From idea to innovation to implementation: How teams make it happen

Jason Young (president of LeadSmart and author of the book Culturetopia: The Ultimate High-Performance Workplace) was the featured speaker at Lisa Hinchliffe’s ACRL President’s Program. To a standing room only crowd, Young challenged attendees to come together and to “get in rhythm” in order to be creative, innovative, and make significant changes at our libraries. Young’s high energy program showcased how intentional teamwork can result in quality staff performance.

During his program, he expressed that teams can be highly successful if there is trust among members, the expertise of staff is tapped into and used efficiently, alignment and commitment to the organization’s mission/vision is a priority for everyone at every level, and measurement and accountability is part of the culture. He used his branded TEAM framework to shape the program.

Young additionally challenged the attendees to inspire those who they interact with. He often repeated that “leadership is not about title or position, instead it’s about influence.” He asked the crowd, “What influence do you produce every day?” It’s an interesting question for us all to reflect on in our interactions with colleagues, students, and administrators at our campuses. With his presentation style and content, Young truly inspired all participants to “take ownership of our current realities,” and to use these principles to meaningfully innovate within our libraries.

At the beginning of the program Hinchliffe congratulated this year’s President’s Program Contest winners. Contestants submitted innovative projects that their libraries accomplished by using creative teamwork. To see all contest submissions and program information, visit acrl.ala.org/2011presprogram/.—Sheila Stoeckel, University of Wisconsin-Madison, E-mail:

Librarianship in 21st Century

The Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Section (AAMES) program “Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Librarianship in 21st Century: Effective Models in an Age of Globalization” brought together an impressive panel of four national and international speakers. More information can be accessed at https://aamesacrl2011program.wordpress.com/.

In “Get the Champagne out of the Bottle: China-North America Library Conference and Post-Conference Initiative,” Anchi Hoh talked about the clear objective of the China-North America Library Conference. The main objective of this conference was to identify post-conference initiatives that are mutually beneficial. The conference consisted of subthemes such as resource sharing policies and perspectives, digital infrastructure and repository technology, research data, shared digital access, retrieval, and use.

H. K. Kaul discussed the establishment of knowledge centers and institutional repositories that are growing around the world in “New Trends in Knowledge Organization: The Global Role of Knowledge Centers.” The survey results show that the knowledge center services, which are becoming important for institutions, cannot be offered by traditional or e-libraries. Kaul explained the functions of knowledge centers and the advantages of converting libraries into knowledge centers.—Deepa Banerjee, University of Washington, E-mail:

The effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans communities

The Anthropology and Sociology Section (ANSS) program “The Aftermath of Katrina and Rita: The Effects on Libraries, People and Neighborhoods” featured a librarian, a sociologist, and a documentary filmmaker who each brought a unique perspective to the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the communities and institutions of New Orleans.

The first speaker, Andy Corrigan (associate dean of libraries, Tulane University), discussed the library recovery efforts. With more than 1 million books under 8 feet of water, the Tulane Libraries threw away their disaster plan because there is no way to plan for a disaster on the scale of Katrina. At first the libraries didn’t know where to begin, but they have slowly started to rebuild, focusing on areas, such as music and media, where they thought they could have the most impact and do the most good.

Frederick Weil (associate professor of Sociology, Louisiana State University) talked about his research comparing different communities in their post-Katrina recovery efforts. He found that individuals who belonged to community groups, such as social clubs or religious organizations and had access to group resources that could offset a lack of individual resources, were able to successfully pull through the disaster.

The final speaker was S. Leo Chiang, who spoke about his experiences while filming his documentary A Village Called Versailles. The film was about the rebuilding and transformation of the large and close-knit community of Vietnamese-American immigrants in post-Katrina New Orleans and the community’s efforts to stop a toxic landfill planned just miles away. Because of strong leadership and social ties within the community, they not only quickly rebuilt with very little government assistance, they actually became more engaged with the rest of the city. A screening of the documentary followed his talk. For more information on the program visit anssacrl.wordpress.com/conference/2011-new-orleans/.—Anne-Marie Davis, University of Washington, E-mail:

Creating multimedia metadata

“Creating Multimedia Metadata: Controlled Vocabularies Across Time and Space” sponsored by the Arts Section and cosponsored by ACRL Image Resources Interest Group, ANSS, and the ALCTS Metadata Interest Group, was moderated by Kathleen Haefliger (Chicago State University). The session addressed the issues and possible solutions associated with developing controlled vocabularies for ephemeral and tactile texts, including dance, theater, architecture, and archaeology.

