Reference point

              REFERENCE POINT
UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES NEWSLETTER • FEBRUARY 2005
Continued on page 12
For new library users, knowing where and how to get started on a research project can be confusing, but the Charles V. Park Library reference librarians have the background and knowledge to put both the experienced and novice researcher on the right track.
“You wouldn’t spend all day trying to fix a broken faucet, would you?” asked Anne Marie Casey, associate dean of libraries. “No, you would call a plumber who does that for a living day after day. A reference librarian is in the library every day. We know the library.”
CMU’s reference librarians offer several areas of expertise in face-to-face interactions with library patrons as well as by phone or e-mail. They are available during normal library hours.
Library experts enjoy reference challenges
Aparna Zambare has been a reference librarian and assistant professor at CMU for almost four years. She helps patrons find research information, whether it’s from a journal article, book, or online resource. Sometimes, patrons come to her with difficult reference questions such as the birthday of an obscure 19th Century American senator.
Reference librarians make research faster and easier
“A reference librarian is in the library every day. We know the library.”
– Anne Marie Casey
Associate Dean of Libraries
David Ginsburg, reference librarian, guides Maria La Porta, front, and Lyndsey Rigby in the use of one of the research databases accessible through library computers. The students discovered a wealth of chemistry journals from which they could reference pharmacological data for a psychology class. Dean’s Column
Reference Point is published twice
annually by University Libraries.
Address questions and suggestions to:
Office of the Dean
Park Library 407D
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Editorial Board
Thomas J. Moore
Dean of Libraries
Anne Marie Casey
Associate Dean of Libraries
Brian Palmer
Director of Development
Gerry Edgar
Manager, Library Business Services
Reference Point Coordinator
Production
CMU Public Relations and Marketing
Writer
Joan Mathieu
Editor
Mark Lagerwey
Designer
Sydnee MacKay
Photographers
Peggy Brisbane and Robert Barclay
Printing
CMU Printing Services
Libraries Web Site
www.lib.cmich.edu
Regular Library Hours
Mon - Thurs: 7:50 a.m. - Midnight
Fri: 7:50 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sat: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sun: Noon - Midnight
Reference Desk
(989) 774-3470
libref@cmich.edu
Cover Photo
A Clarke Historical Library
display of the Ann Arbor Railroad shows how countless train cars
were ferried across Lake Michigan. Read more about the “Annie”
exhibit on page 7.
CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase diversity within its community (see www.cmich.edu/aaeo).
PRM 6772-5,000 (2/05)
Tom Moore
REFERENCE POINT
2
Charles V. Park Library:
It's a community
I often say to people that I have the best job at Central Michigan University. Indeed, I think it’s true, at least for me, and let me tell you why.
Park Library is the one place on campus “where all the disciplines come together.” Every field of study at CMU is represented on our shelves and in the vast array of information resources available by computer on the Libraries’ Web sites. The collections, physical and virtual, comprise selections of the world’s best documented knowledge, ever growing and changing as the academic disciplines grow and change in our cumulative quest to experience, to know, and to communicate. While academe, in the development of disciplines as well as in the structure of universities, has tended toward greater specialization, academic libraries like Park Library remain treasuries of intellectual breadth and diversity.
Probably most university librarians relish the role of the relative generalist in the realm of specialists; I know I do. Our staff’s commission to collect and guide access to the literature and information on most academic subjects is a great trust, and a great task, in today’s swirling information universe. It’s one we take quite seriously, of course, and also hope and believe we perform well.
Surely we’re blessed to have the remarkable Park Library as a facility. It��s been open three years following rebuilding and expansion, and generally its attractiveness and functionality are undiminished since opening day. Partly because of its comforts and aesthetics, but no doubt much more, very quickly it has become a special public space for Central Michigan University. It’s the one academic location for all Mount Pleasant campus students, faculty, and staff – and members of the wider area community as well. It’s a center for study, research, relaxation, social contact, and a key “place to be” at CMU.
