@Your Servicetag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services/332007-11-01T14:46:46Z@ Your Service provides updates on library service issues and initiatives at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Movable Type 3.35Game On at the Undergraduate Librarytag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.13582007-11-01T14:17:55Z2007-11-01T14:46:46ZWhile gaming in libraries has become an increasingly hot topic in the library field over the past year, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library's Gaming Initiative has been bringing together gamers, gaming researchers, and gaming collections for almost 2...swalter
gaming in libraries has become an increasingly hot topic in the library field over the past year, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library's Gaming Initiative has been bringing together gamers, gaming researchers, and gaming collections for almost 2 years. One of the signature annual events sponsored as part of the Gaming Initiative is Gaming Night.
The Gaming Collection was launched during Spring 2006 as a response to interest from students as well as faculty researchers and instructors, who began a game research discussion list the year before. The collection includes all major current consoles and handheld platforms and is complemented by a growing set of public services to assist users with the collections and the integration of gaming in courses.
Gaming Night also began in Spring 2006 to advertise the birth of the collection and connect with faculty and student gamers and game researchers. That game night included a DDR competition and open gaming (the later has become a staple of all gaming nights as has Mountain Dew). Campus gaming groups were specifically invited and the Video Gamers Alliance took up a donation of vintage games and consoles for the Undergraduate Library, which holds the core of our vintage gaming historical collection.
The Fall 2006 gaming night was the first to feature a guest speaker, Dmitri Williams, formerly of the UIUC Speech Communications department and an expert on gaming research and literature. He held a 45 minute Q + A with students covering legal, economic, social, and other issues involved with gaming. This event also featured a contest and open gaming.
The upcoming November 3rd event is co-sponsored by the Undergraduate Library and the Sousa Archive and Center for American Music and is part of the celebration of American Music Month. The evening will focus on music in gaming and will include speakers from the Department of Music as well as industry experts from Volition, a growing gaming company in Champaign. The event will also introduce a game created by campus researchers (Musiverse).
Gaming at the library - come to play, come to learn. Game On!]]>
Tailgating at the Librarytag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.13282007-09-29T23:15:52Z2007-09-29T23:20:10ZThe Big 10 Network chose the Undergraduate Library for its Friday Night Tailgate segment this week. Check it out and see Lisa Hinchliffe, Head, Undergraduate Library, explaining how even the state's great love of corn could not stop the development...swalter
Undergraduate Library for its Friday Night Tailgate segment this week. Check it out and see Lisa Hinchliffe, Head, Undergraduate Library, explaining how even the state's great love of corn could not stop the development of one of the nation's leading undergraduate libraries.
Also, an original song by Illinois' a capella group, The Other Guys, also about corn and libraries!]]>
Service to the People, Service to the Statetag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.13012007-09-14T17:07:39Z2007-09-14T18:49:12ZPublic engagement is one of the strategic directions for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as it re-commits itself to its land-grant mission as part of its strategic plan. The Library helps to advance the campus mission of public engagement...swalter
Public engagement is one of the strategic directions for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as it re-commits itself to its land-grant mission as part of its strategic plan. The Library helps to advance the campus mission of public engagement through a number of service programs directed at professionals and members of the public around the state.
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Veterinary Medicine Library, for example, provides reference and document delivery services to veterinarians around the state, including those at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo and Shedd Aquarium. Vet Med also collaborates with the Champaign Public Library to support maintain the Pet Care Home Page for Champaign-Urbana.
The Agricultural, Consumer, & Environmental Sciences (ACES) Library provides access to library resources and services to agricultural professionals and local groups around the state as part of the University of Illinois Extension program, and provides service to a national audience through its contributions to the Agricultural Network Information Center (AgNIC).
And, while the ACES Library provides support for Illinois County Extension Offices, the Illinois Natural History Survey Library supports scientists around the state at field stations where they conduct studies on the rivers, lakes, ponds, and prairies of Illinois. Like the Vet Med Library, the Natural History Survey Library provides reference and document delivery services to state scientists, and, like the ACES Library, its library staff help to provide digital access to research materials that provide direct support for our colleagues in the field.