Jenn Riley (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) focused on three emerging cultural and technological trends that are pushing controlled vocabularies to the next level: 1) making the controlled vocabularies adapt faster to keep up with the real pace of language development, 2) harnessing the power of linked data, and 3) capturing the fullness of performing arts through using the LC Genre/Form headings.

Lucie Wall Stylianopoulos (University of Virginia) discussed her experiences developing Archaeo Core as an established metadata schema for archaeological sites and artifacts. Archaeo Core will go live via ARTstor’s Shared Shelf image management system in collaboration with the University of Virginia’s Sciences, Humanities, and Arts Network of Technological Initiatives (SHANTI) this summer. Stylianopoulos concluded by emphasizing that “the object cannot be divorced from site unless orphaned, and even then it has a region.”

Susan L. Wiesner (2011 ACLS Digital Innovation Fellow) spoke about the development of an ontology for dance as an ephemeral cultural object that only happens once. Her framework to discuss dance is derived from 3-D movement capture technology in combination with vocabulary from the ARTeFACT Movement Thesaurus, allowing researchers to fully access a dance text. Wiesner showed several dance interpretations of The Dying Swan with performances ranging from Anna Pavlova, contemporary, comic, hip hop, and even ice skating. In response to viewing these multiple texts, Wiesner posed this thought-provoking question to the audience: “So how do we classify this?”—Kasia Leousis, Washington University in Saint Louis, E-mail:

Demonstrating the value of the library

“Demonstrating the Value of the Library: Assessment Tools and Techniques” was the inaugural program from the ACRL Assessment Committee. The committee is responsible for encouraging the use of assessment techniques and supporting the development of a culture of assessment in libraries. The committee is also the editing body for the ACRL Value of Libraries Toolkit, currently in its first draft.

The focus of the program was to present tools, tips, and practical ideas for applying assessment strategies to demonstrate value in teaching and learning along with collection development to campus administrators, recognizing the need for valid, reliable information about our services and collections that will help us shape our futures.

The program focused on ways that assessment results can be powerful tools used to showcase, validate, and inform constituents, stakeholders, and funding bodies on the value of the library. The panelists included Steve Hiller (University of Washington), who discussed the value of metrics and collaboration for greater visibility and impact on campus. Megan Oakleaf (Syracuse University), author of the ACRL Value of Academic Libraries Report, talked about demonstrating the impact of teaching and learning and techniques for integrating assessment into instruction; and Annette Day (North Carolina State University) shared insights on how to use data to inform and articulate collections decisions.

The program drew a standing room only crowd of more than 200 attendees. According to one participant, “This was a terrific panel that brought specific examples of assessment approaches and explained process as well as outcome measures. I appreciated that there were practical ideas of assessment techniques and also a focus on different areas of the library: collection management, instruction, and overall library value/measures.”

Copies of the speakers’ presentations are available on ALA Connect on the ACRL Assessment Committee page.—Irene Hoffman, OCLC, Inc., E-mail:

Libraries learn to reduce, reuse, and renew

Managing change in a rapidly changing library environment was the general theme of “Currents of Change and Innovation: Libraries Learn to Reduce, Reuse, and Renew.” This program was sponsored by the Community and Junior College Libraries Section (CJCLS) and featured three library directors from across the wide spectrum of community colleges. Each addressed their respective responses to change within their academic libraries.

Linda McCann (Bucks County Community College) discussed innovative and collaborative practices at the college, which led to receiving the 2010 ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries Award. McCann highlighted creative projects such as the MInDSpace (Media and Instructional Design Space), a learning commons, and the popular Library Learning Studio. She stressed the value of collaborative opportunities and professional development efforts.

