite you to submit questions and suggestions ahead of time or ask them during the Town Hall.
You can submit your question here up until June 10: http://goo.gl/forms/7pHP8S4Yy3.
RUSA President Anne Houston and RUSA Vice-President Alesia McManus will be present at the Town Hall to answer questions. To attend the meeting, you can either call 1-866-717-7547 with participant code: 72620830# or click on this link on June 15.
RUSA President, Anne Houston, has appointed Celia Ross, Associate Librarian at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan as RUSA’s newest position, Vendor Relations Liaison.
The Vendor Relations Liaison’s role is to facilitate communication between RUSA, including its staff, members, committees, sections and Executive Board, and database providers, publishers and other research resource vendors in order to ensure the continued support of RUSA’s awards, events, learning opportunities and strategic plan. The Liaison will also work to highlight the value and impact produced by this collaboration.
“Celia has had a direct impact on the professional development of many librarians, drawing them into business reference services and research. Celia is the ideal candidate for this position in that she has been one of RUSA’s greatest assets in advocating for our profession, creating and maintaining relationships with industry vendors and securing sponsorships for many of RUSA’s awards and events. Her rapport within and without the library community goes unmatched and we are beyond excited to have her as the face of our vendor relations liaison,” said RUSA President, Anne Houston.
In collaboration with RUSA, vendors gain unique access to a targeted audience of RUSA members, including reference and acquisitions librarians, collection development specialists, and other information professionals, resulting in a mutually beneficial partnership.
Annual Conference events:
RUSA’s President’s Program
“Be Our Guest”: Creating Immersive Guest Experiences in Libraries
Saturday, June 25
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Orange County Convention Center, Room W110B
Join us for RUSA’s President’s Program, a thoughtful discussion on how to create an effective “guest experience” in your library that teaches and inspires your users. Keynote speaker Dave Cobb, Vice President for Creative Development of Thinkwell Group, is an expert on designing immersive educational experiences for museums and theme parks. He’ll talk about how libraries can tell stories with space and create emotional resonance with their users–drawing on examples from the library world as well as theme parks. Responders are: John Blyberg, Assistant Director for Innovation and UX, Darien Library; and Stephen Bell, Associate University Librarian, Temple University. Add it to your schedule!
Dave Cobb
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction Celebration
Saturday, June 25
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
HILTON Orlando, Room Florida Ballroom 1-4
The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction are co-sponsored by Booklist and RUSA and supported by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. This year’s program, sponsored in part by NoveList, will include featured speaker Billy Collins, former Poet Laureate of the U.S., as well as remarks from fiction medalist Viet Thanh Nguyen (The Sympathizer) and nonfiction medalist Sally Mann (Hold Still). The speakers will mingle with attendees and publishers at a drinks and dessert reception following the award presentation on Saturday, June 25, 8-10p.m. Our Gold sponsors include Grove Atlantic and Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group. Individual tickets and tables are available for purchase. Add it to your schedule!
Literary Tastes: Celebrating the Best Reading of the Year
Sunday, June 26
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Rosen Centre, Room Grand A
Listen to some of the year’s best authors discuss their work and the craft of writing, while enjoying the company of other book lovers. All Annual Conference registrants are invited to participate in this free event. Light refreshments will be served. Book signings to follow. Add it to your schedule!
Featured speakers include: Naomi Novik, author of Uprooted. Published by Del Rey. Winner of the 2016 Fantasy category of RUSA’s Reading List. Jim Shepard, author of The Book of Aron. Published by A.A.Knopf. Winner of the 2016 Sophie Brody Medal and finalist for the 2016 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. James Hannaham, author of Delicious Foods. Published by Little, Brown and Company. 2016 RUSA Notable Book for Fiction. Karin Slaughter, author of Pretty Girls. Published by William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins. Winner of the 2016 Adrenaline category of RUSA’s Reading List. Joy Harjo, author of Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings: Poems. Published by W.W. Norton and Company. 2016 RUSA Notable Book for Poetry.
RUSA 101
Friday, June 24
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
HILTON Orlando, Room Florida Ballroom 1-2
If you’re a first time conference attendee, new to RUSA or a longtime member looking for an opportunity to connect and ways to get involved, make sure to put RUSA 101 on your calendar! Spend an hour with us on Friday from 3-4p.m. before heading off to the opening of the exhibit floor for a chance to win some fantastic door prizes! Sponsored by Springshare. Add it to your schedule!
Achievement Awards Ceremony and Reception
Sunday, June 26
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Rosen Centre, Room Grand A
Join RUSA colleagues and celebrate this year’s award winners for their outstanding accomplishments in reference and user services! Add it to your schedule!
BRASS Preconference: Business Data for Librarians
Friday, June 24
8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Orange County Convention Center, Room W303 A/B
As the business world embraces data and analytics, so do business librarians. The focus of this interactive full-day pre conference program will include: conducting a data reference interview; delving into the issues of data validity and data information literacy; and, working with data tools and datasets. We will look in-depth at locating and manipulating financial and marketing data in particular. Designed for academic, public, and special librarians and all interested in this topic. Tickets available here.
Readers’ Advisory101 (Live chats on Thursdays at 3 p.m. CST)
July 5 – August 12, 2016
Through practice sessions, participants will learn from instructor and RA expert Joyce Saricks how to use RA tools, craft annotations, read in genres, articulate appeal, and experiment with methods to offer RA services. The topics covered are introductory in nature. Read more here. Register here.
Learner-Centered Reference and Instruction: Science, Psychology, and Inclusive Pedagogy
July 18 – August 28, 2016
This course will introduce library practitioners to empirically sound approaches to learner-centered teaching that can be applied to creating effective reference and instruction services that maximally facilitate student learning. Read more here. Register here.
Introduction to Instructional Design for Librarians (Live chats on Mondays at 5 p.m.CST)
September 12 – October 23, 2016
Learn to use the Instructional Design Process and apply it effectively to library instruction. Read more here. Register here.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) 101 (Recorded Live Sessions on M/W, Time 1-2 p.m. CST)
October 3 – 30, 2016
The course will be separated into four separate modules that cover the ILL process from both the borrowing and lending perspectives, copyright law and licensing impacts on ILL, and ILL resources and systems. This course will cover both policies and procedures. Read more here. Register here.
Business Reference 101
October 3 – 30, 2016 or October 31 – December 4, 2016
This four-week, Web-based professional development course is designed for academic, special or public librarians and other researchers and library staff who have a basic understanding of some business resources but who do not work with them often enough to build expertise. Read more here. Register here.
Genealogy 101
October 31 – December 4
This course is designed for reference staff with little to no experience in genealogy. Using a case study to frame the coursework, participants will learn about tools and techniques they can use to confidently assist patrons with family history research. Read more here. Register here.
Pricing for the listed courses:
$130 for RUSA members
$175 for ALA members
$210 for non-ALA members
$100 for student members and retired members
Don’t miss out on Early Bird Registration rates, which end at 12 p.m. (CT) March 16, 2016. You can register for the conference using this link: ALA Annual Conference registration.
RUSA’s Annual Conference Line-up:
President’s Program
“Be Our Guest”: Creating Immersive Guest Experiences in Libraries
Join RUSA for a thoughtful discussion on how to create an effective “guest experience” in your library that both teaches and inspires your users. Keynote speaker Dave Cobb, Vice President for Creative Development of the Thinkwell Group, is an expert on designing immersive educational experiences for museums and theme parks. He’ll talk about how libraries can tell stories with space and create emotional resonance with their users–drawing on examples from the library world, as well as local Orlando theme parks.
Preconferences
Business Data for Librarians – Ticket purchase required
As the business world embraces big data, so must librarians. The focus of this full-day workshop will include: conducting a data reference interview; delving into the issues of data validity and data information literacy; and, working with data tools and datasets. Participants will look in-depth at locating and manipulating financial and marketing data in particular. You’ll hear from experts through interactive sessions on data and microdata in libraries and business reference work, the types of financial data and the primary sources for obtaining it, and how to employ skepticism in assessing marketing and consumer data. Register here.
A Spoonful of Data-Driven Sugar: Using Big Business Research to Improve Customer Satisfaction in Easy-to-Implement, Single-Serving Packets – Ticket purchase required
USAA, Amazon, Zappos, Trader Joe’s, and Starbucks are among companies ranked highest in customer service and they spend millions of dollars identifying ways to make their users happy. Learn how our panelists have tested and incorporated specific communication techniques into their workflows and patron interfaces, improving customer satisfaction and their own understanding of user needs, wants, and stress behaviors. Attendees will receive access to a digital toolkit of tips and tools. Register here.
Genealogy Preconference – Free, but registration is required* This free workshop will help librarians of all types learn techniques. This can include better understanding of genealogy research methods and sources. It can also include how libraries can leverage their unique holdings to become more relevant to genealogists, who tend to be passionate in their support of libraries that have useful materials. Register here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q7RCDJT.
Annual Conference Programs
(Dates and times have not been confirmed yet. Please stay tuned!)
The Library as Publisher: Emerging Services for Storytellers and Scholars
More information to come. Stay tuned!
Educating for the Future of Reference, sponsored by the RSS Education & Professional Development Committee
What do reference librarians need from library school coursework to best prepare them for the current marketplace? To help answer this question we have assembled a panel that includes reference/public services librarians from both academic and public libraries, a library school professor, and a library school dean, to explore whether existing coursework as currently taught meets these needs, and if not, how those working in the profession can best inform library schools as they make strategic decisions about curriculum.
Partnering for the Common Good: Libraries, and Genealogical Societies
Interest in family history (genealogy) is at an all-time high across the nation. In addition, Technology is making possible partnerships between libraries and societies that would not have been possible a few years ago. Come hear stories of successful collaboration between all types of libraries (Public, Academic, School, and Special), and genealogical societies. Learn how you can leverage these partnerships to the benefit of your library. Participants will learn how to identify opportunities for their own libraries to partner with a local genealogical society.
Not Your Average Consortia
As library partnerships and collaborations are needed more than ever, library consortias are being relied upon more as resources and tools in a library’s future. This presentation will focus on what years of consortial development and participation has taught us. The panelists provide decades of experience in consortial partnerships and will be able to touch upon the “best of” practices in these partnerships. They will also guide a discussion on future developments and opportunities for all consortial cooperation.
Emerging Technologies Librarians: Changing Roles for Changing Times
We’ll take a look at the day in the life of Emerging Technologies Librarians, the trends in job descriptions, tips for successfully juggling competing priorities, and advice and strategies for keeping up. Our panel will delve into the discussion regarding what preparation library schools should be providing for reference practitioners. The panel will bring together LIS reference educators and reference practitioners – which makes this a unique program. At the end of this program, participants will be able to describe several different variations of job descriptions and responsibilities of emerging technologies librarians.
Book and Media Awards Ceremony & Reception
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction
“The Sympathizer,” by Viet Thanh Nguyen, published by Grove Press, an imprint of Grove Atlantic, was selected as the winner of the 2016 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and “Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs,” by Sally Mann, published by Little, Brown, and Company, Hachette Book Group, was selected as the winner of the 2016 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.
This is the first time the Carnegie Medal winner announcements were made during the Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits, reflecting a new calendar for the awards, with the shortlist announced in October, the winners in January and the popular celebratory event continuing at ALA Annual Conference each year. During the celebratory event, both Nguyen and Mann will receive a medal and $5,000. The four finalists will each receive $1,500. To attend the celebratory reception, purchase tickets for the event here.
