Reference point

              U n i v e r s i t y L i b r a r i e s ’ N e w s l e t t e r
It wasn’t enough that Don Gonyea was on
CMU’s Mount Pleasant campus in May to
serve as keynote speaker for the annual
CMU Friends of the Libraries Luncheon.
The National Public Radio political
correspondent agreed to make time in his
schedule to meet in the WCMU studios
with CMU broadcast journalism students
working and completing internships
at the university’s public broadcasting
headquarters.
Gonyea, a Michigan native, started at NPR
in 1986. His storied career as a national
correspondent includes reporting from the
White House the morning of Sept. 11, 2001,
as well as covering the Bush administration’s
prosecution of the wars in Afghanistan
and Iraq.
“I love any chance I get to come to a
university and talk to students, especially
as we had here: students who have the
journalism bug and who have the public
radio bug,” Gonyea says. “I think it’s fabulous
to see students who are kind of rolling
around in their heads how they might make
their way in this profession.”
One such student was Patricia Emenpour,
the 2007 Lem Tucker Journalism Scholarship
recipient, who was completing her student
employment at WCMU when Gonyea visited.
“Every time I come across a journalist as
famous as Don Gonyea, it’s kind of surreal,”
says Emenpour, who now is enrolled as a
CMU graduate student. “Just listening to him
talk you can tell he really cares about what
he does.”
In addition to offering students valuable
insights into the broadcasting profession,
Gonyea’s visit provided even more to John
Ketchum. The broadcasting senior was
preparing for his internship over the summer
at NPR in Washington, D.C.
“For them to give me the opportunity to
actually speak with him, that was very
humbling,” Ketchum says. “Then with me
being able to do my internship at NPR this
summer and having him telling me some of
the insider stuff about the headquarters, it
made me feel a lot more comfortable going
into my internship experiences there.”
More than 100 people attended the annual
CMU Friends of the Libraries Luncheon
May 14 to hear and meet Gonyea. It was
the largest turnout ever for this event,
which thanks library donors. •
Broadcast news insights
Volume 7, Issue 2
Fall 2011
library.cmich.edu/pubs for more
NPR’s Don Gonyea visits students, speaks to Libraries’ Friends
In the WCMU Radio studio, NPR’s Don
Gonyea, left, visits with CMU broadcasting
students – clockwise from top – Patricia
Emenpour, Mike Horace and John Ketchum.
Listening in the background is WCMU News
Director David Nicholas.
Check it out
In January please check the University Libraries’
website – library.cmich.edu – for next semester’s
10th anniversary activities. Or connect and
celebrate with us then on Facebook.
Reference Point is published
biannually 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
Richard Cochran
Associate Dean of Libraries
Megan Moreno, ‘06
Director of Development and
Community Outreach
Gerry Edgar
Manager, Library Business Services
Reference Point Coordinator
Production
CMU University Communications
Writers
Dan Digmann
Danny Goodwin
Sharasa Henley
Kayla Rusin
Jennifer Sula
Editor
Dan Digmann
Designer
Amy Gouin
Photographers
Robert Barclay
Peggy Brisbane
Printing
CMU Printing Services
Libraries’ website
lib.cmich.edu
Academic Year
Library Hours
Mon - Thurs: 7:50 a.m. - Midnight
Fri: 7:50 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sat: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sun: Noon - Midnight
Reference Desk
989-774-3470
libref@cmich.edu
CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase
diversity within its community (see cmich.edu/aaeo).
UComm 8563-4,661 (11/11)
Decade of developments
This academic
year we’re
celebrating a
milestone in the
life of the CMU
Libraries. The
Charles V. Park
Library, as we
know it today, will
be 10 years old on
Jan. 9, 2012, the
anniversary of its
first day of service.
Since then almost
nine million
people have come in the doors to use
the library, and about one million books
and other items have gone out the doors
on loan to students, faculty, staff, and
community members. It’s been a busy
place.
While Park Library looks very much the
same as it did in its first days a decade ago,
thanks to wonderfully respectful library
users and continuous attention by staff,
it isn’t wholly the same. True, the shelves
are loaded with books and journals, library
staff are eager to offer expertise and
service, and the hundreds of computers
distributed across four floors are heavily
used, especially in the evenings.
