ILA/ACRL Newsletter, vol. 11, no. 2, July 2001


President's Piece

The 2001 ILA/ACRL Spring Conference was wonderful! Dr. Richard Varn's multimedia presentation on the future of information technology in Iowa and the role of libraries in that future was exhilarating and thought provoking. The number and quality of breakout sessions made it difficult to decide which ones to attend. I really appreciated Robin Martin's update on the Library Services Task Force (see text at http://www.iowaacrl.org/conference/2001/RobinMartinreport.html). And it was exciting to see more than 100 participants at the Conference. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable parts of the day for me was watching all the small groups of people standing in the hallways talking and networking between sessions and at lunch. And speaking of lunch, the food, from the display when we walked into the door that morning until the last break in the afternoon, was delicious. I'm very glad that we had enough chocolate to eat.

My thanks and appreciation go to the Spring Conference Committee: Mary Heinzman, Joyce Lindstrom, Susan Moore, Linda Nelson, Kathy Parsons, Kris Stacy-Bates, and Chair Jennifer Davis. You provided ILA/ACRL with an outstanding Spring Conference. A note of thanks to the staff at St. Ambrose University's O'Keefe Library for all the ways they worked on this Conference. Bravo to Jennifer Davis for a job well done.

The ILA/ACRL Board voted to establish an ad hoc task force to investigate ways that we could work together to provide electronic databases and resources for our patrons at a reasonable cost. The first task of this group will be to find out what is already available for academic libraries in the State of Iowa. John Pollitz, Director of the O'Keefe Library at St. Ambrose University, has graciously agreed to chair it. If you are interested in serving on this task force, or if you have any questions or comments about this, please contact John or myself. John's e-mail address is jpollitz@saunix.sau.edu , phone number 563-333-6241, and my e-mail address is jcampagna@eiccd.cc.ia.us, phone number 563-441-4152.

The 2001 Fall ILA Conference will be Wednesday, October 10th to Friday, October 12th at the RiverCenter in Davenport. On October 10th, for the first time in many years (perhaps the first time ever), ILA/ACRL is sponsoring a preconference on the application of the new ACRL standards for college libraries. This promises to provide us with lots of good ideas on evaluating our services, including the whole area of outcomes assessment. Bill Nelson and Bob Fernekes have much experience giving this workshop and are excited about sharing their expertise with us. (More information below) On Thursday, October 11th, two of the afternoon sessions will be about information literacy in academic libraries. Carla List, Librarian from Plattsburg State University of New York will discuss faculty and librarian cooperation in advancing information literacy in our institutions. Afterwards, we will have an opportunity to listen to a panel discussion on the same topic. Three ILA/ACRL members, Jean Donham, Marsha Forys, and Kyle Winward, will comprise that panel and should give us plenty of food for thought and for action. Also don't forget the ILA/ACRL Business Meeting at 4:30 that afternoon. I certainly hope to see you there!

One last item. Later this summer or early fall, Rachel Crowley, my successor, will be looking for volunteers to replace committee members whose terms have expired. You are needed. Your talents, your skills, your passions, and your knowledge are needed to help ILA/ACRL meet the needs of all its members. Please consider filling out the form at http://www.iowaacrl.org/organization/volunteer.html or contacting Rachel or myself. We value your involvement. Have a great summer and I look forward to seeing you in Davenport in October.

--Jane Campagna, Scott Community College, President ILA/ACRL



ILA/ACRL Scholarship recipients:

Each spring ILA/ACRL gives a scholarship to our spring conference to a new librarian. This year we supported two fine new librarians, and we asked them each to write a short report about their attendance. Their comments are below.

From Michelle Holschuh Simmons, Cole Library, Cornell College:

This brief conference was packed with worthwhile sessions, and I appreciated having a venue to reunite with my colleagues from across the state of Iowa. Additionally, I valued the opportunity to have been one of the presenters for a group of supportive, inquisitive librarians. As I approach the end of my first year as a librarian, events like the ILA/ACRL Spring Conference reaffirm my decision to change careers and become an academic librarian.