Literary Tastes: Celebrating the best reading of the year Featured speakers include: Naomi Novik, author of Uprooted. Published by Del Rey. Winner of the 2016 Fantasy category of RUSA’s Reading List. Jim Shepard, author of The Book of Aron. Published by A.A.Knopf. Winner of the 2016 Sophie Brody Medal and finalist for the 2016 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. James Hannaham, author of Delicious Foods. Published by Little, Brown and Company. 2016 Notable Book for fiction. Karin Slaughter, author of Pretty Girls. Published by William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins. Winner of the 2016 Adrenaline category of RUSA’s Reading List. Joy Harjo, author of Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings: Poems. Published by W.W. Norton and Company. 2016 RUSA Notable Book for Poetry.
ALA Annual Conference
Sunday, June 27, 2015, 8:00am-10:00am, hotel TBA
Orlando, FL
Naomi Novik
Jim Shepard
James Hannaham
Karin Slaughter
Joy Harjo
RUSA Achievement Awards ceremony and reception
Sunday, June 27, 5-6:30pm, hotel TBA
Orlando, FL
DIVISION AWARDS:
Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award
“This year’s winner is Cheryl LaGuardia, research librarian at the Widener Library of Harvard University.
The Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award was established in 1958. It presents a cash award of $5,000* and a citation to an individual who has made a distinguished contribution to reference librarianship.
Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Services The 2016 winner is San Jose Public Library, San Jose, CA, for the Virtual Privacy Lab (sjpl.org/privacy), a free, encrypted online learning tool for all libraries to share with patrons.
Established in 1990, the Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Library Services is a citation and $1,000* award presented to a library or library system for developing an imaginative and unique resource to meet patrons’ reference needs.
John Sessions Memorial Award This year’s winner is The Center for Labor Education & Research, University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu
Established in 1980, the John Sessions Memorial Award recognizes a library or library system which has made a significant effort to work with the labor community and by doing so has brought recognition to the history and contribution of the labor movement to the development of the United States. Such efforts may include outreach projects to local labor unions; establishment of, or significant expansion of, special labor collections; initiation of programs of special interest to the labor community; or other library activities that serve the labor community. The winner receives a plaque.
NoveList’s Margaret E. Monroe Library Adult Services Award Dr. Mary K. Chelton, retired professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, Queen’s College, CUNY, was selected as this year’s winner.
Established in 1985, the Margaret E. Monroe Award is $1,250* and a citation presented to a librarian who has made significant contributions to library adult services. The individual may be practicing librarian, a library and information science researcher or educator, or a retired librarian who has brought distinction to the profession’s understanding and practice or services for adults.
Reference Service Press Award Denise Adkins, associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Information Science and Learning Technologies and C. Sean Burns, assistant professor, University of Kentucky School of Information Science, authored the winning article selected for the 2016 Reference Service Press Award. The article, “Arizona Public Libraries Serving the Spanish-Speaking Context for Changes,” was first published inFall of 2013, (Vol. 53, No. 1) ofReference and User Services Quarterly
Established in 1985 and sponsored by Reference Service Press, this award constitutes a plaque and $2,500*. It recognizes the most outstanding article published in RUSQ during the preceding two-volume year.
SECTION AWARDS:
Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS)
BRASS Mergent Excellence in Business Librarianship Award Jared Hoppenfeld, Business Librarian/Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University was selected as this year’s winner.
Established in 1989, the Excellence in Business Librarianship Award presents a citation and $4,000* cash award to an individual who has made a significant contribution to business librarianship.
BRASS Emerald Research Grant Award Lisa O’Connor, associate professor, School of Library and Information Science, University of Kentucky, for her study, “Why Aren’t Millennials Taking Stock?: Assessing the Role of Information Literacy in Market Avoidance.”
The Emerald Research Grant Award will be awarded to individuals seeking support to conduct research in business librarianship. The funds may be used at the discretion of the award recipients.
Global Financial Data Academic Business Librarianship Travel Award This year’s winner is Ruth D. Terry, business and government information librarian, assistant professor at the University of Alaska-Anchorage This $1,250* award recognizes a librarian new to the field of academic business librarianship in order to support attendance to the ALA Annual Conference.
BRASS Morningstar Public Librarian Support Award Susan Wolf Neilson, librarian, Wake County Public Libraries (N.C.) was selected as the 2016 winner.
This award, $1,250*, is to support the attendance at Annual Conference of a public librarian who has performed outstanding business reference service and who requires financial assistance to attend the ALA Annual Conference.
BRASS SimplyMap Student Travel Award The 2016 winner is Katherine Glasoe, student at the School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College.
This award consists of $1,250* and is given to a student enrolled in an ALA accredited master’s degree program to fund travel to and attendance at the ALA Annual Conference and a one-year membership in the Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS) of RUSA.
Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES)
Louis Shores Award Multimedia & Technology Reviews was selected as the 2016 winner.
Established in 1990, this award recognizes an individual reviewer, group, editor, review medium or organization for excellence in book reviewing and other media for libraries.
Zora Neale Hurston Award Dr. Florita Bell Griffin, Creative Director of ARC Communications, LLC, a Texas-based Visual Art Communications and Publishing Company is the 2016 winner.
This annual award, founded in 2008, provides $1,250 for funds to travel to the ALA Annual Conference, tickets to the United for Libraries’ Gala Author Tea and two sets of Zora Neale Hurston books published by Harper Perennial, to an individual ALA member who has demonstrated leadership in promoting African American literature.
Emerging Technologies Section (ETS)
ETS Achievement Recognition Award Beth Boatright, information services and instruction librarian, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, was selected as the 2016 winner.
The ETS Achievement Recognition Award is given annually to recognize excellence in service to MARS. This award, presented at the annual ETS Chair’s Program, is given to an individual who is a current member of ETS, and has been an active member for the past two years.
HISTORY Section (HS)
Gale Cengage History Research and Innovation Award The 2016 winner is Thomas Padilla, Digital Scholarship Librarian, Michigan State University.
Established in 2012, the Gale Cengage History Research and Innovation Award winner will receive a citation and up to $2,500* which may be used at the winner’s discretion. This award will be granted to an MLS degreed librarian from an ALA accredited school to facilitate and further research relating to history and history librarianship.
Genealogy / History Achievement Award Michele C. McNabb, Library Manager, Genealogy Center, Museum of Danish America was selected as this year’s winner.
Established in 1992 and sponsored by ProQuest, this award presents a citation and $1,500* cash to a librarian, library or publisher and recognizes professional achievement in historical reference and research librarianship.
Reference Services Section (RSS)
RSS Service Achievement Award The 2016 winner is Sarah J. Hammill, Business & Online Learning Librarian, Florida International University.
This annual award, founded in 2010, is given to an RSS member who has made either a sustained contribution towards attaining the goals of the Reference Services Section or a single significant contribution that has resulted in a positive impact upon the work of the section.
Sharing and Transforming Access to Resources Section (STARS)
STARS-Atlas Systems Mentoring Award The 2016 winner is Kimberly Steiner, interlibrary loan technician at Messiah College (Pa.).
Sponsored by Atlas Systems, Inc., this award offers $1,250* to fund travel expenses associated with attending ALA’s annual conference. The recipient will be a library practitioner who is new to the field of interlibrary loan/document delivery or electronic reserves, and who has daily, hands-on involvement in the areas of borrowing, lending, document delivery, electronic reserves, material delivery, or resource sharing.
Virginia Boucher-OCLC Distinguished ILL Librarian Award Tina Baich, associate librarian and head of resource sharing and delivery services, bibliographic and metadata services, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis was selected as this year’s winner.
The Virginia Boucher-OCLC Distinguished ILL (Interlibrary Loan) Librarian Award is an annual award consisting of $2,000*, sponsored by OCLC, and a citation. It recognizes a librarian for outstanding professional achievement, leadership, and contributions to interlibrary loan and document delivery through recent publication of significant professional literature, participation in professional associations, and/or innovative approaches to practice in individual libraries.
RUSA COMMITTEES:
RUSA Membership
Jason Coleman, Chair of Conference Program Coordinating Committee joined RUSA 201 on January 20 for a great session. If you’re interested in knowing more about what this committee looks for, we’ve posted the session and presentation here: http://connect.ala.org/node/250217
RUSA 101 is an orientation to RUSA, it’s sections, and the work done across the division.
RUSA 201 provides more in-depth content for RUSA members about what is done at the division level and opportunities to get involved.
Watch the listserv for updates and meeting information!
If you or your committee are interested in being featured, please drop me a line at agbrown@gwu.edu.
RUSA Publications and Communications
Consider blogging for RUSA Voices, the new blog for RUSA members and those who support the mission and goals of RUSA.
We are looking for folks (RUSA members or interested parties) to blog during ALA’s Annual Conference this coming June in Orlando about interesting sessions, discussion groups, and happenings.
If you’re not attending Annual, but have other things you’d like to share, consider blogging about items or interest or things that really grind your gears throughout the year. Can’t do it then, but still interested?
Going to other library conferences and want to share what you learned? Bring it on! No topic is taboo and since this is a user generated blog, we want to hear what you think. RUSA wants to hear what you think. ALA wants to hear what you think.
Reference Interview Institute – Ticket Purchase Required Friday, January 8, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
BCEC 101
This live and in-person all day workshop will provide you with some techniques that will enable you to better assist your users-and help you figure out what it is that they really need when they ask a question. Two expert reference librarians (one public librarian and one academic librarian) will give you tips that will make you more approachable, a better communicator and help make your users more willing to return. Register here.
Ticket Prices:
Category
Early Bird –
11:59 a.m. (CST)
November 11, 2015
Advance –
11:59 a.m. (CST)
January 4, 2016
Division Member
$199
$199
ALA Member
$219
$219
Other Member
(Retired, Student, Trustee,
Non-Salaried, Support, and Staff)
$149
$149
Non-ALAMember
$259
$259
History Genealogy Institute – FREE, But Registration is Required Friday, January 8, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
BCEC 151B
This free workshop will help librarians of all types learn techniques. This can include better understanding of genealogy research methods and sources. It can also include how libraries can leverage their unique holdings to become more relevant to genealogists, who tend to be passionate in their support of libraries that have useful materials. Lunch provided and sponsored by ProQuest. Must register here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QWZP6WG.
BRAND NEW! Deep Dive Session
We are all user experience librarians: Creating change from the trenches
Saturday, January 9, 1:00 p.m.- 4:15 p.m.
This Deep Dive workshop will focus on user testing and understanding your users’ experience through a mix of discussion, presentations, and interactive experiences. Our five presenters will offer design strategies and tools from throughout the lifecycle of a user experience design project, and they will also join together as a panel to provide a spirited, entertaining look at pitfalls to avoid and lessons learned. Unlike other sessions about user experience design, the proposed workshop will focus on providing attendees with concrete skills and techniques they can apply at their home institutions with relatively little expense or pre-planning. “Deep Dive” half-day education sessions for active, participatory learning in a workshop-style setting, CEUs will be available, with registration for each session capped at 25. More information here.
Location: TBD
Cost: TBD
RUSA Meetings
Executive Committee Meeting
Friday, January 8, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
BCEC 203
Meeting of the Executive Committee where discussions will consist of current and planned activities of the RUSA Division. This is an open meeting and all registered attendees are welcome. Come meet some of RUSA’s key players; President; Anne Houston, President-Elect/Vice-President; Alesia M. McManus, Past President; Joseph A. Thompson, Secretary; Kathryn J. Oberg, Councilor; Sarah Hammill and RUSA Executive Director; Susan Hornung.
