President’s Note

Hello, RUSA members!  This is my last column as RUSA President and I want to say how much I have enjoyed serving in this position.  As I turn over the reins to Alesia McManus, our president-elect, I’d like to thank all of our volunteers and members, as well as the RUSA office staff, for their support and engagement over the past year.  I’d also like to congratulate our newly elected president-elect for 2016-2017, Chris LeBeau, as well as newly elected Directors at Large Jenny Presnell and Jennifer Boettcher, and all the new section leaders.  My heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who ran for office.

As I cycle off as RUSA president, I’m turning over several important initiatives to Alesia.  One of these is our pilot implementation of Interest Groups.  Under the guidance of the Organization & Planning Committee and its chair, Beth German, the pilot project has gotten underway with four interest groups for Copyright, Shared Collections, First-Year Experience and Entrepreneurship.  I’ve enjoyed watching the groups get started, and look forward to making Interest Groups a permanent part of RUSA, as soon as details and specifics can be worked out.

Another important initiative is our Name Change Task Force, which has been charged with looking at how we can best brand ourselves for the future and ensure that our association name speaks to the needs of current and future members.  I am deeply grateful to co-chairs Nancy Cunningham and Ed Garcia, as well as all members of the task force, for addressing this important issue.  The task force includes RUSA members from public, academic and special libraries, representing all of RUSA’s sections and a range of interests.  The complete roster is available here.  In this issue of RUSA Update you’ll find some more information from the co-chairs about how they will be proceeding with their work, and how you can give input.

One opportunity for you to weigh in about the Name Change Task Force or any other RUSA-related issue is coming up at our virtual Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, June 15 at 4 pm ET.  Details for how to connect to the Town Hall can be found on the RUSA News blog, along with a link to submit questions ahead of time.  I and other members of the RUSA leadership will be present at the Town Hall to answer questions or hear your concerns.  I hope you can join us!

If you’re able to come to the ALA Annual conference in Orlando, we have several RUSA signature events that you may want to put on your calendar, including Friday’s RUSA 101, where you can learn all about RUSA and how to get involved; the free Literary Tastes breakfast on Sunday morning with name authors; and the RUSA Achievement Awards reception on Sunday evening.  I’d like to especially put in a plug for these two events:

  • RUSA President’s Program
    Be Our Guest: Creating Immersive Guest Experiences in Libraries
    Saturday 06/25/2016
    4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
    Our keynote speaker for the President’s Program will be Dave Cobb, Vice President for Creative Development at the Thinkwell Group and an expert on designing immersive educational experiences for museums and theme parks.  Joining Dave will be two responders:  John Blyberg, Assistant Director for Innovation and UX at the Darien Library; and Steven Bell, Associate University Librarian at Temple University.
  • Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction Celebration
    Saturday 06/25/2016
    8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
    This year’s Carnegie winners were Sally Mann’s Hold Still for nonfiction and Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer for fiction.  I am looking forward to hearing from both winning authors at our Carnegie event, which will also feature a keynote talk from poet Billy Collins.  Last year’s event was one of the highlights of the Annual conference for me, and I expect this year’s event to be just as exciting.

Please check the ALA Scheduler for the most current times and locations of all RUSA’s events.

Finally, I would like to note that one of RUSA’s current goals is to increase continuing education and engagement offerings throughout the year, recognizing that many of our members cannot attend ALA conferences and would like more opportunities for virtual learning.  To that end, the RUSA Board and Executive Committee are reviewing the recommendations of the Learning Opportunities and Knowledge Coordination Task Force, which has recently issued its report about how RUSA can best bring continuing education opportunities to all of its members.  The task force was ably chaired by dedicated members Shannon Jones and Mary Popp.  Stay tuned for more information about our future directions in this regard.

Please feel free to contact me any time at annehouston2@gmail.com.  I welcome your questions and comments.

Anne Houston
RUSA President 2015-2016

Emerging Leader

In just about one month’s time myself and the RUSA Emerging Leaders team will be presenting our “Library as Publisher” toolkit at the Emerging Leaders Poster Session during ALA Annual in Orlando. How time flies! The past few weeks have been an interesting process of finding resources, mapping out how the toolkit will look, putting together our team’s final report, and deciding on a final presentation format. As the team and myself work with the RUSA Publications and Communications Committee to get the toolkit completed and ready for use, add the “Emerging Leaders Poster Session and Reception” to your ALA Annual schedule! We will be presenting the final toolkit on Friday, June 24th from 3pm to 4pm in OCCC S320 A-C.

Look out for my next update where I will be reflecting on my time as RUSA’s Emerging Leader and be sure to connect with me on Twitter @BiblioCatherine or in-person at ALA Annual in Orlando.

Catherine Damiani

RUSA News/Announcements

“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.

New Vendor Relations Liaison
Celia Ross appointed as new vendor relations liaison

headshot of Celia Ross
Celia Ross


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!

photo of Dave Cobb
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!

Carnegie winners with sponsor logos

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.

LiteraryTastes_Annual Poster

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!

Springshare logo

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.

RUSA meetings can be found here.

RUSA programs can be found here.

RUSA discussion and interest groups can be found here.

Online Learning
Courses

Please scroll down for pricing

Readers’ Advisory
101
(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

Webinars
Stay tuned for future webinars with RUSA and get the most out of your membership!

Do you have an idea for a course or webinar that we are not currently offering?
Learn more about submitting proposals for RUSA online learning.

RUSA Committee Reports

RUSA Conference Program Coordinating Committee
Proposals for programs and pre-conferences at ALA Annual 2017 in Atlanta and for pre-conference institutes at ALA-Midwinter 2017 in Chicago are due to CPCC by the end of the day on May 16, 2016. Section chairs and chairs of RUSA-level committees have access to the proposal form. Individuals who are planning programs for those conferences and who have received formal approval from a RUSA-level section or RUSA-level committee need to submit the proposal form by attaching it to an e-mail addressed to Jason Coleman, CPCC’s chair, at coleman@ksu.edu.