Yet over these years the library as the
unrivaled locus of the literature for the
scholarly disciplines has gradually been
giving way – happily and generously,
I prefer to think – to the ascending
prominence of a CMU virtual library of
millions of purchased and licensed books,
journal articles, and other items in the
academic lives of our students and faculty.
This means that CMU library users have
convenient access to much authoritative
research information wherever they happen
to be 24 hours a day. And they’re using it. This
is especially the case for our off-campus and
online students located from New York to
Honolulu in the U.S. and in many countries.
While visits to Park Library have continued at
a high and steady pace over the years, annual
visits to the Libraries’ websites now vastly
surpass visits to the physical facility.
Even with so many research materials and
library services available online, I’m pleased
and proud to observe that the physical Park
Library, with its gem-like Clarke Historical
Library also, is still “the place to be” on
campus in Mount Pleasant. Thousands daily
find in it everything expected and more:
personalized services, key and sometimes
unique print collections, excellent
technology that connects to our virtual
library and the wider Web, outstanding study
facilities, stimulating exhibits, and a broad
range of public events. Park Library truly
remains the academic centerpiece of CMU.
I trust you’ll enjoy this issue of Reference
Point, which contains informative articles on
other aspects of the CMU Libraries. As always,
we’re interested in hearing your comments
or questions.
Tom Moore
Dean of Libraries
Tom Moore
> Dean’s Column
Celebrating 10 years at
the Park Library of today
2
Reliable
research resource
Ron Primeau
Professor
Department of English Language
and Literature
When the Historical Society of Michigan
named “Star by Star: Naomi Long Madgett,
Poet and Publisher” the 2011 Documentary
of the Year, Ron Primeau was quick to cite his
resources.
For the film in which he served as associate
producer for filmmaker David Schock,
Primeau says CMU reference librarians were
fundamental in confirming and expanding
on facts about the life and career of Detroit’s
poet laureate and her extraordinary influence
on American literature.
“David Schock and I have now made three
movies together, and a filmmaker must be a
researcher on the spot to get the facts right,
to get a visual of a news story or just the right
photo from someplace far away,” Primeau
says. “I have been able to count on support
from the librarians every time.”
Among its goals, CMU states
it strives to “create and disseminate
knowledge through theoretical and
applied research … that will contribute to
the intellectual, economic, cultural, and
social well-being of our state, region and
global communities.”
For many CMU faculty and scholars
beyond the university, their research
commences, develops and continues
through the resources available within
CMU University Libraries.
Here’s a look at how some faculty are
realizing and advancing their academic
endeavors with assistance and guidance
from University Libraries’ extensive
on-site and online collections, resourceful
reference librarians, connections with
other libraries, and more.
Libraries help faculty advance
their scholarly works
For nearly four decades at CMU, Primeau
has sought and received much-needed
assistance from university reference
librarians for everything from writing grant
proposals to publishing countless journal
articles and helping his students gain a
deeper understanding of how to conduct
meaningful research.
“In the early days when I wrote many
articles, they would get hard-to-acquire
materials for me and even help find the
right journals in which to publish,” says
Primeau, admitting he spends more time
in the library than his Anspach Hall office.
“An obscure newspaper story, verification of
data or keeping the collections current; all
this helped my students and me.
“Librarians redirect us to the inconvenient
and indispensable paths to find more
detail, better evidence and a better chance
at finding answers that are worthy of our
intelligence. Librarians consistently bring
out the best in the talents of everyone I
work with.” continued
3
Ron Primeau teaches a graduate class
in literary theory.
4
Minghui Chai
Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry
Much of Minghui Chai’s research into fields
such as materials science and analytical
chemistry, especially on nuclear magnetic
resonance spectroscopy and atomic force
microscopy in polymer and supramolecular
chemistry, happens in CMU’s Dow Science
Complex laboratories.
But she’s among the first to say most of her
projects and the endeavors of her students
begin within University Libraries.
“I use the library on a nearly daily basis,” she
says. “Anything we want to solve in the lab,
we need the information from the library as a
base for our research.”
The updated materials available in the
Libraries’ in-house and online resources
help Chai to review and analyze current
data to better plan and predict experiment
outcomes. This helps to prevent duplicating
work already completed within the field
and enables her to focus on advancing
the research and discovering answers to
chemistry-related questions.
“If we’re looking for the protocol on how to
prepare some of the chemicals or to see if
somebody has done this type of work before,
the library provides an easy shortcut for us,”
Chai says. “We can use it as a reference to do
our work more efficiently.”