Board of Directors Meeting I and II:
Board I – Saturday, January 9, 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., BCEC 205B
Board II – Monday, January 11, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., BCEC 153C RUSA Board of Director meetings are open and any individual registered for the Midwinter Meeting may sit in on the meetings. The meeting’s topics are set aside for visitors and board members to use as an ‘open forum’ where anyone can share information, ask questions, etc. The agenda and documents are completed prior to the conference. Anyone interested in viewing the agenda for the meeting, as well as the documents that accompany the agenda items, may view or download them from ALA Connect. If you or your constituency develops a document for board consideration, please give it to the RUSA staff at least two hours before a board meeting. RUSA Board of Directors’ Meetings are open and all registered attendees are welcome!
Budget and Finance Meeting
Sunday, January 10, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Westin, Faneuil
Meeting to review, recommend and plan goals, objectives, and priorities for the division as they relate to the RUSA’s budgetary matters.
Network, Socialize & Celebrate
RUSA Speed Mentoring Session
Saturday, January 9, 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Park Plaza, Arlington, Berkeley
Join a group of experienced RUSA leaders to engage in a fun, interactive “speed mentoring” session. Similar in format to “speed dating”, MLS students, new librarians, and mid-career librarians are invited to participate in this session where they will have the opportunity to gain leadership advice from a number of senior librarians and RUSA leaders.
Membership Social
Saturday, January 9, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Hyatt, Grand Ballroom B
Join members of RUSA for an opportunity to eat, drink, network, win door prizes and learn more about our division and its sections. The social is open to past, current and those interested in becoming members. All attendees are welcome!
Book & Media Awards Ceremony and Reception
Sunday, January 10, 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Park Plaza, Grand Ballroom A
For the first time, the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction will be announced during this Midwinter Meeting event, reflecting the new calendar for these awards. As always, RUSA will also unveil the winners of the Reading List, Notable Books and Listen List selections, the Dartmouth Medal, the Sophie Brody Medal for Jewish literature, the Zora Neale Hurston Award for achievement in promoting African-American literature and the Louis Shores Award for book reviewing. All Midwinter attendees are invited to this event. Light refreshments provided. The event is sponsored in part by NoveList.
In my previous RUSA Update column I reported on the RUSA Board’s facilitated strategic planning session that took place on the Friday of ALA Midwinter in Chicago, which was led by Paul Meyer of Tecker International Consulting. Since that time the Strategic Plan Coordinating Task Force, chaired by Anne Houston, has met regularly by telephone conference and has exchanged roughly 200 emails to continue the work. One of our main tasks over February and March was to incorporate the priorities that had already been identified by our members in the RUSA Review Task Force Report, http://connect.ala.org/node/229140. By the end of March we were able to share a draft of the Strategic Plan with the Board for review and comment, which can be found at http://connect.ala.org/node/237537. Some of the questions that came up during this time related to how we will identify overlaps and move toward a more streamlined structure, how we should maximize the role of our publications as a key member value, and how to emphasize the importance of conference programming and the face-to-face experience. These questions and ideas were then able to be incorporated into the final draft, available at http://connect.ala.org/node/238939. At its regular online meeting on May 15th the RUSA Board approved the RUSA Strategic Plan: July 2015 – June 2018.
As you review the plan available on ALA Connect you will notice that the action Items are the one piece that are still draft as of this writing in late May. Our next steps are to finalize our action items and agree upon who within the organization is responsible for achieving the success of each. This work will take place during RUSA’s Board meetings at ALA Annual in San Francisco.
The document itself is fairly brief and focused, so I’d like to include it here. Please think about the active role that you can play to help take each of these goals and objectives forward! I’ve offered a few comments for explanation.
Core Purpose:(JT: Why we exist; Similar to a Mission)
RUSA is a member community engaged in advancing the practices of connecting people to resources, information services, and collections.
Core Organizational Values:
Building relationships among members from all types of libraries
Encouraging openness, innovation, and idea sharing
Promoting excellence in library services and resources
Vision:(JT: Also known as the Big Hairy Audacious Goal)
RUSA is an influential and authoritative organization, essential to the work of anyone engaged in the practices of connecting people to resources, information services, and collections.
Vivid Description of a Desired Future:(JT: Gives us direction on how we move toward the Vision)
RUSA is known for signature products made available through a variety of innovative formats.
The association’s services are relevant, accessible, and clearly contribute to the success of its members at all stages of their careers. RUSA members benefit professionally through relevant programming featuring the newest trends, technology and services. Participation in the association’s programming is considered essential to professional growth and to advancing libraries to meet new user needs. The strength of RUSA is reflected in its diversity of collaborative, innovative and engaged members who participate in collegial mentoring and networking. RUSA is renowned as a leading advocate group for library resources, information services and collections, and is recognized throughout ALA and beyond for its expertise.
Operating principles:
Maximize time of RUSA staff and volunteers by operating as efficiently as possible
Manage our financial resources responsibly
Cooperate and collaborate with other divisions and groups in ALA
Enable virtual participation whenever possible
Emphasize the importance of marketing and communication to ensure that members are aware of all opportunities
Goals and Objectives:
GOAL #1: Create an organization with greater flexibility in structure, enabling members to pursue their areas of interest in a variety of ways with minimal barriers to involvement.
Create a proposal to transition RUSA to a new organizational structure based on interest groups with a goal of reducing the complexity of the organization and better serving the members’ needs.
Create a process that allows members to become more easily involved in RUSA
Offer more flexibility in programming so that opportunities are accessible to all librarians regardless of their ability to travel to conference
GOAL #2: Offer services, programs and products that maximize the value of membership, making RUSA a good return on investment for its members and encouraging member engagement, recruitment and retention.
Develop and expand educational resources and experiences that are of high value to many members, including education on cutting edge and advanced topics
Respond to changes in ALA conference structure to ensure excellence in conference programming and delivery
Maximize impact of RUSA publications and communications
Increase opportunities for members to network with colleagues with similar interests
Maximize the exposure and prestige of RUSA through awards
Increase recruitment activities
Boost retention strategies through member engagement
Please take a moment to look back at our current Strategic Plan for 2012 – 2015, available on our RUSA web site at http://www.ala.org/rusa/sites/ala.org.rusa/files/content/about/rusa-strategic-plan.pdf. You will notice that key language in our previous Vision statement has made its way into our new Core Purpose. Our primary reason for being is our act of making connections. Our previous plan also focused a great deal of attention on how we deliver content and communicate and recognized our need to move activities online. We have made definite progress in this area (and some of these efforts continue), but you will notice that a significant focus of our new plan is on maximizing the value of the content itself. By providing high-value content and engaging experiences for our members we clearly support a good return on investment.
I again want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who played a part in the completion of this project, including all of our RUSA members who participated in the RUSA Review survey last summer, the Board members who have been engaged in providing constructive input and feedback, and especially the members of the Task Force – Anne Houston, Chris LeBeau, Erin Rushton, Jennifer Boettcher, Kathleen Kern, and Liane Taylor – for their hours of dedication to ensure that we defined the right priorities for our association. When you see Anne in San Francisco, please thank her for sacrificing at least two spring weekends to make much needed changes to the document!
Join us at 2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco for some exciting events. Below are some highlights to look forward to. The ALA Conference Scheduler is now open to create a personalized schedule where you can view the most up to date information for the best conference experience.
The eagerly anticipated announcement and presentation of the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, ALA’s only single-book awards for adult trade fiction and nonfiction, is followed by a chance to mingle at the dessert and drinks reception. The two books chosen as winners from the shortlist of six will be announced. Both winners attended the 2014 event to receive their medals and offered inspiring, entertaining remarks. Keynote speaker is best-selling author, actor, and NBA MVP all-star, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The awards are Co-Sponsored by Booklist and RUSA. The event is made possible by Ingram Content Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Random House, Penguin Group, and Simon & Schuster.
Saturday, June 27. The ceremony will be from 8:00-10:00 PM, Hotel Nikko, Nikko Ballroom Tickets are available here. RUSA members receive discounted price of $25.
RUSA Direct
Have you seen the new e-newsletter, direct from the RUSA office? Emailed straight to your inbox every Friday morning and it’s free to all RUSA members. You can view all the issues here and at the RUSA website under the Communications tab.
RUSA’s Annual Signature Programs
RUSA 101 Friday, June 26, 3:00-4:00 PM, Westin St. Francis, Tower Salon A & B
RUSA President’s Program Saturday, June 27, 4:00-5:30 PM, Moscone Convention Center, 3014 – 3016 West
Literary Tastes Author Event Sunday, June 29, 8:00-10:00 AM, Moscone Convention Center, West Exhibit Hall, 1st Floor
Listen to some of the year’s best authors discuss their work and the craft of writing, while enjoying the company of other book lovers. All Annual Conference registrants are invited to participate in this conference program. Sponsored by Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Group and Random House.
Speakers:
Katherine Addison for The Goblin Emperor (Tor Books, 2014), winner of the 2015 Reading List’s Fantasy category.
Amy Belding Brown for Flight of the Sparrow (New American Library, 2014), shortlist selection for the 2015 Reading List’s Historical Fiction category.
Stuart Rojstaczer for The Mathematician’s Shiva (Penguin, 2014), Honorable Mention for the 2015 Sophie Brody Medal for Jewish Literature.
Bryan Stevenson for Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (Spiegel & Grau, 2014), shortlist selection for the 2015 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.
Ashley Weaver for Murder at the Brightwell (Minotaur Books, 2014), winner of the 2015 Reading List’s Mystery category.
Jo Walton for My Real Children (Tor Books, 2014), winner of the 2015 Reading List’s Women’s Fiction category.
As always, you can count on RUSA to offer signature courses like Genealogy and Reference Interview, but RUSA has added new upcoming online courses and webinars, that will interest learners at any level.
RUSA VICE-PRESIDENT/PRESIDENT-ELECT
– Anne Houston
Director of Teaching, Learning & Research, Smith College Libraries, Northampton, MA SECRETARY
– Kate Oberg
College & Career Librarian, Arlington Public Library, Arlington, VA DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE
– Ed Garcia
Library Director, Cranston Public Library, Cranston, Rhode Island
– Mary Mintz
Associate Director for Outreach, American University Library, Washington, DC DIVISION COUNCILOR
– Sarah J. Hammill
Distance Learning Librarian, Florida International University, Miami, FL
BRASS VICE-CHAIR/CHAIR-ELECT
– Louise Mort Feldmann
Business Librarian, Colorado State University Libraries, Fort Collins, Colorado MEMBER-AT-LARGE
– Penny Scott
Reference Librarian/Business Liaison, 2003-Present, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
CODES VICE-CHAIR/CHAIR-ELECT
– Daniel C. Mack
Associate Dean, Collection Strategies and Services, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland MEMBER-AT-LARGE
– Emily Hamstra
Learning Librarian, Kinesiology Librarian, University of Michigan Library, Ann Arbor, Michigan
– Matthew J. Wayman
Head Librarian, 2008-Present, Ciletti Memorial Library, Penn State Schuylkill, Schuylkill Haven, PA
HISTORY VICE-CHAIR/CHAIR-ELECT
– Christina Thompson Shutt
Public Services Librarian & College Archivist, Hendrix College, Conway, AR MEMBER-AT-LARGE
– Melissa Finley Gonzalez
Head of Reference, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL SECRETARY
– Jennifer Eileen McElroy
Reference Specialist (2013 – present), Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Minnesota.