CPCC and RUSA’s Office had initially planned to release the program submission form to leaders of RUSA’s sections and leaders of RUSA-level committees in early March. They had advertised a submission deadline of May 1, 2016. Unfortunately, ALA’s Conference Services encountered difficulties with the conference software they use to create the submission forms. This has resulted in a delay in their release of the draft version of RUSA’s program submission form to RUSA’s staff. As a consequence of these delays, CPCC extended the submission deadline to May 16, 2016 and worked with RUSA’s Executive Director, Susan Hornung, to develop a MS Word version of the form. RUSA’s President, Anne Houston, distributed the form to chairs of RUSA’s sections and to chairs of RUSA-level committees.

Early this year RUSA CPCC developed an extensive list of suggested modifications to the conference program submission form that was used last year. RUSA’s Office had planned to implement as many of those requested changes as the software used for the form would allow. Given the delay in the creation of the form, RUSA’s Office and RUSA CPCC have agreed to wait until next year to implement the majority of these modifications.

Jason Coleman
RUSA CPCC Chair, 2015-201
6

RUSA Publications and Communications Committee
The RUSA Publications and Communication Committee is currently accepting volunteer applications from RUSA members to lead the transition and future directions of the RUSA Voices (http://blog.rusa.ala.org/ ).
The focus of the RUSA Voices will be for contributors to share, discuss, and
promote current trends in reference and user services. The Blog will be written
by a team of columnists with a publishing schedule facilitated by a coordinator.

We are currently looking for:
●       A blog coordinator
●       A blog website coordinator
●       columnists to contribute to the blog

Applications
should be submitted no later than
June 17, 2016.  Apply online: http://goo.gl/forms/frpDLFtp2UWuhie63

Available Positions:
RUSA Blog Coordinator:

●      Coordinator is responsible for recruiting and selecting
four or more columnists with a variety of perspectives and sets
publication schedule to ensure regular postings that represent a broad
spectrum of ideas relevant to RUSA members and potential members. The
coordinator establishes columnist recruitment plan, to be shared with RUSA
Publications and Communications Committee.
●      Edit articles for content, style, format and correct
grammatical usage.
●      Accepts, solicits, and selects requests for guest posts
as needed
●      Collaborates with Blog Website Coordinator,
Publications and Communications Committee, and RUSA staff to ensure Blog
meets RUSA branding standards.
●      Serves ex-officio on RUSA Publications and
Communications Committee
●      Works with RUSA Publications and Communications
Committee to create marketing plan for blog, to promote blog to readers
within RUSA and also to a general professional audience.

RUSA Blog Website Coordinator:
●      Website Coordinator is responsible for maintaining,
updating, and securing WordPress blog.
●      Provides technical support to Blog Coordinator and
columnists.
●      Solicits improvements and plugin suggestions from RUSA
members for RUSA Voices
●      Coordinates with RUSA Webmaster on the technical
specifications and the integration of the RUSA Blog with RUSA News, RUSA
Website, and social media.
●      Collaborates with Blog Coordinator, Publications and
Communications Committee, and RUSA staff to ensure Blog meets RUSA
branding standards.
●      Serves ex-officio on RUSA Publications and
Communications Committee

Columnists:
●      Writes and posts 6+ articles per year
●      Serves as peer reviewer for other columnists as needed
●      RUSA Member

Recruitment  Process:
The committee will accept applications from RUSA members for all positions thru June 17,
2016. The committee will conduct interviews for the RUSA Blog and Website Coordinators.
Once the Blog Coordinator is selected, that individual will lead the selection
process for columnists.

Background:
In 2013, an Emerging Leader’s project created the blog “Chasing
Reference”. This blog was a great way for members and new librarians to create
content, share their experiences, and highlight trends within the profession.
The Publications and Communications committee began RUSA Voices, and would like
to see the blog continue. Additionally, the current RUSA Blog has been
rebranded as RUSA News with the RUSA office as the content creators which
allows for the opportunity for a member driven blog.

Amy E. Rustic, Chair

RUSA Learning Archive Task Force
The Learning Archive Task Force has completed an environmental scan of sources of information about those webinars, courses, programs, pre-conferences, institutes, and workshops RUSA has offered since 2011. This scan revealed that the combination of reports from RUSA’s Office, RUSA Update, RUSA News, and the conference programs for ALA Annuals and ALA Midwinter Conferences were the most fertile sources of metadata about those learning opportunities. Task Force member Stephanie Atkins has created a spreadsheet summarizing information obtained from RUSA’s Office and from the conference programs. In the near future the Task Force will augment the spreadsheet by culling information from RUSA Update and RUSA News. Once the spreadsheet is complete, they will create a Google Form to serve as the front end of the Learning Archive. They will then work with RUSA Board to develop a mechanism to share the data in the archive and to create a procedure for keeping the archive up-to-date in the future.

Jason Coleman
RUSA Learning Archive Task Force Chair, 2015-2016

RUSA Name Change Task Force
RUSA Members: Are we ready for a name change?

The word Reference is the first word in our association acronym.  For many of us with years working in library public services, the word is both meaningful and identifiable, even comforting.  Yet the very nature of reference service has changed.  In many libraries, units formerly called the “Reference Department” have been renamed, as early as fifteen years ago, “Information Services” or “Research Services.” Also, print collections once labeled “reference” have been stored and replaced by online resources for greater accessibility by all.  As pointed out in a recent article by RUSA President Anne Houston, “What’s in a Name?” (Reference and User Services Quarterly, Spring 2016) reference may be only a small part of what we do on a daily basis.  Perhaps the word is not a part of our job assignment at all. Yet, RUSA is our home within a very large national association.