She says the library made a lasting
impression on her when she first visited the
university in 2002. Today Chai is even more
impressed with how fundamental the library
is in keeping university scholars connected to
cutting-edge research trends and helping to
conduct leading research at CMU.
“The library is the best source for research,
and I really think it helps to put us on a level
playing field with the work of other major
research institutions,” she says.
John Zappala
MSA faculty member
CMU Off-Campus and Online Programs
Without setting foot on CMU’s Mount
Pleasant campus, John Zappala was tapping
into University Libraries’ resources and
encouraging his students in Troy to do
the same.
From his home in White Lake Zappala, a
Master of Science in Administration faculty
member in CMU’s Off-Campus and Online
Programs, already had connected with CMU
Off-Campus Library Services librarians and
online resources for assistance in researching
course-related topics and writing grant
proposals.
The assistance he received from off-campus
librarian Jennifer Rundels was so valuable
that he refers to her as his “guardian angel.”
“The University Libraries are a gem,” says
Zappala, who has taught off-campus and
online programs courses for nearly 15 years.
“The librarians we have here are dedicated
professionals who help find ways to make
students successful.”
In addition to completing research projects
and writing textbooks using CMU Libraries’
extensive online collections, Zappala says he
often meets with off-campus librarians and
invites them to present to his classes online
and at centers throughout the state.
“It’s all about establishing that relationship
with the librarians and helping the students,
as well as myself, learn more about the
resources that are available,” he says.
“The library is always changing, so I learn
something new each time they present to
my class.”
This year Zappala, who recently retired as
community education director at Okemos
Public Schools, will teach on-campus and
online MSA classes.
“Teaching class on and off campus, I now
have the privilege of working with two
librarians,” he says. “It’s like I will have two
guardian angels: Jennifer Rundels and
Judy O’Dell.”
Reliable research resource
5
John Fierst
Assistant Professor
Clarke Historical Library
John Fierst was working at the James J. Hill
Library in St. Paul, Minn., nearly 30 years ago
when he realized it was necessary to make
a more than 1,000-mile round-trip visit to
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
CMU’s Clarke Historical Library had the exact
information Fierst needed to completely
develop his article – “Return to ‘Civilization’”
– about John Tanner for Minnesota History
magazine.
Tanner was nine years old when he was
taken captive by a band of Saginaw Ojibway
in 1789 and soon was sold to an Ottawa
woman living in northern lower Michigan.
Tanner’s account of life as an Ottawa-Ojibway
from 1790 to 1820 was published in 1830 as
“A Narrative of the Captivity and Adventures
of John Tanner during Thirty Years Residence
Among the Indians.”
While much was documented about Tanner’s
earlier life, specific information about his
later years that included controversies
surrounding Tanner and his connections with
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft and Abel Bingham
is limited.
“The biggest collection for me at CMU
was the Abel Bingham papers,” says Fierst,
who today is the reference librarian and
bibliographer in the Clarke. “The resources at
the Clarke made the article happen.”
Guided by his experiences utilizing the
depth of information available in Clarke
Historical Library – a leading resource for
subjects including Ernest Hemingway,
children’s literature, and Great Lakes and
Native American histories – Fierst says he is
committed to providing scholars and patrons
within and beyond the university the same
level of assistance he received.
“I love to have the students and scholars
come to the library and get excited about
the research,” he says.
Keith Clifton
Associate Professor of Musicology
School of Music
It isn’t enough for Keith Clifton to visit Park
Library and sit at a study carrel to pursue his
research interests of 20th century French
Music and American Music.
For many of his nearly 10 years at CMU,
Clifton has reserved one of the library’s 41
individual study rooms available to faculty,
emeritus faculty, staff and graduate students.
“With the library study room, I consider it my
cocoon as a scholar,” he says. “I usually have
several scholarly projects I’m working on,
from book reviews to articles and papers for
conferences. It’s quiet and secluded, so when
I’m over here I get a lot of work done.”
In addition to providing Clifton personal time
to focus on his work, many of the resources
he needs are available through the library’s
interlibrary loan service – now Documents
on Demand – and on-site collections
including numerous music scores and the
Betty A. McDonald Children’s Literature
Collection.
Clifton’s interest in American song
culminated in the 2008 book “Recent
American Art Song: A Guide.” This book, the
first to examine in detail post-1980 American
classical song, has received positive reviews
and is considered a standard reference
source on its subject.
