Symbols of service: Oral histories of veterans tattoos as outreach

Outreach to special populations can be a sensitive endeavor, especially when the population, such as veterans, has a unique life experience in comparison to the general population. The use of oral histories for engagement and outreach can be a useful tool in making a connection to the veteran population because it gives them an opportunity to talk without being judged and the library a chance to listen. This case study highlights the collaboration between the library and the campus veteran center in an effort to come together and showcase veteran stories around their tattoos.     

基于科技馆展品类型及特征分析的好奇心激发因素探讨

作为开展科普教育、提升公民科学素质的重要场所,科技馆在激发观众好奇心方面具有独特优势。科技馆展品作为科普主要传播载体,其不同展示类型和特征差异,对激发观众注意力和好奇心的程度也有所不同。本文通过文献研究等方式,分析梳理科技馆展品类型及特征,以流动科普展品为研究对象,重点从学科领域、展示形式、感官体验、人际关系、交互方式等维度进行探讨,依据好奇心相关理论,找寻规律特点,进而提出影响展品激发好奇心的潜在因素,为更好地指导科技馆展品的设计与开发提供理论依据。     

Collaboration: Paradigm of the Digital Cultural Content Environment

ABSTRACT

Government grant-funding agencies have spawned an explosion of images from historical collections on the Internet. They have encouraged collaborative projects in which institutions share resources for capital-intensive digitization projects. These Web “exhibits” are neither publications nor exhibits in the traditional sense, most often without identified authors, curators, designers, or sources. Reviews in journal literature are one mechanism for accountability, but not all humanities journals offer exhibit reviews. In those that do, the space allocated in history and archival studies journals reveals the relative importance they place on peer review of these exhibits, compared with that for book reviews. The type of analysis in these reviews is nearly always strictly textual and does not address the interplay of text, image, and design in Web exhibits. The lack of historical context for visual sources in digital media is of concern for those in the archival, art history, and other cultural studies disciplines and professions. Sheer numbers of digitized items may be a worthy goal for textual materials; visual sources require interpretation and context to render the complexities of their meaning. Collaboration on digitization projects must go beyond financial resource sharing to include involvement of experts in content areas for visual resources.     

Supporting Sixth-Grade History Projects

A small academic library supports elementary school history projects by coordinating local resource presentations with a public library and historical society as well as offering individualized research sessions.     

If You Build It Will They Come? Using a New Library Building to Establish a Culture of Marketing

Abstract

While most college campuses have strong support for the libraries, as competition on university campuses for limited financial resources gets tougher, support for libraries can be more theoretical than actual. Library users are unaware of the complexity of and expense required for library services. Not only must libraries compete for limited financial resources, they must also compete in a complex information marketplace. Today, libraries must market themselves to their constituents to ensure that services are utilized and appropriate resources are allocated for all formats of library materials. By committing to a strong marketing program, the University Library at Sonoma State University developed strategic plans to gain broader support from faculty, students, administrators and greater use of services. Libraries wishing to explore the possibility of integrating marketing efforts or libraries in the process of a move can adopt and/or adapt some of these techniques.     

Accessing the Old and the New

Summary

The University of Arizona Library's tradition of outreach to the surrounding community is reflected in two examples of projects detailed here. The first project is a series of Web exhibits created by librarians and individuals from the community that explore the history of Tucson and southern Arizona. Some of the Web exhibits detail the experiences of immigrant and Native American cultures in the area while other Web exhibits deal more generally with the history of the area. The second project involves a Federal grant that will make certain parts of library's Special Collections more accessible to the community by building new facilities that are open longer hours, digitizing some of the materials and adding computer workstations for users.     

Curating the Library Exhibit “Russian Revolution: Actors and Witnesses” at Harvard University: A Collaborative Experience

ABSTRACT

Tasked with organizing and promoting an exhibit of Russian Revolution-related materials from Harvard University’s vast library holdings in a relatively small space, the curators faced both advantages and challenges. This article describes the curatorial choices and logistical solutions reached via a collaboration between staff at several units across the university: Houghton, Widener, and Fung Libraries, the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, and the Weissman Preservation Center.     

