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
Central Michigan University continues
celebrating the 10th anniversary of Park
Library’s expansion and renovation – a
project that converted the library from a
storehouse for printed academic materials
to a comprehensive, highly technological
information center.
“It is only proper that we take this day to
celebrate the 10th anniversary of a facility
that has transformed how our students
learn and our faculty conduct research and
the tremendous work each of you do on
behalf of our students, faculty, staff and the
entire university,” CMU President George E.
Ross said at a special library staff luncheon
Jan. 9, 2012, which marked 10 years to the
day that the new library opened.
The transformation enlarged and
modernized the library to keep pace with
the learning and research needs of students
and faculty as well as to create an academic,
cultural and support hub on campus.
The $50 million library project required 2 ½
years of construction before reopening in
January 2002. With more than 1.3 million
printed volumes of materials housed on 33
miles of moving shelves, Dean of Libraries
Tom Moore says the vision was to create a
library to enhance learning and research
opportunities of the university for its
students and faculty.
“It was important that the university create
not only a functional and attractive library,
but also serve as a symbol of the university’s
commitment to teaching, learning and
research,” Moore says.
He believes that the original vision to
modernize Park Library to better assist the
university’s academic commitment has
been realized. Park Library serves the Mount
Pleasant campus community as well as
off-campus and online students and faculty,
especially through online services and digital
resources.
“Today is a celebration of the anniversary
of Park Library and the commitment of the
university to produce great results for its
students and its surrounding community,”
Moore says. •
See pages 2 and 3 for continued coverage
Center of the university
Volume 8, Issue 1
Spring 2012
library.cmich.edu/pubs for more
Anniversary marks Libraries’ current and future impact
Students, faculty and staff enjoy cake served
in the main hallway of Park Library in early
January to celebrate the 10th anniversary of
the library’s renovation and expansion project.
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
Kayla Rusin
Jennifer Sula
Cierra Wallace
Editor
Dan Digmann
Designer
Nate Jones
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 8601-4,661 (3/12)
Points of pride
As we began this
spring semester,
we celebrated the
10th anniversary
of the re-opening
of the Charles V.
Park Library after
the 2 ½ years
of construction
that gave us the
attractive and
functional facilities
we have today.
For those of us
in the Libraries in
2002 (really, 10 years ago?), it was a delight
to recall the gratifying exclamatory reactions
of students, faculty, and staff as they entered
the new library for the first time.
The anniversary has been a great opportunity
to pause and reflect on our progress in
offering library collections and services in
support of CMU’s academic programs.
I’m happy to report that the uniform
conclusion of the numerous reports we’ve
prepared over the last decade is that
we’re doing well in meeting the academic
information needs of our university clientele.
While we have ongoing challenges,
there’s much about which we can be very
proud, and some reasons for our pride are
highlighted in this and previous issues of
Reference Point.
An area I particularly wish to note is the
Clarke Historical Library. This special library
has long offered quality reference services
and a rich collection of books, manuscripts,
and other materials relating to Michigan
and Old Northwest Territory history, as well
as historical children’s books and resources
relating to teaching children to read. But,
under the leadership of Dr. Frank Boles, and
through the work of a dedicated staff, in the
last 10 years it has blossomed in ways that
make it the envy of other special collections
libraries.
A couple examples. The first is Clarke Library’s
vigorous public programming, especially
through exhibits and speaker events. Clarke
has used its contemporary exhibit spaces,
and its website for remote users, to great
impact in showcasing collection resources
creatively and interpreting topics and
themes effectively. It’s also used our Library
Auditorium to attract and edify students,
faculty and staff, and area community
residents through dozens of memorable
speaker presentations.
Another example of how Clarke Library
has extended its service boundaries is its
strategic collection enrichment, such as
addition of the Hemingway in Michigan
Collection, which is already bringing
scholarly notice and reputation to CMU.
Since 2002 the Libraries, including our
exceptional Off-Campus Library Services
and Clarke Library, have compiled a vivid
record of library service success through
strong collections, remarkable facilities,
effectual use of information technologies,
and the indispensable talents of our
staff. With requisite budgetary support
and the generous financial assistance of
our appreciated donors, I’m confident in
predicting an enthusiastic celebration of the
20th anniversary of Park Library in spring
2022. And what’s more, I’m looking forward
to it.