From Becky Lutkenhaus, Documents and Maps Reference Librarian, University of Northern Iowa:

I feel very fortunate that I was selected to receive an ILA/ACRL Conference Scholarship, which enabled me to attend the Spring 2001 Conference at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. The wide variety of topics covered by the educational programs made it easy for everyone to attend a program related to their areas of interest. Unfortunately, it also made it difficult to choose between the programs offered! The conference enabled me to meet library colleagues from around the state, as well as to visit with old friends. The conference is a great networking opportunity for anyone new to academic librarianship in Iowa. I look forward to attending next year's conference, and hope to see you all there!



ILA Fall Conference

The latest issue of the Catalyst has a program and registration form for the ILA fall conference. Please note that the information is also on ILA fall conference page at http://www.iowaacrl.org/conference/2001/photos2001.html There are links to PDF forms for registration and program at the site (Adobe Acrobat required). This year's conference will be at the Davenport RiverCenter October 10-12. Theme of the conference is "21st Century Literacy @ Iowa libraries," and many sessions deal with literacy issues. A few highlights:



Preconference: Do we measure up?

Preconference sponsored by ILA/ACRL, as mentioned by Jane Campagna above: Do We Measure Up? ILA/ACRL Pre-Conference October 10, 2001 by Bill Nelson, PhD Library Director, Augusta State University, and Bob Fernekes, PhD, Information Services Librarian , Georgia Southern University. Bill Nelson and Bob Fernekes will begin the workshop with an overview of the rationale and processes involved in college library standards and assessment. They will discuss several techniques for documenting and measuring the ways that libraries contribute to the goals and learning outcomes of their parent institutions. All workshop participants will be provided with a workbook, and they will divide into small groups where they will use the workbook for hands-on application of the principles previously discussed. The workbook contains pertinent information on academic library standards, detailed examples and suggestions, sample survey questions, and a bibliography. In addition, the workbook also contains several forms that can be used to facilitate data entry, collection, and evaluation for individual libraries. Participants can use these forms to apply the principles and techniques to their own library situation. Cost $50, $60 non-members.



An upcoming regional seminar.

See http://www.nwmissouri.edu/library/pr/symposium/2001.htm

Brick and Click Libraries: How Do We Support Both? A Regional Academic Library Symposium (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri & Nebraska) Friday, October 26, 2001. Sponsored by Owens Library, Northwest Missouri State University

Managing traditional and virtual library resources and services in the 21st century is the focus of the symposium. Have you been looking for an opportunity to present (or present and publish)? Would you like to discuss issues regarding collection development and acquisitions, technical services, interlibrary loan, access services, reference services, instruction, and the Web? Together we will share strategies for providing services and resources in this ever-changing environment.

The registration deadline is September 7, 2001. Cost is $100, but less for presenters and graduate students.



ILA/GODORT Report

ILA/Government Documents Round Table held its annual summer workshop on July 13th at the University of Iowa Main Library, with government documents librarians from several academic institutions in attendance. Carolyn Kohler of UI provided an update on government information issues and implications for Iowa libraries. She noted the continued decline in the number of depository libraries in the state, the increased reliance of the federal government on electronic dissemination of government publications, and the efforts of the University of Iowa Library, as the Regional Depository Library, to provide instruction for using government CD-ROMs and other materials.

Barbara Corson and Mary Wegner, both of the Iowa State Library, provided updates on Iowa government. Barbara circulated a draft of a new collection development policy for the State Documents Center intended to expedite the processing of Iowa state publications. Mary discussed recent legislation concerning the regional library districts and the archiving of state electronic publications. She also provided an overview of issues on the horizon for the next legislative session.