In February, the RUSA Name Change Taskforce was assembled with members representing a wide variety of roles within our profession.  The crux of the charge is to both to “determine name change possibilities” and, consider “larger issues of rebranding within RUSA and library public services.”  The guidance in the charge counsels us to recognize that “reference is changing radically” and that we should think deeply about ALA’s Libraries Transform campaign as we envision transformations within RUSA itself.  Moreover, we need to re-envision a name which speaks to not only current members but to potential members whose job titles we cannot yet imagine.  In short, a new name should be relatable and recognizable, encompass the very large scope of our activities and service, and defines us among other ALA divisions.   The feedback we collect from members and non-members and a short list of name change possibilities are due to the RUSA board by the end of this year.

As our annual conference in Orlando approaches, the task force is planning to use social media (Hashtag namerusa#), flyers, email blasts, an online survey, and other onsite venues to gather as much feedback as possible before and during the conference.

How do you relate to the RUSA name and brand?  Does ‘reference’ represent what you do?  What about the word ‘service’ and ‘users’?  Should the name be a pronounceable acronym? What collection of words would speak to potential new members?  How do we represent RUSA values in a name?

Responses to these questions and more, in addition to informal conference discussions will guide the task force toward the creation of a list of name possibilities and brand issues for consideration by the RUSA board.

What do you think?  Are you ready for a name change?

Nancy Cunningham
Co-chair,RUSA Name Change Taskforce

BRASS Notes

John Gottfried, Editor

Message from the BRASS Chair

The election results are in—congratulations to our new office holders!
RUSA
-President-Elect – Chris LeBeau
-Director at Large – Jennifer Boettcher

Jennifer was also elected as an ALA Councilor! Jennifer, way to go!!!
BRASS
-Vice Chair/Chair-Elect – Greg Fleming
-Secretary – Ilana Stonebraker
-Member-at-Large – Annette Buckley

We are grateful for your investment of time, energy and effort to BRASS and RUSA…and for making our section and division a great place to serve and grow professionally!

I hope everyone is getting ready for the Annual Conference (AC) in sunny Orlando, FL (Friday, June 24 – Tuesday, June 28, 2016).  BRASS has some great activities, programs, meetings, and, of course, the Monday night BRASS Dinner planned to make for a great conference.

If you have never been to a BRASS Pre Conference BEFORE then try to make this one your FIRST! Business Data for Librarians will be held on that Friday. You can still register in advance and save some money from the on-site registration! I recently registered and I hope to see many of you there.

The RefUSA BRASS Membership Reception will be on Friday night at Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar.

The BRASS Forum (Business Reference in Academic Libraries Committee) on Saturday will feature “Lighting Talks” on a variety of intriguing and innovative topics.

The Sunday morning BRASS Discussion Group will meet, as usual, and this will be an excellent opportunity to learn many new and wonderful things happening in Business Librarianship as well as being informed of recent job openings and other important items.  There will be a coffee and refreshment break sponsored by MINTEL and then feel free to stick-around and meet some of our new colleagues at the BRASS New Business Librarians’ Discussion Group gathering.

The Monday morning BRASS Program will be a great opportunity to learn about the hospitality and tourism industry resource information landscape. I plan to get into the spirit by wearing a Hawaiian shirt, Crocs and shades! Come join the laid-back, enlightening experience!  S&P will be graciously providing coffee, juices and refreshments, as in the past.

Be sure to make your flight reservations to leave on Tuesday and NOT Monday!  You don’t want to bypass the Monday night BRASS Dinner immediately after the BRASS Exec. Committee meeting which will be from 4-6PM. This dinner is a great opportunity to catch-up with colleagues, meet new ones, and network in order to increase your professional capabilities to better serve your patrons back at your libraries.

Take a look at the BRASS website for more details and continue to monitor BRASS-L to keep up with RSVPs for the BRASS Dinner at Cafe Gaugin (first one going out around May 9) and other important scheduling email related to this fantastic upcoming AC!

These are just several of the many happenings—can’t name them all here!—coming up at the AC and I hope you book your reservations accordingly to not miss any of the great things planned!

Best regards and I hope to see you all in Orlando,

Paul Brothers
BRASS Chair 2015-2016

Business Reference Services Discussion Group
The BRASS Discussion Group facilitated a virtual discussion on March 25th. 27 BRASS members were in attendance for this lively discussion about a myriad of topics, including RUSA Voices, the Springshare blog functionality and the new S&P interface. For more details, check ALA connect for the recording and the chat transcript. Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in the discussion.  The next virtual discussion will be at 2pm EST on May 13th with an open agenda.

Emily Treptow 2014-2016 Chair

Business Reference in Academic Libraries Committee
For the past 6 months our committee has been actively engaged in preparing for the BRASS Academic Forum that will be held at ALA Annual: “Lightning Talks on Innovation and Risk Taking in Business Academic Librarianship.” We collaborated in many ways—holding virtual meetings, using Google tools, creating a sub-group, and email—to determine criteria, draft messages, solicit presenters and evaluate finalists. Our committee reviewed 24 proposals and selected 7 for the BRASS Academic Forum. Because there were many good proposals that could not fit into the Lightning Talk format, we will sponsor a Lightning Talk webinar after annual to include several more by innovative academic librarians. I look forward to this risky new event for BRASS at ALA Annual!

Van Houlson, 2015-2016 Chair

Business Reference Sources Committee
The Business Reference Sources Committee is in the process of nominating and selecting reference resources that will be reviewed in an upcoming issue of Reference and User Services Quarterly.

The Business Reference Sources Committee has also selected its program to present at the annual Publisher’s Forum which will take place at the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando. The title of the forum will be: “One Part Social, One Part Commercial: A Recipe for Supporting Social Entrepreneurship.” The publishers will include Berrett-Koehler, Emerald, and Greenleaf.