“When I worked on my book I was a very
regular visitor to the interlibrary loan service,”
Clifton says. “There are a lot of materials at
the library, but if there’s something else I
need they have ways to get it.”
He currently is researching 20th century
French music for children, specifically French
children’s literature set to music such as
“Babar” and “The Little Prince.”
“The children’s collection is a wonderful
resource, and I still am very impressed by the
library’s collections,” Clifton says. •
Gifts to Libraries strengthen
CMU’s academic core
What is it about libraries that appeals
to people? The idea of preservation
and organization of knowledge?
The ability to access information
for learning and research? Or the
quiet atmosphere for study and
contemplation? My guess is that it’s
all these and more, especially in a
university setting.
As we meet our multifaceted mission,
the CMU Libraries face the same
challenges as all other academic
libraries: expanding information, developing technology,
changing curricular needs, and increasing user expectations.
Growing and responding to the information needs of today
and tomorrow, while maintaining time-honored traditions
of quality service and support for students and faculty, are
unquestionably expensive even though the people served
by the Libraries daily don’t directly pay for the benefits they
receive.
The rising costs of acquiring library information and providing
access, especially through technology, aren’t visible to the
people who use the Libraries from across all academic
programs. Nonetheless, cost considerations factor importantly
as we strive to offer excellent library collections and services
to our CMU students and faculty in Mount Pleasant and
elsewhere.
Unfortunately, while CMU support for the Libraries has been
stable, it hasn’t always been increasing at the same rate
as our costs because of state appropriations decreases to
higher education and other reasons. Yet student and faculty
expectations continue to advance because of new curriculum
developments and the rapid growth in online delivery of
academic programs.
So that’s where donor support comes in. We depend on you
for the crucial extra edge of capability the Libraries require.
Whether you’re an annual donor, major or planned gift
donor, or an alum considering making a first donation, please
know how valuable your decision to invest in the Libraries
is and how much we appreciate your support. It’s truly an
investment in the academic heart of CMU.
If you’d like more information or wish to discuss how you
can make an impact with your potential donation to the
CMU Libraries, feel free to contact me at 989-774-1826 or
via email at megan.r.moreno@cmich.edu.
Megan R. Moreno
Director of Development and Community Outreach
Central investment
> Development Column
6
Megan Moreno
CMU Libraries’ exhibits
and events calendar
lib.cmich.edu/exhibits
‘Student Life and Learning at CMU’
Exploring CMU’s long tradition of educating students both inside
and outside the classroom
• Through Jan. 20, 2012
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at Clarke
Historical Library
• clarke.cmich.edu
‘Painters’ Progress’
Focusing on the development of 12 students from all levels of
painting expertise
• Nov. 1 through Dec. 10, 2011
• Extended Hours Study and Student Gallery, Park Library
‘Illuminating Truth in Italian Compositions’
Featuring works from CMU faculty member Jesse Dominguez
• Nov. 7, 2011, through Jan. 6, 2012
• Baber Room, Park Library
‘Hemingway and Women’
Depicting a print portfolio by 12 Idaho artists
• Jan. 9 through Feb. 17, 2012
• Baber Room, Park Library
‘Primary Visions: Foundation Art Students
Exhibition’
Featuring student work created in CMU’s Department of Art and
Design Foundations Program
• March 5 through March 30, 2012
• Third Floor Exhibit Area and Extended Hours Study and
Student Gallery, Park Library
‘Little Traverse Bay at the Turn of the Century’
Looking into the cultural and economic growth of Traverse Bay
between 1890 and 1920
• Feb. 1 through May 31, 2012
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at Clarke Historical
Library
• clarke.cmich.edu
7
People have called katsina dolls – a
reflection of the Hopi Native American
culture – visible prayers, books in
wood and spirit messengers.
Recent visitors to Park Library’s Baber
Room also may consider them art
after observing a collection of katsina
dolls that Adelyn and Robert Leander
donated to CMU Libraries’ permanent
collection.
Adelyn served as dean of CMU’s
College of Arts and Sciences during
the mid 1970s.
“It was natural for both my husband
Robert Leander and me to think of
the university’s library for a gift that
celebrates Native American history
and culture,” she says. “Deepening our
understanding of any part of Native
American culture can serve as a
bridge between people.”
