Woodworth Consolidated Library in the Spotlight!

By Yadira V. Payne

Woodworth Consolidated Library (WCL) is an Army Library that serves a consolidated mission to FMWR (Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation) and TRADOC (Training and Doctrine) Commands. WCL opened its doors in 1966 in honor of Captain Clarke N. Woodworth, Jr. who lost his life in battle in Vietnam.

In the 51 years since opening our doors to the Fort Gordon community, our Mission has been to empower, motivate, and inspire our patrons through proactive delivery of real-world information services for our Military Community's professional, academic, and social prosperity.
By serving a dual – consolidated – mission, we are afforded the opportunity to support the military and their families from birth to retirement. Our friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful team work hard to make the library experience enriching and worthwhile. Services and collections encompass a wealth of useful print, electronic, and human resources supporting education, self-development, and well-being.

We offer a variety of fantastic services such as free test proctoring, free notary, and free scanning. These services aid the servicemember and their families as they are transitioning to the local area, leaving the area, or simply continuing the pursuit of their academic goals.
Programming is where we shine. Story hour, Polar Express, Costume Parade, Healthy Snacks with Cookie Monster, and Spanish Scrabble are but a few of our offerings. We welcome, on average, 10,000 patrons a month. This is huge for our small library. Due to atmosphere, programming, and services offered, our patrons spend hours with us.

Woodworth is open 6 days a week: Mon-Thu 0900-2000; Sa-Su 1000-1800. While we are closed to the public on Friday's, we are still busy inside serving their library needs. This is when the library elves perform maintenance on the building, renovate the interior, process and shelve new materials, prepare kits for programs, and decorate for the coming holidays and displays.
In the past 2 years nearly every inch of the facility has been reconfigured. First, the Children's Library was moved close to the circulation desk and remodeled in a child friendly, inviting, playful Dr. Seuss theme and colors (see pic). The old Army surplus bookcases and furniture were replaced with primary colored items purchased. Dr. Seuss was chosen as the room's theme because Theodor Seuss Geisel was an Army Signal soldier and Fort Gordon was formerly the Signal Center.

Next, the seldom used conference room was turned into the Proctoring center. Test proctoring and digital or computer resource trainings occur by appointment and free of charge to the patron. Then, the 28-foot-long 1970's heavy wood reference desk that "welcomed" everyone into the facility had been replaced by a jazzy hipster lounge (see pic). This along with our water feature and contemporary music playing throughout the building welcome our weary military travelers.

Other projects such as creating a café, a vertical garden, and study nooks throughout the stacks round out WCL's "community enrichment center" mindset. We want the soldiers and their families to relax, breathe a sigh of relief, feel welcomed, and stay a while from the moment they walk through our doors. This commitment to service is what helped us win the Federal Library of the Year in 2011. Walk through the rabbit hole and enter our fun Army madness!

More Than an Editing Party: Why and How You Should Organize a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon - Free Webinar

More Than an Editing Party: Why and How You Should Organize a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon”
Wednesday, October 18, 2017

2pm Eastern (11am Pacific | 12pm Mountain | 1pm Central)

Register: goo.gl/2KBKHT

Description:
Wikipedia, the global volunteer-edited reference source, has grown from a scrappy upstart to being regarded (sometimes reluctantly) as a mainstay of our information landscape. But while Wikipedia now has more than five million articles in English, it still contains gaps in coverage that stem from the demographics of its editors. Since 2013, a group of librarians at the University of North Carolina has coordinated and hosted nearly twenty Wikipedia edit-a-thons with the goal of eliminating those gaps. At these events, participants have developed articles on women in art, science, and math; regional African American and Native American history; and local practitioners of traditional arts.

The librarians at UNC are not operating in a vacuum, but are part of a worldwide community of GLAM (gallery, library, archives, and museum) professionals bringing their unique expertise to the Wiki movement. In this session, four of them will discuss their experiences and the broader role of librarians in the Wiki world. The presenters will focus especially on the edit-a-thon program at UNC-Chapel Hill, discussing event outcomes, addressing the benefits and challenges of hosting an edit-a-thon, and sharing tips, advice, and step-by-step resources for librarians considering their own involvement in Wikipedia.

About the Presenters:
Emily Jack is the Community Engagement Librarian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  She manages the library’s social media presence and coordinates efforts, including Wikipedia edit-a-thons, that engage the UNC community in research and learning activities outside of the curriculum.

Kristan Shawgo is a Social Sciences Librarian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, serving as the library liaison for the departments and centers of Public Policy, Women’s & Gender Studies, Sociology, Sexuality Studies, the Carolina Women’s Center, and the LGBTQ Center.

Therese Triumph is a Science Liaison Librarian for the Kenan Science Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and began her career in science as an engineer working in the renewable energy field. She has held three “Women in Science” wiki edit-a-thons with the “Women in Science and Engineering” graduate group.