ETS (MARS): EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES SECTION VICE-CHAIR/CHAIR-ELECT
– Courtney Greene McDonald
Head, Discovery & Research Services, Indiana University Libraries, Bloomington, IN MEMBER-AT-LARGE
– Jason Coleman
Undergraduate and Community Services Librarian, Kansas State University Libraries, Manhattan, Kansas
RSS VICE-CHAIR/CHAIR-ELECT
– Amy Elizabeth Rustic
Associate Librarian/Reference and Instruction Librarian, Penn State University, New Kensington, PA MEMBER-AT-LARGE
– Ellen Keith
Director of Research and Access/Chief Librarian, Chicago History Museum, Chicago, IL
STARS VICE-CHAIR/CHAIR-ELECT
– Heidi Nance
Head, Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services and Collection Management Services Strategic Projects Librarian, University of Washington Libraries, Seattle, WA MEMBER-AT-LARGE
– Kerry Keegan
Customer Service Agent, Atlas Systems, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Join us at 2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco for some exciting events. Below are some highlights to look forward to. Come April, you will be able to use the ALA Conference Scheduler to create a personal schedule and you will be alerted to any last minute location changes.
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction
The two books selected as recipients of the Medal will be announced during the Awards ceremony on Saturday, June 27. The ceremony will be from 8:00-10:00 PM. Location will be announced in April. Tickets are available here. Cosponsored by Booklist and RUSA.
RUSA Direct
Have you seen the new e-newsletter, direct from the RUSA office? Emailed straight to your inbox every Friday morning and it’s free to all RUSA members. You can view all the issues here and at the RUSA website under the Communications tab.
As always, you can count on RUSA to offer signature courses like Genealogy and Reference Interview, but RUSA has added new upcoming online courses and webinars, that will interest learners at any level.
Courses:
Reference Interview – April 6 – May 17. This is a comprehensive course focusing on the methods of evaluating reference service, behavioral aspects of reference service, and the different types of questions that can be used to help patrons identify what they need. Read more and register.
Students will learn to use the Instructional Design Process and apply it effectively to library instruction which includes: identifying instructional problems, learner analysis, task analysis, defining instructional objectives, sequencing content, identifying instructional strategies, message design, instructional delivery, and evaluation instruments. Read more and register.
With a new year looming, I want take a moment to let all RUSA volunteers know how much we appreciate all the work, time and energy you put into RUSA. RUSA has so many wonderful things to offer members such as service on our book award committees, our beloved Literary Tastes and Book & Media Awards events, guidelines for reference and user services and online educational sessions among others. We couldn’t have done any of this without the invaluable advice and assistance of our member leaders and volunteers. I also want to thank every RUSA member for all their dedication and loyalty in helping to make our division successful; it’s a pleasure and a privilege to serve you! The entire RUSA office staff thanks you all!
The Midwinter conference will be in Chicago this year and I hope those of you who will be there will take time to visit with us at the RUSA Membership Social. It will be held Saturday, January 31, 2015, 5:30 pm 07:00 pm, at the Hilton Chicago – Williford B. Join us to mingle, meet the RUSA board members, committee chairs, and volunteer leaders, and have some fun. We’ll have a raffle with great prizes and refreshments will be available so be sure to come and bring your friends and colleagues – all members and visitors are welcome!
One other event that is always of interest to all RUSA members and book lovers is the Book & Media reception taking place Sunday, February 1, 2015, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm at the Hilton Chicago – Williford. We are excited to announce that we have a featured guest speaker this year: Margaret Hawkins, author of Lydia’s Party and senior lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Ms. Hawkins will be signing copies of her book after the reception. We’ll also unveil the winners of The Reading List, Notable Books list (which help form the long list for the Andrew Carnegie Medals of Excellence for Fiction and Nonfiction), the Listen List selections, and many more (see all of our awards here: http://www.ala.org/rusa/awards). All ALA Midwinter Meeting participants are invited to this celebration in Chicago. If you can’t attend, you will be able to track the announcements on Twitter with the hashtag #literarytastes. Don’t miss this wonderful event. We hope to see you there!
In addition, the RUSA board will meet three times in Chicago; please feel free to join us as our honored guests. The meetings will be held:
RUSA Strategic Planning Discussion
Friday, January 30, 2015
8:00 am – 4:00 pm
McCormick Place West – W192a
Board of Directors Meeting I (RUSA)
Saturday, Jan 31, 2015
01:30 pm – 03:30 pm
Hilton Chicago – Grand Tradition Room
**Don’t miss our Town Hall, where we invite all RUSA members to provide input on RUSA’s strategic path.**
Board of Directors Meeting II (RUSA)
Monday, Feb 2, 2015
02:00 pm – 04:00 pm
McCormick Place West – W195
See you in Chicago and best wishes for a happy new year!
Susan Hornung
Executive Director, ASCLA/RUSA
Book & Media Awards Ceremony and Reception:
Sunday, February 1, 2015 – 5:00pm to 6:30pm; The highly acclaimed Chicago author, Margaret Hawkins will be our feature speaker and kick off our premier awards event for adult reading and reference.
We’ll unveil the winners of The Reading List, Listen List selections—lists that are used by readers advisory librarians nationwide, Notable Books, which forms the basis for the Carnegie Medals Longlist —as well as the winners of the Dartmouth Medal for reference, the Sophie Brody Medal for Jewish literature, the Zora Neale Hurston Award for achievement in promoting African-American literature and the Louis Shores Award for book reviewing. All ALA Midwinter Meeting participants are invited to this celebration on-site in Chicago. Can’t attend? For the most up-to-date announcements, follow us on Facebook and track us on Twitter with hashtag #literarytastes.
Membership Social:
Saturday, January 31, 2015 – 5:30pm to 7:00pm; Kick off the 2014 ALA Midwinter Meeting in style with the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) Membership Social—an opportunity to eat, drink, network, win door prizes and learn more about RUSA. The social open to all current RUSA members, friends of RUSA and those meeting attendees interested in learning more about the association and networking with peers. All attendees will have the opportunity to win fantastic door prizes!
RUSA Leadership Development and Speed Mentoring Session:
Saturday, January 31, 2015 – 3:30pm to 5:30pm; Join a group of experienced RUSA leaders and engage in a fun, interactive “speed mentoring” session. Similar in format to “speed dating”, MLS students, new librarians, and mid-career librarians are invited to participate in this session where they will have the opportunity to gain leadership advice from a number of senior librarians and RUSA leaders.
Genealogy Institute: Meeting the Needs of Your Family History Patrons: Friday, January 30, 2015 – 8:30am to 4:00pm; Enjoy an interactive day of learning and networking for all librarians serving genealogists. Leaders from the library and genealogical industry will cover a variety of topics, including strategic planning, partnerships, and serving diverse populations. Luncheon provided by our sponsor, Proquest. Registration is free, but required. Limit 150 participants. Please register here:
Genealogy 101.
Mar. 23 – Apr. 26, 2015
Introduction to American genealogy reference service and assist patrons with family history research. Read more. Register here.
When you hear Honor Roll, do you have flashbacks to high school? Maybe you have happy memories of the honor roll or maybe you think could of, would of, should of…
Regardless of your experience in high school, you may be eligible for the RSS Honor Roll.
The RSS has an Honor Roll that gives recognition to active RSS members who have served the section in three different capacities since its inception.
If you have been a member of three or more committees or discussion groups since RSS was established in 2004 and have not previously been added to the honor roll, please send your name and a list of the three ways you have served RSS to Sarah Hammill at hammills@fiu.edu
Not only will you become a member of this esteemed group, you will also be recognized at ALA Annual in San Francisco!
Even though winter isn’t even quite here, the scheduling site for ALA Annual 2015 is already open! If your RSS committee would like to schedule a meeting or host a discussion forum in San Francisco this summer, you can now begin thinking about titles, descriptions, A/V needs, etc. Deadline for submissions of committee meetings and committee-hosted forums is February 11, 2015. For additional details, required information, and submitting instructions, check out http://connect.ala.org/node/230656.
Keep your membership information current so that you continue to receive communications–make updates by logging in at ala.org or by contacting the membership team at membership@ala.org or (800) 545-2433, option 5
Reference and User Services Quarterly: Accessing the journal
Reference and User Services Quarterly (RUSQ), a quarterly benefit of RUSA members, is an all-digital journal available online via Metapress; however, you will need to set up a Metapress account. Complete, detailed instructions for accessing the journal can be found on the RUSA website or visit www.ala.org/rusa, then float over the “Communications†button near the top left portion of the page, and scroll down to “RUSQâ€. If you run into challenges with journal access, contact support@metapress.com for assistance.
Once you’ve accessed the journal, make sure to check out the following content for volume 53, issue 4.
The Reference & User Services Association (RUSA), with the support of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), presents the following draft guidelines and best practices for feedback. These guidelines and best practices relating to financial literacy education in libraries are the result of a SPARKS! Grant awarded to RUSA by IMLS.
The purpose of these guidelines and best practices is to facilitate the provision of financial literacy education in libraries nationwide. It is intended that these will standardize the content and delivery of financial literacy education programming and services in libraries. This project demonstrates a commitment to ensure that patrons in libraries of all types have access to effective and efficient personal finance reference services and unbiased financial educational programming.
Please send your comments and feedback to the following email:
Thank you for your careful consideration of these documents.
Advisory Team:
Ted Beck, National Endowment for Financial Education
Lori Burgess, Fond du Lac Public Library (WI)
Judy Chapa, Financial Services Roundtable
Kristin Eschenfelder, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Robert Ganem, FINRA Investor Education Foundation
Chris Lebeau*, RUSA/BRASS Member
Laura Levine, Jumpstart
Elizabeth Malafi*, RUSA/BRASS Member
Kerwin Pilgrim, Brooklyn Public Library
Adi Redzic, iOme Challenge
Dan Rutherford, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
John Spears, Salt Lake City Public Library (UT)
(* indicates also serving on Working Team)
Working Team:
Kit Keller, Project Director
Chris Lebeau, RUSA/BRASS Member
Elizabeth Malafi, RUSA/BRASS Member
Andy Spackman, BRASS Chair
The 2014 RUSA Achievement Awards have been announced. For full details on the award winners, please see the announcement at ALA News. Winners will be recognized at the RUSA Achievement Awards Ceremony and Reception at ALA Annual on Sunday June 29 from 5:00-6:30 PM Sunday, June 29. Additional event details will be available on the RUSA website in April.
Achievement Award winners
 Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award (sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning): William Miller, Dean of Libraries at Florida Atlantic University, was selected because of his extensive career as an editor, author, scholar, and practitioner in the field of reference services.
 Novelist’s Margaret E. Monroe Award: Diana Tixier Herald, Program and Outreach Manager at Delta County Libraries in Colorado was selected because of she has excelled in her readers’ advisory efforts; her unwavering support for readers and literacy has left a national legacy.
 Reference Service Press Award (Supported by Reference Service Press): Awarded to Laura Saunders and Mary Wilkins Jordan of Simmons College for their the article “Significantly Different?: Reference Services Competencies in Public and Academic Libraries,†RUSQ (52:3).
 Virginia Boucher-OCLC Distinguished ILL Librarian Award (Sponsored by OCLC): David Larsen, Head of Access Services and Assessment at the University of Chicago Library was selected for his innovative and practical approaches to resource sharing, willingness to learn and test new products and improved workflow efficiencies.
 Genealogical Publishing Company Award (Supported by Genealogical Publishing Company): William “Bill†Forsyth, Director of Product Management at ProQuest was selected because he is an active and prominent member of RUSA’s History section as well as the keynote speaker for many genealogical events. His outstanding contributions to the field sustain the importance of genealogy in historical research.