During Leander’s time as dean at
CMU, she and her late husband, Bob
Dougherty, made many friends with
whom she, and now Robert Leander,
have kept in close contact. Many of
these friends attended the opening
reception for the exhibit, which was
displayed Aug. 1 to Sept. 23.
Each doll represents a different spirit,
and each tells a story. Among the
collection is the “Eagle Dancer,” which
is Leander’s favorite.
“I love the flow of it,” she says. “I love
what it represents.”
stories Sculptured
Student enrichment inspires gift to Libraries
While on campus the Leanders, who
now live in Evanston, Ill., and summer
in northern Michigan, also had the
opportunity to tour Park Library, which
Adelyn described as “fascinating.”
Taking a break from her studies, Sarah
Neubecker shares her thoughts on the
katsina doll exhibit.
“It’s a different culture than I’m used
to,” says Neubecker, a CMU senior
majoring in journalism. “It invites more
interpretation and study than other
exhibits.”
Neubecker visits Park Library and the
Baber Room frequently. Along with
many other students, she utilizes the
space for homework and reading, but
also makes it a point to look at the art
that the room showcases.
“I like to look at the art because it
changes frequently,” she says. “It’s a
cool thing to take you away from your
studies, look at it and take it all in.” •
An opening reception for the katsina doll exhibit provides the opportunity for
donors Robert and Adelyn Leander, center, to catch up with friends including
Dennis Horton, left, and Martha Logsdon, right. Adelyn served as a CMU
college dean nearly three decades ago.
8
Over the last century Central Michigan University has experienced
everything from name changes to streaking, anti-war protests, panty
raids, and facility construction and renovations. One element binds
such events together: students.
As CMU celebrates more than a century of learning and growth, the
Clarke Historical Library’s new exhibit –“Student Life and Learning at
CMU”– takes a closer look into the student perspectives that have
shaped the university. The exhibit focuses on a combination of social
and academic elements and depicts items dating as far back as the
university’s founding in 1892.
“My goal with every exhibit is to make a relevant connection you can
apply to your own experiences,” says Janet Danek, CMU University
Libraries coordinator of exhibits and projects. “I believe this exhibit
is important to the university due to its rich content. Students and
faculty can relate to the exhibit because of their role and it being
their university.”
History
in the making
Exhibit examines student
influence on CMU’s past
Past and present combine
Current social media are having an influential effect on the
Clarke Historical Library’s current exhibit.
Featured and interspersed throughout “Student Life and
Learning at CMU” are comments from CMU alumni of today
who shared their experiences of the past by commenting
on questions the CMU Alumni Association posted on its
Facebook page.
This partnership helped the library utilize social media and tap
into the more than 18,500 alumni and friends connected to
the Alumni Association through Facebook.
Over a three-week period the Alumni Association posted a
series of questions and used SproutSocial, which is another
social media platform for alumni to respond.
“I am not sure we would have been able to reach as many
alumni and receive the great answers we did without the help
of social media,” says Bryan Griffin, director of annual giving. “I
think this was a great example of how social media can help
us engage our alumni, while also helping with a project on
campus.”
Now that the Clarke Historical Library is presenting the exhibit,
the Alumni Association is featuring it on its social media
outlets as well.
A window on the past
ECCO expands CMU Libraries online collection
by 33 million pages
CMU Libraries have acquired the Eighteenth Century Collections
Online, a product of Gale/Cengage Learning, thereby increasing the
existing library collections by 33 million pages and 180,000 titles.
One of the most ambitious single digitization projects ever
undertaken, ECCO consists of every English-language and foreign
language title printed in the United Kingdom during the 18th
century and thousands of important works from the Americas.
“Not only is it interesting and fun, but it can give you a real window
into the life of a century gone by that is so fundamental to the
founding of this country,” says Richard Cochran, associate dean of
CMU Libraries.
ECCO focuses on what many
scholars consider the most
significant events in world history:
The American Revolution, The
French Revolution and The Industrial
Revolution. From bibles, pamphlets,
books and sheet music, most ECCO
materials relate primarily to history,
literature and philosophy. Before this
digital collection was assembled,
many of the materials previously
were unavailable and inaccessible.
The advanced technology provides
users of the collection with search
options including basic search, advanced search, browse authors
and browse works. The new acquisition also has more research
tools than in the past, making it a benchmark for academic, public
and research libraries.
“ECCO and other digital collections we’ve acquired this year
continue a trend in collection building,” Cochran says. “We will
continue to investigate and purchase digital collection materials.”