Alice Whiteside is the Head of the Sloane Art Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has participated in Art + Feminism since its launch in 2014, helping to organize Wikipedia edit-a-thons at Mount Holyoke College, the Rhode Island School of Design, and most recently UNC-Chapel Hill.
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Can't make it to the live show? That's okay. The session will be recorded and available on the Carterette Series Webinars site for later viewing.
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To register for the online event
1. Go to registration page: goo.gl/2KBKHT
2. Complete and submit the form.
3. A URL for the event will be emailed to you immediately after registration.
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Contact a member of the Carterette Series planning team with questions or suggestions:
carteretteserieswebinars@gmail.com

Early Bird Registration closes soon for the Georgia Libraries Conference!

Early Bird Registration closes soon for the 2017 Georgia Libraries Conference!

Register today at galibcon.org/registration.

Georgia Libraries Conference is a joint venture between the Georgia Library Association and the Georgia Association for Instructional Technology. The 2017 Georgia Libraries Conference will be held Wednesday, October 4th – Friday, October 6th at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center in Columbus, Georgia.

Keynote speakers this year include R. David Lankes and Siva Vaidhyanathan.

Georgia Libraries Conference is also excited to announce that this year's conference will feature fun new events, such as "Edutainment" with authors, a Murder Mystery event and a Storytelling Lunch!

For more information, please visit our website at http://www.galibcon.org

We look forward to seeing you riverside in beautiful Columbus, Georgia!

AEL Formal Mingle: You’ve Got Options: Working as a Special Librarian

GLA's Atlanta Emerging Librarians are hosting their first formal mingle of 2017! Learn about special libraries and what it takes to be a special librarian. Our presenters will talk about their organizations and their roles as special librarians. Resources will be shared, skills will be discussed, and participants will even have an opportunity to try out some of the technology used by these special libraries!
Join us at 11:30am to tour the library where we will be hosting this event! The Metropolitan Library has received a number of awards to date, one of which was from the Georgia Public Library Service as the Metropolitan Library was named one of the 10 Most Beautiful Libraries in Georgia in April 2017.
Participants can receive up 2.0 hours of continuing education credit for attending, awarded by Georgia Library Association’s Atlanta Emerging Librarians and the Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services.
Tickets are not required, but if you plan on stopping by, please RSVP, so we can get a rough headcount. Refreshments will be served.

Presenter Bios:

Stephanie Irvin is an Outreach Librarian for the Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services (GLASS), Georgia's talking book and braille library. She’s also its webmaster, newsletter editor and go-to source for information on document and web accessibility. Prior to that, she worked 6 years in public libraries.

Christine Willis, MLIS, is the Director of Knowledge Management & Learning Resources at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA. She oversees the Noble Learning Resource Center and provides research assistance to clinicians as well as consumer health information for patients and families. Her research interests include health literacy, library services for people with disabilities, and teaching clinicians how to access and assess evidence based research to be applied in their practice. She has been published in multiple journals and presented on each of these topics at regional and national conferences.

When
September 30, 2017 11:30am – 2:00pm
Library Tour: 11:30am - 12:00pm
Presentations: 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Where
Metropolitan Library
1332 Metropolitan Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30310

RSVP
Please RSVP at https://aelspeciallibrarians.eventbrite.com

Library Technology Center, University of North Georgia Libraries, Dahlonega Campus in the Spotlight!

The Library Technology Center (LTC) opened in the fall of 2008. Almost ten years after opening, changing student needs and the consolidation of two institutions into the University of North Georgia have transformed the original LTC in many ways.

Service points, resource locations and student work space changed for the better. Originally two service desks located on the first floor (one for reference and one for circulation) combined to make a single service point staffed by a librarian and an access services staff member. Two years ago this staffing model changed to have only one person on the desk at a time. To prepare, Access Services staff received training in answering basic reference questions and librarians were trained to handle circulation transactions. Librarians remain on call for more in-depth research assistance if needed. Enhancements were made to the lobby, a space accessible 24/7 to the UNG community by swipe card, allowing evening hours shortened. Carrels were added for individual study space. Several white boards were installed as well as an ATM and school supply/snack vending machine. Improvements to the third floor were made by moving two stand-alone circulating collections (juvenile and strategic language materials) to the second floor which resulted in all circulating materials being located on a single level. Current periodicals moved to the first floor, adjacent to the bound periodicals and reference collection. All shelving was removed from the third floor making way for additional tables and seating, providing more space for students to work alone or in groups.

When the institution went through consolidation, the need to work globally over four campuses meant changes for personnel. A Technical Services department, responsible for managing and facilitating technical services for all UNG Libraries is located in the LTC. Additionally librarian positions at the two largest campuses, Gainesville and Dahlonega, were elevated to collection management positions and are responsible for overseeing the selection and purchasing of resources for all UNG Libraries. As the institution has grown, the need for copyright expertise also grew. What was formerly a part-time library assistant position became a full time copyright officer, able to advise all departments of the institution in regards to copyright and fair use. In 2013, UNG added the Digital Initiatives and Special Collections Librarian with the position responsible for the digital repository, archives and special collections for all UNG Libraries. With the addition of this position the libraries have grown and developed special collections that support not only the two previous institutional histories but also document the histories of the local communities that UNG serves. These collections include the Bruce Collection, comprised of nineteenth-century negatives by local photographer Lon Bruce, and the Alumni Collection which contains materials donated to North Georgia College and State University and the University of North Georgia by alumni. Additional space in the LTC has recently been identified to become office and storage for special collections and will enable even more growth in this area.