 MARS My Favorite Martian Award: Anne Houston, Director of Humanities and Social Sciences Services at the University of Virginia Libraries was selected because of her years of membership and her because warmth and capacity for personal connection have positively impacted the section’s recruitment and retention of members. Houston will be presented a citation
 BRASS Emerald Research Grant (Sponsored by Emerald Group Publishing Limited): Ilana Barnes, Business Information Specialist and Tao Zhang, Digital User Experience Specialist of Purdue University Libraries are the project heads of “Assessment of Business Undergraduate Student Engagement and Behavior in a Crowd-Sourced Library Help System: Best Practices and Emerging Technology Opportunities.â€
 Business Expert Press Award for Academic Business Librarians (Supported by Business Expert Press): Desirae Zingarelli-Sweet, at the Carrier Library of James Madison University was selected for her outstanding efforts in collaboration with business faculty, students and community partners; library instruction; and business reference research at the university.
 STARS Atlas Systems Mentoring Award (Sponsored by Atlas Systems, Inc.): Jacob Kubrin, Resource Sharing and Fulfillment Specialist at Cushing Library at Holy Names University, demonstrated a great need for professional development, networking and education to serve the ever increasing patron needs of the library.
RUSA Book and Media Awards
The following awards were announced at the RUSA Book and Media Awards Ceremony at the 2014 Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia.
Dr. Grace Jackson-Brown from the Duane G. Meyer Library at Missouri State University is the 2014 winner of the Zora Neale Hurston Award, which recognizes an individual that has demonstrated leadership in promoting African-American literature. Selected for her work with the Springfield African American Read-In and Dream Big programs, has exposed diverse audiences to authors, workshops, live readings and celebrations that incorporate African-American authors. Sponsored by Harper Perennial, the award consists of $1,250 to attend the ALA Annual Conference, tickets to the FOLUSA Author tea, and a set of the Zora Neale Hurston books published by Harper Perennial at the time the award is made.
Francine Graf, former Editorial Director of Choice has been named as the 2014 winner of the Louis Shores Award, which honors an individual reviewer, group or editor for their book reviewing excellence for libraries. Graf, retired as of early 2014, was chosen for her outstanding contributions to reviewing for resources for academic audiences. Graf will receive a citation at the ALA Annual Conference.
Mammals of Africa (Bloomsbury), edited by Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Mike Hoffmann, Tom Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina, was selected as the winner of the Dartmouth Medal, honoring a significant reference publication. This amazing source covers every recognized mammalian species in Africa. This resource will serve as a primary source of information and as a baseline for preserving the biodiversity of this great continent. A medal will be presented at the ALA Annual Conference.
Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation (HarperCollins) by Yossi Klein Halevi was named the winner of the 2014 Sophie Brody Award. The award encourages, recognizes and commends outstanding achievement in Jewish literature. A medal will be presented at the ALA Annual Conference.
Confessions of a reference librarian: IAmRUSA launches interview series
Ever wonder exactly what kind of work members of RUSA do, or maybe which courses they would recommend for students looking for a career in reference or user services?
Each week IAmRUSA will feature a different interviewee for participants to ask questions about their professional careers, their passions and anything else involving librarianship. Hosted by ALA Connect, anyone interested may join the IAmRUSA community; participants do not need to be RUSA members.
If you are interested in participating as an interviewee, contact Kirk MacLeod or Sarah Hammill for more information.
RUSA and RUSA sections are now accepting nominations for the following grants and awards. Please be aware of deadlines as some of them may have passed by the publication of RUSA Update.
Call for RUSA Volunteers
March 1, 2014 is the planned closing date to volunteer for our RUSA, BRASS, CODES, History, MARS, RSS, and STARS committees. There’s no reason to put it off, though—volunteer today! Keep in mind that attendance at ALA Midwinter may not be required for some committees and sections. Feel free to contact the committee chair, section chair, or me if you have any questions about attendance. Links to RUSA division-level and section committees can be found here. Access the volunteer form using the same URL provided above. The menu to select section-level committees is located at the bottom of RUSA Committee Volunteer Form (requires sign-in).
Read the latest issue of RUSQ! Reference and User Services Quarterly, Volume 53, Issue 1 is available and can be found on the RUSQsite.
You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers at President Kathleen Kern’s Office Hours
You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers at President Kathleen Kern’s Office Hours
Already a RUSA member but not sure where you fit in? Want to get involved? Just curious? Have a question about working with your committee and getting things down? We’ve got all the answers and more. President’s Office hours are also a good place to bring your ideas and enthusiasm.
RUSA Membership Social and Trivia Contest at Midwinter! Saturday, January 25, 5:30-7:00 PM, Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel-Liberty Ballroom B
Kick off the 2014 ALA Midwinter Meeting in style with the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) Membership Social—an opportunity to eat, drink, network, win door prizes, and learn more about RUSA. The social open to all current RUSA members, friends of RUSA and those meeting attendees interested in learning more about the association and networking with peers. All attendees will have the opportunity to play trivia to win fantastic door prizes!
RUSA Book and Media Awards Ceremony and Reception at Midwinter! Sunday, January 26, 5:00-6:30 PM, Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel-Liberty Ballroom A
We’ll unveil the winners of the The Reading List, Notable Books and Listen List selections—lists that are used by readers advisory librarians nationwide—as well as the winners of the Dartmouth Medal for reference, the Sophie Brody Medal for Jewish literature, the Zora Neale Hurston Award for achievement in promoting African-American literature and the Louis Shores Award for book reviewing. All ALA Midwinter Meeting participants are invited to this celebration on-site in Philadelphia. Can’t attend? Track the announcements on Twitter with the hashtag #literarytastes.
Midwinter RUSA Board Meeting I, Town Hall Chat
Saturday, January 24, 1:30-3:30 PM
Midwinter RUSA Board Meeting II, Town Hall chat room, Monday, January 27, 2:00-4:00 PM, Pennsylvania Convention Center-118 A
Not able to attend Midwinter? You can still participate in RUSA planning. At the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia, join the RUSA Board either in person or online to participate in the annual Town Hall meeting on Saturday, January 25, at the beginning of the RUSA board meeting which begins 1:30-3:30pm. Visit these ALA Connect chat rooms on January 25 to participate online (you may be asked to login or register to comment):
Keep your membership information current so that you continue to receive communications–make updates by logging in at ala.org or by contacting the membership team at membership@ala.org or (800) 545-2433, option 5
Reference and User Services Quarterly: Accessing the journal Reference and User Services Quarterly (RUSQ), a quarterly benefit of RUSA members, is an all-digital journal available online via Metapress; however, you will need to set up a Metapress account. Complete, detailed instructions for accessing the journal can be found on the RUSA website or visit www.ala.org/rusa, then float over the “Communications†button near the top left portion of the page, and scroll down to “RUSQâ€. If you run into challenges with journal access, contact support@metapress.com for assistance.
Once you’ve accessed the journal, make sure to check out the following content for volume 52, issue 4:
The library profession, and RUSA, lost an important member this winter with the death of former RUSQ editor Connie Van Fleet. In the editor’s column in this issue, Connie’s colleagues, students, and teachers remember her and her wide ranging interests.
Victoria Caplinger’s column on readers’ advisory (RA) from the cataloger’s perspective should provoke some useful discussion on improving RA services in libraries of all sorts.
Other columns and articles explore Google Scholar, the role of the reference desk, and readers’ advisory in academic libraries.
MacLeod joins RUSA as Spectrum Scholar intern
RUSA welcomes its Spectrum Scholar, Kirk MacLeod from the University of Alberta! In this role, MacLeod will work with RUSA’s member leaders on various professional and association-related projects, including launching a weekly “I Am A†question-and-answer with a different RUSA member each week and revitalizing the RUSA Ambassadors outreach out to LIS programs. Details here.
Summer Reading: Andrew Carnegie Medals
There are just a few days of summer left to squeeze in some good books, and we think you should make the Andrew Carnegie Medals for fiction and nonfiction part of your lists. This year’s winners are Richard Ford’s Canada(fiction), and Timothy Egan’s Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis (nonfiction). Complete winner information is on the RUSA blog.
Student-to-staff: A snapshot of the 2013 ALA Annual Conference experience
Wayne State University MLIS candidate Michelle Scobie, along with fellow library school student Jay Ballenberger of Emporia State University, were a tremendous help in Chicago, providing logistical support at a variety of RUSA events. Read Michelle’s writeup of her experiences on the RUSA blog.
Legislative Issues Task Force
Do you have an interest in legislative issues facing libraries such as funding for libraries, access to research and government information and privacy?
If so, please consider volunteering for a RUSA ad-hoc task force that is charged with 1) identifying legislative issues of concern to RUSA and ways that sections and committees can respond to these concerns, and 2) after identifying issues of concern, making a recommendation to the RUSA Board for further action, including a recommendation for an on-going mechanism for RUSA to stay in touch with legislative issues. The ad-hoc task force will be asked to make a recommendation to the RUSA board by the ALA Annual meeting in 2014.
If you are interested in volunteering for this RUSA ad-hoc task force on legislative issues, please send a statement of interest along with information on your ALA Committee experience to Alesia McManus amcmanus@howardcc.edu.
Online Learning
RUSA has several upcoming online courses this spring! Topics include reference interview; interlibrary loan; spatial literacy, GIS and online mapping; and more. Webinars are being scheduled now, too. Dates, course descriptions and registration information are found at the Online Learning page on the RUSA website.
RUSA @ ALA Annual Conference
Learn more about what’s happening with RUSA in Chicago at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference by visiting the RUSA website. Highlights include Business Reference 101: Core Competencies for Business Librarianship, a preconference hosted by RUSA BRASS; the RUSA President’s Program featuring Lee Rainie; the Literary Tastes author program and the announcement of the 2013 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Fiction and Nonfiction at an evening reception on Sunday, June 30! Learn more about the conference at www.alaannual.org and register now.
Stay in Touch! Explore ways to engage with RUSA and get the latest division news.
Keep your membership information current so that you continue to receive communications–make updates by logging in at ala.org or by contacting the membership team at membership@ala.org or (800) 545-2433, option 5
RUSA’s fall online courses include interlibrary loan, business reference and spatial literacy
RUSA is offering a multitude of online courses this fall including a new course, Interlibrary Loan 101, and CEUs offered for our Health Information 101 course.
Register Online Now for courses covering the following topics: interlibrary loan, business reference, spatial literacy and online mapping, health information, reference interview skills and genealogy reference. Online learning is an affordable and convenient way to gain skills relevant to your current job or to
NEW COURSE! Interlibrary Loan 101
September 17–October 14, 2012; live sessions on Monday and Wednesday, 1:00-2:00 PM (CST) Register Now Topics covered: ILL process, policies and procedures from both the borrowing and lending perspectives, copyright law and licensing impacts on ILL, and ILL resources and systems. Participants will learn standard practices, gain an overview of emerging trends, and practice writing policies for interlibrary borrowing and lending. Live presentations will be held Monday and Wednesday, 1:00-2:00 PM (CST), with additional asynchronous coursework.
Who should attend: New ILL managers and practitioners in all types of libraries, especially academic and public libraries. Learn more…
Introduction to Spatial Literacy and Online Mapping September 17 – October 7, 2012 Register Now This course consistently sells out, so register early! In light of the widespread use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology such as Google Earth or Google Map Mashups o communicate information in a map format, it is time to train librarians to not only assist library clients with their inquiries, but to use the technology themselves in their reference work and liaison responsibilities. This three week course will introduce you to a variety of mapping tools and Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies that are of interest to both public and academic library users.
