sept09b2.indd C&RL News September 2009 438 ACRL in Chicago ACRL programs at the ALA Annual Conference ALA’s 128th Annual Conference was held July 9–15, 2009, in Chicago. Approxi- mately 28,941 librarians, library support staff, exhibitors, writers, educators, publishers, and special guests attended the conference. Ed. note: Thanks to the ACRL members w h o s u m m a - rized programs to make this re- port possible. Advocacy in today’s environment Now, more than ever, advocacy is a critical skill for all librarians a n d w a s t h e theme of Erika L i n k e ’ s A C R L presidency. At the 2009 ACRL President’s Program, “Advocacy in Today’s En- vironment,” Stephanie Vance and other experts in advocacy—Prue Adler (associate executive director of the Association of Research Librar- ies), Emily Sheketoff (ALA associate executive director), Michael McLane (ACRL visiting program officer for legislative advocacy), and Tony Driessen (lawyer-lobbyist with the Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, law fi rm of DeWitt Ross & Stevens S.C.)—presented an engaging and interactive program, providing audience members with strategies and practi- cal tips for effective advocacy. The program, which was tailored to the specifi c needs of the academic library com- munity based on the results of an advance survey to ACRL members, covered the basics of being an effective advocate, including why advocacy is important, knowing what you want, who you are talking to, how to talk to them, and how to follow up. During the session, Vance presented the concepts behind communication with elected of- fi cials, agencies, and university administrators to advance the goals of our li- braries. More than 135 attend- ees worked on specific plans to improve their messages about libraries, devel- oped insights into advocacy, and learned the importance of following up and continu- ing advocacy efforts throughout the year. Throughout the program, panelists responded with examples related to libraries. The program began by covering the basics of advocacy and opened with an interactive Q&A session and prizes for participants. Questions included: How many bills on average are introduced in a Congressional session? What percentage of bills pass? and How many bills mention the word library? Prizes included pocket copies of the U.S. Constitution and breath mints (because fresh breath is very important for advocacy). conference circuit Stephanie Vance, the “Advocacy Guru” and cofounder of Ad- vocacy Associates, at the 2009 President’s Program. September 2009 439 C&RL News As the audience warmed up to the topic, Vance and copresenters turned to areas of interest to the library community, including government information, public access to federally funded research, orphan works and copyright legislation, Section 108 of the Copyright Act (exemptions for libraries and archives), the USA PATRIOT Act, fair use, and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Audience members worked in pairs to practice crafting an effective message, and several brave volunteers role-played their message with Vance, who acted the part of the legislator. Vance defi ned and clarifi ed three important terms: education, advocacy, and lobbying. Education is talking about what libraries are doing in our commu- nity. Advocacy is informing about the implications of policy issues. Asking for sup- port for a specifi c bill is lobbying. The second part of the pro- gram, entitled “Developing an Advocacy Plan,” was interactive, with participants c r e a t i n g t h e i r own plan for ad- vocacy, whether it might be within their university, at the local level, or ACRL’s priorities in Washington, D.C. Topics covered included developing a goal, understanding the environment and chain of command, building coalitions, and message development and delivery. In the fi nal section of the program, “Three Critical Techniques for Building Relation- ships,” Vance highlighted site visits, working with the media, developing statements, and testifying. He offered the following tips: For site visits, take care to not invite two elected offi cials running against each other. Think about the message—what to say and what you want them to understand. In the invitation for the visit, make it sound as fas- cinating as possible, and make it clear why one would be interested in coming to your library. Be persistent, and follow up with a phone call, if necessary. Once the site visit is scheduled, plan all the details, including parking, food, tour agenda, etc. Make sure what you show them is connected to what you need them to understand. Keep notes on what interests them and what you can follow up on. Make sure they see real people using your services. Consider carefully what will make your audience think your topic is interesting. Throughout the program, presenters impressed upon the audience that librar- ians are in the best position to help legisla- tors understand the real issues affecting library users every day. Politicians listen to their constitu- ents. Partnerships and coalitions are key. Advocacy is about relation- ships with legisla- tors and others.— Beth McNeil, Pur- due University, memcneil@pur- due.edu Area Studies librarianship The AAMES program, “Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Librarians in Academic Librar- ies: Challenges, Expectations and Rewards,” focused on issues related to the fi eld of Area Studies librarianship, including current eco- nomic challenges, collection development, preservation and digitization of resources, and future trends. The panel comprised of one moderator and six speakers. Bindu Bhatt (Columbia University) opened the session by welcoming the attendees and speakers. Binh Le (Pennsylvania State University), the moderator, introduced the speakers to the audience. ACRL Past President Erika C. Linke. C&RL News September 2009 440 Liladhar Pendse’s (UCLA) presentation “Decolonizing Colonial Periodicals: Preserv- ing or Destroying Information Past?” focused on the French and Portuguese colonial periodicals of the Indian subcontinent. He highlighted the problems