The afternoon session focused on geographic information. Mary McInroy provided an introduction to the many Web sites, government agencies and commercial vendors that provide spatial data, often coupled with government-produced data such as census statistics. Her presentation included a demo of importing statistical data into a GIS program to produce thematic maps.

Beth Henning of the State Data Center led an in-depth exploration of Census 2000 geographic products, including the interactive mapping features of American Factfinder. The workshop concluded with a tour of the Iowa Women's Archives.

-Steve Ostrem, University of Iowa Libraries



COMMUNITY COLLEGE NEWS

North Iowa Area Community College

Angie Schaper, whose position at North Iowa Area Community College Library was eliminated due to state budget cuts, has a new position as Librarian at Riverland Community College, Albert Lea campus, in Minnesota. She starts August 20. After 25 years as a Federal Depository Library, North Iowa Area Community College Library will be relinquishing its depository status, due to staff cuts resulting from state budget cuts.

Indian Hills Community

Indian Hills C.C. Library adds bilingual, Spanish language materials to collection Associate Librarian Cheryl Leffler worked with Joye Lore-Lawson, Coordinator of the Indian Hills Language Learning Center to select a variety of bilingual, Spanish language materials for all ages. An on-line Spanish language encyclopedia has also been added to the library's web page through the efforts of Lore-Lawson and the Language Learning Center. The Spanish language version of Grolier's encyclopedia can be accessed at http://www.ihcc.cc.ia.us/Library/Library.htm. In addition, The Indian Hills Community College Library is hosting a bilingual story time for children ages 3 to 10 for six weeks in July and August.



Contributed Paper

E-Paper - The Next Jump?
By Deb Seiffert, Coordinator of Learning Resources, Northeast Iowa Community College

E-paper is a fascinating future technology. A general description of the product is flexible paper that can be electronically written on. This has always sounded like a high-tech dream to replace paper that would mean the demise of the book. My usual response is "now what new gadget are they going to come up with to replace the book?"

A trip to Disney's Epcot Center changed that attitude. Xerox had a booth where they demonstrated their electronic reusable paper called SmartPaper that was invented at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Gyricon Media, an offshoot of Xerox, is presently continuing their research. Since it was a slow day and I was their only customer, we had a wonderful chat about their product.

The paper consisted of a clear sheet of plastic over a gray-colored sheet. The gray sheet felt a bit more like rubber and was not actually gray but a combination of tiny black/white beads in oil-filled cavities. These beads are free to rotate within these cavities so when voltage is applied to the surface of the sheet, the beads rotate to present one colored side. This gives us an "image" on the page. One advantage to this over other handheld devices is that the image remains without additional power until new voltage patterns are applied. Also, without the need for backlight, it is easier on the eyes. Even rolling it up or folding it does not change the image.

So how do you get voltage to this paper? A wand was shown at Epcot where you can scan information into its memory and later scan the wand over the e-paper to reproduce the information. Another method is having a simple electrode structure on the surface of the paper that will allow a faster more direct electronic update from your computer. Then there is the "book" made up of several of these pages attached to an electronic spine where information is stored, changing the pages as you need them. This concept is quite impressive.

Another source for e-paper that was not on display at Epcot comes from two companies who joined together, E Ink (developed in the MIT media lab) and Lucent Bell Laboratories. E Ink's displays are made of tiny capsules filled with light and dark dyes that change color when given an electric charge. Lucent developed flexible transistors that are printed on thin sheets of plastic where E Ink resides. Again, once the page has been charged with an image, the image remains until it is electronically changed. The first focus for their product is for store price tags displaying special offers.

Both Xerox and E Ink see their e-paper eventually becoming a newspaper. All these applications stir the imagination. Will this effect books? Most likely but not for some time until such technology proves itself, but once it does, our libraries will surely look different. Sources of information: Battery, Jim. "Delivering on the Electronic-Paper Promise". InfoWorld April 16, 2001: 38. Academic Search Elite. EBSCOhost. Northeast Iowa Community College Library, Peosta, IA. 06 July 2001. <http//search.epnet.com>.