基于学习理论视角的科技展品设计思考——以合肥市科技馆为例

随着科学教育越来越受到国家的重视,科技馆的教育功能也日益受到关注。作为科技馆的重要组成部分,科技展品不仅是科学知识的信息载体,也是教育功能发挥的重要媒介。本文从建构主义学习理论和情境认知学习理论两种学习理论出发,以合肥市科技馆科技展品设计与实践为例,分析了馆内展出的部分具体科技展品的教育功能,探究了学习理论与科技展品理念的内在联系,提出了增强科技展品教育效果的启示,为我国科技展品设计工作提供了一定借鉴。     

Orienting Neighborhood Youth to an Academic Library

Summary

Early in 1997, full Web access was added to Babson Library's public workstations. In a few short months, library computers became a mecca for neighborhood youth. The library's “open door” philosophy and Springfield College's strategic vision to strengthen campus/community ties brought the library to the forefront of actively developing services for community youth. An outreach program for community youth was designed to address the issue of computer access. The development of the program involved the entire library and provided an opportunity for collaborative interaction among the library, related campus programs, and community agencies. Its impact on the library brought to the forefront the debate between “academic service” and “community service.”     

Aggressively Helpful: A Case Study of Innovative Outreach to Special Library Patrons

This article is written by Kris Turner is the Associate Director of Public Services at the University of Wisconsin Law Library. He holds a MLS from the University of Wisconsin. He is currently attending University of Wisconsin Law School part-time and expects to receive his JD in 2020. Special libraries must effectively communicate value to prove the library’s worth to stakeholders making budgetary decisions. The University of Wisconsin Law Library embarked on a campaign of aggressive helpfulness to better serve existing patrons and reach under-served populations. The library implemented a three-pronged strategy that used formal workshops, informal events, and social media to emphasize the value the library provides. This article discusses the techniques used by the law library to better communicate value through aggressive helpfulness and provides tips on how other special libraries can successfully implement their own proactive outreach.     

The Book Culture Club: Incorporating a Synergistic Approach Among an Academic Library,Authors, Potential Authors,and Publishers

The Book Culture Club at Hong Kong Baptist University goes beyond the traditional book talk format. Its vision is to nurture a culture that values reading, writing, and publishing books through a synergistic approach among the library, authors, potential authors, and publishers. Since its inauguration in early 2009, the club has offered eighteen programs and has attracted more than 1,200 attendees by March 2013. In this article, the author will describe how the Book Culture Club was formed, present a series of activities conducted, describe how events are prepared and implemented, discuss successful outcomes and offer reflections thereon, and demonstrate how good outreach initiatives for connecting many various parties can produce a long-lasting impact in an academic setting.     

Roving Librarian: The Suitability of Tablets in Providing Personalized Help Outside of the Traditional Library

Emanating from the ground-breaking Library Impact Data Project, the aim of the Roving Librarian project first initiated in 2011 was to offer personalized help outside of the traditional library to library non-users in social or academic settings using Android and the iPad tablets. It was thought that the portability and flexibility of these devices would allow staff to reach students and help them at their point of need. To test out this premise, an action study was carried out to examine the use of tablets and their suitability in facilitating the roving librarian project as well as evaluate roving as a vehicle for teaching information literacy on the move. Data was collected through peer observation, individual reflections, and a questionnaire conducted with subject librarians to find out more regarding their usage of the tablet and to ascertain whether they have found it conducive in roving. The project demonstrated that the affordances of both devices enabled librarians to provide personalized mobile help to students whilst building stronger relationships and arguably having the type of conversations about library resources and facilities that would not have happened if staff had stayed within the physical library building.     