Recently, CMU Libraries have made major strides in the enrichment
of research collections available to students and faculty. In addition
to ECCO, large online collections recently acquired by CMU Libraries
include:
ARTstor Digital Library. This collection features an archive of more
than one million digital images spanning the arts, architecture,
humanities, anthropology and sciences.
Elsevier Freedom Collection. Expanding access to Elsevier journal
titles from 194 to 2,200, this collection is particularly strong in the
areas of the sciences, health and business.
Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive, Pt. I. This
collection contains 1.5 million pages, including 7,000 books and
pamphlets, 80 newspaper and periodical titles, and a dozen
major manuscript collections relating to the debates over slavery,
abolition and colonization.•
9
Exhibit visitors will see how students of the past have
shaped the future of CMU through yearbooks, reflecting
on the time when World War II veterans lived in “Vetville,”
examining the evolution of residence halls and enjoying
various other items on display.
Danek developed the exhibit working with student interns,
Clarke Historical Library Director Frank Boles and reference
specialist Susan Powers, and CMU Director of Annual Giving
Bryan Griffin. Through the partnership with Griffin, Danek
is including in the exhibit firsthand accounts from CMU
alumni who responded to questions posted on the Alumni
Association Facebook page.
“Working with the Alumni Association to incorporate social
media into the exhibit was a great experience,” Danek says.
“It allowed for immediate and fresh responses from alumni.”
The exhibit is on display in Clarke Historical Library through
the end of January. •
10
It’s difficult to take a break from visual and
intellectual engagement in Park Library.
Designated exhibit spaces and artwork
displays are ever-present to capture visitors���
eyes and engage their minds.
Even after Marnie Greene closes her books
and laptop for a moment while studying
in the Library’s Baber Room, her education
continues.
“I always enjoy the artwork on display here,”
says Greene, a junior special education
major who typically studies in the Baber
Room three times each week. “It’s easy to get
sidetracked by the colorful paintings, and
I even learn through the little descriptions
they have.”
Libraries provide learning opportunities through art
This is exactly how it should be in an
academic library, according to Lucy Shelton
Caswell, faculty emeritus of University
Libraries at The Ohio State University.
In her article “Building a Strategy for
Academic Library Exhibits” that appeared in
College & Research Library News, Caswell
states that, “while exhibitions are a secondary
function of academic libraries, they may
make a substantial contribution to the
academic community.”
Gone are the days at Park Library when
artwork was relegated to randomly filling
empty spaces on the walls. Prominent exhibit
areas were among the primary features
implemented when the building was
remodeled 10 years ago.
“We knew we
were building a
monumental library,
so we knew we’d
have lots of walls and
other spaces that we
could use to extend
and enrich the
cultural environment
on campus,” says
Tom Moore, dean of
University Libraries.
“The library can be a
place that completely
opens the doors
to new ideas and
new information
the students didn’t
expect to find when
they came into the
building.”
In addition to special displays in the facility,
Park Library features five exhibit areas:
• Baber Room
• Clarke Historical Library
• Extended Hours Study
and Student Gallery
• Fourth Floor Exhibit Area
• Third Floor Exhibit Area
“Most exhibitions are found only
in art venues, where your sole
purpose is to view art,” says senior
Tanya Moutzalias, a photojournalism
and two-dimensional fine art
photography major. “The library
art exhibit spaces bring art to the
students.”
Viewing the exhibits often is the
reason Graciela Mercedes visits Park
Library. The senior art major says the
exhibits have the power to generate
a different type of learning.
“You’re really absorbing it at your own
pace and in your own fashion,” she
says. “It’s nice to have this resource,
and I think it’s a privilege to have this
opportunity.”
education
Exhibit-enhanced
Art Professor Sally Rose demonstrates a
weaving method in her fibers class. Library
exhibit spaces provide opportunities for
Rose’s students to display their works.
Freshman Brandon Packnett examines the
Olga Denison Native American collection
exhibited on Park Library’s fourth floor.
11
The University Libraries were among the
primary voices in the conversations when
Central Michigan University initiated
discussions about establishing a medical
school.
“The university leadership knew right away
that the College of Medicine had major
implications for the Libraries,” says Tom
Moore, dean of Libraries.
The electronic, print, personnel and reference
resources available through Park Library and
Off-Campus Library Services are fundamental
to educating future physicians and ensuring
accreditation for the CMU College of
Medicine, which is expected to enroll its first
class of 60 students in summer 2013.