associated with digital preservation of the colonial periodi- cals. The second presentation, “The Center for Research Libraries: Global Resources Net- work,” by James Simon (CRL), concentrated on the cooperative collection development strategies undertaken by CRL. Lauran Hartley (Columbia University) spoke on the coopera- tive programs for Tibetan Studies materials. The fourth presentation, “Challenges for Academic Libraries in Africa and Resolutions Sought,” by Ellen Tise (president, IFLA) focused on the challenges faced by the aca- demic libraries in Africa. Anchi Hoh (Library of Congress) talked about the World Digital Library program, a collaborative project undertaken by the United Nations Educa- tional Scientifi c and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Library of Congress, and several other institutions from different parts of the world. The fi nal presentation, “Collaborate or Bust: Understanding Global Resource Collec- tion Development in the Early 21st Century,” by David Magier (Princeton University), addressed the important issue of where we are with global resources preservation and the threat to endangered Area Studies col- lections. He proposed that academic institu- tions should investigate possible partnerships within and outside the region to seek solu- tions to preservation issues. Most of the presentations can be accessed at www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/events /annual09.cfm.—Chella Vaidyanathan, University of Miami Libraries, cvaidyan@ miami.edu Chicago’s ethnic mosiac The ANSS program, “Chicago’s Ethnic Mosaic: Cultural Identity and Neighborhood Change,” featured four scholars who each spoke about the impact of race and ethnicity on urban housing and development. J. Bradford Hunt (Roosevelt University) explored the social construction of race and showed how 20th-century immigration (especially the African American and Latino populations) was central to Chicago history. Chicago’s great diversity, compared to other cities, made a positive difference. For example, the Latino population increase prevented population loss and stimulated the economy. Chicago neighbor- hoods varied among streets, and changed ethnically and racially as people sought new neighborhoods for better housing or work- ing conditions. Hunt also explained how the government reshaped African American neighborhoods through housing policies. Janet Smith (University of Illinois-Chicago) discussed public housing for the African American community and housing policy changes since the 1970s. The 1899 “Separate but Equal” court case meant “Separate but unequal” and allowed segregated housing. Other public housing policies resulted in poorly built high-rise buildings. The goal of public housing was to disperse people from poverty-stricken areas; which, with urban renewal (starting in the 1950s), resulted in mixed housing replacing public housing. People feared being pushed from homes to be replaced by better homes for the rich. “It’s not conspiracy, it’s policy.” John Koval (DePaul University, emeritus) said that the site of Latino’s current immi- gration is suburbia (where jobs are), not urban areas. By 2050, 45 percent of the U.S. population will be undereducated minori- ties, mainly Latinos and African Americans, unable to help the United States compete globally. Nilda Flores-Gonzales (University of Illinois-Chicago) described several marches (including Hispanic teens’ growing involve- ment) against unfair housing laws and prac- tices that affected Latinos. Q&A comment: The United States is open/closed to immigrants depending on their qualifi cations and competence.—Gayle Porter, Chicago State University, gporter@ csu.edu September 2009 441 C&RL News The small press and the artists’ book The Arts Section program, “More Than Paper: The Small Press and the Artists’ Book,” fo- cused on three primary aspects of the book arts: the aesthetic elements involved in the production, distribution, and sale of fi ne let- terpress books and other materials, as well as their artistic/cultural value; the cultural and historical signifi cance of small press publica- tions; and the role of libraries in preserving these resources. Arts Section Chair Lucie Wall Stylianopoulos (University of Virgin- ia) opened the program, and Michael Pearce (University of Alabama) mod- erated. Jeffery Wed- dle (University o f A l a b a m a ) described the history of Lou- j o n P r e s s , a small New Or- leans publish- ing house that produced the literary journal t h e O u t s i d e r and books by Charles Bukowski and Henry Miller. Its colorful founders, Jon and Gypsy Lou Webb, endured many struggles to publish quality literary works. In describing the his- tory of the Webbs and Loujon Press, Weddle explained the critical role that small presses play in publishing quality materials from which commercial publishers may shy away, as well as their role in the careers of several important literary fi gures. Sally Alatalo (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) discussed several examples of books that demonstrate the range of the artists’ ability to critique language, culture, and the visual through the book form. As the founder of Sara Ranchouse Publishing and a book artist herself, Alatalo has been fascinated with the book artists’ ability to experiment with language and genre. She also emphasized the importance of buying artists’ books directly from small publishers or buying from nonprofi t book distributors, such as Printed Matter. Elisabeth Long (University of Chicago) asked audience members to consider how our idea of the book is changing, and how it may change over the next 50 years. Today’s book artists are exploring the complex features of the book, defying digitization efforts, and in- vestigating the intersection between text and image. Librarians should consider how best t o r e p r e s e n t these unique re- sources online through cata- logs and im- ages, and sites such as Artists’ Books Online and the Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection provide useful e x a m p l e s o f ways to repre- sent collections of artists’ books. The program drew an audi- ence of 55 people and was followed by a recep- tion celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Arts Section, sponsored by Casalini Libri and Arts Section members.