News from IPAL (IOWA PRIVATE ACADEMIC LIBRARIES)

Dunn Library, Simpson College:

Steve Duffy is now Systems Access Librarian. Steve, previously the Information Resources Librarian, has shifted his focus to cataloging, processing and Innovative System maintenance.

Mary Peterson is our Information Resources Librarian. She comes from Highland Community College in Kansas and Western Nebraska Community College. Mary is responsible for reference, instruction, and updating the library web site.

Cynthia Dyer, Library Director and College Archivist, attended the Disney Institute on "Delivering the Customer Experience". Nine members of the Simpson community attended this workshop sponsored through the Council of Independent Colleges .


Hickman-Johnson-Furrow Library, Morningside College:

Jim Fisk has been hired to fill the position of Reference and Instructional Services Librarian. He is a recent graduate of Emporia State University in Kansas. Jim will be joining us on August 1. His office phone number will be: 712-274-5246 and most his email address will be fisk@morningside.edu. Please join us in welcoming Jim to Morningside College, and to the academic and library communities in Iowa!


O'Keefe Library, St. Ambrose University:

In June, the granddaughter of artist Maxfield Parrish was on campus to present a program about her Grandfather's work. While on campus she came to the library and presented the library with two autographed books about her grandfather's art.

Also in June, reference librarian Barb Kuttler attended a weeklong seminar entitled "Institute for Information Literacy" in Wisconsin. Information she learned will be used in our new Information Literacy classes that begin in the fall.

Mary Heinzman, Business Reference Librarian, was nominated as a candidate for the campus-wide "Staff of the Year" award.

Jennifer Davis, Head of Technical Services and John Pollitz, Director are members of the planning committee for the Fall ILA Conference, to be held in Davenport on October 11-13.


Busse Center Library, Mt. Mercy College:

Linda Scarth presented a poster session at ALA in San Francisco. The ACRL Education and Behavioral Sciences Section presented a session entitled "Old Friends, New Partners: Academic Libraries Redefine K-12 Outreach" which included a panel and a group of poster presentations on June 17. Linda's poster title was "A-B-C Books: an Academic Library Project by Middle Schoolers".


Grand View College Library:

The library classroom is gradually evolving into a versatile instructional teaching lab. Eight new tables and sixteen upholstered swivel chairs have been purchased. There are castors on both so they can be moved around. It is designed for working in pairs. There will be one computer for each table. This is our first try at wireless communication. The installation is underway and the first two computers are connected and they work. These are computers that were replaced in the public access area by newer models so they are a few years old and it is gratifying to see that older machines can be used for a new purpose. The large screen destination computer will still be used for instructor demonstration.


News from other libraries

Iowa State University Libraries:

Dean Olivia Madison was recently elected Vice President/President-elect of the Association of Library Collections and Technical Services of the American Library Association. She is current chair of the ALCTS Budget and Finance Committee.

Diana Shonrock has been elected Chair-Elect of the American Library Association's RUSA (Reference and User Services Association) MOUSS (Management and Operation of User Services Section)

Jennifer Clayton, who had been in charge of the Library 160 program resigned in May to take a similar position at Duke University. The Library 160 program is a required library instruction course for all ISU students.

Jason McLatchie joined the Library P&S staff in April 2001 as a Systems Support Specialist III in the Information Technology Division.


University of Iowa Libraries

Staff changes: Susan Marks will become Coordinator, Human Resources and Diversity Programs this fall.

Brian Thompson is the Systems Librarian, Library Automation

Positions open:
University of Northern Iowa Library:

positions open:

Newsletter Committee:

Ann Ford, Chair, University of Iowa
Jan Dellinger, Hawkeye Community College
Sandra Keist, Grandview College
Marlene Metzgar, Kaplan College
Steve Ostrem, University of Iowa
Colleen Valente, University of Northern Iowa

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