“Second Verse…Better than the First” was Denise Repman’s (Delgado Community College) take on the transformation of library services at Delgado since the devastation from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. With two of the four system libraries destroyed, Delgado approached the recovery with an emphasis on collaboration among the college libraries and a renewed emphasis on technology. By relying on the library Web site, Blackboard, and chat software, Delgado was able to continue to provide library services and instruction to students. In 2008, Delgado moved from recovery to rebuilding.

Jennifer Edwards (Tarleton State University) and Gene Roche (College of William and Mary) were featured speakers for the EBSS program.

Finally, Denise Stanley (Pima Community College) showcased the renovations completed in Tucson thanks to a campus Title V grant. Intended as a campus student retention measure, the grant allowed for a renovation of the library space. Stressing that the number of books does not define a library, Stanley shared their plan to reduce the number of print titles, revamp existing space to provide more collaborative work area, and to provide noise abatement features. The plan also called for a learning commons and library studio, complete with a writable whiteboard walls. Those attending the program heard from three innovative libraries that have learned to reduce, reuse, and renew.—Jim Patterson, Northwestern Connecticut Community College, E-mail:

Academic librarian lightening round

In a program cosponsored by the College Library Section (CLS) and the University Library Sections (ULS), “Academic Librarian Lightning Round: Innovative New Roles,” attendees learned about a variety of new and expanded academic, governance, professional, and service roles for academic librarians. Expanded roles highlighted outreach, liaison, and teaching responsibilities.

Angiah Davis and Gregory Schmidt discussed expanded outreach efforts at their universities, including taking reference services to the researchers on the Atlanta University Center campus and promoting Auburn University’s special collections and archives materials on campus. Alison Learning focused on librarians’ efforts at Arizona State University to help student researchers determine their career goals. Dominique Turnbow and Tara Schmidt shared stories of expanded teaching roles for academic librarians using instructional design at the University of California-San Diego and working as partners with faculty in first-year seminar programs at the University of Texas-San Antonio. New and exciting roles for academic librarians were also presented. For instance, Michelle Demeter acts as “hostess” of Florida State University’s Academic Partnerships, while her colleague Rachel Besara focuses on assessment of library services. Eric Kidwell serves as the director of the Huntingdon College’s core curriculum, Caitlin Anne Bagley is an ambassador to Murray State University’s writing program, Lisa Lapointe is an as academic advisor at Florida Southern College, and Diane VanderPol lead a Westminster College service learning project in India. Susan Smith helped the Wake Forest University library raise funds and build community with a 5K race that was so popular that it has become an annual event. This fast-paced program allowed academic librarians to learn how they can extend their influence on their campuses with new and varied roles and responsibilities as representatives of their libraries.—Carolyn Carpan, Hamilton College Library, E-mail:

Generations within libraries

The Education and Behavioral Sciences Section’s (EBSS) program began by honoring Douglas Cook with the 2011 EBSS Distinguished Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarian Award.

Vanessa Earp, EBSS Conference Program Planning cochair, kicked off the program, “Millennials and Beyond: Student and Faculty Voices,” by showing a video of students and faculty members talking about their research process. Students cited Web sites, journal databases, and books as their most valued information sources, while faculty cited books, interlibrary loan, and journal articles as their main sources and services.

Jennifer T. Edwards (assistant professor of communications, Tarleton State University), “A Millennial Professor’s View of Higher Education,” was the first program speaker. In her research, she has discovered that millennial students are good multitaskers and crave choice, flexibility, convenience, selectivity, and practicality. Her survey also revealed that millennials highly value library research databases, quality patron service, interlibrary loan, eBooks, and on-shelf holds. In closing, Edwards pointed out that incentives, such as good grades and awards, are important for millennial students.

Gene Roche (director of academic information, College of William and Mary) enthusiastically introduced himself as a “Rogerian” and a “humanist.” During his years in higher education, he has learned that while there are important differences among the way people of different generations learn, this information should not stop us from expecting the most from students. He encouraged the audience members to focus on how students learn, rather than the technology involved in teaching. He recommended that library instructors strive to include a reasonable amount of content in a class session, which will help students retain it in their long-term memory.