I hope you enjoy this issue of Reference
Point. As always, let us know if you have
comments or wish more information.
Tom Moore
Dean of Libraries
Tom Moore
> Dean’s Column
Celebrating Park Library’s past, future decades
2
library.cmich.edu/pubs for more
Remarkable resource
While it isn’t engraved for the world to see,
there’s a table on the second floor of Park
Library that almost seems to have Shonda
Smith’s name on it.
Along the windows overlooking the
sidewalk surrounding the facility is where
the junior apparel merchandising and
design student from Detroit can be found
quite often. The muffled intermittent buzz
of her muted cellphone is the only noise
that disturbs the silence.
“I basically live here,” Smith says with a
laugh as she looks up from her Accounting
101 textbook. “This is my favorite spot.
Park Library is a great place because you
have to be productive here. You can’t just
come here and sit like you could at your
apartment or dorm room.”
Such an experience is what project
planners were envisioning when they
developed visions and designs for a
renovated and expanded Park Library
nearly 13 years ago. Among these plans
were to move beyond the building that
opened in 1969 and create a welcoming,
well-lit, engaging and technologically
advanced facility that includes services
and resources to enhance the student and
community learning experience well into
the future, according to Gerry Edgar, CMU
Libraries’ business services manager.
Park Library central for student success
Edgar worked closely with various
contractors, designers and managers
throughout the 30-month renovation and
expansion project, which was completed
with an opening on Jan. 9, 2002.
“We wanted to build something that could
accommodate whatever changes would
come along years from now,” he says. “It still
feels new. There are days when I come into
the building, look up into the atrium and
think, ‘This is still pretty darn cool.’”
To better serve the university community,
space is available in the building for other
academic support units, such as the
Information Technology Help Desk and
Media Services, Student Disability Services,
Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching, the
Writing Center and the recently opened
Math Assistance Center.
It also was developed to incorporate
advanced technologies and electronic
resources, including hundreds of public
computer workstations, wireless connectivity
and electronic resources that are available
onsite and online.
“I think we’re pretty up-to-date with
everything, and we try to keep on top of the
newest technology,” says Diane Thomas, CMU
Libraries access services coordinator. “Even
after coming into this building, we’ve added
a lot of new technology. That’s what the
students want. It’s what they expect.”
3
Such a facility with these types of services,
collections and resources is exactly what
Indian River senior Josh Rorick has needed as
he’s pursued double majors in religion and
computer science.
“This is where I come to do my homework
and research,” Rorick says. “When I was writing
my thesis last spring, this was a very useful
tool for me.”
Building on a decade of success, Park Library
is poised to serve the university community
for years to come. •
Shonda Smith
4
Emily Lindsay didn’t flinch when she learned
that comparing and contrasting 10 creation
myths was the topic for her senior honors
humanities class research paper.
Neither did her brother Ian when he had to
write a paper about different civilizations for
his freshman world history class.
That’s because they knew that even as
Mount Pleasant High School students they,
like the rest of the community, have access
to CMU’s Park Library and its extensive
academic collections.
“The university library is very familiar to us,”
says Emily Lindsay, explaining their favorite
location is the fourth floor to use the dual-monitor
computers. “It’s really easy to find
information on the topics you’re looking for,
and the atmosphere there really helps you
to focus.”
The library is located at the heart of CMU’s
Mount Pleasant campus to best serve
university students, but Dean of Libraries Tom
Moore is quick to extend an open invitation
to people beyond the university to utilize
Park Library. This includes everything from
the library’s in-house and online resources
to its periodicals, Clarke Historical Library,
government documents and beyond.
“We welcome community users,” Moore says.
“We are committed to being a resource for
the larger community.”
community
learning
Enhancing
Library resources available to users beyond CMU
Dr. Ara Sheperdigian is one Mount Pleasant
resident who visits Park Library several times
each week. The retired physician enjoys
walking to campus to read the newspapers
and look into online medical journals for
current research.
“I like to go for walks but have to go
somewhere with a purpose. The library is a
great purpose,” says Dr. Sheperdigian, who
lives less than one mile from campus. “I go to
the Reference Desk to check Value Line for
my investments every Monday, then I hit the
magazine and browsing library. Other times
it’s great to be in the stacks where there are
multiple shelves of books on the same topic.”