Who should attend: librarians and library staff from all types of libraries. Learn more…
Spatial Literacy II: Incorporation of Maps and GIS December. 3 – 23, 2012 Register Now This course incorporates the geospatial literacy and mapping skills covered in part one of this two part course and teaches how to apply it in library services: reference work, library projects, library administration, collection delivery, instruction, outreach and promotion. Topics covered will include map literacy, staff development and training; using maps and GIS in library projects; and a basic introduction to GIS software.
Who should attend: Librarians in any information resource position Learn more…
Health Information 101September 17 – October 28, 2012 Register NowCEUs offered!Those who complete the required coursework will receive one continuing education unit. Registration rates for this course are $20 higher than other courses so that we can offer these CEUs for you. Topics covered include medical terminology, evidence-based biomedical literature searching, health literacy and health outcomes, how to evaluate health and medical websites, consumer health resources, and the business of healthcare.
Who should attend: public librarians; primary, secondary and academic librarians. Learn more…
Reference Interview September 17 – October 27, 2012 Register Now A comprehensive course focusing on the methods of evaluating reference service, behavioral aspects of reference service, and the different types of questions that can be used to help patrons identify what they need. Other topics include approachability, questioning and listening techniques and the reference interview environment. Chat sessions will model interviewing techniques using sample dialogues.
Who should attend: support staff, library technicians, newly hired reference librarians, and those librarians who want to brush up on their interview skills; topics are of interest to all types of libraries. Learn more…
Business Reference 101 October 22 – November 16, 2012 Register NowThis course consistently sells out, so register early! The course will provide a framework for understanding the business reference process as well as an overview of business reference sources specific to the following areas: company research, small business and industry research, international business, consumer research, business statistics, investing and the stock market. Participants will also have access to proprietary business reference databases such as Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage, Morningstar, IBISWord and ReferenceUSA, among others.
Who should attend: Academic, special or public librarians and other researchers and library staff who have a basic understanding of some business resources but who do not work with them often enough to build expertise. Learn more…
Genealogy 101October 29 – December 1, 2012 Register Now The course will outline basic sources and strategies, centered on a single case study, for American genealogy reference service. Topics covered include the U.S. Census, vital records, immigration research, military research, archival material, print reference tools, online sources and a variety of other basic genealogy sources. Students will also receive instruction in reference desk strategies and tools for further professional development.
Who should attend: reference staff with little or no experience in genealogy, and those seeking skills and confidence for assisting family history researchers. Learn more…
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Stay in Touch! Ways to connect with RUSA
Are you connected? Here are the ways you can stay in touch with RUSA to assure you receive the most up-to-date information on division events, publications and breaking news like book award winners.
Subscribe to RUSA-L or one of our section listservs by visiting http://lists.ala.org
Turn on your e-mail notifications for your Connect groups by going to the group page, scrolling down to the bottom and clicking on “Enable e-mail notifications from this group” at the bottom left
Make sure your membership record is up-to-date with current e-mail and mailing addresses! Make updates by e-mailing membership@ala.org, calling (800) 545-2433, option 5, or by logging in at www.ala.org
On Friday, January 20, the 2012 class of Emerging Leaders met for a daylong session of leadership training, project planning, and an introduction to ALA. Though this was a lot to pack into one day, it was energizing to have so many creative and thoughtful librarians in one room!
I will be working with a team of fabulous librarians to create a blog for RUSA. At the Emerging Leaders workshop we had time to plan for the blog. Blog posts will focus on different aspects of and issues surrounding reference librarianship and other areas of interest to RUSA members. Since Midwinter, the team has been meeting virtually to set up the site, policy, and schedule. There will be more details about the blog to come! If you’d like me to email you when the blog is up and running, email ehamstra AT umich DOT edu.
Aside from the Emerging Leaders workshop, I was able to attend many other committee meetings, programs, and events at Midwinter. Sitting in on the RUSA Board Meeting gave me added insight into the structure of RUSA and ALA. I had a great time at the RUSA Book and Media Awards (kudos to the Statistical Abstract of the United States for winning the Dartmouth Medal, Lifetime Achievement Award).
I want to thank you all for welcoming me to committee meetings, and for giving me the opportunity to be the RUSA Emerging Leader!
Emily Hamstra
Learning Librarian
Shapiro Undergraduate Library
University of Michigan
Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES)
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: Asia Gross
Member-at-Large: Carolyn M. Mulac
Member-at-Large: Barbara M. Bibel
History Section (HS)
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: Michelle Baildon
Member-at-Large: Christina M. Thompson
MARS: Emerging Technologies in Reference Section (MARS)
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: Marilyn N. Ochoa
Member-at-Large: Courtney Greene
Secretary: Kelley Ann Lawton
Reference Services Section (RSS)
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: Ann K. G. Brown
Member-at-Large: Jamie Kaye Hollier
Secretary: Jason Matthew Coleman
Sharing and Transforming Access to Resources Section (STARS)
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: Nora Dethloff
Member-at-Large: David K. Larsen
Secretary: Robin Barnard Moskal
RUSA Awards: 2012 Winners and Reception at Annual Conference
This year’s RUSA Awards Reception will be held from 5:00-6:30 PM. Sunday, June 24, in Sequoia South Ballroom D at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, 1600 S. Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, California. All RUSA members are invited to this annual party that celebrates the career achievements of many reference and user services colleagues, and also honors those who are receiving travel and research grants from the association.
Natalie D. Beam, STARS/Atlas Systems Mentoring Award
Awarded to one library practitioner who is new to the field of interlibrary loan/document delivery or electronic reserves this is a need-based cash award of $1,000 for travel expenses to attend the ALA annual conference.
Committee: Collette G. Mak (Chair),Naomi I. Chow, Charles William Gee, Mary Hollerich, Karen L. Janke, Micquel Little, Amy Rebecca Paulus
Ilana Barnes, BRASS Gale Cengage Learning Student Travel Award
Awards $1,000 monetary prize awarded to fund travel to and attendance at the Annual Conference to a student enrolled in an ALA accredited master’s degree program. The award also includes a one-year membership in the Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS) of RUSA.
Committee: Carol L. Anderson(Chair),Matthew Brower, Todd M. Hines, Mrs. Cynthia H. Slater
Anne MacDonald, Morningstar Public Librarian Support Award
Awards $1,000 in travel funds for ALA’s Annual Conference to a public librarian who has performed outstanding business reference service and who requires financial assistance to attend the conference.
Committee: Melissa Jeter (Chair), Naomi E. Hafter, Kay K. Ikuta, Mary K. Van Ullen
Joel Glogowski, BRASS Business Expert Press Award
This is a $1,250 award that recognizes a librarian new to the field of academic business librarianship in order to support attendance to the ALA Annual Conference. Sponsored by Business Expert Press.
Committee: Celia Ross (Chair), Peter McKay, Paul Brothers
Kerry Wu & Heidi E.K. Senior; Louise Mort Feldmann, BRASS Emerald Research Grant Awards
Two grants of $5,000 each awarded to support to conduct research in business librarianship.
Awarded annually in recognition of excellence in service to MARS: Emerging Technologies in Reference Section.
Committee: Shannon D. Jones (Chair), Stephanie J. Graves, Linda S. Keiter, Arlie Sims
Lisa R. Horowitz, RSS Service Achievement Award
Awarded annually to a Reference Services Section (RSS) member in recognition of exceptional contributions to the section.
Committee: Lori S. Thornton (Chair), Virginia Ann Cole, Emilie R. Smart, Susan A. Ware.
Reference Service Press Award: Nancy D. Zionts, Jan Apter, Julianna Kuchta and Pamela K. Greenhouse “Promoting Consumer Health Literacy: Creation of a Health Information Librarian Fellowship” (RUSQ 49:4 Summer 2009); Marie L. Radford, Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Patrick A. Confer, Susanna Sabolcsi-Boros, and Hannah Kwon for“Are We Getting Warmer?: Query Clarification in Live Chat Virtual Reference" (RUSQ 50:3 Spring 2010).
Recognizes the most outstanding article published in RUSQ during the preceding two-volume year.
Committee: Robert H. Kieft (Chair),Mark J. Siciliano, Dr. Sara M. Rofofsky Marcus, Rebecca A. Smith
Green’s Dictionary of Slang (Chambers), Dartmouth Medal
This medal honors the creation of a reference work or resource of outstanding quality and significance. Honorable Mention:International Encyclopedia of Political Science (Sage Reference in association with the International Political Science Association)
Lifetime Achievement Award:Statistical Abstract of the United States (United States Department of Commerce)
Committee: Jack O’Gorman (Chair), Mary Ellen Alexander, Drew F. Alfgren, Christina S. McGowan, Teresa Portilla Omidsalar, Jason A. Reuscher, David A. Tyckoson, Patrick J. Wall, Sarah Barbara Watstein
Adina Hoffman and Peter Cole, Sacred Trash: the Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza (Schocken Books), Sophie Brody Medal
Awarded to encourage, recognize and commend outstanding achievement in Jewish literature.
Honorable Mentions:Simon Sebag Montefiore, Jerusalem: the Biography (Knopf); Art Spiegelman, MetaMaus, (Pantheon Books); Erika Dreifus, Quiet Americans: Stories, (Last Light Studio Books).
Committee: Barbara M. Bibel (Chair), Donald Altschiller, Emily A. Bergman, Kathleen Gallagher, Prof. Elliot H. Gertel, Danise G. Hoover, Lisa N. Johnston, Judy Korn, Deborah L. Luchenbill, Adela Peskorz.
Vanessa Irvin Morris, Zora Neale Hurston Award
Awarded to an ALA member who has demonstrated leadership in promoting African American literature. Sponsored by HarperCollins.
Committee: Cynthia Crosser (Chair), Amy Harmon, Lucy M. Lockley
Sarah L. Johnson, Louis Shores Award
A citation that recognizes excellence in book and other media reviewing for libraries.
Committee: Barry Trott (Chair), Elizabeth I. Bauer, Christine E. King
San Francisco State University’s Labor Archives and Research Center, John Sessions Award
In recognition of a library or library system which has made a significant effort to work with the labor community and, by doing so, has brought recognition to the history and contribution of the labor movement to the development of the United States. Supported by the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO.
Committee: Jannie R. Cobb (Chair), Paul Brothers, Susan Hurst
Jay L. Verkler, Genealogical Publishing Company/History Section Award
Citation and $1,500 cash awarded to a librarian or library in recognition of their professional achievement in historical or genealogical reference, service or research.
Committee: William D. Buckner (Chair), Brooke A. Becker, William D. Buckner, Jennifer Daugherty, Helen E. Gbala, Thomas Jay Kemp, Mary K. Mannix
Rita W. Moss, Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Business Librarianship
Citation and $3,000 cash awarded to an individual who has made a significant contribution to business librarianship.
Committee: Patricia E. Kenly (Chair), Bobray J. Bordelon, Jr., Irwin D. Faye, Karen J. Chapman
Richland County (South Carolina) Public Library Job Center, Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Services
Citation and $3,000 monetary award presented to a library or library system for developing an imaginative and unique resource to meet patrons’ reference needs.
Committee: Michael Levine-Clark (Chair), Larayne J. Dallas, Michael Levine-Clark, Carol Lynn Schuetz, Kathy Tomajko
Cyril Oberlander, Virginia Boucher Distinguished ILL Librarian Award
Citation and $2000 award recognizing a librarian for outstanding professional achievement, leadership, and contributions to interlibrary loan and document delivery. Sponsored by OCLC.