Fundamentally, though, Park Library is designed around the primacy of the written word in educated society. Our library is a commons for aiding a life according to Flaubert’s maxim “read in order to live,” whether reading in any moment is from a printed book or a digital screen, and whether reading is for an exam to be taken in the next hour or for enjoyment to be recalled and appreciated over many years. It’s a pleasure to observe readers, especially students, everyday and know that at the library we offer vital support for learning and research and “life.”
I think you might well understand that working with many dedicated and skilled staff and providing leadership for library services present opportunities and experiences both challenging and satisfying. And that’s why my job is so good.
I hope you enjoy this issue of Reference Point. It contains glimpses across activities and themes and sample views of our staff, our library users, and our benefactors, displaying the community nature of the library enterprise.
If you have comments or questions about anything that attracts your attention or curiosity in this issue, or about library services at Central Michigan University, don’t hesitate to contact our staff or let me know.
Tom Moore
Dean of Libraries3
Pilot program becomes MeLCat
The InMich pilot program, an online catalog of
holdings from selected libraries including Charles
V. Park Library, became a permanent reality in
January 2005. After being developed by the Library of Michigan on
behalf of the entire state, the InMich test database
was expanded into the more sophisticated Michigan
Electronic Library Catalog (MeLCat). The holdings
of 22 libraries form the inaugural MeLCat. After
three months, 12 more libraries will be added to this
resource-sharing system, and 20 to 30 libraries will
be added on a quarterly basis. “That means that CMU students and faculty, as
well as any citizen in Michigan, can fi nd any library
in the state connected to the system, search its
holdings, and receive books they request via the
delivery system,” said Pamela Grudzien, head of
collection development.
Patron access to this resource-sharing system will
expand exponentially, with the potential of 550
libraries joining the system in the next fi ve years. It
also will include journal articles within two years.
“It’s a powerful way to get information,” Grudzien
said. “The potential of this is for collective selection
and development. Michigan libraries will be able
to come together and decide on cooperative
collection building.” •
Libraries linked
Park Library’s café, which served over 40,000 guests during the fall semester, has become a popular
place to meet old friends and make new ones. While two of its top sellers are hot chocolate and
caramel macchiato, the café also offers parfaits, salads, wraps, pastry, and sushi.
The Café: Helping make Park Library the 'place to be' at CMU4
Shift to digital age
brings new copyright challenges
The digital age has changed the way Linda Neely does her job. In fact, some days she feels more like a detective than a copyright specialist for Central Michigan University’s Off-Campus Library Services.
“I have seen a lot of changes in the way we do things,” Neely said. “Getting permission to use material used to be simple. I could generally obtain approval with a phone call, and few copyright fees were charged. Now everyone wants written permission and many copyright holders expect fees.”
Increasingly, as libraries switch to electronic use of material, the rules of copyright remain the same, but the game has changed. Older material – for which contracts did not outline use of electronic material – now provides a challenge for Neely, who must sometimes track down the author in order to secure permission.
Neely’s most difficult case involved a paper written by a Native American woman. She had little to go on: She knew where the woman had worked in 1976, and that was all. So, she called a string of universities and multicultural centers and tracked down people who knew people who might have known this woman. It took Neely nine months, but finally she found the woman living on a reservation in Florida and managed to get permission.
Another case involved Neely pursuing the cold trail of an expatriate journalist living somewhere in Lome, Togo. She called the Togo embassy in Africa and found someone in contact with the man’s wife, who in turn told Neely her husband had just left for Thailand. Eventually, Neely found him after a two-week hunt.
“It’s fun, in fact it’s the best part of the job,” Neely said.
Copyright laws never simple
Neely must stay current on the ever-changing complexities of fair use and copyright laws, which grant protection to authors and developers of creative works and rights to reproduce the work and distribute copies.
Works that have passed into the public domain – meaning they are older than the life of the author plus 70 years – do not require permission for use. Also, materials used for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use, with some exceptions), scholarship, or research do not require permission for one-time use.
Electronic era multiplies challenges
Electronic materials fall under the same copyright law. Copyrighted materials cannot be placed on electronic reserve more than one time without requesting permission, which means that CMU Libraries must obtain copyright permission from the copyright holder if the material is to be on electronic reserve for more than one semester.