Clarke Historical Library is included within Park
Library and focuses on the history of Michigan
and the Old Northwest Territory, published
works that shape the minds of young children,
and the history of CMU. Among the primary
users of Clarke Library are scholars and
genealogists external to CMU.
Recently Heather Fisher of Midland utilized
Clarke resources for a project in her Wayne
State University graduate program.
Utilizing CMU Libraries’ collection
Library hours and the dual computer monitors are among the features that attract Mount
Pleasant High School senior Emily Lindsay, left, to use Park Library resources. Here, Emily is
explaining her poetry project to her mother, Marilyn, as her brother Ian sits at the other side
of the table and works on a high school assignment of his own. Marilyn Lindsay is a 1992
CMU graduate who worked in Park Library when she was a student.
5
“I was supposed to do an assignment
where I studied and observed a humanities
special collection library/archive,” she says.
“The local history and records are very
important. I have several friends that work
on their family genealogy in their spare
time, and I’d definitely recommend the
records that document the local history of
Isabella County.”
While non-university users can check out
most materials and use online materials
onsite, there are some restrictions,
including not being able to order books
through the Michigan eLibrary Catalog
and not accessing databases or electronic
books and articles outside of the building.
But users such as Emily Lindsay have
found ways to utilize what is available to
them onsite.
“I find the books that I need and look at
them right here at the library,” says Lindsay,
who will enroll in CMU’s music education
program this fall. “I’ve learned to take really
good notes.”
Utilizing CMU Libraries’ collection
Being available to the public does not take
away from the services and collections
available in area public libraries, Moore says.
In many ways, the university and public
libraries complement their respective
services.
“In the library world, cooperation is critical,”
he says. “We all have common goals and
principles to serve the needs of all our users.”
Lise Mitchell, director of the Chippewa River
District Library System, agrees. In addition to
Veterans Memorial Library in Mount Pleasant,
the CRDL System also includes libraries in the
nearby communities of Blanchard, Rosebush,
Shepherd and Winn.
“With the community utilizing Park Library
for academic resources and journals,
that allows us to focus on the needs the
community chose in our strategic plan –
such as ‘connect to the online world,’ which
includes better connections to CMU, and
‘create young readers,’ which fosters even
more cooperation with the early childhood
resources at CMU,” Mitchell says. “It’s great
having CMU and their willingness to
collaborate in our community.”
Someone who sees how both libraries
connect is Ruth Helwig. The systems librarian
at Park Library also serves as vice president
of the Chippewa River District Library System
board of trustees. Serving on the CRDL board
and various committees, Helwig says it is
interesting and helpful to see and appreciate
the perspectives of the university and public
libraries.
“The collections of both libraries serve very
different purposes, but I find there is good
collaboration between the two, and we can
learn from each other,” Helwig says.
Collaboration is especially important with the
statewide interlibrary loan system, Michigan
eLibrary Catalog. Pamela Grudzien, CMU
Libraries’ head of technical services, says
she remembers several times staffing the
Park Library reference desk and a student
was looking for a book that wasn’t readily
available at Park Library.
“My first reaction is, ‘Let’s check the public
library,’” she says. “It’s resource sharing, and
that’s one of the best ways to serve the
people who use our libraries.”
The Wall Street Journal usually is the first
newspaper Dr. Ara Sheperdigian, a retired
physician living in Mount Pleasant, reads
each time he visits Park Library.
Lise Mitchell and Ruth Helwig meet in Veterans Memorial Library in downtown
Mount Pleasant to discuss a collaborative library project. Mitchell is director of the
Chippewa River District Library System, and Helwig is a systems librarian at Park
Library as well as vice president of the CRDL board of trustees.
library.cmich.edu/pubs for more
Many student employees support Libraries
long after graduation
As I meet CMU alums who support the Libraries, I often find that they were
employed in the library during their student years. For this reason, I’d like to
recognize and acknowledge current and past library student employees.
Student employment at the library has
provided many generations of CMU
students with rich experiences that have
enhanced their academic and future careers.
Sometimes great and enduring relationships
have been formed between fellow co-workers
and between employees and their
supervisors. The library staff is continually
grateful for the hard work done by student
employees on a daily basis to make our
services a success.
During the Annual University Campaign in
2010, the library staff founded a scholarship
for library student employees; it awards
two students with funds toward their next
semester at CMU. As part of the application process, student employees
are asked to write an essay regarding how working in the Libraries has
benefited them, and their responses are extensive and impressive.
