2014 Conference Highlights: See you there!

Each week between now and the 2014 MLA/DLA Conference, we’ve been highlighting one of the conference sessions sponsored by ACRL MD. The conference will be held from May 7-9 at the Clarion Resort Hotel in Ocean City, MD. For more information on the conference, please take a look at the conference program (PDF).

We’ve made our way to the sandy shore of Ocean City for the 2014 MLA/DLA Conference, and hope to see you there!

Some reminders: Stop by Liquid Assets tonight from 7-9pm for ACRL MD’s third annual conference happy hour. We’ll have free appetizers and there will be a cash bar with specials. Check out the Facebook event for more details.

There’s so many excellent programs this year that it’s hard (and in some cases impossible) to attend them all! Go to the ones that interest you, take notes, and we’ll have a round-up meeting after the conference to debrief.

Follow the conference on Twitter using the hashtag #MLADLA14. MLA will be tweeting from @MDLibraryAssoc, and you can check out our Twitter page (@acrlmd) and Facebook page (facebook.com/acrlmd) where we’ll post occasional updates.

2014 Conference Highlights: ACRL MD’s Ocean City Social Starter

Each week between now and the 2014 MLA/DLA Conference, we’re highlighting one of the conference sessions sponsored by ACRL MD. The conference will be held from May 7-9 at the Clarion Resort Hotel in Ocean City, MD.  For more information on the conference, please take a look at the conference program (PDF).

ACRL MD’s Ocean City Social Starter
Wednesday, May 7, 7-9pm
Liquid Assets, 9301 Coastal Hwy, Ocean City, MD 21842

This year, the conference committee has encouraged individuals and groups to make plans for the Wednesday evening of conference (May 7th) as long as it ends before Sunrise Yoga on Thursday morning at 6:30am. We’ll be getting everyone in the conference theme of “Turning it up” by hosting our 3rd annual happy hour!

After the all-conference reception, continue the conversations with colleagues from across the state at Liquid Assets, just a short walk from the conference hotel. We’ll provide some hors d’oeuvres, and there will be a cash bar with specials.

Librarians of all varieties are invited and encouraged to stop by – the more, the merrier. If you’re planning to attend and you haven’t already done so, please RSVP (we just need a rough idea of how much food to order).  You can do so through the Facebook event or by contacting Natalie Burclaff.

2014 Conference Highlights: Introducing Calibre and Sigil

Each week between now and the 2014 MLA/DLA Conference, we’re highlighting one of the conference sessions sponsored by ACRL MD. The conference will be held from May 7-9 at the Clarion Resort Hotel in Ocean City, MD.  For more information on the conference, please take a look at the conference program (PDF).

Introducing Calibre and Sigil: Two e-Book Software Packages
Friday, May 9
10:40-11:40am

In this session, Mark Cyzyk will introduce you to two e-book software packages, Calibre and Sigil. Calibre is used for managing personal e-book collections. Sigil is used for actually creating or editing e-books in EPUB format. He will demonstrate how to use Calibre to manage your personal e-book collection, how to convert between e-book formats, how to use Calibre as an e-book reader, and how to find new e-books through the Calibre interface. He will also demonstrate an e-book project he’s currently working on in Sigil, showing how editing takes place within the Sigil interface, how a table of contents is generated, and tips and tricks for editing EPUB formatted e-books.

This program is worth 1 contact hours of continuing education.

Presenters:

Mark Cyzyk, The Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins University

Future Journal Club Discussions

We’ve set the dates for future online journal club discussions!

As a reminder, the journal club is open to everyone, and we discuss three selected articles from College and Research Libraries (all issues are freely available online). These discussions take place virtually, on the third Friday of every other month from 11:30am-12:30pm. To join the meetings, go to MLA’s Blackboard Collaborate. You’ll need speakers and we highly recommend having a microphone, although there’s also a chat box for you type your comments and responses.