Ed Hahn, 2014-2016 Chair

Education Committee
The BRASS Education Committee continues to pursue our goals to provide for the educational needs of business reference librarians and other librarians involved in business reference services. The Committee Teams continue to work on individual projects:

  • Pre Conference Planning Team
    • Work continues on developing the 2016 BRASS Preconference “Business Data for Librarians” at the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando June 24 from 8:30am – 4:00pm. Our speakers are working on their individual presentations and the Team will continue to work on logistical details as well as facilitation for the Q&A portion of the event. Advertising for the Pre Conference has met with considerable success and we anticipate a hearty group of participants this year. Join us if you can! (http://brass.libguides.com/2016brasspreconference)
    • The Committee has decided not to offer an in-person Preconference at ALA Annual 2017, instead focusing our efforts on a possible webinar series as an educational offering of similar depth with the benefits of lower cost and increased flexibility to potential participants. Emerald Group Publishing is interested in offering a Preconference at ALA Annual 2017 and the Education Committee will continue our involvement with member Bridget Farrell serving as a liaison (as well as Vendor Relations liaison Ann Fiegen) to this symbiotic venture.
    • This team benefits from the efforts of Tom Ottaviano, Peter McKay, Charles Allan and Eimmy Solis.
  • Best of the Best Business Websites Award Team
    • Award winners were announced at Midwinter. The team continues to explore the possibility of changing the award from a print certificate to a web badge; the proposal is pending consideration by the Executive Committee.
    • This team benefits from the efforts of Monica Hagan, Cara Cadena and Bridget Farrell.
  • Webinar Team(s)
    • Originally the Committee had two webinar teams – the Free Webinar Team and the Paid Webinar Team. It is likely that the 2016-2017 season will see these teams combined, however, as the Education Committee pursues the possibility of a webinar series offering. This will be discussed along with the report the Paid Webinar team will give at ALA Annual 2016 regarding the results of their environmental review for webinar offerings in the business reference space.
    • The Webinar teams benefit from the efforts of Phebe Dickson, Robbie De Peri and Christina Sheley, Kelly LaVoice, Hiromi Kubo and LuMarie Guth.

The BRASS Education Committee is further pleased to announce that Robbi De Peri has accepted the role of Co-Chair of the Committee for the 2016-2017 term. The Committee welcomes this additional leadership and looks forward to her continuing ideas and insights. The Committee looks forward to ALA Annual 2016 and the year ahead!

Ashley Faulkner, 2012-2015 Chair

Membership Committee
The ReferenceUSA BRASS Member Reception, generously sponsored by InfoUSA, will be held at Cuba Libre Pointe in Orlando at 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Friday June 24. Pointe Orlando is conveniently located near the Orange County Convention Center and conference hotels.

Don’t miss the opportunity to meet BRASS members and network over appetizers and drinks!

RSVP at http://evite.me/P6PT8wpNEZ

Jennifer Boettcher and Cynthia Slater, 2015-2016 Co-chairs

Vendor Relations Committee
BRASS is fortunate to have sponsors that support the section activities and awards. As annual approaches be sure to thank our long time BRASS friends S&P Global Market Intelligence, Emerald, InfoGroup ReferenceUSA, Morningstar, Global Financial Data, and Springshare. New in the last year are Mergent, the sponsor of the Excellence in Business Librarianship, and SimplyMap, sponsor of the Student Travel Award.

Ann Fiegen, 2015-2016 Chair

AWARD COMMITTEES

BRASS Mergent Excellence in Business Librarianship Award
The BRASS Mergent Excellence in Business Librarianship Award committee is looking forward to officially recognizing this year’s recipient, Jared Hoppenfeld of Texas A&M, at the RUSA Achievement Awards Ceremony during ALA Annual in Orlando. Congratulations, Jared!

Celia Ross, 2014-2015 Chair

CODES

Barry Trott, Editor

CODES will be active in Orlando at ALA Annual!  On Saturday, June 25 at 10:30 am, check out our program “Harnessing Research and Data to Advance Readers’ Advisory Services” in the AM Orange County Convention Center, Room S330 C-D.  On Sunday morning at 8 am start your day with “Literary Tastes: Celebrating the Best Reading of the Year” in the Rosen Centre, Room Grand A.  This annual event has become a favorite for readers everywhere.  And you certainly won’t want to miss the Achievement Awards Ceremony and Reception at 5 pm on Sunday in the Rosen Centre, Room Grand A.  Congratulate your colleagues from CODES and other RUSA sections as we recognize their outstanding achievements.

You may be interested in a couple of other CODES committee meetings as well.  The CODES All Committee Meeting at Midwinter in Boston was so successful that we are repeating it in Orlando.  Any CODES group that does not have its own specific meeting time and place can meet during the All Committee Meeting on Saturday, June 25, at 10:30 am in the Hyatt Regency Orlando, Room Plaza BR F.  It’s also a great venue to meet colleagues and introduce yourself to other CODES members.  The Reference Publishing Advisory Committee will meet on Saturday, June 25, at 4:30 pm in Orange County Convention Center, Room W307B.   This brainstorming session is open to all and will identify trends in reference publishing to serve as future topics.  Please join us for the conversation!

It’s not too late for appointment to a CODES committee.  A few committees still have available positions.  If you’re interested in serving or have questions about CODES committees, please contact Daniel Mack, CODES Vice Chair/Chair Elect, at dmack@umd.edu.

History

Laura Hibbler, Editor

Here are just a few of the great events coming up for History Librarians at ALA Annual in Orlando!

All Committee Meeting and Open House (RUSA_HS)
Saturday, June 25, 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
HYATT Regency Orlando, Room Celebration 05

Partnering for the Common Good: Libraries, and Genealogical Societies
Saturday, June 25, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Orange County Convention Center, Room W109A

Genealogy and Local History Discussion Group (RUSA HS)
Saturday, June 25, 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Orange County Convention Center, Room W310

History Librarians Discussion Group (RUSA_HS)
Sunday, June 26 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Orange County Convention Center, Room W209C

Executive Committee Meeting (RUSA HISTORY)
Monday, June 27, 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Rosen Centre, Room Salon 06

Also of note, the Genealogy Pre Conference will take place Friday, June 24, from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, at the Orange County Convention Center, Room W304 A-B. The Genealogy Pre Conference has been full since early April–congratulations to the planning committee for organizing such a popular event! The committee is maintaining a waiting list for lunch, in case people who are already registered drop out. A few may be added to a waiting list for sessions only (no lunch).