—Ann Medaille, University of Nevada-Reno, amedaille@unr.edu The fi rst-year experience Four hundred fi fty-three librarians attended the CJCLS/CLS/IS program “FYE: Connecting First-Year College Students with the Library,” moderated by CJCLS Chair Lora Mirza (Geor- gia Perimeter College). Keynote speaker Donna Younger (Oakton Community College) related how a good start makes a real difference for fi rst-year college students. She shared Clifford Adelman’s student persistence research, best practices gleaned from the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience (FYE), and how CLS program speakers (left to right): Susan Hall, April Heiselt, and Robert Wolverton Jr., all from Mississippi State University. C&RL News September 2009 442 the Foundations of Excellence and Achieving the Dream programs spurred FYE program growth. Oakton uses the “WISE Choice” acronym to brand its FYE philosophy. W=Welcoming those who “don’t have the language of higher education;” I=Informing constituents using multiple means—consistently, and at the right time; S=Supporting students when they de- termine they need support; and E=Engaging, refl ecting personal active involvement and a positive attitude. Olga Conneen (Northampton Community College) described a library-classroom faculty collaboration project initiated to assess the college’s information literacy core outcome, and how Middle States accreditation drove the work. She suggested that librarians “speak the same language” as classroom faculty. Northampton developed and continually as- sessed rubrics to ensure they related to what fi rst-year college students need to know. Sarah Greene shared Tidewater Commu- nity College Library’s three-pronged approach (FYE course, college orientation in the library, free topical seminars) and suggested proac- tive relationship building across campus as key to success. Panelists from Wayne State University (WSU) presented two additional ways to connect fi rst-year college students with the library. Judith Arnold showed WSU’s “fun” atypical library Web page with its FYE sup- port (www.lib.wayne.edu/sites/fye/), which combines essential library information with an assignment planner, links to the writing center, technology workshops and campus food, along with entertaining content. Carrie Croatt-Moore shared WSU’s programming, including its academic orientation to comple- ment traditional orientations and peer mentor training.—Nan Schichtel, Grand Rapids Com- munity College, bschicht@grcc.edu Academic libraries collaboration with public libraries This year’s CLS program, titled “Our Town, Common Ground: Academic Libraries’ Col- laboration with Public Libraries,” featured a panel of six speakers representing four cooperative endeavors between academic and public libraries. Judy Neale (coordinator of commu- nity outreach, Cameron University Library) evoked The Little Engine That Could in “The Little Library That Could,” her retelling of Lawton Public Library’s outreach to the uni- versity library. Together they have received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Oklahoma Humanities Council to sponsor author readings and liter- ary events at both institutions. Janet Stoffer (director of the Elyria [Ohio] Public Library System) and Keith Washburn (dean of the Lorain County Community Col- lege Library and Learning Resources Division) credit their striking joint-use facility that serves enrolled students and the community for their shared vision and tenacity. Sarah Palfrey (director of the Summersville [West Virginia] Public Library) shared her experience with the delicate nature of col- laborations, even when they are time-tested and supported by the community. Her public library provides resources and services to the community college, which was recently part of a statewide reorganization. With continued funding from the college uncertain, Palfrey may be forced to curtail hours and acquisi- tions, losses that will affect both public and academic users. April Heiselt (assistant professor and ser- vice learning coordinator in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology at Mississippi State University) and two of her colleagues in the libraries, Susan Hall and Robert Wolverton (associate professors), de- scribed a service-learning program that places students in the Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library’s children’s services and special collections. This innovative program connects fi rst-year students to the university library and benefi ts public library staff and users. Content from the program is available at the CLS Web site at www.ala.org/ala/mgrps /divs/acrl/about/sections/cls/collconferences /conferences.cfm.—Jane P. Currie, Loyola University-Chicago, jcurrie@luc.edu September 2009 443 C&RL News Retaining distance students from di- verse groups Thomas Abbott (dean of libraries and dis- tance learning, University of Maine-Augusta) opened the DLS program with the admission that there was little literature in support of academic libraries actively participating in retention programs with colleges and uni- versities. There is, however, literature that discusses the increased need for developing initiatives and metrics for academic institu- tions to retain distance and diverse students. Merodie Hancock (vice president/execu- tive director, Off-Campus Programs, Central Michigan University) then presented her views on distance education and the impor- tance of developing retention policies. She stated that retention policies are actually a part of a larger enrollment management umbrella. Hancock described her views on the distance education environment and those criteria that defi ne relevant issues. Libraries need to understand the “big picture” of en- rollment management. Also, libraries must understand the overall learning environment of their schools, and the overall learning goals expected