Library and Information Science Commons^™

Night Vision Goggles Or Rose Colored Glasses: A Unique Perspective On Training The Library Graduate Assistant In Instruction, Mary Todd Chesnut

The Southeastern Librarian

A review of the course descriptions for the twelve ALA-accredited Library and Information Graduate Schools in the southeastern states identified that the majority offer only one or two elective course related to library instruction (see appendix). These courses cover topics such as curriculum design, learning theory, best practices for teaching, and information literacy strategies. Some graduate program curriculums do not offer specific courses in library instruction, instead including it as a topic in a broader course such as Academic Libraries or in conjunction with a school media specialty.

Shifting Gears: Planning And Processing Of A Large Gift Serials Collection, B. Jean Sibley

The Southeastern Librarian

Mitchell Memorial Library recently received a sizable donation of gift journals and serials from the libraries of several agencies: Mississippi Geological Economic and Topographical Survey, Bureau of Geology in Jackson, Mississippi, and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). The impetus for the donations was the imminent move of the MDEQ. The agency library was being moved to a smaller facility, and there was no space to take everything. The core of the library is the geological library started by the Mississippi Geological Survey a century ago. The state geologist/director of the library was responsible for making decisions about what …

Bibliographic Instruction Lessons From A New Librarian, Carley Suther

The Southeastern Librarian

Although I have worked in the library profession for two years, it has taken longer to understand the phenomenon of bibliographic instruction. My pre-library school background is in education, but marrying the two disciplines has not been as easy as I first assumed. I had read a lot of helpful articles about library instruction in general, but ran across very few that were geared towards best practices and advice for new librarians. In this article I will address some of the key issues that I faced when first confronted with the challenge of library instruction.

Building Collaborative Reference And Instructional Services For Distance Education Students, Angela P. Whitehurst, Carolyn N. Willis

The Southeastern Librarian

To meet the needs of rigorous educational programs, academic libraries must make a commitment to serve growing distance education (DE) populations. Students who participate in distance education are typically older, nontraditional students with unique characteristics who need special services provided by their university library in order to obtain an education equal to their on-campus counterparts. Creating a successful reference and instructional service for distance education students not only takes planning, collaboration, and assessment, but also requires knowing your audience, constantly experimenting with new technologies, expecting the unexpected, and being ready to problem-solve at a moment’s notice. In this article, the …

Creating A Culture Of Mentoring @ Your Library, Elizabeth M. Doolittle, John-Bauer Graham, Alyssa Martin, Hal Mendelsohn, Kent Snowden, Amanda Stone

The Southeastern Librarian

The need to find and retain high quality leadership for libraries is one of the top seven issues for academic libraries. With a significant percentage of librarians planning to retire in the next decade, retaining professionals is imperative. Librarians must not only be retained, but mentored and developed for future leadership roles in the academic library community (Hisle, 2002).

Creating a “culture of mentoring” helps the organization, individuals in the organization, and those with whom they interact. This culture provides integrity (accountability) throughout the organization, and opportunities for learning, for feedback and for improvement of performance throughout the organization. Libraries …

State News

The Southeastern Librarian

Recent developments from SELA member institutions.

People News

The Southeastern Librarian

Recent professional developments from SELA members.

Solinet Product News

The Southeastern Librarian

News from SOLINET. Highlights include: SOLINET and Mississippi Library Commission have formed the First Librarianship Institute; ASERL announced creation of a new shared digital collection titled "Intellectual Underpinnings of the American Civil War"; merger of SOLINET and PALINET approved by the membership; SOLINET Preservation Services offers free assistance to help with applying for Preservation Assistance Grants.

Sela Activities

The Southeastern Librarian

Recent activities from the Southeastern Library Association. Highlights include: posting of SELA Leadership Conference minutes from October, 2008; the 2009-10 SELA Officers; information on the SELA Mentoring Program; the MaintainIT Project of TechSoup is looking to interview librarians; Woman's Day Magazine is looking for stories on using the library to help save money.

Solinet Personnel News

The Southeastern Librarian

SOLINET hires new Director of Information Resources, Collections, and Scholarly Communications, and a new consultant for their Consortial Licensing Program.

Hbcu News

The Southeastern Librarian

The HBCU Library Alliance hosted its third Membership Meeting Oct. 26-28, 2008 in Charlotte, NC.

The Southeastern Librarian V. 56, No. 4 (Winter 2009) Complete Issue

The Southeastern Librarian

Complete issue of The Southeastern Librarian, volume 56, No. 4 (Winter 2009).

The Southeastern Librarian V. 56, No. 3 (Fall 2008) Complete Issue

The Southeastern Librarian

Complete issue of The Southeastern Librarian, volume 56, No. 3 (Fall 2008).