To be added to the waiting list, please contact Rhonda L. Clark.

Stay tuned for more information about History Section programming at ALA!

From the History Librarians Discussion Group
During the History Librarians Discussion Group at Midwinter 2016, attendees were interested in learning more about the metadata standards used by different digital scholarship sites. Kara Long, Metadata and Catalog Librarian at Baylor University, has kindly composed an incredibly helpful piece for the History Section. She explains metadata and relates metadata to formats librarians will understand. The introduction to Kara’s piece is provided here, with the full text available on the History Section site.

“An Entirely Too Brief History of Library Metadata and a Peak at the Future, Too”
Even if you feel unfamiliar with metadata, you may have heard the definition, “metadata is data about data.” This is technically true but not very illuminating. The title of a book is metadata. The length of a feature film is metadata. The date of a treaty is metadata. Metadata is information about other data, and in the case of libraries the “other data” is usually an information object – like a book, film, or government document. So, you may feel unfamiliar with metadata, but the truth is that we all rely on metadata all the time in our daily lives. If you work in a library (and you probably do), then you use metadata every time you search for a book or article. In fact, metadata probably plays a big role in a lot of what you do.

A conversation about metadata can get very theoretical very quickly. So, in honor of the History Librarians’ discussion group, I will present an entirely too brief history of library metadata as a way to contextualize our current metadata challenges. In libraries, many of these challenges originate in library data models developed in the nineteenth century and early twentieth centuries. Our choice of data models and standards has proliferated since then, and I hope this brief history makes the sea of library metadata a little less overwhelming.
Continue reading

Emerging Technologies Section (ETS)

Chanitra Bishop, Editor

Get Involved with ETS!
Great news – we are still accepting volunteers to fill a variety of ETS committee appointments.  If you are interested in serving, please contact Vice Chair/Chair-Elect Courtney McDonald directly at crgreene@indiana.edu for more information about opportunities.  Follow the link here for a listing of the ETS committees

Have questions about our committees? The All Committee Meeting on Sunday, June 26th from 10:30-11:30am (HYATT Regency Orlando, Room Bayhill 23) is a great place to meet ETS members and have your questions answered!
Attending the full conference in Orlando?
Join us for some or all of our sessions!!

Happening on Sunday at 1:00pm (Orange County Convention Center, Room W109A)

Emerging Technologies Librarians: Changing Roles for Changing Times (RUSA_ETS)
Are you bemused by the range of new literacies deemed critical for future citizens/students?  Has your University or Community recently stressed the importance of digital, visual, design, and statistical, and/or entrepreneurial literacy?   Do you struggle to keep up with new technologies when you haven’t finished learning the last ones yet?

Join us for an afternoon of conversation with three Emerging Technologies librarians who discuss how their roles continue to evolve as once “emerging” technologies become part of the library’s operational fabric, and as new expectations for successful citizens and students lead libraries to continue to expand partnerships and opportunities for their patrons to engage with new waves of emerging technologies.

Beth Boatright (Emerging Technologies Librarian and Business Librarian, Indiana University- Purdue University, Fort Wayne),  Tara Radniecki (Engineering Librarian at University of Nevada, Reno, and author of the IFLA Study on Emerging Technology librarian roles)  and Jane Martin (Library Director, Winterhaven Public Library and their SEEDLab with a focus on  Science, Education, Exploration and Design) will share their experiences as they juggle day-to-day operational aspects of their jobs with trying to stay abreast of the trends, working with their colleagues as they learn new technologies (are we all emerging technologies librarians now?), and engaging with “ever emerging” new technologies to continue to harness their potential to provide the best opportunities for the populations we serve.

A listing of all ETS programs and meetings is available in the ALA Scheduler.

Some other highlights include:

Saturday Sessions:

  • The Library as Publisher: Emerging Service for Storytellers and Scholars
    Do you have patrons that are trying to publish books, build websites, or record podcasts? Are you prepared to provide services that will help them in their publishing endeavors? This session is for you!
    Over the last two years, RUSA’s Emerging Leader teams have investigated trends and tools for libraries involved in patron publishing. You’ll learn about four distinct ways your library can support would-be authors and hear from libraries providing innovative services including print-on-demand self-publishing and audio recording with StoryCorps. You’ll leave equipped with a toolkit for providing the publishing services that are most in demand in your community, university, or school.
  • Promoting Subject Specialists and Enhancing Visibility of Library Reference
    Academic library reference continues to go through transformation, as users increasingly rely on the web for their information needs. Traditional library liaison and subject specialist roles are changing, as librarians attempt to realign services with university-wide goals, including an increased emphasis on undergraduate student success. How does your institution market, brand, and promote its reference services on the web? How are library subject liaisons and specialists presented online? In this session, we will explore what various institutions are doing to increase the visibility of their subject librarians and how they are formalizing and assessing their new and existing efforts. We will feature a panel of 3-4 presenters, as well as an active discussion and interaction with audience members.

Sunday’s sessions include:

  •  Fact or Fiction: What Virtual Reference Training Works and What Holds Promise
    Is your library currently training staff on virtual reference services? Are you looking for ideas on how to approach training or make your training efficient? This program allows the librarian to learn about current training programs, the ideal methods of assessment, and identify best training practices. As a topic that will interest all types of libraries, librarians are encouraged to share their experiences and acquire helpful tips from others. Sponsored by the Virtual Reference Discussion Group, ETS/RSS Virtual Reference Services, & Virtual Reference Companion Subcommittee.

Hope to see you in Orlando!

