Library Newsletter Spring 2015

NEWSLETTER SPRING 2015 Message from the Dean of the Library and Learning Technologies The library has always been a collaborative campus unit - we work with all departments across the schools and colleges to ensure that students and faculty have the information they need for their classes and research. We are now, however, engaging in much more direct physical space collaboration as we make the library a teaching and learning center on campus. The Writing Center moved into the library building more than a year ago and very quickly doubled its student traffic. In the coming year we will move the campus MakerSpace (a creative space where people gather to create, invent, and learn) into our expanding Innovation Lab. This summer we have a major renovation and construction project on the mezzanine floor that will result in the Hollis Family Student Success Center, scheduled to open in August. The almost 4,500 square feet space will hold some Student Success staff offices, but most of the area will be designated for tutoring and student study. Dean Hollis, whose family has generously supported Student Success initiatives at Stetson for many years, said at the ‘groundbreaking,’ “It [is] a special day…to see the space in the library and how it will be transformed into a warm, inviting and innovative space dedicated to student success.” We are pleased to play a role in transforming the library’s physical space and we welcome working with colleagues to become a hub for student learning. Susan M. Ryan, Dean of the duPont-Ball Library Library Wins Second Innovation Award The duPont-Ball Library has received our second Innovation Award in two years. The Florida Library Association’s (FLA) annual award recognizes a Florida library that has displayed innovative methods, projects, products, or organizational enhancements, such as using current and emerging technologies for library processes or information service delivery. FLA chose Stetson’s library for our innovative 3D printing curricular collaborations with the Department of Chemistry. Working with librarians, the Stetson chemists have developed lab assignments for their students, and both faculty and students have used the library’s 3D printers for research projects that have resulted in two book chapters, a journal publication, conference presentations, and senior research projects. Due to the success and popularity of our 3D Printing Innovation Lab, an alumnus recently donated funding for the library to add a fourth 3D printer to the mix. Within the next few months we plan to expand the Lab again to meet growing demand. Library’s Strategic Plan Not long ago, President Wendy Libby led the Stetson community in a University-wide strategic planning effort. Based on the results of that work (stetson.edu/portal/strategic-planning/), the library staff spent much of the past year working on our own Strategic Plan that would support the University’s mission and goals. We distributed surveys to students and faculty and conducted focus groups to identify areas in which we could improve and directions we might take in the future. Our full plan can be viewed at bit.ly/libraryplan, but it is summed up in our new mission, “The duPont-Ball Library engages in teaching and learning, collaboration, and innovation through its services, collections, technologies, and facilities.” _________________________________________ Infographics Contest When most people hear the term literacy, they think of reading and writing, but in its broadest use literacy refers to a competence in a specific area such as culture, technology, or finance. Visual literacy, the ability to make meaning of information presented as an image, is not a new concept, but it has taken on greater importance in today’s digital world. Infographics are a way to present information quickly and clearly in a visual form. Their image format makes them easy to share on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and to use in blog posts and online articles. Presenting information in an infographic is very different than writing a research paper. Too much information makes it difficult to read and understand the graphic, but too little information can render it meaningless. The same concepts that go into making a great infographic - researching, interpreting, synthesizing, and clearly and succinctly presenting information - are at the heart of information literacy. The library sponsored an infographics contest open to all students in spring 2015. The infographics could be on any topic, academic or not, and created in a variety of ways. The entries were judged on content, accuracy and completeness of information, use of proper citations, clarity and the ability of the infographic to convey a point, creativity, and appropriate design. By basing the contest on these criteria, the library helped promote and publicize the importance of both information and visual literacy skills. Elizabeth Loudon, Environmental Studies & Geography major, class of 2015, won first place for her infographic, The Journey of Solomon Northup. Marisa Wetzel (Steps to Self Care) and Nicholas Fuller (Favorite Places to Study on Campus) won second and third place respectively. Contest submissions may be viewed at stetson.edu/library/resources/infographics/. Students Everywhere! Even with all of the online resources available to students 24/7 from anywhere, the library is still a popular destination. Students come to the library for many reasons, including