Roche and Edwards presented a multifaceted, balanced view of the effect students’ social experiences have on higher education and academic libraries.—Margie Ruppel, Boise State University, E-mail:

Freedom of expression and privacy in the Internet Age

The ACRL Ethics Committee program presented Rebecca MacKinnon (Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow, New America Foundation), who spoke on “Freedom of Expression and Privacy in the Internet Age.” She began her talk by saying “to talk only about these issues in the United States is not to talk about the full issue.” She took a very global perspective on privacy and the Internet.

She compared current global technological changes to East Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall, when it was discovered to what extent individual citizens were found to be spying on neighbors, family members, and others. At that time, intelligence was primarily centered on human intelligence. With the increasing use of technology, intelligence surveillance by governments has moved more and more towards using technology instead of relying solely on human intelligence. Governments don’t need people as informants anymore in the same way. With the increasing use of cell phones and smartphones, governments can now track information electronically to a much greater extent.

She then moved to the Arab Spring, which really had its genesis ten years earlier with the first region’s access to the Internet. She quoted Wael Ghonim who stated, “If you want to liberate a society, just give them the Internet.” Certainly Facebook played a role, but the use of technology began much earlier. Many of the smart “filters” produced in the West are now being used by governments to track information and individuals that various governments are interested in.

Governments are not only using technology to track dissidents and others, but also to reach out to their citizens by creating Web sites and other information tools that send a particular message that they want to make more accessible. Other countries she spoke about included China, Iran, North and South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

She ended with the notion that balancing “security and liberty properly in digital space is more difficult than in physical space.” We must consider the importance of taking personal responsibility and think about the context of what we are doing in the Internet Age.—Louise S. Sherby, Hunter College, E-mail:

Collaborative outreach projects

The Health Sciences Interest Group chose “Consumer Health Information: Library Partnerships that Serve the Community” as the theme for its first sponsored program. Librarians from three institutions reported on collaborative outreach projects, mostly funded through National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) awards.

Martha Earl and Cynthia Vaughn (University of Tennessee) discussed the challenges and rewards of teaching the MLA Consumer Health Information Specialization curriculum to rural library staff, giving them opportunities to build their consumer health skills while gaining continuing education credits. They encountered a variety of obstacles, but found that providing hands-on training was worth navigating the barriers of slow Internet connections and chilly classrooms.

At the University of Florida Health Science Center Library, Linda Butson and Nita Ferree discovered that the definition of “community” varies, depending on your willingness to move outside your library. They had encountered multiple demonstrated needs for consumer health information and had success developing several programs, including a universitywide Consumer Health Initiative, training to the county library district via a mobile outreach clinic, as well as rounding with pediatric and neurosurgery faculty and residents to help deliver the information to patients and their providers at the right time, while contributing to patient “buy in.”

By partnering with the local public library system, specifically branches with well developed children’s programs, Deidre Woodson from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport (with Donna Tim and Dee Jones), produced “Kids Health,” a children’s health outreach program to provide a fun way of learning about health, including games with physical activities, such as imaginary rock climbing, dancing, and Sunny Says (sun safety). Woodson was challenged to find health-related materials to use during story times. Her success resulted in a great deal of publicity, as well as continued funding for the program.—Loree Hyde, Oregon Health and Science University, E-mail:

Visual literacy standards

The Image Resources Interest Group sponsored the program “Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education: Introducing a New Interdisciplinary Information Literacy Standard for 21st Century Learners.” Moderator Joanna Burgess (Reed College) introduced seven speakers who have begun implementing the draft ACRL Visual Literacy Competency Standards (acrlvislitstandards.wordpress.com/). The speakers represented a range of approaches to integrating visual literacy in higher education curriculum.

Virginia Allison and Holly Tomren (University of California-Irvine) presented their visual literacy training program for librarians and reference staff. To help meet the interdisciplinary visual literacy needs of their users, they are training library staff to become “ambassadors of visual literacy” on campus. Gilda Santana and Shilpa Rele (University of Miami) shared their plans to implement visual literacy standards in research instruction for first-year architecture students through embedded librarians in the studio environment.

Jodi Kearns and Lizette Royer (Kent State University and University of Akron) discussed how the University of Akron Center for the History of Psychology assessed the visual literacy needs of patrons (professional historians, graduate and undergraduate students) with an open-ended questionnaire designed to invoke thinking in, with, and about primary source image documents.