RSS Review

Amy Rustic, Editor

RSS logo
Message from the Chair:

Hi everyone,

I hope you all are having a nice spring.
Amy Rustic, our Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, has been hard at work on committee appointments.  Thank you, Amy, and thank you to all of you who agreed to be committee members or chairs for another term, or for the first time.  Your active participation in our section is very much appreciated.

If you are venturing to Orlando for Annual, I hope you will attend the RSS All Committee Meeting and Open House on Saturday, June 26th from 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. in ROS CENTRE (Rosen Centre Hotel) Salon 09/10.  It’s a great chance to meet fellow and potential RSS members and find out what the difference committees are up to, plus there will be yummy food.

We will be publicizing other RSS session via email and Facebook closer to the conference.

The RSS Election results are in:
VICE-CHAIR/CHAIR-ELECT – Rebecca Jackson
SECRETARY – Jessica Hagman
MEMBER-AT-LARGE – Colleen Seale
Thank you to those who volunteered to run for positions within RSS and Congratulations to the winners!

Crystal Lentz
crystal.lentz@sos.wa.gov
RSS Chair, 2015-16

RSS Honor Roll
It’s that time of year! We want to recognize you and your contributions to RSS!

The RSS Honor Roll 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 Ellen Keith at keith@chicagohistory.org

Not only will you become a member of this esteemed group, you will also be recognized at ALA Annual in Orlando!

Join the RSS Honor Roll today.

RSS COMMITTEE REPORTS

Committee on Multilingual Services
The Committee on Multilingual Library Services is currently reviewing and revising the Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Multilingual Collections and Services http://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/guidemultilingual. The work started this year and will continue into the following year. The sections have been split up evenly amongst the members of the committee, and we are hoping to have some headway on the draft by ALA Annual. Another set of guidelines under the purview of the committee includes the Guidelines for Library Services to Spanish-Speaking Library Users (http://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/guidespanish). The committee initially discussed combining the two guidelines, but have decided to just move forward with the one set and address the other set upon completion of the Multilingual guidelines.

To accompany the guidelines, the committee has discussed creating an online resource guide for library staff that will include strategies, advice, and tools for working with multilingual populations. This goes beyond the somewhat “ideal” guidelines to offer practical resources that can be used or implemented immediately. This work will continue into next year as well.

The committee will be facilitating a discussion forum at ALA Annual on Sunday, June 26th, from 3:00-4:00 pm at the Hyatt, in Bayhill 31 & 32. The discussion forum will be an opportunity for attendees to explain how they use the current guidelines, what they would like to see in the guidelines, and to share practical strategies for best serving multilingual populations in their libraries. The committee is considering compiling discussion notes into a Google Doc and sharing it with conference attendees, which will serve as the basis for the resource guide.

Margaret Bly, Co-Chair 2015-2016
Erin Hvizdak, Co-Chair 2015-2016

Communication and Teaching at the Point of Need Committee
The Communication and Teaching at the Point of Need Committee will be sponsoring a discussion forum at the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando on assisting patrons at the point of need through social media. Details are below:
“Please Throw Me a Vine! Assisting Patrons at the Point of Need through Social Media”
Given the large and growing percentage of the American population that is now using social networking sites for communication, it’s likely that your patrons will pose questions and research challenges on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Join us for a discussion on how we can best communicate at this developing point of need.

When: Sunday, June 26, 3:00-4:00 pm
Where: Orange County Convention Center, Room W202A

Lightning Round Presenters:
Using Instagram: Lauren Wallis, University of Delaware
Using Twitter: Paige Alfonzo, University of Denver
Using Vine: Cindy Craig, University of Florida
The Committee’s Selected Bibliography on Point of Need Reference and Instruction is available here: http://connect.ala.org/node/233262

Colleen Seale, Chair 2015-2016

Discovery Services Committee
The Discovery Services Committee plans to hold their Annual Forum titled, “Exploring Engagement between Discovery and the Catalog , 2016 at 3:00 to 4:00 pm, Orange County Convention Center, Room W107. This forum will provide an opportunity to librarians and others who are involved with reference services to discuss what platform they choose to use when engaged in reference services. To learn more about this event visit the ALA Scheduler.

Anne Larrivee, Chair 2015-2016

Education & Professional Development for Reference Committee
“Educating for the Future of Reference” at Annual 2016 in Orlando.
Our panel event for Annual 2016 builds upon earlier discussion forums around the topic of how well (or not) the professional degree prepares us for the current ‘reference’ environment.  “Educating for the Future of Reference” is planned for on Sunday, June 26 from 1:00-2:30, Orange County Convention Center, W104.

The program explores whether ‘reference education’ in library schools currently helps provide librarians with relevant skills and materials for the current ‘reference’ marketplace as seen from the perspective of library administrators/librarians who hire and train, and also from the perspective of library educators.  Panelists include Jason Coleman (Kansas State University), Wendi Bost (Orange County Public Library System), Dr. Linda Lillard (Library Science Dept. at Clarion University), and Dr. Eileen Abels, Dean of the Simmons School of Library and Information Science.

Bryna Coonin, Chair, 2015-2016

Health and Medical Reference Committee
The Health and Medical Reference Committee (HMRC) supports the specialized needs of library staff members who answer health-related reference questions in a variety of settings, including, but not limited to, public libraries, academic libraries, health care institutions, and special libraries. Topics that the committee addresses include legal and ethical issues, resource evaluation, health literacy, cultural differences, library programming, and health reference interview skills. The committee also maintains the Health and Medical Reference Guidelines (http://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/guidelinesmedical), updated last in 2014 and 2015. Finally, this committee manages MEDREF, a health and medicine oriented listserv available to anyone answering health related reference questions.