Committee: Martha Cheatham Yancey (Chair), Barbara B. Coopey, Megan Gaffney, Joanne M. McIntyre, Robin Moskal, Edwin F. Rivenburgh, Cherie’ L. Weible
Neal Wyatt, Margaret E. Monroe Award
Citation presented to a librarian who has made significant contributions to library adult services.
Committee: Shelley Quezada (Chair), Allan Martin Kleiman, Kaite Mediatore Stover
Robert Kieft, Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award
$5,000 and a citation awarded to an individual who has made a distinguished contribution to reference librarianship. Sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning.
Committee: Julia M. Gelfand (Chair), Bobray J. Bordelon, Jr., Joanne M. McIntyre, Charles B. Thurston, Eve M. Wider, Diane M. Zabel.
RUSA will host three award-winning author—Erin Morgenstern, Candice Millard and Mark Adams—at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference program “Literary Tastes: Celebrating the Best Reading of the Year,” a conference tradition that features authors from RUSA’s literary adult book awards.
Each year expert readers’ advisory librarians from RUSA’s Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) spend hundreds of hours reading and reviewing books written for adults to identify the most outstanding writing published in the areas of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, genre fiction, Jewish literature and audiobook narration. “Literary Tastes” is an opportunity to hear from noteworthy authors whose books are among their annual selections and also celebrate the art and craft of writing with fellow book lovers.
Morgenstern’s book The Night Circus (Doubleday) was a 2012 Reading List top pick for Fantasy. Le Cirque des Rêves is utterly unique, disappearing at dawn in one town only to mysteriously reappear in another. At the heart of the circus are two young magicians, involved in a competition neither completely understands. The dreamlike atmosphere and vivid imagery make this fantasy unforgettable. The book received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews, and the Associated Press called it “Magical. Enchanting. Spellbinding. Mesmerizing.” Check out the complete 2012 Reading List, and access lists from previous years.
Millard’s Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President (Doubleday) is a 2012 Notable Books Non-fiction pick and New York Times best-seller and Notable Book of the Year that recounts James Garfield’s rise from poverty to the American presidency and the dramatic history of his assassination and legacy. The Washington Times praised “Destiny of the Republic”, saying “It takes a gifted writer to prompt a reader to spend a lot of time with a book in which James Garfield is the main character….In addition to providing insights about our 20th commander-in-chief, [the book] is an engaging, elegantly written and insightful look at the political and scientific developments of late-19th century America. Build your “toberead” list with all 25 fiction, non-fiction and poetry titles on this year’s Notable Books List.
Adams’s travel narrative, Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time (Penguin), was also included on the 2012 Notable Books List. In this humorous travelogue, the author sprinkles historical anecdote with investigative reporting as he retraces the steps of early explorers into ancient Peru. The New York Times Book Review called Turn Right “Ebullient…an engaging and sometimes hilarious book,” and National Geographic Traveler said, “If you haven’t been to Machu Picchu and environs, this book will inspire you to drop everything and go. And if you’ve already been, ‘Turn Right at Machu Picchu’ will transport you straight back to those soul-soaring heights.”
“Literary Tastes: Celebrating the Best Reading of the Year” will take place from 8:00-10:00 AM, Sunday, June 24, in Room 204B of the Anaheim Convention Center. RSVPs are not required, but those planning to attend are strongly encouraged to add the program to their conference schedules using the 2012 ALA Annual Conference Scheduler in ALA Connect. Librarians who share RUSA’s enthusiasm for adult books should also plan to attend the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction Awards Ceremony—a ticketed reception co-sponsored by Booklist and emceed by Nancy Pearl. The reception is scheduled for 8:00-10:00 PM that same Sunday evening, and tickets are just $25 for RUSA members. More event information is at the RUSA website.
RUSA’s upcoming preconference, “Mastering Business Acumen (MBA) in a Day: Business Concepts for Library Reference,” will provide librarians who may be intimidated by business reference questions with a foundational understanding of business concepts, and prepare them to answer these types of questions with confidence.
This preconference, which will be held from 8:30 AM.-4:00 PM, Friday, June 22 in conjunction with the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif., is presented by the Education Committee of RUSA’s Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS)—the home for business reference within ALA. New business librarians, generalists with new business librarianship responsibilities and anybody interested in business reference and instruction from public, academic and special libraries will benefit from attending.
This workshop will provide librarians with a broad conceptual understanding of business topics in four major business disciplines: Accounting, Finance, Marketing, and Management. Outstanding librarians with subject matter expertise will provide informative and empowering presentations that will prepare you to handle business reference inquiries with confidence:
Accounting – Todd M. Hines (MSLS, MBA, CPA), Princeton University Library Accounting doesn’t have to be complicated. Learn the basics such as the accounting methods and financial statements of the major types of organizations including for-profit companies, non-profits and government.
Finance – Chris LeBeau (MLS, MBA), University of Missouri Kansas City
Do the words ‘finance question’ make you break out in a sweat? After this presentation you’ll have a working knowledge of financial concepts, including industry ratios, investment vehicles, structured finance, and capital markets.
Management – Elisabeth Leonard (MLS, MBA), Sage Publications
Learn how management concepts apply across all types of organizations, and become familiar with the major management theories, the key players in the field today and yesterday, and the types of management information students and patrons want to know.
Marketing – Andy Spackman (MBA, MLS), Brigham Young University
Marketing is more than just advertising. It begins with market research and insights into the customer’s needs and wants. Learn the classic 4 P’s of marketing—Product, Price, Place, and Promotion—and gain insight into the importance of branding, product development, market segmentation and targeting, as well as the impact of the Internet and mobile communications.
The preconference will be in held Room 206A in the Anaheim Convention Center.
Conference registration information is available here at the ALA Annual Conference website, www.alaannual.org. Conference registration is not required in order to register for this preconference.
Advance registration rates (May 14-June 14) are: RUSA member, $219; ALA member, $239; ALA Retired and Student Members, $189; Non-members, $259.
Do you have an idea for a webinar you’d like to present as a part of RUSA’s online learning offerings in upcoming months?
We’re seeking proposals for a variety of topics (see a list of ideas below), and hope to receive your submissions before the ALA Annual Conference in June so that our professional development committee can review them in Anaheim.
RUSA webinars are an opportunity for librarians to infuse their year with professional development they can conveniently—and affordably—pursue from the comfort of their home or office. Webinars will take place throughout the year and will cover topics relevant to a broad range of librarians, library staff and library supporters.
Successful proposals will:
Show plans for presentations that are 60-75 minutes in length.
Show how the presentation addresses a topic either of interest to RUSA members, or represents an area of RUSA’s expertise that benefits other types of librarians. This may include but is not limited to topics such as reference basics; reference for specialized audiences; research, trends and hot topics in readers advisory; information literacy; community partnerships; outreach; partnerships between different types of libraries; government data and related resources; library spaces and assessing future needs; copyright in the digital age; collection development; special collections; tips and tutorials for relevant tech tools; standards and guidelines; genealogy; advocating for reference; resource development; fundraising; marketing; job searching and related resources; book reviewing; and interlibrary loan.
Proposals may be submitted using the online proposal form.
Presenters for accepted proposals will receive compensation for their time and will also receive training for the webinar software. Questions about RUSA or the webinars can be directed to Liz Markel, RUSA marketing and programs manager or Susan Hornung, RUSA executive director at lmarkel@ala.org and shornung@ala.org, respectively.
How to access Reference & User Services Quarterly online Reference and User Services Quarterly (RUSQ) made the transition to an all-digital, online-only format in Fall 2011, starting with Volume 51, Issue 1. The access information published here is also available on the RUSA website, but we’re republishing it here for easy access! Remember, your RUSQ subscription is a membership benefit—if you’re having difficulty with your membership, contact ALA’s Membership and Customer Service team at membership@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, option 5 for assistance.
An e-subscription to RUSQ is a benefit of RUSA membership. Individual and organizational members of the Reference and User Services Association can now access the journal online at http://rusa.metapress.com. You will need to register an account with Metapress in order to enable access.
Are you a non-member organization interested in a subscription to RUSQ? Contact subscriptions@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, option 5.
If you have recently joined RUSA, it will take about six weeks for your member subscription to be activated by Metapress. Contact support@metapress.com if you experience any problems.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACCESSING RUSQ ONLINE:
For Individual Members:
If you have already registered on a MetaPress site, you can use the same MetaPress account to login and view RUSQ.
If you do not have an account registered with MetaPress, follow these steps to create an account and access RUSQ:
Provide your name and email address along with a username and password—the username and password will be different from those you use to login at ALA’s website.
During registration, you will see a “Consume Token” section. Within this box, you will need to enter your RUSA access code. Your RUSA code is the letters RUSA followed immediately by your 7 digit ALA member number—no spaces, no dashes. If you don’t know your ALA member number, contact ALA Membership & Customer Service at membership@ala.org or (800) 545-2433, option 5. If your ALA member number is less than 7 digits, please include leading zeros, ex. RUSA0012345.
After entering the code, click “Register”
Once registered, you should see that you are “Recognized as: RUSA member (453-79-372)” on the left side of the screen. If you are not, please contact support@metapress.com; make sure to include your ALA member number, your newly registered account information, and let them know you are trying to access RUSQ.
Once you are recognized as RUSA member, you will have full access to all issues of RUSQ! Click on “Current Issue” or “Archive Issue” to browse the content.
For Organizational Members and Organizational Subscribers:
The website for the online version is at http://rusa.metapress.com. If you are already registered for IP authentication from MetaPress, you should see your institution name on the left side of the page. Click on “Archive Issues” to see a list of issues. You should see full green squares next to all issues. If you do not see these squares, please contact support@metapress.com. Please let them know you are an RUSA member, and make sure to include your institution’s name and institution’s ALA member ID
If your institution does not have a Metapress account, you’ll need to register your institution with MetaPress. You can do this by contacting support@metapress.comand including the following information in your message:
Institution Name
ALA Member ID and Paid Thru Date
Institution Address
City, State/Province and Postal Code
Country
Phone Number
IP Address Or Range
Name of Administrator for this account
Need more membership information? Contact ALA Membership and Customer Service at (800) 545-2433, option 5, or membership@ala.org.
Once your institution is registered with MetaPress as RUSA member, you may click on “Current Issue” or “Archive Issue” to browse the content. You should have full access to all issues.
Since Midwinter, my Emerging Leaders group has been working to create a blog for the members of RUSA. We spent time deciding where we wanted to host the blog, and designing the blog. We spent more time than we should have coming up with the name! The blog, Chasing Reference (http://chasingreference.wordpress.com/), is now up and running. We post on the blog every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Chasing Reference is a blog where librarians can share ideas about what is happening in their libraries, where people can go to find out more about RUSA, or where people who aren’t librarians can go to find out more about what librarians do. If you are interested in writing a post for Chasing Reference, send an email to ChasingReference@gmail.com. We’d love to feature guest posts on the blog.
My Emerging Leaders group will be presenting at the Emerging Leaders poster session at Annual, on Friday, June 22, from 3:00-4:00 PM in the Anaheim Convention Center, Room 303AB. I hope to see you there!
Emily Hamstra
Learning Librarian
Shapiro Undergraduate Library
University of Michigan
Liven up your 2012 ALA Midwinter Meeting experience at the RUSA Membership Social—an opportunity to eat, drink, network, and learn more about RUSA.
