Founded in 1847, Otterbein is a private, coeducational comprehensive four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Otterbein is located in Westerville, OH, a residential community of 36,000 residents on the northeast side of Columbus. Westerville was ranked 15th in the Top 100 list of “America’s Best Places to Live” by Money magazine. It provides a warm and friendly small-town atmosphere for Otterbein students, faculty and staff, while remaining conveniently located close to Columbus, a large metropolitan city.

SUMMARY: The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Responsibilities:

• Manages and operates the reference department, including scheduling librarians for reference coverage. Evaluates reference service, including social media and other opportunities for outreach. Maintains appropriate statistics.

• Develops and evaluates reference materials appropriate to curricular and co-curricular needs of the college and constraints of the budget.

• Hires, trains, evaluates, and supervises student assistants; coordinates activities and training of librarians involved in reference.

• Assists with reference during on-call and scheduled hours; weekend and evening reference service is required.

• Assists in teaching users research skills necessary for lifelong learning.

• Creates a vision for integration and networking of library to areas not traditionally served.

• Serves as library liaison to assigned departments, including (but not limited to): a) assists with acquisition requests and departmental reviews; b) conducts collection development; c) provides advanced instruction and subject specialty consultation; d) creates online subject guides; e) collaborates with teaching faculty to develop stronger relationships with departments.

• Participates in information literacy program; conducts library instruction sessions; and provides reference support for the information literacy program.

• Participates in campus committees and library professional activities; actively participates in the life of the college.

• Participates in library-wide marketing and public relations activities.

Requirements include: MLS/MLIS from ALA-accredited library school; at least 3 years professional experience required.  Requires thorough knowledge of general and specialized reference sources as well as alternative sources of information (government documents, etc).  Needs familiarity with social media, course management software (such as Blackboard or Moodle), general office equipment, Microsoft Office software, and html and web authoring software (such as Dreamweaver). Able to provide basic technical support for library computers and equipment.  Experience using Innovative Interfaces, Inc. (III) and familiarity with both PC and Mac platforms preferred.

Compensation and Benefits: Commensurate with experience and credentials; eligible for health, dental, and life insurance benefits; may be eligible for additional College-paid and voluntary benefits including tuition waivers, long term care, short-term and long term disability, etc.

To Apply: Please forward a cover letter addressing this position including salary requirements and resume to Otterbein College, attn: Human Resources, One Otterbein College, Westerville, OH 43081. You may also send via email or fax to HR@otterbein.edu or 614-823-1511. This position will remain open until filled with review beginning immediately. Please include in the subject line: Reference Services Coordinator & Assistant Professor.

Lois F. Szudy
Library Director
Courtright Memorial Library
1 Otterbein College
Westerville, OH  43081
614 823-1414
Fax 614 823-1921

OLSSI will once again offer classes for library support staff. Outstanding classes, programs, and lectures, along with evening entertainment & activities!

The Ohio Library Support Staff Institute is here to teach, develop, and renew the opportunities and education of library assistants and support staff.  You’ll meet public, school, special, and academic library employees at this annual event, where we’ll all learn new skills to enhance the work we do, and ways to better utilize the skills we have!

* The economy is difficult for everyone, particularly libraries.  OLSSI has worked

hard to keep the same registration price for eight consecutive years, $225.00.

* To help further, we are offering 3 full scholarships this year to first-time attendees!

* And to go one step even further, from April 1 – May 15 we offering a discounted

Early Bird registration rate of just $200.00

* Regular registration will run May 15th – July 15th.

For more information visit us online at

www.OLSSI.org

Library Journal has named Ohio University Business Librarian Chad Boeninger to the “Innovators” category of their “Movers & Shakers 2009″ list.  Launched in 2002 to identify librarians and others who are ’shaping the future of libraries,’ the list represents a “Who’s Who of creativity and library trends in the field.”  Read more about Chad and the other movers and shakers at http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6642687.html.

• Teaching and Learning in the 21^stCentury
• Student Success
• Ohio Is Moving Forward
• Transforming Technologies
• P-20 Education

The Learning, Libraries and Technology Conference will also include keynote speakers, vendor exhibits, technology demonstrations at Innovation Island, and more.

The conference brochure is available for download at: http://www.oln.org/conferences/LLT2009/pdf/LLT09callflyer.pdf.

2009 Library Research Round Table Forums at ALA Annual Conference, Chicago, IL

The Library Research Round Table (LRRT) will sponsor two Research Forums at the 2009 American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago, IL (July 9 – 15).  The LRRT Forums are a set of programs at the ALA Annual Conference featuring presentations of LIS research, in progress or completed, followed by discussion.  Two LRRT Research Forums are scheduled for 2009, one on general LIS research and one on a more specific topic that will emerge as we evaluate the submissions. The two forums are:

Research to Understand Users: Issues and Approaches

This session will feature three library-related research papers investigating users and their use of libraries and information.  An LRRT committee will select the winning papers based on quality of study design, significance of the research topic, and potential for significant contribution to librarianship.

Four-Star Research

This session will feature three library-related research papers describing studies of libraries and librarianship.  An LRRT committee will select the winning papers based on quality and creativity of study design, significance of the research topic, and potential for significant contribution to librarianship.