HMRC has recently been working to promote MEDREF and increase the number of subscribers. The aim of the listserv is to be an open and welcoming environment for library workers from all types of libraries to discuss all questions or issues related to health and medical reference. In the last few months a press release announcing MEDREF have gone to many listservs including RUSA, RSS, ACRL, ALA, MLA and CAPHIS. Subscribe to MEDREF by going to http://lists.ala.org/sympa/info/medref.

HMRC has joined forces with ACRL’s Health Sciences Interest Group (HSIG) in offering a Discussion Forum at ALA in Orlando this June. The forum, entitled Implementing Health and Medical Reference Guidelines: Training librarians, paraprofessionals and part time staff, will highlight how the new Health and Medical Reference Guidelines can best be implemented in any type of library, including how to train professional and non-professional staff regarding what are often sensitive reference questions. This Discussion Forum will take place on Saturday, June 25th at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Barrel Springs II from 1:00-2:30 pm. We hope all interested in learning more about providing excellent health reference will join us. It promises to be an engaging conversation!

Laura Louise Haines, Chair 2015-2016

Recognition Committee
Join RSS members on Sunday, June 26, 5:00-6:30 PM, in Rosen Centre, Room Grand A, at the RUSA Achievement Awards Ceremony and Reception to recognize Sarah J. Hammill, winner of the RSS Service Achievement Award.

Ellen Keith, Chair 2015-2016

Research and Statistics Committee
Save the Date: 22nd Annual Reference Research Forum ALA Annual Conference

Learn about notable research projects conducted in the broad area of reference services!
Sunday, June 26th from 10:30-11:30 am in the Orange County Convention Center, Room W104
The Reference Research Forum continues to be one of the most popular and valuable programs during the ALA Annual Conference.  The following projects were selected using a blind review process by the RUSA RSS Research and Statistics Committee.
The Research Process of First-Year Students, Brandeis University, Laura Hibbler
As librarians, we often provide instruction to students at the early stages of the research process and do not have the opportunity to see the steps that students take next. Even when we do have the opportunity to see the end product of a student’s research, the student’s paper or project may reveal little about ways that the student’s research focus shifted over time and which parts of the research process caused frustration. This presentation will describe findings from a study that involved interviewing first-year students at three different points while they were working on a research paper. By interviewing students over the span of the time that they were working on their research essays, the librarian was able to ask students to reflect on the steps they had taken and students were able to provide a more complete picture of their research process.
Container Collapse! : How Students Determine Identity and Credibility of Digital Resources, University of Florida, Tara Tobin Cataldo
What does it mean to be format agnostic and what role does it play in a student’s determination of credibility of digital information? Our three-year, IMLS-funded research project explores this phenomenon with students from 4th grade to graduate school using age-appropriate science inquiry examples. The research team has created a new methodology for observing and studying information-seeking behavior in a simulated online environment. This presentation outlines our project, demonstrates the simulations, and discusses the study’s implications for all librarians, educators and online information providers. We seek your feedback and welcome lively dialogue.
Research Consultations and Dweck’s Theories of Intelligence, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Amanda L. Folk
Reference interactions, particularly research consultations, are informal teaching and learning opportunities in which librarians aim to help patrons develop information literacy skills and locate relevant information. Few studies, however, focus on understanding patrons’ motivations for consulting a librarian for help in order to explore whether or not these patrons are simply seeking to locate the relevant information or if they want to learn about the research process more generally through interactions with a librarian.  Carol Dweck identified the fixed and incremental theories of intelligence, which could affect how patrons navigate the research process, including if they will seek help from a librarian and what they intend to take away from that interaction.  This study seeks to determine if students who make appointments for research consultations with a librarian at small regional campus of a public research university subscribe to a particular theory of intelligence as defined by Carol Dweck, in order to provide evidence that can be used to inform reference practice and information literacy instruction.

Cindy Levine and Liz Kocevar-Weidinger, Co-Chairs 2015-2016

Virtual Reference Committee
The ETS/RSS Virtual Reference Services Committee is co-sponsoring a discussion forum with the ETS Virtual Reference Discussion group and the Virtual Reference Companion Subcommittee. The forum is titled “Fact or Fiction: What Virtual Reference Training Works and What Holds Promise.” The session will be a discussion of virtual reference training in both academic and public libraries. Two committee members will do a short (5 minute) presentation on the Virtual Reference Companion, and two other members will share their experiences with training programs at their libraries. The guided discussion will take place following the presentations. The forum will be held Sunday, June 26th at 4:30-5:30pm at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, Room Bayhill 20.

The committee has also recommended to the RUSA Standards and Guidelines committee that the Guidelines for Cooperative Reference Services be sunset. In other guideline news, the committee is currently revising the Guidelines for Implementing and Maintaining Virtual Reference Services.

Qiana Johnson, Chair 2015-2016

Virtual Reference Tutorial Subcommittee
Virtual Reference (VR) Companion Subcommittee will be co-sponsoring the Virtual Reference Discussion Forum at ALA Annual, along with the VR Discussion Group, and is preparing for that meeting, which will focus on training for virtual reference.
Fact or Fiction: What Virtual Reference Training Works and What Holds Promise, Sunday, June 26, 2016, 4:30-5:30 PM, HYATT Regency Orlando, Room Bayhill 20.
Work is being done on the companion to make navigation more intuitive and to include more content in some of the modules.

After the RUSA/RSS committee review process, a decision was made to merge the various VR committees, so the work of maintaining the VR Companion Subcommittee will be taken on by the new merged Virtual Reference Committee.

The VR Companion is accessible at http://www.ala.org/rusa/vrc, as well as in the Hot Links section of the RSS Virtual Reference Committee page, the Professional Tools section of the RUSA Resources page, and in the Web Resources section of the ALA Library Fact Sheet 19: Virtual Reference: A Selected Annotated Bibliography. Tips and Best Practices to include in the VR Companion module of the same name are always welcome! These can be directed to either co-chair, Laura Friesen (lflynn@umflint.edu), or Neal Pomea (neal.pomea@umuc.edu) or by leaving a comment on ALA Connect: (http://connect.ala.org/node/225501).

