This Week in LIS - 30 October 2009

Submitted by bartch02 on October 30, 2009 - 4:25pm
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Headline of the Week: Library Renovations: Phases Two and Three

This past summer, LIS completed work on Phase One of a multi-phase project to reconfigure space on the main floor of Preus Library. Visitors to the library this fall found a relocated Technology Help Desk directly opposite the main library entrance and co-located with our Research Help desk. Late in September, Luther’s Writing Center moved from the lower floor of the library to be adjacent to the new Technology Help Desk Call Center, our main library computer lab, as well as our technology and research help desks. This phase targeted improvement of service for our users who now enjoy centralized services in easy proximity to the highest-trafficked portions of the facility. LIS and Writing Center staff now have the opportunity to collaborate more closely with one another at the co-located service points.

We are now entering the final planning stages for our second phase of renovations, currently planned for December 2009, and our third phase tentatively planned for February 2010. Both of these phases will improve and expand work spaces for LIS staff.

Phase 2: Southeast

PreusPhase2SE.pngThis phase will see work in the southeastern corner of main floor with the removal of one of our microfilm storage cabinets to make space for a new office (labeled in Red for Bob E.) Existing microfilm machines will be consolidated into the remaining space. This new office will have solid walls and a windowed door similar to others currently nearby. The lighting will be changed to match other office lighting instead of the darkened lighting for the microfilm area. Additionally, a new wall will be built in what is currently our reference office dividing that space in half. A new entrance door will be cut to allow access to the back office (for Lynnette). Lindy and Germano will remain in the front portion of the reference office. What is current Bob P.‘s office will become the Technology Help Desk workbench area.

The map at right shows upcoming changes in red, completed changes in blue, and office assignments that will remain the same in green. At completion of Phases Two and Three, this will result in our Help Desk staff (Matt, Matt, Lynnette, and Bob E.) all with adjacent offices to the Technology Help Desk Call Center as well as the Technology Help Desk. Our primary reference librarians Lindy and Germano will retain their immediate proximity to the Research Help Desk.

We currently estimate work to begin on this phase around December 1st for completion by the end of December. Work preparation may begin sometime slightly sooner than December 1st. During construction, staff in the immediate area may temporarily relocate to other work spaces as appropriate.

Phase 3: Northwest

Following Phase Two, we will turn our sights to the northwest corner of the main floor to the location that formerly housed our Technology Help Desk. This area will be made into a suite of five offices for LIS staff. We are still working with Facilities to plan the exact wall configuration for this space. The current plan is to only slightly modify the current glass wall separating this space from the hallway, and for a small entrance way around the center pillar allowing access to the three rear offices. The spaces will receive new carpeting and ceilings as part of the renovations. Staff currently assigned to work spaces in this new suite are Andi, Bob P., Diane, Rebecca, and Ryan.

This work is tentatively scheduled to begin in February 2010 with an estimated time to completion of six weeks. The office locations listed for both Phase Two and Phase Three will not be final until both projects are complete. In the interim, LIS staff may temporarily relocate hither and yon until the new spaces are ready for habitation.

As more details become available, we’ll share more information about the changes. And of course, then there’s Phase Four … some things seem never to be done. Thank you to everyone who has participated in shaping the plans as they move forward, particularly Diane who has coordinated much of our planning. Thanks also for everyone’s patience through our renovations. Our new configurations are already showing the fruit of benefit of the changes, and we’re confident that will continue to be true as we work through our next phases.

TWILIS Takes a Holiday

There will be no issue for Friday, November 6, 2009. Publication will resume in two weeks.

LIS Blog Highlights from the Week

The following articles are sampled from those available on the LIS Blog:

Notes from LIS Council

LIS Council is the leadership team within LIS. Among the topics discussed this past week were:

  • Application Development Vacancy – We are currently preparing a job description for Web Programmer/Analyst on the Application Development team. We plan to launch the recruitment in early November.
  • Library Vacancy – Planning exercises have begun in the library that will shape the job description for the upcoming library recruitment. This planning is on track to wrap up in November.
  • ACM Library/Technology Meeting – Chris will attend an ACM meeting in Chicago in mid-November of library and technology leaders from across the ACM discussing collaborative opportunities.
  • EDUCAUSE Online – The virtual EDUCAUSE Online conference will be available for LIS staff in the Olin Round Table Room and will be featured during the November LIS General meeting.
  • Netbooks – LIS is currently testing several netbook models and is considering offering them as an equipment option for faculty and staff.
  • LISAAC – The faculty have approved handbook language that changes the Academic Technology and Learning Resources Committee (ATLRC) to the Library and Information Services Academic Advisory Committee (LISAAC). This redefined group will consult and advice on all issues relating services provided by LIS to faculty and students.
  • H1N1 – Luther provided a session on H1N1 planning and awareness for many supervisors over Fall Break.
  • Citrix – We discussed needs being brought forward by departments for Citrix after our prompt regarding pandemic planning work.