This is an opportunity to present and discuss your research project conducted in the broad area of library and information science or in a more specialized area of the field. LRRT welcomes papers emphasizing the problems, theories, methodologies, or significance of research findings for LIS.  Topics can include, but are not limited to, user studies and user behavior, electronic services, service effectiveness, organizational structure and personnel, library value determination, and evaluation of library and information services.  Both completed research and research in progress will be considered.  All researchers, including practitioners from all types of libraries, library school faculty and students, and other interested individuals are encouraged to submit proposals.  LRRT Members and nonmembers of LRRT are invited and welcomed to submit proposals.

The Committee will use a blind review process to select a maximum of six projects, three for each of the two forums.  The selected researchers will be required to present their papers in person at the forums and to register for the conference.  Criteria for selection are:

1.     Significance of the study to library and information science research;

2.     Quality and creativity of the methodology;

3.     Potential to fill a research gap or to build on previous LIS studies;

4.     Adherence to submission requirements (see below).

Please submit a two-page proposal by Friday, December 19, 2008.  Late submissions will not be considered, and submissions must be limited to two pages in length.  On the first page, please list your name(s), title(s), institutional affiliation(s), and contact information (telephone number, mailing address, and email address).  The second page should NOT show your name or any other identifying information.  Instead, it must include: 1) The title of your project, and 2) A 500-word abstract.  The abstract must include a problem statement, problem significance, project objectives, methodology, and conclusions (or tentative conclusions for work in progress), and an indication of whether the research is in-progress or completed. Previously published research or research accepted for publication by December 19, 2008, will not be considered.

Notification of acceptance will be made by Monday, February 27, 2009. Please send submissions (via email or snail mail) to:

Larry Nash White, Ph.D.

Library Research Round Table Chair-Elect

Assistant Professor

1108 Joyner Library

Department of Library Science

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC  27858

Phone: 252-328-2315

Email: whitel@ecu.edu

Don Boozer
KnowItNow24×7 Coordinator
support@knowitnow.org

The KnowItNow support team
216-623-2987
216-973-2972 Cell
http://provider.knowitnow.org
support@knowitnow.org

Purdue University partners with Grand Valley Public Library to recognize veterans

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University (MFRI) is partnering with Grand Valley Public Library in Ashtabula County to present the Our Heroes’ Tree^SM initiative. Through this program, MFRI and Grand Valley Public Library are working to honor past and present service members and create an awareness of military families currently affected by deployment.

“Libraries are an integral part of Indiana & Ohio communities, providing valuable education and raising awareness of current events to improve the quality of life for all citizens,” said Kathy Broniarczyk, director of outreach for MFRI. “This program allows libraries and communities to reach out to a segment of the local population – military members and their families – to demonstrate their support and understanding. MFRI is excited to partner with libraries across the states on the Our Heroes’ Tree initiative.”

Our Heroes’ Tree^SM is a national program founded to recognize and honor the sacrifices of current service members, Veterans, and deceased service members. MFRI is proud to launch the initiative in libraries statewide. Participating libraries will display a tree featuring handmade ornaments created by community members to honor a service member. Libraries will also provide resources to help these communities provide support and generate a greater understanding of the experiences of servicemen and women and their families.

To participate in the Our Heroes’ Tree initiative, simply create a handmade ornament honoring the service member in your family or community from past and present wars, conflicts or peacetime operations. Bring the ornament to Grand Valley Public Library during the month of October where it will be placed on the tree with other ornaments. Stories about individual service members can also be submitted and displayed in a binder near the tree. In November, the ornaments will be a part of the Indiana State Heroes’ Tree^SM that will be unveiled at the Indiana State Library and the Indiana State Virtual Heroes’ Tree^SM will launch for viewing on the web at www.cfs.purdue.edu/mfri/VirtualTree.

Purdue University and libraries statewide are excited to launch this initiative in a continued effort to promote patriotism throughout Indiana and the Grand Valley communities. To learn more, contact Grand Valley Public Library at 440-437-6545 or Samantha Lucy, director of communications for MFRI, at 765-496-6027 or slucy@purdue.edu.

America’s Great Partners, from 3-4 p.m. Thursday (11/13) in the Wexner Center Cafe. Leta Hendricks will read speeches and correspondence from various native chiefs, including “Open Letter From Leonard Peltier to Barack Obama.” Gerry Greenberg will share selections from Dee Brown’s “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West.”

ReadAloud invites the community to join us for our regular weekly programming from 3-4pm at the Wexner Center Cafe: Cam’s on Campus. Stop by and enjoy faculty, staff, students and community members reading from their favorite works.
For upcoming programs or to listen to podcasts of previous programs visit http://library.osu.edu/blogs/readaloud/.

As a federal depository library, Kent-Tuscarawas Campus Library will select and receive United States Government publications best suited to the needs of the patrons of the library and of the local population. Access to government publications is available to residents free of charge.

Kent-Tuscarawas joins Kenyon College and Muskingum College as federal depository libraries in the 18th Congressional District.

Library Journal has extended the deadline for its Librarian of the Year Award to November 17, 2008. The award honors a professional librarian for outstanding achievement and accomplishments reflecting the loftiest service goals of the library profession. Nominating letters should name the candidate and describe in 500 words or less why the nominee is deserving of recognition. Supporting letters and accompanying material will be considered, but the nominating letter itself will be of prime importance.

Any working professional librarian in any type of library anywhere in North America (United States, Canada, Mexico) is eligible. People nominated in previous years are also eligible. Complete instructions are available here.

Send your nominations via email, or mail the nomination and supporting materials to:
Librarian of the Year
Library Journal
360 Park Avenue South.
New York, NY 10010