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Staley Library’s Fall 2006
research instruction program is in full swing, with sessions for
twenty-six University Seminar and Critical Writing, Reading and Research
(CWRR) sections as well as for select upper-level classes. The pre- and
post-test sequence to measure student information literacy skills in the
CWRR sequence, piloted in the Spring 2006 semester, is being fully
implemented in the first year classes.
We surely
depend on and appreciate our student workers' contributions to our services. All of their
pictures are now up on the library website, thanks to Amanda Pippitt's
intrepid camera work.
At the Opening Faculty Workshops on August 22, 2006, we showcased our
new website along with our many other electronic resources, in three
repeated hour-long workshop sessions entitled “Advancing Scholarship: New
and Enhanced Library Resources and Learning Technologies.” Cindy
Fuller, Barb Bolser, and Amanda Pippitt dazzled their Millikin faculty
colleagues with these demonstrations, and also reminded the audience of the
library’s other services such as the extensive research instruction program.
A typical faculty response to the sessions was, “SUPERB! Can’t wait to share
the new library resource information with my students!” We were quite
gratified by these responses. After all, it does not do much good to have
all the educational offerings we do have, if no-one knows about them!
 
 Also during Opening Faculty Workshops, Joe Hardenbrook conducted four sessions in his additional new role as the
University’s Educational Technologist; and Karin Borei, in her
additional role as Director of International Programs, participated in
presentations about the Summer 2006 Nyberg Seminar planning for implementing
Millikin University’s greatly expanded vision for internationalization of
the Millikin University campus and curriculum.
As part of the September 9th, 2006, Technology and Teaching
Mini-Institute at Millikin, Joe Hardenbrook and Amanda Pippitt presented
an interactive session on
copyright issues in higher education within the
context of classroom instruction. The workshop was part of the Associated Colleges of Illinois
AT&T Faculty Technology Development Grant that Millikin and many other
Illinois Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities have participated in over
the past several years.
For this academic year, Cindy, Amanda and Joe all
have been
elected by their academic librarian peers throughout Illinois to serve
on various committees of CARLI, the state-wide academic library consortium
to which Staley Library belongs. At Millikin, Cindy has been elected as a
continuing member of
Council on Students and
Academic Standards while also tending to her studies in the MBA program, and
Amanda serves on the Honors Committee, the Council on Curriculum, and the
Gender Studies Advisory Committee.
During the now-past summer,
in addition to contributing to the Nyberg Seminar planning for
internationalization I had the privilege of being included in the group of
excellent faculty doing the assessment work on the MPSL. My part, not
surprisingly, was the off-campus component. No-one will be particularly
surprised to learn that off-campus credit is earned primarily through either
internships or study abroad, and that the learning outcomes for off-campus
study more often than not are more implied than specified.
Musing: d oes it not seem that one's own writings
look so much more substantive somehow when they appear in print? I
experienced that recently when I received a copy of the book to which I
contributed a chapter called Introducing the
Small Library: College Libraries. This book is shelved in our Archives
along with other publications by Millikin University faculty.
We do keep busy.
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And during the fall semester, the three remaining librarians will be even
busier because on
September 25, Barb Bolser joined the staff of
Millikin’s PACE program as Student Services Coordinator. We
will be conducting a search beginning immediately to
fill the
faculty position she used to hold in the library. We are happy for PACE
for their gain, even though it is the library's loss! |
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Staley
Library newsletter Fall 2006
As Homecoming approaches, one of the library's main floor display cases is
displaying some artifacts from the University's first Homecoming 91 years
ago, as well as programs, posters and buttons from other past homecomings.
It is with regret that we note the loss or
serious reduction of some of the trees and bushes outside the library. We
have been given to understand that this is in the name of greater campus
security. Even so, I personally particularly mourn the total cutting down
(rather than trimming) of the beautiful redbud tree outside my office window