Friday, June 20, 2014 (hosted by Natalie from the University of Baltimore)
Friday, August 15, 2014 (hosted by David from Towson University)
Friday October 17, 2014 (hosted by Kim from Towson University)
Friday, December 19, 2014 (hosted by Katy from UMBC)
Friday, February 20, 2015 (hosted by Gergana from UMBC)
Friday April 17, 2015 (hosted by Danielle from Loyola/Notre Dame)

 

2014 Conference Highlights: Digging into the Recent Past

Each week between now and the 2014 MLA/DLA Conference, we’re highlighting one of the conference sessions sponsored by ACRL MD. The conference will be held from May 7-9 at the Clarion Resort Hotel in Ocean City, MD.  For more information on the conference, please take a look at the conference program (PDF).

Digging into the Recent Past: Retooling Discipline Specific Instruction
Friday, May 9
10:40-11:40am

Two librarians and a history professor discuss and reflect upon the ways in which they have worked together to build a robust information literacy component in a historical methods class. Some topics that will be discussed include the
evolution of assignments and activities, addition and deletion of topics covered, and the nature of instruction in the course.

This program is worth 1 contact hours of continuing education.

Presenters:

Natalie Burclaff, Reference and Instruction Librarian, University of Baltimore

Dr. Elizabeth Nix, Assistant Professor, Division of Legal, Ethical and Historical Studies, University of Baltimore Stephen “Mike” Kiel, Reference and Instructional Librarian, University of Baltimore

2014 Conference Highlights: Parents, Alumni and Libraries

Each week between now and the 2014 MLA/DLA Conference, we’re highlighting one of the conference sessions sponsored by ACRL MD. The conference will be held from May 7-9 at the Clarion Resort Hotel in Ocean City, MD.  For more information on the conference, please take a look at the conference program (PDF).

Parents, Alumni and Libraries: What Customers Really Believe About the Library
Friday, May 9
9:30-10:30am

Libraries conduct studies to demonstrate and quantify their value to their community – whether it is a public library looking for ROI indicators for its city councils or an academic library measuring its impact on teaching and learning. These studies are usually taken from the library perspective in terms of contribution and value.
In the latest OCLC member research study, OCLC approached the question of value from a slightly different angle: through the eyes of two types of university customers. The study “Parents, Alumni and Libraries: What Customers Really Believe About the Library” looks at parents and alumni – not library users – to understand their beliefs about the campus experience and how these beliefs influence their perceptions of the university and the role of the library. Join us as we  explore their perceptions and memories of the academic experience and find out what they value for themselves or for their children. See how the library “stacks up” against other elements of campus life and what this means for libraries and universities as they move to mixed models of physical and virtual learning spaces. And, share your experiences with parents and alumni!

This program is worth 1 contact hour of continuing education.

Presenters:

Meryl Cinnamon, Regional Member Liaison, OCLC

2014 Conference Highlights: Knowing Your Audience

Each week between now and the 2014 MLA/DLA Conference, we’re highlighting one of the conference sessions sponsored by ACRL MD. The conference will be held from May 7-9 at the Clarion Resort Hotel in Ocean City, MD.  For more information on the conference, please take a look at the conference program (PDF).

Knowing Your Audience: User Centered Design Principles Applied to Library Websites
An ACRL MD Invited Session
Friday, May 9
9:30-10:30am

Libraries serve a multitude of audiences, and their websites do too. This program will focus on the processes of identifying your target audiences and using their goals and pain-points to direct the website design and development process. Participants will learn about the important stages of a website design/re-design process and when user feedback can best inform the process. Current best practices will be featured throughout, with an emphasis on designing for engagement.

This program is worth 1 contact hour of continuing education.

Presenter: Ben Kutil, Owner, Make Things Studio and Adjunct Graphic Design Faculty, Maryland Institute College of Art

 

2014 Conference Highlights: Measuring Students’ Information Literacy Skills

Each week between now and the 2014 MLA/DLA Conference, we’re highlighting one of the conference sessions sponsored by ACRL MD. The conference will be held from May 7-9 at the Clarion Resort Hotel in Ocean City, MD.  For more information on the conference, please take a look at the conference program (PDF).

