Education Library plays important role in student success

The College of Education combines K-Week and College Retreat activities into a busy two days of programs and planning.  Education Librarian Brad Carrington helped the college’s faculty and staff welcome students and prepare them for a successful semester. 

 Brad meets with new College of Education faculty and graduate students during orientation sessions for the various programs within the college.  Brad participates in the college's new Engagement Collaborative and is a member of its new working group about the future of teacher and leader education.  As a part of its student success and recruitment initiatives the Education Library is listed as one of the strengths of the College of Education. 

A frequent user of the Education Library recently sent this note: “All too often we just expect things to work and we don’t take time to let others know when a group is going above and beyond to provide customer service.  I have been involved in doctoral work for the last two years and I have relied heavily on UK Libraries’ resources to complete my coursework and research.  In the process I have grown to respect the faculty and staff in the Education Library.  I cannot say enough about their willingness to help me with any requirements I have had.  It started with Brad trying to teach me how to use Endnotes and continued through Susan Daole always assisting me in finding resources.” 

UK Libraries Facilities Forums

Monday, Sept 30^th   10 am–11:30 am, Niles Gallery, Little Library

Tuesday, Oct 1^st   1:30 pm– 3 pm, Alumni Gallery, William T. Young Library

Laura Whayne President-Elect of KLA

During the recent fall conference UK Librarian Laura Whayne became Vice-President of the Kentucky Library Association.   Laura has served for more than 20 years as librarian for Kentucky Transportation Center which is located at the University of Kentucky. 

Laura previously served on the KLA Executive Committee as secretary and participated in several round table groups.  Among many leadership roles within UK Libraries, most recently Laura served as Chair of the UK Libraries Faculty Council. 

 In addition to Laura’s election, Alex Grigg, UK Librarian and Manager of the Lexmark Library, was elected Secretary of ALA.  Janet Stith, recently retired Director of the Medical Center Library received KLA’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Giving presentations at this year’s fall conference were UK Librarians Debbie Sharp, Beth Fuchs, Judy Sackett, Sandra McAninch, and Heath Martin.  Beth Kraemer once again coordinated the popular “Speed Geek” session.

Call for radical change in library assessment

“Elliott Shore, ARL executive director, delivered a clarion call in the opening keynote address at the 10th Northumbria International Conference on Performance Measurement in Libraries and Information Services, held in late July in York, England. Shore’s presentation, titled “The Role of the Library in the Transformative Higher Education Environment: Or Fitting Our Measures to Our Goals,” challenged the library assessment community to radically change the measures it collects and uses. He proposed that libraries shift their assessment focus from description to prediction, from inputs to outputs, from quantity to quality.”

Read more here:  http://www.arl.org/news/arl-news/2916-radical-change-in-library-assessment-called-for-by-elliott-shore-at-northumbria-conference         

Kentucky Women Writers Conference

Each year UK Libraries helps support the Kentucky Women Writers Conference.  Deirdre Scaggs, Associate Dean for Special Collections, introduced this year’s featured speaker, Bonnie Jo Campbell, who spoke on the topic, "What I Learned about Writing from my Mother."

Congratulations to Julie Wrinn, Director of the Women’s Writers Conference, the College of Arts and Sciences, and all of the people who helped make this year’s conference a success.

Kentucky Food Traditions Community Event (Date change!)

Due to road closures related to the Race for the Cure, the UK Libraries/Lexington Public Library Kentucky Food Traditions Community Event has been rescheduled for Saturday, November 2.

The community event, coordinated by UK librarian Judy Sackett, will be held at the Lexington Public Library Central Branch from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.  It is designed to gather and preserve written, photographic, and oral materials and memories about Kentucky foodways.  Hours will vary for some activities.

Constitution Day @ UK

For this year’s Constitution Day festivities, UK held an assembly near the Main Building.  Journalism professor Buck Ryan said the goal was to discuss the constitution’s relationship to modern politics and encourage youth voter participation.  The event featured talks by President Eli Capilouto, candidates for public office, and UK faculty.

Senator Wendell H. Ford 

UK Libraries’ Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center was pleased to be one of this year’s Constitution Day sponsors. 

Opening of collaborative learning spaces

Last Friday UK Libraries welcomed dozens of donors, faculty, staff, students and administrators to the William T. Young Library to celebrate the opening of our new collaborative learning spaces in the reference area and the south wing.  It was a special treat to have President Eli Capilouto, Provost Christine Riordan, UK Libraries National Advisory Board President Gail Hart, and Student Government President Roshan Palli join us for the event.

The celebration would not have been possible without the generous private gifts from our donors.  These individuals and organizations care deeply about our mission, the students we serve, and the impact we make on both the university and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  I especially appreciate the role of UK Libraries faculty and staff in making Friday’s event possible.

UK Libraries welcomed new students and faculty to campus

UK Libraries rolled out the “blue” carpet for new and returning students this fall, beginning with an introduction to library services for undergraduates at the Residence Life Resource Fair.

UK Libraries was well represented at the orientation for more than 400 new graduate teaching assistants. Attendees learned about important library services needed for effective teaching, learning, and research.

At the new faculty orientation UK Libraries representatives welcomed 80 new faculty to campus and connected them to their Academic Liaison.  Faculty had the opportunity to ask questions about UK Libraries and learn more about services we provide for their research and teaching.

A dozen UK Libraries representatives welcomed students and answered their questions at the New Graduate Student Resource Fair, a two hour expo that introduced graduate students to university and other local services. UK Libraries offers a wide variety of services and resources to assist graduate research including unique materials, quiet study spaces, and support for publishing their research in UKnowledge.

During K-Week, the faculty and staff at the William T. Young Library welcomed students with two Turbo Tours, a quick orientation to the library followed by a group activity focusing on expectations for college level research.

A variation of the Turbo Tour was conducted for the 40 plus Fast Track Calculus/Biology participants.

An app a day keeps the doctor away!

The Medical Center Library (MCL) recently developed a consumer-oriented class to increase awareness about free health apps and mobile friendly web sites available from the National Library of Medicine and other high quality health information providers.  The class provides hands-on experience for participants by using the preloaded iPads that the MCL provides, or participants may bring their own mobile device. 

Resources reviewed during the class range from NLM’s “MyMedList” app, which allows users to electronically manage their medications lists, to the American Red Cross’s “First Aid” app, to the National Cancer Institute’s “QuitPal,” an interactive app that uses proven quit strategies and tools to help users give up smoking. 

Serving as both a Resource Library within the National Network of Libraries of Medicine’s Greater Midwest Region, and as one of the two designated Outreach Libraries for the state, the MCL’s users include consumers across the commonwealth.  MCL worked with the Lexington Public Library to present the class twice this summer with future expansion to other public libraries across Kentucky. 

The iPads provided for the class were funded by a grant from the National Library of Medicine’s Greater Midwest Region office.  This is the third year of the current 5 year agreement between NLM and MCL.  The NLM funds are used to support travel, exhibit registration, and equipment for outreach services.  Most recently, MCL has used the funds to assemble a mobile training lab.