We are happy that we can provide such wonderful experiences for students
through employment and are pleased to contribute financial assistance
toward achieving their academic goals through the future of the Library
Student Employee Scholarship.
Furthermore we appreciate that, as alums, many former student employees
have decided to give back to the university by supporting the Libraries with
their financial gifts. It’s a pleasure to speak with donors and discover that
many of their great memories about CMU come from their time spent as a
student assistant in the library.
For example, 1949 alumna and former library student employee Helen
(Holz) Rooney has been a great supporter of the Libraries and shared with
me fond memories of her time working under Catherine O’Connell, head
reference librarian, with whom she developed a rewarding relationship.
The continued support of former student employees means a lot to the
Libraries and has allowed us to create and grow funds essential for our
continued success in serving the information needs of the university.
If you’re a former student employee of the Libraries, let us know. You’re part
of a big club, and one that we appreciate very much. We’d love to hear
from you and update you on what’s new at the CMU Libraries, even beyond
what you’ll find in Reference Point. Feel free to contact me at 989-774-1826
or via email at brook1mr@cmich.edu.
Megan R. Moreno
Director of Development and Community Outreach
Lasting relationships
> Development Column
6
Megan Moreno
A tale two CMU
library student
employees
includes Helen
(Holz) Rooney ’49,
as pictured in a
CMU yearbook,
and current senior
Kate Caszatt, as
she checks in
several books.
Nearly 65 years separate the graduation dates of Helen
(Holz) Rooney, ’49, and Kate Caszatt, who will graduate
in May 2012. They’ve never met – Rooney is from Bad
Axe, Caszatt is from Shepherd – but they’d have plenty
to talk about should their paths ever cross.
They share experiences as student employees at the
CMU library circulation desk.
While the core of their responsibilities is similar,
including reshelving and checking out books only to
check them back in, facilities and technologies have
evolved over the decades.
Rooney reported to work when the University Library
was located in Warriner Hall, and Caszatt always has
clocked in at the current Charles V. Park Library. Gone
are the days of the card catalog Rooney once helped
to maintain manually, which has been replaced by an
online computer-based system that Caszatt references
with the click of a mouse.
But the common thread connecting the two is the
enjoyment that comes with working in a service
role at the library and the respect they have for their
supervisors.
For Rooney, her library employment was a great way
to meet other students, and she developed a close
relationship with her supervisor, Catherine O’Connell.
For Caszatt, she has developed close relationships with
her co-workers and supervisor, Jane Morey.
“I know I will keep
in touch with my
co-workers and my
supervisor, Jane,
long after I graduate,”
says Caszatt, who
was among the
first Library Student
Employee Scholarship
recipients. “It has been
a great opportunity to
work here, and I am
extremely grateful
for it.” •
Common connections
7
Seeing students studying in Park Library
always inspires Somdev Roy, M.D.
It’s something the board-certified oncologist
and hematologist observes each time he
visits the CMU library to relax and read about
his favorite topics of history and philosophy
at least once every week.
As common as these actvities are in the
United States, such an educational resource
isn’t readily available for people in Dr. Roy’s
home country of India.
“Libraries in India are not free and open
to the public,” says Roy, who is a doctor at
McLaren-Central Michigan’s Norval K. Morey
Cancer Center in Mount Pleasant. “I believe
the library system in the United States is one
of the greatest and most valuable aspects of
our society.”
After attending R.G. Kar Medical College
in India, Roy moved to the United States
with his wife and son. During his time in
the United States, Roy completed medical
residencies at Meharry Medical College
School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn., and
at St. Joseph Mercy in Oakland, Mich. He
also completed a fellowship at the Medical
College of Ohio in Toledo.
Since coming to Mount Pleasant in 1999 to
work at McLaren-Central Michigan, Roy has
regularly tapped into the library’s collections,
programs and author presentations. He in
turn has generously contributed toward their
continued development through the Friends
of the Libraries.
“I am happy to support something I can get
so much out of,” Roy says.
patron Valued
Local physician uses Park Library’s resources
Time at the library is what Roy says he
considers as his “down time.” He likes
sitting on the fourth floor because he
enjoys its quietness.
And it isn’t uncommon for Roy to spend
as many as four hours researching a topic
of particular interest to him that day, not
just because he wants to but because
it’s readily available to him and to the
countless others who have access to a
wealth of information in the library. •
A recent Friends of the Libraries annual
luncheon provided library supporter
Dr. Somdev Roy the opportunity to
meet guest speaker and award-winning
author Marie Arana.