Over the last nine years, driven by the strong desire to serve the UNG community, especially the students, the Library Technology Center has grown and improved upon the original to create an even more inviting and welcoming space for all.

The First Annual Central Georgia Libraries Unconference Report

By Tim Wojcik

Ina Dillard Russell Library

In an increasingly crowded field of library and information education sector events, Georgia College in Milledgeville hosted the first Central Georgia Libraries Unconference.  It was my first experience with an unconference by such a name.  It was, as the event handout stated, a “low-cost, low-travel professional development opportunity that is unique for its impromptu breakout sessions and minimal lecture-style presentations.”

Besides the screen projection used by keynote speaker Emy Decker, I didn’t see or hear the use of electricity in any of the sessions.  The experience was an all live, all conversational exchange by the librarians who sat in with each other at the breakout sessions.  Each breakout session was moderated by one or two leaders who guided the conversation.  At times, these leaders  kept the conversation going during the “no one’s saying anything” points of the session.  It didn’t take too long for the conversation to flow.

In the keynote, entitled From a Seed to a Flower: Professional Development  in the Contemporary Library, Emy Decker  - Georgia Tech Library NextGen Public Services Manager discussed the essential uses of librarian professional development. Whether outspoken or quiet, the librarian who harnesses their passion for the profession can reap welcome rewards .

In a charming homage to 20th century messaging, the flipchart and whiteboard were the recording devices used during the breakouts – at least the ones I attended.  Librarians were encouraged to take a phone photo of the messaging.  My hunch is that, at some point, the event will have a published record.  I have my notes and my fuzzy phone pic of all the breakout sessions topics to jog my memory.

Since my focus was support for distance learning, I chose the breakout group with that topic on the agenda.  I found this group space and – settled in.  The space was pleasant, including comfy chairs with a writing surface and a view of the street beyond which made for a pleasant distraction.

The Distance Learning Breakout

Some of the Lingo
• Blackboard – an LMS with products for K-12, academic, government and business
• Brightspace -  a product of D2L Corporation  Desire2Learn
• Canvas – a product of Instructure -  it is an open source LMS
• LMS – learning management system
• LTI – Learning Tools Interoperability – offers the usability of  third-party tools in an LMS
• Springshare – created  the  LibGuides suite of products

Some discussion centered on how much of the library’s presence should be embedded in the LMS.  If the LMS offers a simple portal to some library resources, the student may not use the full range of library resources available to them.  Alternatively, if the LMS has only a cursory mention of library resources, the student may be discouraged from seeking library support at all.  Getting the student to engage the library’s resources directly is the goal.

One embedded librarian had the benefit of access to a stream of direct student feedback via the LMS. The students were given a series of questions about library services.  This librarian had the experience of real time comments as the students answered the questions.
One librarian was identified as a “faculty guest” in the LMS.  This produced a sideways effect of students asking the librarian to resolve instructor and administrative issues for them.
There  was  agreement  that  students  benefit  from  an embedded librarian as a consistent go-to person in the library.
Discussion of learning styles recognized that some students prefer reading the text of a video rather than to watch/listen to the video.
Recognition that some students don’t even read the syllabus – and so what does that say about paying attention to the library’s fine print about accessing resources, etc.
Make sure the video that you produce is in a most accessible format.  Why make something that many students can’t access.
The vendor is often a valuable resource for instruction on using the LMS.

Other Breakout Sessions

Fake news is a sensitive issue since “news” has been increasingly politicized.  Some students now reject traditional sources of information, ie the New York Times.  The question becomes: what are the sources of information that are recognized as objective by students/faculty from all over the political spectrum?   How do librarians present themselves as bias neutral?
Find the courage to engage in the awkward conversation of the validity of a patron’s information sources.
One school’s requirements include students attending events that involve civic discourse – exposure to opposing viewpoints.

The cost of serials and other scholarly publishing created demand for sources such as Sci-Hub.
Should the research efforts of a scholar who is paid by the state be available at a discount (or no charge) to the citizens of that state – state funding implies citizen rights of use.
Websites for librarians about open access resources include openaccessbutton.org/ and unpaywall.org

The problem of sharing space in the library with heritage “protected” groups such as genealogy patrons and protectors of the archives is still vexing.

The tour of the Ina Dillard Russell Library of Georgia College was lively and informative.  The school appears to value their library as a strong partner in student success and as a venue to try specialty products such as 3D printing and a variety of study space configurations. Many study/collaboration rooms now feature video screens which enable connection to up to six devices.

Georgia Library Quarterly Summer 2017 Published

The summer 2017 issue of the Georgia Library Quarterly is now available at  http://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glq/ 

Read about GLA and Georgia library news; learn more about GLA and ALD officer candidates for 2018; see what our GLA president has to say about the upcoming Georgia Libraries Conference; and check out the articles (on games in library instruction and charging stations for electronic devices in academic libraries).

And don’t forget the spotlights, MOPL, and book reviews!