Two speakers shared specific visual literacy lesson plans. Robin Miller (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire) designed a classroom activity for American Indian Studies 101: Introduction to American Indian Cultures, where students learned to locate and describe images that authentically represent aspects of a Native American culture. Emy Nelson Decker (University of Georgia) shared her “mock jury” activity for teaching the basics of image copyright issues. She discovered that the mock jury activity offered a more engaging and effective way for students to develop familiarity with intellectual property, copyright, and fair use issues.—Kaila Bussert, Cornell University, E-mail:

Bringing the Immersion Program back home

In this panel session sponsored by ACRL’s Immersion Program Committee and moderated by Wendy Holliday, three Immersion Program alumni described the ways in which Immersion has transformed their teaching and information literacy (IL) programs.

The first presenter was Margaret Montet (Bucks County Community College), who described how her participation in the Immersion Program’s 2007 Program Track allowed her to create a more cohesive one-shot information literacy program at her institution and a faculty IL institute. She presented methods for enhancing librarian buy-in including writing-to-learn exercises and a monthly journal club initially using her Immersion readings.

Martha Allen (St. Louis University) next presented her experience in the Immersion Program’s 2007 Teacher Track. She explained how the Immersion experience has allowed her to provide more effective IL instruction to ESL/international students. She also described her constructivist approach to mapping course offerings to IL instruction, her strategies for cultural competency, and her use of clickers, LibGuides, and informal and formal assessment in one-shot IL sessions.

Suzanne Byerley (University of Colorado-Colorado Springs [UCCS]) then presented what she has gained through the Immersion Program’s 2008 Assessment Track. She described having taken home a “toolkit” of assessment design skills and ideas. She further explained how the Immersion Program helped her succeed in creating the UCCS Foundational Information Literacy Program.

Following the panelists’ presentations, Immersion Program faculty members Randy Hensley and Deb Gilchrist answered questions from prospective Immersion Program applicants. Poster sessions were also presented related to the transformative experiences of several other Immersion participants. Among the poster topics were getting started with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), the effects of pedagogical alignment and shared learning outcomes for IL instruction in first-year writing classes, and the integration of instructor-created comics to enhance an information fluency class.—Elin O’Hara-Gonya, SUNY Plattsburgh, E-mail:

Midnight to 2 a.m.: What goes on at the library?

Minnesota State University (MSU) Mankato Systems Librarian Peg Lawrence and Access Services Librarian Lynne Weber presented “Midnight to 2 a.m.: What Goes on at the Library?” The program opened with institutional information about MSU-Mankato, an explanation of the research and quick history of the expansion of library hours from 11:45 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. Study methodology included gathering information about the use of library space, user activity, and conducting surveys and interviews. Quiet study space was by far the compelling reason for late night library study, followed by computer and printer use, and the opportunity to meet members of a work group. Late night library availability was appreciated for the quiet space and the opportunity to study in a suitable environment. The most consistent requests for change related to accessibility to additional library floors and further extension of hours.

The speakers described space and environmental preferences of students studying late at night and read statements of appreciation. Interviews with late-night users revealed lack of awareness of material retrieval service and online chat reference 24/7.

The presentation was enhanced by interaction from the more than 40 audience members who related various experiences with late-night hours. There was discussion of access to the entire library, of library staffing, security, and availability of food. One librarian described vendor food delivery within the library, along with microwaves for students who preferred to bring food.

The well-received program ended on a high note with this statement from one interviewed user:

The physical environment is conducive to success with many computers. The human resources are great with help from any desk….I cannot overvalue the incredible knowledge acquisition I got at MSU.

IS program panelists (left to right) Beth Woodard, Randy Hensley, and Dane Ward. Photo courtesy of Jay Dailey.

The presenters plan to expand their research to include late-night access to food in the library and security concerns.—Margaret E. Lawrence and Lynne Weber, Minnesota State University-Mankato, E-mail: and E-mail:

What would this look like if we do it with pizza?

That is just one question the 390 participants of Instruction Section’s (IS) program “Making Information Literacy Instruction Meaningful through Creativity” were asked to ponder.

Panelists Beth Woodard, Randy Hensley, and Dane Ward (all former instructors in the ACRL Immersion Program) took turns introducing concepts from a different viewpoint and recommending readings.