of students. Lastly, Hancock stressed the importance of libraries, or any other department, to not “silo” their data or efforts. She said unifi ed effort must be un- dertaken by all stakeholders to successfully develop retention efforts. Kathleen Walsh (interim provost and former dean of the library, National-Louis University) stated that retention efforts have indeed become a very hot issue with colleg- es and universities. Walsh also cited several retention models used; however, the major- ity of data available to help other schools is limited, as most of the data is propriety. The major reason why distance students leave a program is due to life-changing circum- stances, which make developing retention efforts challenging. Walsh shared her views on how librar- ies can help with retention efforts. Libraries need to recognize that once students gradu- ate, they may still require lifelong or inde- pendent learning resources. Host libraries can have a positive impact by then develop- ing resources that benefi t graduates in these areas. Once libraries collaborate more with other departments, a better understanding of digital learning and metrics tools can then be undertaken.—Patrick Mahoney, Mitre Corporation, pmahoney@mitre.org Librarian/scholar: From research question to results EBSS sponsored a program of practical advice for librarians wanting to contribute to scholarly discourse and for those strug- gling to meet research and publishing re- quirements of their institutions. Stephanie Davis-Kahl (Illinois Wesleyan University) moderated. Peter Hernon (Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, and coeditor of Library & Information Sci- ence Research) opened the program with a frank and provocative overview of publish- ing in the discipline. He stressed the need to improve the quality of library science literature and provided practical tips for doing so. Hernon discussed the importance of peer-review and the need to reduce the typical three-month manuscript review pro- cess. Hernon closed his remarks with tips for establishing a personal research agenda by thinking through long-term interests and consulting current literature to identify research gaps. Robert Labaree (head of the Von Klein- Smid Center Library, University of South- ern California) discussed basic features of qualitative research, reviewing benefi ts of the method as well as general pitfalls. He described qualitative research as purposeful, emergent, and naturalistic, as “digging deep” to “add meaning to data.” Labaree cautioned researchers to be aware of potential personal bias and to guard against making inappropri- ately broad statements from small samples. Quantitative research was the focus of recorded remarks sent by Penny Beile (head, Curriculum Materials Center, University of Central Florida). Beile acknowledged the C&RL News September 2009 444 frustration voiced by many librarians about not having the skills to conduct quality quan- titative research. She recommended repli- cating other quality research, collaborating with experienced researchers, and getting educated through programs, workshops, and classes. Beile called for institutional support for research through training and release time, while urging librarians to take personal responsibility for seeking ways to improve their work. Prior to the program Paula McMillen presented the EBSS Distinguished Librarian award to Gary Lare in recognition of his leadership in developing curriculum ma- terials centers and his mentorship of new librarians. The award is sponsored by John Wiley and Sons, Inc.—Bruce Stoffel, Illinois State University, brstoff@ilstu.edu Building balanced collections At this year’s ACRL Committee on Ethics program, a panel addressed the complicated undertaking of building balanced collec- tions. Program chair Alan Mattlage began by providing a context for the discussion, reviewing the Library Bill of Rights and the controversy surrounding the terms balanced versus diverse or representative collections. Nancy Kranich (Rutgers University) pre- sented ethical theories to develop a discus- sion framework, arguing that materials selec- tion is an ethical dilemma. She emphasized the problem of defi nition; if we “balance” viewpoints do we equally represent intelli- gent design and evolution or the holocaust and holocaust denial? The term diversity helps, but complexities of defi nition remain. Worried that “in an age of media consoli- dation and reduced budgets, our collections are more similar than unique,” Kranich suggested we reaffi rm that building diverse collections is important, seek out alternative presses, and document the diversity within our collections. Byron Anderson (Northern Illinois Uni- versity) advocated for alternative presses. The Library Bill of Rights states, “Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues.” He recognizes that with more than 170,000 books published every year, most of which are never even reviewed, obtaining every viewpoint is im- possible. Seeking out alternative presses, we can help provide “a voice for the voiceless.” Bob Nardini (Coutts Information Services) shared another perspective, stating that he has encountered challenged materials, such as Let Me Die Before I Wake, that librar- ians chose to treat inconsistently. Vendors, however, select based on customer needs identifi ed through data. He offered a con- trarian view: the Library Bill of Rights was developed during a print culture. With the Internet allowing for all points of view, per- haps solving this issue is not as imperative as it once was? Perhaps now just the core points of view need to be refl ected in our col- lections.