On May 16 the University Collaborative held its annual Faculty Institute. The theme was Treasures in Our Backyard. Senta Sellers (UMA Bangor) discussed how libraries can be more inclusive. Most intriguing was the concept of high context and low context cultures. Knowing that some patrons need questions asked more explicitly or more implicitly, librarians Read More…
Tag: conference
ACRL New England Conference 2019: Opening Doors for Each Other
On May 6 I attended the Association of College & Research Libraries New England Chapter conference. The theme was Opening Doors for Each Other. Indeed the sessions spoke to the value of collaboration. My first session concerned a cross-institutional learning community. The initial planners sought partners who were geographically close and could meet consistently. Though Read More…
OERs: Textbooks and more
On April 26 I attended a day long workshop on open educational resources (OERs). Though high textbook costs are an important driver in the OER movement, OERs go beyond low-cost textbooks. Morning speaker Marilyn Billings (UMass Amherst) mentioned the 5 Rs of the open movement: reuse, revise, remix, redistribute, retain. Afternoon speaker Karen Cangialosi (Keen Read More…
Yet more thoughts on professional development
After four weeks of conferences I read a piece about getting more out of them. Fife (2018) recommends attending a session unrelated to your job (p. 1). Though I have enjoyed the recent conferences, the advice has me thinking about future events. Normally I choose sessions based on relevance to my work. Doing so narrows Read More…
New England Library Instruction Group annual program 2018
On June 8 the USM Libraries hosted NELIG’s annual program. Keynoter Pam Steager (University of Rhode Island) called for us to be “critical, not cynical” in our approach to media. She offered five questions to ask of content: Who are the authors, and what is their purpose? What techniques do they use to get Read More…
Social Science Librarians’ Boot Camp 2018
The eighth annual Social Science Librarians’ Boot Camp took place on June 1. Dr. Claire Wardle (Harvard Kennedy School) talked about First Draft, which fights misinformation by conducting research, training journalists, and more. Eric Huntley (MIT) talked about data visualization, especially around climate change data. Both speakers mentioned the importance of local context–either fostering Read More…
University College Faculty Institute 2018
Another week brought another conference, the University College Faculty Institute. This year’s theme, Access+Success, came through in each session. Early bird presenters Sarah Lucchesi (University of Southern Maine) and Stacey Brownlie (Off-campus Library Services) explored–with audience participation–what adult students need for research success. In her keynote Rena Palloff, PhD spoke of how learning communities contribute to Read More…
Association of College and Research Libraries Roadshow
On May 11 ACRL’s Roadshow came to town. Anali Perry (Arizona State University) and Rachael Samberg (UC Berkeley) helped us participants unpack the seemingly obvious idea of scholarly communication. We considered the different stakeholders involved in the process. To think of the scholars we most often serve, we developed personae representing them. Since I couldn’t Read More…
Conference self-care and information sharing
In February I posted about self-care. In April I posted about conference keynotes. This week I’ll combine the two themes: How do we take care of ourselves–in body mind, or spirit–at conferences? At a conference Richards (2014) asked a similar question to a group of nursing leaders. The nurses shared their thoughts. Then she shared Read More…
Maine Academic Libraries Day 2017
June 15 brought us this year’s Maine Academic Libraries Day. Margarita Noriega’s keynote speech highlighted some useful resources and drew thoughtful questions from the audience. Nancy Lewis, Amber Gray, Grace Liu, and Jen Bonnet (University of Maine) showcased four initiatives at the Fogler Library : a student book club, a faculty “Books in my Life” Read More…