Woodard (staff development and training coordinator, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), focused her concepts on the engagement of students. Supplied with a creative space and crayons, participants were asked to draw how they felt engagement looked. Besides engagement, Woodard discussed the concepts of Bloom’s Taxonomy, synthesis, motivation, multiple intelligences, and problem solving.

Hensley (professor and coordinator of information services, Baruch College at City University of New York) was concerned with creativity in developing teaching methods. He sang and used props to effectively emphasize his concepts of wonder, play, empathy, design, assessment, and inventiveness.

Ward (associate dean for information assets, Illinois State University) advised participants on how to share creativity in ILI with colleagues in their libraries and institutions. He elaborated on the concepts: contested, generative mechanisms, socially constructed, sense making, organizational diversity, and local is global.

After the panelists’ presentation, moderator Merinda Kaye Hensley (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) shared some participants’ comments and invited them to share their creative spaces and speak with the panelists. Additionally, they were encouraged to take a look at the invited posters dealing with creativity in information literacy instruction. These posters featured topics such as the use of music from the Black Eyed Peas in writing classes (Heidi Blackburn), Bibliobouts (Karen Markey, Catherine Johnson, and Alyssa Martin), backward design in lesson planning (Lauren Olewnik), and infographics (Brian Sullivan and Malia Willey).

The PowerPoint and other session materials can be found in the ALA Connect online scheduler at connect.ala.org/node/137104.—Mindy Cooper, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, E-mail:

The legal consequences of environmental crisis

The Law and Political Science Section (LPSS) hosted its annual program “The Legal Consequences of Environmental Crisis: What Librarians Need to Know about the Gulf Oil Spill.” Brian Coutts introduced the three speakers that comprised the panel: Robert Gramling, author of Blowout in the Gulf; Jonathan Ramseur, coordinator at the Congressional Research Service, specialist in Environmental Policy; and Jenna Ryan, a librarian at Louisiana State University (LSU).

Gramling started the session by outlining the regulatory history of offshore drilling and specific responses after the BP spill, stressing the unknown environmental consequences of the disaster. Ramseur followed with an in-depth look at the federal statutory and regulatory framework, as well as the response framework and legislative responses in the U.S. Congress. Ryan concluded the presentations by presenting a research guide of resources on the spill hosted at (LSU).

The discussion that followed focused on the response in regulation of drilling domestically and abroad, as well as the use and management of the research guide at LSU. LPSS raffled off five books to attendees of the program.—Mara Degnan-Rojeski, Dickinson College, E-mail:

Cultural competencies

ACRL’s Racial and Ethnic Diversity Committee unveiled Diversity Standards: Cultural Competency for Academic Libraries at a program cosponsored by the Rare Book and Manuscript Section (RBMS). Deloice Holliday (Indiana University-Bloomington), committee chair, moderated. “The Cultural Competencies: From Development to Action!” sought to open dialogue about the draft standards. Panelists’ remarked on the need for cultural competency in our institutions, the steps needed to move forward and implementation challenges.

Patti Montiel-Overall (University of Arizona) began the discussion by recognizing the ACRL Diversity Standards as a template not just for ACRL, but the profession. She explained that cultural competency transcends race and ethnicity. Everyone has a culture, however it can be challenging for individuals and organizations to recognize their own perceptions as a product of context and conditions.

Emily Backe (University of Chicago) provided the human resources perspective stating that diversity standards are a global necessity in today’s world; libraries cannot provide information to serve constituents without them. The difficulty for institutions is creating organizational norms, values, and structures that implement the standards. Institutional buy-in that demonstrates the value of these competencies throughout the system is priority. Employers should use these standards to ensure inclusive hiring practices.

Charlene Maxey-Harris (diversity librarian, University of Nebraska-Lincoln [UNL]) discussed the need for the ACRL community to help perfect the standards and develop performance measures. She cited UNL’s pathway for recruitment and retention is an example of success.

Paula M. Smith (Penn State-Abington) shared her experiences as a woman of color at a predominately white institution. Her work and travel experiences solidified her concept of cultural awareness. Cultural competence requires dialogue; guidelines create a framework for conversations.