8
It’s not enough to say the
2012 Friends of the Libraries
Luncheon speaker is a University
of California, Berkeley professor
emeritus whose new book was
featured in a January issue of The
New Yorker magazine.
“Invisible Romans” author
Robert Knapp has credentials no
previous Friends’ speaker
can claim.
Knapp is a Central Michigan
University alumnus and a
member of the Friends.
The 1968 CMU graduate – he was valedictorian of the mid-year
graduating class – will return to his alma mater to speak at the
annual invitation-only event at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 19, in the
Park Library Auditorium. He will speak on “Ordinary People of
Ancient Rome: The Empire’s 99%.”
While Knapp is retired and lives with his wife in California
– where his children also live – he still is connected to his
home state of Michigan and CMU. He regularly visits northern
Michigan to restore an 1888 log home built by his great-grandfather
as well as makes extensive use of the Clarke
Historical Library to conduct much of his research on Clare, his
father’s hometown.
“The Clarke Library has been indispensable to me in my research
about the area of central Michigan,” Knapp is quoted as saying
in a publication for Clarke Historical Library. “Indeed, the Clarke
is the most open, welcoming, helpful special collections library I
have ever worked in during my over 40 years as a researcher.”
Knapp received his Ph.D. in Ancient History from the University
of Pennsylvania and taught Roman history, culture and Latin at
the University of California, Berkeley for more than 30 years. His
recent book publication – “Invisible Romans” – is the culmination
of these efforts to investigate
the life experiences of non-elites
in the Roman world.
It is published by Harvard
University Press.
To learn more about this event
or how you can become a
Friend of the Libraries, contact
Megan Moreno, director of
library development and
community outreach, at
• 989-774-1826
• megan.r.moreno@cmich.edu
Annual Friends event is May 19 CMU Libraries’ exhibits
and events calendar
lib.cmich.edu/exhibits
‘Continuum’
Featuring works by Cam DeCaussin and Caitlin Freeman
• Through March 29
• Baber Room, Park Library
‘Primary Visions: Foundation Art
Students’ Exhibition’
Representing student work produced in CMU’s Department of Art
and Design Foundations Program
• Through March 30
• Third Floor Exhibit Area and Extended Hours Study and
Student Gallery, Park Library
‘Red Dirt and Blue Salt: Portraits in Rock’
Highlighting research specimens collected by CMU’s Department of
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
• April 1 through May 31
• Third Floor Exhibit Area
‘The Moment’
Featuring student work produced in class taught by Artist-in-
Residence Jill Marie Mason
• April 2-27
• Extended Hours Study and Student Gallery, Park Library
‘The Ordinary People of Ancient Rome: The
Empire’s 99%’
Featuring Friends of the Libraries luncheon speaker
Robert C. Knapp
• May 19
• Auditorium, Park Library
‘A Delightful Destination: Little Traverse Bay at
the Turn of the Century’
Exploring the region’s transportation, cultural and economic
growth during this colorful period
• Through May 31
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday at Clarke
Historical Library
• clarke.cmich.edu
‘Presidential Signatures’
Examining the handwritten signatures of United States presidents
• June through December
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday at Clarke
Historical Library
• clarke.cmich.edu
Knapp returns to CMU
Robert C. Knapp
Connecting with
northern Michigan
Exhibit also appearing in Harbor Springs
Strengthening its outreach to northern Michigan, Clarke
Historical Library will present “A Delightful Destination:
Little Traverse Bay at the Turn of the Century” at the Harbor
Springs History Museum in June after it closes in the Library’s
exhibit galleries.
The exhibit directly ties into a
documentary about the Little Traverse
Bay region that CMU Public Television
produced and will debut at the
International Hemingway Society
Conference June 17-22
in Petoskey.
“To me this is a tremendous example
of a win-win situation for both the
Harbor Springs Area Historical Society
and Clarke Historical Library,” says
Michael Federspiel, a CMU history
faculty member.
Federspiel worked closely with both entities
when he developed his book, “Picturing
Hemingway’s Michigan.”
Through the ongoing relationship, Clarke Historical
Library’s collection now includes many digital versions of
the photographs from the Harbor Springs Area Historical
Society’s permanent collection.