Measuring Students’ Information Literacy Skills: An Assessment Strategy
Thursday, May 8
4:45-5:45pm

Librarians sometimes make assumptions about what students know concerning information literacy and we let those assumptions inform what we do in the classroom. Librarians at the University of Baltimore wanted to know for sure, but didn’t have much assessment experience. Come to this session to hear how we designed a baseline assessment, what we’ve learned about students in the freshman and junior year, and how we will use that information to inform our teaching.

This program is worth 1 contact hour of continuing education.

Presenters:

Catherine Johnson Head of Information Literacy Initiatives, University of Baltimore Stephen “Mike” Kiel, Reference and Instructional Librarian, University of Baltimore

Natalie Burclaff, Reference and Instruction Librarian, University of Baltimore

2014 Conference Highlights: Maybe We’re All Inventorying It Together

Each week between now and the 2014 MLA/DLA Conference, we’re highlighting one of the conference sessions sponsored by ACRL MD. The conference will be held from May 7-9 at the Clarion Resort Hotel in Ocean City, MD.  For more information on the conference, please take a look at the conference program (PDF).

Maybe We’re All In(ventorying) It Together
Thursday, May 8
4:45-5:45pm

In 2013, Goucher College Library undertook the first automated inventory of its collection. What was initially envisioned as a simple shared project between two librarians – one in Access Services and one in Collection Management – became an opportunity to improve not only access to the collection, but policies and cross-departmental communication as well. This program will discuss the basics of implementing an automated inventory project, tips for managing long-term projects, and suggestions for establishing effective and balanced workflows across library departments. Additionally, attendees will learn to identify opportunities in their own libraries to foster
collaboration and cross-departmental conversation.

This program is worth 1 contact hour of continuing education.

Presenters:

Elizabeth De Coster, User Services Librarian, Goucher College;

Margaret Dull, Cataloging and Metadata Librarian, Goucher College

Business Meeting Minutes March 14, 2014

ACRL MD business meeting 3/14/14, virtual

1. Middle states town hall recap

• Middle States standards no longer include information literacy. After the first draft, many people gave feedback through the digital form, but many librarians in the area attended the local town hall meeting.
• Jo attended on behalf of ACRL MD
• Middle States Standards Steering committee has not met since the draft feedback – but they are now well aware of the Information Literacy concern. They are continuing town halls and will meet in mid-April

2. January happy hour recap

• Not a lot of turnout from LMD
• Mahaffeys had a good ACRL MD turnout, some new faces, lots of familiar faces
• Ideas for the next one: Attaching it to an event? A “get ready for the year” Happy Hour in August? Lorraine suggested an outing to one of the farm baseball games, like the Aberdeen IronBirds.
• Michael has since followed up with Aberdeen IronBirds, and we can get group rates with 10+

3. MLA/DLA conference updates

• Conference committee is working on putting tracks together, for academic librarians and other categories
• Divisions, etc. are encouraged to plan Wednesday evening activities, and fill out a form so all of the events can get promoted.
• Natalie will make a FB event for Wednesday happy hour at Liquid Assets
• No academic libraries have donated baskets for the silent auction – please talk to your individual libraries about donating.
• Gergana will put together an ACRL MD basket for auction –  Contact Gergana to donate money ($10) for a basket.

4. Summer program planning update

• Details for un conference – Katy working with Maureen from Stevenson
• Tuesday June 10, 8:30-2pm space reserved
• Expecting approx. 20-30 people
• Katy will follow up on the parking availability; no one remembers having to get a parking pass
• Stay tuned for schedule and call for proposals
• Beginning stages of theme ideas: collaboration, problem-solving

5. Journal club

• Moderator feels very alone, especially if no one else talks!
• Last time a lot of the participants were from Towson so it was hard to get multiple points of view
• Next one is April 18 with Jo. Alison will send out the next poll
• Natalie will send up email to have people sign up for future months (June, August)

6. I/o ideas for promotion

• Sara will help Jo write a blog post on how to streamline the Instruction Observation process
• In the meantime, having the contact information of instruction coordinators will help facilitate contact

7. ACRL 2017 Conference

• ACRL is scheduled for Nashville, but are looking for a new location
• Jo is working with MLA president Carrie Plymire to write a letter of support to have it in Baltimore

8. Future meeting

• Future meeting will be before journal club on April 18 at 11am