To be effective, evaluation must be a part of the implementation process. Next steps are developing performance outcomes. Draft standards are available at www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/index.cfm.—Rayette Sterling, Eastern Washington University, E-mail:

Special collections in tough economic times

“There is no more ‘That isn’t part of my job’ attitude,” said Ellen S. Dunlap (American Antiquarian Society) in describing one of the positive effects of her library’s response to economic challenges during “You Can’t Always Get What You Want (But if You Try Sometimes You Might Find You Get What You Need): Special Collections in Tough Economic Times,” sponsored by the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS). Administrators Dunlap, Richard W. Oram (University of Texas at Austin), and Kris Kiesling (University of Minnesota) each described ways that the economic downturn prompted their libraries to clarify priorities and develop more flexible staffing arrangements.

Oram said that state budget cuts are just hitting Texas now, and he hopes the high profile of the Harry Ransom Center will protect it from major cuts. “It’s a cliché, but development is everybody’s job,” he said. Special collections libraries need strong outreach, communication, and development.

Kiesling described wide-ranging staff discussions that led to merging three separate reading rooms. “We would be doing this anyway,” she said about taking a hard look at the status quo. It is especially important to understand your own priorities and core values, as well as those of your library system and campus, in an environment of shrinking resources.

Good management practices and a long term view can really pay off during hard economic times, according to Dunlap. Succession planning and providing opportunities for up-and-comers to develop multiple talents can lead to the creation of a flexible staff capable of taking on new challenges. This planning is also essential to have in place when making decisions about layoffs.

Dunlap summed up the cautiously optimistic tone of the session: “Libraries that have good grasp of their core values and what they are here on earth to do, are in good shape for future.”—Erika Dowell, Indiana University, E-mail:

Getting on track with tenure

The Research Program Committee’s session, “Getting on Track with Tenure,” provided its audience with different perspectives on how to navigate tenure for faculty librarians.

Jim Mullins (dean of Purdue University Libraries) began with a historical overview of the origins of tenure, and then to the specifics of the process at Purdue. He stressed that the challenge for librarians undergoing the tenure process is with developing a research agenda. Mullins noted that other disciplines build off of the faculty member’s dissertation or post-doctoral work, so librarians have to develop an agenda on the job.

Marianne Stowell-Bracke (Purdue University) has been granted tenure at two different institutions. The most notable difference was that Purdue required individually authored scholarship while Arizona, with its emphasis on collaborative work, did not. She shared that mentorship was crucial to her success, but advised that it may be up to you to find your own mentor.

Jim Hahn is in the fifth year of a six-year tenure clock at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He noted that while library school may not emphasize research methods, it is still possible to develop a research agenda on the job. He suggested focusing on the goal of contributing to and advancing the profession and suggested reviewing the library literature, as well as disciplinary literature, to spark ideas for research.

Beth Whittaker (head of Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas) spoke from the perspective of someone who has been granted tenure at several institutions. Whittaker suggested that what scares people about the tenure process is whether the research and publication process is a good match for their job path. She suggested viewing the tenure process not as a requirement to be suffered through but as an invitation to take advantage of the resources of tenure, research, and scholarship.—Ann Hanlon, Marquette University, E-mail:

Innovation in an age of limits

The Science and Technology Section (STS) marked its 50th anniversary with the program, “Innovation in an Age of Limits.” Paul St-Pierre (research and instruction librarian for the Sciences, Tulane University) moderated a panel on library innovation in tough economic times. Stephen Abram (vice president, strategic partnerships and markets, Gale Cengage Learning) observed that the limits librarians face are not financial, but in the professional and institutional culture of librarianship, which has little incentive to take risks. Abram advised librarians to be available to users at their point of need, teach them tacit knowledge in the form of research skills, help them make sense of the information available to them, and educate them about things like Google’s ad-driven search results.

Asking which carriage-makers survived into the automobile age, Michael Teets (vice president of innovation, OCLC) made the point that innovation is key to survival. Instead of chasing reluctant users on social media, OCLC is designing for the mobile Web and connecting to the mobile apps that people already use. Noting that most people access WorldCat via applications other than the FirstSearch interface, he suggested we look for inspiration to our students, who are developing their own mobile services. Teets advised librarians to adapt to users and be critical of current services.