—Rebecca Blakiston, University of Arizona, blakistonr@u.library.arizona.edu Intellectual freedom on campus What are the threats to intellectual freedom on our campuses and who cares? What is the library’s role in preserving intellectual free- dom? “Academic and Intellectual Freedom Climate on Campus—Are Our Freedoms Se- cure in the Next Generation?” sponsored by the ACRL Intellectual Freedom Committee, addressed these questions with the help of three panelists and audience participation. Jim Neal (Columbia University) laid out 24 threats to intellectual freedom ranging from the disappearance of government infor- mation to mass digitization projects that pose the risk of removal of content and monitor- ing of individual use. For Neal’s full list of threats, see the ACRL Intellectual Freedom Committee’s blog at www.acrl.ala.org/ifc/. Barbara Fister (Gustavus Adolphus College) fears that too often those of us engaged in information literacy teaching give short shrift to the related legal, ethi- cal, and social issues in order to meet the more immediate needs for a paper due next week. Fister advocates education outside of the classroom with displays, September 2009 445 C&RL News speakers, and events planned around, for instance, Banned Books Week, Constitu- tion Day, Darwin’s birthday, and Sunshine Week. A full version of her presentation can be found at homepages.gac.edu/~fi ster /ACRLOIF.html. The Chicago-based McCormick Freedom Museum (www.freedommuseum.us) aims to promote First Amendment rights through work with middle and high school students and teachers. Shawn Healy (managing di- rector) described the museum’s outreach efforts that include “Seen and Heard,” an annual national student expression contest, that drew nearly 400 entries this year. A display of the winning entries, especially in the editorial cartoon category, is worth a visit to the Web site. The Center for Campus Free Speech (www.campusspeech.org) also promotes First Amendment rights, with a focus on higher education. A poll of the audience revealed that cur- rently one of the greatest concerns is the lack of conversation about intellectual freedom issues on campuses—budget discussions seem to hold a higher value.—Doris Ann Sweet, Simmons College, dasweet@simmons. edu Bringing the Immersion Program back home The ACRL Institute for Information Literacy Executive Committee program entitled “Bringing the Immersion Program Back Home: Successes Shared in a Panel Dis- cussion and Poster Session” featured three panelists and seven poster session present- ers who shared how their experiences in the Immersion Program have enriched their professional practice. Merinda Kaye Hensley has attended both the Program and Teacher Tracks of the Im- mersion Program. The Program Track pro- vided her with insight into the importance of creating a learning community, learning outcomes and assessment, and inspiring a shared vision. The Teacher Track provided her with tools, such as refl ective journal- ing, which she used to create “a timeline of refl ection to incorporate into [instructors’] voices as teachers.” These tools and concepts have provided the foundation for programs and activities she has developed since at- tending the Immersion Program. Monica Fusich attended the Program Track after she became head of instruction and outreach services at California State University-Fresno. She found the active learning experience to be invigorating and came away with an action plan and a new outlook on assessment. She learned it is important to share responsibility for informa- tion literacy instruction and has benefi tted greatly from the community of practice that was created among her peers in the Immer- sion Program. Jim Hahn is a new librarian whose Im- mersion experience taught him to be a leader and “overthrow the tyranny of how it was done before.” He has applied concepts, such as authenticity in teaching, to his work with LIS 100 students. After Immersion, Hahn looks at the library in a different way and doesn’t hesitate to try new things, including library tours in Pig Latin. The insights of the panelists and the information provided at the poster session combined to provide a comprehensive over- view of what practitioners can gain from the Immersion Program. Additional information can be found at library.uwb.edu/ALA2009 /ImmersionFlyer2009.pdf.—Chelle Batchelor, University of Washington-Bothell, mbatchelor @uwb.edu International librarianship and cooperation The ACRL International Relations Committee (IRC) hosted the program “Academic Librar- ians and International Librarianship” for more than 150 attendees. Distinguished speakers Robert Wedgeworth (former IFLA president; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, emeritus), Jay Jordan (OCLC president and CEO), Beverly Lynch (ALA/IRC chair; UCLA), and Winston Tabb (Johns Hopkins University) addressed the need for increased interna- tional cooperation among librarians. C&RL News September 2009 446 Wedgeworth spoke on “ALA and IFLA: A Global Perspective” providing advice on getting involved (individually, via ALA, IFLA, U.S. Foreign Service, etc.), to “learn as much as teach” and be prepared (learning the language), access all opportunities, and “focus on the journey, not the destination.” Jordan talked about “OCLC: A Global Cooperative” that is evolving not only in statistics—147 countries contributing 139 mil- lion records (50 percent non-English)—but in strategic direction, such as the Members Council becoming the Global Council and “building a Web-scale for libraries, needed to connect better with international institutions.” Lynch discussed the “Role of ALA/IRC in International Affairs” as responsible for all programs and activities of IRC offi cers, round- tables, and committees representing all geo- graphic areas of the world. She highlighted international lecture and conference series, including the fi fth China-U.S. Conference in Shanghai in 2010, affording American librar- ians an understanding of “cultural shock,” but also extraordinary exchanges, which are “wide-ranging and deep.” Tabb spoke on “International Librarian- ship and its Impact on Research Libraries in the United States,” asking “Why has there not been greater impact?” As formal agree- ments are signed between institutions, but not followed by activity, he promoted wider collaborative exchange concluding, “I chal- lenge us to have a community of practice.” Afterwards, IFLA President Claudia Lux, presented plaques to the speakers for their contributions to international librarianship. Ravindra Sharma, ACRL/IRC chair and mod- erator of the historic session, presented a plaque to Lux on behalf of ACRL/IRC.