The Library is proud to support the land-grant mission of the University of Illinois, both through the direct provision of services and collections to the citizens of the state, and through direct support for campus-wide outreach and engagement initiatives.]]>
Labor and Industrial Relations Library Closestag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.12962007-09-12T11:14:45Z2007-09-12T11:25:37ZThe Labor and Industrial Relations Library closed on September 7th, and will be reconceived as a virtual service point with its librarian embedded in the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations. The LIR Library has been a leader in the...swalter
Labor and Industrial Relations Library closed on September 7th, and will be reconceived as a virtual service point with its librarian embedded in the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations.
The LIR Library has been a leader in the provision of collections and services to ILIR faculty and staff, as well as to labor educators and union members around the state and across the country, for decades. In discussing our plans for the future, ILIR Dean Cutcher-Gershenfeld noted the unique contribution that the University Library and LIR librarians and staff have made to his field and to his programs. We look forward to continuing to work closely with ILIR faculty and students and to serving the broader community interested in labor studies and related fields while embracing a new service model designed to take advantage of increased access to digital collections and services, and focused on fostering substantive and sustained collaboration between our faculty and staff.
For more information on Library services for faculty, staff, and students in Industrial and Labor Relations or for assistance in conducting research in Labor Studies at the University of Illinois, please contact Yoo-Seong Song, subject specialist for Labor and Industrial Relations.]]>
Student Fee Brings Enhanced Library Hourstag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.12792007-08-23T23:41:39Z2007-08-23T23:46:03ZThanks to the recent passage of the Library Fee, students will be able to spend more time in the library than ever before. Effective August 23, 2007, the Undergraduate and Grainger Engineering Libraries will offer extended hours. The Undergraduate Library...swalter
Thanks to the recent passage of the Library Fee, students will be able to spend more time in the library than ever before. Effective August 23, 2007, the Undergraduate and Grainger Engineering Libraries will offer extended hours.
The Undergraduate Library will be open:
Monday-Thursday: 8am-3am
Friday: 8am-10pm
Saturday: 10am-10pm
Sunday: 10am-3am
In addition, the Undergraduate Library will offer overnight “study hall” hours:
Monday-Friday: 3am-8am.
The Grainger Engineering Library will be open:
Monday-Thursday: 24 hours (always open)
Friday: 12am-9pm
Saturday: 10am-9pm
Sunday: 10am-Midnight
Surveys of undergraduate and graduate students conducted at Illinois in 2004 and 2005 demonstrated great demand for increased hours in major campus libraries, including the Undergraduate Library and the Grainger Engineering Library. Students, along with other Library users, also “voted with their feet” by visiting physical libraries in tremendous numbers. In 2006-2007, combined in-person visits to the Undergraduate Library and Grainger Engineering Library totaled almost 1.5 million. These users utilized the world-class collections, attended workshops and classes, consulted with librarians, and took advantage of new and enhanced Library services. These numbers confirm that the new generation of students continues to place great value on the library as place—to study, conduct research, relax, and interact with others.
Approved by the Board of Trustees in March 2007, the Library fee supports a number of initiatives, including but not limited to: developing electronic media and digitization; increasing library hours; improving information technology services; creating and enhancing tools for online learning and research; and increasing the positions focused on direct support of student learning and services. The extension of hours in both the Undergraduate and Grainger Engineering Libraries demonstrates the Library’s commitment to meeting the needs of current students.
Thanks to all our students!
Orientation Activitiestag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.12612007-08-15T21:23:52Z2007-08-15T21:37:44ZThe new year is upon us here at Illinois and librarians will be active across campus over the next few weeks providing orientation programs for students, staff, and faculty across campus. For those looking to learn, please visit our Library...swalter
Library Orientation and Outreach schedule for Fall 2007.
Looking at the schedule is not only a testament to the work of our librarians, but also a good way of seeing how many academic, administrative, and student services programs across campus make the Library part of their welcome to new members of the UIUC community. In addition to many programs aimed at academic departments and units such as the Graduate College, this year's list of partner programs includes University Housing, the Center for Teaching Excellence, the Office of Academic Human Resources, and Campus Recreation.
If you're new to Illinois, let us be the first to say, "Welcome to campus, and here's your Library!"]]>
Diversity and Multicultural Outreach Site Launchedtag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.12592007-08-14T13:32:05Z2007-08-26T15:13:58ZOne year ago, the University Library made a commitment to enhancing services to diverse student populations through the recruitment of Emily Love, Outreach Librarian for Multicultural Services. Anyone with an interest in issues related to diversity in libraries, or with...swalter
enhancing services to diverse student populations through the recruitment of Emily Love, Outreach Librarian for Multicultural Services. Anyone with an interest in issues related to diversity in libraries, or with an interest in our expanding range of outreach services and instructional programs for diverse user communities can now visit the Diversity and Multicultural Information site.