“Under fair use, you can use a chapter of a book or one article in a journal issue once, but the next time around you have to get permission, which means a fee. And money is scarce right now,” Neely said. “I have seen fees run as high as $250 for one article.”
For that reason, electronic course packs make more financial sense than electronic reserves because copyright fees are built into student registration fees.
Neely admits that copyright issues present more difficulty for off-campus services, especially in terms of multimedia. For instance, a teacher can show a movie in the classroom, but that same movie cannot be streamed for off-campus students.
“Getting permission to use material used to be simple … Now everyone wants written permission and many copyright holders expect fees.”
– Linda Neely
Copyright specialistPark Library’s ongoing acquisition and development of digital services has reaped huge rewards for its patrons.
At one time, it took librarians and library patrons several hours to research topics via print indexes and card catalogs. Today, they can access multiple indexes and abstracts with a few keystrokes.
“Today’s challenge for students is information overload,” said Krista Graham, electronic services coordinator and reference librarian. “Not all searches are created equal, and we’re here to help students evaluate sources and information for quality.”
Here’s a look at the many ways that Park Library offers the latest in digital services for research efficiency and effectiveness:
• Web site. The Park Library Web site has undergone a number of usability studies, student tests, and continuous updates in order to make it simple to use.
• Databases. Patrons have access to more than 80 databases, more than half of which offer full-text articles. Park Library also offers specialized databases – some covering such subjects as chemical structure and stock information – that are only available from certain computers within the library.
• Full-text articles. More than one million are accessible on a daily basis.
• Web forms. Online forms available on the Web site include book requests, Ask a Librarian, Interlibrary Loan requests, Book a Room, and Suggestions and Comments.
• E-mail reference. Patrons can send reference questions via e-mail and receive a response within 24 hours.
• Clarke Historical Library exhibits. Patrons can access visual and text information for exhibits that existed in “real space” and those offered exclusively in digital format. For instance, “I Arrived at Detroit...” celebrates the 300th anniversary of Detroit’s founding by bringing to the Web more than 100 firsthand accounts of individuals who visited Detroit between 1701 and 1837. •
5
Fortunately, once CMU meets its many requirements, the Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization (TEACH) Act will make it easier to use copyrighted material for distance education by allowing teachers to stream portions of a film without obtaining permission.
For now, Neely’s job won’t be getting any easier.
Google leading push for universal access
“Congress keeps adding 20 more years to the date the material goes into public domain. It may become easier with projects like the Creative Commons movement and Google,” Neely said, referring to Google’s recent agreements with the New York Public Library and a number of universities, including the University of Michigan, to make millions of volumes, including much full text, accessible by the Google search engine and open the way to better, perhaps eventually even universal, access to information.
“It will be interesting to see how much really does become available and to what extent publishers will cooperate,” Neely said. •
By the numbers:
Park Library digital queries
• Total estimated 2004 hits: 36,182,534
• Total number of hits,
September – December 2004: 17,299,578
• Average number of hits per day,
September ��� December 2004: 141,800
Digital services offer unprecedented access
Park Library copyright specialist Linda Neeley sleuths an array of electronic and print resources like a detective searching for clues.British graduate student
impressed by CMU collection
6
Craig Fox’s lifelong fascination with history and the mechanics of secret societies recently brought him from England to Central Michigan University’s Clarke Historical Library.
Working toward his Ph.D. in history from the University of York, Fox is spending several months studying Michigan’s local Ku Klux Klan (KKK) movement of the early 1920s.
“The Clarke has very good primary resources available, and its direct holdings are impressive,” Fox said. “Locating KKK records represented a challenge in that local units themselves tended to destroy their records, and people happening upon old KKK records today often perceive them as negative and think twice about preserving them. But even negative material plays a role in understanding the past. You can’t hide history.”
KKK had grassroots appeal
Fox has spent hours poring over countless KKK membership rolls and local editions of the KKK’s newspaper and catalogs, looking for themes of exclusion and inclusion – who gets in, who doesn’t, and why. In the process, he has gleaned insight on the KKK movement from, for example, advertisements for picnics and firework displays, which demonstrate both the KKK’s business connections and their aggressive recruitment strategies.