working on groupprojects, researching and writing papers, meeting up with friends, and studying. An increase in enrollment has meant more students than ever are using our facilities. As one might imagine, the library is most popular during final exams. During the peak five days of spring semester finals, the library averaged about 1,890 visitors per day, compared with an average of 1,120 visitors over a five day period just a month earlier. Having so many students use our library is great validation for our work in creating facilities, collections, and services that students want and need. In a survey of our students, however, we learned that the number one reason they come into the library is to study alone - presumably with some reasonable expectation of quiet. So many additional people in the library, however, especially in a building with architectural acoustical challenges, can make it quite a noisy place. To meet the need for a quieter library, librarians created a noise-free zone for students on the north side of the mezzanine. Extra study carrels moved into the space more than doubled the seating capacity. The quiet zone was well-received and constantly in use by studious Stetson students. We will continue our efforts to reduce noise in the building by conducting some acoustical studies and taking advantage of creative modern solutions to control the flow of sound. Library Research Prizes Each spring the library awards two research prizes: The Evans C. Johnson Research Prize and the R. Neil Scott Research Prize. The contest is sponsored by the library (and funded by donors in memory of the prizes’ namesakes) to encourage the thorough, effective, creative, and ethical use of research resources. Winners receive a monetary award and an engraved plaque. The 2015 Evans C. Johnson Prize went to Amanda Larson (left) for her paper Andy Warhol: Beyond the Surface, written for Dr. Katya Kudryavtseva’s class, American Pop Art. Melanie Garcia (below, right) won the R. Neil Scott Prize for her paper The Fine Art of Advertising, also written for the American Pop Art course. This year, the quality of the entries was strong enough that the library awarded two honorable mentions to Minh Thu Ma (Alice, below) for Humans for Sale: A Cycle of Extortion, Abuse, and Profiteering (written for Dr. Kimberly Reiter’s Modern Global Societies class) and Alexander Krest for The Delicate Relationship between Southeast Florida’s Inland, Intracoastal, and Atlantic Ocean Littoral Zone, Native Waters (for Dr. Paul Croce’s course, USA, the Natural Experiment: Environmental Debates). Read more about the prizes at stetson.edu/library/resources/research-prizes. Vietnam-Era Memorial Planned A group of faculty, staff, and alumni (from left to right below: Grady Ballenger, Professor of English; Richard Swartz, ’69; Jay Mechling, ’67; Sue Ryan, Dean of the duPont-Ball Library & Learning Technologies; Kate Pearce, Assistant Vice President for University Relations; and, not pictured, Dave Rigsby, Manager for Grounds and Senior Assistant for Special Projects), have been working on a Stetson Alumni Vietnam and Vietnam Era Veterans Remembrance project that would honor our alumni who served in the military during the Vietnam era. The memorial site (see architectural drawing at right) would sit just to the north of Griffith Hall in a beautiful and quiet open spot on campus. The site will include an attractive walkway that invites people into the space that will contain a granite marker explaining the purpose of the memorial. Three benches will sit on the other sides of the circle. Florida native plants, including Sabal palmetto palms and coonties, complete the circle. The plan includes a calming water feature in the center. The benches, plantings, and water feature will create a pleasant setting for the contemplation about service and sacrifice and about war and peace that the site is designed to encourage. The library will maintain a website that will offer a range of information about the Vietnam War and the Vietnam era, as well as information about our alumni who served. The website will have links to resources, including lists of books and films about the Vietnam War, the Library of Congress Veterans Oral History Project, and other relevant sources. An important goal of the project is to educate current Stetson students about the War and its lasting impact on our lives. Enough initial funding has been raised that much of the site (phase one) may be constructed in time for the planned Saturday morning, November 14th, dedication at Homecoming. Donations are still needed to incorporate the second phase elements (the water feature and bricks engraved with alumni names). If you would like to donate to the project, you can do so online at stetson.edu/give (specify “Vietnam Memorial”) or by check to Stetson University, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., Unit 8286, DeLand, FL 32723. For those of you coming to Homecoming 2015, please mark your calendars for the November 14th dedication. ________________________________________ Follow the Library on Facebook Stay up-to-date on library news. Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/StetsonLibrary. Find the John B. Stetson Facebook page which posts Stetson-related items of current and historical interest at facebook.com/johnbstetson1886. duPont-Ball Library • Stetson University • 421 N. Woodland Blvd., Unit 8418 • DeLand, FL 32723 (386)822-7183 • stetson.edu/library • facebook.com/StetsonLibrary