Laura Friesen, Co-chair 2015-16
Neal Pomea, Co-chair 2015-16

RSS Review is the newsletter of the Reference Services Section of Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) of the American Library Association. Please send suggestions for future issues to Amy Rustic (aer123@psu.edu).

STARS

Kerry Keegan, Editor

Letter from the Chair

Greetings and salutations, my fellow STARS!  It’s hard to believe that ALA Annual is only a few weeks away. Our section will be offering several different programs during the Annual conference:

  • STARS Social, Friday June 24th from 8pm to 11pm at B.B. King’s Blues Club (9101 International Drive, Suite 2230) – Kick off ALA Annual with friends, food, and some jazz!
  • STARS All Committee Meeting, Saturday June 25 from 8:30am to 10am in HYATT Regency Orlando, Room Celebration 06. This is an open meeting, so if you’re curious about serving on a RUSA STARS committee please join us.
  • Interlibrary Loan Discussion Group, Saturday June 25 from 10:30am to 11:30am in Orange County Convention Center, Room W202B
  • Resource Sharing in Tomorrowland- A Panel Discussion about the Future of Interlibrary Loan, Saturday June 25 from 1pm-2:30pm in Orange County Convention Center, Room W206C
  • Not Your Average Consortia- A Panel Discussion about Consortial Partnerships and Resource Sharing, Saturday June 25 from 3pm to 4pm in Orange County Convention Center, Room S330 C-D
  • Rethinking Resource Sharing Policies Committee Meeting, Sunday June 26 from 8:30am to 11:30am in HYATT Regency Orlando, Room Celebration 06
  • Hot Topics Discussion Group, Sunday June 26 from 3pm to 4pm in Orange County Convention Center, Room W202B

I hope to see many of you at these events in sunny Orlando- in the meantime, safe travels to all…  and don’t forget your Mouse Ears!

Tom Bruno
STARS Chair 2015/16
Director, Knowledge Curation and Innovation
The Westport Library

LLAMA SASS / RUSA STARS Consortial Borrowing Joint Committee
Please join us Saturday, June 25 at 3pm (OCCC, room W232) for the program “Not Your Average Consortia,” brought to you by the LLAMA SASS / RUSA STARS Consortial Borrowing Joint Committee. As library partnerships and collaborations are needed more than ever, library consortia 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 with consortia 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.

Atlas Systems Mentoring Award Committee

Atlas Systems Mentoring Award Committee
The Sharing and Transforming Access to Resources Section (STARS) of ALA has selected the winner of the 2016 Atlas Systems Mentoring Award, Kimberly Steiner, interlibrary loan technician at Messiah College (Pa.).  Steiner was chosen because as the sole person in interlibrary loan at her library, attendance at the ALA Annual Conference would allow her to learn skills necessary to support users from Messiah College, an institution that is continually expanding their graduate programs; better understand the profession; and also network and learn from colleagues. This award, sponsored by Atlas Systems, Inc., offers $1,250 to a library practitioner new to the field of ILL and resource sharing to fund travel expenses to ALA Annual Conference in Orlando.

Amy Paulus, Chair
Boucher Award Committee

Boucher Award Committee
The Virginia Boucher-OCLC Distinguished ILL Librarian Award has been awarded to Tina Baich, associate librarian and head of resource sharing and delivery services, bibliographic and metadata services, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. Baich is honored for her outstanding and sustained contributions to the resource sharing community both nationally and internationally, her leadership on the Indiana Shared Print Project, her willingness to share her expertise with colleagues through a strong publication record and an impressive array of conference presentations and online courses, and an unflagging commitment to enhancing the teaching and learning mission of academic libraries throughout the State of Indiana. Sponsored by OCLC, this award offers $2,000 and a citation to a librarian showing outstanding professional achievement, leadership, and contributions to interlibrary loan and document delivery.

Please join me in congratulating Tina!

Collette Mak, Chair

Codes, Guidelines, and Technical Standards Committee
After a two-year highly deliberative and consultative process, the new ILL Code was approved by RUSA S&G, STARS Exec, and the RUSA Board of Directors at ALA Midwinter in January 2016 and immediately took effect.  The revised text can now be found on the RUSA web site, and publication in Reference and User Services Quarterly is scheduled for the summer 2016 issue.  In February, our committee entered the promotion and publicity phase of our work which began with email listserv and Facebook postings about the new Code and Supplement.  In March, our committee began hitting the spring conference circuit to give presentations and conduct Q&As with practitioners across a wide variety of regions and groups:

  • In March, we did a presentation at the ILLiad conference in Virginia.
  • In April, we addressed the resource sharing folks at the GWLA conference in Colorado.
  • May was ACRL New England in New Hampshire.
  • June included the Great Lakes Resource Sharing Conference in Indianapolis, and we will also be part of the ILL Discussion Group at ALA Annual in Orlando, Florida.
  • The big marquee event comes July 19 when our committee will be offering a free online webinar on the new ILL Code with OCLC’s logistical and technical support.  This webinar will be open to all ILL practitioners at any library of any type or size and regardless of ILL system used.  The recording will also be free and available to anyone anywhere to watch and listen afterwards.  Publicity for this event will begin around June 1.
  • When the IFLA conference comes to Columbus, Ohio, in the month of August, Document Delivery and Resource Sharing delegates from around the world will be invited to a presentation on the U.S. ILL Code as well.

Brian Miller, Chair

STARS Rethinking Resource Sharing Committee
The Rethinking Resource Sharing Policies Committee is busy publicizing the STAR Checklist and we already have a few dozen libraries that have submitted their checklists and become STAR libraries. An expanded STAR Checklist -Version 2 (https://tufts.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_cXPd0QGKjgCXHyB) is now ready…please fill it out and submit it to join the list of STARS (http://rethinkingresourcesharing.org/star-libraries/)!

Beth Posner, Chair