“Relationships like this are extremely important in
networking smaller, local organizations with larger
established organizations,” says Mary Cummings, executive
director of the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society
and Harbor Springs History Museum. “Now people doing
scholarly or personal research through the Clarke Library
or its website can get a glimpse into our historical society’s
collection. Also, through the upcoming exhibit, our local
museum visitors and members have an opportunity to learn
more about our area’s history from a new perspective.” •
9
While the state’s Pure Michigan marketing campaign looks to drive
Michigan tourism, Clarke Historical Library is demonstrating how a
similar concept impacted northern Michigan more than 100 years
ago.
Through vintage maps, photographs, books and postcards the
current Clarke exhibit – “A Delightful Destination: Little Traverse Bay
at the Turn of the Century” – explores the region’s transportation,
cultural and economic growth during this colorful period between
1890 and 1920.
“We think people will see their own part of northern Michigan in
this exhibit,” says Michael Federspiel, CMU history faculty member
and primary researcher for the exhibit that premiered in February.
“When people who visit the Clarke exhibit learn about what people
did at the turn of the century, they’re likely to think, ‘We still do that,’
in Alpena, Traverse City or other places around the Great Lakes or
inland lakes.”
Near the turn of the century, passenger ships on the Great Lakes,
as well as train lines that ran from as far away as Kansas City, Kan.,
and St. Louis, Mo., brought people to Petoskey, Harbor Springs and
the surrounding areas to vacation in northern Michigan. Visitors
made quick day trips, weeklong getaways, or extended month- and
season-long vacations.
“It was an area searching for what it would become,” Federspiel says.
“We’re trying to tell the story of the region and how it dealt with the
transition from a past lumbering place to a summer paradise.”
Federspiel hopes the exhibit encourages visitors to investigate for
themselves since many of the attractive elements that drew visitors
to Michigan in the past still draw them today. •
Pure Michigan
Up north is
Exhibit explores Little Traverse Bay from
1890 to 1920
Harbor Springs
History Museum
10
An American Library Association report
indicates that approximately 66 percent
of the public libraries in the United States
offered e-books in 2011. This number is up
from 38 percent only two years prior.
“According to Library Journal, 60 percent of
libraries that do not currently offer e-books
expect to do so within two years,” states
the ALA report prepared by its Office of
Information Technology Policy E-book
Task Force.
E-books are mostly digital versions of printed
books, and for several years CMU Libraries
have included e-books in the collections to
meet the growing demands for online books
from their patrons.
E-books are providing students information
that is only a click away.
Being able to search the library catalog
online and to click on a link to see if a book
meets their needs “gives students more
flexibility with their hectic schedules,” says
Matthew Ismail, director of Park Library
collection development.
Libraries enhancing collections
electronically
Embracing
Years ago, college was a vastly different
experience that enabled students more time
to go to the library and pick out the books
they needed. Today’s students are pressed to
the limit with time demands, from working
more than one job to being involved on
campus and taking a full course load, as well
as students who are working full time and
enrolled in online and off-campus programs.
“E-books are important because many
students do not have the same college
experience as I did,” Ismail says. “They have
a lot more going on, which often makes
getting to the library to retrieve resources
difficult.”
Having such resources available online is
important to the mission of the Libraries
and university. And students today are more
inclined to use technology to support their
academic work and projects.
“The generations accustomed to printed
materials only are fading away,” says
sophomore Shelby Shafer, who utilizes CMU
Libraries’ electronic resources.
When the Libraries purchase an e-book, users
can access it through a URL created for the
university’s electronic copy, according to
Pamela Grudzien, Libraries’ head of technical
services. Users can access it through their
personal computing devices, and by
establishing an e-book account through the
Libraries can highlight information and make
notes in the text.
Grudzien says library officials are meeting
with book publishers to pursue expanded
options for users to access and download
e–books.
E-books are important for flexibility and
serving the needs of today’s students, but
print books will continue as timeless and
reliable sources of information.
“I only read books in print,” freshman Sarah
Johnson says. “I believe a storybook has more
character when you get to feel the pages.
I love being able to flip to the next page
because it just adds to the experience.” •
e-books
Serving students of today
Just the second day of the spring
semester, a student asks a question of
Timothy Peters, the Libraries’ director
of information services who is staffing
the Reference Desk at Park Library. It’s
a typical question – “Does the library
have the North American Journal of
Fisheries Management?” – but it’s a
relatively new experience.