The site provides an overview of Library and University resources related to support for diverse campus communities, as well as links to research guides and instructional materials related to the study of diverse communities in the United States and abroad. It also provides an introduction to our increasingly robust set of outreach programs and our valued campus partners in these efforts, including our upcoming Multilingual Library Tours on August 29th and August 30th.
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Academic Advising @ Your Librarytag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.12582007-08-13T16:59:01Z2007-08-13T17:07:03ZAs part of the Learning Commons initiative, Meg Burger (Undergraduate Library) and Chris Armstrong [Campus Center for Advising and Academic Services and incoming Chair of the Academic Advisors Group at the University of Illinois (ILLiAAC)] have been working together to...swalter
Undergraduate Library) and Chris Armstrong [Campus Center for Advising and Academic Services and incoming Chair of the Academic Advisors Group at the University of Illinois (ILLiAAC)] have been working together to build a formal connection between the Library and campus academic advisors. While we have long worked with UIUC faculty to provide services for students, this new relationship brings an opportunity to connect with a group of professionals on campus who have had no formal liaison to the Library, but who provide essential academic services to undergraduate students.
Over the past year, an advisor from the Campus Center for Advising and Academic Services has held advising hours in the Undergraduate Library. In its first year, we have seen 7-10 students take advantage of each 2-hour advising window in the Undergraduate Library (with an average interaction time of 10 minutes per student).
In addition to providing an opportunity for advisors to meet with student in the Library, we have provided professional support to academic advisors across campus. UGL librarians have developed two regular resources for academic advisors and their advisees:
*a newsletter aimed at advisors that highlights professional development resources available to them through the University Library; and
*a newsletter aimed at students that highlights key library resources and services for undergraduates and is delivered directly to over 3,500 students each month through an academic advising electronic discussion list.
Learning takes place across campus at the University of Illinois, and partnerships such as these allow the University Library to join its colleagues in providing direct support for student success.]]>
More (Digital) Ink for New Servicestag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.12472007-08-02T16:28:43Z2007-08-02T16:35:00ZThe University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign News Bureau has published a news release on our new digitization project blog (Digitized Book of the Week)....swalter
news release on our new digitization project blog (Digitized Book of the Week).
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Digital Dailies Draw Demandtag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.12362007-07-27T22:37:35Z2007-07-27T22:49:12ZEarlier this month, I mentioned the ways that digitization projects were spawning new service programs. Today, we see that there is nothing the media likes more than stories related to the media. As proof, see the stories in our local...swalter
digitization projects were spawning new service programs. Today, we see that there is nothing the media likes more than stories related to the media.
As proof, see the stories in our local paper, the News-Gazette and on our local NPR affiliate, WILL, about the launch of the Digital Urbana Daily Courier project.
While both stories aim at strong local interest, the radio segment, in particular, provided Mary Stuart, Head of the History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library, with an opportunity to discuss issues such as digital preservation, best practices for providing ongoing access to endangered information resources, and the range of academic inquiry and popular interests that might be supported through support for digital newspaper projects like this one.]]>
K-16 Educational Programstag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.12312007-07-20T01:04:47Z2007-07-20T01:27:42ZThe UIUC Library is unusual among research university libraries in that our system includes a high school library - a distinctive feature that allows us to reach out to local students (and parents), and to take a broad view of...swalter
high school library - a distinctive feature that allows us to reach out to local students (and parents), and to take a broad view of information and technology literacy as a critical component of lifelong learning.
For over a decade, students at University Laboratory High School have been required to take a two-semester Computer Literacy course sequence - a sequence that includes the study of safe, responsible, and ethical use of information and communication technologies. Classroom faculty, librarians, and school counselors come together in this program to present role-playing scenarios, facilitate online discussions, and helping students to engage in discussion and debate on the ethics of information use.
This program dovetails nicely with the NetSafe program recently developed by the Illinois Library Association. The NetSafe bookmarks provide an opportunity to extend the Uni High information skills curriculum, both by reinforcing lessons given to students on "Safe Blogging" and "Cyberbullying," and by providing another avenue for discussing information skills instruction with parents (who already take part in the course Web site evaluation project). They also provide an opportunity for us to work with our colleagues in local public and school libraries also taking part in NetSafe.