—Mary Kay Rathke, United Arab Emirates University, marykay@uaeu.ac.ae Illuminating new instruction research This year, the IS Conference Program Plan- ning Committee tried something different by eschewing a single speaker and instead de- veloping a program based on a three person panel: Randy Burke Hensley (Baruch College, City University of New York), Heidi Julien (University of Alberta), and Michelle Morton (Cañada Community College Library). These panelists were chosen to impart different viewpoints and insights on the pro- gram’s topic, “Illuminating New Instruction Research: Applying Research to Practice.” By spotlighting three studies published within the last year, the program enabled librarians to ponder some of the latest research and discuss how it might be applied to their own classroom teaching and planning. Merinda McLure (Colorado State Univer- sity) moderated a spirited discussion. High- lights included: • Phenomenography: The foundation of one of the studies, this qualitative, nondual- istic research approach focuses on context, perspective, and experience and was clearly a topic attendees wanted to learn more about. • Generation 1.5 students: This study about the research skills and behaviors of Latino students provided a number of in- teresting discussion points, including where students learn best, library as “place,” and how community colleges and universities might better collaborate. • Knowledge of research method funda- mentals: The importance of librarians un- derstanding this was confi rmed, as it would make librarians more effective readers and users of research. In keeping with the interactive format, questions and comments from the more than 250 attendees were not confi ned to the end, but liberally interspersed throughout the program. More than 20 questions were asked in all. Additionally, Twitter was moni- tored for comments, and all questions and comments were typed and displayed on a projection screen to give attendees a chance to see, in real-time, what their colleagues were thinking. To fi nd out more, including links to the three articles and other materials, go to www. ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/about/sections /is/eventsconferences/2009programan.cfm.— Brad Sietz, Eastern Michigan University, bsietz@emich.edu September 2009 447 C&RL News Open access digital initiatives in the Humanities The LES program, “Open Access Digital Initiatives in the Humanities: Creation, Dis- semination, Preservation,” attracted a crowd of around 250. Rob Melton (bibliographer for Literature and Humanities, University of California-San Diego) introduced the pro- gram. Angela Courtney (librarian for English Literatures, Indiana University-Bloomington) warned of the ephemeral nature of digital projects when even ordinary personnel tran- sitions can cause a digital initiative, such as Indiana University’s Victorian Women Writer’s Project (www.indiana.edu/~letrs/vwwp/), to lapse temporarily, if not permanently. Dino Franco Felluga (associate professor, Department of English, Purdue University) faulted the academy for its “indifference with regard to the digital revolution,” which allowed IT entities to take over digitizing the knowledge being produced by universities and scholars. Felluga is a coeditor of the open access journal, RAVON (Romanticism and Victorianism on the Net, www.ravon. umontreal.ca), and is on the editorial board of NINES (Nineteenth-Century Scholarship Online, www.nines.org), which he described as a model of collaboration between scholars and librarians. He challenged users to embrace the myriad new ways of interpreting and editing texts that digital initiatives facilitate, chal- lenged contributors of knowledge to create their own Web sites, and challenged scholars and institutions to support the control of their knowledge production. Laura Mandell (professor of English Literature, Miami University of Ohio) cau- tioned against drawing too sharp a line between open access and for-profi t initia- tives. In face of the so-called “data deluge,” she believes only “machine crunchable data” will rise to the top in a usable fash- ion. She described how digital projects such as 18thConnect (unixgen.muohio. edu/~poetess/NINES/18thConnect.html) and MONK are trying to resolve the problem of “dirty OCR” (optical character recognition) of early modern texts. MONK (Metadata Offer New Knowledge, www.monkproject.org) features 525 works of 18th- and 19th-century American literature and the plays and some poetry by William Shakespeare. Chad Curtis (librarian for literary studies and digital scholarship in the Humanities, New York University) described ways of sur- mounting the big obstacles of time, money, and knowledge.—Laura Sue Fuderer, Uni- versity of Notre Dame, Laura.S.Fuderer.1 @nd.edu Political engagement The LPSS program, “Political Engagement: Facilitating Greater Participation in Civil Society,” brought together a variety of aca- demic and public library speakers to address the concept of civic engagement in today’s society. Elizabeth Hollander (former executive director of Campus Compact and senior fel- low at Tufts University’s Tisch College) fi rst provided the audience with a brief history of student civic engagement and a description of Campus Compact, an organization of col- lege and university presidents that promotes community service, civic engagement, and service-learning in higher education. Hol- lander also spoke of the role of libraries in training students and others to facilitate democratic dialogue. Nancy Kranich (former ALA president and currently lecturer at Rutger’s School of Communication, Information and Library Sciences) continued the theme of delibera- tive dialogues in a variety of library settings. She encouraged those present to see the role they have in creating active citizens. The library should be a champion of intellectual freedom, but cannot be if people who do not agree with each other do not have a safe forum for dialogue. She described ALA’s proposed involvement in the Kettering Foun- dation’s training for deliberative democracy exchanges and how valuable these events can be for community communication. Joanne Griffi n (business reference librar- ian) and Holly Sorensen (assistant director) C&RL News September 2009 448 described a deliberative forum program held at the Des Plaines Public Library. “Building Community through Creative Conversations” was a broad approach to community issues that was funded by an LSTA grant in 2006. The goal was to train the entire community to hold and participate in forums on issues directly impacting them. Ten community organization partners participated in the program along with individuals. A report of these discussions is available through the National Issues Forums Web site at www.nifi .org.