“I was surprised to find that the KKK attracted such seemingly normal people – from factory workers to city officials,” Fox said. “It becomes even more interesting when a secret organization extends its boundaries beyond the more traditional male-only fraternal membership to embrace women, children of both sexes, and even infants. The KKK in the 1920s was just this type of organization, offsetting an undeniable political bigotry and intolerance with a grassroots appeal to the ideals of morality and family values.”
Clarke facilitates research
The Clarke Historical Library collection has helped Fox understand the KKK movement at a local level, as well as why it grew as much as it did.
“Greed was definitely involved,” Fox said. “Membership fees were $10, so it was in the leaders’ best interest to get members. As a result they got wealthy very quickly.”
Fox also credits the Clarke Historical Library staff for making his research easier.
“The staff works hard to serve researchers with efficiency and friendliness. They have been great, making every effort to make an outsider feel welcome,” Fox said. •
“I was surprised to find that the KKK attracted such seemingly normal people – from factory workers to city officials.”
– Craig Fox
Ku Klux Klan researcher
Craig Fox, a British doctoral student, gets assistance from Clarke librarian Jeffrey Hancks, right, as he scours the archives researching the history of Michigan’s Ku Klux Klan. Clarke Historical Library’s collection includes, below, a 1923 Michigan edition of The Fiery Cross.7
Ann Arbor Railroad helped pioneer Michigan transportation history
Clarke Library exhibit
documents the “Annie”
Clarke Historical Library commemorates the
golden age of railroads with an exhibit featuring Michigan’s Ann Arbor Railroad – known affectionately as the “Annie.”
“What we’ve done is put together a visual and historical package that will help people understand the history of Michigan’s railroads, using the ‘Annie’ as an example,” said Frank Boles, director of Clarke Historical Library.
Founded in 1895, the Ann Arbor Railroad experienced a twisted legal and financial history as its trains delivered freight and the occasional passenger along a line that ran diagonally across Michigan from Frankfort, Michigan, to Toledo, Ohio.
“The railroad was once a critical part of American society, and the steam engine was the epitome of technology,” Boles said.
Ann Arbor's technology
led to rail/ferry system
The other story Boles wants to illuminate with this exhibit involves a lesser-known aspect of the Ann Arbor Railroad history: its ferries.
The Ann Arbor Railroad used brand new technology that allowed railroad cars to roll onto ferries. While other railroads copied this technology, the ferries defined the Ann Arbor Railroad system. In fact, its ferries covered more miles over water than its tracks covered on land.
“In many ways the Ann Arbor was a ferry company that used track to collect railroad cars for its boats on one side of the lake and deliver them on the other side to the main lines of larger competitors,” Boles said.
Exhibit features include
photos, literature, and more
With contributions from the Ann Arbor Railroad Technical and Historical Association (AARRTHA), Boles has put together a collection of old photographs, tourist literature, stock certificates, and railroad passes to highlight the tangible history of the railroad and its ferries.
“We also have a life preserver and a set of instructions for it, which adds a nice visual link,” Boles said.
The Ann Arbor Railroad exhibit will be open to the public Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Clarke Historical Library’s two exhibit galleries: the Francis and Mary Lois Molson Exhibit Gallery and the Meijer Exhibit Gallery.
The exhibit also will be open select Saturdays
from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will remain in the galleries through July 15. •
“The railroad was once a critical part of American society, and
the steam engine was the
epitome of technology.”
– Frank Boles
Clarke Historical Library Director
The history of Michigan’s Ann Arbor Railroad on exhibit in Clarke Historical Library includes (clockwise from top left) a 1984 book by Steven D. Elve, a 1929 blueprint proposing changes to a maintenance yard, a 1997 history by Hudson Keenan, a December 28, 1916, logbook for one of the railroad’s ferries, historical photos, and a 1935 locomotive inspection report.8
(The first in an ongoing series that will feature
two library users in each Reference Point issue)
Martha L. Smith: ‘It's such
an inviting place’
Professor emerita Martha L. Smith is a regular seen browsing among Park Library’s shelves. She searches for novels as well as books about history, political figures, and women’s studies.