Safe blogging, or the related issue of appropriate use of social networking sites, is an information and technology literacy issue that bridges the gap between high school and college, and the University Library is fortunate to have a unique resource for studying that transition (and helping to prepare future college students for the rigors of academic life) in the Uni High Library and its librarian, Frances Jacobson Harris.
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New Librarians, New Servicestag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.12282007-07-18T15:29:23Z2007-07-18T14:42:52ZThe "down-side" to successfully promoting the value of your library to your users and to the members of your community is that you have to meet new service demands. Now, that is a problem that we like to have! This...swalter
Undergraduate Library, and will be focusing his attention on service to prospective, incoming, and first-year students through collaboration with programs such as Campus Visit, Parents' Programs, New Student Programs, Quad Day, and University 101.
The UIUC Library is committed to providing a full range of services to our student community, and Jim's arrival is welcome. We promise to keep him busy.
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Digital Engagement a Deuxtag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.12272007-07-17T16:27:00Z2007-07-17T16:55:32ZIn earlier posts, I've talked about the importance of digital engagement with the community, and about the importance of building service programs for digital initiatives. The hazy days of summer bring us two more excellent examples for the UIUC Library....swalter
digital engagement with the community, and about the importance of building service programs for digital initiatives. The hazy days of summer bring us two more excellent examples for the UIUC Library.
First, our digital books project (produced in collaboration with the Open Content Alliance) has a new blog: Digitized Book of the Week. If you are an Illinois alum, a citizen of the State of Illinois, or simply a fan of great books about Illinois, its people, or its concerns, there is something in here for you. Books featured so far include: The Dance of Death (1892), the Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and Champaign County (1905), and Practical Corn Culture (1914). Illinois buffs can even receive weekly updates through the RSS feed.
And, if that wasn't enough, you can find even more digital content for local historians at the launch of the digital version of the Urbana Daily Courier (1916-25) at the Urbana Free Library on Saturday, July 28th, at 10 am. Digitization of the important source for the study of Illinois history has been coordinated by our History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library, and made possible by support from a grant from the Illinois State Library under the Library Services and Technology Act, with additional support from the Clifford Family Endowment.
Both these projects will help to bring the rich resources of the UIUC Library to our users across the State of Illinois, and around the world, and we look forward to helping you use it for your research, teaching, and study.]]>
Visions of the Futuretag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.11882007-07-06T17:35:59Z2007-07-06T17:54:27ZThe Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET) has produced an engaging vision of the future - one in which library services are: *designed to meet assessed user needs and to be accountable to the user community; *primarily digital, with digital content and...swalter
vision of the future - one in which library services are:
*designed to meet assessed user needs and to be accountable to the user community;
*primarily digital, with digital content and services aimed both at "local" users and "global" users; and,
*designed and delivered in close collaboration with user communities.
The library of the future is "a collaborator and facilitator in providing information services."
The UIUC Library has already made great strides toward this future with our focus on assessment of services, our commitment to creating robust digital content focused on areas of interest to students and scholars at Illinois, and our strategic goal of fostering new service models that retain the best of our tradition of high-quality service to students and scholars while embracing new user communities, new service commitments, and new ways of doing business.
There's always more to do, but we're on our way!]]>
Working Together and Working with Otherstag:www.library.uiuc.edu,2007:/blog/services//33.11792007-06-28T19:35:18Z2007-06-28T19:46:55ZOver at Shimenawa, Peter Brantley provides some excellent food for thought on the role of collaboration in the future of libraries. In considering the role of libraries in the emergent environment and the need to consider new models for library...swalter
Shimenawa, Peter Brantley provides some excellent food for thought on the role of collaboration in the future of libraries.
In considering the role of libraries in the emergent environment and the need to consider new models for library service, he writes:
Libraries cannot transform themselves structurally through magic. But through an open and deep application of their immense expertise, libraries can beneficially impact significant and important projects, and through the act of changing others, they will change themselves.
Expertise - in the creation of information services and products, the design of information skills instruction, the application of metadata, and the design of systems allowing the long-term preservation of digital information - is part of what the academic library offers to potential campus partners, including classroom faculty, IT managers, student services programs, enterprise academic systems, and more. The future of libraries, he concludes, lies "in working with others."
As we consider new service models at the University of Illinois, and ways in which we can define library service programs attuned to the needs of a host of user groups (both traditional and emergent), we will be well advised to take Brantley's vision of the future to heart.
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