In addition to taking classes on the
university’s Mount Pleasant campus – the
CMU College of Medicine’s west campus –
medical students also will complete their
course work and research at locations
throughout central and northern Michigan.
This includes students studying and
completing their clinical work at the
CMU College of Medicine’s east campus
at two locations in Saginaw as well as at
affiliated hospitals and medical centers in
communities across the region.
With its experience assisting students
enrolled in CMU’s health care-related
programs – such as physician assistant,
physical therapy and audiology – and the
increasing number of students taking classes
through CMU Off-Campus and Online
Programs, CMU Libraries are prepared to
serve the specific needs of such students.
These are among the qualities and resources
that positioned CMU for establishing a
medical school, says Dr. Sean Kesterson, the
college’s associate dean of clinical affairs and
hospital relations.
“For many of our students, their library
experiences will be virtual, and their access
to services will be through the Internet,” says
Kesterson, who has worked with the library
to develop the needed resources.
Doctors’ orders
Libraries key component to CMU College of Medicine
He says much of the college program will
develop skills for lifelong self-directed
learning and emphasize evidence-based
practice, requiring students to ask questions
and conduct research using existing
materials.
“Sometimes when students can’t find the
answers independently, that’s where the
library professionals will come in,” Kesterson
says. “Medical librarians are professionals that
a medical school cannot be without. They
are the specialists who will help the students
find the answers and develop the research
skills to become lifelong learners.”
The university will hire two new medical
librarians to serve the College of Medicine
and help the college achieve its goals. Amid
a broader national shortage, Michigan
projects a statewide need for 6,000 additional
physicians by the year 2020.
The CMU College of Medicine will train
generations of physicians to serve the
communities of mid- and northern Michigan
and the Upper Peninsula with a focus on
primary care and general specialties. •
In addition to patrons enjoying the
displays, student artists get a firsthand
glimpse into what it takes to create work
that is displayed throughout the library.
Sally Rose is a professor of art and design
who actively involves and encourages
her students to pursue opportunities to
display their art in a library exhibit such as
“Primary Visions: Foundation Art Students
Exhibition.”
“The library exhibits are extremely
important as another learning opportunity
to gain knowledge and experience with
organizing, installing and formulating an
exhibit idea,” Rose says. “This experience is
closer to what their professional practice
will be like.”
To learn more about the Libraries’ exhibit
spaces, visit library.cmich.edu/exhibits. •
The CMU Health Professions Building
will connect to a newly constructed
College of Medicine wing.
library.cmich.edu/pubs for more
Making math easy as 1-2-3
For senior Bradley Holley, a new center in
Park Library has made a big difference in his
mathematics class.
A second Mathematics Assistance Center
opened earlier this semester on the library’s
fourth floor.
“Whenever I don’t understand a problem,
I come here and I can get it done,” says
Holley, a CMU senior majoring in foodservice
administration. “It’s like working in any other
part of the library, but there are people here
who will help you if you’re struggling.”
While the original Mathematics Assistance
Center remains open in the Towers, the Park
Library center replaces the satellite center
previously located in Grawn Hall. Reggie
Becker, Math Assistance Center director, says
the student body has positively responded
to the library center. Compared to the last
two fall semesters in Grawn, he says the
library center already has experienced an
increase in students using the resources
available.
“I think a lot of it has to do with the location,”
Becker says. “The library is right in the center
of campus, and since a lot of people study
here already, it makes it easier for them to
come in and get the assistance they need.”
Gerry Edgar, manager of Library Business
Services, says he’s pleased with the center’s
library location.
“I think the students find it very convenient
to come here instead of having to go across
campus. It’s a great fit,” Edgar says.
The Mathematics Assistance Center in the
library is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday
through Thursday. The center in the Towers is
open 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
nights, and 2 p.m. through
9 p.m. Monday through
Thursday.
Both locations handle regular
sequence mathematics from
algebra to business calculus,
but the library center also
handles statistics and the
more advanced courses. •
Mathematics Assistance Center now open in library
12
University Libraries
Park Library 407
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
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In the Math Assistance Center
that opened in Park Library
this fall, MAC Director Reggie
Becker offers junior Mark
Hemberg guidance on his
statistics homework while
sophomore Paul Sidlosky
finishes his statistics equations.