图书馆拓展服务探析与案例研究

以康奈尔大学图书馆、清华大学图书馆为例,介绍图书馆拓展服务方面的探索与实践,涉及所采用的方法、合作对象、取得的成果等,并对两馆拓展服务之间的异同进行比较。拓展服务形式多样,一些形式与图书馆传统角色相匹配,而另一些则需要图书馆走出去,积极主动展示自己。拓展服务的成功关键在于要与学校的总体目标和发展方向保持一致,以使拓展服务保持新鲜与活力,最终达到真正改进图书馆读者服务的目的,甚至对读者的技能产生长期影响。     

Multiple Models for Library Outreach Initiatives

Abstract

Special programming and advanced technologies were used to attract diverse, underserved and expanded user populations to University Libraries resources and events. Arts and Humanities Team librarians collaborated with other University units and community organizations, adapted programming models from enterprise settings and non-academic libraries, and used multi-media technologies to deliver a variety of events over one calendar year. Library exhibits, book talks, teaching assistant workshops, and multi-media kiosks were planned, implemented and evaluated.     

Breaking New Ground: The Case for Seed Libraries in the Academic Library

Seed libraries are a relatively new innovation in the library field, offering seeds, gardening information, and the opportunity for community and ecological engagement to members. While they are increasingly popular in public libraries, they have not yet established a foothold in academic libraries. This paper defines the nature and role of seed libraries, the current state of seed libraries in North American universities, and offers recommendations for the establishment of seed libraries in academic libraries.     

科技馆展品运行状态综合评估实践——以北京科学中心为例

科技馆的展品多为一次性投入,但创新研发并不是一次性完成,在实际开放运行过程中必然与设计初衷和观众理解存在偏差,因此改进、完善是必不可少的。通过组织展品运行状态综合评估,构建包括知识传达、互动形式、教育应用、体验效果和质量状况的五项指标评估框架,收集科技馆展品的优缺点信息,组织内部与外部进行合作评估,采取定性评价与定量分析相结合的混合评估方法,形成改造、升级或更新的支撑方案,明确展品升级优化的目的性,从而实现科技馆展品常展常新和创新研发。     

Rural Public Library Outreach Services and Elder Users: A Case Study of the Washington County (VA) Public Library

ABSTRACT

Outreach services provided by rural public libraries are crucial to fulfilling their mission to provide information access to the widest array of user groups. Particular socioeconomic and geographic factors in rural areas present challenges of access to information resources, yet there exists only a limited amount of published scholarly work examining outreach services provided specifically by rural public libraries. This case study of outreach services to elder users offers contextual evidence for the centrality of social equity and access to the larger work of rural public libraries. Primary data were collected through four semi-structured focus group meetings conducted with elder users of the agency’s outreach services as well as through narrative interviews with six agency staff members. Principal findings showed that elder users had particular information needs related to entertainment and intellectual stimulation, challenges of transportation, and a limited access to technology and internet service. WCPL outreach services were found to positively impact the lives and general well-being of elder users by providing vital social and community connections and serving as a key link for elder users to an institution understood to be central to the life of the community in general.     

A Case Study for Combining Technologies for the Delivery of Information Literacy and Community to Students at Remote Locations Using Live Synchronous Video-Conferencing

The University of La Verne, a pioneer in the field of adult and distance education, hosts approximately 4,692 traditional undergraduate and graduate students on the main campus, 3,350 adult students, and hundreds of online students throughout California at nine regional campuses. Challenged by limited funding and staffing, the library and Regional Campus Administration collaborated with senior management to pilot a blended technology platform using Adobe Connect for content and live video streaming and Business Skype for audio to deliver real-time, interactive virtual information literacy to distance learners. The initial objective of “Library on Demand” was to supplement existing in-person, e-mail, and telephonic library information literacy instruction with live streaming video and two-way audio. The use of multi-channel instructional technologies would optimize outreach activities, reaching larger numbers of student communities while optimizing student learning modality preferences and differences. The pilot program was designed in phases to test the integrity of reaching over 3,500 students among the nine regional campus locations concurrently with a single librarian host. Later phases offer opportunities for targeted or specialized sessions including applications fostering emerging virtual social learning communities beyond a shared information literacy experience.