“The library had always been an integral part of my teaching. When I retired in 1994, I finally had the time for leisure rather than professional reading,” said Smith, who retired from Central Michigan University after 32 years teaching music, psychology, reading, and high school curriculum methods.
Besides more time for reading, retirement has afforded Smith more time for travel; in fact, she combines the two.
“I like to read novels about places I’ve been to,” Smith said.
Most recently, she read Wilbur Smith’s Blue Horizon – set in South Africa – and James Patterson’s Sam’s Letters to Jennifer – set in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
“Everyone here is so helpful, from the dean on down to the staff and students, and with that kind of support you don’t need to be afraid to wander the shelves,” Smith said.
Smith generally finds two or three books every two weeks or so. Sometimes, she’ll take her time browsing, visiting new exhibits and the library café, one of several good locations to read the Sunday edition of The New York Times.
“I really love the library. It’s such an inviting place, and when you talk to students here you hear how proud they are of it. They always bring their families to show it off,” Smith said.
Hudson Keenan: ‘It's our library‘
Retired high school teacher Hudson Keenan, ’53, has spent so much time in the Clarke Historical Library that he has become something of a local expert on a range of historical topics.
When he retired from Mount Pleasant High School in 1991 after 33 years teaching earth sciences, Keenan discovered he could more fully explore such topics as family genealogy, weather patterns, Native Americans of Isabella County, natural history, and Michigan railroads ��� to name a few. In the process, he’s enjoyed a first-row seat to Park Library’s recent renovation.
“The library has become more accessible,” Keenan said. “All of the changes and technological advances have popularized what was once confined to musty shelves.”
Keenan credits Frank Boles and the library staff for keeping him up-to-date on new books and articles that might be of interest to him. In turn, Keenan has become a source of historical information in his own right. He conducted research for his book, Storms and Extreme Weather in Central Michigan, at Clarke Historical Library; his booklet, Through the Years at Mount Pleasant’s Historic Ann Arbor Depot, is featured in the Clarke Historical Library’s exhibit on the Ann Arbor Railroad; and, from time to time, he fields patron’s questions.
“There’s a lot here. It’s our library. It’s the people of Michigan’s library,” Keenan said. •
Library users: They keep coming back for more
Martha Smith thoroughly enjoys time spent in Park Library and often stops to leaf through books rotating through the library’s new book browsing shelves.9
CMU alumnus recognized
for backing library expansion
Latin American Music
and Art Festival exhibit
Charles V. Park Library and Central Michigan University’s School of Music and Department of Art are collaborating in the presentation of the first Latin American Music and Art Festival. The festival, going on now through April 1, 2005, features the exhibit, Folk Woodcuts From Brazil’s Northeast, in the Baber Room and three days of concerts and lectures highlighting the music and art of Latin America, March 29 to March 31, 2005. For more information visit www.music.cmich.edu/LAMAF. •
Friends of the Libraries Luncheon
A Friends of the Libraries luncheon will be held in the Park Library on June 18 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nicholas Basbanes, author of several books about books, libraries, and book collecting – including A Splendor of Letters: The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World (2003) – will give a presentation in the auditorium, followed by lunch in the Baber Room. •
Timely features
Mike Reed, ’69, is an exceptional Friend of the Libraries.
Conference room honors Reed family contributions
When Mike Reed looks at the recent expansion and renovation of Central Michigan University’s Charles V. Park Library – to which he donated a sizeable amount – he sees a gateway to the future for CMU students.
“It’s very impressive,” Reed said. “Tom Moore and his team did a great job, and I’m glad to know we played a small part in it.”
Reed, ’69, credits CMU for teaching him focus and dedication, both of which carried him through a successful 36-year career.
“In order to accomplish your goals, you have to put forth the effort. You have to work hard, set sights on a goal, and apply yourself,” Reed said.
Tom Moore, dean of libraries, values Reed’s continued support.