The User Perspective on LIS Services: Robert Christman

Robert Christman is an Assistant Professor of History. He teaches courses on the German reformation and late medieval and early modern European history and has been with Luther since 2005. Christman attended Boston University for his undergraduate degree and the University of Arizona Tucson for his graduate degrees. During and after his college career he spent some time in Europe doing research on the Reformation in Germany.

Christman utilizes the library catalog (books.luther.edu) and WorldCat to further his teaching and research. He commented that after spending as much time as he did using archives and paper cataloguing systems in Europe, the services at Luther make finding the materials he needs much quicker and easier. Christman defines his research method as reading into a topic by starting with a few books and branching to others through footnotes and bibliographies. In doing this, he comes across publications that cannot be found at Luther and for that he turns to interlibrary loan. He commented that this service has managed to find many foreign and hard to find materials such as a specific volume of a German journal that was only published in one town between 1890 and 1910. Christman is impressed with these areas of the Library and encourages his students to use them as well.

WorldCat.org (a service of OCLC) lets you search the collections of libraries in your community and thousands more around the world. WorldCat grows every day thanks to the efforts of librarians and other information professionals. You can search for popular books, music CDs and videos—all of the physical items you’re used to getting from libraries. You can also discover many new kinds of digital content, such as downloadable audiobooks. You may also find article citations with links to their full text, authoritative research materials, such as documents and photos of local or historic significance, and digital versions of rare items that aren’t available to the public. Because WorldCat libraries serve diverse communities in dozens of countries, resources are available in many languages.

— Contributed by Adam Kobler ’11

MISO Moment: Adoption of Instant Messaging/Chat

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Note: In 2008, Luther deployed sitewide instant messaging as part of Norse Apps

In order to assess information service at Luther, Library and Information Services participates in the Merged Information Services Organization Survey administered by Bryn Mawr College. Luther has administered the survey twice in 2007 and 2009 to all faculty, staff, and a random sample of students.

Each week, we profile a datapoint from the survey that illustrates how the Luther community currently uses LIS services.

NITLE Opportunities

As a member of NITLE (National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education), Luther has the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of developmental and training programs intended for faculty, librarians, and information technologists. Events listed at the link below are currently open for registration by Luther participants. LIS Staff who are interested in participating in an event should speak with Christopher Barth. Faculty who are interested in participating should speak with Lori Stanley. Participation is contingent upon available funding and program acceptance.

A full list of events (sortable by registration deadline) is available at http://www.nitle.org/events/calendar.php

Upcoming LIS Training, Instruction, and Professional Development Opportunities

Click on the event below for specific information and for a link to register. More information on training and development events is available.

CourseFormatDateStart TimeEnd TimeLocation
Collaboration IS Strategy: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 49:15 am10:45 amOlin 301 – Round Table Room
The 2009 Campus Computing Survey: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 411:30 am12:20 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
The Future of Higher Education: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 412:40 pm1:30 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Incident Management: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 41:45 pm2:15 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Teaching and Learning with Web 2.0 Tools: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 42:30 pm3:00 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
"Print": EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 43:15 pm4:05 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Funding IT: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 44:15 pm4:45 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
What Version of Google Are You Using? Project Management and IT Governance Through Agile Methods: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 44:50 pm5:40 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Mix, Mash, and Share: Empowering 21st-Century Research with Maps: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 59:10 am10:00 amOlin 301 – Round Table Room
It Is About Time: Getting Our Values Around Copyright Right: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 510:30 am12:00 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Strategies for the Successful Review, Adoption, and Assessment of Web Conferencing Tools: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 512:15 pm12:40 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Brick-and-Mortar Libraries in the 21st-Century: An Oxymoron?: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 512:45 pm1:35 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Legal and Compliance Issues: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 51:45 pm2:15 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Green IT: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 52:30 pm3:00 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Advancing Innovation in Teaching and Learning in an Era of Budget Cuts: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 53:20 pm4:10 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Heard Across EDUCAUSE 2009: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 54:15 pm4:45 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Building, Renovating, and Maintaining Technology-Enabled Classrooms: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 54:55 pm5:45 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
The Clinical Practice E-Portfolio: A Learning Experience: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 69:00 am10:00 amOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Cloud Computing: Services, Economics, and Impacts: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 610:30 am11:20 amOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Dancing with History: A Cautionary Tale: EDUCAUSE 2009 OnlineOnline ConferenceNov 611:30 am12:30 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Call Pilot Desktop MessagingProduct DemonstrationNov 911:30 am12:00 pmDahl Centennial Union – Borlaug
New Faculty Teaching GroupFaculty DevelopmentNov 92:45 pm3:45 pmDahl Centennial Union – Nansen
Encouraging Student Participation with ClickersFaculty DevelopmentNov 123:00 pm4:00 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
Teaching Discussion: Planning for J-Term II AlternativesFaculty DevelopmentNov 124:15 pm5:15 pmTBA
Copyright and Intellectual Property: Legal, Ethical, and Practical Considerations for FacultyFaculty DevelopmentNov 183:30 pm4:30 pmPreus Library – Hovde Lounge
Teaching Discussion: Planning and Teaching a First-Year SeminarFaculty DevelopmentNov 184:00 pm5:00 pmTBA
Norse FormsSkills TrainingNov 192:45 pm3:45 pmOlin 301 – Round Table Room
New Faculty Teaching GroupFaculty DevelopmentNov 232:45 pm3:45 pmDahl Centennial Union – Nansen
Teaching Writing: Using Rubrics to Evaluate PapersFaculty DevelopmentNov 304:00 pm5:30 pmOlin 101
German 201: Intermediate German ILibrary InstructionDec 212:15 pm12:15 pmRare Book Room – Preus Library
New Faculty Teaching GroupFaculty DevelopmentDec 72:45 pm3:45 pmDahl Centennial Union – Nansen