Using the analogy of the perfect storm, Jay Schafer (director of libraries, University of Massachusetts-Amherst) echoed the theme that the digital revolution posed a greater challenge for libraries than budget cuts. The last recession drove innovations, such as consolidated technical services, and limits on facilities have driven the growth of learning commons and digital initiatives. Institutional repositories and new publishing models were responses to serials inflation. Looking back to the invention of the printing press, Schafer predicted that the information age would, likewise, be dominated by unintended consequences.—Tony Bremholm, Tulane University, E-mail:

European cinema

In the 1960s, foreign films comprised 10 percent of films projected in U.S. theaters. Today, only 0.75 percent of films screened are non-U.S. productions. At the “Current Trends in European Cinema” program cosponsored by the Western European Studies (WESS) and Slavic and Eastern European (SEES) sections, Milos Vlidic (director of Facets Multimedia) presented these striking statistics, and contemplated what is at stake: we are creating a lopsided cultural exchange; the world is learning about America, and America is not learning about the rest of the world.

Using film clips and trailers as evidence, Vlidic presented six trends of post-1989 European cinema:

1. Re-examining Eastern Europe since 1989 (The Lives of Others, Germany)
2. Nostalgia history, WWI and WWII (The White Ribbon, Germany)
3. Immigration and assimilation (Import Export, Norway]
4. Personal relationships (Amélie, France)
5. Emulating and making the better Hollywood film (Pusher, Denmark)
6. Coproductions between countries (Midnight in Paris, Spain and USA)

Lastly, Vlidic discussed the role of librarians in the promotion, curation, and preservation of foreign films. Librarians, as educators, serve as bridges to academic and public communities. Further, he encouraged collaboration between film studies and library studies disciplines. With a balanced touch of humor and sincerity, Vlidic asked his audience to “please all hold hands and save European cinema.”

Carleton Jackson (University of Maryland-College Park) discussed challenges to film access, including licensing, subtitling, formatting, and preservation issues. Jackson also provided insights into acquiring hard-to-find films, such as purchasing directly from filmmakers at film festivals. He suggested innovative outreach practices through active participation in the film community; for example, offering library workshops to connect filmmakers with distributors.

The program planning committee created a bibliography and resource page, available online at tinyurl.com/european-cinema.—Deb Raftus, University of Washington, E-mail:

Style and substance: Open access and scholarly communication

Approximately 50 attendees joined in an engaging learning experience at this year’s Women and Gender Studies Section (WGSS) program that involved panel presentations, media demonstrations, and audience-driven discussion related to open access issues in higher education.

Jen Laherty (Indiana University) discussed the importance of determining what matters to faculty in order to involve them in open access initiatives. Possible conversation starters include student learning, research projects, professional associations, and institution-specific promotion and tenure requirements.

Martin Brennan (University of California-Los Angeles) connected the overall purpose of open access with feminist theory, as both seek to situate knowledge within a particular context. In doing so, he cited an article entitled “What’s Feminist about Open Access.” By showing tangible results (e.g., citation impact factor), librarians can encourage scholars to start grassroots efforts for open access in their disciplines.

Danielle Antoinette Hidalgo (University of California-Santa Barbara) is cofounder and editor of Spaces for Difference: An Interdisciplinary Journal, an open access journal. She described the open access publication experience as one that works especially well for minor papers or new authors who can learn the writing and reviewing process in a less formal/standardized context.

The audience was left with an understanding of why open access is an important issue for librarians and how they can support it by capturing the research output of faculty, hosting open access software, educating people about copyright, and creating repositories of dissertations/theses.

The program was cosponsored by the Anthropology and Sociology, Education and Behavioral Sciences, and Law and Political Science Sections, and ALCTS’ Scholarly Communication Interest Group.

The program was preceded by an awards ceremony for Kay Cassell (director of the Rutgers University MLIS Program). She is the 2011 WGSS Career Achievement Award recipient of the ABC-CLIO-sponsored award for which she received $1,000.

For more information, see www.libr.org/wss/conferences/2011/index.html.—Carrie Donovan, Indiana University, E-mail: