President's Musings

Some Thoughts from our President, Kathlene Hanson

Hello CARL members,

In the March Newsletter, I wrote about the greying of the profession. This time I'd like to focus on new librarians (whatever their age) and on CARL's mentoring program as an opportunity for growth both for mentor and mentee. I've seen quite a few job advertisements for academic librarians in the past six months or so. Why? No, I am not looking for a job (I'm pretty sure that I am in my "forever" job unless the future has some surprises in store). The reason is, here at CSUMB we are in the middle of a search for two new colleagues.

Last spring we looked for job descriptions out there as we wrote our own. In doing so, we found that there were a number of vacancies for academic librarians in our state, with quite a diversity of needs and desired qualities being described. However, one thing many of the descriptions we read had in common was that academic libraries were looking for new colleagues who would be able to work collaboratively to help promote change and advance the teaching and research missions at their libraries and institutions. I wonder now how many applicants these libraries had for these positions? I wonder if they shared the enthusiasm I have, seeing that there are so many talented librarians on the job market? For those of you who have participated in searches, you know how much work they can be. However, it has also been very exciting to read so many letters and CVs of such high quality. It encourages me that our profession and our libraries will continue to be in good hands.

Those of you in the CSU will be aware of FERP. This is a Faculty Early Retirement Program allowing tenured librarians who are eligible for retirement to continue working up to half time. We have some librarians FERPing now. Hopefully, next semester, we will have two new colleagues. It is exciting to think that seasoned "FERPers" and "newbies" will get to work together. The new folks will be able to learn from their FERPing and other senior colleagues, and we all be learning from our new colleagues as well. It is not just about imparting knowledge from the experienced to the new employee; it is about working together collaboratively and engaging with each other, the library and the campus. Many of you who teach at your libraries may have internalized the notion that students, as well as teachers, bring assets to the learning environment. New colleagues bring assets, too.

How does this tie into the CARL mentoring program? Well, if you volunteer as a mentor you will get to work with a new librarian, perhaps even a library school student. You will get to learn about their assets and help them shape how they feature themselves in the job search and in their new job. If you are a library school student and CARL member (we have a student rate) and become a mentee, you can get help from someone who has read cover letters and CVs, who can share with you how to best highlight your education and experience in your job applications, as well as explore your interests with you. Your mentor can introduce you to others who have similar interests and can help you begin to build a network. If you are already employed, but have been so for less than five years and become a mentee, your mentor can also help you develop your network. In addition to being a somewhat neutral party you can speak with about challenges in your current job, your mentor can help you develop a career plan and encourage your success whether you choose to stay where you are or seek new opportunities. We are educators and students. Life-long learning and working with a variety of colleagues is what keeps our jobs interesting. Enjoy.

Submitted by Kathlene Hanson, CSU Monterey Bay, CARL President

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Getting to Know You

Getting to Know You: Les Kong, ACRL Chapters Council Delegate

Getting to Know You is a series of interviews with CARL leadership, designed to give CARL members an opportunity to get to know the Executive Board better.

Tell us about how you got involved with CARL and how you came to your current role on the Executive Board.

Like Kathlene Hanson, I was mentored by other, more seasoned librarians, like Sandra Vella, Stephanie Bangert, and Janice Koyama. For years, I would attend programs, and wondered how I could get more involved in the associations that sponsored them. I was working at Sac State at that time, and connected with Sandra (who has since become a dear friend and colleague) at nearby UC Davis. She was active in several professional associations, including CARL, and mentored me as to what it meant to be an active and engaged member. I also considered Stephanie Bangert and Janice Koyama, among others, to be role models. They were both leaders in CARL (as well as other organizations), and I learned from them the commitment and sense of professionalism that one devotes to associations. I got my start serving on interest group program planning committees, then conference planning committees, then was asked to run for state-wide office. I moved up through the ranks, serving in just about every officer capacity in CARL, leading up to the role of President. I took a break from CARL for a while, but then an opening developed on the Executive Board, as my colleague Carl Bengston was stepping down from his role as the ACRL Chapters Council Delegate. I decided to run, won election, and have enjoyed serving in that role since.

Give us a day in the life of ACRL Chapters Council Delegate.

First, some background on the purpose of ACRL Chapters Council — it exists to serve as a conduit and communication channel between ACRL National and the 42 regional and state chapters of ACRL. It helps to implement ACRL goals and initiatives at the chapter level. We meet twice a year, once at ALA MidWinter, and again at ALA Annual — at these meetings, we are visited by the ACRL leadership, learn of new initiatives, and convey chapter concerns to the leadership. I was elected as the Vice-Chair of this group a year ago, and now serve as the Chair. We have a current project whereby we are developing an online toolkit for chapter leaders, providing useful links to important documents, policies, etc. We are also looking to develop an orientation and mentoring program to help promote leadership in the Council.

Describe what it's like working collaboratively with an Executive Board that is located all over California.

With the advent of virtual technologies, the Board has moved to holding at least half of its meetings using this approach. This is a great cost saving to CARL, and it has proven to be quite an effective and efficient way to hold meetings and conduct our business. I have enjoyed working closely with Board members over the years on a variety of issues in numerous capacities and roles. We also have face-to-face meetings from time to time, as this provides excellent opportunities to bond and get to know people. I have found Board members to always be engaged, enthusiastic, and, above all, concerned about the long-term well-being and viability of CARL.

Tell us a little bit about your work at CSU San Bernardino.

I am the Coordinator of Library Media Services, and oversee the operations of the Library Multimedia Center. Over the last couple of years, we have installed a 75-seat high-definition Surround Sound theater and two Library Multimedia Collaboration Rooms equipped with various audio and video editing software on high-end Mac workstations. We also started a new initiative on our campus — lending out video production equipment, including video cameras, lighting kits, microphone systems and tripods. We also lend out iPads with downloaded eTextbooks that are in high demand (an extension of course reserves).

What are you reading right now?

With the recent passing of Elmore Leonard, I am reading his short story, "Fire in the Hole," which was used as the basis for the cable TV series, "Justified." Also reading "The Guilty One," a debut novel by Lisa Ballantyne, and "Chasing Darkness," by Danielle Girard. As one might suspect, I am a big fan of crime fiction, and noirish mysteries.

Share a favorite moment from a past CARL conference, project or event.

Rather than single out one particular moment, I am reflecting on how far we've come as an organization in putting on these conferences. In the early years, CARL planned conferences which were fairly modest in terms of length, size and scope. We now hold multi-day conferences (with preconferences as well) at major hotels. We invite nationally known keynote speakers. We, of course, continue to make good use of local California expertise, in planning workshop and session content. I believe our conferences rival if not surpass — in terms of relevance and significance to academic librarians — the reputation of other regional and national conferences. It's really quite impressive!

What excites you the most about CARL's future?

CARL continues to be a vital professional association of central importance to academic librarians in California. What excites me the most is seeing all the new faces of next generation academic librarians at our workshops and conferences. I look forward to their increased involvement in CARL, in interest groups, committees, and other leadership roles in the organization.

What's the best part about the next thing you're doing?

As an academic librarian, I am thankful for the professional opportunities I have been fortunate enough to participate in. In recent years, I have taken an increased interest in regional accreditation issues. I served on the WASC Substantive Change Committee for a number of years and soon after, began a regular stint as a reviewer on WASC visiting teams to institutions, often serving as the assistant team chair. I believe that librarians can play a significant role in the accreditation process, as our expertise and deep understanding of issues related to core competencies and information literacy enhance the knowledge base and effectiveness of visiting teams.

Is there anything I didn't ask that you'd like CARL members to know?

Though I now live in Southern California (and certainly enjoy the lifestyle and weather here), my roots originate in Northern California (San Francisco). I am a die-hard Giants' fan, and reveled in their 2010 and 2012 World Series' championships. Go Giants!

Photo courtesy of Trey Ratcliffe

Interview conducted by Nicole Allensworth, San Francisco State, CARL Newsletter Editor

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CARL Business

Membership Report

In the 3rd quarter, we had 25 new and renewing members (mainly in the South), for a total membership of 387 (or 97% of our goal of 400). Of these, 344 are regular members, 11 are retired members and 32 are student members.

Interest Group Memberships, 2nd quarter:

ABLE: CALM: CARLDIG: CARLIT: CDIG: DIAL: SCIL: SEAL: TSIG:

58 102 231 144 108 90 187 72 57

Submitted by Kelly Janousek, CSU Long Beach, CARL Membership Director

ACRL Award

ACRL Academic/Research Librarian of the Year Award

The ACRL Academic/Research Librarian of the Year Award recognizes an outstanding member of the library profession who has made a significant national or international contribution to academic or research librarianship and library development.

This award recognizes and honors achievement in such areas as:

• Service to the organized profession through ACRL and related Organization
• Significant and influential research on academic or research library service
• Publication of a body of scholarly and/or theoretical writing contributing to academic or research library development
• Planning and implementing a library program of such exemplary quality that it has served as a model for others

Award: $5,000 and a plaque sponsored by YBP Library Services

Electronic Nominations are now being accepted! Nominations are due December 6, 2013. Submission details are available here. For more information, contact Laurel Littrell or Casey Kinson

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CARL Conference

CARL 2014 Conference

CARL Conference Planning 101: Registration

CARL Conference Planning 101 is a short series of articles designed to share the conference planning experience with CARL members. If you have any questions about conference planning, or are interested in getting involved, please contact Allison Carr, CARL Vice President South.

When considering attending a conference, I know that many of us often ask first, “how much will it cost?” While that is also at the forefront of the conference planners' minds, we also want to ensure that the conference is a valuable and enriching experience.

The CARL Conference is a non-profit endeavor, and a high-quality regional conference that focuses on the issues that California academic librarians face. We choose conference locations that are both appealing geographically and aesthetically. Additionally, we want to make it easy for conference attendees once they arrive, which is why we have started offering all of the meals included with the conference registration. The conference planners look at the cost of the conference facilities, food and beverage, audio visual equipment and other incidentals to determine the cost to operate the conference. Once the actual cost of the conference is calculated, the conference planners account for various types of members, and time of registration. We encourage members to register early with our low Early Bird registration rate. Once the conference rates are set, the CARL Executive Board discusses and approves them.

As a comparison, below are the registration costs with other regional and national conferences:

Conference prices for the CARL 2014 Conference are as follows:

Registration fees include all general sessions, opening reception, keynote breakfast, luncheon, and speaker dinner (tentative). Preconferences priced separately.

Cancellations:

Cancellations should be emailed to Kelly Janousek, Conference Registrar and Membership Director.
Cancel from December 2, 2013 to February 17, 2014 is a 100% refund less administrative fee of $25.00. Cancel from February 18, 2014 to March 16, 2014 is 50% refund less administrative fee of $25.00. No cancellation refunds will be processed after March 17, 2014.

Conference registration begins Sept. 30, 2013. Watch your email for more information.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Allison Carr, CSU San Marcos, CARL Vice President, South and Co-Chair, CARL 2014 Conference Planning Team
Brena Smith, California Institute of the Arts, Co-Chair, CARL 2014 Conference Planning Team
Joseph Aubele, CSU Long Beach, Co-Chair, CARL 2014 Conference Planning Team

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Interest Group News

CARLDIG-S Program Report
University of California, Riverside Libraries Field Trip

On Friday, August 16, 2013, CARLDIG-S members took part in a “Triple Play” field trip to three special collections at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) Libraries. Our first stop was the Special Collections and Archives at UCR’s Tomás Rivera Library. The oldest items in the collection are from the 11th — 13th centuries, including illuminated manuscripts and a Gutenberg Bible. However, the UCR Special Collections & Archives are best known for their Eaton Science Fiction collection, which is the largest collection of its kind in the world. Dr. Melissa Conway, the Head of the department and Sarah Allison, Reading Room Coordinator & Office Manager, gave us the honor of a tour of collection features. Melissa regaled us with tales about each highlighted piece, including how she helped to acquire the 1517 Paris Edition of Thomas Moore’s Utopia (argued to be the start of fantasy) for the collection. Other highlights included the first edition of Dracula (1897) and Superman comic #23 (they are trying to acquire the first edition). To take a closer look inside the world’s largest collection of science fiction and fantasy, visit their web page.

Next, we visited the Water Resources Collections and Archives (WRCA) at the Orbach Science Library, presented by Jessica Greene, the newly appointed Water Resources Librarian. The UC Berkeley Libraries donated the collection, which primarily consists of technical reports focused on freshwater. The most recent items are publicly available on the first floor, while over 200 collections dating back to the early 1900s are stored in a vault downstairs, accessible by appointment only. The WRCA is most often used by law firms in Northern California and (surprisingly) social sciences and humanities researchers writing about social history. It is the only archive to have all water-related government documents for the region, as such documents are not part of any government document depository program.

Collection highlights include:

• Los Angeles aqueduct photographs
• The Hans Albert Einstein collection (yes, as in Albert Einstein’s son!)
• The Harry Barnes papers — including material on Miller & Lux, Inc., which was responsible for shaping much of the California landscape

To learn more about the Water Resources Collection and Archives, visit their web page.

Our final stop was the California Museum of Photography (CMP), part of UCR ARTSblock. Leigh Gleason, the Curator of Collections, provided us with a historical overview and tour of the museum. The CMP, the only museum on the west coast that collects cameras, was founded with a camera collection donation. It focuses on the technical, commercial, scientific, and artistic history of the camera. Among the camera artifacts in its permanent collection, the CMP also featured original Ansel Adams photographs and an exhibition on the Guantánamo Public Memory Project. The design of the building is as interesting as the collections; the floorplan was designed with a camera in mind, with an ocularium on the first floor and camera obscura on third floor. Leigh ended our tour at the new CMP vault, which holds stereoviews and stereoscopes from the two major distributors of such material, Keystone and Underwood. They are stored on a seismic isobase with Human Scale cabinets that are normally used for big server storage, but in this case to protect 1,500 pounds of glass negatives and material. Quite a sight to behold! To find out what exhibitions are being held at the CMP, visit their exhibitions web page.

After the whirlwind of tours, CARLDIG-S members socialized and noshed on delicious Mexican food at The Tamale Factory.

Special thanks to the field trip organizer, Michael Yonezawa, Reference Librarian and Psychology Social Sciences Coordinator at the UCR Libraries, for the “homerun” day.

Can’t get enough of CARLDIG-S programs? Be sure to stay tuned for our fall event, “Reference as Place?” to be held at California State University, Fullerton on Friday, December 6th, 2013 from 8:45 am to 1:00 pm.

CARLDIG-S's field trip to University of California, Riverside's Libraries:

From Left to Right: Kenneth Benesh (Claremont), Suzanne Im (UC Santa Barbara), Elisa Slater Acosta (Loyola Marymount), Gayatri Singh (UC San Diego), Matthew Goddard (California Baptist University), Michael Yonezawa (UC Riverside), Trish Garcia (UC Riverside).

CARLDIG-S Save the Date!
"Reference as Place"

When: Friday, December 6th, 2013
Where: CSU Fullerton
Time: 8:45 am — 1:00 pm

On Friday, December 6th, CARLDIG-S will host a half-day workshop, “Reference as Place” at California State University, Fullerton. This half-day workshop will offer an opportunity for academic librarians to learn from their colleagues who have experimented with non-traditional reference desk models in their libraries. These presentations may include comparisons of different models, librarian experiences transitioning from one reference model to another, pros and cons, starting a new service point for reference (i.e. inside or outside the library), and more. Information on the call for presenters is available through the appropriate listservs as well as via the CARLDIG-South web site.

Please remember that CARL members enjoy lower registration rates for programs. If you are not currently a CARL member and would like to join, you may do so online.

For more information, please contact Janet Pinkley at (805) 437-3217 or via email.

CARL Save the Date!
"So You're Thinking of Upgrading Your ILS"

When: Wednesday, October 9th, 2013 and Wednesday, October 16th, 2013
Where: Online
Time: 11:00 am — 12:30 pm (both dates)

Are your curious to find out how different libraries (academic, public and special) have made the switch to a new Integrated Library System (ILS)? If so, please attend the California Academic and Research Library Association’s (CARL) webinar series “So you’re thinking of upgrading your ILS”.
This series of free webinars will be held on Wednesday, October 9th from 11:00 am — 12:30 pm PST and Wednesday, October 16th from 11:00 am — 12:30 pm PST. The first webinar will include panelists who have switched to proprietary ILSs and the second will include panelists who have switched to open source ILSs. Both sessions will be recorded, so if you are unable to make either or both, you will be able to watch them at a later date. Information on how to access the archived sessions will be sent out after the webinars have been recorded.

Panelists for Wednesday, October 9th:

• Pearl Ly, Interim Assistant Dean, Library Services, Pasadena City College. PCC switched from ExLibris’s Voyager to OCLC Worldshare.
• Dana M. Miller, Head of Metadata and Cataloging, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center, University of Nevada, Reno. UNR upgraded from Innovative’s Millennium to Sierra.
• Jennifer D. Ware, Acquisitions Librarian, California State University, Sacramento. CSUS switched from Innovative’s Millennium to ExLibris’s Alma.

Panelists for Wednesday, October 16th:

• Rogan Hamby, Manager, Headquarters Library and Reference Services, York County Library Systems, South Carolina; Operations Manager, SCLENDS, a 19-library consortium, migration project manager. Most libraries switched from Horizon, TLC and Unicorn to Evergreen.
• Janel Kinlaw, Broadcast Librarian, National Public Radio. NPR’s Library upgraded from Techlib to Collective Access.
• George Williams, Access Services Manager, Latah County Library District, Idaho. Their 52-library consortium switched from ExLibris’s Voyager to Koha.
• Merrillene Wood, Interim Library Director, Western Nebraska Community College. WNCC switched from Follett Destiny as an individual entity to a statewide KOHA consortium (Pioneer).

No prior registration is required for the webinars. Information on how to log into the sessions via CCC Confer is listed below. Please note that there are two different codes for dialing in, one for each date. Please note that the system can only handle 300 telephone lines. If multiple people from your institution are planning on participating, please consider watching and dialing in together if you have a speaker phone. You can also use VOIP; this option does not have a limit on how many people can
participate.

Login information for the October 9th and 16th Sessions:

Prior to your first CCC Conference Meeting, please test your computer readiness.

Participant Details:

• Dial your telephone conference line: (913) 312-3202 or (888) 886-3951
• Cell phone users dial: (913) 312-3202
• Enter passcode: 169219 for Wednesday, October 9th. Enter passcode: 969692 for
  Wednesday, October 16th.
• Go to the CCC Confer web site
• Click the Participant Log In button under the Webinars logo
• Locate your meeting and click Go (CARL Webinar "So you’re thinking of
  upgrading your ILS")
• Fill out the form and click connect

Participant Conference Features:

• *0 — Contact the operator for audio assistance
• *6 — Mute/unmute your individual line

For more information, please contact Christine Park via email or telephone: (925) 439-2181, x3280

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People News

Awards, Publications and Presentations

Steven Fleisher and Dr. Suki Stone (both of National University) have co-authored a publication, "Collaboration to Improve Learning: Research Support for the Graduate Business Degree Candidate". This research began as a talk given at San Diego’s IACBE Regional Meeting (November, 2012), chaired by Dr. Susan Silverstone from National University's business department.

California State University, Northridge (CSUN) librarians, Marcia Henry, Lynn Lampert and Annalise Fidgeon presented a poster at the MLGSCA/NCNMLG Joint Meeting, La Jolla, July 24-26, 2013. "Riding the Wave: Grant opportunity expands outreach programs, library collections, promotes active learning at California State University, Northridge" describes Oviatt Library's February — September 2013 NIH/NLM grant “Women’s Health Resources and Gender Research Differences: Outreach at California State University Northridge.” At the same conference, Marcia Henry also gave a lightning round paper on "Grant Thinking: New Opportunities Require Rethinking Information Literacies."

Debra Hoffmann (CSU Channel Islands) and Amy Wallace (CSU Channel Islands) are the proud parents of a beautiful article, “Intentional Informationists: Re-envisioning Information Literacy and Re-designing Instructional Programs Around Faculty Librarians' Strengths as Campus Connectors, Information Professionals, and Course Designers,” which is currently in press for the Journal of Academic Librarianship. The article and its parents, one the current co-secretary and former chair of CARLDIG and the other a former CARL President, are exhausted but doing well. Check out their baby right here.

Michael Oppenheim, Collections and Reference Services Librarian in the Rosenfeld Management Library at UCLA, received the 2013 Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Business Librarianship at the RUSA Awards Ceremony at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago last June. This honor is presented annually by the Business and Reference Services Section (BRASS) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), and is sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning. In the citation, the awards committee singled out his many contributions to the field as an author and leader in professional organizations.

Places News

Appointments, Promotions and Retirements

Caroline Bordinaro (CSU Dominguez Hills) was elected to serve as Vice Chair of the campus Academic Senate.

April Cunningham is the new Instruction Librarian at Palomar College in San Marcos, CA.

On July 15, Margaret Driscoll joined UC Santa Barbara as their Learning Organization Librarian.

Bernadette Humphrey (SFSU) was promoted in June to Acquisitions Coordinator of J. Paul Leonard Library.

In August, John Jackson was hired as the Reference & Instruction Librarian for Wardman Library at Whittier College.

Charissa Jefferson joined the CSUN Oviatt Library Faculty as the new Business and Data Librarian on July 29, 2013. Charissa earned her MLS degree from the University of North Texas (CSUN cohort) with a specialization in Academic Librarianship and Information Literacy. She received her Master of Arts in Cultural Studies from Claremont Graduate University in 2009, and her Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies from CSU, Long Beach in 2004. Since earning her MLS, she had been working fulltime as a business research librarian at the Milken Institute, serving professionals in the fields of economics and finance.

Laura Krier joins Sonoma State University Library Faculty as Web Services Librarian. Laura comes to SSU from the California Digital Library, where she worked as a Metadata Analyst. One of her numerous projects was working with libraries around the country developing an online preservation registry for journals. Prior to working at CDL, she was Web Services Librarian at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington.

Lauren Magnuson joined the CSUN Oviatt Library Faculty as the new Systems and Emerging Technologies Librarian on July 1, 2013. Lauren graduated from the University of Missouri with a Master’s degree in Educational Technology in 2009 and a Master’s degree in Information Science in 2008. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Tulane University. Her current areas of interest are user-centered design and emerging technologies and their applications in a learning context.

Joey Merritt is now a librarian at Merced College Library. She had been the librarian serving the Los Banos Campus Library, and with the retirement of Ed Brush, moved over to the main campus library. Joey joins Dee Near and Nancy Golz as faculty librarians at Merced College. Dr. Susan Walsh is the Learning Resources Center Director. Lindsay Davis is now the librarian at the Los Banos Campus Library.

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About the CARL Newsletter

The CARL Newsletter (ISSN: 1090-9982) is the official publication of the California Academic & Research Libraries organization and is published online quarterly. The RSS feed for this newsletter is available at http://www.carl-acrl.org/newsletter/feed.xml.

Deadlines for submissions: February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15.

Newsletter submissions, including creative contributions, People News and Places News should be sent to carlnewsletter@gmail.com. For corrections, questions and comments please contact the Editor, Nicole Allensworth (nallensw@sfsu.edu), J. Paul Leonard Library, San Francisco State University, 1630 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132.