“Early on, Mike recognized the ambitious goals we set for the new Park Library, which opened in 2002, and he and the Reed family have been generous in helping us achieve them,” Moore said.
After graduating with an accounting degree and working in a public accounting firm for a few years, Reed became a certified public accountant in 1972. Later that year, he joined Commercial Equipment Company (CEC), which his father and two other partners founded. Reed worked his way up from controller to president of CEC and recently announced his retirement, effective June 30, 2005.
Supporting CMU and Park Library a family tradition
For almost four decades, Reed has stayed connected to CMU by attending sporting events and making regular donations, including the Reed Family Scholarship for business students, which started in 1992.
Along the way, CMU has become a family tradition, with Reed’s sister, two brothers, and both his son and daughter attending CMU and making regular donations.
“I guess we all have a little Chippewa blood in our system,” Reed said.
When CMU undertook expansion and renovation of the library, Reed wanted to give to the project because he recognized the symbiotic relationship between CMU’s students and his family business. Today, a plaque in the Dean’s Conference Room recognizes the gift from the Reed family and CEC.
“My company is a technology company that sells, services, and supports office equipment,” Reed said. “Our industry has undergone a dramatic shift from analog equipment to digital technology. We felt the library was a good opportunity for students to learn the latest digital technology hands-on.”
Reed feels privileged to be associated with the library and honored that a conference room has been dedicated to the Reed Family.
“The Park Library is a fine facility for CMU, and they should be extremely proud,” Reed said. •OCLS librarians in the field 10
When the time came for the library to eliminate 700 journal titles because of budget limitations, Dean of Libraries Tom Moore knew that in order to make the right cuts, he and his staff would need to consult those who would be most affected – the faculty of Central Michigan University.
The Academic Senate Library Committee, which is comprised of CMU faculty and students, acted as a vital means of communication during this process.
“Working with the committee maximized our ability to make
good choices,” Moore said. “The committee plays an important role. This is a group of library users with ideas and opinions,
and we care about being in contact with them. They are a very helpful group.”
Committee input valuable to libraries
The committee meets once a month to: serve as liaison between library staff and CMU faculty and students, act as a board of arbitration in cases of conflict of interest, and aid the library
staff in planning and executing programs for growth in quality
and service.
Now in his third year of a three-year term on the committee, Dean Pybus, associate professor in the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Services Administration, serves as the committee’s chairperson. He chose to join the committee because it looked interesting to him.
He and fellow members recently have provided input and ideas on many topics, including the library’s efforts to shift away from using Social Security numbers in the book checkout system, a monograph inventory project, and fund raising.
“Basically, we support the library’s mission of service by making suggestions and raising issues and questions,” Pybus said.
“We also help make sure faculty understand what’s going on
in the library.”
Moore values the link the committee provides, and he would like to see more student involvement.
“As we think about developing and enhancing our services, we rely on the committee. We ask them, ‘What do you think? Is this a good idea or a bad idea?’
“The committee also is a good medium for bringing up questions and issues we hadn’t thought of. I feel good about how helpful
the group has been in evaluating ideas and contributing to our service progress.” •
Library committee
assists services
‘It’s so much easier now’
Monica Craig remembers the days of carting truckloads of books and materials to Central Michigan University’s off-campus students. Thanks to technological advances her load has lightened considerably over the years.
“Oh, my goodness, back in 1988 everything was print, then it went to microform and microfiche, and then CDs. Now it’s almost all online,” said Craig, who has been a CMU off-campus librarian in the Detroit metro area for 17 years. “It’s so much easier now.”
Regional librarians
bring OCLS to students
CMU Off-Campus Library Services (OCLS) employs seven off-campus reference librarians in strategic regional locations across the country. Each regional librarian performs research database searches, provides article citations and abstracts, and answers a variety of questions from off-campus students who have less direct access to materials compared to on-campus students.
Craig spends her day answering questions, guiding searches online – as well as by phone and fax – teaching library use face-to-face and online, and helping to create the information available on the OCLS Web page. She also is one of the OCLS librarians helping to plan the next biannual international Off-Campus Library Conference, which will be held in Savannah, Georgia, in 2006.