From The Editor, Perry Bratcher

The Southeastern Librarian

Column from Perry Bratcher, editor of The Southeastern Librarian.

Sela Mentoring Program

The Southeastern Librarian

Call for participants for the SELA Mentoring Program.

Toward Understanding International Students: A Study Conducted At Middle Tennessee State University, Jiannan Wang

The Southeastern Librarian

The number of international students in American universities has increased over the years and has drawn great attention from librarians, library staff, and researchers. In order to serve this particular patron group more effectively, a number of studies have been conducted to understand their difficulties in using American library systems. In consequence, different approaches have been taken to try to help them. As each university or college may have its own library instruction system, and as the composition and features of international students at different universities may vary, it is difficult to apply available strategies without a thorough understanding of …

Adjusting Cutter Numbers For Composers At The University Of Southern Mississippi Libraries, Miao Jin, Erin Boyd

The Southeastern Librarian

In music cataloging, two primary methods are used for assigning Cutter numbers for composers. Some libraries maintain a list of composer Cutter numbers and then assign the same number to a composer in all music classes, i.e., Yale University’s Composer Cutter List at www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/music/cutter. Other libraries, including the Library of Congress, do not assign fixed Cutter numbers to individual composers, and are only consistent within single music classifications (Smiraglia 2008). There are advantages and disadvantages to the use of fixed Cutter numbers. Catalogers tend to memorize the numbers for major composers. This saves time as catalogers do not have to …

Social Policy And Constructivism: Using Constructivist Learning Theory In Teaching Social Work Students Research Skills, Linda Sizemore, Brad Marcum

The Southeastern Librarian

Principles of constructivist learning theory were used in developing a process-oriented approach to research skills instruction as applied to real world social problems and social policy responses. Building upon past experiences in establishing collaborative relationships with social work faculty, the theories of constructivism, Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process, and collaborative learning were incorporated into the framework of efforts to provide library instruction at important developmental phases, also known as “zones of intervention”, in student coursework involving three successive social work classes. This article will attempt to describe the above concepts and articulate how these concepts were employed in efforts to improve …

State News

The Southeastern Librarian

Recent developments from SELA member institutions.

Sela Activities

The Southeastern Librarian

Recent activities from the Southeastern Library Association. Highlights include: SELA web address changes; The 2006 – 2008 Southeastern Library Association Officers; Frankenthaler Scholarship awarded to library science student from Georgia; call for nominations for SELA President’s Award; call for nominations for Outstanding Southeastern Library Program Award; call for nominations for Outstanding Southeastern Authors Awards; call for nominations for Rothrock Award.

The Southeastern Librarian V. 56, No. 2 (Summer 2008) Complete Issue

The Southeastern Librarian

Complete issue of The Southeastern Librarian, volume 56, No. 2 (Summer 2008).

Solinet Product News

The Southeastern Librarian

News from SOLINET. Highlights include: SOLINET educational services goes green; SOLINET to offer Atlas' Aeon workflow/circulation automation system; SOLINET launches new website; SOLINET to provide training on Evergreen software with Equinox; SOLINET introduces consortial licensing program.

Ebsco Personnel News

The Southeastern Librarian

Chief Strategist for EBSCO elected to chair of the board of the National Information Standards Organization for the 2008-2009 term.

Hbcu News

The Southeastern Librarian

Recent activities from the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Highlights include: six HBCU-ASERL librarian exchanges Announced; new HBCU library alliance director named.

Ebsco Product News

The Southeastern Librarian

New products from EBSCO. Highlights include: EBSCO to provide Ariba Inc.'s Express Content; EBSCO broadens services; EBSCO adds a Knowledge Base Change Reports feature to their A-to-Z web-based resource locator tool; MetaPress desigated Knowledge Works Certified by Serial Solutions; new EBSCONET tool to simplify e-journal order activation and registration; new publishers to use MetaPress 2.0 platform to host e-content distribution.

Message From The President, Faith Line

The Southeastern Librarian

Column by SELA President, Faith Line.

People News

The Southeastern Librarian

Recent professional developments from SELA members.

Call For Nominations For The Charles Beard President's Award

The Southeastern Librarian

A call for nominations for the Charles Beard SELA President's Award, an award for given to an individual. group or corporation outside the library profession who has made a significant contribution to the development or promotion of libraries in the Southeast.

From The Editor, Perry Bratcher

The Southeastern Librarian

Column from Perry Bratcher, editor of The Southeastern Librarian.

Successful Liaison Marketing Strategies For Library Instruction: The Proof Is In The Pudding, Jamie M. Graham

The Southeastern Librarian

There are many tried and true forms of marketing libraries today. Networking, emailing, calling, and requesting an audience with a department are all common practices. The key to successfully utilizing these practices in your liaison areas is persistence.