—Lynne Rudasill, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, rudasill@ illinois.edu Documenting tragedy RBMS presented “Documenting Tragedy: Special Collections on the Front Line and on the Front Page.” The topic was a sober but compelling one: What happens when tragedy strikes on campus? Three special collections professionals spoke about their fi rst-hand experiences in dealing with insti- tutional crises of this kind. Tamara Kennelley (university archivist, Virginia Tech) discussed the 4/16/07 Ar- chive, developed in response to the Virginia Tech shootings. While this archive served an immediate condolence function for the local community, Kennelly also wanted “to build a research collection that would be useful to scholars years from now.” She noted that her most challenging task was deciding what to keep when more than 88,000 commemora- tive materials poured into the archives in the wake of the tragedy. Edward L. Galvin (director of archives and records management, Syracuse Uni- versity) oversees the Pan Am Flight 103 Archives at Syracuse University. This col- lection documents the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988. This was initially a disaster archive exclusively about the 35 Syracuse students who died that day, but over a 20-year period, it has expanded to in- clude materials addressing broader aspects of global terrorism. Steven Escar Smith (director and associate dean, Texas A&M University) was special collections librarian in the Cushing Library at the time of the Texas bonfi re collapse on November 18, 1999. The accident killed 12 students and injured 30. The library, which acted as the distribution point for open re- cords materials, was suddenly on the “front lines” dealing with police, legal personnel, and a general “media rush.” Smith and his staff navigated this stressful period by main- taining a consistent policy of “fairness and transparency.” Jennifer Pastenbaugh (associate dean for planning and assessment, Oklahoma State) opened the program and introduced panel- ists. Aaron Purcell (director of special collec- tions, Virginia Tech) delivered a closing sum- mary and appreciation to the 92 people who attended the program.—Deborah Whiteman, UCLA Library, deborahw@library.ucla.edu Big science, little science, e-science The STS program, “Big Science, Little Sci- ence, E-Science: The Science Librarian’s Role in the Conversation,” provided helpful insights on how librarians can be involved in the crucial work of data curation. John Saylor (Cornell University Libraries) provided a library administrator’s perspec- tive on ways that librarians can be partners in the research process. He explored both “front line” roles for librarians who are em- bedded within their scientifi c disciplines and are heavily involved in working with faculty, as well as “back line” librarian skills, such as digital preservation. An astrophysicist from the California Institute of Technology, George Djorgov- ski, awed the crowd with his description of the amount of data generated by the fi eld of astronomy every day (ten terabytes) as compared to the amount of data in the Library of Congress (one terabyte). Due to the enormity of data produced, Djorgovski explained that “expertise is expensive; data is cheap.” Libraries must evolve to work with this complex system, but Djorgovski asserted that the fundamental librarian roles of pre- September 2009 449 C&RL News serving, organizing, and facilitating access to information will still remain. In order to help prepare librarians to develop the skills needed to deal with data curation tasks, library schools are develop- ing certifi cate programs that address these needs. Melissa Cragin (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) discussed her school’s program, the idea of data literacy, and the complexity of the collection forms that can be involved in data curation—everything from lab notebooks, to spreadsheets, to video fi les. Chris Greer (National Coordination Offi ce for Networking and Information Technology Research and Development) skillfully sum- marized the points raised and noted that we “can’t store it all.” However, this is where librarians can add their skills of selection and acquisition to make information available for future generations.—Hannah Gascho Rempel, Oregon State University, hannah.rempel@ oregonstate.edu Millennials in graduate school: How do we support them? The ULS program focused on the unique needs of millennial students who have pro- gressed to graduate and doctoral programs in universities. Joan Lippincott (Coalition for Networked Information) started off by describing millennial graduate students. As of fall 2007, there were 1,698,445 graduate students in the United States; 59 percent are female and 24 percent are from outside the United States. Graduate research and schol- arship is increasingly produced in multiple online formats. Susan Gibbons (vice provost, River Campus, University of Rochester) reported on their ethnographic research on graduate students. Their study found graduate student behavior to be specifi c to the discipline. After 100 interviews, no common graduate student experience was identifi ed. In the Sciences, graduate work is lab-based and grant-driven. Student topics align with grants of a particular lab. In the