By becoming immersed in the region they serve, librarians in the field are better able to understand each student’s particular needs.
“Information-gathering skills continue for the rest of a student’s life, so that’s what we do; we teach them skills for lifelong learning.”
– Monica Craig
CMU reference and instruction librarianappreciate digital tools
11
For the most part, off-campus students are nontraditional undergraduate and graduate students, and many are working adults who are making significant life changes.
Information literacy
key to quality higher education
Craig believes it’s important that all CMU students gain information literacy and knowledge of scholarly research.
“It’s not a one-time thing,” Craig said. “Instructors can tell the difference between a student who has
Central Michigan University’s off-campus students don’t have easy access to Park Library, but to compensate for that, Off-campus Library Services (OCLS) offers one-on-one attention or what Julie Garrison calls “devoted time.”
“Because they can’t come to us, we go to them,” said Garrison, director of OCLS. “We hope to enfranchise the students to use the same resources our on-campus students can access and to provide them with a connection to the CMU campus.”
Off-campus courses tend to use compressed formats, so time is of the essence when it comes to providing the best materials. OCLS librarians save students time by helping them narrow research topics, locate the right databases, and find articles and books. They also deliver materials directly to the students with a 24- to 48-hour turnaround time.
“CMU has one of the best library services anywhere. The staff has always been responsive to my needs,” said CMU graduate student Rich Kaht.
OCLS librarians
also assist faculty
OCLS librarians help faculty by assembling electronic course packs, obtaining copyright permissions, and helping prepare syllabi that require resource bibliographies. They also have a hand in designing assignments to ensure feasibility for both the compressed format and the electronic delivery system.
“OCLS tries to be a support for faculty and a connection to the campus for students by bringing the university to them and giving them that campus presence,” Garrison said. • had research training and one who has not. We help with lifelong learning. Information-gathering skills continue for the rest of a student’s life, so that’s what we do; we teach them skills for lifelong learning.”
Craig has kept up with every technological advancement by staying hands-on and becoming, as she puts it, a new style of librarian.
“Gone are the days of the bun-wearing, tennis-shoe wearing person keeping everybody quiet, and I love the changes absolutely,” Craig said. •
Off-campus Library Services librarian Monica Craig instructs students on how to access, filter, and strategically use the wealth of information and research resources available in an electronic-age library like Park Library.
Off-Campus Library Services provides
one-on-one helpUniversity Libraries
Park Library 407
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Non-profit Organizaton
U.S. Postage
PAID
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Permit No. 93
Multiple sources ensure accuracy
“In that case, I first tried Who’s Who in America and other reference and biography resources in the library, but without luck. Finally, I went to Google, where I found some information on the senator, his birth year, and the title of the book he wrote. But I wanted to verify the Google information with our trusted resources, so I checked WorldCat, a standard book catalog that not only holds information on book titles published over the centuries, but also many times provides an author’s birth year. In my verification with WorldCat, I found that the Google document was wrong,” Zambare said.
Helping patrons define vague research ideas and locate information resources is the most important part of Zambare’s job.
“Some of our reference librarians have been here for quite a while, and they really know their areas of specialization to the point that they can identify information resources almost off the top of their heads,” Zambare said.
Clarke Historical Library offers historical reference services
The reference librarian and the archivist at the Clarke Historical Library offer specialized research assistance on such topics as Michigan and Great Lakes history, the Old Northwest territory, classic children’s literature, and the history of Central Michigan University.
“The questions we typically receive are about the histories of Michigan communities, ethnic groups, buildings, and landmarks,” said Jeff Hancks, public services librarian and assistant professor. “We have an excellent collection of Native American materials, which is popular. In addition, we have materials such as newspapers and censuses on microfilm that are particularly popular with genealogists.”
Casey urges patrons embarking on research projects to seek the help of reference librarians sooner rather than later.
“We do this a lot and will get you to where you need to be a lot faster,” Casey said. •
Reference librarians make research faster and easier
A quick search through a Park Library chemistry database turns up a large selection of online journals.
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