Peters never sees the student to whom
he’s responding because the entire
conversation is conducted online.
In recent years University Libraries
have implemented methods for
students to utilize library services
virtually, including reference librarians.
Such developments offer patrons the
opportunity to use the Internet and
Students communicate
with librarians via instant
messaging
In touch online
11
Timothy Peters responds to a question
he received online while staffing Park
Library’s Reference Desk.
cellphones to instant message librarians with questions
about the library’s numerous resources.
“We are trying our very best to make Park Library
accessible to students in a mobile age,” Peters says.
“Students want to talk to librarians but are doing it in a
different way than before.”
These new technological developments also have
offered students access to information through
downloading articles or requesting online versions of
books whenever and wherever they happen to be.
“I like how I am able to get the resources and help I need
from librarians on my own time,” says senior Nichole
Humes, who uses these forms of communication with
Park Library.
Peters says he thinks the Libraries are keeping up well
with the changing technology to meet patron demands
and expectations.
“The ability for students to chat with librarians
electronically is only aiding us to accomplish our goal
of providing resources and help to patrons,” says Peters
who, by the way, confirmed to
the student mentioned earlier
that the library not only has
the North American Journal
of Fisheries Management, but
has it available in a convenient
electronic format. •
Providing students with the information sources most valuable
for their work is one of Matthew Ismail’s primary concerns.
“I really want to reach out to students to get a better idea of how
to integrate their interests with what we provide,” says Ismail, the
Libraries’ new director of collections development. “It is a time of
fundamental change in the library service profession.”
Among the fundamental changes in library collections is the
shift to online resources. Ismail says the use of printed materials
is declining because many users are accessing library collections
electronically. Because students don’t always have time to do
extensive library research, Ismail says he is trying to make such
information more readily available online.
Having learned much about collection development working
for twelve years overseas, Ismail saw the position at CMU as an
attractive one. While many industries are facing cutbacks due to
the economy, he says he appreciates the university’s continued
commitment to its libraries.
“The university understands that you need a great library,”
he says.
Prior to coming to CMU, Ismail served as head of collections at
the American University in Cairo and the American University of
Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern studies
from Hiram College in Ohio, he earned master’s degrees in
Middle Eastern history at The Ohio State University, humanities
at the University of Minnesota, modern European history at the
University of Chicago and library science at Kent State University. •
New director
implementing
change in collections
As the library continues to
incorporate digital resources into its
collections, more books are available
to patrons in print and online.
Matthew Ismail
Distance-learning librarians’ connection
The growth of digital materials has drastically
changed how college professors and
instructors make information available for
their students.
Just ask Rebecca Hill, a CMU off-campus
librarian who works directly with faculty
members to help provide course materials
for their students enrolled in off-campus and
online programs.
“Library users are moving away from
traditional print resources,” Hill says. “More
and more material is available online, and a
lot of people are relying on library services to
locate the information they need.”
Hill is among the many professionals
presenting at the Distance Library Services
Conference April 18-20 in Memphis, Tenn.
She is co-presenting the paper, “Mining
e-Reserves Data for Collection Assessment:
An Analysis of How Instructors Use Library
Collections to Support Distance Learners,”
with Michele Behr of Western Michigan
University.
Library professionals of similar backgrounds
come together for this biennial conference
to share insights and experiences related to
off-campus programming and services.
Since 1982 CMU Off-Campus Library
Services has sponsored the CMU Libraries
and Off-Campus Programs conference.
Formerly the Off-Campus Library Services
Conference, the event name was changed
recently to better reflect the nature of the
issues it encompasses.
“CMU created the conference with the vision
of providing distance learning services
professionals the chance to come together
and learn from each other’s experiences,”
says Timothy Peters, CMU Libraries’ director
of information services. “This conference
stands out to me because it focuses only on
distance learning library services, unlike other
conferences that touch on an array of topics.”
Nearly 275 librarians attended the
conference held in Cleveland in 2010, and
Peters hopes to have even more at this year’s
event. Visit ocls.cmich.edu/conf2012 for
conference information. •
Libraries hosting biennial national conference
12
University Libraries
Park Library 407
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Non-profit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Permit No. 93
Rebecca Hill, a CMU off-campus librarian,
is among the presenters at the national
conference in Memphis, Tenn.