Humanities, graduate students work in isolation, sometimes forming infor- mal support groups. In the Social Sciences, the work is article-driven, combining prior publications to make a dissertation. Students reported using 113 different digital tools. What is common among all of the disciplines is feelings of anxiety, fear of failure, and feel- ing like intellectual imposters. What can libraries do? Graduate students use libraries heavily. They need a library orientation very early in their graduate career. Once they begin their research, they are far too busy to learn new tools and methods. The library orientation should acknowledge their anxieties, review key library tools, cover ILL/document deliv- ery/scan on demand, promote the expertise of librarians, and offer training on citation tools. In addition, the library should include the name of the advisor when cataloging dissertations. Barbara Dewey (dean of libraries, Univer- sity of Tennessee) wrapped up the program by encouraging libraries to consider how services can be tailored to graduate students. She then introduced a video montage of graduate students that was created by the ULS Program Committee. Students discussed their research and writing processes, how they organize themselves, and their resources.— Evelyn C. Minick, Saint Joseph’s University, minick@sju.edu Area studies, globalization, and re - search libraries Some 125 people attended the WESS program to hear a panel of scholars discuss area stud- ies, globalization, and research libraries. In “The Lost Samurai: Researching Across and Between,” Christopher Bush (Northwest- ern University) discussed his research on Germans writing about Japan: Which culture is being studied? Which voice is speaking? Libraries have to be mindful of how a book is cataloged or classifi ed; where the work re- sides very much infl uences how it gets found (or not) and used (or not). And scholars do browse . . . seriously. In “European Studies: Striking the Balance Between Disciplinarity and Interdisciplinar- ity,” Sabine Engel (University of Minnesota) C&RL News September 2009 450 noted that area studies are based on disci- plines. An area studies program’s goal is to fos- ter cross-, multi-, and comparative-disciplinary collaboration. The research library’s organiza- tion of materials makes this research possible, and academics do not admit this to librarians often enough. The book has staying power. In “Why Scandinavia should be studied in a global age,” Christine Ingebritsen (Univer- sity of Washington) noted that Scandinavians are at the center of global events today. Look to these countries for ways to meet major global challenges: global warming (Greenland), managing fi nancial meltdown (Iceland), regulating banks (Sweden), from timber to cell phones (Finland), immigration and society (Denmark), and using oil respon- sibly (Norway). Stephen Corrsin (chief of acquisitions, New York Public Library) spoke of a 2007 MLA-U.S. Department of Education survey (www.mla.org/pdf/release11207_ma_feb _update.pdf) that shows signifi cant growth in foreign-language enrollments. Spanish, French, German, and Italian still dominate; but American Sign Language ranks fourth. Enrollment in Latin, Middle Eastern, Asian, and less commonly taught languages is grow- ing sharply. He called on attendees to ignore the buzzwords of globalization, e-only, and English-only; and look under the radar at what is happening in countries and regions; what is being published in books, particularly in other languages, and what the research library offers in both real time and real space. Papers have been posted at wess.lib.byu. edu.—Gordon B. Anderson, University of Minnesota, ganderso@umn.edu Gaming, fi lm, and ephemera The WSS Program, “Gaming, Film, and Ephemera: Women’s Studies and Academic Collections,” addressed collection develop- ment and management related to varying popular culture collections. All three panelists agreed that one of the more diffi cult aspects of collecting in this area is anticipating future access and research needs. Marilyn Dunn (executive director, Schlesinger Library, Harvard University) provided a panorama of the materials they collect (e.g., photographs, cartoons, televi- sion series, art, objects) and the history of those efforts. The purpose is to “document women’s adaptation to progress and change, as well as the feminist and popular culture dialogues” that are responses to it (e.g., the Miss America Pageant [late 1960s] and feminist activist responses to it). Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe (coordinator of information literacy services and instruc- tion at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign) presented on gaming collections. Her opener involved audience members in describing a favorite game. Through this exercise she pointed out the social, intellectual, competitive, as well educational needs that are satisfi ed through gaming. Cataloging, maintaining, and circulat- ing a collection, which includes digital, board, card, and other types of games, is uniquely challenging. Angela Winand (assistant professor, Afri- can American Studies, University of Illinois- Springfi eld) focused on African American women and fi lm. She emphasized fi lm as a vast resource of interdisciplinary richness that can serve as cultural artifact, social rep- resentation, and industry history (e.g., during the making of The Birth of a Nation African American actors were not paid, but were “donated” by the white households of which they were servants). There is a need to focus on African American women as directors, producers, and writers (see Sisters in Cinema, www.sistersincinema.com) not just as actors. During the Q&A, discussion focused on anticipating future needs. “The future is a crap shoot” as Winand put it, emphasizing the intricacies of collecting popular culture artifacts. Additional information, including a bibli- ography on women and gaming, can be found on the WSS Conference Program Web site at libr.org/wss/conferences/2009program. html.—Pamela M. Salela, University of Illinois-Springfi eld, psale2@uis.edu