Internet Resource of the Week: Jiffle

Coordinating schedules … setting meetings … as our lives get more cram-packed, this becomes a greater and greater challenge. While scheduling events among internal co-workers is often accomplished relatively easily with internal calendaring tools (like Norse Calendar), scheduling with people “out in the real world” is often no where near as easy. In steps Jiffle, one of a number of scheduling/collaboration tools that seek to provide real assistance in coordinating schedules. There are three main steps in using Jiffle – from their website:

1. Assign your Available timeslots to selected contacts. Your updated schedule synchronizes with your Outlook or Google calendar in real time and is immediately reflected online. Your privacy is protected because contacts only see Available timeslots, not scheduled meetings.

2. Your contacts can choose the timeslot that works best for them – time zone translation is automatic – and reserve the timeslot with a single click, generating a notification to both parties.

3. With a single click, you accept the contact’s timeslot selection and the meeting is automatically confirmed by e-mail.

It should be noted that scheduling something like faculty office hours works very well with a tool like Jiffle, allowing students to self-select available times, and sync them directly to faculty Google-based calendars like Norse Calendar.

On the web at http://www.jifflenow.com/

Quote(s) of the Week:

  • “So, we asked New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. at last night’s benefit for The News Literacy Project, what advice did he have for young people who want to go into journalism these days, you know, given the job market? “Why don’t we not go there?” he laughed. Then he went there anyway. “Um, what I would tell them is the industry is in the midst of a massive transition,” he said. “But the core of the fundamental job is critical. We have to re-create ourselves, but the heart of what we’re going to re-create is still journalism. The way people get information is changing, but the need for information will remain constant.”

He thinks that physical newspapers will stick around as well. “The best analogy I can think of is — have you ever heard of the Titanic Fallacy?” he asked. We hadn’t. “What was the critical flaw to the Titanic?” We tried to answer: Poor construction? Not enough life boats? Crashing into stuff? “A captain trying to set a world speed record through an iceberg field?” he said, shaking his head. “Even if the Titanic came in safely to New York Harbor, it was still doomed,” he said. “Twelve years earlier, two brothers invented the airplane.” — Daily Intel

  • “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.” — George Bernard Shaw
  • “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” — R. Buckminster Fuller
  • “Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.” — John Cotton Dana
  • “The only difference between a rut and a grave is their dimensions.” — Ellen Glasgow

Image of the Week: Pearls Before Swine

Pearls Before Swine

Video of the Week: The Google Timeline in Video

Links of the Week

infoneer.pngThe links and media above are selected from material posted to Infoneer.net, which gathers links and comment on the worlds of libraries, technology, higher education, culture, intellectual property, copyright, information, ethics, design, professional identity, leadership, and the future. Subscribe to Infoneer.net RSS

This Week in LIS is published most Fridays by Christopher Barth, Executive Director of Library and Information Services at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa for the Luther College community as well as those interested in information services and higher education.

This issue is Volume 4, Number 9 (#136)

Content is made available under Creative Commons license. Creative Commons License

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