All are invited to this event, which will be held on Saturday, January 21, 2012, from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Adolphus Hotel in Century Ballroom A.
Complimentary appetizers and a cash bar will be available, and RSVPs are not required. The event is generously sponsored by Thomson Reuters.
The social is one of many RUSA activities at the Midwinter Meeting in San Diego, and is open to all current RUSA members, friends of RUSA, and those meeting attendees interested in learning more about the association and networking with peers.
Questions? Contact Liane Taylor, Chair, RUSA Membership Committee (ltaylor@txstate.edu).
RUSA’s online learning opportunities are open to any interested participant. Topics are relevant to a variety of library professionals and library types including public, academic, and special libraries. Most courses are asynchronous—participants log into the course at classes.ala.org and complete weekly coursework at their own pace.
More information about RUSA’s online learning opportunities is available at the RUSA website. Questions about registration for both groups and individuals should be sent to the ALA registration team at registration@ala.org.
Here’s an overview of our current online learning offerings:
Introduction to Spatial Literacy and Online Mapping: Through podcasts and hands-on assignments, participants in this webinar will explore uses for geographic information systems (GIS) technology within organizations and also its social uses beyond simple cartography. The course also covers the how-to of online mapping tools such as Google Earth, ArcExplorer, Scribble Maps and Google Maps. The course content is especially relevant for public or reference librarians who want to organize information in a visual or geographic way to benefit the work of the library, to make information available to the community, or any number of needs.
Health Information 101: During this six week course, participants will demystify and decode medical terminology then learn the basics of evidence-based biomedical literature searching. They’ll also learn how to systematically evaluate a health website then look at some the best of best sites for medical, pharmaceutical and drug information. The course also addresses health literacy issues and how to create partnerships with hospital and academic medical librarians through the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. Registration will open on Monday, August 22, 2012.
Readers’ Advisory 101: Through practice sessions, participants will learn from instructor and RA expert Joyce Saricks how to use RA tools, craft annotations, read in genres, articulate appeal and experiment with methods to offer RA services. Readers’ Advisory 101 is tailored for those at all types of libraries—support staff, library technicians, newly hired reference librarians, and those librarians who want to brush up on their skills. The topics covered are introductory in nature. This course has scheduled weekly meeting times.
Genealogy 101: This course is designed for reference staff with little to no experience in genealogy. Using a case study to frame the coursework, participants will learn about tools and techniques they can use to confidently assist patrons with family history research. A review of archival material, print reference tools and online sources is included in the curriculum.
The Reference Interview: This comprehensive course covers such reference interview topics as cultivating an approachable reference environment, successful questioning and listening techniques and appropriate follow-up methods. Staff of all levels at all types of libraries will find this content, presented in a multi-media format, helpful in their day-to-day engagement with library patrons.
Beyond Compliance: This unique course is designed to address the virtual and media-related obstacles disabled patrons encounter while accessing library services. Virtual and media-related obstacles are defined as inherent features in an informational medium that prevent equitable access to information. This four-week course will include weekly assigned readings and short assignments, weekly optional chats, and discussion prompts. Students will take away practical advice on creating equitable access to library services and instruction.
Introduction to Screencasting for Online Tutorials and Reference: This 90-minute webinar will introduce the screencasting tools and best practices for creating online videos for training, instruction, or reference. Learn about the most popular software used and some key pedagogical factors that help create effective streaming tutorials. Screencasting is a powerful tool for virtual reference and informal communications.
RUSA seeks proposals for webinar presentations for its 2012 series of professional development webinars that will be held throughout the year, from January 2012 through August 2012.
RUSA webinars are an opportunity for librarians to infuse their year with professional development they can conveniently—and affordably—pursue from the comfort of their home or office. Webinars will take place throughout the year and will cover topics relevant to a broad range of librarians, library staff and library supporters.
Successful proposals will:
● Show plans for presentations that are 60-75 minutes in length.
● Show how the presentation addresses a topic either of interest to RUSA members, or represents an area of RUSA’s expertise that benefits other types of librarians. This may include but is not limited to: reference basics; reference for specialized audiences; research, trends and hot topics in readers advisory; information literacy; community partnerships; outreach; partnerships between different types of libraries; government data and related resources; library spaces and assessing future needs; copyright in the digital age; collection development; special collections; tips and tutorials for relevant tech tools; standards and guidelines; genealogy; advocating for reference; resource development; fundraising; marketing; job searching and related resources.
The deadline for proposals is December 31, 2011. Presenters for accepted proposals will receive compensation for their time and will also receive training for the webinar software. Questions about RUSA or the webinars can be directed to Liz Markel, RUSA marketing and programs manager or Susan Hornung, RUSA executive director at lmarkel@ala.org and shornung@ala.org, respectively.
Nominations are now being accepted for RUSA’s many achievement awards and conference travel grants. The deadline for all nominations is December. 15, 2011, with the exception of the BRASS Gale Cengage Learning Student Travel Award, which has a deadline of January 31, 2012.
Awards for Individuals and Groups for Professional Achievement
The History Section Genealogical Publishing Company Award is presented to a librarian, library or publisher who is a RUSA member, and recognizes professional achievement in historical reference and research librarianship. Sponsored by Genealogical Publishing Company; $1,500 prize and a citation.
The Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award honors an individual who has made a distinguished contribution to reference librarianship. Sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning; $5,000 prize and a citation.
The John Sessions Memorial Award recognizes a library or library system that has made a significant effort to work with the labor community and by doing so has brought recognition to the history and contribution of the labor movement to the development of the United States. Supported by the Department of Professional Employees, AFL-CIO; the winner receives a plaque.
The Louis Shores Award recognizes an individual reviewer, group, editor, review medium or organization for excellence in book reviewing and other media for libraries. The winner receives a citation.
The Reference Service Press Award recognizes the most outstanding article published in RUSQ during the preceding two-volume year. Sponsored by Reference Service Press; $2,500 prize and a plaque.
The Virginia Boucher/OCLC Distinguished ILL Librarian Award is given to an individual for his or her outstanding professional achievement, leadership, and contributions to interlibrary loan and document delivery. Sponsored by OCLC; $2,000 prize and a citation.
The Zora Neale Hurston Award honors an individual ALA member who has demonstrated leadership in promoting African-American literature. Sponsored by HarperCollins; the winner receives $1,250 supporting travel to the ALA Annual Conference, a plaque, tickets to the Literary Tastes Breakfast, tickets to the ALTAFF Author Tea and a set of Hurston’s books in print with HarperCollins at the time of the award.
The RSS Service Achievement Award is presented annually to a Reference Services Section (RSS) member in recognition of exceptional contributions to the section. See the RSS Review for more information.
The MARS “My Favorite Martian” Award is presented annually in recognition of excellence in service to the MARS: Emerging Technologies in Reference Section. Contact the award committee chair for more information.
The Morningstar Public Librarian Support Award, sponsored by Morningstar, Inc., offers $1,000 to support the attendance at Annual Conference of a public librarian who has performed outstanding business reference service and who requires financial assistance to attend the conference. See
The STARS/Atlas Systems Mentoring Award offers $1,250 to fund Annual Conference travel expenses for a library practitioner who is new to the field of interlibrary loan/document delivery or electronic reserves, and who has daily, hands-on involvement in the areas of borrowing, lending, document delivery, electronic reserves, material delivery or resource sharing.
RUSA also offers the BRASS Emerald Research GrantEmerald Research Grant, which consists of two $5,000 awards presented to individuals seeking support to conduct research in business librarianship. The deadline to apply for these grants is also December 15, 2011.
More information about these awards, including nominating instructions, can be found at the RUSA Awards web page. Monetary award amounts are subject to change without notice and are contingent upon donor funding supplied at the time the award is presented.
RUSA Midwinter Book and Media Awards; Sunday, Jan. 22, 5:00-6:30 pm; Fairmont Hotel, Oak Room, 1717 N. Akard St., Dallas
Coming to Dallas? Don’t miss ALA’s premier awards event for adult reading and reference! This is the event for anyone who loves reading books, giving books, sharing books, and learning about the year’s hottest titles for adult readers from the readers’ advisory experts in RUSA.
Start making your to-be-read list for 2012! We’ll announce the winners of the Reading List, the Notable Books List and the Sophie Brody Medal. We’ll also announce the Zora Neale Hurston Award, the Dartmouth Medal for outstanding reference title of the year, the Outstanding Reference Sources list, Outstanding Business Reference Sources, “Best of the Best” Business Websites, and the Louis Shores Award for book reviewing.
The STARS Education and Training Committee again sponsored the very popular Everything You Always Wanted to Know about ILL but Were Afraid to ask ALA Midwinter preconference workshop. The workshop was held on Friday, January 7, 8:30 am – 12:30 pm, at the San Diego Public Library. Kymberly Goodson of UCSD did a wonderful job in organizing this year’s workshop. Presenters were: Megan Gaffney (borrowing), Karen Janke (lending), Cindy Kristof (copyright) and Collette Mak (standards and resources).
Sponsors of this year’s workshop were Lyrasis, OCLC, Relais International, the San Diego Public Library, and the Northwest Interlibrary Loan and Resource Sharing Conference.
We had fifty-four registrants. Of those, thirty-five filled out questionnaires. Most of the attendees came from California and most were from academic libraries. The respondents were evenly divided between librarians and support staff. All respondents who answered the question “would you recommend this workshop to a colleague” said “yes.”
Margaret Bean, Chair
mbean@uoregon.edu
Hot Topics Discussion Group
The Hot Topics Discussion Group did not disappoint at ALA Midwinter 2011. Thirty-five members showed up to join in an engaging discussion of a variety of Hot Topics. All who attended came away having learned from or shared useful information with their peers. Following is a summary of the discussion.
Those receiving poor quality article scans were urged to contact the lending libraries to let them know as they might be unaware of the problem. Patron-driven acquisitions ideas, policies, and cultures were shared. Some institutions have merged ILL and acquisitions functions, others have collection development policies as to when to borrow or when to purchase based on lending requests. A couple libraries agreed to share their collection development policies on the ILL-L and STARS-L listservs. Regarding textbook borrowing and lending policies, some do not lend or borrow textbooks, some purchase and place textbooks on reserve, some encourage faculty to place personal copies on reserves, and others do borrow and lend. E-journal and E-book licensing issues were discussed; some lament losing first sale rights with those licenses.
Springer e-books allow one chapter of a book to be lent, ebrary, two chapters; no other vendors’ options were reported. On the Ariel vs. Odyssey issue, folks simply reported what they did, which even included emailing PDFs when all else failed. International lending issues turn out to be complex because of U.S. shipping and customs issues. Some continue to lend internationally. Problems with ILL between the U.S. and Canadian libraries are particularly problematic due to customs requirements. The problem of the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) discontinuing its reporting option of sending spreadsheets to CCC for data entry was discussed briefly, but few seemed to have this as a workflow issue in their libraries. Many suggest using the functions in OCLC for this, although some have to do the data entry themselves outside of OCLC.
Julia Gustafson, Chair
Jgustafson@wooster.edu
Interlibrary Loan Discussion Group
The ILL Discussion Group met on Saturday, January 8, from 10:30 am – 12:00 pm. Kristina Eden of the University of Michigan Library gave a presentation on the HathiTrust Digital Library (http://www.hathitrust.org), a digital preservation repository with a current membership of over 50 libraries. Cyril Oberlander of the SUNY Geneseo Library delivered a presentation on the IDS Project and the Getting It System Toolkit.
